HeatRaveR

OMG, thank you! I just tried it out and the laptop now reads the MS sensors again. ^___^ It's pretty cold out in the garage right now (1am), so I won't attempt any programming now, but just the fact the laptop now reads the sensors is encouraging. I wonder why it suddenly needed to have the firmware reloaded like that. I sure hope it's not a regular, random occurrence and that it won't strand me somewhere if I don't have my laptop! Just to confirm though, should any/all of the 3 LED lights go on when the key is in the "on" position? If not, then I may be looking for something that isn't even supposed to happen. ^^;

So awhile back, I'd finished the wiring up of my MS1 V3.0 in my '82 280ZXT. But as I had not yet had time to fiddle with the programming, I left the stock ECU running everything. So the MS is still "on", as well, just not actually controlling anything (not connected to the injectors or any ignition stuff). I finally got my laptop to communicate with the MS, and supposedly uploaded the 29v firmware to it a few weeks back. Since then, I've only driven the car twice on local errands (MS not controlling anything) and then parked the car for a couple weeks. But now that I'd had time to get back out in the garage and continue working on it, I find that the MS no longer activates when I turn the key to the "on" position (none of the 3 LED's are lit, and my laptop gets no sensor readings). Does anyone have any thoughts on what the cause might be, or how to further troubleshoot it? I've already checked the wiring, and full voltage is still going through, and the grounds still appear to be solidly soldered in place to the car's wiring. The only other changes to wiring that I've made are connecting it to the injector grounds and fuel pump relay (so still not connected to any ignition stuff). Could something inside the Megasquirt have somehow burned out from driving the car while not connected to anything it's supposed to control (ie injectors)?

Thanks! I forget what ABS (the plastic, not the brakes ) stands for, but it's the dense, flexible plastic usually used to make modern bumpers and mudguards. Though heavier and less rigid than fiberglass, you can kick and bend ABS all you want, and it'll usually return back to shape. I got them from a local plastics store called Tap Plastics. They have sheets of all kinds of plastics that you have cut to your size specs (I did mine at 61" x 2.5"). There should be equivalent businesses in most communities. They also make signs, so you can also check with larger sign-making businesses (small shops wouldn't have any place to stock plastic sheets). I would have painted the bolts used to secure them, but the paint will chip off the next time I unbolt them, so I didn't want to have to deal with that mess. I wanted to make the skirts easy to remove in case I have need to jack the car up from the side or need to slide under the car.

Let me start off by saying that I very much like the basic body lines of the 280ZX. Particularly, I like the way the sides "roll under", and aftermarket side skirts always flare out. But I also recognize that it's best to close off the bottom of the car as much as possible. So I came up with a simple solution that only cost $10, and is subtle enough not to change the body lines. I bought some ABS strips and bolted it to the gnarled and chipped seam strip under the rocker panels. All in all, it was cheap, easy to do, subtle, and effectively lowers the sides of the car. I'm not saying it's for everyone, but I liked it for my car. And, I also just mounted a dash cam. Hehe, as you can see, it looks like a shift light at first glance. But it's positioned perfectly to be able to swivel to shoot the side, and even the driver. I was going to get some footage this last weekend on a drive with my Z club, but I got up a half hour too late to make it (I was up till 5am perfectly planning out the music to play >_< )

Can someone post a pic/settings of the 8x8 AFR Target table too? It seems there's like a bazillion submenus and settings in Megatune; are the posted screenshots the only "required" ones to get Megasquirt running, or is there anything else that I should input values for?

On one of my old cars, I used to have a similar mirrored phrase that read "Move It" along the top of my windshield. By having it high up, it was more visible and I was within reach so I could angrily point at it. =P

I have a quick yes/no question about what the AFM does on the L28ET (specifically, the '82, if it makes any difference). I know that it contains a flapper and air temp sensor that sends input to the ECCS for purposes of fuel injection metering. My big yes/no question is this: do those AFM signals play any part in the functioning of the *ignition timing* or emissions equipment (ie EGR)? My impression is that it's only there for purposes of the fuel injectors, but I need to be sure.

Yeah, I looked at the maps sticky, and last poster (niner11) had a pretty close setup, but he's using MS II instead.

Yeah, I know it's really easy to hook up the wiring to control spark. It's the setup and programming part of it that puts me off it for now. I'm having a hard enough time with just understanding half the variable fields and how to get the firmware on there as it is. ^^ If someone's got ALL the spark settings I need that match my setup already, I'd certainly consider using it. But even then, from the aforementioned Sticky, I'd still have to play with setting the timing by messing around with the crank and distributor. And I just don't have time to fiddle with that. So I think it might be best not to add complication just yet until I've made sure I can at least get the fuel part running. The spark part can always be easily wired in later.

