Leon
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Posts posted by Leon
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Checking the wipe patterns beforehand more than offset your mistake.
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On 2/20/2024 at 2:55 PM, zev said:
Hey Friends, I’m hoping people can offer some insights on a tuning issue I’m having with my 45 DCOE’s
The car is a 72 240 with a rebello 3L stroker. Dave strongly suggested using the Chinese knockoff FAJS carbs, saying the machine work on these was much better than what he had seen coming directly from Weber, so that’s what we went with.
He tuned the motor on his dyno and it runs beautifully all through the rev range with one big exception. Right at “tip-in” when I’m transitioning from fully closed throttle to say 1/8 or even 1/16 throttle there is ZERO progression, meaning that the throttle is either on or off, and this happens regardless of speed and RPM. Off the line I have to feather the clutch to keep the transition smooth which is fine, but if I’m heading into a corner and transitioning from the brakes to the throttle, there’s no way to get back on throttle without a big jerk, which in turn greatly upsets the suspension of the car.
It feels like I have to overcome so much vacuum at the petal that there’s just no in-between from on or off throttle.
So far I’ve tried bigger pump jets and tried blocking the economizers at the bottom of the float bowl and that made zero difference. I don’t think the issue is in the pilot jets since it doesn’t even feel like I’m getting into the pilot jet yet…it’s literally just the transition from fully closed throttle to ANY amount of throttle no matter how small.
These carbs have 5 progression holes and Dave recommended drilling one of them out slightly, but before I go that route I wanted to see what other people think.
I’m all for switching to genuine Webers if that would help, but both Dave Rebello and Dave at Pierce manifolds said the FAJS carbs are every bit as good. This stumble greatly affects the drive ability of the car so I’ll try anything to get it solved.
many thanks.
If this happens regardless of speed or RPM, as you say, then I'm highly suspicious of your throttle linkage. Can you post a pic of your setup? If it's mechanical linkage, check for binding. If it's a throttle cable, I wonder if your lever ratio (length of carb throttle rod / cable throttle rod) is too aggressive. In other words, you may need a longer cable throttle rod.
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Finally had a chance to degrease the diff, reseal every joint, and pop in the Kameari stubs. I torqued the pinion nut to 135 ft-lb per this nifty blog article: https://inzane240.blogspot.com/2014/01/updated-info-on-subie-r180-install.html. Planned install is this Saturday! I've also ordered W65 idle jets from Keith Franck so hoping to have this car fairly dialed in for a mountain drive on the following Saturday.
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On 2/15/2024 at 10:52 AM, Fairlineguy said:
So my R180 diff is stripped and I’m replacing all the bearings .
Question is the item described as a crush tube actually a crush tube ?
I ask as mine had a shim under it which wouldn’t be required if it actually crushes secondly I see the tube in question is available in different sizesBoth make me think it doesn’t crush and you either fit shims or fit a different size tube to set the preload
You're right, it's more of a spacer than a crush tube. The shim is used to set pinion depth. There are a few active threads on this topic at classiczcars with a few folks there rebuilding their R180s.
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On 12/31/2023 at 10:12 AM, Leon said:
Man I sure hope so... the research I've done seems to indicate that they match but I can't say I found anything 100% conclusive on this. We shall see.
The diff arrived this past Tuesday and I confirmed that the stub axles fit!
I'm awaiting my pinion and side seals to arrive next week. In the meantime, I'll clean up and paint the diff and then it's install time. I've decided to install it as-is and only fit new clutches into the diff if I feel like it's needed. I bought bolts for the rear cover from ZCar Depot instead of fitting studs. I'm assuming this won't be the last time I pull this diff so I'm hoping that this makes the process easier.
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On 12/29/2023 at 11:04 PM, heyitsrama said:
Does the spline count for the new diff match the Kameari stubs?
Man I sure hope so... the research I've done seems to indicate that they match but I can't say I found anything 100% conclusive on this. We shall see.
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On 12/29/2023 at 7:30 AM, inline6 said:
I think I can get it finished by the end of March. We shall see. I pretty much underestimate the amount of time to do anything by a lot.
I gave up trying to estimate completion dates long ago. In Soviet Russia, project completes you. 🙃
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19 hours ago, MONZTER said:
Ahhh, I thought you were programming and maching it, I was going to say nice work, not an easy part to program. Are you paying them based off 1 part? I assume the time to program and tool is a bigger expense than machine time?
I'm in the same boat, I wish I could find a nice set-up for my NA car but nothing makes me happy. I might have to make one myself as well.
MONZTER intake part 2: NA Bugaloo!
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16 hours ago, AydinZ71 said:
Hi! I thought the clutched STI 3.9:1 LSD was available in the years 05-07’? Meh, minor detail. Was just curious if my recollection is wrong. Maybe that’s just the US models.
keep in mind, now that you have your LSD carrier and stub axles, you can swap out the carrier to different r180 with whatever ring/pinion ratio you like. Sounds like you will be happy with the 3.9, so you’re all set. Just nice to know you have options. I swapped my helical STI LSD carrier into a 4.11 for track purposes.
im not sure how often the clutched carriers need to be inspected or the clutches replaced, but not a bad idea to do it now before you seal her back up. I have never had a clutched LSD myself, but I know the competitive S30 road racers prefer it.
