clutchdust

yes, i put the engine together. what's the "common problem" in these engines? i kind of figured it was chain related but i still have been unable to identify exactly where it's coming from. it's an old chain but all new tensioner and guides.still, can anybody tell me what degrees the five marks on the balancer indicate?

dhartig, your set-up looks very similar to mine. i've done some more tuning and it's coming along. i still have this strange miss at anything over 3000RPM. i still haven't figured out if it's fuel or ignition. did you change your jetting at all? what have you done to the carb to tune it?

dhartig, does yours have centerhung or sidehung floats? which way is yours facing? i suppose it's possible yours is just like mine only turned 180* on the manifold. i still need tot dial in the tune but it's a good start. i notice a miss at higher RPMs but haven't figured out if it's fuel or ignition yet. anybody have any input on the balancer marks? what about the whizzing sound? sure doesn't sound right to me and i don't want to waste this motor.

just got my rebuild (2.4 block and head with 2.6 rotating assembly) drivable yesterday. i have the arizona Z manifold with the 390 holley. the one thing i noticed is that i get engine acceleration when braking. looking at the carb, it would appear that braking pulls fuel away from the needle. my guess is that the float is lifting from the fuel stacking. can anybody confirm or deny that? if so, what's the fix? also, this is my first overhaul of an L6 so i'm not as familiar with them. i'm getting this 'whiz' kind of sound that matches RPMs. i'm thinking i have some kind of metal on metal interferance, possibly cam gear/chain area. any thoughts on where i should check before wasting a fresh rebuild? is it normal for any kiind of whizzing noise? anybody around vegas that could put an extra set of ears on it? oh ya, one more thing. my balancer has five notches on it but my cheezy hanes manual doesn't really break it down. which one is zero? what degree increments do they indicate?

thanks for the help guys, but if it really takes that much and unless this SX tranny is perfect, would i be better off just trying to find a salvage 5-speed from a late 280 or 300z in a junk yard? what other 5-speeds bolt up to the block? i don't mind a little fab work, i just really don't want to screw with machining and such (not with this project).

a local guy has a 240sx 5-speed he's letting go cheap. anybody know if it will mate up to my L24? [EDIT] o.k. after searching it seems like the SX tranny does work but requires an adaptor. is that correct? sorry for the n00b post but you guys are posting about rb747 something-or-other into an et9478205 something-else, and i have no idea what the hell all the codes are.

on a previous 240 that i just did some head work on, i just stuffed a piece of 3/4 heater hose down there. it worked fine but i'm just thinking as long as i have the front cover off it would be real easy to do. my only concern is how much whip do you think is in that chain when it's running? i don't know what it would be like with the guides but if you ever saw a SBC chain run without the chain cover it would freak you out.

BTW, while i'm at it, i'm thinking of making a small bracket that bolts across the tensioner block and opposite chain guide that has a small block between the two halves of the chain. the idea is that should i decide to do a cam swap later on, the block won't allow the tensioner to pop out of place and just less concern in general should i ever need to pull the cam sprocket off. thoughts?

thanks guys. i shouldn't be surprised you guys caught that it wasn't at TDC, just surprised that it was the first post! i was going to put a disclaimer that this was a mock-up photo just to see how things lined up, but y'all caught me. as far as the chain is concerned, i plead ignorance to that one. the link is the way it was when i took it off. i haven't disassembled it or anything. i've been suspicious that someone rebuilt this motor previously and maybe i was right. i do admit i'm struggling to understand exactly how to work the cam and ignition timing. not quite as idiot-proof as my SBC to be sure. i'll search out some info on the site. the haynes book is the suck.

i'm curious if this looks weird to any of you. i replaced the chain guides while i was this far into the motor and according to a response to an earlier question, i tried to set the curved guide (the one above the tensioner) as close to the center of the block as i could. however, when i did that, i couldn't get the chain on the sprockets. i don't know if it's just because it's a cheap knock-off but i had to take a dremel and oblong the upper bolt slot for the bolt to align with the hole. then i put as much pressure against the chain as i could by hand while tightening down the bolts. also, is the clipped link considered the "bright" link as referernced in my haynes manual? is there really a better manual than this one anyway? they're speaking too much 'english' and i'm having a hard time translating.

