Captain Obvious

Awesome. Thanks for the input. We're staying at one of the big hotels on the strip. My wife is out there for business and I'm just tagging along to carry her bags. So during the days, she'll be tied up and I should have some time to explore the stuff that she wouldn't be interested in. Evenings will probably be work related social gatherings and I expect there will be some shows as part of that. The cubic dollars thing is typical. I'd love to do the heli-tour of the canyon, but I don't think I've got $400 to drop on that. If I did, I'd probably be taking some laps in a Ferrari.

I'm headed to Vegas next week for a couple days. Never been there before and I'm looking for suggestions. Anything Z related there that I have to do while I'm out there? I'm flying both ways, so it's not like I can carry a hood home with me, but are there good junkyards in the area that I could peruse while I'm there? I'm so used to seeing nothing but new cars in the yards around me because everything else rusts to death. Anyone here local to the Vegas area? I've started a list and here's some of things I'd like to try to find time to do: Grand Canyon Hoover Dam Banger Brewing (Found lots of "brewpubs", but this one seems like beer is primary and gambling is secondary) Tenaya Creek Brewery (same as above) Las Vegas' Block 16 Oldenburg Flashlight at University of Nevada UNLV Solar Site Yucca Mountain Science Center Las Vegas Natural History Museum The Auto Collections at the Quad Casino Springs Preserve Nevada Test Site History Center National Atomic Testing Museum Red Rock Canyon The neon museum Anyone want to help sponsor me at Dream Racing ?

Thanks all for the suggestions on alternative ideas to making my own captive washer systems. zKars, Those Phillips head bolts you linked to look great and I've got no problem with having a flat washer in addition to the lock. On the contrary, that would have been nice. Unfortunately, however, for the 300ZX I really wanted socket head because of Nissan's stupid design of the intake plenum partially eclipsing the injectors and their mounting screws. On the 300ZX it's impossible to get a straight on shot at some of the fuel injector screws and with a ball ended hex key driver you can deal with more misalignment with the socket head than you can with a Phillips screwdriver. However... Since I've traded my 300 for a 280, it's unlikely I'll have to do that again. And the screws you found look like they would work great for the 280Z because you could skip the screwdriver completely and just use a socket on it instead. You don't have that option on the 300ZX.

The ZX pics are 2 volts/div vertical and 5 ms/div horizontal. That means the ZX output is about 12v p-p with a period of about 15 ms. If I'm doing the math right, that's about 1300 RPM engine speed, so you're seeing an output just a little above idle? For the Z pic I didn't record any of the scales, but I used the same drill and I wanted to get enough cycles on the screen to get a full conveyance of what the output really looked like. Also, it's not a storage scope, so I cranked the intensity up and between that and the little persistence natural in the phosphor I was able to get the shots. In other words, a faster horizontal access is easier for me to get a good pic, and I probably had the drill nearly full bore in both shots. The point is... The horizontal axis is probably the same between both versions, but I really can't be sure about the vertical scale. Looking at the design however, I would expect the ZX pickup to give a higher output at the same RPM, and I also expect it to be more accurate because manufacturing tolerances between teeth would average out and there should be less jitter between cylinders.

I got some new pics. Here's the ZX distributor spinning the correct (as used) direction: And here's the ZX distributor spinning backwards(as used). You can clearly see the asymmetry caused by the shape of the reluctor. Someone way smarter than me would be able to explain why that difference is so much more pronounced in one direction that the other. Probably has to do with all that black magic like flux density and the hysteresis of the B-H curve. However, since it's spinning the wrong direction, it's purely academic. Here's the pic: Here's the wire polarity I used for the ZX dizzy. I didn't research how it's really used in the ignition system, but for these pics I used red a positive and green as negative: And I dug back through my pics and found this pic of when I did the Z distributor. For those pics I just arbitrarily connected wires and at that time I used green for positive and red for negative. That's why the polarities are different between my Z and ZX pics.

