Tony D

Anaerobic Sealants are more reliable on step-rabbet fit machined surfaces than any composition gasket-or O-Ring ever could be... If there is leakage at all! Metal-to-Metal will keep low pressure air contained pretty handily. In fact, when you get into High Pressure Helium (smallest molecules, easiest to leak) almost exclusively metal-to-metal or metal crush gaskets are utilized as they are the only thing that will stop the leakage!

If you TRULY "knew" the Mustang EFI from 90-2000 you would NOT say what you said about the Bosch Gen2 License unit in your Z! There is FAR more going on in a modern system than on the Early S30's! And the building blocks, fundamentals of how each works are identical: Airflow, Fuel pressure biasing, Air Temp,, Water Temp, basic throttle position, and engine speed. That's IT for the S30. The Ford EEC adds to that specific throttle position, spark control, fuel trim feedback short and long term, O2 Feedback correction, active idle speed control, active EGR Control, catalytic action feedback loop, and remote monitoring/logging... I think I'm smelling disingenuity here to some extent. This is a basic system, checks should take along the lines of 45 minutes and encompass basic mechanical/electrical baseline checks like on any vehicle. If it's going longer than this, from my experience you have walked righ to the problem, looked righ at it, then convinced yourself that couldn't be it and moved on to another line of troubleshooting to no avail. I've watched this happen since I started doing diagnostic work on vehicles and equipment in 1979. I lay money it's the case here. Troubleshooting doesn't mean guessing and replacing, it means quantifying and verifying BEFORE substitution/replacement. If you change it and it doesn't fix it, then that was NOT the problem. (This may seem to be stating the obvious, but...) but now you have a different component which has likely not been checked in the system-better off with the old component back in place until all checks and resolution of the problem. Final bit of advice: START AT SQUARE ONE, go from there. Basic engine tune-up - meaning valve adjustment, compression check, spark plugs with the gaps correctly set (and likely WIRES), FRESH GAS and filters is how you start the process if it's giving you problems. The diagnosis routine is in the EFI Bible, and the FSM-it clearly quantifies every component in the system, where it is, and EXACTLY how to test it...as well as what is "good." or "bad." Like I said, resolution of a no-start where you check EVERY component in the system takes about 45 minutes, wether the car has sat for a day or 14+years in a field. I pull these out of barns and fields all the time... I take the book, lay it out, start at the beginning and as yet it has NEVER taken more than 45 minutes to check EVERYTHING and have a car that runs. You're in there with the meter, check it ALL once. Then formulate the resolution. The EFI Bible and early FSM was formulated for mechanics who had NO electronics training and worked on American cars with Carbs. As such it is VERY comprehensive in scope. The reason it's not a 2" thick coffeetable book like a 94 GM or Ford EFI Manual SET (yes, there are TWO BOOKS!) is in reality this system is VERY basic, there is not a lot going on, and there are only a handful of things that could cause a problem. Like I said several times now...those things take about 45 minutes to check following the FSM test procedures. Check them, trust your instruments, find the issue and fix it. And the reason I fixate on 45 minutes so much is I had NEVER evev looked at an S130 system before, and I dragged one home out of a field where it had sat for 14 years. After I installed a battery and disassembled the ignition switch so I could crank the car I set my stopwatch...42 minutes later from a fuel can beside the car it was running and moveable under it's own power. In retrospect I realised that was about average to go from total unknown to known on these systems. It's not rocket science, but it does take logical progression of workflow, and a disciplined approach to problemsolving...and adherence to the FSM testing procedures with the ability to not talk oneself out of a quick diagnosis of a bad part with "it can't be that easy" rationalisations. In my experience with these systems...it CAN, indeed, "be that easy"! Good Luck.

The 'flap' is glued down with adhesive. If you don't have them secured the water draining down the seal will go INSIDE the door, or INSIDE the CAR. Gluing them down makes it go 'up and over' the seal and follow the flap moulded into the lower portion to drip in a plane where it doesn't drop inside the car onto the floor. You're right, it was easy to answer!

The cam gear end looks to have two standard spring retainers, while the others appear to have anodized aluminum spring retainers. I can't see how they could be that light colored, with the front two (#1 Cyl) the typical 'dark steel' look of standards... I would look if the valves are the same in all cylinders, and then compare the weights of the retainers and even springs. Something went on with #1 by the looks of it to me!

It was loud enough when it failed that Los Angeles (87 miles away) Channel 2 Action News sent a chopper to televise the remains burning out... I had a link to the video, it was on their webpage...

