pjo046

When I get to assembling my car again, it will have a TEC3 standalone, all gauges swapped for autometer gauges, the heater will be gone, I will install new headlights and also foglights in the airdam, power locks, a good stereo, electric seats. What will be easiest; Using the stock harness, and modify where needed, or swap out everything for a painless kit or something like that? The stock harness is in good shape, so I don't HAVE to change it. If it's easier to leave it be, I'll do that. But then I guess I will have to do alot of modifications since the L28ET-dynamo is internally regulated? Maybe that part at least will be easier with a new universal harness? I have searched, so I know what options there are regarding universal harnesses and so on, I am just wondering about what will be easiest. I hate wiring things.

Just one question JohnC, shouldn't you perhaps tell your customer that XS-power turbos are crap and won't last? Before you start doing major mods to it that will cost him a bit? If you do a quick search here about xs turbos you will see that they are truly crap and everyone recommends staying far away from those turbos............... When you are building the turbo header, exhaust, intake plumbing, intercooler tanks, mounting the intercooler, building engine mounts, plumbing the fuel system, etc for him, which I reckon will be of top quality, he should get a good turbo to go with that setup, not the one he has bought......... Just my opinion!!!!

Well, now the problem is solved. Turned out that two of the pins in the AFM-plug didn't have any contact with the AFM. He has sorted that out, and now the engine runs without pouring out fuel through the exhaust.

I see many setrab oil coolers on ebay for between 30 and 70 dollars. Most of them have -8AN fittings. Is -8AN lines from and to the oil cooler to small and restrictive? Or will this be fine? And to my other question, does anyone know where to get one of those thermostat controlled oil-cooler sandwich-adapters that go between the block and the oil filter? The ones I found on Ebay had a thermostat that gradually opened after 160 degrees fahrenheit, and would be fully open at 180 degrees. From what I understand from reading posts written by Grumpyvette, TonyD and the likes the optimal oil temperature is somewhere around 200-210 degrees. So won't it be a bad thing then with a thermostat that activates the oil cooler when the oil has reached 170-180 degrees?

Oh, one more thing. He says that when he revs the engine, it gets worse, i.e. more fuel pours out through the downpipe. Anybody get any wiser as to what the problem is from this information? Could the TPS being improperly set be the problem? I'm just throwing out suggestions here as I myself have no idea...

"there's nothing in the setup that hasn't been done before. i ran the 370's with a tightened maf with no problems except at part throttle which was related to timing rather than fuel. you can also run the efi setup this way with lowered fuel pressure. i ran mine down to 22psi fp at idle. it ran fine and took care of the surging i had. you can get too much fuel from the following: bad fpr - check fp faulty, not connected, bad wiring chts. with it disconnected you'll get a full cold reading which will add a lot of fuel. easily enough to do what you're describing. always check at the ecu to eliminate the wiring. make sure the afm was adjusted the correct way. make the screw inside didn't come loose. make sure it isn't jammed or binding. check the voltage from the afm at the ecu. have him back out the idle air bypass screw all the way. Bernard" "Bottom line is that the setup will work no question about that. The guy needs to check every point in the system, and every sensor input, like Bernard said, AT THE ECU! My car when it was stock, if the AFM was disconnected would pour fuel to the engine, so much that it would smoke almost raw fuel, when I did get it to start at all. So tell the guy to calm down, get a 280zx FSM with schematic, depending on the year 81, 82-83 and pin out the sensors BEFORE he gets all uptight about the "piece of crap you sold him. JeffP"

- Head temp sensor not hooked up, too much fuel pressure. Darren Me: I follow you with the too high fuel pressure. But regarding the headtemp sensor, it should run fine untill the engine has warmed up if this was the problem. Also by the way, he said that when he closed the flapper on the AFM shut, the fuel would still be excessive...

