cygnusx1

tell them that you like their idea because it will free up more cash for the strip clubs.

My suspension is setup very much like yours with the same ship-sized sway bars. Mine exhibits the same understeer, mainly when entering a turn. Off throttle, or light engine braking through a turn cures it to neutral through mid-turn. Accelerating mildly through the turn will cause it to push again. I can compensate a bit for the turn-in push with the Illumina's. The advantage of the large sway bars is that the suspension does not deflect much as the car leans; keeping the tires relatively flat to the road without having to run camber plates. The disadvantage is that no road is perfectly flat and bumps and waves can cause havok. I did have it on the track and the slight push made the car easier/safer to drive for me (beginner).

I guess that's because caster turns into negative camber on the outside tire in a turn.

Me too interested. Post links.

I think I have found an intake leak at the 240SX 60mm TB butterfly shaft on the linkage side. Before I remove it, is there a replaceable seal available for that TB or is there another form of repair? I don't want to take it apart until I have all the repair parts at hand. Thanks.

Thanks for all the advice. I think the culprit may be caster angle as I have never had that checked. I have been through many sets of tires and the car has always had heavy steering. I never really thought it to be an issue until I drove my friends 77 280Z. Also, I do my own toe alignments with tape measure and stick to the rim edges. I usually lock the steering wheel in center position and then make both tires point straight as I can with about 1/8" toe in. Next I drive it and observe the steering wheel angle in a straight line. I come back and tweak both the left and right side angles until the steering wheel points straight and then re-check the toe. Is there a way to guestimate caster angle? maybe with a plumb bob, string and level and some clever rigging? There really is no way to adjust factory caster without shimming/cutting TC bushings anyhow is there? On another note, I have tried using the FSM measurements for tie-rod lengths and it is waaaay off. As far as I know the car has not been hit...and I have owned it for a long time. There is NO evidence of a wreck anywhere.

My 1976Z seems to have a heavy steering wheel as compared to my friends 1977Z. The tires are sized similarly and the suspensions are setup almost exactly. I have checked the ball-joints, the rack, and have replaced almost everything in the front end at one point or another. With the front end lifted, the steering works smoothly with no effort. The 77Z seems about 25% easier to steer at a standstill. Both have similar steering wheels. Is there anything in particular that could cause stiff steering? At speed the car feels great but parking is a chore. Did they change ratios from 76 to 77?

After reading about the tragedy at Watkins Glen with the driving school: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=103155 I am investigating my options for improving the restraint system in my 280Z. I have a rear strut tower cross brace but I have seats from an early M3 BMW, which, like the stock Z seats, dont have pass through for harness belts. Are there any devices available that would work with "street" seats and a rear tower brace? Assume the rear tower brace is strong enough to attach to; or is there a better way? This solution would be for a single track day per year or occasional autocross.

I have been using Axxis Ultimates on my Subaru WRX and I love them. They have great initial bite and improve with heating. The dust level is pretty high though. I get no squeeling. http://www.brakewarehouse.com is a great source for all kinds of brake parts and they are very knowledgable and willing to work with you.

Baast, I now run ATE Super Blue/Gold. I think it has one of the best bangs for the buck of all the performance fluids. It will damage paint though. Pedal feel is great. I have not had the opportunity to reach the performance limit of this fluid and I probably never will. I switched to this fluid after boiling the stock brakes on cheap no frills fluid. Since then, I have all new brakes but I did use this flud on the stock brakes and it was great. SRF = $$$

Can we discuss P&R by referring to South Park episodes?

1) Good electrical grounds and EFI connectors clean and lube 2) fuel pressure 30-35 psi steady- put gauge at fuel rail entrance. 3) ignition and timing 20-23 BTDC 4) compression test 145-155psi 5) vacuum/intake leaks (very tough to find) 6) cam timing 7) all injectors working? 8 ) clean "slider" inside AFM cover 9) 12volts supply solid at ECU? TPS, AFM, HEAD-TEMP, O2...all sensors and intake manifold "vacuum doo-hickies" working OK? Is your water temp gauge working? Is your Tach working? That's my hitlist for now. Good luck and keep us updated.

Thanks, I will get in the yellow pages to see if anyone will sell me an R12 charge port extension hose. The charge valves are still R12 and I used the little adapter to charge the r134a. I already got under the car and tried that approach. I can't get a hose on the port from that angle either

I have working AC in my 280Z Turbo Hybrid. The problem is that the compressor is buried under the air flow meter, the cold air intake tubing, the turbo outlet pipe to the intercooler, the return pipe from the IC, the bypass-valve, and its return hose to the turbo inlet! I CANNOT reach the low side charge port on the compressor to add some R134a. Yes, it's been converted from R-12 to R134a with all the original 76Z factory AC parts. What is the best way to RELOCATE the low side charge port to an accessible position? Can I unscrew the stock charge port (is it NPT?) and screw in a flexible copper line and then run it to an exposed place and put the charge valve on the end of the copper line? Or is there a better idea. I charge the AC with the car running with a can and tap while I watch the window on the dryer. It has been working for over three years since I converted it but it seems a slight bit low on charge this year so I want to top it off. Thanks, any ideas are greatly appreciated and if you have any thread pitch, or fitting details please include them in your reply so I can line up the parts I will need before I perform the surgery.