Hey guys, I've got an appointment at my local dyno in less than a week and I'm still trying to get my '82 280ZX Turbo up and running to at least get there. As time is short, I figure I'll have MS only control the fuel for now, with the original ECU controlling everything else (ie spark) as normal. Here's the relevant bits of my setup: Megasquirt I V3.0 GM coolant/IAT sensors for the MS Innovate LC1 wideband O2 GM boost control control solenoid for use with MS Garrett GT35R turbo (compressor: 82mm wheel, 84 trim, .70 AR) RC Engineering 370cc low impedance injectors on Pallnet fuel rail small intercooler Crane ignition and coil 1. If the original ECU is no longer controlling the fuel, do I still need to have the AFM installed? From reading the Hayne's manual description, I get the impression the AFM is only there to send signals for purposes of controlling the fuel. So if the AFM isn't there, does it affect spark timing and/or emissions functions that the original ECU is still responsible for? 2. If I'm controlling fuel-only, do I still need to set the timing as outlined in the MSS/MSnS installation guide sticky (where it talks about turning the crankshaft to TDC and various other degrees)? 3. I'm having a little confusion about the firmware and how it relates to Megatune. I was originally under the impression Megatune was the firmware. If I get the most "advanced" firmware ("MSnS-E"?) will I be forced to set up spark timing, or would I need to put in some settings to tell it not to bother trying to fire the coil? What version of MSnS-E would you guys suggest is appropriate for my intention of Fuel-only, and the boost control solenoid? 4. I still can't find a 240SX TPS in my local junkyards. If I'm having MS control fuel-only, is it still necessary I get my hands on a new TPS? And with the 240SX TPS, I've seen that it has a 2nd plug similar to the 280ZX's TPS plug. Will that plug give off the same "on-or-off-only" type of output signal for the stock 280ZXT ECU? I'd like to request some fuel/setup settings or .msq file to use, to allow me to drive it to the dyno. But per the sticky about Map Sharing, I'll start a new thread for that (unless someone sees this first and posts here). Thanks for the help, guys!

I do wonder though if a 280ZX's tach would still run properly though, in case there's a difference between the models/years.

When you say I'd need the "stock ignition module" to trigger the MSD, are you referring to the "transistor" that comes with the L28ET mounted next to the stock coil (little metal/black plastic thing about a square inch in size)? I'm trying to figure out if I'm supposed to keep that thing or not when I install Megasquirt.

The Lotus 80 used ground effects for aerodynamic downforce, not a drivetrain-powered fan. It was the Brabham BT46B that had a drivetrain-powered fan, as you can see here: To get around the rules banning "moveable aerodynamic devices", Brabham routed the fan intake through the radiator, so that the fan was technically there for "cooling". Pretty sneaky, huh? ;P Naturally, just like with the Chaparral, all the other teams had a hissy-fit and the design was banned right after it kicked everyone's asses by 30 secs at the '78 Swedish Grand Prix! Lotus had considered a fancar design for their Lotus 79 car, but it never came to fruition due to the ban.

I'm trying to utilize as much of the existing wiring on my '82 280ZX Turbo as possible while installing my Megasquirt. That said, the stock wiring for the injectors appears to have the positive leads connected directly to a fusible link connected to the battery, meaning they're "always hot". However, on most Megasquirt wiring diagrams I see around here, it looks like people wired their injector positive leads to a relay. I'm wondering if that's really necessary, or if it's fine if I leave it as the factory had it, and just connect their respective grounds to the Megasquirt?

Sweet mercy, thank you for this!!! Why is this not a sticky?!

Generally, my cars have had their name on their fenders, doors, or as a vanity plate. '84.5 Nissan 200SX: "Steel Rose" (my logo back then was a black rose) '98 Honda Prelude: "Moonlight Vision" (it had a lot of custom lighting) '82 Datsun 280ZXT #1: "Goldie" (it was gold colored) '82 Datsun 280ZXT #2: "Mach5 ZX" (Speed Racer Mach 5 theme)

I haven't seen anything new subbed since ep 6 a few months ago. =(

Uh, what the heck are you talking about? That term has absolutely nothing to do with slurs against Germans, and I'll thank you not to go changing my words to make them into slurs. Whoever told you "jury rig" came from "jerry rig" is just straight-up wrong. "Jury rig" was in use for over 300 years before the Nazis came along. It was a nautical term for an improvised replacement mast/sail setup (mast/sail setup = "rigging").

The movie Racer X will be a separate character from Rex Racer, and will be played by Lost's Matthew Fox. I do wonder if any of these 70's aero mods would be of any benefit to the S130's, or if the already-improved aerodynamics of the S130 are too different to see any gain.

I think it was previously mentioned that those center pieces are aftermarket. And that also means you'd have to jury rig a new license plate mounting directly to whatever rear bumper you have.

I was half-considering doing the side rear windows like that, and I'm glad to see what it looks like without having to Photoshop it.

Here's mine.

I'm glad this subject came up. Awhile back, I'd posted about my interest in fanblade wheels, but all the pics I've seen (most of which are already posted here) are vintage, and therefore nearly impossible to find. The only aftermarket fanblade-style wheels I've seen are the new Enkei WDM's: http://enkei.com/Performance%20specs/WDM.html Unfortunately, they don't make them in Z offsets... I wonder if Enkei does custom offsets, or group buys. Does anyone else know of any other aftermarket fanblade wheels?

Heh, good luck finding 225/55-15 tires. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?width=225%2F&ratio=55&diameter=15&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pagemark=1&RunFlat=All&x=70&y=7 Tire Rack only has 3 tires in that size, 2 of which are competition tires that would be a waste on street driving. And the 3rd is obnoxiously expensive and isn't even that great of a tire. http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/searchTiresBySize.do?rc=CEBINT&cs=225&ar=55&rd=15&rcc= As you can see, tires.com doesn't even have anything in that size. If anyone ever finds a decent tire in this size, I'd sure like to know!

I'm just wondering if anyone has ever seen "blade" or "fan" style wheels that would fit on an old Z, kind of like this: