wheelman

Jon, does this one help? or this one?

The car is overheating because there isn't enough airflow through the radiator. Remember back several posts you said the temp remained good when you where moving at a decent speed, that's because air was moving through the radiator. You also said sometimes even on the highway it ran hot, that's because the system was low on coolent. The radiator is a liquid to air heat exchanger that relies on air flowing through it to move the heat away so cooler air can absorb more heat and move it away. If there is no airflow the heated air around the radiator gets hot enough to not absorb anymore heat so then the hot coolent just recirculates back into the engine and gets hotter. Pretty soon the coolant gets hot enough to boil and turns to steam which is released by the radiator cap due to high pressure. Voila, you loose coolent and the system gets even hotter. Put the mechanical fan back on and I bet your problem disappears. Wheelman

Gollum, Put the mechanical fan back on it and make sure the system is full of the correct water/glycol mix and I bet your overheating problems disappear. My guess is the lack of a fan caused the initial overheat which left the system low on coolant. The low coolant condition then caused and continues to cause all of your other symptoms. Do this simple experiment, report back to us with the results and then we can continue the discussion about all the other probable causes, assuming the problem doesn't disappear. Once you've resolved this for yourself, if you still want an electric fan save up enough for a good one and wait to remove the mechanical until after you have the electric in hand. Wheelman

I miss those times with my son and his friends. He joined the Airforce last year and is stationed in DC now so I don't get the opportunity to help the younger guys as much as I used to. Our garage was where most of them would head whenever they had car trouble. I enjoyed helping them out and teaching them the basics. Now my daughter has reached that age and has a car. We already had to pull the tranny and have it rebuilt. It gave her and I the opportunity to spend some time together and she actually got greasy. We also did a full brake job on it. She wants to learn but I haven't had many opportunities to work with her yet. Most of her friends aren't interested in more than driving the cars so I don't guess I'll see them showing up asking for help doing the work. They might ask me to do it though. Pop, I'm the same way about asking for help, absolutely hate it. I really enjoy helping others if it's something I'm good at but asking is very hard for me. Wheelman

Touch the tip of the screwdriver to the injector body in a place that will not contact any wiring and place your ear on the handle. Do this while the car is running. When the injector opens it makes a clicking sound you can hear through the screwdriver. Listen to each injector, if one or more isn't clicking then the injector or the wiring to it is faulty. Use the method described by Thumper to determine if it's the wiring or the injector thats bad. If using a screwdriver makes you nervous a wooden or plastic rod works also. Wheelman

I'm running stock 240Z stubs modified to accept the 300ZXT CV axles. The stubs break when shocked by really hard launches or lifting a wheel while cornering. An LSD helps to reduce the problem but won't totally eliminate it. The 280Z stubs are supposed to be stronger than the 240 units. Do a search as this has been discussed many times. I'm not going to drag race and don't have the power (or should I say traction) to break anything anyway. If I drop the clutch at more than 1500-2000 RPM the rear tires break loose so the shock to the stubs is minimal. Are you planning to run an auto or manual tranny? An auto will put less stress on the rearend. The drivetrain will be preloaded by the auto so the shock to the diff, axles and stubs is less than with a manual where there may be slack in the system when the clutch is engaged. I'm just guessing but I would think your setup would be close to mine in power so unless you plan to drop the clutch all the time with very large sticky tires you'll be fine. If you're really concerned, do the CV axle swap and while you have it apart pulled the stubs and have them checked for cracks. Ross at Modern Motorsports makes the CV axle adapters and also sells billet stubs if you want the strongthest available. Wheelman

Wagz, This event was setup at Dust Devil Stadium and they also use the Tri-City Raceway. Not sure how familiar you are with the changes in the Tri-Cities but the stadium is located just off Road 68 in north Pasco. So when are you moving back? If you want any help with the VR just let me know. Be sure to PM when in town and I'll take you for a spin in the Z. I'm a total newbie at Auto-X so if you have any experience you'll probably be able to easily take me. jmortensen, I think the closest large track is in Portland, possibly Seattle. Do you know when they do HPDE events and how to get involved in them? I might have to add safety features to the car before I can run on a track, unlike Auto-X where if there's nothing rattling around and you have seat belts and a helmet your good. I know what you mean about the brake zones. Even though the course was tight there was a straight where I reached 65-70 mph followed by a 180 degree corner. I missed that brake zone on one run and slid through a wall of cones with the front brakes locked up and the steering wheel at full lock. Good fun. The event was a driver's school and the field was limited to 40 cars. I did the 12 runs in the morning and would have been able to run 12 more if the car hadn't over heated. They had also set up 2 identical courses, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to make that many runs. Wheelman