An impact wrench on the adjuster nut might also help knock the eccentric loose. Put the lock bolt back through and the adjuster plate that mates with the hex and then try an impact on the adjuster nut on the plate? Or maybe an impact wrench right on the hex portion of the eccentric? Just make sure you don't crack the eccentric (yet). You could also maybe try putting the lock bolt back through backwards and using an impact chisel on the head of the bolt to see if you can push the eccentric through. Lube everything first. Or weld a piece of thick rod or bar to the big washer end of the eccentric and use that as a handle to try to turn or knock the eccentric from the big end? Good luck with the inevitable battle!

Haha! That is is my friend! At least my 02 HL only has two of them in the rear. I'm not sure which is better... Having those, or having no camber adjustment at all. Well getting the centre lock bolt out is the first hurdle and getting one of the plates off the end is the next. Problem with heat is that the eccentric tube is all the way down in the middle and is surrounded by the rubber bushing. If you're going to use any heat, you need to get it on the eccentric and not simply heat the outside of the control arm. You can blast propane down the center hole left open after removal of the lock bolt, and your idea about water getting the temp down quickly is probably faster than Freon blast. You might follow the water up with some Freon to sub-cool the eccentric below the temp that the water would achieve? The slide hammer idea is a good one. If you can get that sleeve to move at all, I think you'll be able to get it out completely. I tried turning the hex part of the sleeve until there was no more hex part, and I tried pounding it through until there was nothing but a bloody mushroomed stump remaining. I finally ended up prying the ears on the undercarriage apart enough to get in there with a reciprocating saw and cut the control arm out (just like the Z spindle pins). I knew something wouldn't survive, so I had to concentrate the sawing on the control arm to salvage the undercarriage ears. Not knowing how it really went together was part of the challenge. That and frustration of course. Now knowing how it works, another suggestion is to drill out the eccentric. You need a drill bit with an OD the same or just slightly smaller than the OD of the eccentric. And you don't have to go all the way through, just deep enough to get beyond the holes in the receiving ear flanges of the undercarriage. That way you can pull the control arm off the car and deal with the rest of the eccentric still left in the hole on the bench instead of on the car. If you can get the arm off the car, you can use a hydraulic press to get any remaining stub of that eccentric out of the bushing. And failing that, you might be able to find a replacement bushing without having to replace the entire arm? If there isn't enough room to swing a drill, you might be able to use a dremel? Or a hacksaw down through the eccentric to collapse it on itself (just like some people do with the Z bushings). Another last ditch idea would be to first determine that you can get replacement bushings without (without having to buy an entire control arm) and if so, you can use hotter heat (oxy-acet) on the eccentric. The rubber of the bushing would be destroyed, but the additional heat may make it possible to get the eccentric to move. I feel for ya!!!

Woof. Highlander maybe? I ended up having to replace a control arm because of that. The usual... penetrating oil. judicious use of heat. Pound first on the cheap parts, etc. You got the lock bolt completely out of the center already right? Can you get the one side eccentric washer off (the one that fits over the hex part of the sleeve you posted)? If you give up and have to do the whole arm, one little piece of good news is that the new control arm comes with the bushing installed already. At least on the Highlander. I looked a lot for a decent Toyota forum and finaly ended up here > Toyota Nation Forum. I'm only there for the Highlander, but if that's what you're working on, I'll recognize you there (or maybe you'll figure me out over there first).

That's nice work. You'd have to know what you're looking for to catch that.

Haha! It's like bricking a camel.

Last time I messed with that I bought stainless socket head cap screws and modified them to include captive lock washers. Was not a fun project and I'm not sure I'd do it again. I went through that trouble because it was on my 300ZX and the screws go in almost vertical. The washers are almost guaranteed to fall off the screws if they aren't captive. So question is... Anyone have a source for SHCS like that which have captive lock washers so you don't run the risk of dropping washers down into the bowels of the intake/exhaust manifolds by accident? Stainless would be preferred, but a good chromate coat would be good enough.

