KDMatt

Forgive me, but I have heard that this is not a good idea. If you replace the slave, you should replace the master as well at around the same time. What I have heard is that the increased 'freshness' and boost in pressure on your hydraulic system, as a result of the new slave and fluid, can accelerate the wear on an already (presumably) failing master. No personal experience to back this up -- just what I've been told by a few sources. I replaced both the master and slave cyls on my Bimmer in a similar fashion, for similar reasons (don't ask me about working on german cars, it was not a fun experience) ...

If memory serves (and it may not), there was an off-the-shelf turbo kit for the L28 that was made before the 280ZXT was in production ... RaeJay or something like that? Minimal compression fed through a J-tube (something like 9psi) ... which, of course, ran the risk of cooking some pistons. I doesn't sound like the safest or most practical setup, but kits have been produced to run on these engines. I think Nissan essentially emulated these setups but reduced compression to something like 7.3:1 with the P90 head, to make sure you wouldn't destroy anything, .

Squirting oil into the cylinders is actually a very good way to determine if your rings are worn out. The theory being that if they're worn, the compression well go up as they meet oil. I believe the engine warm requirement has a bit more to do with the fact that the engine will have expanded on a microscopic level, allowing for a better seal between the rings and cylinder walls.

Beautiful. Thank you gentleman for the succint, clear information (as always). Dave... not fair, now I'm just drooling

I'm trying to make arrangements to pick up a complete Turbo engine from an '83 ZX. My intention, once I get this new 'toy' home, is to put it up on an engine stand, however I can't seem to find any truly definitive threads (forgive the pun) about what the correct diameter and thread type ought to be. I've seen it suggested that one should use headbolts, but I don't exactly have that option ATM -- nor do I even know, again, what the diameter and pitch of those bolts are. I've gone to the hardware store and pre-emptively purchased some 10mm 1.25 (fine thread?) long flange bolts, grade 8.8 ... Is this what I need? I recall finding a thread where a gentleman had also purchased that diameter and thread and reported back that it wasn't working for him. Some help would be great, thanks.

Update: Curiously enough folks, I cleaned up the chassis-ground wire in the engine bay/firewall off of the battery terminal and... fingers crossed... so far so good. *knocks on some wood* ... just goes to show that corrosion really IS the enemy...

For sure! I always thought it was the metal fans that had a bed rep! From what I understand, hooking up an electric fan is a pretty simple task. It should come with a "programmable" thermostat and gets wired up to the battery. Most auto parts stores have kits in stock. Is the radiator still usable? ... It didn't puncture anything major did it? Just a case of bending the fins back and putting on a new fan?

I don't know a TON about the version of the S30 that you folks overseas got, but as far as I understand it ... a LOT of stuff off of that 240 should work on your 260 ... in fact even some of the mechanicals from a later second generation Z will work on an older 240/260. So that includes the doors and chassis components and certainly there are quite a few engine components that are transferrable as well. Radiator, starter, valve cover, etc. etc. It won't be a spot on match, as I'd imagine that the electricals on the later year were quite a bit different, but most of the major stuff, from what I know, remained unchanged and interchangeable.

Hello Sarah, Actually, the parking lights/dash lights all run off of a fuse that I did eventually track down in the early hours this morning. It's a 20A fuse, and I've replaced it ... so far so good. The dome light/map light/voltometer do actually share a fuse -- that's one thing that I can make sense of in my wiring diagram for my '76 ... No doubts though that there is some, as you say "ad hoc" wiring afoot. Good info about the door jamb switches, I'll investigate my dome-light itself now... like I said, it only happens at night when I would notice. ... say you don't suppose there's a wattage limit on that bulb do you? I replaced mine not long ago, and I could swear that it's brighter than the one I had before.

Short version: My car has blown the same fuse three times in the last 2 days -- the fuse for the voltometer, map light and dome light. I believed the issue to be a short in the door-jamb switch, and I -thought- I'd rectified it. New issue: No parking lights/running lights or dash lights. I'm digging around in my wiring diagram, absolutely blind. Stupid question: is there a fuse for this? Long version: I started having electrical troubles after I put in a new starter (the old one was starting to grind, so I figured $35 was worth the extra state of mind). The aforementioned fuse (voltometer/dome light/map light) blew for the first time, but only blew at night after running with the lights on -- this fuse has never blown in the daylight, only at night after parking the car, shutting off the lights, and opening the door. I've replaced that fuse again for the third time (proper 10A fuse), and fiddled with the door-jamb switch for the dome-light, to make certain that it wasn't just a short in the switch. So far so good until tonight, I flick on my lights and I've only got the headlights -- no running taillights or parking lights, and no dash illumination. Seriously, what the hell. Is there any way these two circuits share a connection? A ground wire perhaps? I'm assuming the fuse block itself has some kind of ground wire? Maybe? I cant make heads or tails of the electrical diagram -- I hate dealing with wiring. I'm losing my mind over this car, please help me

