Gollum

I'm not getting posts mixed up I believe. My whole point was to bring balance to BOTH of you guys. SleeperZ did make a broad generalization, but you also helped flip the other direction entirely. Yes there's a reason for the EGR. How much will it really hurt/effect performance? Not all that much in most cases, hence the broad generalized view that it can be removed safely. Yes people can tend to get removal-happy when it comes to smog-related devices. I don't endorse people doing things out of ignorance, blatantly just taking someone's word and just "getting rid of all this useless smog crap", but I've seen plenty of builds in which 90% of smog devices were removed and I didn't think the owner was an idiot for doing so. The thing we ALL seem to be saying to some extent, is to BE EDUCATED, and make up YOUR OWN damn mind about what to remove and why.

I guess I just see it differently because my garage is about as well sealed as a S30 hatch area... I'd like it to be understood that I'm not anti-evap in anyway. I even run one on my daily S130. You have to admit though Ron, a lot of the reason that '60 chevy has so many vapor emissions has a LOT more to do with aspects other than just vapor leakage from the tank. The actual gas cap doesn't seal for anything, and the carb's float bowls aren't anything close to sealed either. A simple evap can doesn't solve either of those issues. Yes it's a step to a system to control vapors, and I can respect all that's been done in that regard through the years.

Want to go down that road? Oh man, it's why I got into S30's to begin with. They're the swap queens! But yea, I get your point and why I won't knock the idea. I just found it curious to spend money on RWD conversions when there's already a perfectly good RWD DOHC V6 platform that's affordable on the market. I think that's the very reason we don't see many northstar conversions. Yes the motors are cheap, but there's just so many RWD V8 options so much easier to do.

I don't see anything I said that would indicate that I feel EGR is useless for ALL, just that it has reasons to not be highly desirable for SOME. And remember, EGR's intent is NOT to improve MPG, that's just a nice benefit. It's main purpose is to reduce emissions, which it does nicely. My point about aftermarket EFI is that an EGR is only a small piece of the MPG pie. Yes, having EGR on any given setup should improve MPG to a degree. That said, it's not as much of a gain as, say, optimizing timing beyond that of the OEM dizzy curve. I've seen guys convert to an aftermarket ECU and still run 1.0 lambda under cruise and get significantly better MPG than with the OEM efi they threw out. By comparison the best OEM EFI MPG I've personally seen and trusted was 28 combined tank, while I've seen PLENTY of people getting 30mpg+ from L28ET motors able to dyno at 300+whp. Not apples to apples? I agree. But my point is that most of the people running high MPG OEM EFI are running EGR's, and most people running aftermarket EFI with 300+whp are NOT. EGR is NO "magic bullet" for MPG. That's my point. I never said it "doesn't make any difference if you run it or not". I actually agree with you on that point, it WILL make a difference On the other hand though, I agree with SleeperZ's big point to a degree that it simply doesn't matter for most of us. If you're looking to simplify your intake, the EGR can be pretty high on the list of "things easily removed without harmful side effects". I'm also a member of the forums at gassavers.org and would NEVER tell anyone on that forum to remove the EGR, as that crowd is generally looking to optimize MPG in every way possible. But I'm at HybridZ right now, where hardcore performance enthusiasts abound and for most of us pure engine, suspension, and chassis performance is the goal. We didn't buy these cars (in most cases) to eak out ever last MPG.

If you can run an aftermarket crank that's the correct stroke, can you run aftermarket rods as well? Just thinking out loud here, but couldn't you offset grind a L28 crank with more counterweight back to an L24 stroke? You'd have some fairly small journals but people seem to offset grind the other direction that INCREASES stress and manage to live to a moderate degree of success.

