GrayZee

I don't have a huge amount of knowledge on RB swaps but my buddy has a RB26 240z and I know that he is using a z32 5spd (I guess they have the same bellhousing) If you need some mounts shoot him a email as sells very nice stainless steel ones for the 240/280z Brad_Davies@omniglass.com

Can someone tell me which way the water pump pushes the coolant? I know the thermostat is located in the engine where the LOWER rad hose connects, does this mean the coolant flows in a reverse pattern? I'm guessing that the hot water is pushed out the bottom hose and up the rad... pushing cooled water into the intake manifold. Is this correct? Or does it still flow in a traditional way?

I don't think that letting the fan run all the time is a serious problem. Belt driven fans run all the time (even ones with clutches still turn a little) The reason for using a electric fan is for MAXIMUM efficiency. For one it's not robbing power from the crankshaft, however that is not the reason car manufacturers use thermostatically controlled electric fans. Any piston engine has it's normal operating temperature and if the engine is below that temperature the fuel mileage and emmisions will suffer (ever so slightly) but car makers are always under the gun to make cars more effiecient cars and every tiny little thing helps. If the engine reaches it's desired operating temperature faster (by not having the fan run) it will be more efficient. It may not mean much to the induvidual but when you look at it's effect on a very large scale (millions of cars) It has a huge impact.

In my opinion the easiest thing to do is find a few inches of pipe that will fit inside your lower rad hose, then cut a inch or two from the center of your rad hose and connect the two ends with the pipe and a couple of clamps. Once you have that figured out you can get a fan sending unit from a Cavalier or something and find a nut that the sender will thread into. At this point you can drill a hole in the pipe and weld on the nut. (or if the pipe wall is thick enough, simply run a thread tap though it) Install the sending unit in the pipe and wire it up to your fan relay. Of course the pipe you use should be made of copper, brass, stainless.. (something that won't rust) The is no way that I would simply run a straight toggle switch as I'm scared of the idea of forgetting to turn it on, or perhaps on day somebody else will drive it and not know to turn the fan on and then you've got a baked engine.

I have gauges (less important ones like volts, fuel level and oil temperature) mounted under the glove box using the autometer triple bracket. I was able to use the factory nissan screws that hold on the glove box. I just had to drill one hole in the bracket. The look pretty good there (or so I think) and they do not interfer with the passenger's leg room at all.

I don't recall the part# but it was a "TransDapt" product. It is supposed to be good for all Nissan 6cyl engines. I ordered it from a local speed shop but Summit also carries their products. TransDapt has a wesite: http://www.tdperformance.com

Well I solved the intake manifold problem on my Vg30et swap. I didn't end up making a custom manifold as finding aluminum tubing in the right diameter was turning out to be a PITA. So I got a intake from a 90's multiport Pathfinder for $100. It actually seems to be a nice little unit, I just have to modify the fuel rail a bit to clear near the manifold. (I should have grabbed the Pathfinder fuel rails too) I was waiting for the Autometer oil pressure gauge I ordered to show up before putting the oil filter and right exhaust manifold on, as it is alot easier to see where to connect the oil line that way. Anyway once the gauge was installed I went to put on a oil filter to discover that there was no way that the filter was going to clear the frame! Turns out that the aluminum adapter plate that goes into the block to allow for use of oil cooler hoses makes the oil filter sit further away from the block. Not a problem in a z31 chassis but in a Pathfinder it is already a very tight fit. I went back to the auto parts store looking to find a smaller version of the filter but nothing was small enough. Looks like I am forced to buy a oil filter relocation kit. I ordered one, should have it in a couple of weeks. It's gonna look like a mess of spagetti as I'm going to have 4 oil hoses coming from the side of the block! Good for extra oil volume, I hope the pump can handle it!

I have a re-tuned z31 ecu and the key is in the timing advance curve. There is quite a noticable difference in power. As far as actual HP numbers, I have no idea but I'm sure that any aftermarket ecu could deliver similar postive results over the stock ecu.

Lots of people swap in 4cylinder engines into their Z's. Ka24's Sr20's I even heard of Honda S2000. All of which would give you a power gain and likely weigh less and give better weight distribution. Besides... I thought a RB25det was a 6cyl?? At any rate I'm sure it's got goobs more power than a L24 or L28. Tweaker, I'm a little confused by your thread title. Does this mean you have a z31 and want to swap OUT the engine? I assume that you have a 300zx. Too bad it isn't a early Z as my buddy sells mounts for RB series engines.

I want to attatch a mechanical temp gauge in my Vg30. The best place seems to be in the intake manifold. I would use one of the locations already taken for sensors but I'm not sure which one is which.. There is one on each side of the manifold. According to the Haynes manual one is the "water temp sensor" (driver's side) and the other is the "thermal transmitter" (passenger side) I assume one is needed for the ECU and the other is for the factory temperature gauge. Can somebody tell me which one I can remove without causing problems with the ECU? The engine is from a 84 300zx turbo. Thanks guys.