Yeah, it makes perfect sense to me too now, but it would have been better for my self image if I had figured that out before I saw traces on the scope that made me go "huh?" You're not spinning a bipolar magnet past the pickup alternating poles like a generator. You're just moving one of a number of the same polarity pole towards the pickup from one side or the other. I don't know if they are all N or all S (and it doesn't even matter), but all the poles are the same. No, I'm not going to measure dwell as that is more a function of the electronics in the module, not the reluctor design. Also, I don't have a ZX ignition module as it's already been harvested off the ZX dizzy that I have. All I've got is red and green pickup wires sticking out the side of the module. Yes. Yes, you are.

OK, so reluctors and stuff. Here's the pic that started the conversation: And I did check to see if I have a ZX dizzy, and I do. I hooked it up to the scope and the pickup works, but I didn't get to taking pics yet. But in the meantime, I had my own "Doh!" moment... You know all that stuff about rotational direction? It's BS. With the Z distributor, the waveforms look the same regardless of which direction you spin the shaft, and here's the reason: The voltage changes you see on the scope are caused by the changing magnetic field through the wires wound inside the pickup. You approach the pickup point and the magnetic field increases - Current is induced in one direction. You reach the pickup point and the field stops increasing - Current stops. You move away from the pickup point and the magnetic field decreases - Current is induced again, but in the other direction. But here's the thing... It doesn't matter which way you approach the pickup point from, since the pole of the magnet isn't changing, the current will always be induced in the same direction regardless of what direction you approach from. The steep zero crossing will always be in the same direction regardless of the rotational direction. The only way to change the waveform polarity would be to use the other magnet pole (which you can't do) or to switch the wires to the scope. In reality, the only way to change the direction of the steep zero crossing is to swap the wires. Doh! I should have known that... :stupid: The ZX dizzy changes the waveform a little because of the assymetric shape of the reluctor, but the Z would be the same in either direction. Only way to change the polarity is to swap the wires.

I went through the same thing and hopefully you won't repeat my mistakes. There are at least four different versions of that rear window trim. First design - Used up till they redesigned the rear strut towers? Maybe 70-73 and "early" 74's Has a low notch in the lower rear corner for the strut tower Has a hole for the upper seat belt mount Second design - Used when they redesigned the rear struts. Maybe late 74's only? Maybe 75 as well? Has a HIGH notch in the lower rear corner for the strut tower Has a hole for the upper seat belt mount Third design - Used after they moved the seat belt to the strut tower. Maybe 76 only? Maybe 75 as well? Has a high notch in the lower rear corner for the strut tower Does NOT have a hole for the upper seat belt mount Final design - Used when they moved the speaker to right behind the seats. 77-78 only Has a high notch in the lower rear corner for the strut tower Does NOT have a hole for the upper seat belt mount Has speaker holes So getting to the details of your question... For a 77, you definitely need something that has the high notch. If you're planning to use speakers in the stock locations, then you'll want a pair from 77-78. If you're not going to run speakers in the stock spots, then maybe you want a pair from an earlier year without the holes. But be aware that if you go too far back in the chronology, you'll start getting into versions that have the seat belt hole (which you don't need). If you can't find anything without the seat belt hole, you could patch it and paint it, but just be aware that you'll need to do that. If you get really desperate, I believe you could use an even earlier version and extend the height of the strut notch with a hacksaw. Doesn't have to be perfect because that edge is mostly hidden by your seat belt mount cover on top of the strut tower. Here's a pic of the last two designs highlighting some of the features. 77-78 on left, 76 (and maybe 75?) on right:

Rumor? Really? Now that piques my interest! I didn't get the chance to look to see if I had a ZX dizzy laying around, but I'll try to do that tomorrow.

No, Not a Pun. It's a Palindrome! Glad to hear that the head condition didn't ruin your day. I guess I just take stuff like that harder. When I buy cheap used from a junkyard untested, I takes my chances. But when I pay good money for something that's supposed to be rebuilt, tested, and drop in ready? I expect more. Back to the job at hand... A question for the collective. What's the consensus of Felpro head gaskets for the Z? Are they a good choice, or are there better options?

