Six_Shooter Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 There's supposed to be a cover over the flywheel, actually it's a flat plate that covers is between the engine and tranny. Looks like they forgot that when they swapped the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 Well, after a few days off to spend time with people I've been neglecting, I decided to try out the AFM I "remanufactured" and see if the car would start. Nope, no such luck. So then I connected the home made minature light bulb tester (connected to one of the injector connections) to test the signal going to my fuel injectors. Hopefully I just don't have the right setup, because the bulb did not flash when I cranked the car (bulb was wired to the #1 injector plug, as per the FSM). Oh well... I guess tomorrow I'll check the injectors themselves, I don't want to think I have to replace a bad ECU... yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daeron Posted September 3, 2008 Share Posted September 3, 2008 are you getting proper fuel pump relay signal through the entire system? There are a series of little switches (including one in the AFM IIRC) that need to close for the fuel pump relay to be energized and the fuel injectors to be fired, and if that circuit isnt complete then the vehicle presumes something is fundamentally wrong and disables fuel. It is a safety consideration; if the vehicle is flipped over then fuel wont pump or squirt from the injectors. Didn't re read the whole thread, but have you been introduced to the EFI bible yet? Search my name and the term EFI Bible and you will find a post started by me that contains all your answers, and better yet, the methodology for finding those answers, AND the theory behind how all the system works in the first place. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 Ah yes, and in addition, yes, the relay should be working, at least for the pump. I decided to check the fuel filter (after attempting to start the car)to see if it was clogged and possibly replace it. When I removed the lines, residual pressure exploded into my face. car> Unless that stuff has been there for over a year, then the pump is good, along with the relay. I'll check again to make sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 Update: After much cross referencing and Using the FSM, I discovered that the pins it told me to check in the '78 Engine Fuel manual that my harness has a correct layout according to the FSM. It is not the same as the pin layout presented in the EFI bible. So, I ran my tests. I still have to check the proper resistances/voltages, but the only one that really stuck out like a sore thumb was the thermotime switch (no voltage). Two of my injectors showed below average voltage. The fuel pump IS running... I can hear it. However, I will still have to figure out what numbers I wrote down are correct, and what are not. I still have to run tests on the rest of the system beyond the ECU harness, so I will update again later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 6, 2008 Author Share Posted September 6, 2008 Thermotime connectors needed a LOT of cleaning. Spent several hours going over just about every connector in the EFI system with connection cleaner, a paper clip and a q-tip to bust the corrosion. Then on a whim I looked back on my notes and discovered that I never checked the Throttle Position Sensor. I checked it, its bad, even with cleaned connections. Bleh... Thinking back to when this thing last ran (dec '07), I remembered the black smoke that was eminating from my exhaust. Maybe the bad sensor was causing it to run too rich as it died? Maybe it was the thermotime... I'm lost. Also smelled the oil that I drained a few weeks ago. It reeks of fuel. However when I try to start the engine, I don't have a fuel smell coming from the manifold (entire exhaust system is removed) or on the spark plugs. Also removed the injectors and inspected each one. Even the ones that checked bad with voltage are suprisingly clean and seemed to check out right when I jumped each one with a 9 volt battery. I need one of those noid lights to check to see if they're getting power during ignition. Back to the drawing board. Its the weekend, so I'm taking a break from all this to collect my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 Looks like I finally found an engine. Unfortunately he wants $1500 for the L28ET, tranny, AFM, harness and ECU. I guess the reason he wants so much for it is the fact that he'd be removing it from the current car its in, but... I don't know, seems a bit much, especially when I can get a whole front clip RB20DET from Canada for a hair less. And that's with shipping included. I'm still considering it, but if anyone has any advice on pricing, I'd appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 way too much...if my only option was a 1500 l28et...my car would be running a dif motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Depends. If it's just a stock motor with nothing done to it and it isn't freshly rebuilt, etc. then it's more in the $700 ballpark for all that IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 Well, there's always option C... If I can't talk this guy down or find a motor elsewhere I could just turbo this motor. Since it has a N42/N47 block and head respectively, that should mean it has dished pistons. I don't think anyone ever touched this engine in respects performance upgrades, let alone rebuilding it. That should mean I have a compression ratio of just under 8.3-1. If I'm right, that should still allow me to run on pump gas. Even then if I wanted to put a few more atmospheres into it I could just go and grind out the areas around the valves to lower compression. Its a thought.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 12, 2008 Author Share Posted September 12, 2008 Its been a while since I updated, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. My latest adventures include the findings of more wonderful suprises which may or may not be pointing me in a clearer direction toward fixing my problems. Lets start with the TPS. This little guy was giving me bad checks according to my multimeter, so after trying to clean the contacts and rechecking with poor results I removed it. And this is what suprised me... Its clean! Look at all the contacts in this picture and the next one. Both are practically immaculate and didn't even need me to break out the dremel to shine them. I still scraped off the surrounding rust for good measure, but I can't understand for the life of me why the component would be giving a bad reading. Even the function is smooth. I can't believe this is a $70 item, either. What a joke. After checking all this I was pretty much done with the EFI system. Besides the TPS and thermotime, there really isn't much I can see wrong with it. Chalk it up to another case of snap diagnosis. Luckily I didn't go crazy with buying parts for the system (which I was previously convinced that it was functioning well), as new problems started popping up as I inspected. Working my way back from the spark plugs (finally tested for spark this time. Negative) I found myself at the distributor. These images hardly show the full extent of the corrosion. I removed it and attempted to repair it, but it was too far along. I couldn't even remove the vaccum valve as the screw was entirely consumed by rust. spraying the inside with electrical cleaner and then shaking produced chunks of matter