RB26DETT into 240Z Beginner Progress

[getoffmyinternet]

The final install of the bov. I had to shorten the T pipe you saw earlier and welded it onto the turbo intake flange at an angle so that the line would have more clearance from the frame rail. I forgot to get a picture of what the flange now looks like, but if I take if off again I sure will. You can see the T part below. I got some polished stainless so it would look more presentable as well as be easier to bend on the harbor freight tubing bender I just bought off craig's list for 40 bucks.

 

 

 

 

 

I got the old water pump off. It looks like this should be a required replacemement before installing your engine (besides the fact that the seal may have already failed like mine). It was annoying to get off, and it doesn't look like it's in the greatest of shape either. The lefover water the engine spit out was pretty gross as well, and the block will benefit from a good cleaning before a new pump goes back on.

 

 

 

I'm still a little fuzzy about the propper part number of the water pump to get. I know nissan uses lots of p/n's for the ame part but I want to make sure they are actually interchangeable. All the pumps on ebay look identical, however the n1 pump is also indistinguisheable from the stock version according to the picture of the one I almost bought.

 

 

The belt might be interesting to get back on. Also, I'm still looking for the ati damper instructions so I put it back on right. Man I hate getting everything on and off over and over.

[Careless]

no, the N1 pump is distinguishable if it is a real picture.

it has an anti-cavitation plate behind the 6 large fins (instead of 8 small ones). It is like a big washer welded behind them to stop vortecies from occuring behind the pump and causing cavitation.

 

the RB25, 26, N1 pumps all work on either engines.

[getoffmyinternet]

Cool. I ordered the one that said rb25 pump so I shoud be fine.

 

 

Moving on for know, do you know if I can adapt my temp gauge to the sensor on the engine? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the sensor with the 2 wire plug at the coolant outlet is the temp sensor that goes to the ecu, while the sensor next to it with only one wire goes to the gauge only. A first I thought it was just a switch (I'm not getting an ohm reading at all) but then I saw that there is already a fan switch on the bottom of the radiator itself. The service manual seems to have nothing about this little senor or its resistance value (all I found was the test for the other sensor: .3k ohm cold, 2.5k ohm warm) but I don't think this is what I need.

 

If this sensor doesn't work for my application, I'll need the resistance range for my original gauge so that I can get a sensor that works and tap it in or something. Would be pretty cool if the old datsun sensor went right in, wouldn't it? That is assuming the sensor on the engine isn't needed for some other function that I'm unaware of.

 

Any ideas?

[getoffmyinternet]

Okay, I just had a little too much trouble figuring out that sensor. At room temp it's in the vicinity 400 ohms and when it heats up the resistance actually goes down. I never imagined that. So the question is, does my gauge work the same way? When I get the chance I'll have to hook it up and find out.

[Careless]

if it's the brass sensor that is about 8mm in diameter and is a 10 or a 12, with a tiny terminal and a nissan hamburger emblem etched into it and looks kinda like this:

 

 

then it is the one for your temperature guage, I believe.

 

Whether or not it works... well you could ask someone with a Z31 as they are the same type of sensor.

[Careless]

and your block looks pretty rusty inside. from now on, try using distilled water to avoid rusty flakes clogging your water jackets

[getoffmyinternet]

My hamburger wore off but yep, that's the one. You're like an online parts catalog!

 

Yeah overseas they don't seem to baby their engines like we do. Well, it's been sitting a while obviously. I was wondering if there's a additive treatment or anything out there that helps keep rust and fod at bay, but regular use and periodic servicing will probably do a lot of good.

[Careless]

My hamburger wore off but yep, that's the one. You're like an online parts catalog!

 

Yeah overseas they don't seem to baby their engines like we do. Well, it's been sitting a while obviously. I was wondering if there's a additive treatment or anything out there that helps keep rust and fod at bay, but regular use and periodic servicing will probably do a lot of good.

 

LOL, online parts catalogue? maybe soon at rb30de.com but for now... a lot higher priorities, like getting this damned vg30et back together

 

The only thing I can think of that would neutralize the rust would be the phosphoric acid treatment, but I'm not entirely sure how well that would work on an aluminum headed engine and the other metals or rubbers that circulate through the system.

 

Even then, it starts to create white powdery deposits that need to be cleaned, so it's best to just use distilled water and run it as is. Nothing to do but tear down the engine.

 

TEAR IT DOWN I SAY!

[rbpowered280z]

so i guess i have a question..........you have done all this work........and have done nothing with the drivetrain, body, suspension, nor did you even get the engine torn down, cleaned, checked THUROUGHLY, and then reassembled checking all clearences, bearings, the whole 9 yards?

i guess its just me, but why start a big ass project like this without doing any of the other steps? isnt that kinda like licking off a dirty ass plate?

 

Lloyd

[Careless]

so i guess i have a question..........you have done all this work........and have done nothing with the drivetrain, body, suspension, nor did you even get the engine torn down, cleaned, checked THUROUGHLY, and then reassembled checking all clearences, bearings, the whole 9 yards?

i guess its just me, but why start a big ass project like this without doing any of the other steps? isnt that kinda like licking off a dirty ass plate?

 

Lloyd

 

well most of what's been done is a fabrication ordeal rather than anything having to do with tearing down the motor itself.

 

if the time comes, the motor can be overhauled and most of the fabricated parts can be re-used.

 

There are plenty of people who just do it to drive around, whether it's unsafe, kinda safe, or super safe x 10000.

