Ineptitude01

Is the car a 2+2?

I'm with Phlebmaster. Besides, it's not really going to be about the engine itself. The mechanical swappage is the most accessible and interesting part, and that's what you end up thinking of when all is said and done, but before you get there... Wiring. For that one and only reason, I would avoid swapping it back. *Especially* if you weren't the one that did the swap in the first place. God only knows how the previous owner thought, or how they decided to go about doing certain things, or why they did it the way they did. Swapping back all the wiring and electrical is never fun, no matter what the vehicle is. And it's true what everybody's been saying. I'm sure there are plenty of HybridZ members who are bored on weekends or stuck on their own weird projects, and would be happy to go hit their heads against someone else's car for a change. Ask and you shall receive, right?

This might sound dumb, but is the head gasket on upside down? My friend and I rebuild my dad's Subaru Forester engine a while back, and I didn't double check his work. Next thing we knew, there was oil all over the driveway. Left side head gasket was on backward. You'd almost never notice, but the oil holes didn't quite line up. Obviously the L28 is a completely different engine, but without knowing any more about it, I'd guess head gasket troubles of some kind.

Worth considering doing your oil change full synthetic. Whatever's been done to that turbo, it basically can't not appreciate some good synthetic oil, especially just as far as getting oil on the bearings before it actually spools at all. Definitely also worth taking the turbo off just to eyeball it, and maybe even to measure the shaft play. On two of my L28ET's, I've had the PO's assurances that the turbo was rebuilt, and in one case, it obviously was, but they still oil starved it after the rebuild and blew the damn thing right back up.

I'm looking for a driveshaft for a 2+2 280ZX non-turbo 5 speed. Also looking for a 2+2 T-5 driveshaft, but that's less mission critical right now. I would prefer to not deal with shipping, but I will if I have to. I'm willing to come pick up and pay cash to anywhere in the Bay Area.

You know, it just occurred to me. I've got the driveshaft I made, but I've got no use for it anymore. I had one Z when I made it, and now I'm swapping the T-5 into my 82 Turbo, and the stock 5 speed back into the NA. If you've got the NA rearend, and the T-5, you could use my driveshaft. I would straight up trade you for either an NA 5-speed driveshaft or an 83 Turbo one, seeing as I eventually need both. All my Zs are 2+2s, though, and I'm in California, so shipping would be a king's ransom, and I dunno if your Z is a 2+2.

You know, it's actually fine. I must have read "186 - 216" in the FSM, thought it was ft-lbs, and then mistaken it AGAIN on the torque wrench. I got a chance to check since I've just finished learning that even though they LOOK similar, the automatic and 5 speed driveshafts have different internal diameters, so the splineshaft won't engage. Imagine my surprise when I was able go go 80mph in my driveway with no movement... Ah, also. abes, you don't need a whole new diff, just the companion flange.

Whoops. Just checked my factory service manual here. Torque for the 'drive pinion nut' (bigass nut) is as follows: 186 - 216 N•m / 137 - 159 ft•lb I think my preload might be wrong...

Man, I just went through all this. I swapped a T-5 into an 82 NA, oblivious to the fact that driveshaft wasn't going to match up to the NA companion flange. I ended up going into a driveshaft shop and having them cut the tail off the NA driveshaft and put on the T-5 driveshaft. Cost to me was about $145. They did balance and paint it, but even so... Turns out that the much simpler thing to do is to just swap the companion flange. That one big nut (think it's a 27mm) in the center is torqued down HARD though. You'll need a decent impact gun, a 3-4" carbon steel extension, and a powerful air compressor to get it off easily. Several things can and likely will happen next. First, if your differential is anything like one of mine was, it's going to barf gear oil out the seal you just uncovered. Probably want to replace that, in any case. Thankfully, the splines on the inward part of the companion flange are the same between the two, so you can just put the new one on and torque down that bigass nut. Technically, I think you're supposed to replace it (I didn't, other posters haven't), but do what you will. The next thing that happens is that you're going to realize you need a better torque wrench than you probably have. To get the bearing preload juuuust right on the diff, you need to be able to successfully torque to over 200 foot-pounds. I don't remember the exact number, but if you have a Haynes manual or similar, it should tell you. I remember thinking I was okay, but then realizing that the '200' on my torque wrench was newton-meters. So before you start any of that, make sure you have a good enough torque wrench, air compressor, a new oil seal (maybe) and consider a new bigass nut. Good hunting.

