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Kudos! Other than routine maintenance, the only things that I've found to need changing so far were the water pump, injectors, and spark plugs, what a relief. I changed the trans fluid today because it was low and I hadn't changed it before. 75-90 GL-4 is what the book prescribes. It took about 4 qts. However, I'll have to revise my last statement. It runs like a champ, sometimes. Today when I ran it to check the cooling system, it was running a little missy, nothing like the dead cylinder before I changed the plugs, but every once in a while it will suddenly run really smooth. The missy sound it almost taken for normal idle, but then when it temporarily runs smooth you can tell the difference. Does anyone have any suggestions or a similar story? First thing I did was unplug the injectors one by one and #5 wasn't making much of a difference, so I switched it with a spare I had. Now they all sound consistent, but the engine still sounds a little off. Next I tried to test the o2 sensors according to the book (which never works for me ). It said at idle they should read 1 volt, but where both reading .05. I'll take them out and clean them, but I need to get the special socket from someone or a suitable crows foot. One idea is that the injector resistor pack I made was subpar and the injectors aren't running full capacity. If anything now the engine is running a little lean because I smashed the return line and it ran smooth for a minute. There was always that speculation on what the ohm reading should actually be... Then again, the coils could be a little weak, but I don't know why it would ever run smoothly at all. Tomorrow I'll see about taking it to a muffler shop and getting the exhaust line put in. There's always that possibility that it's just not running right because of the lack of back pressure and the o2 sensors reading incorrectly.

Ahhhhh. I was thoroughly confused for a while there. I got the new spark plugs yesterday and put them in. (They made the old ones look more worn than I initially thought) Runs like a champ now. Doesn't seem rich at all, not bogging down, The first time I started it up, it died after a few seconds, but after that it stayed on continuously and ran very smoothly. Tomorrow I'll check the trans fluid to make sure it's still full. I think I changed it but can't remember. Then run it for at least 15 minutes to let it completely warm up and make sure the fan kicks on etc. I'd like to be able to check the bpv to make sure it's working right. It must be blowing off or I'd notice, but only a boost gauge would show if it is functioning to spec. I would think it needs some tuning, although I understand the actual blow off pressure to not be very critical, the main thing being that it is set to prevent surge--so just above the operating boost pressure. If nothing else I can remove the recirc line and make sure there are no leaks etc. The dash gauges look like they all work. Well, the tach isn't hoocked up yet, I kinda forgot about getting a new cable a while back. I'll have to get the ecu tucked inside before I actually drive it to see how close the odo is. I still have those diagnostic plug wires tied off and am not sure what to do with them. I'll have to research the threads more to see if there is a code reader out there I can get or if it is even worth the trouble of making a plug for one. It would be nice to be able to see trouble codes if it's not too inconvenient. I also have some other wires tied off that I was fairly sure I wouldn't need and, I'll have to look over them again, but so far it seems I was right, so I'll probably be able to cut those out. There are only two wires from the ecu that have to go somewhere now (the ones I jumped to test run it)--ground and ignition. The whole thing should take about two minutes to package tomorrow so hopefully next time you see me the hood will be back on and I'll be driving it to a muffler shop to check out my exhaust options.

First thing was to take off the coils. #3 spark plug is burned some and may be a source of missfire so I'll replace those. The standard compression is 171psi with a floor of 128 and a max difference of 14. 1. 150 2. 145 3. 155 4. 150 5. 150 6. 150 I'm not excited about it but it's probably fairly normal. Spark plug gap should be .039-.043. Plugs were apexi #7s, all gapped less than that... I think the stock plugs are #6, not sure which is optimum. If my research serves me right, nismo racing plugs are #7s and up finewire, but that's probably at higher boost.