ABS pipe with glued-on tabs?

I've used the stock 73/74 pump to feed my front-mounted EFI pump for years. I bought a Carter a long time ago 'just in case' but the stocker is still pumping away lo these many years later! Whoodathunkit?

Bob King would do it with a full load of students in a 1981 66-Passenger Blue Bird-Bodied Diesel-Pusher School Bus...

As to AFFORDABLE... If you look in the classifieds here, there was a VERY reasonably priced NOS Direct-Port system with spare jets and all. WAS a very reasonably priced system. I'm sure when it arrives I might be persuaded to flip it...but not nearly as reasonably! No, that's a lie. It's MINE now. Go find your own! USED NOS / VENOM / Nitrous Express systems are available all the time on E-Bay. CHEAP! Hell, a brand new 10# bottle is only $200 from Summitt Racing. And to quote the NOS propaganda (which I tend to agree with): "NOS offers DOT-approved nitrous bottles in a variety of sizes and finishes to suit your needs. The bottles come with an NOS/CGA-approved high-flow valve and built-in siphon tube. For extra safety, NOS has designed an exclusive blow-off venting system. If your bottle is overfilled or if pressure increases beyond the maximum safety level, the vent opens and discharges the nitrous into a safe place." If, indeed, NOS is holding an 'Exclusive' to the blow down tube, they are the only system I'd use! They have been the only one I've used, personally anyway, ever since they were in the Garage over by Cyprus College... I'm not big on compressed gas accidents.

The man makes the most valid point of them all. This can be see with Natural Gas. When you transport Natural Gas over the ocean, it's in cryogenic liquid form due to energy content per size. A propane tank sized LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) will have the GGE (Gas Gallon Equivalent) of about 5 gallons of gasoline. The same 5 GGE in CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) will require roughly two cylinders like your normal welding setup (120CF T-Cylinder) for Oxygen compressed to nearly 3800psig.You store FAR more in a liquid form than you EVER will in a compressed-gas form. In addition to being a medium pressure compressed gas container, they are also designed to handle that same pressure in a semi-cryogenic state as the liquid inside boils off and chills the container. The metallurgy in a cryogenic state is different than at room temperature or elevated to exhaust-valve temperatures. It's all taken into consideration in the design of the vessel being employed in the application. The boiling action in the CO2 results from the fact that CO2 is a liquid at normal pressures around -110F, you boil it at room temperature until it reaches a pressure in the vessel where the vapor pressure equalizes and it remains stable as a liquid. The same thing happens in N2O though the delivery pressure will (like Propane) change as the tank self-cools as the liquid is boiling. This is why they use bottle heaters: keep the pressure steady therefore keeping the engine from running too rich and robbing possible power. Too hot, too much N2O, and you start metal pieces on fire and they burn from excess oxygen present. It's not a pretty picture. Besides the tanks are CHEAP, and properly constructed as DOT Transport Cylinders for use in Motor Vehicles. Please reference my previous links to the moron transporting non-DOT approved cylinders near my house this time last year... This is what went off in front of my house, putting out all the windows: DO NOT substitute Compressed Gas Containers for uses which they are not originally designed! DOT Transportable Cylinders ALL have a "solder plug" or other relief mechanism that relieves pressure should it be in a fire or overpressure situation. The TWO PROPANE cylinders inside this van did NOT explode. Their solder plugs melted and the contents fed the fire, but there was no explosive release of energy. This vehicle had a standard welding T-Cylinder in it, and when the "pressure relieved" it blew across the interior of the van, as well as rapidly oxidizing everything inside it blowing the roof off and having it land over 120 feet away. The side door blew out, snagged a fence, turned to the west and cut down a small sapling before coming to a rest around 60 feet away. Did it mention that was after it flattened that fence in the process? Consider the force required and released to split metal (STEEL) this thick: LAID OPEN FLAT! What kind of force does that take? Still want to 'cut costs' on a pressure vessel containing oxygenate inside it???

Yes, it's more than just the C-to-C distance that can be inspected. Even as little as 0.001" twist in a rod can alter the wearing pattern in the cylinder and get scuffing issues due to thrust being incorrect. Twist, Bend, C-to-C, Big End Diameter, Small End Diameter are the minimum checks I know should be performed. Some places weight match or at least give you the weights of each end and overall. This is more prevalent on V engines and 'rod pairs' but it's always nice to know. That way you don't go 'WOW!' at the next e-bay auction with 900gm forged billet rods knowing yours are really about 1/2 that weight already!

