SleeperZ

I used the same crossmember for my T5. It almost fit, but I went ghetto and slotted the trans mount and the trans - about a 1/2" on each, and it fits...I'm not much of a fabricator, so welding was not an obvious option.

LOL! It's just the voltage I measure at the battery with my meter. Matches sorta close to my dash voltmeter... I used to design battery chargers, 14.5 is close to the float voltage to maintain charge. I notice on the various Walbro pump flow maps they spec both 12V and 13.5V. I would expect you should be able to get 13.5V to your pump with good wiring and a capable alternator.

You have a point David, they can be sequentially fired, but at what point does the sequential firing scheme become irrelevant? Speaking for myself (having done a Z31ECU swap), if the ECU isn't able to get me more power via larger inductors and greater ability to meter air, it's not worth it. I am currently getting 260hp to the ground with my stock ZXT injectors and Z31 ECU - that is probably close to the limit. The Z31 folks are not known for running bigger injectors unlike the folks running ZXT ECUs (not sure why...there is a significant adjustability to the Z31 MAF) I don't know anything about the M30 car or ECU though - I am very interested in hearing about the potential.

I'm curious Tony, how will your adaptation of Z31 MAF to a 280ZX (and turbo?) ECU allow the use of bigger injectors? And why would this not be possible with a 300ZX ECU?

I hate to tell you this, but you need to take it back down again. The automatics had a spacer plate pressed on the end of the crank - that is why the flywheel didn't snug on. Take off the clutch and the flywheel and pry off the spacer plate. I'd be willing to bet $$ that your pilot bushing is loose inside the crank end, so get a new one and tap it in. AMAF, you probably should consider getting the clutch dowel in the flywheel replaced before bolting it back in. 3 pins is definitely the magic number when centering a clutch on the flywheel. You certainly don't want that thing vibrating loose on you. Good luck to you - I can say the first time I attempted the auto-manual conversion I was thrown for a loop on that stupid crank end plate.

Joe: I just happen to agree with you. But this subject is probably best left for other forums. Zcar.com had lots of this type of subject matter, the bandwidth got too great and they limited the forum to "Car Talk". Feel free to email me if you find an acceptable forum for this.

Standard answer - get a smashed/rusted 280ZX turbo (1981-83), and bolt in the motor and ECU with all the sensors. Do a search, both here and on Zcar.com for more details, and report back with any specific questions.

If nothing else seems wrong, I would say your thermostat stuck on you. However, I do not recommend a 160 - it will not help your overheating. I am surprised your fan is not keeping things cool...what is your ignition advance setting? Maybe your fan clutch is not locking up? In 90 degree heat, my Z with electric fan, intercooler, and stock ignition advance will only climb to 195-200 degrees in stop and go traffic. I am using a 180 degree thermostat.

In Denver they check for that sort of thing. I just left the EGR tube hanging (behind the SSDP), and no one bothered to look to see if it was connected.

Interesting page. See if they will give you flow rates for 60, 70 psi (equivalent to boost pressure of 25-35 psi). Shutoff pressure means the pressure where the pump will no longer flow anything, a somewhat useless spec. 12V is important, as it is a worst case for battery voltage while driving. If you have good wiring, you should get less than 1V drop from your battery float voltage of 14.5V or so. But it is the volume of fuel flowed at base fuel pressure + boost pressure needed for your 400hp that is THE IMPORTANT FLOW SPECIFICATION!

Sweet!! Man, I just love those healthy sounding V8s that line up against me at the strip...they sound so mean and fast. Then BOOM! the tree drops, and they are in my rear view I love the comment "Wow, that car has some top end.."

It's been a while, and I don't remember. Your best bet is to bolt the whole mess in, and measure several times.

I've heard some people are able to use the turbo driveshaft - you have to swap the differential flange, as it is different on the turbo 3.54. I just had a custom shaft made - it's stronger and has replaceable u-joints. You will hear differing opinions about rear-end ratios. I am running the T5 and a 3.90 - it is very streetable with a stiff clutch, but not the best for building boost. I am planning to go to a 3.70, and lots of folks even prefer the 3.54. Prevailing thought dictates the widest spread in the gearing is best to match the broad torque band the turbo gives you...