hybridbronco.org

Hopefully very very soon. The anticipation is killing me. The maf wiring was the problem though. It's running much smoother now, still a little rich, but there is a bit of a misfire. Adjusting the cas a few degrees didn't seem to make any difference (I was always curious what that would do). Tomorrow I have some free time so I'll start from the simplest and work down the list of severities. Hopefully the problem is near the top of the list. I ran it so rich yesterday that it could simply be a fouled plug or something, wouldn't that be nice. I don't think the kind of disruption it's making could be a vacuum leak or the aac messing up so I'm sure I got it all together right. In fact, one of the aac ports that sticks straight up through the intake plenum (I have no idea what it was for) will cause the engine to die immediately if I uncap it. I can hear the bpv kicking off at higher rpm so I'm sure I have that hooked to the right port as well. So pretty much everything, including most of the electrical, that I didn't plan out and have professional blueprints made years in advance (LOL), was smooth sailing up to the engine lighting off successfully first try, it's just that misfire that has me guessing. It seems pretty likely that this and the rich exhaust symptoms are from the same source.

It's hunting big time and running richer than gates. My first thought was to unplug the mafs, unplugging the rear didn't do anything, unplugging the front made it even right out. Testing the ground wire on the plug and it's a no-go. Either I wrongfully assumed that the wires for the front plug were colored the same as the wires for the rear, or the ground wire doesn't actually go where it should, so I'll take a closer look at that tomorrow. It's not speilberg but you get the idea. firststart1 firststart2 roughhunting

We'll see. The crappy photo doesn't do it justice but you get the idea.

The water pump I got isn't exactly the right shape after all. All the rb26 "oem replacement" pump on ebay have a slotted bolt hole at the top (the one that the smallest bold goes into), but this makes the shape of the housing just short of hitting the block right on the edge of the hole. When I filled it with coolant again the other day, it was leaking out of that sloted hole and I assumed the gasket right there failed because it is a very narrow spot in the housing face. However, when I took it off today I saw that there was a definitive border following the shape of the engine block where the gasket didn't even smash down when I put the pump on, and that line passes right over the corner of the bolt slot. I peeled off the buildup of silicone and you can see said border in the following picture. I figure I'll have to weld up that hole and redrill the bolthole for it to be able to seal properly.

I know, I figured there's gotta be a cap on how much these are worth no matter how cherry they are. But when I saw the floor pans I peed a little.

Ah, I've never even used the parts master app. I was hoping it would give alternate p/n's for the same physical part, but I guess it's just other car models to look up with that same number. In retrospect I suppose for any car with this sensor it probably wouldn't matter which engine you searched because ideally they would make all the options have the same sensor, otherwise they would have to have several different gauges as well for that same model year.

The ad says the better cars cost more than 300 so if the hatch costs 200 apparently he thinks its one of the better cars, just trying to reel you in. I doubt that I would be able to leave the yard without buying anything however.

Someone is crushing a lot of s30s in Camarillo and before they go he is trying to sell whole cars for a few hundred bucks. I wonder if it would be profitable to go and buy the lot to part everything out separately. ebay ad I know, I'm spending too much time on ebay today, but there's a lot to see!

ebay ad Ever seen one that beautiful that is in fully original restored condition? Makes me want to repaint my z white.

There's no denying you're the parts man now. I forgot that you put the p/n in that picture. How do you get FAST to do all that crossreferencing? If I do alt part search or anything like that nothing ever comes up.

I didn't get a genuine nissan part, but FAST shows the correct sensor starts with 25080. For the s13 it's 25080-89903 and for the s14 it's 25080-89907 so you could start from there (I'm not sure if there's a difference or not). I'll look to see if mine has a stamp like yours but since it's not nissan it might not have either.

Note: When you check your sensor, be sure to not touch both ends as your meter will be swayed by your body closing the circuit. On top of that, try not to touch the sensor itself as they are very sensitive and your body temp heating it up will give you a reading for a different temp and it probably won't stabilize. When I tested mine in water I also had to be sure not to let either touch the pan or let the water complete the circuit either on the test leads or across the sensors themselves.

