X64v Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I've had a lot of problems with my turbo set up in the past. Blown ringlands at the track, mystery high rpm misses, constant pinging, countless blown head gaskets, gremlins in the ECU wiring, the list goes on for hours. I'm sure lots of turbo guys on here go through the same things, and at times it makes you want to give up and drop the coin to go LSx or something. But, once everything is sorted out, it's so worth it. When you mercilessly pound on your daily driver for eight consecutive runs (5 minute intervals) on a fast, open Auto-X course, and the car doesn't miss a beat, not a single ping or missed spark, putting out tire-melting torque at 165 degree water temps, with less money in the engine than some people spend on tires, it puts a smile on your face like almost nothing else. I can't wait to see what it will do on a real race track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Great words of encouragment... I needed to read somthing like that right about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I couldnt count either. And currently my car is running like crap but hopefully some magnecor plug wires that are on order will fix the problem. But for a good while before i wrecked my car it was running great. And i mean great. It was so much fun. completely dominated my friends modified twin turbo S4 that he has like 25k into. When i get down int he dumps this may be sad but i throw in wangan midnight. lol Gets my heart pumping, and gives me the drive to do some more work on the zed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJLamberson Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 I couldnt count either. And currently my car is running like crap but hopefully some magnecor plug wires that are on order will fix the problem. But for a good while before i wrecked my car it was running great. And i mean great. It was so much fun. completely dominated my friends modified twin turbo S4 that he has like 25k into. When i get down int he dumps this may be sad but i throw in wangan midnight. lol Gets my heart pumping, and gives me the drive to do some more work on the zed. Burn me a copy? lol. Its the wiring part I hate and that is still holding me back. I hope it really is worth it. in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 copy of what? wangan midnight? if so just dl them. they are on torrents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeatrpi Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Sean, keep updating your build thread like you did the other day. Its very helpful! I'm going to the basement now to see about relocating my PCV a-la sean style.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palauoriginal Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 amen. cept gas prices = my wallet is hurting. Sean, keep updating your build thread like you did the other day. Its very helpful! agreed. keep it up =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 280ZForce Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I need to stop being lazy one of these days and make a build thread *sighs* but yes, dump days are easy to come by. BUT definitely worth every second, minute, hour, day, month, year(s) that it takes to accomplish it to drive the beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedgato Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Nice job!! I heard you did well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted October 1, 2008 Author Share Posted October 1, 2008 Heh, thanks guys. Yeah, I did alright. I went from a first run of 56.9 down to a 51.2 in 6 runs. The fast guys were running 45.x-47.x though so I still have some work to do. I'm about on pace with the rest of the novice group I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgary280ZT Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 The timing for your thread couldn't be better. My car's been out of commission most of the summer while we put the new head, turbo etc on it...and now it won't run! Talk about frustrating. First we weak and intermittent spark, now no spark at all. We've been working our way through the ignition wiring, checking all the components. Doesn't help that Wolf V500 ECU was just installed, so who knows if a wire is loose or a ground isn't grounded properly...could be anything. Back at it tonight. Can't tell how much I want to drive the car!!! And I agree, it's going to worth all the trouble.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calpoly-z Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I feel y'all. I spent most of the summer painting my car. i finally finished a couple weeks ago and was able to take her out for a spin. Test drive went great. The next day I drove out to the golf course with a friend not even driving hard and the car overheats, blows the head gasket and warps the head. I got to drive my car for one frickin day looking pretty. Now the head is at the machine shop and who know how much this is going to cost me. Too damn much, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 How ironic that I created this thread last year. As some of you may have noticed, I've sold off my major turbo components this weekend. I'm going back to N/A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I don't race or autocross my turbo 280Z but it has been nothing but sweetness. Â It is the best driving car in our household. Â Smooth, reliable, fast and it puts a smile on my face all the time. Â The only time it causes any trouble is when I try to tweak it because I am bored. Â Granted, I