jeromio

Well, I called the lawyer Thursday. He said to get an impartial mechanic to back up my claim. He recommended a guy that happened to be pretty close to my house, so I drove over and showed him my pictures. He seemed like a pretty genuine, knowledgeable guy (wish I'dve taken the car to him in the first place). He took quite a bit of time with me and went over his manuals and his AllData CDs. Anyway, he said that harmonic balancers and crankshaft pulleys usually come right off and maybe need a little attention from a pair of screwdrivers. He agreed that the guy shouldn't have bent the dust cover, but he said that typically he only uses a pulley puller when the pulley is really stubborn. He also didn't think it was possible to break the crankshaft by prying against the pully. So anyway, it's looking like: - I'm the only person in the world who thinks that you should always use a puller to remove a pulley. - I'm probably not going to find anyone who thinks this RPM mechanic broke my crankshaft. - I'm SOL, out the $200 I paid RPM and now I have to buy and install a very expensive engine.

Damn. Double triple damn. I just looked in that crappy Haynes manual. They have a picture illustrating the way to remove the crankshaft pully: "Use 2 prybars". That us just not what I expected. That pretty much tears my whole case. I am screwed. I would never imagine using a pry bar for that job. But apparently it must be an accepted practice. Unbelievable. Add this to that Ford service bulletin and there's no judge that won't side with these jerks. Now I just get to stew in my anger and misery. Guess I'll call around to find a used minivan VG30 (The Maxima engine is different it turns out). If you're near Durham, NC, avoid RPM Lincoln Mercury (Actually "Michael Jordan's RPM Lincoln Mercury") and their sister dealership across the street, RPM Nissan.

Well, here's my update. I went there. I wanted to try and compose myself in the parking lot before I went in, but it's cold and snowing here and the beater Honda has no heat. So, I went in at about 10am, talked to the Service Manager. He got the actual mechanic. The mechanic sticks to his story - although it clearly has huge holes in it and he's not clever enough to lie straight out. He admits to using that pry bar on the pully. What a dumbass! What the hell does he think those threaded holes on the pully are for? A CRANK PULLER!!! Ugh. So, at least he admits to that. But, he maintains that once the bolt came out, the crank shaft flopped over. He says that the bolt ws what was holding the broken part together. Hrmmm, but then you say you used this prybar - what for if the whole assembly was "already broken"? Riiiiight. What about that sheetmetal timing cover that's all bent out from the inside? Oh, great - the service manager just called quoting from a Ford Service bulletin about how the spec'd belt tension can cause the end of the crankshaft to break. That's good for their case. Bad for mine. Anyway, on with my story.... I told the service manager that I did not believe the mechanic and that clearly I was not going to convince him of the facts (I'm still pretty calm at this point, amazingly. It helped that the mechanic lost it, yelled a bit and stormed out). So, I told him that it would be best if I spoke to the General Manager or whoever handles liability issues. So, he goes away to get this "Guy in charge". Takes him like 10-15 minutes - obviously briefing him or whatever. So when this guy finally comes out, he is the slicked back, stereo-typical car salesman. He "has total faith" in his service dept. It's my word against their's. He's not gonna pay $4500 to fix something that can't be shown to be his dealership's fault. He will go as far as to get me the parts at wholesale. Great, thanks for that. After several pretty calm inquiries from me as to whether he is going to do anything to make this right, I mention that I didn't want to have to, but I will get a lawyer. I even mentioned that I had spoken to someone who worked for PDP who advised me to go to them first, that they would want to handle it and make things right with me, the customer. He goes back to saying that customers are a "high priority" to him, but that there's nothing that he can do beyond his generous offer of wholesale parts. He also said to go ahead and get a lawyer because there's nothing I can prove. So I walked out. Then just now this service manager guy calls with this service bulletin crap. I still think that the facts are in my favor. If, for some reason, the crankshaft was already broken, then as soon as he removed that bolt, it woule've been obvious. The lower cover is not oil-tight - it's just a dust cover. It does not press against the crank or pullies. That thing would've flopped right over - which is what he describes. And yet, if it did flop right over, then why did he need to use a prybar? They've been trying to defend the use of a prybar to remove a pully. I just don't see it. If I went thru the phone book I can't imagine any certified (or otherwise) mechanic answering the question "How does one remove a crankshaft pully?" with "Go at it with a 3 foot prybar"! Now this is gonna be a harrowing, drawn out legal battle. I'm gonna call the TV station too - it's gotta be worth a try. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