Hey Aydin, in the US, the 3.9 was '04-'05 only unfortunately. The '06 was unique in that it was a CLSD 3.54--'07 and later were all helical 3.54.
Good thinking! I'm planning on inspecting the carrier and replacing clutches once the diff arrives. I had ordered fresh clutches from Racing Diffs with the thought that I was going to refresh my current diff but now they can be used for the Subi unit.
Speaking of which, the diff has now arrived from the dismantler and is in Tyler's hands. He has gone the extra mile to pull the cover and take plenty of pics to confirm that it's indeed a 3.9 CLSD. ❤️ It'll be shipped out from Japan after New Years so hopefully in my hands in a few weeks!
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15 hours ago, inline6 said:
Well done! I like "After tireless and borderline obsessive searching..." That describes me more days of a week than not. I haven't been very active on Hybridz.org for several years, but have been restoring a 240z for 5 years now and that has required a lot of tireless and borderline obsessive searching.
Thanks Garrett! I bet many can relate.
But I know you especially have been focusing on every single detail, any idea when you'll be back on the road?
Between family, work, and other projects, it's difficult to dedicate the time like I used to. But after all these years, I still love this car. This Z will be 50 years old in a couple months and it amazes me what this 50 year old car can do. 🤙
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I decided to act quickly as to not have the car down too long. After tireless and borderline obsessive searching, I committed to getting a Subaru R180 for availability reasons. The cheapest solution for stub axles turned out to be Kameari which I found for significantly cheaper on Yahoo Auctions Japan rather than buying inside the US: https://www.jauce.com/auction/m1117548805. They were $417 shipped to my door vs anything US-based being $500+. The fresh hardware is a nice value add.
As for the diff, I wanted to retain the 3.9 ratio paired with the late ZX close-ratio box vs the 3.54 which I initially built the car with. I did like the deep overdrive with the 3.54 for highway cruising but the 3.9 gearing is perfect for mountain driving. In the US, the 3.9 LSD was only used in '04-'05 STI's and therefore is quite a bit tougher to find now versus 10 years ago. When they do pop up, they seem to go for way too much, for my wallet anyway. So I started searching other avenues to get one of these...
There are more available on eBay UK but they tended to be missing the rear cover for some reason and condition was not so clear. Then I turned to the JDM which ended up being more complicated to understand as far as which models to target. Long story short, I learned that at least the '01-'05 STI with DCCD transmission got a CLSD 3.9 R180--good enough for me. I ended up contacting Tyler at Magnolia Auto Supply (shout out: https://magnolia-as.jp/) who helped me source a diff from Japan! Japanese dismantlers seem to be very thorough in how the parts are presented, this one came out of an '03 STI with DCCD and has 89k miles on it. This path is likely a bit more expensive than the UK route but I felt good knowing more about the part. The hope is that this diff lasts the lifetime of the car given that I don't put that many miles on it.
The diff is currently on its way and I'm very much looking forward to getting the car back on the road. I've got a fresh diff cover gasket and seals to install once it comes in. I just need to source a Nissan R180 pinion flange and decide on studs vs bolts for the rear cover.
Note the PN: 27011AA860
Per Subaru:
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In other words, I think this diff may have just become a parts diff...
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Unfortunately, more unhappy diff news this evening. It seems whoever assembled this diff majorly screwed up, to put it lightly. As I said, a local diff shop was the last to touch this diff when I had them inspect it... 10 years ago. So the costs may very well be sunk at this point which is disappointing.
There is heavy embedment of the friction plate ears against the carrier and damage to the cover itself (perhaps due to mishandling during install?), I have a feeling the clutch vs washer vs plate stackup was done incorrectly.
Elongation of clearance holes in carrier due to loose ring gear bolts
And the mystery of where in the world are the LSD ramps was solved... the pressure ring was installed 90° off and the cross pin was put in the wrong place. INSERT REGRET AND DISAPPOINTMENT HERE.
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(1) Hoodie
Size: XL
Color: Dark Heather
Zip: 94010
I'm glad you're doing another run, Ryan! I was bummed when my hoodie from the original group buy took some damage last year, wasn't sure I'd have a chance to replace it.
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6 hours ago, inline6 said:
images seem to not be rendering.
Thanks for the heads up! Should be fixed now, let me know if you still can't see them.
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Done. :)
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Looks like a year and a half is about my post cadence these days.
I've been driving the Z sparingly but with much enjoyment since fixing the throttle hang. It's finally feeling close to getting to the level of refinement I want out of it.