i did a search and came up with this info in a thread: http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/cam/index.htm is this accepted as accurate info? FWIW, i'm building a 2.6 from a 2.6 rotating assembly and good 2.4 block, mildly ported E88 head with a 3-2 header and arizona Z 6-1 intake/390 holley. i'm considering the compcams (http://www.compperformancegroupstores.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CC&Product_Code=84-119-6&Category_Code=) 252 or 260 cam. i just don't want to put any more cam on the original old stock springs and comp doesn't have any. so, would one of these cams be a marked improvement over the stocker? anybody have a line on some good springs to compliment a fresh cam? also, has anybody ever made a dripper rail that feeds the rocker/lash caps? looks like putting oil right on them might go a long way. just a thought.

thanks for the help. no sealant or anything at all between the tensioner block and the engine block? also, since i lost my spring, any recommendations on the correct spring pressure i'll need?

i just have the haynes manual for the rebuild i'm working on. problem is, it's been months since i took the original engine apart. i'm putting the chain tensioner back together but the instructions are lousy ("refit the tensioner"). is the tensioner block sealed against the block? gasket or sealant? is the tensioner piston spring loaded? i hope not, i have no spring. finally, the chain guide in my kit is slotted but i can't fit it according to the pic in the manual. the only position i can fit it positions the guides as close together as possible (make sense?). the only way i think i could get the tensioner further positioned further apart would be to dremel out the slot slightly. what's the deal?

i may have a line on one if you're interested. i ran into a guy with a '78 that bought it for his car but never installed it. this was (no chit) less than two weeks after i bought a brand new one from arizona Z.

thanks for the input guys. the only thing that really threw me was the flat top pistons with 0 quench. when i pulled the original 2.4 apart i seem to recall they had the two valve relief (as did a previous 2.4 i had the head off). i did notice the kind of trademarked symbol on the pistons as well as the rods. i think it used to be an old 'nissan' symbol. the head mic'ed fine so i didn't have the machine shop mill it. now i'm thinking about doing that for the CR bump before i swap the cam. with an aluminum head (bare in mind i come from the SBC train of thought), i just think i'd like to have 9:1 or better before throwing any more cam at it. would it make more sense to mill .005-.010" off the head or just get a thinner gasket?

thanks, guys. i pulled the original 2.4 apart and seem to recall those pistons had a slight (1/8"?) dish. these are completely flat, no valve relief. i'll check the head when i'm at the shop tomorrow and post the results. as for the head gasket, i know it's not a fel pro. it's out of one of those 'master' gasket kits, so it's fairly thick (thicker than i'd like). i suppose if i can get over 9:1 on sCR, i wouldn't feel so bad about popping in that 260* cam. any thoughts on that? don't know if i clarified in the earlier post, i've built several SBCs but this is my first L6. it's definately a budget build, but i'm looking for the best results i can get. what i have currently: stock 2.4 block and 2.6 rotating assembly, assembled with hastings ring set and clevite bearings. mildly ported stock head with hardened seats and new valves. fresh chain and guides. pertronix arizona Z intake 390 holley i'm still looking for (probably will buy from MSA) coated header. speaking of which, 6 to 1 or 3 to 2? maybe 6 to 1 since i'm looking for a more broad power curve rather than peak power. i'm also ditching the mechanical fan and shooting for 200fhp or better. what say you? . . . . [EDIT] just checked and it is in fact an E88 head and no, it doesn't have that nifty "compression" bump cast in. (bummer).

guys, i know i'm going to get thumped but i spent the last half hour searching, so i need some help. background: i come from the SBC world so this is my first L6 i've rebuilt. any suggestions you'd like to throw out there is welcome. i'm putting together a mild little street motor for my '72 consisting of a '73 2.4 block and head but crank, rods and pistons from a 2.6 (unknown year, i just got the engine). i know the 2.6 was rebuilt at some point as it had been turned .020 on the crank and .010 on the rods already. the thing that has me a bit flummoxed is the pistons are flat tops with what appears to be near 0 quench. i thought the 2.4 and 2.6 both used a slight dish on the pistons. were 2.6 flat tops? i also noticed inside the sleeve has AMPCO cast into it. is that a factory nissan part? if all this is stock, i should be looking at about 8.8:1 CR with the stock '73 (E88?) head, right? if flat tops were not stock, any approximations on what the CR might be? i'm tempted to throw in a compcams 260* cam while i've got all torn apart but don't think i want to put much cam on a <9.0:1 motor. not only that, but i think i'd like to put fresh valve springs on a new cam too, but don't know where to shop for L6 valve springs. thoughts?