that fell out like coarse sand. I took the unit to NAPA and I'm awaiting a refurbished replacement. Working my way back I came to the coil and found I wasn't even getting a hot spark out of the HT wire. Testing the resistance of my coil found that it was just barely below tolerance. So I ordered a new coil (I wanted to get a performance model anyway), and at this point I decided that I was done with testing the system backwards. Testing my fuse block showed that while most of the fuses were good, the connectors were not. I'll be cleaning them shortly. But first, I decided to do things the right way, if I'm to be following electrical wires. I completely removed the dash and started on the heater. Finally, I've found the location of the primary mouse hive, in the front portion of my heater core. I named him Happy. I didn't mention this before, but when I first uncovered th car last month and got ready to start it, I found a baby mouse deposited on my driver side floorpan. Thinking this was strange, I went back to work and looked in the window to find that somehow the mouse had replicated itself, as there were now two baby mice. I picked them up and... delt with them. On returning I found a third in the same spot. His fate was the same. And by fate I mean I took them all to the vet so they could be dewormed and cared for. For the next several weeks I nursed them back to health with a syringe filled with milk and they all found a nice new home. Yup, that's what I did.... Honest... It looks like Happy didn't make it. A few weeks of abandonment with no nourishment seems to have given him a bad case of dry skin. After saying a few words in respect he was balled up in the lint bedding his mother so carefully made for him and ceremoniously tossed across the garage into trash can cemetery. 5 points! Hopefully that little bastard was the last one I'll find... So in regards to making the electrical system better, so far I've gone over all the schematics and found every single ground and cleaned them. Maybe that'll silve something. All the wiring I uncovered was wonderfully intact (at least if outside appearances hold up). I don't know how wiring itself fares in a car, but I do know that I worked on helicopters that have some of the same wiring they've had since vietnam, and I still works. So until I exhaust all other possibilities, I'll stick to checking connectors and weak points before I start replacing the miles of wiring within. Until next update, I leave you with an image of the only thing nice looking in my car at the moment... what can I say, I was bored... When I get around to it, that will be the paint scheme for the rest of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun723 Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 hahaha...poor Happy. that was great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 12, 2008 Author Share Posted September 12, 2008 hahaha...poor Happy. that was great I actually got this car not too far from where you are, in Escondito almost 5 years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun723 Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I actually got this car not too far from where you are, in Escondito almost 5 years ago haha no way! i bought my first Z down there too...gotta love socal and get this...i'm originally from boston i love my pats and sox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnZ Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 I think the mystery component is a motion sensor for a old school alarm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WizardBlack Posted September 14, 2008 Share Posted September 14, 2008 Make sure you go over all your primary power and ground wiring; especially along the frame rails and around the fusible links. Lots of issues with voltage and whatnot with those wearing through their associated shielding and connecting with each other. On a side note, Nissan TPS's are notorious for be a PITA. The cars won't run for crap without them working and they are prone to failure. I just ordered a new one for a VH45DE. How's $220 sound to ya? Don't go too far into the factory electronics; you'll end up having paid for a Megasquirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 14, 2008 Author Share Posted September 14, 2008 Don't go too far into the factory electronics; you'll end up having paid for a Megasquirt. Very true. Which is why I'm trying to be semi-cautious when it comes to buying replacements. I've heard a lot of good things about megasquirt, but I'd hate to have to learn a whole new system of tuning at this stage while I'm struggling with the stock sys. But eventually, yes, I'd love to have one. Something just seems so appealing about getting rid of the distributor for the whole EDIS/ coil pack setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 15, 2008 Author Share Posted September 15, 2008 More random updates... As if by some strange magic, the TPS tested good on the multimeter last night when I checked it at random... oook.... This weekend I was also able to remove both rear transverse links, which went much faster than it would have had I not had help this time. Took the shocks apart to do a trial fit of the tokico blues and BLECH! Those struts were just floating in there surrounded by what smelled of fish oil. Neither even retained the semblance of a shock, and I think I figured out why my car was bottoming out over small bumps... Stock bump stop. Consistancy: damp oatmeal. Or moist cake, whichever you prefer. The other side was almost non-existent. But oh boy! was I in for a lovely suprise when I test fit my dust boots! These are KYB dust boots. I was confused when I got them, as they were made of PLASTIC, and I was expecting the integrated bump stop, which was also a seperate piece. That wasn't the problem. The problem is this big honkin' gap at the bottom! Hardly seems like a good product. I guess it's not fastened at the bottom? Nothing was supplied, nor was it mentioned in the instructions. Screw that. I'm going to find some pieces of rubber to bridge the gap and clamp it with a CV boot strap. Then I'll seal it with general purpose grease. As I ordered these from KYB themselves (through sparkplugs.com, which I was directed to in the order process), I did indeed get the right boots, apparently. The part numbers match up. I guess I "shouldn't expect much" for $12 a pop, but at least give me something made of rubber that properly seals the gap! Hopefully NAPA has a hydraulic press, cause I'd like to get these old pins out of my transverse links when I pick up my distributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddmanout84 Posted September 15, 2008 Author Share Posted September 15, 2008 part number is SB130, if you wan to avoid them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj paul Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 from looking at all you've tested, the most likely reason for your car not starting is the cold start injector which is controlled by the thermotime switch. I spliced in a switched nine volt battery to mine because i was having the same problem. If Im not right, you've only wasted 15-20 minutes. Oh and do not pay 1500 for a L series motor unless it has an aftermarket rebuild or something (forged pistons etc) You can always find running motors for under few hundred if not free. For 1500 you could buy a red top sr20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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