Unfortunately the diff started making some extra whiny noises beyond what it was already making so I pulled it this past Saturday. I got the chance to pop the cover off and found that I'm the lucky winner of 6/8 loose/snapped ring gear bolts. 😱 I'm not sure whether it's salvageable but I'm going to tear into it as time allows. The last time this diff was opened was by a local diff shop but I can't say for certain whether they had removed the ring gear...
This is a Datsun Comp R180 3.9 CLSD so I'm hoping I can save it and run it but it looks a bit grim at the moment.
The cross pin position is not centered and doesn't seem to have any ramps? It's late and I'm confused, will be looking into this later.
The spot faces have heavy embedment from the loose bolts. If this LSD carrier can be reused, it will need machining.
I pulled these bolts out by hand, their ends are broken off and lodged in the ring gear.
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On 6/8/2022 at 9:15 AM, mutantZ said:
I see it's a high demand item. Trash bin it is! 😄
Sorry, I'm being a bit cheeky there. I may actually be interested. Let me know if you're willing to ship and what you might want for it. I've got a few bits of harness on my early 260Z that need servicing. Most interested in everything going to the steering column, headlight and taillight wiring although it seems that some of that may not be available.
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I'll give you $3.50. 😁
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17 month update! The Z hasn't seen much action as I've been dealing with a perpetual throttle-hang problem and inconsistent low-speed fueling--lots of popping out the carbs at low load/throttle openings.
The low-speed fueling was dealt with by a trip to Keith Franck's house on New Years Eve 2021 to use his custom progression-hole drill fixture. The first p-hole in my 45DCOE 152's was too far upstream, you couldn't even see the throttle plate through it at idle. This is a common problem with the 152's and Keith's fixture was the perfect tool to fix it. It turned out to be the correct diagnosis! I was rewarded with virtually no more popping out the carbs during low-load operation, the freeway cruise home was the smoothest it's ever been... besides the fresh rock chip in the windshield.
But now the rev-hang problem was even worse, although the engine would return to idle after a sharp throttle blip which hadn't been the case before. This is an issue I've been dealing with, at various severity levels, for the entirety of the 9+ years I've owned this Z. I was invited to a cars and coffee event this past Sunday, 5/29/22, which was inspiration for the next round of trying to fix it. So the carbs came off for the 132nd time, this time with the intent of resetting the throttle butterflies. I decided to pull the carbs off the manifold while on the car as to not waste the manifold gasket which had been port-matched when I had it apart last year.
What I also discovered were some slight interferences with the TWM manifold (would love to replace this janky manifold with a Datsun comp or Harada piece) as well as a non-functional accelerator pump on the #2 carb. I ground down the manifold in the offending areas with a file and radiused Dremel burr, this worked very well. Swapping accel pump pistons from carb #2 and #3 did the trick for making the #2 pump function again! I chalked it up to slight tolerancing issues. I then spent a good amount of time with a flashlight backlighting the butterflies, trying to get them as sealed as possible. I first set all the bearing preloads with the throttle shaft nuts as to set the throttle shaft in place. Then I loosened the butterfly screws enough to get the butterflies moving. Setting the butterflies was a matter of seeing where the light was coming through and trying to set it in a position where the light "leak" was even and minimize. The butterflies are eccentric in shape so turning them a bit here and there helped find the optimal position, along with snapping the throttle shaft for a bit of self-alignment.
And I finally have the crisp throttle response I've always wanted! It could be better but it's a massive improvement over what it was. I'm still missing that "zzzzz" noise on overrun when snapping the throttles closed but at this point, I'm happy. I made it to the C&C yesterday and did about 160 miles of excellent ripping through the East Bay and Santa Cruz Mountains!
Photos from recent drives:
My son likes to service his car while I work on mine, we ensure that safety best practices are always followed.
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Nice work Phil, your home-brew solutions never cease to amaze.
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What kind of shape are the door cards in? Is the chrome trim still intact? More detailed pics would be great. Thanks!
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I was going to suggest NASA ST but it would be a tall task to make a Z competitive against GT3's and Viper ACR's. Not saying it can't be done but... anyway, we've gone way off topic on this fantastic thread.
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Yup, exactly.
Leon's Other 260Z
in S30 Series - 240z, 260z, 280z
Posted
She's back on the road as of this past Saturday, as promised.
I forgot how much of a pain it is to do a job like this on the driveway, but it ended with a driving car and a diff that feels better than ever! No more clunking and... a bit less whining. It seems the poly mustache bar bushes transmit a lot of whine, as the front diff mount is still OEM.
Somehow though, the exhaust ended up a lot closer to the diff than I recall. The lack of clearance is audible. I'm planning to drop the exhaust and grind down the diff case.
Other than that, she needs new tires, fresh engine and gearbox oil, and Keith's W65 jets need install and tuning. Oh, and I found that the rear ARB was clashing with the left RLCA. Since both RLCAs are the same part number, just flipped LH/RH, there is less clearance for the ARB on the left vs right sides due to the flange being on the topside of the arm. This will need some massaging.
I'm afraid that by the time I'm "finished", the car will need another restoration. 😄