How much does an RB26 Engine rebuild cost in 2023?
Nissan used the Rb26 engine in some of its iconic vehicles. However, after discontinuing the production, they have recently brought it back. Now that, the pair of a new engine block and cylinder head will cost from $3,500 to $3,800.
Here, the cylinder head is the pricier option as it’s going to cost you at least $1,700. On the other hand, it’s fair enough spending $1,400 for a brand new engine block to bring an ultimate improvement in the vehicle’s performance.
However, a lot of car enthusiasts want to swap the running engine with the Rb26 engine and kept asking about the cost. We'll break through everything in this article.
RB26 engine cost
Rb26 engine is an iconic engine itself used in a number of iconic vehicles. However, it's an expensive addition to the vehicle as to the price of the overall cylinder head and engine block can go up to $4,300.
As you all know that without a powerful engine, the vehicle won't perform to its peak. And for this reason, it becomes necessary to turn on a brand new Rb26 engine head and block.
- A brand new cylinder head costs from $1,700 to $2,300
- A brand new engine block costs from $1,400 to $2,000.
Well, one important thing to know about the engine is that the components aren’t available in the USA. Therefore, it becomes mandatory to ship the required components from Japan.
That is to say, the cost of both the new engine head and block stays on the higher side as they include the shipping cost.
What is the cost of the Rb26 refurbished engine?
It's not necessary to go for brand Rb26 engine components as you may run out of money soon when there's lots more to spend on the vehicle. Therefore, go for a refurbished cylinder head and engine block for $900 to $1,600.
The total cost seems going down half of what was offered for brand new components.
- A refurbished cylinder head costs $500 to $850
- A refurbished engine block costs $400 to $750.
Well, comparing the refurbished price to the brand new components price, the clearest picture suggests to us that the price has significantly gone down.
You are well capable of purchasing four refurbished cylinder heads with a similar amount of money used for buying a brand new one.
Again, the brand new price of the engine block is five times more than the cost of a refurbished engine block. That leaves no doubt about the cross-cutting measure of these two Rb26 engine components.
RB26 engine rebuild cost: Cost of engine building components
Well, all you need to know about the price of an rb26 engine is to rebuild your vehicle's engine. On average, the entire cost for rebuilding the engine with rb26 ranges from $5,500 to $7,300.
Whoever is reading and don't know why the cost is so high when it comes to rebuilding must stay till the end to know everything. Basically, the head and block are not the sole components of an engine.
The other crucial components that are mandatory for rebuilding impact the total cost a lot, even more than the cost of head and block. Check out the following chart at a glance.
RB26 engine rebuilding components | Cost range |
Head gaskets | $240 to $300 |
Bearings | $140 to $180 |
Studs | $260 to $320 |
Internals | $1,300 to $1,500 |
Oil pump | $1,150 to $1,300 |
Water pump | $250 to $300 |
Crank shaft | $760 to $900 |
Total cost | $4,100 to $4,800 |
Without any doubt, more than half of the entire rebuilding cost depends on the costs of the other components. The internals and oil pump cost the most in the above listing.
However, the crankshaft is one component that you can either take or continue with whatever you have built in the previous engine to save at least 800 bucks.
On the other hand, the cheapest component among all these is the bearings which won't cost you more than $200. Meanwhile, you also have the option to choose these bearings from either King or Clevite to have the intended performance.
Adding these components overall to the block and head creates two categories for engine rebuilding.
- Rebuilding with refurbished engine
- Rebuilding with a brand new engine.
The first one is the cost-efficient option you have for your vehicle’s engine, where the total expenditure ranges from $5,000 to $6,400.
On the other hand, choosing the second option means you have to count a lot of money to get a top-grade performance. The total expenditure for a brand new engine ranges from $7,200 to $9,100.
How much will it cost to swap to an Rb26 engine?
If you think rebuilding the engine and swapping is the same thing, you are absolutely wrong. Rebuilding is relatively an easier and cheaper thing than swapping as swapping can cost up to $25,000.
Don't these numbers look huge? Yes, they are and sometimes user thinks of changing their car instead of swapping the engine. Swapping the rb26 engine is basically rebuilding the engine with a lot of extra tasks.
Even if you are replacing or rebuilding the engine with brand new components, you won’t have to count more than $9,000. However, leave that cost aside as you have to spend more than $12,000 to $16,000 for swapping.
