datsunlover Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Well I finaly got the motor back from the engine builder friday night. (it's been 3 months of bull$#!* and headaches) It's in the car, evrything is hooked up and ready to go with the exception of the carbs. I got tired after all weekend and tonite puting evrything back in/together, and didn't have the nerve/energy left to fiddle with tiny nuts and linkages. ANYway, it's an SU carb'd L28 'freshened up' with new seals/gaskets, valve job, and a hotter cam.. (Colt cams regrind; 510 lift 280* duration I think.. I'll have to find the sheets.) Here's what I'm thinking; I'll leave the carbs as they are cause the thing ran good last year, just had oil burning/leaking issues... well, maybe richen them up a little to be safe. I got some cheap oil and a new filter and plan to fire it up and let it idle till warm. Shut it down, drain/change oil and change filter (gona be contaminated with assembly lube) re-check head bolts and maifold bolts torque settings, and I should be good to go. Planing another oil change within 1000Kms. Or.. ? Am I missing anything important here? Anything else I should do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicalninja Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Most cams makers request that after initial start no idle speeds for first 15 min to help cam bed in. Don't know how much this truly effects the new cam but is a common request. Schneider, Crane, and Earson requested this in their paperwork. I believe this "rule" is more apropriate for V8 engines as round lifters tend to create a wear pattern on first start up. Most manufactors request keeping RPM above 2000 for first few minutes. This requires that the car be ready to drive at start up and cooling system be fully bled and topped up. Need to complete a retorque/check V adj after first heat cycle and also at 1000km. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4everDATSUN Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 well if its been rebuilt and a new cam added, some tuning is goin to be nessecary to get it to run right. after tuning the rpm's should be kept above 2000. we dont want him running a lean engine above 2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted April 27, 2005 Author Share Posted April 27, 2005 Ok, so no idleing on start up.. gently blip between 1k-2k rpm for first 15-20 mins then? And by 'cheep' I did mean non synthetic oil. (My understanding is synthetic's do not allow proper run in for a new engine.. correct?) As for the cooling system, I'll be filling it AS I'm doing the initial engine start up seeing as I just put the engine back in.. I don't see how I could fill the whole system without starting it anyway... ?? It's on hold for tonite anyway as my stupid starter solenoid decided to explode... and I don't have a driveshaft yet.. not that I'd want to try to 'bump start' the car for the initial start up anyway.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted April 27, 2005 Author Share Posted April 27, 2005 yah, it WOULD be nice to have my car road worthy.. to bad I'm missing the driveshaft still.. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get that done and bolted back in. I'm gona put the new starter on it tonite and just see if it's gona crank over (83 280zx starter.. nice and light!) and recheck evrything else.. (mechanical, electrical) Hopefully I can be driving this thing by the weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted April 28, 2005 Author Share Posted April 28, 2005 Update: Well, the new starter works great.. too bad the friggin battery is crap. I put the charger on it for a good 30 mins, and it cranks good for about 20 seconds. then. rarararraaaaw..... click. I have spark, I KNOW there's fuel.. BUT; Plugs are barely wet.. I'm thinking that because I can't keep the engine cranking long enough, it's not sucking enough to pull some fuel through the carbs. It 'tried' a few times and made a couple farts and pops out the exhast, but no real starts. Just when it was almost gona kick and go, the battery gave out and starter would slow down. This sucks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicalninja Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Start it on Berriman's B12, 2 second shot through red tube under each carb pistons after lifting them will prove if the engine is sound and ign is close. Any engine will run on B12. I recently started an old garden tiller (3 hp) that had not been run in 15 years. Removed the completely gummed up carb and shot directly into open intake. Ran it for 3 min on B12. Started instantly. I've moved cars into shops running B12 (takes two people). If your careful you can run it for a few moments by alternating spray between the two carbs. DO NOT spray full force. "Trickle" it in to the carbs. Much easier to do if you only have one throttle opening. Trying to idle a car with triples is impossible using this method SAFTEY TIP You will be spraying an extremely flammable liquid at a running engine. Take proper precautions, Fire extinguisher, and probably most important, someone watching who's not in the engine comp with you. I use the B12 test on most no-start jobs. If your no-start is fuel related the car will run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted April 30, 2005 Author Share Posted April 30, 2005 It5 would apear my no start is a combo of ignition or electrical.. I'm working on it right now (gota search for the firing order.. not sure if I'm right) I'll post later if I can't get it going.. its the weirdest thing I've ever encountered.. spark fuel and compresion but no go.. grr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted April 30, 2005 Author Share Posted April 30, 2005 Going from bad to worse. Seams that an engin will not work properly if the timing chain/gears are out by 90*... and now I have to rip the motor apart (that was just rebuilt) to get the chain/crank/cam set properly. Assuming I have any energy tomorrow. I worked 8.5 hours today, came home and worked on the piece of crap for 11.. and I've been up till 1am the last 3 nights messing with the car too.. This sucks. I'm thinking maybe I should give up and just burn the thing to the ground. What the heck, it's insured for fire and theft! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted May 1, 2005 Author Share Posted May 1, 2005 Wow.. bad things have hapened. pulled the front cover off today (had to anyway cause the stinking chain tensioner poped out last night) and found a mess. Looks like a small piece of the balancer (metal from the rear key section) broke off, got caught in there and smashed around a bit... Oil seal got trashed, oil slinger took a hit, came forward and fnished off the oil seal and THEN a woodruff key joined the party and punched through the slinger plate. Meanwhile in the top end, all this comotion down below caused too much tension/stress on the timing chain, causing the cam sproket pin/dowel to shear off. I assume after I fix all this I will now have bent valves... The guy who built it has been here yesterday and today tearing down and re-doing all of this and I'm not giving him any more of the $$$ I owe him till he makes this right. Seams like it's all taken care of now aside from putting the rad/fan/dizzy/ect back in.. but I think I need a new balancer now.. MORE time waiting for parts.. I should have just done a V8. Would have been done by now and not cost as much/caused as much stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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