My first instinct is to get a lawyer. This is because I am assuming they (the dealership) are going to blow me off, claim that either they did nothing wrong, or that I can't prove anything. I am expecting a HUGE hassle. And yes, I am pissed, and I am afraid that if I try and deal with the shop directly, I'll do or say something that will screw up my chances of getting things made right. I am not anticipating fairness. In hindsight, it would've been way better to have left the car at their shop. The way the guy explained it to me, I was incredulous, but he made it sound like the crankshaft was broken. As in, they "discovered" this problem. SO, I had it towed to my house, without first inspecting it (wife had the one functioning car across town anyway). Trying to be efficient so that I could begin fixing it as soon as possible. Anyway, I'll take your advice and try dealing with them directly first. I'm working on being calm. But also, I'm thinking that I really do not want these same incompetent (expletive-deleted)s to be the ones to actually do the work. I want a check - enough to get the thing repaired outright, as well as a rental. I mean, if they weren't such boobs, we'd have our car back tomorrow. And I definately want my $200 back from the lying bastards. Yes, this is why, as I stated in the opening post of this thread, this is why I really, really, really did not want to take the car to a mechanic...

Well, I just got back from taking a walk. I am SOOOOO angry. I looked at the car when I got home from work. The guy didn't exactly explain it well over the phone. The Crank is broken alright - on the end, where the timing pully is. The freaking MECHANIC broke the crank. The lower timing cover is all bent out, from the inside where the pully must have hit it. The main accessory pully is still attached. Whatever dumbass method he was using to remove that outer pully is what caused the crank to break. When I had looked at the car earlier today in their shop, I noticed a giant pry bar sitting on the engine. I didn't really think anything of it. But if he tried to use that, that surely would've messed things up. So, now tomorrow I get to try and find a lawyer. I am suing. I am extremely %&@#!! I know they did it. There may be some trouble proving it. But, there's absolutely no way that the crank was broken when I brought it in. There's really no way for the crank to break - this is not a race car. The car died while my wife was looking for a parking space! The crank wouldn't even break from removing the pully if the proper tool was used - there's no way. I haven't done anything with it other than take a few pictures (http://jeromio.com/van). It's broken right on the end, probably just behind the ribbed Tbelt pully.

Okay, So I've had the van towed back to my house. I've been calling around to Salvage yards for engines. Since there are waaay more Maximas in the yards than Quests/Villagers, I can get a much better deal on that engine. Here's my question: Does anyone know of any significant differences between the Quest and Maxima versions of the VG30? I know the manifolds are different, but obviously I can use the ones I have. On the van, the rightside head (firewall side), has the plugs in the V (otherwise they would be inaccessible) - if the Maxima has them on the exhaust side, then that's a pisser. I suppose I could swap that head, but I dunno if that's worth it for the $150 savings. Ugh. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

!!AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! They started work. Then they called me. BROKEN CRANKSHAFT??!! The depths of my sorrow..... ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

