roger.svoboda

the 81 turbo has an r200 diffy. my problem was the driveshaft. output spline diameter was different (larger) on the auto tranny than the 5 spd I used. when I got it all together and tried to get the wheels to turn I figured I messed up the clutch install somehow but the problem was the manual tranny output shaft was smaller than the female of the driveshaft so everything was spinning to that point but nothing to the wheels.

something shorted that wire which powers the solenoid either fell off the starter and hit the frame or something is badly wrong with the solenoid

all the holes and stuff for hydraulic lines are there. I did this with an 81 turbo put in a 81 5 speed. you might have some drive shaft matching issues but if you have complete driveline in both cars may just need to swap a lot of stuff. you need the console cover to take the manual shifter so color matching may be an issue. there is a welded on bracket to hold the clutch slave hydraulic hose missing on the auto but you don't really need it so no biggy. there are some interlocks for the auto tranny you need to bypass to get it to start with the manual. I did it at the relay box under the hood. remove the whole cage assembly for the clutch and brake pedals. four bolts holding the brake booster and two up under the dash. You'll swear (at it and with it) that it won't come out but keep wiggling and pulling and then it miracously jumps right out of there. this is much easier than trying to swap the pedals. some tips - roll down both windows before you pull the battery. remove driver seat for sure and probably both. pressure wash underneath both cars if possible saves a lot of dirt in the eye nuisance. Remember that the 81 engine uses a crank angle sensor while the 83 dizzy sends the fire signal to the ecu. Just use the 83 dizzy on the 81 and you avoid that problem. some rewiring required but just pull off the cas and put on the dizzy. just swap the flywheel and clutch. might want to put a new pilot bearing and rear engine seal in there. T5 tranny you may want to replace the input taper bearing I hear they are delicate and not much of a job as it will be sitting on the floor anyway. took me about three days not putting in 16 hour days on it. tranny jack really handy. crane of course or chain fall from the overhead. I'd change the fuel injector connectors on the wire harness they are usually in need of it by this time. New cylinder head temp sensor. new oil pressure sender. new clutch slave/master cheap and easy to do. If a/c is working just lay the compressor off to the side you can pull the engine and leave the compressor hooked up unlike the z31. If you read the posts there are those who feel the standard 5 speed is superior to the T5 but I have no direct knowledge other than the input bearing on the T5 which I have on good authority. check the clutch fork fulcrum pin or just replace about $6 I had one shatter on a dark and stormy night twas not fun and hear later that it is fairly rare but not unheard of. that shoud get you started. with both cars should go smooth I had to make a few runs to the pull a part.

well if you gonna pull 20 amps you need 12 gage wire. I'd run a complete new circuit from someplace with an inline fuse. I'd probably run 8 gage from the battery to a terminal block in the interior with inline fuse and then use wiring from that terminal block to the head unit and another to an amp. 15 amp 14 gage wire 20amp 12 gage 30 amp 10 gage 40 amp 8 gage is what is recommended

If you can get a 82-83 dizzy it would work with some rewiring. The cas sends the fire signal to the ecu on an 81. on the later years the dizzy sends the fire signal. (at least logically it should but I haven't tried it)

did a search but couldn't refine it to get an answer. I can buy a 78 z not running but owner claims only needs a fuel pump to run. I have a zx pump. will it mount easily on a z or should I just duct tape it on there long enough to get home.

not from that rather limited description

did the exact same thing 81 tranny into 81 turbo. as naviathan says turbo drive shaft that fit the auto tranny didn't work with 5speed. come to Jan meet in Redmond I'll tell you all about it. Roger

You did charge the battery ??? right. You might want to have the battery load tested. they do go bad. after that clean all connections as suggested above

pretty sure it is the ambient temp sensor. zccw.org club website

if you got the digital dash then it is definitely (or should be) connected to the climate control as an ambient temp sensor

probably yes your oil pump is in a bit off. BUT who cares what the cap wires say if it is running good. Check the timing if #1 is going off wherever at the right spot in the cycle it really doesn't matter what the numbers on the cap say they are just a convenience for reassembly.

whoa now you got me thinking. I've got a VG30ET and an 83 zx in good shape that I was going to put a l6 turbo in BUT the v6 would really rock.

