Kent Moore J-25400 EFI Analyzer

[sjb15316]

First off, I'm not sure if this should be here or in the Electrical, but here goes....

I have the opportunity to purchase one of these units for my 83 280ZX (non-turbo) 2+2. I Googled the unit and came across an article from "Mitchell 1" that had a "Technical Service Bulletin" regarding use of said unit on an 83. It reads something to the effect to NOT use "Special Tool EFI Analyzer on any 1983 Nissan product with electronic fuel injection". It may cause damage to the car's electrical system or the analyzer itself and to use the alternate form of testing with a volt-ohm meter.

Has anyone on here used one of these units on an 83? Appreciate any response before I go to the pains of buying it and having it shipped.

Again, if this is in the wrong forum, my apologies and please (if you can) move it to the appropriate forum which I might guess is "electrical". Thanks.

[Wade Nelson]

I've looked at those on ebay. I have an electrical engineering degree --and have worked endlessly on auto electrical and electronics.

My basic feeling was I was going to have to invest SO MANY hours learning how to use it, what it could and could not do, it would be equivalent to taking a college level course -- with a 4 hour lab... that's ASSUMING they haven't lost the manual...

Normally, fuel injection, I want to FIX IT and get done. And 99% of that can be done with a DVOM. Fairly rapidly.

Once you became an expert with the Kent-Moore, my god, you could go to Z-shows, plug in, and test cars one right after the next, be a super-hero, identify failing sensors, all kinds of stuff, but...is that really where you want to go? And chances are MOST owners would be unwilling to pay you anything NEAR what it would be worth to compensate you for all the time you spent mastering it -- like $200 to plug in.... and most the time tell them NOTHING!

just imagine if you could find a former Datsun tech who had mastered it, and could short-cut your learning curve...

so then you've got the issue of the box being incompatible with the later (83) Z's, and it would probably take a guy just like ME just to FIGURE OUT the nature of the incompatibility, and how to work around it....and avoid damaging later model cars ... unless it was just changing the pinouts on certain connectors... but its more likely airflow meter changes, etc.

I decided not to buy one, and would, especially in light of the warning, suggest likewise. Unless you indeed DO have the time and energy to master that toybox and the inclination to become a leading expert on Z- EFI diagnosis.

Maybe someday I'll have the time, but I'm more likely to spend it volunteering at a soup kitchen or group home than rounding the country doing Z EFI diagnosis for $10/hour or less. God willing, maybe I could do both.

Edited December 20, 2012 by Wade Nelson

[sblake01]

........just imagine if you could find a former Datsun tech who had mastered it, and could short-cut your learning curve....

If there ever such an individual existed, I've never come across him.......

[sjb15316]

Wade... I appreciate the response. I was just wondering if this was an "isolated" incident or an on-going problem.

I know, back a few years, in the medical field the antibiotic "Tetracycline" had been labeled as one of the drugs that can poison you after it ages. The truth of the matter was, someone (ONE PERSON, in fact) had left their prescription in the sun and the heat (or actual sun) did cause it to become poisonous. After that it spread like wildfire to throw all your Tetracycline out, it WOULD (not could) turn to poison. That was my only thought... was this bulletin in response to a mechanic hooking it up wrong and blew the ECU or the tester up??? Pretty easy to call a foul if no one is around to see you caused it. Happened to me while my Z body guy had mine. He fried the ECU on it and denied any wrong doing.

The guy that owns the tester, says all the instructions and jumpers/harnesses are included, so other than following the instructions, I don't see a problem on "learning the capabilities" of the tester.

Anyway, that was all I was getting at.... I don't want to "fry" anything else and was wondering if any other 83 owners had used one in the past with good or bad results. Nonetheless, I do appreciate your thoughts.