That Tomei can be had off E-Bay for under $200 DELIVERED (direct from Japan via EMS post, I got mine in 4 days from sale close!) Trick: Drop Ship direct from Japan. The sale I found was posted on E-Bay AUSTRALIA. And the exchange rate helped about 15% at the time. It think it hurts now. What you can do if physical clearance of the cam is your concern and you don't want to pull the head to clay the valves is take some larger diameter solder and lay it over the piston dome through the spark plug hole, and slowly crank the engine over by hand. If you feel it hit, you know you're close...but by measuring the indentation you know EXACTLY how close you are. This one isn't rocket science, when you are near TDC you can rock it back and forth and move the solder a bit to make sure you get the thing 'worst smashed' so you know the closest point. Then you can alter your timing and see if you make it better. I don't think more than one link is ever advisable. I did one link one time and the customer loved the results-it was a tiger up to 5000rpms. Seriously moved the torque down in the RPM range. But it was terrible at 5000 and up. Power came on around 2200 N/A. That was a stock A-Style as I recall. Problem with the turbo is that you will mask the timing changes quite a bit. I'd still suggest after checking physical clearance, you wire the wastegate open and at least do 'butt dyno' runs with no or as little boost as possible. This will get you closer faster than if you even boost to 3-5 psi.

Really the only thing to do is dyno it, that is the absolute quickest way. With an adjustable camshaft like the Tomei you can make adjustments of 1/2 a degree (camshaft) right on the dyno and make another run. You really don't need to retune any fueling, making the quick run makes OBVIOUS changes to the torque curve you can see when you are as far off as you think you are. The issue is the turbo will skew this somewhat, and I might actually suggest you run the engine with the wastegate wired full open to minimize the effect of boost on the engine's torque production. One you have optimized it, put the turbo back into operation and you should be golden. Alternative would be to get a G-Tech PASS and make runs on a flat surface. It will give you a printout as well that you can compare. Sorry I'm big on the G-Tech but the second generation unit has proven to be so useful to me I can't help it! Heck, the FIRST generation box was a revelation to me for checking brake and tire improvements...not something it's supposed to do. And apparently more geeks were doing it as well because they incorporated all that stuff into the PASS model. Not cheap...but I digress. According to what JeffP got out of several manufacturers the Rockwell Hardness of the components is about 60-65 and one is slightly harder than the other to put the wear on an easily changed piece (I guess that would mean the cam is 65, and the rocker follower is 60...) Both components are sufficiently hard that sliding friction should not affect them if lubricated properly. But you know how that goes these days! A side note here is that Paeco in Birmingham AL formerly would hardface the lobes. Weld on super hard metal like you would put on Backhoe Buckets and Scraper Blades. Seriously hard stuff. They would guarantee no wear or damage to the lobe once this was applied. Basically it was so hard it would eat whatever other component it was running against. They would use this on hard to find lobes, or journals to restore the components to standard size. They would do this on rod or main journals as well. Push comes to shove, ultimately, if they still offer this "Paecolloy" service you could have them build up the lobes and then have them ground where you want. I'm sure the grinder will absolutely LOVE you taking a near-billet cam that is hard as hell into them to be ground... Also, the stones used to grind the cam should really be dressed properly. When you do a profile of the cam surface, you can sometimes see where the grinder laid the stone against the cam before engaging the drive. This leaves a flat spot over several degrees. Over time, that can cause issues as well. The guy who can go in depth about this is JeffP. He did work for Sig Erson for a while, and when working on the "Secret Project" got a LOT of information about the current state-of-the-art in the business. In discussions with Ron @ Isky, he actually quickly corrected us about 'Crappy CWC Cam Blanks' in that technically they have "Far superior metallurgy than the old Japan Cams...But there's something about that Nissan Japan Chilled Billet Process that makes them just WORK better than anything else in these L-Engines."

My father seemed to think so, in my younger years... They want to impress me, use the active targeting acquisition system and place accurate shots downrange while in the corner WITHOUT altering their line! I'm a stiff judge, they have a LOT of time to practice!

The tank is not the expensive part of the system, trying to economise there is.... Uh.... Suicidal!

I've climbed under the plate of steel and await the morning!

Yes, rod resizing is not an "F1" level of prep. It was standard practice for all rebuilds when I was apprenticing in the late 70's. If rod check/resize is standard on 4500rpm redline flathead Ford and Hercules F-Head four cylinders...

