Pac_Man

In building a harness, I'm assuming I would want to buy new connectors. Is there somewhere I can do that or would I need to source the parts?

I see what you meant now. It seems that if I were to use a Z32 ECU, there would be a lot more connector changes I'd have to make when wiring it. If I'm assuming correctly, I feel like I might as well go with MegaSquirt at that point.

That's what I thought, my confusion just rested in the fact that cgsheen said don't bother with the Z31 ECU and then recommended a VG30 ECU. I'm assuming he meant don't bother with the S130 ECU though. It will be a while before I even get this engine in the car so right now I'm just trying to figure out what my plan of attack will be for the engine management system.

No worries, fatherly advice is what I'm here for. There's only so much reading I can do; advice from experience isn't something I can get just by reading about it. I'm a bit confused, though. You said don't mess with a Z31 ECU and to go with Megasquirt or NIStune, but isn't a VG30e ECU a Z31 ECU? Or is there a separate one with NIStune? I've never really heard much about NIStune before and I've never heard it mentioned for this kind of application. Thanks! I'm definitely thinking of going MS or NIStune now. I feel like finding the input shaft of the driveshaft would be more difficult than finding one by itself. Is it possible to locate just that part to have a driveshaft fabricated?

Hi everyone, I recently picked up an L28ET with a T5 transmission. It's missing a few bits and pieces- water pump (cheap and easy), distributor cap (also cheap and easy), AFM, ECU, and harness. Of course I'll need a driveshaft and diff (or at least the driveshaft flange from it) as well. This will be going into a '76 280z. I'm planning on having it be my summer project that I can work on in my free time. I want to tear it down and replace what needs it, then paint it, put it back together, and get it running. Once the ball is rolling, I want to replace the J pipe with a FMIC. Planning on a modest same side in/out intercooler from CX Racing to make the intercooler piping easier and less complex. 24"X7"X3.5" core dimensions so it's a couple feet long, 7 inches tall, and 3.5 inches thick. Not very big but I feel like I don't need a lot with what I want out of the engine. My friend has done this swap in a '75 and his dad did his exhaust so hopefully I can commission him to help me out as well. I've read that I can get away with using the stock harness by swapping the guts of the turbo AFM into the stock AFM but I'm a bit wary of this and I haven't been able to find much about it- I just saw it mentioned in a small thread on another site. If anyone has a link to a more in-depth discussion or write-up, that would be great. Given the prices I've seen, I get the feeling it would make sense to go with a 300zx ECU/MAF upgrade from the outright. My reservation is that given my lack of experience, it may be safer to go with the stock setup and get it running before upgrading it. However, I'll be messing with wiring either way. Megasquirt is almost certainly above my head at this point. The turbo has a bit of shaft play from just a quick wiggle test. I'll have to check it further once I pull it off and see if it will rub at all. If not, I'll probably just rebuild it and run it for the time being. I've read that the 280zx turbo manifold flange is uncommon. Will a different turbo require changing the flange, or is there one I can use without modifying it? My horsepower goals are fairly modest in my opinion, at least for now. The stock rated 180bhp is fine until I start to upgrade things. I'd be happy with putting down 200 whp and right now I feel like anything over 250 whp would be excessive (and yes, the bhp and whp distinction was intentional). I'd like to avoid boost until ~3000-3500 rpm to keep it tame around town and cruising on the freeway. I know that is generally determined by the turbo and intake/exhaust setup but I'll need to read more about how to build it to keep it in that range. Any advice and links are appreciated. Like I said, I've been doing a lot of reading but a lot of information is scattered and difficult to find. These are the areas that I'm uncertain about after the many hours of reading and searching I've done. - Brandon

Disregard, got mixed up on the layout of the motor.

I can't say with 100% certainty and this thread is a bit stale so maybe you've gone for it already, but yes you will likely have running issues with the stock ECU. It might run and drive but not like it should and definitely wouldn't be taking advantage of the cam.

I'm looking to get the following electronics from an '82-'83 ZX turbo: - Wiring harness - ECU Also need a driveshaft from a manual '82-'83 ZX turbo that has the BW T5 transmission. Located in Everett, WA. A bit north of Seattle. Hoping to get the electronics for $150 or less and the driveshaft for under $100. Doing an L28ET swap into a '76 S30 so if you've got anything else that you think I might be interested in feel free to shoot me a pm. - Brandon

How are the clutch disks cut? It seems to me like it's possible that the burrs were from laser spatter or possibly even blade spatter if it's the right kind of material.