Well, it's in the shop. They called today to tell me that the timing belt tensioner is hosed. I had replaced the belt about 6 months ago. Not being the trusting sort, I went to the dealership (yes, I took it to the dealership, $70/hr) to see for myself. Sure enough, he's got a spark plug out, taken the top belt cover off (which is a pain, I know from experience), and there's the loose as hell belt. So, either I did a half assed job torking it down after I tensioned the belt, or it just gave out. I have to admit that the former seems more likely (the guy said he's seen tensioners fail before, but this is a really simple part - not hydraulic). So, now I get to pay $700 to have some work done that I already supposedly did my own self. Sucks. And yet, I don't think my ordeal is over since I couldn't get a 5 volt reading from the TPS pigtail. I suppose if the thing was running with a loose belt that could explain the detonation though. I still suspect there is something else wrong. When the car was running, the only codes I got back from it were EGR solenoid and EGR sensor. But both those sensors checked out, and I got voltage from the pigtails back to the ECM as well. I guess I'll find out more tomorrow. I appreciate the suggestions. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

I haven't been able to find an engine analyzer for this car. The TPS works fine - it's the connection (back to the ECM, presumably) that registers 0 volts - book says it should read 5. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

Hope no one minds if I ask this non-Z related question: Is there a relatively easy way to test the Hitachi ECM to see if it's faulty? My wife's Quest/Villager has been wiggin' out lately. Started with a blown out fan motor, then the cruise control went out, then the engine light would go on intermittently. All over the course of 6 months or so. The codes said faulty EGR solenoid and faulty TPS and faulty temp sender. I replaced the temp sender , and a hose on the solenoid. TPS and solenoid test out perfectly. It intermittently knocks really badly. I replaced the O2 sensor. But still, we have to put 93 octane in it or else it will knock. Occasionally (once a month?) it cuts out - which can be terrifying since the power steering no longer works then. Anyway, Friday it cut out on her and then refused to start again. This happened months ago, but that time by the time I arrived, I was able to start it right up. This time nothing. It cranks, I can smell fuel, but no start. There is spark though. So, I've got a used ECM that I'm gonna put in it. But I'm not confident. Anyone have any other ideas? This Haynes manual is useless. It only really covers the 96 and up models (ours is a 95) which are completely different (they switched to OBD in 96). I really, really, REALLY do not want to take it to a mechanic. Thanks. [This message has been edited by jeromio (edited February 19, 2001).]

Aluminum would've been much easier to work with. We didn't have any 1/2 aluminum handy though. Plus, I can't weld that stuff. My friend can, but it would've meant alot of back and forth for mock ups and then final. Oh well. These suckers are gonna be heavy though. Alum is a good alternative if you can weld it. The drawing I am using is here: http://members.home.net/pparaska/image/brakemods/MaximaBracket_mod.jpg (I have a sized version posted here: http://240z.jeromio.com/images/RearDiscBracketSized.JPG ) I'll be using 82 turbo calipers and rotors. not sure that there's any difference between these and the NA units. The rebuild kits are impressively loaded with rings and seals - I was expecting just the one O and maybe some slider boots. I hope it's fairly intuitive - I haven't got a ZX manual. I seem to have only gotten one EBrake spring. I'm either gonna have to go scrounge around in the mud at the salvage yard or go to the dealer. It'll suck to have to pay $15 for a single spring when the calipers cost $25/pair. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

Well, the $75, no returns allowed, salvage yard ECM changed nothing. I guess I figured it was worth a try. The TPS checks out, but its pigtail reads 0 volts though, which, according to this terrible Haynes manual (it had the TPS and the nearby throttle open/closed switches labelled backwards, aargh) says indicates either a bad ECM, or an open circuit. The latter seems to be indicated - unless there's something truly fried which takes ECMs out. I thought about trying to run new wires to from the TPS to the ECM, but that probably wouldn't fix it anyway. So, it's off to the (insert disparaging comments here) mechanics. I'm thinking they'll probably get me for somewhere around the price of a used L28T for my Z car. And since my Z is currently up on jacks, the whole family gets to share the one beater Honda. Super. I'm soooo displeased. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