I tried to access hybridz yesterday, but the page wouldn't open. Anyways I posted at zcar.com and have already received a few replies there, so I'll post my original thread plus the relevant answers: "Last spring I sold an ECU, wiring harness, AFM and coil from a 280ZXT to a guy who wanted to install this on his already turboconverted NA, and also a set of 370cc injectors. I was originally planning to use this myself, before I figured I would take it all the way with standalone etc. The Turbo AFM was adjusted for the injectors, as this setup had been in use on a 240Z in USA. I bought the stuff of ebay and never used it myself. He also bought a non-egr N47 intake from me, a JSK rail, a 60mm TB and a JSK spacer. (I am going for Lonewolf Performance's custom intake etc) Anyways, now the buyer has installed everything, but something is wrong. The injectors just pump out way to much fuel, even at idle, so much that the fuel pours out the downpipe.... He has had a mechanic-friend test the injectors, and they are working properly, so the problem is not that they are stuck open. He has tried adjusting the AFM, but nothing happens. He has tried to install a smaller AFM(Just to test if the Turbo-afm was shot) but the fuel still is as much excessive. So he figures the AFM can't be the problem either. What can cause this? Is it likely the ECU is broken? Or that some wires in the wiring harness isn't working? (Or not installed the correct way perhaps. He used a lot of time to connect things properly, and I'm not sure if he has done everything correctly or not. He lives in the other side of the country, so I can't help him out much) I really need help on this!!! Every ideas are greatly appreciated!!!"

Will -12AN lines to the oil cooler be to big? I saw in another post that it was suggested at least -10AN so that it wouldn't cause a restriction. Wondering if -12AN might lead to a pressure loss? Was thinking -12AN lines into a 5-3/4X11 Setrab Oil Cooler.

The ones I found start letting oil through to the cooler at 160 degrees fahrenheit, and opens fully at 180F. Isn't this too low? As optimum oil temperatures are in the 200-230 area?

Does anyone have a link to a store where I can get a sandwhich adapter for the oil cooler, with a built in thermostat?

You are forgetting one thing here people. I LIVE IN NORWAY! Hehe. You are obviously aware of it temperature-wise as you took that into consideration. But also, since living in Norway, I won't find a RX7 in any junkyard. There are only a handfull RX7's here in this country. As is there only a handfull of Datsun Z's here, and of 280ZXT's I have only ever seen one. All this is because of our ridiculously high car taxes..... There aren't many sportcars here in Norway, I'll tell you that!! So, I will have to get myself a new oil cooler. Won't find a decent used one anywhere. Or I could of course buy one of ebay. How much should I pay for a decent second gen RX7 cooler? If I upgrade my radiator, how about a radiator with a built in oil cooler? Or are there no such radiators that will fit in the 240Z?

Only the automatics had oil coolers. + every eurospec 280ZXT. But yeah, I know. That's why I think I'll need one. Not sure wether to get that Setrab cooler with a built in thermostat that MSA sells, or if something else would be better. I like the idea of steelbraided hoses and -AN fittings, but such a setup will probably be too expensive.

Well, I have long thought that I'll do fine without an oil cooler for my engine. But the more I read about it, the more convinced I get that I will need one. An L28ET pushing over 400hp to the wheels at over 20psi of boost is going to need some sort of cooling I guess. So far I have not bought myself an upgraded radiator, I only have the stock 240Z radiator for now. Would my money be better spent on a new radiator than on a good oil cooler with a thermostat? Or is both things needed from the get go perhaps?

Hehe. Maybe it's because of the way you advertised? You kept talking about how much you missed the NA-stroker etc.

Hmmm. My bad. But hey, that further confirms that Big Phil should keep the block he has, as it is then stronger than the F54. It seems strange though that Nissan designed a new block that was not as good as the earlier models... Well, well.

Also, the block you have now, you know is working. If you swap to that turboblock you are refering to, then you might have to do alot of work to it to get it in proper shape for all you know. I assume you have the original 280Z engine in your car? If so, yes your pistons are dished. So then I'd just put the P90 head on the block you already have. You will loose a lot of CR doing this. The CR you have now if everything is stock is 8.29:1. Putting a P90 on would give you the same CR as the L28ET came with from the factory, 7.38:1. Adding a 1mm HG would do you good. It would raise the compression a tiny bit, to 7.52:1. So if you install the P90 on your engine, be aware that you will loose some power if you don't turn up the boost. But now you can turn up the boost due to the lower CR. But anyways your off-boost power and characteristics will be worse than what you have now. So it all depends on how much power you are hoping to make. If you are shooting for big numbers I'd install the P90, if not I wouldn't bother. Or, you could do as I have done, use the P90 along with flat-tops and get a CR of 8.5:1.

