dexter72

A quick way to test the converter is the engine vacuum will be low, you need a vacuum gauge to test that. Usually a clogged cat will cause a loss of engine power, and the car won't go over 35mph. Another way to test the cat is to run the engine for a few minutes. Place your palm a few inches away from the tailpipe and feel how hot the exhaust gets. If it almost burns your palm the cat may be clogged. Exhaust from the tailpipe shouldn't burn your palm. You seem to have some other issues going on.

I suggest if you haven't done so, find and read the megamanual so you can understand what you will be doing and how to install megasquirt first. You will need to read it quite a few times. Just do some research and gather all the info and parts that you need. You can use MS2 or MS3 the choice is all up to you. You can build it yourself or have it built for you. What helps is you deciding how your going to run the engine, With a distributor or Without. How your going to provide spark to the system also. You can make or buy a relay setup. The MS Unit is the ECU. Buy the install harness. You have a lot of information to gather up so take your time and enjoy reading and learning.

Any transmission info? Rear end ratio?

Get a pipe plug from the hardware store that will fit inside the coolant hose, coolant hose, and two hose clamps to fit it all together.

Call a nissan dealership and take it there, if you don't want to try to fix it yourself. You and your friend are probably more than capable to get the car started, you just have to ask for some help. There are wiring diagrams available you can download. You can get a Haynes manual and look up the wiring diagrams also. If all else fails and you still can't figure out how to get it started. Run a wire with a fuse in it, from the start signal side of the ignition switch to the small terminal on the starter. That should get the engine to turn over.

Nice work Xnke. PMC engines, Nice to see you back. I always look forward to reading your posts.

Have you tried another dist cap yet?.

Check which cylinder head you have on your engine. Then do a search to see if the manifold will work. I will say yes it will.

Im glad your not in the NBA, guys are getting fined like crazy for using homo. Nice build

I would also run a tap down the threaded holes to make sure the threads are clean.

What Standalone system are you using? If it's Megasquirt all the info should be in the Faq section of hybridz. Look for Map sharing, then find someones engine setup which is close to what you have in your engine. Injector size and cam type, then copy the timing and fuel maps to your laptop in megatune. You should read the megamanual over and over again also, it helps give you the settings you need to get the engine started.

Ok, you need to get a voltmeter to start checking voltages at and from the ignition switch. Even a cheap one from autozone will do the job. You still need to check voltage at the starter signal wire. Let us know your results.

The alternator maybe going bad. Had this happen to my zx with a rebuilt alternator, got a replacement and it did the same thing. After the third alternator i got a good one.

You had said earlier that you checked the battery voltage, Remember that a newer battery can go bad if you leave accesories on like you stated you did. Get the starter wiring corrected and check to make sure everything in the car is working correctly. You may have caused an issue wiring up the starter incorrectly.

ttodhunter, I'm going to assume even though i know its wrong when i do that, that he is using a voltmeter to test the components for proper voltage. I am also going to assume he knows to check both sides of the links and fuses for voltage. Lets see what info he comes back with so we can try to help him get the power back.

This really seems like something under the hood has lost power. You still have more things to check, 12 volts at the ignition switch, 12 volts from the start side of the switch while turning the key? 12 volts at the starter, 12 volts at the alternator power wire.

So does nothing mean you have no lights, no horn, and no engine cranking?,. I'm not sure what you consider the usual suspects, get a voltmeter and a test light. I would start at the battery, Make sure it has 12 volts. If it doesn't replace it. Clean up the terminals and posts. Check all the fuses inside the car and the fuse links under the hood. Replace the fuses or links if you find any bad ones. Make sure the large power wire at the starter has 12 volts at the starter. If you have all of those, check the smaller wire at the starter, it only has power when the key is turned to the crank position. if you have 12 volts at that smaller wire the starter is bad.

If you would like more power consider going turbo, you can put a turbo setup together for that 1k you were going to spend on the supercharger setup. If you have the megasquirt already, you only need a few other pieces to complete it. Plus, if your not in boost all the time you can get good fuel mileage out of a turbo setup. I still haven't figured out how now to be boost though..

I would just do some research on both engines to see what the benefits would be of each. If you already have a KA, the costs of building that engine up will be cheaper of course. From what i remember the KA needs stronger rods to get high horsepower numbers out of it, better pistons also with a turbo. But the KA is capable of producing high horsepower numbers. Someone on here put a KA in a Z, check his thread if you haven't read it.

Looks like you have circled the rear sway.

If you add up the cost of putting together a turbo engine with megasquirt, i bet it will be cheaper than putting together an high performance n/a engine. Also you can run an n/a turbo engine on stock electronics without megasquirt, You lock the advance up in the n/a distributor. You can do that until you can afford that expensive megasquirt unit. I ran my n/a turbo engine that way for 3 years, until i bought a megasquirt. Do a lot more research, search for n/a turbo or adding a turbo. You will have a lot of reading to do. Save the posts you find that are helpful to you, so you can have all your info together.

Have you tried swapping the fuel hoses at the metal fuel lines at the fuel rail?. Usually the engine won't run if they are swapped but maybe yours will and this is your problem.

Did you bypass the inhibitor switch/relay also?. If you haven't i would look into that system, i think the seatbelts system is tied into it as well. Look into finding a haynes manual if you can't find the wiring diagram. You can always wire a fuse link into the wire from the ignition switch, that gives 12volts to the starter. Run that wire straight to the starter.

I think things get a little confusing when you didn't clearly say what was causing the power loss in the first message. You did include the info in your second message. It seems the aftermarket waterpump was causing the engine to heat up excessively, plus the ------ distributor i was using was breaking up prematurely and so on and so on. The stock waterpump and chain guides from nissan work with no problems. I'm just going to stay with ------ distributor from now on. Personally i will never be able to do the work that you do and have been doing with these engines. I have been an auto technician for 30 years, and couldn't afford to do it either. But i do like to read your messages and learn about the capabilities of the L series engines. I think the work you do is incredible and would hate to see you leave because of a misunderstanding.