Mike, I'm assuming when you said ohms, you meant in thousands? The larger one with the plastic sleeve is (I'm pretty sure) the one for the ecu. There were two sensors, one for the ecu and one solely for the gauge on the dash. The ecu one has two small leads instead of just one large, right? When I went to get that 240sx sensor, they tried to give me the one like yours but I had to insist that I needed the sensor specifically for the gauge. The threads and size except for the head looked the same, but I was unsure of their rating. By your readings it looks like the ecu one is more sensitive. And my findings on the rb vs. z sensors were similar in that the difference between the two was ranged, at least 30 ohms hot and 100 ohms or so cold, so using the rb sensor wouldn't be very accurate. I put my z sensor and the 240sx sensor on the stove today. At room temp they read identically, 330ohms or something like that, and at 180F they read about 45ohms, and were within 5ohms of each other, which I figure is simply the margin of error.

280z gauge same as 240z? If so, I love you.

You know that idea hadn't crossed my mind until now! I keed, I keed. The z sender isn't threaded at all. Also it is larger by all means. I tried out both senders today, and they have different rates of change (readings are closest at low temp and the rb sensor has a wider spectrum). I'm considering adding a resistor to the rb sensor just to get it to match the z sensor at regulated temp and labeling the ends of the gauge "cold" and "hot" respectively. At least until in the future I decide to upgrade the guauges or rewire it.

Well stated my good sir. Today I finished all the essential wiring to fire it, but the water temp sensor won't be in til tuesday or so, and I need to pick up another ignition relay. Apparently all stores in socal are allowed one relay at a time and can only order one per month. I ended up getting an ignition relay for a maxima to plug right into the harness without removing the original plug, but it requires two of those as well. Then it's just add coolant again, cross my fingers and turn the key. My prediction is that it will start with plenty of tlc, but with all the fudge factors I put into it over the past year, it will probably run pretty rough until I figure out all the "what ifs." Just in case, I'll have the camera ready.

My sentiments exactly. To be a sleeper that can take others by surprise and embarrass cars that cost way more than yours. It has to be able to beat most of the wannabes--fast enough though if it is beat then you just give props to the guy who beat you. If I had a 10 second car and was beat by some ricer fair and square then my hat's off to him. But at the same time if a guy beats me because he gutted his interior, or because he gets 3 mpg, who's the real winner? Way more than being fast, a car is fun if it is quick, but only if most of the other features are preserved. Lightweight, small, and hence easy to drive, yet comfortable are a great combo (which is why I think the s30 is a terrific candidate). I would hate to ruin any of this by not being able to drive the car comfortably on my wallet, knowing that it cost me a fortune on gas to cruise around town, or that the powertrain is being so worked that it is just a ticking timebomb. In the end, you get bored with a car when you run out of upgrades, be that the largest turbo you can find or the most pointless novelty footpedals they sell. Does this mean that for some people "enough power" is when either the car blows up or wraps itself around a tree? Absolutely. I'll take 500hp, 500mpg, 500W, and a/c, please. Also, it would be nice if the roof didn't leak.

Really? I was under the impression that over .8 the stock ceramic turbine turns into a dandelion. Or is this not the case as yours still had the benefit of being ball bearing?

Quick update. Most of the wiring on the engine side is done, just a few loose ends. Everything lights up and a few gauges are "working". First turn of the key and it hopped over easily. So far so good. Soon I'll add pictures of all the points of interest for the wiring, but it's going to be tough to remember what all I did for the write-up now that a lot of it is taped up.

Wait, you don't like the ass to stick out, yet you acclaim to loving fat asses? Does not compute.

That's exactly how I've always felt. Seems like getting the car ready and actually driving it sooner even if that means it might break down sooner and (heaven forbid) you have to do some work on it, you still have a net gain over having the car permanently under construction to be a really sweet car when you're 80.