For some reason I thought that fabbing these brackets would not be this labor intensive. Here is what I am finding myself up against: - Half inch plate is really thick. No, make that REALLY thick. - My friend's super honkin Plasma torch can cut 1/2 inch plate - just not very well. I had to go really slow. It was REALLY hot. So I ended up stopping and starting alot which made for some ugly cuts. It also beveled really badly. The inside "hole" part was especially hard, so for bracket number 2 I ended up using a hole saw, which took Forever. Looked nice, but of course the largest saw was about 1/4" too small, so I had to grind out the hole. Ugh. Both holes are nice and snug against the carrier though. - Grinding. Lots of it. And a little touch up welding too. These wil not be all that pretty. I just couldn't wait the 3 weeks to have them CNC cut (not to mention it woulda cost dollars). - Lining up those 4 mounting holes was, for some reason, a problem. Bracket one has one hole that ended up being about 2mm off and another that's about 0.5mm off. I guess I'll weld 'em up and try again. Don't know what happened that first time, but the second bracket has all 4 hoels lining up pretty nicely. - The final step - welding up the two parts (I cut out the "ears" as one piece, with a 1/4" of metal connecting the two). I'm going to have to make a jig. I guess I'll just take the drawing's number for the spacing between the 2 parts. Although it seems like some of those numbers were not all that perfect. Which leads me to some questions: - for mock up, does anyone have a suggestion for faking the position of the stub axle so that I can try out the fit before final welding? If I put in the inner bearing and seal, I doubt I'll be able to insert and remove the stub easily. How far off the carrier does the stub end up? I was thinking of putting 2 or so layers of tape on the edge of the carrier and then resting the stub on the tape. Since the caliper floats, this dimension is not severly critical.....right? At some point I'll post this stuff (with some lame pics) on my website for anyone else who may want to try this... ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

I have no knowledge on V8s in 280ZXs but if you do use the GM Saginaw pump for power steering, there are a few outfits that sell a regulating dealio that will reduce the pressure. I got one for my truck as it has the Saginaw pump (on a Ford 429) but is connected to a Mustang Rack - waaaay over boosted. You take the fitting off the output of the pump, remove a little part, replace it with this aftermarket part and wallah - power steering that doesn't feel like mush. I got mine from RBs, mail order out of Cali. They have ads in all the street rod and street truck magazines. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

When I did mine, i was shooting for 16ga as it seemed like a very good balance between strength and weight. But at the time, the source I use had either 18 or 14. The rigidity difference between the two was big. And for the amount that I ended up using, only a few pounds weight difference. But really, even 18ga is thicker than that stuff they used to build these cars out of. Is that some metric thickness? Perhaps equiv. to 19.5 ga or something? At any rate, the stock setup has some bends and folds in it for added strength - much easier to go with flat than mess with creating fancy deformations.... ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

There is a camaro radiator that will fit in the stock location. I believe it came on 4 and 6 cylinder camaros, and there is an auto trans version (for the trans fluid lines). I have part numbers on my site (http://240z.jeromio.com). It's not a direct bolt in, but it was a pretty easy swap. There are 2 distinctly different camaro units though, so you have to be careful. The more common one is much too wide. That radiator is fairly cheap, but the Griffin isn't that much more expensive. If I had it to do over, I would've bought the Griffin - much nicer looking and will perform much better. Summit and Jegs and a few other vendors sell various models. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

Curious as to why you chose 18ga. Are you gonna bead it or put some folds in it? 18ga is not all that strong. I guess the rail is right under it, so perhaps it's not that critical... I used 14ga, which was a bit harder to work with, but is very solid. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

Excellent drawing - I'm very appreciative. I sized it so that if you print it out, it should be the correct size. That way you can cut it out, glue it to the steel and cut it out with a plasma torch. I'm gonna go hit up my welder friend for some torch time. Prob'ly get him to weld the pieces together too so it'll look oh so pretty (and yet never be seen ). URL is http://240z.jeromio.com/images/RearDiscBracketSized.JPG I tried using my new calipers and some math, but ended up having to trial and error it. Only took 4 print outs though - not too bad. All 4 holes match up to the strut, although the bearing carrier hole is a tad tight. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com [This message has been edited by jeromio (edited February 12, 2001).] [This message has been edited by jeromio (edited February 12, 2001).]