I did the same thing on mine except instead of a steel "U-shackle" I used a thin peice of 1/16" Stainless sheet metal bent into a U shaped strap wrapped under the crossmember and tapped it into the legs of the stock mount just like it's shown in Pauls design. I used a peice of rubber to isolate some noise also. I really like Pauls execution of the design. I think its the most logical of all that I have seen.

Hey welcome to hybridz. It looks like a kit that MSA sells, or Jim Cook, or maybe Victoria British. http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=7APP http://www.jimcookracing.com/catalog/page09.html http://www.jimcookracing.com/catalog/page10.html http://www.jimcookracing.com/catalog/page11.html http://www.jimcookracing.com/catalog/page12.html Yes, I am bored at work today....

Congrats on getting to keep your job. Just do your best and you automatically are a valued employee...usually. I got laid off two years ago along with 300 others. I was out of work for a year. Fortunately, my wife brought home paychecks, I have no kids, and I had some cash saved up so we did fine. A year later, the same company that laid me off, hired me back with a little raise! Go figure.

Putting a few good strong legs into the fluid before starting the bleed process helps any bubbles that may be "stuck" to free up and get into the flow stream so they will come out with the old fluid. I learned that when I was on a pit crew for a BMW Firehawk Team.

If your fluid was really hydrated (old and watery), you could very well have boiled the fluid. Even if you did boil it, a simple brake bleed (fluid change) will cure the problem. Soft pedal can be, bubbles in the fluid, bad master cylinder, pads/shoes getting pushed away from the rotor/drum by warped/bumpy rotating hardware, flex in a pressure line or mechanical brake component. Do some braking and compare temperatures of the wheels/brakes to see if one is working harder than the rest. If they are different, you have a problem. IF one of your brakes is working harder than the rest (stuck pistons), it may very well have boiled the fluid at that corner and caused the burning brake smell...and soft pedal. Which way is the steering wheel pulling (hands-off) when you apply the brakes? That is pointing you to the overworked brake.

I show mine fairly regularly at the small, local shows, and the larger cruises. I get acceptance from both the Rodders and the Ricers. What ticks me and everyone else off is the guys that don't enter the show but drive around outside of it, making noise, speeding, and screeching tires to gain attention. They are usually the younger kids and are usually in rice. That's how they get branded.

Bastaad, I never got any straight answers about the ECU/Year/Auto/Manual differences either. I would imagine that a company like Jim Wolf might be able to answer your questions. A factory manual from each of the years might also shed light but would be difficult to pull off...unless a few people on here have the manuals and scanners...wink-wink. I have tried "supposed" automatic and manual ECU in my hybrid and see no difference. I am not sure of the year/model they are. I even got ripped off on ebay with a fried ECU. I now have three of them total; one is dead.

Spray both sides of the AFM and ECU connector and pins with electrical cleaner and then smear dielectric grease (non conductive) into the connectors and re-assemble. Rich spots and flat spots may very well be due to marginal connections....even if they look clean. WELCOME!!

Are there any coatings for the interior of an intake manifold that will inhibit heat transfer into the airflow? So, plastic/composite intercooler pipes and intake manifolds may be the way to go. Lots of people have laid thier own fiberglass and carbon parts. Has anyone here tried to make an intake out of fiberglass or carbon fiber yet? I did see the aluminum ones with heat blankets over them. Thermal Coatings http://www.speedoptions.com/articles/1213/ What about dip coating the intake tract parts with silicone or PVC? http://www.piper-plastics.com/plastic-coating.htm

bastaad, my car definately runs on the lean side under full boost...I had never heard ping until a few weeks ago while accelerating hard on the highway. Since that I have raised the begi fuel pressure a bit. The car has been getting 22-23 mpg mixed driving with occasional hammer downs. It definately gets enough fuel when driving casually. I don't think it's a perfect fuel curve but it's as close to factory as it can get until boost causes the fuel pressure to rise from stock. Also, my N/A motor had, and my WRX has, more power right after and during warm up. My hunch has always been that heat soak causes the loss of several foot pounds of torque. If it is mainly heat soak, too bad we can't figure out a way to keep the manifolds cold. The cold side of my intercooler is always very cold to the touch after a hard drive so I think that it's doing its job. I bet it's the intake manifold that gets hot and robs us of all that torque.

The intake air always comes in fresh from up front on my setup.