nscason Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 I know that the ZXT's have f54 blocks and those have the knock sensor in them. i have a n42 and want to put on the all of the stock zxt components for right now. it was brought to my attention that the zxt harness has the knock sensor and a head temp sensor. i am going to be putting the stock turbo and harness on my 280z. both the head and the block are n42. would i be able to drill and tap for both of these sensors and where exactly would they go? that and do the the aftermarket ecu like megasquart use those sensors? if some one could fill in the blanks and fuzzy areas that would be awesome. sorry if you get this question all the time. thanks for any help. Nick Cason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 Why not put the ZXT head on your motor? It's not that hard to swap a head.. Maybe someone else knows about the block sensor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted May 28, 2007 Author Share Posted May 28, 2007 the thing is... i have most of the turbo components that a n/a dosent have. right now i have a header on my car that is ready to be thrown away. its that bad. i live in a desert that gets up to 130. im not kiddin. that hot. i just took it off this last weekend to weld up the cracks that i could get to. still couldnt get to all of them. i figured why not slap on all of the turbo stuff on my existing motor. i might be able to do it in a weekend. mostly stock turbo parts plus ic and bov. i havent got a hold of a cam yet. figured on just slapping on all the stuff and installing a turbo cam. on the side i did get a hold of the same block that i have right now. it is brand new never been ran or turned over. i got it for dirt cheep. thats my motor build. i did figure on going with a p90 for that one. i just didnt want to buy 2 heads. i am going to be going all out on the new motor. its just the one that i have now. i guess if i can find a p90 for cheap w/ or w/o a turbo cam ill put it on my car now. i would like to get a hold of one this summer. now for my original question. is it possible to drill and tap the holes for the knock and head temp sensor, weather it be done by me with the right tools or by a machine shop? and is it is possible where exactly are the holes located? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarang Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 You can put the head temp sensor in the thermostat housing. I think your car has one there, anyway. It will work the same as long as it senses the temp increase. The knock sensor IMO is useless, especially on a higher compression turbo motor. You just have to be more carefull with the timing. Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted May 28, 2007 Author Share Posted May 28, 2007 i do have a few plugged holes in the t stat housing. would the head temp sensor be the right size? is that ill it does? just senses an increase in the water temp? i didnt quite know how it worked. will the motor run the same with the stock ecu if the knock sensor isnt hooked up? i have a n/a and never had a turbo before. im just trying to understand everything before i bolt it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share Posted June 9, 2007 i have learned quite a bit from my last post on this thread. i have also purchased a p90a head and it is in pretty good shape. i am going to take it apart clean it and port the hell out of it. i have seen the difference in the lifters, i just dont understand how the hydraulic ones work. could some one explain that to me? i did find the spot for the head temp sensor. i have also learned that the knock sensor is located on a bracket on the timing cover. am i going to have any problems with the lack of oil ports going from my n42 block to this p90a head? i dont want to have my only car apart to find out i needed to switch to solid lifters. i still dont quite know. sorry if it seems like i posted in the wrong forum. all of my question are turbo swap specific. it made sense to me. thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trippintl0 Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 knock sensor is on the turbo F54 block, definitely not on timing cover. The way I understand the hydraulic lifters (which may or may not really be accurate) is that instead of using the little spring to keep tension on the rocker arm, they use oil pressure. I believe the theoretical advantage is that the correct valve lash can be achieved at all engine temperatures, so they will be just as quiet at cold start-up as they will when hot. The problem is that when the lifter's oil passage gets clogged, it loses pressure to keep tension against the cam, and it start slapping really loud against the rocker arm. It makes some really loud clicking / ticking noise. That's why most people like the mechanical lifters. Also the mechanical lifters are supposed to be more stable above like 5500 or 6000 rpms or so. (again, this is what I heard, and understand, please feel free to correct me) sorry for like 4 multiple edits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted June 9, 2007 Author Share Posted June 9, 2007 what block does the knock sensor go on that i am thinking of? if it is not a f54? i have been told by MSA that one is located on the timing cover. will that setup still work for my turbo swap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarang Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 The knock sensor screws into a boss right behind the oil filter on the F54. I think they were mistaking a CAS sensor on the front cover for an 81 turbo for the knock sensor. Honestly, I really wouldn't worry about the knock sensor too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trippintl0 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 The knock sensor screws onto the actual engine block, not the cylinder head, timing cover, or any other accessories. It is directly in the engine block. As stated before, don't even worry about the knock sensor. The knock sensor isn't on all the F54 blocks, but only the ones that were designated for the turbo motors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted June 10, 2007 Author Share Posted June 10, 2007 i am going to be setting up a turbo and the full wiring harness to a n/a motor with a n42 block. the wiring harness is from a 81 zxt with a 5spd. am i going to need the knock sensor? i just dont know what will happen if i dont have any of the sensors that a turbo has that n/a motor dosent. do i really need the knock sensor? what happens if i dont??? do i need the head temp, boost and oxygen sensor as well? what is not necessary for the basic function? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trippintl0 Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 You need the head temp sensor and the oxygen sensor. The boost sensor is only to power the stock electronic gauge, it doesn't help the car run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 sweet cuz i was going to run a mechanical autometer boost gauge anyways. you have saved me money and headaches already. thanks. right now i have the crame cams xr3000 and the ps91 coil. if i got the hi-6 with the timing retarding knob would that help against the motor from knocking? if i remember correctly i can set the knob up to so many degrees retarted /psi of boost. would i want to set that up before i get the turbo on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280tyler Posted June 11, 2007 Share Posted June 11, 2007 http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=106040&highlight=knock+sensor http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=107268&highlight=knock+sensor check these out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 those answered some questions, and raised others. im not going to need the knock sensor, will need the head temp and oxygen sensors. there is a difference with the tps and the dizzy vs. the n/a versions? i have an aftermarket ignition system. will using my dizzy still work? or my tps? should those items be added to the list of things to get? im trying to get all of this electrical sorted out before i jump into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280tyler Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 I'm doing the same thing to my car as you right now. the o2 sensor is simple if you already have it just go to a auto store and get a weld in bung for it but i have also read that a lot of the car runs better with it unhooked so it's up to you. so maybe try not putting it in and if it runs like crap try that first. i don't know much about your car and the dizzy that is currently on it but if it is a stock 280z dizzy it will not work. you need a dizzy compatible with our ecu. the turbo dizzy has an optical crank sensor in it that tells the ecu whats up. as for the knock sensor i am going to install it because it's only going to cost me the amount of the tap and it will make me sleep better at night. as for the tps i haven't looked at it yet but I'm going to be using a 60mm throttle body from a 240sx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nscason Posted June 12, 2007 Author Share Posted June 12, 2007 yea i have a 77 280z and have the stock dizzy and the 60mm tb with the stock tps on it. i am expecting the wiring harness out of a 81zxt in the mail this thursday. from some of the reading that i have done i figured i would need to get a hold of a zxt dizzy. i know that the knock sensor screws into the passenger side of the block. my question is; does the hole go all the way through the wall of the block, or does the sensor just get threaded into the same kind of hole like the head temp sensor? what is the tap size that you are going to be getting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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