ZXT_bean Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 thats right, i have had it with this 30+ yr old wiring and everything associated with it! but being a complete noob i want to make sure i basically have everything ill need to do a complete and clean install. for some backround on the car. the car it self is a 80' 280zx. I have swapped in a l28et from a 81' zxt. both cars being auto. i have been having some issues with the factory ignition setup. so rather than replacing expensive components, which would cost about just as much as Mega Squirt setup. ive decided to go this route. the car and swap is 100% factory stock. but with many more mods in mind, i figgure this is my best direction to go. from what ive read, ms2 is the way to go. and also to use the ignition control. so here is a parts list i have put together from diyautotune.com, if there is something i should have or need to get, please let me know. i know i will need a wide band setup. but i will purchase that as my wallet permits. i know i will need a 82-83 zxt distributer. and that it is triggered by a hall effect type switch. i have found a very useful thread on diyautotune.com http://www.diyautotune.com/tech_articles/how_to_megasquirt_your_280zx_turbo.htm i know there are hours of reading and searching i still need to do. but still want to make sure this is the basics of what i will be needing. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thats pretty much exactly what I bought. I also got the harness from DIY and I used the LM1 Wideband O2 kit. My firmware is older than what you will get though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZXT_bean Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 i thought the harness they sell basically takes the place of the relay board? or did you just cut the connector plug off and just use the wire? and another question i have is. the injectors in my car are from an 81', so they have the dropping resistors already wired in. would i keep that part of the wiring, or wire the injectors directly to the relay board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZXT_bean Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Thats pretty much exactly what I bought. I also got the harness from DIY and I used the LM1 Wideband O2 kit. My firmware is older than what you will get though. i just spent about an entire hour going through your library of photos of your car. and i must say, it is pure inspiration for me! thank you! its a amazing ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Oh yeah I didnt use the relay board. I made my own that you probably saw in the photos. I am not sure if the relay board would be redundant with the harness because I am not familiar with the relay board. Each MS harness wire is labeled so it made it easier for me to follow. Of course I could have done the same thing with a home made harness, but I felt more comfortable with the MS harness. I had to modify the MS harness quite a bit to suit my layout. I also added at least 20 more wires to it to return all signal grounds, and 12v lines back to my central location under the drivers seat. I snipped off factory Nissan connectors and integrated them into the MS wiring whenever I needed to. I mostly used terminal blocks and fuse blocks with crimped loop connectors on the wires. You can use any injectors. Just make sure if you run the ballast resistors with the low impedance injectors, or vice-versa, you configure MSII accordingly. I ran high impedance injectors with no resistors. Now I run Ford Lightning Injectors, also high impedance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 No MAP sensor is needed for boost? NM, MS does that if I recall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwx Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Oh yeah I didnt use the relay board. I made my own that you probably saw in the photos. I am not sure if the relay board would be redundant with the harness because I am not familiar with the relay board. Its is, we actually sell a 12ft wire bundle for use with the relay board. Its the same wire that the harness uses, just with out the connector and loom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 wouldn't the relay board make it much easier to transport or remove an entire customized harness if there is a failure of some sort? I think for cleanliness factor and easier setup the relay board is a good bet if you got the extra tempo, moola, and patienza. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 fast z Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 You do not need the relay board as it just takes more space, and added cost. You only need one relay, and just use one of those 1" cube mounted relays. Just get MS2 and the harness, and you should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZXT_bean Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 thanks alot everyone for the input!! now i just have to place my order.. should be doing that here in the short future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 why did you buy the STIM board when you purchased a pre-assembled unit?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 It's cool to turn the knobs on the stim and watch the LEDs flicker and gage needles dance on the PC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 You do not need the relay board as it just takes more space, and added cost. You only need one relay, and just use one of those 1" cube mounted relays. Just get MS2 and the harness, and you should be ok. I have to agree with this comment. On my install I just used two relays, (main and fuelpump) and they are tucked away quite nicely under the dash. I also made my own wiring harness, so there is only one bundle of wires running to the engine. When I add fan control, i'll just put in another relay, and it will still be much smaller than having a complete relay board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I agree with the other comments about the relay board. Even though I went with one, if I was to do it again, I'd do like cygnusx1 did. By the time I was finished, I had used very little of the relay board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobythevan Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 One time I would recommend using a relay board is if you plan to do a lot of experimenting. Maybe using an engine or ignition setup that has little support. It gives a nice place to probe all the signals with a scope and make quick changes to the wiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZXT_bean Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 well i hate to confuse anyone, but i have no purchased anything yet lol. im still trying to wrap my head around this whole idea. im glad i didnt, because basically everyone is telling me that the relay is easier to make from scratch. and now that i think about it, my brother, is a wiring and soldering genius, so he will be assembling it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZXT_bean Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 so then this would be a much cheaper route, anything else i am missing here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglist Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 So basically the consensus is that the relay board is not worth the money? I still haven't decided which components I am going to buy with my MS setup but I was going to get a relay board. Is it easier to wire seperate relays for the fuel pump/fan on your own? Should I just get something like the painless wiring relays that summit sells for those components? One more question, I plan on having the Megasquirt be my boost controller and getting the GM boost solenoid and the 4 BAR "Map Daddy" MAP sensor add-on for the MS board to help facilitate this (I know MS has a MAP sensor already but its not 4 BAR). Does anyone have any input on MS as a boost controller? I will be having DIYauto pre-assemble the board because god knows I have enough other little things to do on the Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zmanco Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 So basically the consensus is that the relay board is not worth the money? I don't think I'd say that. For me, the issue was that there wasn't any good space left in the engine compartment to mount the relay board. Also, the 37 pin connector is pretty large and it's not likely you have a hole in your firewall that's big enough to fit it through and I didn't want to make one that large. So I was going to have to pull wiring into the passenger compartment anyway. I ended up mounting the main MS unit along with the relay board on piece of masonite which sits underneath the passenger seat. I also mounted several screw strips for various power connections and the calibration switch for the O2 sensor. What I'm leading up to is that you'll likely have to create a mounting board anyway, and once you have that, you don't necessarily need the relay board. Does that help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six_Shooter Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 so then this would be a much cheaper route, anything else i am missing here? If you are getting an un-assembled MS, I would suggest the Stimulator to verify function during/after assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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