Well let me bring some balance to this topic. Removing the evap can and egr will not effect the running of your L motor to the point that serious compromises need to be put in place to correct any difference. Removing either under current CA smog laws is illegal, and any decent smog tech will fail you on visual. EGR "should" give you better MPG, but that said there's plenty of people getting BETTER MPG with aftermarket EFI WITHOUT EGR, than the OEM ECU WITH EGR. EGR isn't a magic bullet for MPG, just a factor that can be beneficial. EVAP cans, though reducing HC in the atmosphere are a very good example of governments spending 90% of the budget on squeezing the last 10% improvement left over. Emissions from vehicles are just a sliver of what they were in the 60's, yet we keep introducing more and more systems to get that last little sliver as small as possible, though the percentages aren't nearly as impressive and the improvements made in the 70's and 80's (and even in the 90's for that matter with OBD-ll). EVAP though helpful, isn't going to fix old rubber hoses that are leaking vapors. It's not going to fix a leaky gas cap seal. There's SO MANY WAYS for vapors to leak out somewhere, and the EVAP is only worthwhile if everything else in the system is up to snuff. And even in a brand new vehicle, bypassing the EVAP shouldn't make a hugely noticeable difference, because the system shouldn't be leaking that much vapor! I liken the EVAP to the newer CA-standard "vapor guards" at the pump. Yes, great idea. But guess what? Gas stations still smell like gas. Better than other states with the old style pumps? Probably. But I'm betting the statistics though measurable by equipment would be much harder to measure by mere human perception. In the end, you can remove nearly everything off the engine and "make it work" to a degree. Some things are much more important. Others not so much. I drove my L28ET with literally NOTHING but PCV, Brake booster, Fuel Pressure Regulator, and boost gauge on my intake on the OEM ECU! It even made pretty decent power. I only got lo 20's MPG, and would be fun driving in the cold at first startup, but still definitely drivable. Point of all this? Make your car work for YOUR needs/wants/desires/application. The FSM has most of any education you need on these things and you can easily look at what other people have done to get an idea of what's possible. And make sure to fallow local laws if you're going to drive on the street, or at least be educated about them, not just ignorant and complain to all of US when YOU get a ticket for something YOU did.

You're just trying to make me hate you right? Only way I get those prices is through craigslist.

But I'd be lucky to get a full motor from a local picknpull for less than $600. They'll want to charge me for the "long block" but then still charge me for the ECU, wiring harness, sensors, exhaust manifold, intake manifold, etc etc. And there's plenty of local importers that offer a complete running engine minus trans VQ35DE for well under $1k. Now, the Z models with RWD transmissions go for a bit more money, but converting the Honda V6 to RWD isn't free either. I can see it making a bit more sense for those that don't live within driving distance of an importing yard though. But VQ motors will continue to drop in price. 8 years ago I'd say the Acura engine made a lot of sense, but I still just don't see it in today's market. But that's just me. I'm not going to tell someone else not to do it though. I'd just make sure they've see the other options as well.

Hey guys, this is HybridZ. A 24 page thread about cooling fixes should get you EXCITED. Go grab a pot of coffee and have at it! That said, keep the updates coming Peter, I'm enjoying following your posts.

Sounds typical. It's amazing how many vehicle's engines magically change when they're up for sale... But hey, you made 150whp with your tune way out of whack! Should be able to pull a solid 175 once it's tuned right even with the parts you currently have. Did your mechanic have any specs on the dish CC on the pistons? I'd do a true CC measurement of the head and piston and get a REAL compression calculation and see where you're at. My bet is that you're only around 9.5:1 at best, which is perfect for a hot little street motor. You could even run 11:1 if you were willing to run a pretty wild cam. The cam you have now crane considered a "stage 2" cam and should be fairly hot for the street, but I've seen people run higher duration cams on the street. Even with a few mild changes and put together right you already have 90% of what you need for a 200+whp build. I'd say stick with the crank you have and go from there. Since you're wanting the ITB setup, get all that work done along with port matching, clean up the chambers if needed, and get that SDS tuned by someone with SDS experience.

I'm posting here in honor of "resurrection Sunday", haha. Not really, just a funny coincidence. So my s30 hasn't really been driven since I received my last 81 for free. Surprise... Well now with yet another car in the stable and a kiddo on the way I'm planning to sell my s130 and use the cash to get the s30 back on the road as a summer DD. Gutted doors, no bumpers, no dash, no heat, no AC. Just the way I like a s30 to be. When I WAS daily driving it, it wasn't much more street friendly but the main reason it got parked was an OEM efi that was running as well as a school girl in gym class the first day of school after growing 3 inches over the summer. So, ms2 + seats and some other odds and ends and I'll be in the s30 again rocking it hardcore. And because I live in the valley now, a "summer" dd means 9 months of the year with some off and on during a couple storms on the end months.

They do a baseline smog dyno even if it's registered as a '65 replica. It has to be in running condition to see the referee, and you HAVE to see him for a SB100, no matter what.

Oh wow, TMI tony... T...M....I.... My recommendation is to grow a few inches. I've never had an issue with the belt being near my neck, and I have fairly long legs for being 6ft.

Should be at the pedal stop, just like the clutch switch.

Umm.... wrong... There's an idle adjustment screw on the throttle body. Just a little screw that acts as the throttle stop point. If you removed this screw so that you had "no idle adjustment" the engine would die. The tricky part is that indeed the turbo AFM has no idle bypass and thus also has no idle mixture screw. So yes, it will be a bit rich at 750rpm, but it WILL idle there. Once the O2 is warm it will actually idle off of O2 and magically run a bit smoother. I daily drove my L28ET for quite a while with NOTHING but my boost gauge and brake booster running on my intake manifold. EVERYTHING else was plugged off. On cold mornings I'd have to brake with three feet to keep it from dying if I just drove off in the first 30 seconds after startup, but after getting about a mile down the road it'd idle just fine down around 500-600rpm, then once it was warm it'd idle closer to 800rpm. There's no reason for a L28ET with the AAC removed to HAVE to idle at 1000 and run piss-poor bellow that.