I didn't get a chance to look at the ecu as it is likely buried under the kick panel (it dosn't appear to be under the seat) The car uses a MAF sensor, I never checked the boot but I'm sure that it is more of a electrical/electronic problem as the definate "clicking" noise is VERY loud and rapid, it happens even before the engine is started. I am hoping somebody can tell me the purpose of those four little vacuum switches are for as they have the right style of electric plugs to make me assume that they are a part of the ecu system. Looks to me like the ecu is sending a very intermitant signal to the fuel pump relay, but why?? I would hate to buy a new ecu to find out it is something else.

Are you even sure it's a posi? I believe only 87+ zx turbo's were sposed to have posi.

anyone know what the problem would be? here's the story.. You turn the key to "on" and the check engine light flashes, it flashes in sync with a rapid clicking noise under the hood. The clicking noise seems to be coming from two places.. One, the fuel pump relay. The second place is below the relay box where there are four vacuum switches that have fuel injector style plugs attached to each one of them. If you start the car is runs like crap, won't idle at all and the tach jumps around like crazy. I tried by-passing the fuel pump relay to give it full fuel pressure but it still runs the same. I have no idea what these vacuum switches are for. If somebody can shed some light on this I would be thankful. My best guess is the ECU is toast..

April 87 was the change, luckily my 87 was built in January so there are no issues.

Think of your injectors as "six little water pistols" The computer controls how many times per second the "trigger" is "squeezed" to obtain the correct air/fuel ratio. If you put in a larger injector without reprogramming the computer it will still trigger the injectors the same way, and will flood the engine. Those Supra injectors are capable of supporting fuel to a engine capable of over 400hp. Do you think your NA engine is anywhere near that? I highly doubt it. In NA form I'm sure your stock injectors are more than adequate, even with a few mods I'm sure your stock injectors will not be maxed out.

Take the cover off of the steering column, behind the ignition switch (where you put the key in) you will see a plug. Pull it out, there should be 5 wires in a 6 terminal plug. One of those is the IGN+ I don't know the color off hand but look it up. Or just plug it back and and stick a test light up in the backside of the plug. Find out which wires will light up your tester as you turn the key to different postions (remember to ground the tester) One wire will have power all the time, regardless of key postition: Batt+ Another will have power ONLY when the key is in ACC or ON: ACC+ Another will have power only when the key is in ON or Start: IGN+ Another will have power ONLY when the key is in Start: STARTer signal The fifth wire "RUN" works the same as start but goes to the ignition coil rather than the starter. Don't even worry about that wire as it will no longer be used. Once you think you have found the IGN+ then cycle the key between ON and ACC and the light should come on in ON and go out in ACC, at this point you have found your wire for sure.

You think -15c is cold? Right now it's -34c with a windchill factor that makes it feel more like -44

Very nice, you have a setup for alot more potential with injectors and a ecu. Get your hands on a 87-89 ecu, a z32 maf and some 480cc ford injectors. Contact BernardD about a reprogramming and the next thing you know you'll be pushing the limits of the turbo! (either that or the engine block) You can also use a ford mustang cobra maf as well..

I bet you could get alot of HP out of a turbocharged Audi engine, I think that a engine with a powerband higher in the rpm range would be more suitable as the sudden jerk of low end torque from a powerful V8 would likely destroy the Audi drivetrain. Who really knows for sure until somebody tries it but that would be my biggest concern.

The big wire on the bolt on terminal goes directly to the battery The larger of the two wires in the plug in teminal also goes to battery The smaller of the two wires in the plug goes to the charge light in the dash. This is likely your problem as a 240z has a ammeter and no idiot light. Try running the wire to the ground of a small 12v lightbulb and provide it with + power from a ignition switched source. The bulb should light up when you turn the ignition on and go out once the engine is started (just like a idiot light) At this point your alternator should be charging the battery. Good luck

I thought a 4.3 AWD Astro would be a cool swap but the biggest problem would be the location of the "transfer-case" It would end up occupying the same space as the driver's seat. Maybe with a right hand drive model Z car and convert it into a single seater Z?

Where is the 2005 Zfest location? Maybe we could bring some more Manitoba Z owners to represent.. I know a lady named Judy that takes her 280zx every year.

I don't know about Greddy gauges but the Z dash whole is about 75mm so I imagine they would be too small. The Autometer 2-5/8" gauge swap is well documented. If you take the Z gauges apart the Autometer ones fit right in the Z gauge bezels and when mounted they look just like a factory gauge.

It's likely that the previous suggestions are correct. The ignition switch plug has six terminals and one of them is not used. So there are a total of 5 wires.. Batt: has 12v+ all the time (gets power straight from battery and is the power source of all the other wires) Acc: Power flows out the Acc wire ONLY when the ignition switch is in the Acc or ON position. IGN: Power flows out the IGN wire ONLY when the ignition switch is in the ON or Start position. Start: Power flows to the start wire only in start position. Run: Works the same as the Start wire but is only used in older Z's with point style ignitions (otherwise it is not used) I can point out another less likely but still possible problem. What year of Z do you have? If it is a older one with a external voltage regulator and you have installed the later model 280zx alternator with internal style regulator then this could be your problem. I had my 240z that did not want to turn off as well when I put in a newer 280z alternator. Never did look into it too deep but I guess there is something in the wiring that allows it to keep running. I kept the newer alternator but simply unplugged the external regulator and everything was fine after that.