Thanks for the advice, folks. If the stuff I ordered doesn't work out, I'll probably try the BMW stuff. I work at a European car shop so we can probably get it fairly easily. And yes, Andy, I do know I have a fuel pressure issue. After looking at how the hose is squeezing on itself, I'm certain it's at least making the issue worse if not the entire cause of it.

I ended up finding some online that I just ordered today. Hopefully it will work well. I also forgot to add that it's on a fuel injected 280z. The problem with the carb hose that's on it now is that it's really soft and malleable which leads to it getting kinked easily with the 90 degree angle from the tank to the pump. I'm hoping that stiffer EFI hose will keep it from kinking. I believe 5/16th is the return line to the tank. I've got 7/16th line on the tank right now and I had previously tried 3/8 (6/16th) and it was too small.

Hi everyone, I've been trying to get my car working properly again and it keeps giving me trouble. I think the source of this is the fuel line i'm using from the tank outlet to the fuel pump inlet. It's carburetor hose since it's on the non-pressurized side of the system, but it's very soft/malliable and kinks very easily. I think this is what's causing my car to not get enough fuel while driving. I can't find the OEM Nissan hose anywhere, and I can't find 7/16 fuel injection rated hose anywhere either. Does anyone know where I can get either of those? I'd like to get my car running again ASAP. Thanks, - Brandon

The person who was helping me said it was normal which is why I didn't commit the number to memory. I can ask if he remembers the number, and if not I can retest it on Saturday if I have the opportunity to work on it at the shop. Sorry for being ornery, I took it more personally than you intended.

And I'm not trying to come across as an ungrateful jerk although I'm sure that's what it sounds like. I'm just offering my defense in the face of what I think is undeserved criticism.

As much as I appreciate the lecture, I already stated that the fuel pressure rose with the vacuum line removed from the FPR. As for the actual number, I don't remember exactly but I believe it was 36 or 38 psi. I would love to go work on my car instead of posting here, but I don't have the necessary equipment at my house to do so. I had to drive my car to work on Saturday and work on it there so I could properly diagnose it. On top of that, I am also rather busy with working on my college degree. I can't work on my car whenever I fancy, and I'm trying to be productive in the meantime. I'm simply trying to gather more information for reference from a forum that was designed to expedite the exchange of information. I appreciate your time and knowledge, but if the majority of your effort is spent on criticizing me, you may be better off ignoring the thread.

Hey everyone, I've got a 1976 S30. It's effectively stock as far as the EFI system goes, all I've done is change the plug wire connectors for the injectors and I've replaced the fuel send lines with new hose. Of course I also put a new filter on it after I got it as well. During the summer, it started having an issue where it would randomly lose engine power entirely for brief moments- a number of seconds, really. Then it would pick back up and drive normally. I thought it was just crud working its way through the lines from the gas tank and I wasn't too concerned about it. Shifting up a gear would usually make it stop. Then it started to bog down on the rare occasion. It would run rough, misfire, had no power, and wouldn't rev over 1500 rpm (or if it did, it went kicking and screaming). I would drive it for a minute and then it would start running normally. On my way to my first day at a new job last month, it died in my neighborhood and wouldn't start again. My dad and I were trying to push it back that night but it was tough since it was on a slight slope. He went to get the truck to pull it back and I decided to try starting it again to see what it would do. It caught a couple times and then finally coughed back to life. I changed the fuel pump thinking it was the old one going bad. I used an Airtex pump from O'Reilly (I know, you're probably rolling your eyes now) and installed a Fram G3 between the tank and the pump to keep tank crud from messing up the pump. It worked fine for a couple days and then the issue came back with a vengeance. As it sits now, the car idles fine. Driving it, it starts to stumble around 2500 rpm and the power cuts completely at ~3000 rpm. It's almost undriveable unless I'm really careful with how high I rev. Even then, it can be fussy. The general manager of the auto shop I work for knows the car really well so he helped me diagnose it on Saturday. He checked and adjusted the TPS and AFM. We tried a new computer since we had one laying around and there was no change. He checked for leaks on the intake and found none. He removed the vacuum from the FPR on the fuel rail and fuel pressure rose accordingly which, if I've read correctly, means that the FPR is functioning properly. The last thing we did was check fuel pressure (probably should have done that first but hindsight is always 20/20). It was running at 32 psi @ idle and under load (revving the car) it would dip to ~30 psi. If I'm correct about the FPR working properly, I've narrowed it down to 3 suspects: - The G3 filter I installed between the tank and the pump - The new pump - Fuel damper near the pump I read about people installing the G3 so I thought it was a good idea. The pump is new, but it is a random O'reilly brand. Since I was having issues before and after replacing the pump, that leads me to believe that the issue does not lie in the pump setup I installed. My old OEM pump was probably still working alright for its age. As I type this, the most plausible cause in my eyes would be the fuel damper. I'm not sure what the symptoms of a bad fuel damper are, however. Anyone have any suggestions? I'm going to try running it without the filter when I get the chance, but I've been obscenely busy the last few days. Thanks. Pac_Man