Oh crap. I removed my stub axles from both carriers, but I didn't mark them or anything - didn't realize that the stubs and carriers were matched sets. I guess I can only hope that when I clean the grease off of the stubs, their spacers are the same. Otherwise, I have a 50-50 chance I suppose. Ignorance is not bliss. I did read the shop manual before I started. Don't know how I missed that part about the specificity of the spacers. As to having the bearings pressed out, no local shop would do it for me. When I knocked the stubs out, the outer bearings came out with the stubs. I haven't messed with the stubs yet - I suppose those bearings are locked on there. When I removed the grease seals from the carriers, the inner bearings fell out. Could've been much worse. Things were very orange in there and not all that much grease. I'm guessing the seal failed at some point. I'm gonna go ahead and put longer wheel studs in. There's no way I want to have to take all this apart ever again. I figure I may not be able to use the pretty, capped lug nuts, but at least I'll have some flexibility down the road when I finally get some wheels (More than likely I'll have to use wheel spacers). I got my bearings from Advanced for $22 each ($88 total). Only Carquest had the R200 front Pinion seal, $8 each (using them as bearing seals for 240Z stubs and ZXT CV axles). ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

The 75 parts car I had had the mounts for the rear bar ahead of the rear axle. They were tucked in near the beginnings of the rear sub-frame area. I cut/chiselled these out, but I con't know if I'll bother using them. If your's was mounted in the rear, it's probably an aftermarket unit, as I doubt it would have long enough arms to reach the "stock" mounting location. Have you seen the pics of Darius's car at http://www.htandmore.com/pics/240z71/? There's a pic there of his rear bar - you might be able to duplicate that with yours. As to the front, sounds like that mount location on the pass. side rusted out and a prev. owner "repaired" it. That area rusts out pretty badly since it has that extra plate there to trap water. ------------------ 240Z.jeromio.com

I think http://racesearch.com has a selection of wheel spacers - pretty inexpensive too. As to the perch for the collar, I'm using the piece of the strut that I cut out when I sectioned (sliced to open up so it will fit back over the strut, then welded on). I would imagine a piece of exhaust tubing or pipe would work just as well.

Why does the 79ZX have an R180 in it? That sounds really, really odd. Doesn't the non-turbo ZX typically have a 3.9 R200? And the 78 280Z will have a 3.54 R200. And therefore, with this swap you will be gaining fuel economy, but your off the line will suffer considerably. BTW, you can tell the R180 from the R200 pretty easily. The R200 is much larger and the rear of it looks octagonal, whereas the smaller R180 is rectangular. Anyway, to try and answer your questions, the bolt holes and such should all match up. But, you should not use the half shafts from the 280Z. They will likely end up being too short (The ZX is has a slightly wider track than the Z). They may work, but they would be sub-optimal. Use the shafts from the ZX.

So, wait, in order to get the brackets off of the Maxima, you have to pull the stub axles? Ugh. I mean, it obviously makes sense, it's just that that's a pain in the ass. How do you remove that nut without an impact wrench? I can see the drawing of the procedure in the shop manual - it just looks fictional. Especially out in a muddy salvage yard. I'm thinking it might just be easier to make a bracket. I wasn't going to do rear disks just yet, but I discovered that one of my drums is cracked. Plus, everything's apart right now, so, it just makes sense.

Wel, crap. The MSA guy was supposed to call me back with info on the front hoses. He didn't, I called today and they now say that they are out of stock on the front hose. So I'm back to being SOL. I think tomorrow I'll make an attempt at the local Hydraulic Hose company. Have no idea if they do braided lines. I do know that they're one of those wierd companies that freaks out at the possibility of dealing with a non-commercial entity. I'll have to make up some bullshit about being a shop of some kind. Arrgh.

Does this make this post number 100 then? (BTW, my point about the GM 5spd auto was that BMW actually buys these from GM for use in their cars. Go figure. I'd presume that they (GM) also use this unit in many of their own cars and therefore there might be a bellhousing for the 3800)