Yesterday I attended a drivers school hosted by the local Auto-X club (Sand & Sage Sports Car Club, http://www.ssscc.org). I had a blast. The course was short and relatively tight which made it pretty challenging. I was able to make 12 runs in the morning but had to skip the afternoon session as my cooling fan failed and the Z overheated a bit. I'm going to rewire the circuits with larger relays and heavier guage wire so I don't have this happen again. Apparently the Taurus fans pull close to 90 amps on startup and 35 amps during continuous operation. More than the relays I used are rated for and they stuck open. I'm also thinking of putting in an override switch so I can manually turn on the highspeed circuit. Anyway my first run I was a bit tentative and managed to do it in 55.7 seconds. By the end of my session I had my time down to 51.1 seconds. I mangled a few cones but generally managed to avoid them and didn't miss any gates. 2 different instructors rode with me, both were very impressed with the power output and the balance of the car. I let one of the instructors take a run and he had all kinds of good things to say about the handling. Said it was well balanced, didn't push at all, turned in with no hesitation and was easy to steer with the throttle. I've been anxious to Auto-X the Z and finally got the opportunity and now I'm hooked, I haven't enjoyed myself that much in a long time. The next race is in September so I have plenty of time to get the fan circuit rewired and install the LS1 fuel tank I just bought but I'm already looking forward to it. Wheelman

The prevailing wisdom is that the R200 diff with CV axles will more than handle your engine. The weak point in that setup is the stub axles at the hub side. If you do some more searching with terms like 300ZX Turbo CV axles, R200 strength, stub axles strength, or variations of those you should find more information than you want to read. Wheelman

I put the rear of the car on jackstands and chock the front wheels. This makes it so you don't have to drop the back of the tranny quite as far down to clear the tunnel. Remove the shifter handle if you can. Definitely pull the radiator otherwise you WILL hit it with the engine, better to be safe than sorry. If you're renting a cherry picker be sure to get an engine leveler with it, this will give you the ability to tilt the engine/tranny to whatever angle you need and have it stay. A really big swivel also helps with rotating the engine but if you use one make sure it can handle the load. Wheelman

If you are using an LS1 intank module the pump that comes with it will be sufficient for an LT1 up to about 400HP. The Caprice LT1 has a fuel pressure regulator mounted to the driver's side fuel rail so you'll need to disable the one built into the LS1 intank module. The LT1 wants about 43 psi, the fuel pressure regulator maintains this using a vacuum signal from the intake manifold. I'm using a Walbro 255 LPH inline pump in the 240 with a Caprice LT1 and have had no problems keeping the correct psi. You might consider using the entire tank from an LS1 Camaro. They are fairly easy to come by, relatively cheap and should come with the intank module you want to use anyway. If you do some searching on this site for LS1 tank swaps you'll find information on how to gut the pressure regulator in the LS1 module and some pictures of mounting brackets several guys on here have fabbed up. Not sure if you've thought about the size of fuel line you're going to run but try and stay with a minimum of 3/8" feed and 5/16" return. I used 3/8" for both just so I didn't have to buy 2 sizes. It's a combination of 3/8" stainless brake line I got from Schucks and high pressure line from a local hydraulic tubing supplier. It's a bit overkill but I don't want problems later. Good luck with your build and drop by to keep us updated. Wheelman

The oil may be the remnants of cooling oil that is supposed to be poured into the strut housing when new struts are inserted. The PO may not have added new oil so what your seeing is what was left after he poured it out. I'd replace those struts, they should pop right back up and be fairly hard to push in. If those springs are Tokico they should have lettering that identifies the spring and that its Tokico. Also, all the Tokico springs I've seen for Zs have been red. Wheelman

I voted SBC but would like to qualify that it should be an LSx version rather than the traditional iron block. It would give the best combination of power, weight distribution, upgradability and is a known swap. Had more specific goals been stated then I may have voted differently but the LSx package with either a T56 or auto makes for a very versatile car. Wheelman

Well, I went ahead and picked up that 93 Mustang convertable. Got it for $4500.00. It's an LX with the HO 5.0 and an automatic, 64,539 original miles (have the carfax to verifiy). I sure hope I'll be happy with it, I really struggle with trading money for stuff, especially large purchases. One thing I already plan to change is the exhaut system. The PO had a dual system installed with no X-pipe or cross-over and flow-master mufflers. It's a bit to loud and I think I'll put the cats back in. I mis-spoke when I listed the Lexus IS300, I really meant ES300, saw a 1995 advertised for $5000.00 locally. If it weren't for the fact that the office b*tch owns one with the exact same color scheme I would have considered it. Thanks again for all the suggestions. Wheelman