That is quite a bit, and can only assume it is from the poor tolerances in machining the pistons. The difference, if you have kept your rod C-C length standard, and your crank stroke has been checked to be identical (they can vary!) then it's down to the pistons. Thing is without measuring all this beforehand, you really never know where the stack is different! After machining, measure the weights, and equalize them all to the lightest one within 0.5 gm normal, and if you have a good resolution digital scale 0.1 gm. Of course this goes to rod ends, rods overall, etc... Let me see, what was that phrase again? "While you're at it..."

If your rod lengths are different, you DO NOT machine the pistons differently! In that case the rod caps are Blanchard ground and the big and small end rebushed/reamed/honed to a standard C-to-C dimension. Changing the piston height will result in reciprocating weight differences...meaning removal of more material off the other "taller" pistons than otherwise would be necessary to weight-match them all. More work than is necessary given the ease of rod resizing--even in production engines they seem to "settle or stretch " over time and most machine shops have the rod machine in their tool inventory. This is a basic part of the overhaul process for even a stock build: hone rod big and small ends C-to-C and round. Reaming/Boring to standard or even a concentric round hole is a common rod overhaul procedure. In fact most people accomplish this step by slightly offset small-end bushings or by dozing the hole offset when opening the piston pin bore in the rod for the larger 22mm performance pins that come with most pistons. Rods are to be sized Center-to-Center before assembly so the only issue that arises is piston machining due to piston pin height variations which is then corrected at deck height check. Then every piston/rod is identical or rod/stroke ratio, pin height, and deck height. As to the 510, I'm more than simply a follower in that category...at least until Hondata tops our record. Many cars reach 150 easily and quickly, that's relative child's play. Start shooting for a Red Cap and things get a bit more difficult.

40,000,000 Dating opportunities and no worrying about the bleating if you can't call the next day!

"I do burnouts to disguise myself, you guys have all got it wrong. If you do a smokey enough burnout the cops can no longer see you. Therefore you have escaped." Incorrect. They hear you. Then, vision obscured by crates at the end of their beat, they see the smoke from your burnout rising. And they still can hear you... So they call their friends. Soon thereafter you find yourself pulled over with 12 Locked and Loaded M16's pointed at you and one very irate cop saying "so that was you with the little display in the parking lot about 15 minutes ago?" Suggestions when this is asked: Do not say "Yes, but it mus'n't have been so little if you stopped me." And whatever you do, if he asks you "What do you think this is, the Indy 500?" DO NOT reply whilst indicating with your forefinger "No, the Indy goes this way (counterclockwise finger), we were going this way (clockwise finger)..." It makes for a bad rest of the day...

I'll admit something, my black turbo car would have issue going up that driveway as well. But it's not low for sake of being low, it has more to do about preventing air from getting under the front end at 160+... And that was in 1985...

Except you forget that when you pull the rods you gotta buy new rod bolts as well...

Nissan offered three thermostats for the Z: Frigid, Temperate, and Tropical. The tropical was 76.5C (170F), Temperate 82C (180F), and Frigid 88C (190F) 1972 Nissan Part Numbers were: 21200-78502 Tropical 21200-A3001 Temperate 21200-A3005 Frigid I find that most places only stock FRIGID thermostats for a Nissan, therefore leading to cooling issues internally to the head. I use Chevrolet Thermostats as I can specify the temperature range above (160-195) and with the addition of a 1.5-2mm weep hole have exemplary performance. If it's cold, run a hot thermostat to get your oil up to operating temperature as quickly as possible to prevent sludge formation and condensate accumulation in the crankcase. <EDIT>Oh, to answer your question, in a 75F environment, the STANDARD thermostat was 180F (that is, for temperate climates meaning not extreme such as Siberia or Thailand.) Like I said, most places don't stock those so you're likely on your own unless you can cross the above numbers to a current issue Nissan Piece or go the Chevy route. The 'bypass when thermostat closed' function is provided by an internal drilling on the right side (oil filter) of the engine which shunts from the head to the inlet of the water pump. Additional bypass is provided by the external bypass line from the bottom of the thermostat, through any number of items or simply returning to the inlet of the water pump on the lower radiator hose casting. You can usually aid warmup by turning the heater to 'hot' but not turning on the fan--this allows quicker circulation inside the engine that can be provided by the smaller tandem bypass lines.<EDIT>

Working in China four months this past year... Well, that about sums it up