Your best bet is to find a wrecked z31 in not too wrecked condition with 5 speed, engine. then you can do the swap from slushbox to 5 speed and all the parts you need will be there. I got one for $500. And there were lots of other parts I needed too (or at least am keeping in case). I sure wouldn't put another slushbox in there altho probably last the remaining life of the car. Like driving a stick I'm old school but paddle shifters would be nice.

kinda depends on if they are whole or broken. If they are still whole i wouldn't get too excited. My 83 got the originals and they still have some life left in them. You can replace them by jacking up the engine slightly and doing one side at a time. He might be one of them mechanics that think it should be like a new car or nitpicker doesn't want to get sued for not stating the obvious. LIke gee they are 25 years old!!!!

pretty ambitous hope you got a pocket full of dollars cause you will need it for that much stuff. slushbox to 5 speed better have a donor car on hand to get parts. Same thing for the turbo swap.

ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings. These cars are gettting old and stuff wears. Does it also kind of wander around the road a bit when going straight. if so the above will cure that and the wobble.

It is a lot easier to pull the head leaving the manifolds and all on to work on it. Lots of times there are broke studs and you have to drill them out. IF all you have is a blown out gasket then yes it can be done in place but getting at bolts not easy. Pulling the head involves some stuff too like knowing not to drop the timing chain by putting a wood wedge to keep the tensioner in place. check for posts on this. Novice wrench you might want to get someone to look over your shoulder. Contact local z clubs usually members willing to look things over and give advice. Personally I'd opt for pulling the head. You can look at the valves while it is off and see if anything needs doing there. Mucho Mucho easier to replace broken stud which is what you will find probably 60% of the time or you break one in the disassembly procedure. Need another person help lift the head off (or a chain fall) probably weighs (guess) around a hundred pounds my son and I were able to lift it with the two of us.

hot wire the pump to see if it is running. put a fuel pressure gage on the line to see what pressure you are getting. check lines for kinks or block. If fuel pressure relief valve is broke it will just shoot gas back to the tank and no pressure on the fuel ring.

You can get a set of left hand drill bits at Harbor Freight for not too much money. I've found many times in the past that due to the vibration and heat generated the drill will catch and walk the broken section right out of the hole. Got to drill it out anyway so worth a shot.

word to the wise. Check the clutch fork fulcrum pin or better yet just replace it only like 6 bucks. had one die on a cold and rainy night at oh dark thirty and waren't a lot of fun.

it isn't an 81zxt if it has a 5 speed in it unless someone already did the swap of the slushbox for the 5 spd. regardless it is worth getting the car cause you need a bunch of stuff off a 5 spd to make the swap. I was lucky and there were three zx at the junkyard from which I got all the stuff I needed to do the swap. All the firewall holes and mounting holes are there except for the welded bracket for the slave cylinder hose but you can live without that.

When things get hot means you are pulling a lot of amps so yeah new starter since it appears you did check cables for corrosion. The starter acts like a resistor in the circuit. when operating normally this apparent resistance impedes the flow of current because doing work. If you short a wire directly across the battery terminals you get a lot of amps in a hurry melting the wire. So it would appear that your starter is looking more like a short (low resistance) than a starter.

Means your expansion tank is low on coolant OR switch went bad that senses level OR someone pulled the wires off.

RUST. 6 psi is close to stock boost on those engines. Ran my 81 at 9psi. Engines are tough but did the guy who swapped know what he was doing. Electronics are real voltage sensitive so bad wiring and wiring connections can be troublesome. what mean cut out at full throttle if it just bogs down then yeah might be fuel starvation but if just stops running something else is awry. Get a really good price on it!!!!!!!!