Veritech-z, Nope, not a hot chick myself, in fact I'm one of those middle aged guys that speeds up to see if it's a hot chick. I did a lot of research before really considering the Fiero and they only had the fire problem in the first model year, 1984. They have tons of potential for a project car also, lots of engine swap options and good after market suspension support. I checked out the car and it's in very good shape but I really didn't like it. You have to climb down into it and thats not what I want for a daily driver. I'm thinking this also rules out the MR2 and several other sporty cars that are built rather low. Also, 1 correction, the Ford SuperCoupe didn't have a V8, it was a 3.8L supercharged V6, just like the Pontiac Bonneville. If I could find a TurboCoupe I'd definitely consider it but they are few and far between here in the Tri-Cities. Tomorrow I'm going to check out a loaded 93 Mustang LX convertible with a 5.0 and automatic. It's priced $1000.00 below blue book and only has 64,000 miles. We'll see, maybe I'll come home with a new pony. OTM, Yeah, that ghia was a blast but I don't want to deal with another car that has no creature comforts and is composed primarily of rust. Zs aren't the only cars that suffer from that mallady and I think old VWs are even worse. Wheelman

Thanks for the suggestions guys. jkb240z, Not interested but thanks for the offer. My Z is worth way more to me than I'll ever get for it. Olderthanme, I've already done the air-coooled VW thing. I had a 58 Kharmann Ghia when I was in high school. The motor put out around 100 HP. It had a 66 transaxle and the front off a 60 ghia with a select-a-drop on it. It was fast and had terrible brakes. No I don't want another air-cooled VW. I thought about adding an MR2 to the list and will be checking out an 88 Fiero tonight. The Fiero has a 5 speed and the Iron Duke 4 so would be a good candidate for a project once the Duke dies. I guess an auto isn't a hard and fast requirement. Wheelman

The JTR (jagsthatrun.com) Chevy V8 swap manual has a picture of one in an S30 chassis. Wheelman

Looks to me like it will interfere with the drivers side Datsun motor mount tower. Like you said the picture is very fuzzy and definitely "photochopped" so it's hard to tell. It also does not eliminate the requirement for idler pullies in place of the AC compressor and the PS pump. Wheelman

I'm in the process of looking for a new daily driver. I'm selling the Volvo I was given and I'm tired of driving the truck. I want something thats comfortable, has an automatic, good power, gets decent MPG and is a little sporty. My price range tops out at around $7,000. Here are the rides I've been considering: Maxima or Altima 240SX Sentra SE-R (will not have an automatic but who cares ) Mustang (94 - 99) Mitsubishi Galant or Diamante Camry Lexus IS300 Infiniti I30 (possibly J30 but I don't like the styling) I'm the perrenial cheapskate so I have a very hard time buying a new (as in new to me) car so any suggestions for others to consider would be very welcome. Some of the more crazy ideas I considered are the late 80s early 90s Mopars with the turbo 4s. Kind of weird but could be a lot of fun, although I'm not really looking for another project, but you know how that goes (everything has project potential). Wheelman

The swap has already been done at least once. I say go for it. Do some searching on this site and you'll find several threads discussing the idea. Wheelman

The description states it's for years 58 to 85 and requires a 2 piece rear main seal. This should be the correct part assuming your engine fits that description. A 1 piece rear main seal will have an aluminum seal retainer that bolts to the back of the engine. A 2 peice has the seal embedded into the rear main bearing cap. Flywheels and flexplates are not swappable between 1 and 2 piece rear main seal engines due to differing bolt patterns. In an internally balanced engine the crank, pistons and rods (rotating assembly) are balanced to eliminate torsional vibration. In an externally balanced engine the flywheel/flexplate has a small amount of weight added in a precise location to eliminate the torsional vibration. Make sure you do enough research into your project to understand the needed parts before starting to make purchases, it'll save you alot of money in the long run. Wheelman

Damn, I'd hate to see what you think is horrible. That's the tightest engine bay I've ever seen. You must have to get at the exhaust manifolds, plugs, etc... from the bottom. Looks like you have hood clearnance problems also, yes, no?? Have you been able to weigh it yet to determine the weight distribution? 2000lbs would be very cool, especially with 300 hp. Wheelman

PnyPwr, Please post some pictures of the engine in the bay and the motor mounts. This swap has been discussed a few times on this site and the general concensus has been that the motor is to wide to fit so we are all very curious to see it. What did you do for the transmission crossmember? Are you running exhaust manifolds or headers and are they installed yet? How did they clear the steering shaft? Did you brace the frame rails? If not you should to prevent them from twisting due to the torque of the motor. Wheelman

You guys just made my day. I look at my garage and think "God, what happened to this place", but at least all my parts are in the garage and that's where they'll stay. BTW: I have an R180 w/mustach bar and half shafts, a full set of suspension springs and a drive shaft all from my 73 240 I'll give away if anybody wants them. Just pay the shipping and their yours. Wheelman

You also want to make sure the front of the input shaft isn't binding as it goes into the pilot bushing. I found that the tranny needs to be as straight as possible in relation to the engine as you push it forward otherwise it won't go all the way. This may be a stupid question, but did you make sure the pilot bushing is the correct size? Wheelman