If you are swapping a turbo ECU, you do not need to swap the injector wires. The turbo injector wiring maps 1:1 to the L28. On the O2 sensor, make sure to use one specifically for the year ECU you have - some of the ECUs use a different technology sensor, and the curve is different - I know mine wouldn't work at all with the old 1 wire sensor. Other than being a bit cold-blooded, the driveability is excellent once the car warms up a bit, but this is no different from when I ran the stock turbo ECU. I don't run the automatic idle or AAC or any of the junk you mentioned, but I am using a fuel temp sensor. If you leave the sensor open, you will get an ECU code, so you need to terminate the wire with a resistor, or simply wire in the sensor. I zip-tied mine to the fuel rail. I'm curious - I keep hearing the cleaning cycle will not work for the MAF because the speed sensor is not connected? Is there any way around that? I suspect my recently finicky idle may be from a dirty MAF wire now...especially since I cannot find the normal vacuum leak responsible for such behavior... Edit: I checked ignition firing order and the common-wired injector banks for the L28 and the VG...I understand why one would swap #2 and #5 injector wires, but I think the injector banks need to be wired according to the L28 firing order and not the VG for this conversion.

FWIW, the knock sensor would not work on my Z31 setup on an L28ET. I kept getting the check engine code for knock, I pulled it, and the code is gone, but no knock sensing BTW, I did a bit of research on the injectors. For the earlier (or later, it's foggy now) model Z31s, the injector part numbers are the same, so I (ass-u-me) they flow the same.

So did anyone here believe him and buy it? I noticed someone called 240z_fool used the buy it now. Hope they didn't get a bill of goods.....

I would say yes, if it's in otherwise running condition, just for the drivetrain. It could have an R200 LSD in it, as well as the turbo motor.

Most reliable is to pull the rear cover off and read the numbers on the ring gear. Most of the newer ZXs will have 3.90, or 39/10 on the ring gear. The 4.11 only came in the later 200SX turbos, all the rest of the 200SXs had 3.90 or R180s.

I use the turbo ECU. It seems to me the ignition timing would be better suited for a turbo motor. The MAF sensors and injectors are the same, turbo or N/A. There are minor differences in the harnesses, but the basic sensor connections are still there. BTW, multiple posts on the same subject are discouraged here. You might want to delete your duplicate posts.

The Z's came with R180 and R200 rear ends. These are very easy to swap, with mostly interchangeable parts. If you are starting with a Z, 240 or 280, most any R200 will bolt in. If you need info on specific R200s, search the drivetrain section - there are innumerable discussions on ratios, LSDs and how-to swaps.

Don't speed shift it, he says That's the only way to keep the boost up. Urban legend has it that a BOV keeps the turbo spooled between throttle-lifted shifts, but now that I have one, I am finding out that is not true. Very little I find now is more irritating than re-building boost after a rush towards redline. AMAF, I think it really looks silly to see the imports (high boost turbo cars) hopping down the strip like little grasshoppers It's fortunate that trannies that fit the L28 are at least cheap to replace if broken.

And the answer is...do your homework. What irritates me, and generates my bias against the Walbro, is Walbro calls their pumps "255 liters/hour" pumps. Unless you are running a TBI, you will never get that flow. So you have to search the web and find pages that map the fuel flow versus pressure, because the manufacturers (not just Walbro) will not publish their data.

I was a bit too strong is classifying them as "junk" perhaps, but they are serious mis-marketed. The "255 liter/hour" number is achieved at approximately 20 psi fuel pressure. Nobody runs an FI motor, especially a turbo motor at 20 psi fuel pressure. When that particular pump is loaded with 60 psi, the flow drops to less than half their spec. To me, that is junk. A Bosch OEM pump will flow better than that for lots less money. Yes, the Walbro high pressure pump flows better up there, and is a more suitable pump for turbos, but folks need to look closely at pump specs - god knows they charge enough for them.

The overlap Jeff mentioned is at 0.015", which looks similar to my cam. By the time that overlap is transferred to 0.050" valve lift, there is no overlap. His cam grind is milder than mine in terms of overlap, but it has a bit more lift.