don't DD it. I beat on it only about 3-5K miles a year. Â Good luck with the N/A project! Â Keep us in the loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 (edited) Thanks Dave. I definitely don't hate the turbo setup I'm getting rid of, I'll miss the power dearly. It was an absolute blast to run around town with and pass people at full boost driving up the one lane roads to Phoenix. However, I do want to start hitting up more track days, and for sure make every autocross in the coming months. Being busy, poor, and in college, I need something that I can absolutely rail on time and time again without having to constantly worry about pinging, intercooler heat soak, fuel starvation, etc (most of which was probably my fault for trying to squeeze in every last degree of timing and pound of boost I could). I could have achieved that with my current setup, but at an even greater cost than what I've already sunk into the thing. I've already taken 75lbs out of the car since getting a cushy daily driver, and I'm really looking forward to see how much weight I lose in turbo things. Another reason I'm doing this is having all this power has made me a lazy driver, especially at the autocross course. The higher I turned the boost, the slower my course times. I was forgetting to carry speed through the corner, instead concentrating on straightening the wheel as fast as possible so I could nail the throttle - definitely not the fastest way around the track. With a lighter, less torquey car, I'll be forced to use my driving to get around the track quickly, not my power. Edited March 6, 2010 by X64v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 (edited) Â -------edited Edited March 7, 2010 by cygnusx1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 (edited) Thanks Dave.  I definitely don't hate the turbo setup I'm getting rid of, I'll miss the power dearly.  It was an absolute blast to run around town with and pass people at full boost driving up the one lane roads to Phoenix. However, I do want to start hitting up more track days, and for sure make every autocross in the coming months.  Being busy, poor, and in college, I need something that I can absolutely rail on time and time again without having to constantly worry about pinging, intercooler heat soak, fuel starvation, etc (most of which was probably my fault for trying to squeeze in every last degree of timing and pound of boost I could).  I could have achieved that with my current setup, but at an even greater cost than what I've already sunk into the thing. I've already taken 75lbs out of the car since getting a cushy daily driver, and I'm really looking forward to see how much weight I lose in turbo things.  Another reason I'm doing this is having all this power has made me a lazy driver, especially at the autocross course.  The higher I turned the boost, the slower my course times.  I was forgetting to carry speed through the corner, instead concentrating on straightening the wheel as fast as possible so I could nail the throttle - definitely not the fastest way around the track.  With a lighter, less torquey car, I'll be forced to use my driving to get around the track quickly, not my power. Great philosophy.  Less power will teach you to be a better racer no doubt.  The typical L28ET turbo lag can definitely be a handicap in a tighter autocross.  Also, the N/A will give you plenty of rev range to work with in the autocross.  You can keep your shifting to a minimum, and concentrate on carrying speeds.  I just didn't want people to get the wrong impression about the L28ET swap.  It can be very reliable. Edited March 7, 2010 by cygnusx1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 I just didn't want people to get the wrong impression about the L28ET swap.  It can be very reliable. Me neither, I don't mean to badmouth the setup at all. I absolutely enjoyed the motor and used it as a DD for over 20k miles. An N/A motor is simply going to be better suited to this car's purpose at the moment and create a more conducive environment in which for me to hone my driving skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I didn't get greedy with my turbo setup, and ran well over 50K miles before putting it to sleep, still capable of more, but just wanting to progress to EFI and not having the time to do the conversion as well as all the other things on the car I want to do... I remember being told how a turbo did't auto-x well, how it was non-linear power, blah blah blah... first run down the course with an instructor in the car and it was like "THIS IS A TURBO CAR? OH MAN I GOT TO DRIVE THIS!" It's all how it's setup. Problem is, even with a very low boost setup, you need BIG STICKY tires and GOOD suspension to keep it stuck down. Really, the car has more power than most people can handle. My car was more at home on a big track doing open track events than trying to do pin-turns and low-speed slaloms. I still remember getting scolded for lighting up my 265's to make a pin turn instead of doing an E-Brake initiated turn. "That's not how you do it!" But the time slip said otherwise... The Corvette guys there seemed to like it as well. One day that one will come back, for even bigger tracks and higher speeds. For an Auto-X I've got my eye on this 510 anyway, and JeffP's old Z32 would make a willing engine donor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 currently switching my ecm to a vipec v44 and a redo on the efi harness.then its off to the dyno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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