I honestly just thought that something had gone wrong, and didn't think anything of it. I replaced the rod and kept the same bushing setup. I am using energy suspension, by they way, not prothane. I don't know if one is stiffer than another, but there you are. No problems so far (knock on wood).

Well, Phil, you know how this one turned out for me... Normal driving conditions, driving down the road, minding my own business, and then I pull up to a stop sign down from like 25mph, and that was that. "KCHUNG" I replaced the rod with one I bought from a member here, and have had no problems since.

Ahaha! Good for you, Phil! Glad to see these worked out for you. I have to say, I was thinking of painting my suspension parts while they were off, but I never did. Now that I've seen what you did, though, I think I have to. After all... Paint is cheaper than new parts, and makes everything just as shiny. I noticed about the same handling improvement with mine, not to mention a lot less sag. I was getting all set to buy new shocks and struts, but this has held me off a while longer. And thanks to Hughdogz (and zcarnut) on those links, I think I'll be keeping my TC rods intact from now on... Good tip!

Love of JDM, you're my hero. PM sent.

Man, I just remembered. If you need a driveshaft to be... well, if you need it anything, and you're in the Bay Area, I highly highly highly recommend South Bay Driveline, kinda near the San Jose airport. I remember I took my driveshafts in, intending to come back with one, and I set them down on the counter. Guy looks up goes "Oh, Nissan! What can I do for you?" I was really impressed. The whole process cost me about $145, and I think you'd see something similar. He didn't explain everything he was going to do, but he sure did it all. Perfect welds, rebalanced, repainted, surface rust removed, etc. It was very pretty.

Right on. Also in my arsenal is a flatbed trailer. Lemme know when you've picked that carcass clean, and I can arrange something.

Hey guys, me again. This time I'm looking for all the bits and pieces I'll need to convert an auto 280ZX to manual. Thankfully, I already have manual transmissions coming out the wazoo. So I suppose what I'm after is... - Turbo/2+2 flywheel (I'll be getting my own clutch) - Clutch cylinder and all associated bits and pieces - MT pedal box - Shift boot and console insert (just that bit of plastic around the shifter; pretty sure the rest of the center console just slips over it) - Shift knob I think that should be it... if I've forgotten something, please tell me. The interior of the car in question is... blue. I dunno how common that is, but I'm pretty much unwilling to use parts of the wrong color. Now that I think of it, though, if you're in the Bay Area, and have a spare T-5, I definitely wouldn't mind... Thanks Corey

Heh, this is sort of unrelated, but speaking of pegging speedometers... The one in my CRX goes up to 135, and believe it or not, that little Honda WILL go that fast. I was surprised, scared, and elated. Granted, I was on the freeway (duh) and had a long runup down one hill and up another. I don't think my ZX will go even close to that fast. I don't even know how I'd measure it, either. I'm using the NA rearend with the T-5, and I think I chickened out around 5000rpm when I tried to test the upper limit there.

I'm not sure how good an idea it is, but if you look on eBay, you can find a T3/T4 for like $120. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/T3-T4-T04E-Turbocharger-63-A-R-Turbo-Jdm-Civic-VW-Golf_W0QQitemZ280342032348QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item4145afefdc&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65%3A15|39%3A1|240%3A1318 We're "blessed" with the fact that the T3/T4 is a ricer's dream part. How they expect their teensy engines to spool the hybrid continues to mystify me, but... they're all over eBay. They try and get you on the shipping obviously, and... well... I'm a little leery of anyone trying to sell me a turbo for $120. Also... If you don't need the engine from that car... Perhaps I can help take it off your hands? I'm also in the Bay Area, and I have access to an enormous truck. I also haven't yet spent all my money on Z parts! (Though not for lack of trying)

