zcarnut

Or better yet just ask me as I wrote the above item!

Only the early alternators that used an external voltage regulator have the "F" (field) and "N" (neutral) terminals. The later alternators with the internal regulator have the S and L terminals. The terminals have different functions and are not interchangeable.

Arizona Z used to sell a custom forged L6 crank with a 85mm stroke, but I haven't seen it on his web site in quite a while.

That should work–provided that the top terminal (prong) is the L terminal and the bottom prong is the S terminal and provided that the voltage on the ACCESSORY buss goes to zero when the car is not running. Have you verified this with a voltmeter? You may have just inadvertently swapped the L and S connections. If you have a multimeter you can confirm the identity of the S and the L terminals (prongs). Unplug the two-pin connector on the alternator and measure the resistance from the alternator prongs to ground. You can use the case of the alternator as ground. The resistance of the S terminal to ground will be high, over 3 megohms, while the resistance of the L terminal will be much lower, typically 5,000 ohms. If you do not have a meter then you can try swapping the two wires going to the connector on the alternator. You will not damage anything by doing this.

Ed, one thing puzzles me. You said you have the Maxima 125 amp alternator “wired up the exact same as the Maxima diagramsâ€, if that is true then why don’t the Maxima’s have a problem with discharging batteries? Can you tell me exactly how you have your alternator wired up to your Z car? There should be two connector terminals on the alternator plug. One is the “S†or sense terminal which should go directly to the positive post of the battery. The other is the “L†or lamp terminal which should go to a switched 12V source (like the 12V ignition source) through a relay or a diode. If the L terminal of the alternator is connected to a 12V source that is always present, then the result is battery discharging when the engine is not running. I have used the 90 amp and the 105 amp Maxima alternators in Z cars without the battery discharging. I assume that 125 amp version should be configured the same way.

There are six diodes in an alternator as all alternators are a three-phase full-bridge configuration. Having six diodes also allows current sharing so one diode does not have to continuously carry the full current. The six alternator diodes use the case of the alternator as a heat sink. However, connecting six alternator type diodes in parallel to handle the 80A is never recommended because of unequal current sharing between the diodes and the negative temperature coefficient of the forward voltage (conduction) drop of a diode.

Ed, you mean “current draw” and not “voltage draw”. As an electrical engineer I am always somewhat irked by the interchange of these different electrical properties by the layman. Anyway, there already are diodes in the alternator that should block any reverse current draw. Yes, there is a secondary sense circuit, but it only draws microamps. If you have a problem with reverse current draw then you have an alternator with “leaky” (or defective) diodes. Your series diode “fix” is not practical. Such a diode (or diodes) would have to dissipate an estimated 80W (1.0V x 80A) maximum which would require a large heat sink. Besides, you would need a diode rated at least 50V because it is well know that alternators can produce transients of +40V to -40V at the alternator output terminal when the alternator stops rotating (at engine turn off).

A good rule of thumb is that you have at least ten turns of engagement with a lug nut before it gets tight.

I can only inform you about the USA version of the Z32. The Z32 rotor came in two different thicknesses: Diameter = 280mm Thickness = 26mm (1990 non-turbo) Thickness = 30mm (1990 turbo, 1991-96 turbo and non-turbo) Only if you get the 1989 Z31 hub. The Z32 rotors will only fit on the 1989 Z31 hub. This is the standard modern “rotor-on-the-hat” design (rotor is placed over the wheel studs). The 1984-88 Z31 hubs are a different design and the rotor is attached to the inner surface of the hub (like on the S30 and S130). Even then, you will have a problem finding a caliper that will fit on the ZX strut that will work with the Z32 rotor. The caliper mounting holes have a spacing of 3.5 inches like the S30, but the there are no threads in the caliper mounting holes on the strut so you can’t use the Toyota calipers on the ZX. The Z32 caliper mounting holes have a wider spacing. I looked into an “easy” front brake upgrade for the ZX a few years ago but I was unsuccessful. If someone already has a “bolt-on” kit, then I would recommend going that route.

You need to get the Quest rear wheel studs. They have the correct knurl diameter (12.9mm). The front Quest stud has a knurl diameter of 14.3mm. The correct NAPA part number for the Quest rear stud is 6412785. The front is a 6412786 (different part number). You can also use studs from Dorman. The Dorman part number is 98363: Here is the front Quest stud (for comparison):

Jon is right about the ball-and-socket linkages. They have much lower friction and therefore work a lot better. If you can’t find any of the Mikuni linkage pieces (very hard to locate now) you can adapt the Nissan ball-and-socket throttle linkage parts to your triple carb set up. Use the 8mm ball studs available from Pierce Manifolds (part number 700.123). Here are a couple of set ups I did:

Sam; How about trying a 15mm x 28mm x 7mm CR seal? (Available from SKF.)