 

heck, i wish sometimes that I could just drop the clutch in my S30 down my street (which is next too a local coffee shop/tuner-showoff parking lot)...

 

no floors. just replace the clutch slave, put some new brake fluid in, and bolt in one of the seats so that i have something to sit in... and maybe weld a longer pipe to the header so fumes dont come into the car from under my feet...... and take the car and all of it's 1600 lbs stripped to the bone chassis, and 160hp down the street or around the block for a couple of passes at WOT... no doors. no hood. no exhaust. no hatch. no quarter glass. no passenger seat. no dash.

 

just taped up guages, a steering column, and the uni-body...

 

JUST BECAUSE i don't drive often

 

i think just having a good mechanic or licensed friend that deals with safety laws day in and out is enough to judge whether or not the car is within the proper safety margin for non-stupid driving.

[patteelishuz]

OMG

ur car looks exactly like my '73 Z. and i also wanna put an RB26 into my lil "Margarita". my boyfriend and his friends think its too much, but F them, its never too much ;D

good luck with everything, keep us updated on how that goes :]

[getoffmyinternet]

Are you the first girl on our forum, or...

 

There's no such thing as too much, but, even with all the preliminary research and warnings I got, it is still ending up taking a lot more than I thought it would. Of course, if you've converted your garage into a machine shop then go for it, absolutely.

 

That's a good name. I still haven't named mine!

[getoffmyinternet]

Lloyd, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And if it is broke, I'll know what needs fixin' pretty soon.

 

I'm not one to replace every nut and bolt unless the old ones fail, but that's just me.

 

In retrospect, it's probably more like drinking out of a milk jug without first looking at the date than eating off a dirty plate.

[Careless]

OMG

ur car looks exactly like my '73 Z. and i also wanna put an RB26 into my lil "Margarita". my boyfriend and his friends think its too much, but F them, its never too much ;D

good luck with everything, keep us updated on how that goes :]

 

just make sure you have double the asking price of the rb26, and a safety cushion for unexpected BS. LOL

[getoffmyinternet]

I just realized today that Chris Rummel already discussed using the stock temp gauge for the rb swap. He confirms that the rb sensor will not work for the s30 gauge. Unfortunately he couldn't find the ohm specs on the l6 temp sensor, so he just used it and made an adapter hose to get it to work.

 

My hope is to figure out the specs of my l6 sensor and find an alternate sensor with the same specs but also the same size as the rb sensor so I can screw it into the stock port. If all else fails I can go his route, which isn't really bad at all.

[patteelishuz]

i am a girl.. yes.. 1st on ur forum, doubt it

my boys are tellin me to have at least 20k to

do everything legit and sh*t. but where the hell

do i find an RB26?? and someone who'll install

and all. i dont want my boys to do it for me, dont

trust em enough. if i wanted my L28 bored to a 3.0

then yea maybe. but i wont let em work on the RB

thanks for any help :]

[getoffmyinternet]

I'm not good at estimates, but yeah it would probably cost a buttload to have it all professionally done. Even more for it to be "legit as sh*t." I'd rather just by a corvette and call it a day. A souped up l28 would be pretty nice though, and not too hard on the checkbook. The 26 isn't at all hard to find if money is no object either.

 

If'n I get mine running I was tempted to start asking if people want kits for certain things because the going rate is outrageous. I don't know who your boys are but for most people, actually making the "kits" is the hard part. I mean if I could just order an "rb26 into 240z" kit off ebay the whole install would take a weekend. And it would be the best weekend ever.

 

 

 

Anyhow, the water pump came today. Part 21010-21U26 on the box, but it is certainly the oem replacement and not the n1, so I'm not sure where that confusion came from.

[rbpowered280z]

i see what you are sayin, but i totally disagree. i dont know what you do for a living, and i dont mean any disrespect, cause at least you are actually doing something that ive been dreaming of since i bought my car in 05. anyways, no disrespect, but you dont seem to understand the fundamentals of car building. you dont just do a engine swap and not look at everything first. that stupid. if you are going to put something in, make sure that the item that you swapping in is in good condition, if not rebuilt. secondly, you needed to have planned everything out, concept drawings, ect ect ect. have you figured out the wiring? seriously.

no offense, but you really jumped the gun.

i work at a VERY reputable vw resto shop and we do this daily. so, im just letting you know, you didnt do it right.

 

good luck

 

Lloyd

[amorfin]

Planning and doing everything professionally is the best way to do it. But sometimes if you just don't jump the gun nothing gets done.

[getoffmyinternet]

Concept drawings?... I still feel that it will be plenty easy to figure out if something isn't working properly once the engine is fully installed. That said, it really isn't like starting completely over if in fact something is wrong, it's just a little detour. I've never completely rebuilt an engine, but I would guess that it is still more work than having to temporarily remove an engine to simply replace the one part that actually needed it--not to mention more expensive. I'm sure your vw shop is in fact very reputable as far as those go, but it's my money and I don't need to do shotgun maintenance just for the peace of mind.

 

 

Anyway, back on track: I'm about to install the new water pump, and later hopefully pick up my old temp sensor to do a little testing. I would definitely listen to Careful about the instructions on install so that everything goes back in at least in as good of shape as it came out, especially the tension pulley. Interesting side note, it seems the genuine nissan pump is the only one that doesn't come with a paper gasket; I don't know if having a paper gasket is bad or anything, but they sure do love liquid gaskets, and so do I. Also, all bolts are preped with a drop of locktite.