Wow. This is making me feel like a total outcast. The day I finished swapping the Borg-Warner into my ZX was one of the greatest days of my life. Maybe it was just my old tranny, but... it friggin' sucked noodles. It was hard to shift, hot or cold, much more clunky, longer throw, and a LOT more play when in gear. Hard to know, I suppose. It could be that if I had rebuilt it instead of kicking it a few times and shelving it. The other thought I have is that the whole 'wide ratio' bit really made the whole thing kind of an experience. I imagine that if I were using it on a turbo, I'd be more glad of the fact, as it is, though, I love that transmission. The only ONLY problem I've ever had is apparently a common one, where it won't shift into 2nd easily if it's really cold.

I'm pretty sure CRX seats will go in with little to no modification. Heh, if you want, I actually have a spare CRX driver's seat. Getting out of either of my ZXs and into that little Honda is a mind trip. Feels like I'm sitting on the damn ground. I'm almost positive that the CRX seats are some of the thinnest and most value engineered things you're allowed to park your ass on. But, yeah. Seat's just taking up space in my garage that I could be using for more Z parts...

Alright, everyone. The moment of truth is at hand. I just got back inside, and... well... I'm upset that anyone could do this to ANY engine, much less an L28. For one thing, L28s are TOUGH engines. And for another, it's not like the overall number of blocks around is increasing. But the previous owner... just... RUINED this poor engine. And now a little peek at cylinder 5 for Max. My money is on 6 being the problem child, though. Couldn't tell you why... So uh... as you can see... When it comes to connecting rods, this particular block just wasn't having any of that. What's left of the bearing was a few paper thin scraps in the cylinder bore, and a bunch of chaff in the bottom of the oil pan. I'm interested to hear anyone's thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, thoughts or issues regarding my new 200lb paperweight. Basically, I'm trying to figure out what to do with this now. There's a little demon on my shoulder whispering 'stroker', but I've kinda got my work cut out for me with all these Subarus and Hondas and Z's all over the place.

The head looked perfect, which was kind of confusing. I can get a picture of the underside of it, if you'd like to see. I guess I should get it off to the machine shop and have those guys take a look at it. Ah, that's my bad. The camera angle wasn't super great, and that's just a pool of ATF. My buddy and I were using the ol' 'what's getting by these guys' trick. Mostly the pistons are just coated in thick layers of carbon gunk. And for what it's worth, the ATF just... disappeared when we poured it on top of the pistons. Some took longer than others, but for the life of me I can't remember which. Then again, I can't say I exactly expected that the rings would be okay, given the general state of things. I've got my dad's Subaru engine on my only stand right now. Hopefully once that's off there, I can put this guy up there. He's just rolling around on a creeper and some wood blocks at the moment. I'm not really optimistic about what I'm gonna find in there, but... I AM curious. Hah, I guess the moral is "when you buy a blown engine, make sure you know just how blown it is." This has gotta be the first case I've really seen of someone ruining a stock L28 so badly. Once I've got the pan off and taken a look in there, I'll have pictures and tales of death and glory for you all. If anyone wants pictures of anything else, like the head, I can get 'em.

PM sent. :-o

Wow, I totally forgot that I meant to post pictures. Umm... Well, like I said in the first post. It just seems a little weird, and I'm not sure what was done to this poor block. My interest in it has kinda been renewed, since I just got a full options 82 Turbo for $300, and I'd love to be able to build a new motor out of the car, and still be able to move it around. Anyways, here's yon blockie.

Pretty sure the metal sleeves go, and they just slide in. I have to get a used tension rod, though. There's no way I'm buying from the dealership. They sell them, but they're $260. The guy took pity on me and offered me employee discount. So then it was only $150! Unbelievable. This is the kind of thing a junkyard would value at $5. If anyone knows of aftermarket ones, though, let me know.