Absolutely. With all that coil ringing being pushed back into the primary side! But do remember... My pic is in the quiet environment of my bench. I could do the same thing and take a pic of a points style distributor using a pull up resistor instead of a coil and I would get beautiful clean square waves. It's not until you put the distributor it in a car and get all that flyback noise from the coil that things get messy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some coil noise that would show up in the electronic distributor as well. The ignition module would help isolate the pickup from the coil noise, but I bet $5 that it wouldn't get rid of all of it. In other words, I bet that same pic would look a lot dirtier when taken "as installed" with the engine running.

At the time I took that shot I didn't really care what direction it was spinning. I just wanted to see the wave shape. However... When you look down at the distributor as installed, it spins CCW. I used a drill on the distributor shaft to spin it, and I see no reason why I would have switched the drill to reverse for the pic. So that would mean that the shaft spinning CW as viewed from the bottom would result in the correct spinning direction as viewed from above? In other words, my pic could very well be the correct spinning direction. There's no reason why Datsun couldn't have used the falling edge to trigger. The best edge to trigger something like this is the steepest one with the greatest rate of change regardless of the direction (rising or falling). I'm sure the trigger point is the center of the pulse where the steepest section occurs by the zero crossing. I doubt the triggering is amplitude based, and I also doubt they are triggering on either of the curved lower sloped areas leading up to or trailing where the reluctor passes the pickup. But regardless of the true direction, it's easy to see how changing the polarity would mess with the timing. I might have a ZX distributor laying around... If I do, I'll snap a pic of that output. And I'll be sure to actually pay attention and verify the correct spin direction.

Sounds like good progress. Here's to hoping that everything works out as planned. What brand head gasket are you planning to use? And are you going to say anything to the head supplier about selling you a "rebuilt" head with three stripped out holes in it and a mangled stud? Personally, I'd be pissed.

"doh!" Glad it was that simple!! Don't remember if I was spinning this the correct direction or not, but here's what the reluctor pulses look like. Other direction would be mirror image about Y axis:

I've thought about what the grease does at high temps and spinning as well, and I've come to the same conclusion as John Coffey. I don't think it goes far and it certainly doesn't liquefy. When I took my old rear wheel bearings out, it was clear that the grease never left the immediate areas of the bearings. There wasn't a lot in there and it was all located by the bearings. I had to use mechanical means to remove it. When I put my bearings back together, I packed the entire recess completely full on the first one. Took about half a tub of grease. a strikingly large amount. After I got done with the assy, I tested the turning torque required to spin the hub, and it was too much. I didn't measure it, but clearly way more force than it should take to spin. Like the grease was trying to get out of the way of the balls, but just had no place to go. When I did the second hub, I packed the balls with grease and a little extra and put the thing together. Felt just like I would have expected it to. So based on those results, and because of where I found grease on the original bearings when I did the disassembly, I took the first side apart, scooped out most of the grease and put it back together again. Feels perfect and matched the other side.

Not really sure what you're asking, but here's another description of how the headlight system works... When you turn on the switch on the multi-function stalk on the right hand side of the steering wheel it allows current flow from the battery, through the headlight switch, and to the headlights. Out at the headlights, at any given time, only one of the two beam filaments is connected to anything. One of the filaments is hanging open (no-connect) and the other filament is connected to ground through the beam selector switch built into the turn signal switch on the left hand side of the steering wheel. The filament that will light is the one that is grounded. The one that is no-connect will not light. What your doing when you toggle HI/LO beams, is you toggle which of those two filaments is connected to ground and which one is hanging open.

Oh! I thought it was something functional that you didn't like. I lurk seat swap threads and I've seen some not so good reviews of the Miata seats. My interpretation of the consensus is that they look a lot better than they feel. Especially the first design. My own personal impressions after sitting in them is that the ones you have were undeserving of the bad press. Getting a little off topic now, but I shied away from the Miata seats because of the reputation and am going with Fiero seats instead. Thanks for the feedback and info!

That's a really neat idea.

Zedyone, Any details you can share on what you disliked about the Miata seats?