Where's the dizzy in it's range of adjustment? Should be fairly close to middle. Have you tried the 'ol disconnecting the ECU trick? Seems like you're either having an electrical issue or one of the sensors is way out of spec. I know the AFM is new from MSA, but it might still be worth it to pull it out and check it against the FSM test method to at least see if it's in the ballpark and to make sure it doesn't have any dead spots in the traces. I know this can be hard to do when a lot has been changes between setups, but think through EVERYTHING that's been changed since it was last in good running shape. The problem lies somewhere in something that's been done. I've seen plenty of L motors that sat for 5+ years and fired up fine. Yes cleaning electrical connectors is always a good idea and should be done at least every 20 years, even in sunny california, but if it was running fine before then it's more likely than a connector isn't seating right because of being messed with, not because of corrosion. It might also be worth it to check ALL your sensor readings at the ECU pins per FSM procedure. That will tell you if you've got connectivity or grounding issues for each sensor.

I'd put them up on craigslist for $50 and see if anyone bites. They're almost worthless to anyone wanting to run larger tires on their Z car, but they do hold some mild value to other datsun make owners as many other datsun (b210, 510, 810 wagon/truck) came with 13" rims and/or narrower rims that 205's don't fit nicely on. The downside is that they seem to be the most common S130 rim in my experience. The 82-83 turbo rims for a bit more, around $200 if you're patient on finding a buyer.

Is the AFM new to this setup? What's your ignition setup? ('81 CAS on the pully, '82-'83 Dizzy, other dizzy, etc) What's your coil arrangement? (stock coil, msd coil, stock coil + helper box, etc) Was the engine running fine before the rebuild? If so, what's changed since then? Any other known electrical issues?

If it were me, which it's not, since the motor hadn't been run in a while I'd take to opportunity to pull the head and inspect everything. Clean the piston crowns, chambers, etc. If you get as cheap as possible you can do the whole job for the price of a head gasket + intake/exhaust gasket ($50 tops). But while you have it out and getting it cleaned you can rent a spring compressor and check out your valves plus learn how to use a new tool if you've never pulled valves before. I'm personally thinking old gas could be a serious contributor here. You could also upgrade to the viton valve seals while the head is off and valves are out. Those go for like $50 a set right? You'll want two sets as you will undoubtedly break a few (even pros do from time to time). Another contributor could be if that valve's stem seal was already leaking and you still had nasty old oil in the engine. My engine goes through a quart of oil every 1500 miles or so and I'm kinda expecting to lose a valve eventually....

Oh wow, totally missed that... sorry. I was thinking GS300, not ES300. Then yes, it DOES have the 1MZ-FE My bad...

Helluva deal if you ask me. I'd buy some of those later off-interest dattos if it weren't for pesky CA smog laws. Datsun made some interesting and quality stuff in the late 70's. The B210 is (in my eyes) a winner just about every year it was made. Even the solid rear axle models kind of interest me. I'd imagine a shortened Ford 8.8 would fit in easily enough...

$2k from a dealer quote doesn't sound that bad to me, from the severity standpoint. If it was truly a serious engine issue it'd have been much higher than that. It probably is just something that's going to require a top end tear down, but I guess you'll find out soon enough. Good luck on the flipping Oh, and I believe the '01 GS300 should have the 2JZ, not the 1MZ. I might be wrong though. Just double checked on wiki and it says I'm right, but we all know what that means...

You know you own a Datsun when: you own 5 cars, one of which you actually paid money for, yet it's the S30 that you'd like to keep. you spend more time measuring engines in junkyards than pulling parts. you keep a random assortment of macgyver knick-knacks in your car in case you need to perform road-side repair. you drive by moonlight alone, not out of choice... something falls off your car while driving and you just say "hush hush baby, you didn't need that piece anyways, look you're faster now" you can't find something in your car and assume it must have fell through a rust hole, and that's a valid assumption.

Talk about low back pressure! I'd love to hear that thing roar as-is without the extra pipe.

I hate to be the ignorant one here, but why should we be interested in putting one in a S30? (other than to say you did it, which is perfectly fine) I'm really no Nissan fanboy, though I'm sure I look like one to many, but the VQ swap can't possible be that much more money, in fact I'd imagine it'd be less, and I see no way in which the honda motor trumps the nissan. People routinely make 500+whp on pump gas in 350Z's (even here in CA with our crappy 91). They're just as light. Just as good/tunable of an ECU. Oh, and it's got better tranny options for us RWD guys