While you're messing with the fuel pump, I'd suggest adding a pre-pump in-line filter as well. Most people (myself included) opt for a 3/8 inlet and outlet filter such as the Fram G3. Use 7/16 line from the tank to the filter (trust me it works fine with the 3/8 inlet on the filter) and then 3/8 line from the filter to the pump. At least that's what I did. While it's possible that crap from the tank is causing the issue, it's not particularly likely in my opinion. That said, using an aftermarket pump means no inlet cone screen which is in the stock fuel pump. I added the G3 to make sure nothing happens in case my fuel tank is cruddy and causes issues with the pump.

Finally got everything hooked back up with a Fram G3 fuel filter between the pump and the tank and used a replacement fuel pump my friend had on his car before swapping in an MSD2225 for his L28ET swap. Unfortunately, it's missing the banjo fittings and those seem to be the key in making the pump not leak gas everywhere when it's running. Starting to think I should just go the MSD2225 route as well. My only concern is that the bracket on my car does not seem to work with pumps that have straight outlets (the stock pump has a 90 degree outlet). Here's the stock bracket setup.

That's what I suspect is the problem with my car. I took it on a very short test drive Sunday and it was really low on power and stuttered a couple times (held my breath every time it did). Tomorrow I'm going to clamp off the line from the tank to the pump and disconnect it so I can inspect the screen filter thing.

Well I'm pretty sure the engine running as bad as it was, was due to the fact that it wasn't getting fuel. The leak I suspect is a result of the blockage.

Yeah I'm actually thinking the fuel tank is the suspect in what made my car stop running. I tried starting it last night while my dad and I were pushing it back and I heard it catch once so I kept trying. Eventually I got it to cough to life but it was running terribly like before it died. I limped it down the road and eventually it started running normally. I've been having an issue with it over the last few months where it will randomly lose power temporarily. Seems like it's gunk in the fuel tank getting clogged but I think it's probably in the pre-pump screen or something. I checked the fuel filter not long ago and the gas inside of it was clean (the gas inside the old one was noticeably dirty when I took it out).

I see, I thought that was the case but I always figure better safe than sorry. Do either of those (MSD 2225 or Walbro 255) bolt in the same as the stock fuel pump, or will I have to do some fab work? My first job was working with sheet metal so I'm not afraid of drilling a few holes, but I definitely don't have the skill or equipment to weld myself a bracket.

Hi everyone, Just had my car quit on me. I looked underneath when it died and there was a wet spot under the fuel pump and I could smell the gas. It was giving me intermittent problems before but it seems it's finally bit the bullet. I've been doing a lot of searching to find a replacement pump but I'm having a hard time finding something saying "___ is a swap-in replacement." O'reilly and Autozone sell a couple models but one of the O'reilly pumps listed is a tank-mounted pump so naturally I'm a bit wary of trusting their system. I've also heard of people using the Walboro 255, but after looking at their website and checking around a bit, it seems that it might be too high of a pressure? I don't have a pressure gauge so I'm also wary of buying this, not to mention I've heard it takes some fab work to get it in. Any help is appreciated as always. - Pac Man

I'm not too keen on the technical details but I can tell you I'm running 15x8 0 offset Enkei Apache IIs and they're pretty much as close as you'll get without being mexiflush. EDIT: Figure I should add I have stock suspension.

You covered most of the things i'd point out in your post. I'd suggest looking at the interior floor under the carpet if possible. If you can't, look from underneath the car. At least that way you'd be able to tell if it's actually rusted through. The EFI systems used on the L28s wasn't amazing by modern standards but it's not horrible. Even with the stock ECU the L28et can put down some decent power.