Well, either way you have a P90 head in your hands(With the different turbocamshaft) So the question is what is the difference between a NA shortblock and a Turbo shortblock. The pistons would be the main difference. The top compression ring is thicker on the NA pistons. The turbo pistons have a 1.5mm top compression ring, whereas the NA pistons have a 2mm top compression ring. Thinner rings have less drag on the engine and have less ring flutter. But this is not a big deal. The other difference is in the internal casting between the two blocks. The later F54 blocks have siamesed cylinders, meaning that instead of coolant flowing between all the cylinders as on earlier models, they are connected between 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 with cast webbing for more rigidity. So the main difference between a Turboengine and a NA is the head and the dished vs flat pistons. If you already have dished pistons in you engine, just spend the 300$ on a T3/T4 hybrid turbo instead or save the money for a better engine management system.

Congrats with the fresh install! Turbos are fun!!

anyone knows the complete colorcode for BMW steel grey? The color that is on the pictures of the Subaru on the first page of this thread. I can't seem to find it anywhere.

ARP rod-bolts don't cost much. Neither do ARP-main studs or head studs. If you use all that along with some good main and rod bearings, shouldn't everything hold up well if you avoid detonation and don't rev past 7K? That's where I plan on setting my RPM-limiter. I to am wondering about this. Of course I have already also got myself a set of JE forged pistons and a 1mm HKS steel headgasket. Should I even worry about something breaking? Or will I be fine pushing this to it's limits as long as I pay good attention to the A/F ratio? I have a good intercooler to cool the incoming air from the T3/T04B, and full programability from the TEC3. I guess the connecting rods are a weak link on my setup, but with the relatively low RPM-limit that shouldn't be a problem either. I mean, how many of the top-tuned L28ET engines on here are actually using aftermarket forged connecting rods?

The head is already done. It has been professionally worked by Lonewolf performance. It has new valves, new valve seats, new guides, a three angle valve job, porting, polishing, a new upgraded turbocam, reground rocker arms, new harder springs etc. And it has been resurfaced. The block I will have resurfaced and honed at a machine shop nearby that is cheaper. If he has equipment to hot tank the block, I'll pay him to do that as well. Is it just me who finds the prices I mentioned outragously expensive? How much do the dyno shops in the US charge per hour on average? And what about the machine shops? So, any recommendations on where to get the plasti-gauge etc? And perhaps some micrometers if they aren't too expensive? This is not going to be an everyday transporter, but a summer-season cruise car that I will also attend some track days with.

Thanks for all the replies! zeiss150: I already have gathered all the parts I need: - Forged JE pistons (Not .20thou over as the block was in perfect condition with only 50k miles on it, all it will need is a little honing to remove the glazing) which are almost flattop, yielding me a CR of 8.5:1 (When used together with the 1mm HKS gasket I have bought) - ARP main studs, ARP rod bolts, ARP head studs, Clevite 77 main bearings, Clevite 77 rod bearings - I have a crank scraper bought of ebay - I have bought a new timing chain kit with a new front seal, new rear main and side seals - Fidanza aluminium flywheel (Need new bolts to install it, where can I get this?) - New single groove pulley Since the engine only has 50k original miles on it, do you think it will be necessary to have the rotating assembly balanced? Ed260Z: 900$ would be for just assembling the parts. The rotating assembly wouldn't be balanced for that price, only thing they would do is assemble everything to spec values. I find that horribly expensive. Furhtermore I sent them a new e-mail yesterday to clear up what was involved etc. It was in that reply they said that the 1 day timeframe only included the assembling. And they would take no responsibility should they ruin the engine, or blow it up when tuning it. The only way they would give me a guarantee against that, was if they themself built the whole engine, and bought in all the parts themselves. Basically, I would have to order a complete performance motor from them for them to give me a guarantee against blowing it up on the dyno. Had I bought such an engine from them, the total price would probably have been somewhere around 20 000$. fastzcars: I already have feeler gauges and a torque wrench. Well, my father has that is... Where can I get plasti-gauge? What is a caliper? (Assuming we're not talking brakes here. ) I know I can do most of the installation myself. The only step I am worried about is installing the crank correctly. I have both the How to rebuild your.. and How to modify your... books. The information from both those books abouth that subject is so detailed and confusing that it scares me.

"also it did have a blower for the injectors so it's not one of the first few turbo years" Well, I bought an original 1981 L28ET. And it had a blower for the injectors as well. So the fact that it has a blower for the injectors doesn't mean it can't be a 1981 with the crank trigger.