Swapping cost of the engine can include –
- Replacing the transmission system
- Replacing according to the chassis of the car
- Needing extra components like the harness
- The cost of internals
- Labor cost if you aren’t master at this, etc.
The above things are enough to take the overall swapping cost to its peak. And let the user think again and again that is it worth swapping to the Rb26 engine?
Can you purchase a new Rb26 engine?
Yes, you can purchase a new rb26 engine as Nissan is now working on bringing back one of their master engine in this field. However, there are two things you need to get through before making up your mind to purchase the engine.
- Are the overall Cylinder head and engine block price okay with you?
- And what's the purpose of replacing the present engine with rb26?
It does no doubt in mind that the high pricing of the engine allows the consumer to think twice before purchasing it. However, when it's to the performance, the answer is known to all.
From the performance perspective, you need to make sure that you are rebuilding this engine in your vehicle for the right purpose. Without this, it can never turn out a value for money replacement.
RB26 engine specs
Rb26 is an inline 6-cylinder engine that is manufactured by Nissan. The engine was introduced back in 1989, and Nissan continued the product till 2002. However, it came back on track in 2019 as Nissan began the production once again.
Now, let’s check out the engine specs at a glance.
Manufacturer | Nissan |
Engine type | Inline 6-cylinder engine |
Layout | Twin Turbo DOHC 24V |
Power | 276 HP and 316 HP |
Fuel system | Electronic fuel injection |
Displacement | 2.6L |
Piston stroke | 73.7 mm |
Cylinder bore | 86.9 mm |
Compression ratio | 8:5:1 |
Torque | 260 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm |
Firing order | 1-5-3-6-2-4 |
Rb26 engine vs. 2Jz engine: Which is costlier?
Both rb26 and 2Jz engines have equalities in dimension and design. However, the noticeable difference between these two engines is the performance.
Our research team kept two of these engines side by side and compared them to distinguish the differences. And we're going to provide the key differences between these two engines through the following chart.
Rb26 engine | 2Jz engine |
31 lb-ft torque at 500 mph power | 31 lb-ft torque at 400 mph power |
Normal power production | 12% more power production |
RB series engine from Nissan | Jz series engine from Toyota |
Displacement up to 2.6 L | Displacement up to 3.0 L |
10 psi stock boost | 11 psi stock boost |
280 PS power at 6,800 rpm | 280 PS power at 5,600 rpm |
Where to buy an RB26 engine?
In 2019, Nissan has started the production of the rb26 again, and it’s now available on e-commerce sites for sale. However, it's a matter of pricing whether you need a used one or a brand new one, also Nissan r32 is a great deal for you.
The prices vary a lot depending on the buyers' decision. However, it's not directly available in the USA for sale, or even if it is, it will get hard to find it.
If you want to purchase it from direct Nissan, you better contact the Japanese manufacturer. In that case, keep in mind paying a few extra bucks as the shipping charge.
Is Rb26 a good engine?
Indeed rb26 is a good engine as long as you are having formidable performance from it. The engine has done a pretty good job in the street-level uses. However, more things are there to decide how good this engine is.
- Top-class performance for street usage.
- Meets the demand for stock power level.
- The upgraded version produces better horsepower.
- It has thicker cylinder walls and deck surfaces.
- Aluminum-built cylinder head.
- Valvetrain with 24 valves and dual overhead camshafts.
Is Rb26 Engine Street legal?
Yes, it’s legal in most parts of the USA regarded that you obey the certification conditions imposed by the local law. Most of the states in the USA have told you to use the certified parts with this engine.
In that case, the legality depends largely on the use of the other parts along with the rb26 engine. Before you rebuild or swap the vehicle's engine with it, make sure you are well aware of the local conditions regarding the use.
Cost analysis
The cost of the rb26 engine depends on a single thing largely, which is whether the user is looking for purchasing brand-new components or refurbished ones.
The refurbished ones are there to save a huge amount of bucks, but is it going to provide the same level of reliability in the performance? When this question arises in mind, buyers tend to move towards brand new items.
One more crucial thing that impacts the entire pricing of the engine is the additional components required for engine rebuilding.
From the above discussion, you are well aware of the fact that the total rebuilding cost can be more than twice the engine cost.
