ngrimm Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 I bought an 86 300zxt that had an engine fire. Some of the engine harness is ruined as well as some hoses etc. My first thought was to replace all the parts from a donor car to get the car running. Now I am wondering if it would be wiser to get a MSnSpark or to get the car running first with stock electronics. I'm not sure how much of the factory harness would be used anyway. I have an electronics background but have never installed a standalone ignition system. Car supposedly ran fine before the fire (leaky injectors) and has 91k miles, hasn't been started since 1992. I appreciate any suggestions. Norm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnightzxt Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 first I would suggest taking the block apart and checking to see if the fire warped anything. Or, just grab yourself a new engine. Secondly.. yeah the megasquirt could be a great upgrade right now, especially if it's done right.I'm not sure if anyone else on this board has done a 300zxt? SOunds like a fun project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngrimm Posted November 3, 2005 Author Share Posted November 3, 2005 I don't think the fire was hot enough to damage the engine itself since the paint wasn't burned on the valve covers etc. Mostly plastic and rubber. I planned to follow the sticky for the L28 engine for the MS install but I don't know if there are things I would need to do specifically for the 300zx. Once again I want to thank you for your insight since I couldn't find much info on a 300zx MS install doing a search. Norm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngrimm Posted November 11, 2005 Author Share Posted November 11, 2005 Another question about the 300zxt. Is the transmission and cruise controlled by the factory ecu? Thankyou. Norm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan0myte Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Is the transmission and cruise controlled by the factory ecu? No, they're independant electrical systems. Your cruise and transmission will still work fine if you use an MS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 IMHO, you should get it running with the stock harness and ECM. At least then you know it runs. If something was damaged in the fire that you don't catch, you could be chasing your tail thinking that your MS install went awry. At least if you start with a known running vehicle, you can be assured that if it doesn't run once you have the MS installed then it is a MS problem.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 if the engine hasnt been run for awhile put some atf or marvel mystery oil in the cylinders for a couple of days .the turn it over and do compression test.if the fire wasnt put out with water it should be ok.if you use the engine i would put new head gaskits and timing belt on it.the megasquirt will run fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngrimm Posted November 20, 2005 Author Share Posted November 20, 2005 Thanks for the advice guys. A member of a newly formed local zcar club http://www.roguevalleyz.com has a na 300zx that he is parting out so I can pull everthing I need to put on my car. I have removed the my intake plenum and started cleaning things up. Getting the harnesses out will be quite a challenge. It also burned a small section of the harness that runs thru the core support so that will have to be replaced. It is interesting to see which things did and didn't get burned. The fan and shroud burned but the radiator hoses didn't. In addition to flushing the crankcase I will also need to flush the coolant passages. I will also replace the timing belt. I suppose if I should decide to sell this car some time it would be best to stick with stock electronics. Norm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngrimm Posted December 14, 2005 Author Share Posted December 14, 2005 What can I use to trigger the MS on my 86 3.0 v6 turbo? My manual indicates that there is a crank angle sensor but I don't know where it is. Or is it possible to trigger it from the distributer? I would really appreciate any help. Norm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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