The oil pan on the 4x4 Nissan truck engine is different. It is reshaped to provide more clearance to the front axle. Likewise, you will also need the 4x4 oil sump pick-up tube.

Yes, the ZX seal fits into a 35mm opening but it has a thin lip on one end that has an OD of 43mm. This lip positions the seal. I think you’re mis-interpreting the bearing numbers in the fiche, Sam. 48018-E8700 is the bearing used in the ZX rack (and also the 240Z rack) and it is a “standard” bearing, readily available at your local bearing retailer. 48018-N3400 is the special bearing (NLA) used in the 280/260Z rack. Also, 48125-N3400 is the 280Z seal, and 48125-78500 is the ZX seal.

Hello Sam; I rebuilt my the rack in my 260Z (which is the same as the 280Z rack) about eight months ago. I was able to a new oil seal from Nissan. However, I was also rebuilding a manual 280ZX rack (very similar to the 260/280 one) at the same time and I noticed that the 280ZX oil seal would probably work in the earlier rack although it had a different part number (48125-78500). You can see if this seal is still available. The ZX seal does not need the seal retainer piece (it's the collar held in place with two 8mm bolts), but you may want to use it anyway. Yeah, these are special bearings made by Koyo just for Nissan (I even telephoned a Koyo engineer to confirm this). I just used a standard 11mm thick bearing with a Nissan valve spring shim. It’s 1.0mm thick and has the correct dimensions. Worked perfectly. Yes, this is a good solution. I had my machinist make me two sets of bronze bushings for my racks. The biggest problem I had was finding a pinion shaft. New ones are NLA so I disassembled several used racks (Thank you, Z Barn) until I found one with minimal wear. I thought about rotating the pinion shaft 180 degrees so that at the “straight ahead position” the pinion shaft would have a different sequence of gear teeth in contact with the rack. Most of the pinion wear occurs in the “straight ahead position.” However, the indexing groove on the pinion shaft would be in a different position and might cause a problem when the steering shaft is mated to the rack. I would love to see someone make new pinion shafts. I wonder how the aftermarket re-builders solve this problem?

No, the pads are different. The S12W pads are about 10% larger in area:

Thank you GabeRoc for defending our great state. I’ll echo the benefits: No state income tax, cheap rental housing and real estate (I only paid $52K for my 1500 sq ft rancher on a half acre lot, of course, that was ten years ago). Good job market (especially in health care), good schools (GO VOLS!), and beautiful scenery (mountains, rivers and plenty of lakes). I have worked with lots of people who have come to Tennessee from all over the USA and most tell me that I would be nuts to live anywhere else (as I have lived in east Tennessee my entire life). As far as car lovers are concerned, Tennessee is a great place to live! No yearly car safety inspections. No enforcement of the pollution equipment laws (except if you live inside the Nashville city limits). Affordable automobile registration so you can own several cars (I pay $60 per car per year). And for us Z car owners, The Z Barn is within driving distance! The only bad thing about east Tennessee [i’ll admit to] is the pollen season. If you suffer from hay fever or asthma you can be quite miserable for half the year.

44155-04S10.

The 260Z steering rack and crossmember are the same as the 280Z. The differences between the 240Z rack and the 260/280Z rack is described here: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=615429#post615429 The difference in the crossmember is that the 260/280 crossmember was reinforced with an additional plate on the bottom and they were also triangulated with a side brace.

Yes, they will.

You really cannot drill out the 8mm diameter bolt to 9mm. The hole is offset towards the bearing shell so the new 9mm hole would also have to be offset relative to the 8mm hole. This is difficult to accomplish unless a milling machine is used. Besides, here is not much material in this part of the 8mm rods. You would creating a reliability concern and not fixing one. The 9mm rods were re-designed to have more steel in this area. Nissan knew what they were doing when they changed from 8mm to 9mm bolts.

Here is an L6 valve cover I found at a swap meet: This was not a homemade cover but an actual casting. It appeared to be brand new. I ended up selling it on eBay because it would have interfered with my strut bar (it was a little taller than the stock valve cover). I have never seen another one like it.

According to Nissan, the torque of the rear bearing nut depends on whether or not you have the copper washer. If you use the copper washer the torque is 95 to 125 ft-lbs. If you do not have (or choose not to use) the copper washer, the torque is 180 to 240 ft-lbs. This topic has been discussed before: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=546309#post546309 P.S. BTW, I am the author of the “Replacing Your Rear Wheel Bearings” article which can be found at my Z car club web site: http://www.automedic.org/smzcc/tech_tips.htm

Doug, the circlips are located in the diff. Use your finger to check.