OK, still digging. Fuses all check out fine, as do fusible links. Dome light won't turn on however the bulb is fine, reads continuity on the multimeter. So now I'm very very confused, and the FSM isn't being of much help to enlighten me today. Got the bezel on the dash removed, getting ready to poke around in there too. EDIT: FSM talks about an "Instrument Harness" -- that seems to be the one thing that all three of these components have in common, but where I go from here is absolutely beyond me. I can't identify this harness... and even if I could, I've got no idea what to test or how. I feel like I'm just shooting in the dark, and with it being the absolute peak of allergy season, my patience is a bit strained... Help please. I'm totally lost. EDIT EDIT: Also noticed that the clock isn't working either now... on the bright side at least I know exactly when everything stopped working?

Thanks Tomohawk. Perhaps I just happened to burn out the bulb or something by coincidence. I've got my FSM right in front of me now, and as I'm peering through it, it looks like the voltometer and map light DO however share a connector/connection... because in addition to the dome light going out, I also no longer have the use of my map light. Now that it's daylight I'm going to go do some poking around with my multimeter just to see what's what. In the FSM I see a schematic (figure BE-73) that shows the fuel/volt gauge connected to a fuse coming off of the ignition relay ... thing is, the fuel gauge still works just fine, 'wonder if losing that fuse would cause me just to lose the voltometer or both fuel and volts would go...

Seconded. My inclination is that you'd hear it/feel it all the way through the RPM range (more pronounced in first gear than second?), and at idle too...

Hey Tyler, glad you brought her back to life... Well, technically, according to what I've read, the pump is not supposed to run when it's just in the "on" position unless the engine is cranking or running. There is a kill circuit in the Air-Flow-Meter (I think you referred to it as the "air thingy?") that makes sure that no gas is pumping unless the engine is spinning, as that would create a hazard if the car ever (heaven forbid) got into a wreck. However, I'll tell you that in my '76 I CAN hear the fuel pump when I just click the key to 'On' ... the wiring in mine is a little shady in some spots though. In short, I believe what you're experiencing with your pump is normal. Enjoy the car.

Very random, very 'all of a sudden' ... I left the gas station after refueling and discovered that my voltometer was pinned all the way to the left, indicating a big fat zero for system voltage (which was obviously impossible, seeing as the car was running and the lights were on, etc.) I confirmed the operational status of the electronics by taking my multimeter to the battery -- I got a nice steady 13.5 at idle (with lights on) and about 14.1 revved up (with lights still on), so I know the system is absolutely fine. The weird thing is, the dome light also stopped working after the same stop that caused the voltometer to stop working, coincidence? I don't have my FSM right in front of me (and even if it were, I'm terrible with schematics anyway), but I'm curious if there's any remote chance that the light and voltometer share a relay/fuse/ground/circuit somewhere. Otherwise I'm open to possible suggestions for getting the voltometer to work again. I don't think anything is physically wrong with the guage, as I can bang on the top of the dash and it still bounces, it just seems to be behaving as though it isn't even hooked up. Help is appreciated, thanks folks!

I must opine and say that I'm also enjoying the green color -- very unique. Who knows, perhaps once you get her cleaned off it may not look so bad... perhaps a bit of wet-sanding and buffing will make it look presentable again? Fantastic find my friend, welcome to the madness. :stupid:

Ok folks, update: Finally got the job done, without removing the MC. This is a job of four-letter expletives, like... all of them... especially when it comes to the retaining spring (piece of mother @#^%in etc. etc. etc.) ... Anyway, all is said and done now and HOLY ____ ... my brakes have NEVER felt so good in the entire time I've owned the car ... they actually feel... sporty? Jeez, the booster must have slowly been going out because this is incredible, simply incredible. I can't believe how sensitive they feel, I barely have to tap on them to feel stopping power. I'm really impressed. :classic: Now, time to clean up and enjoy brakes. In fact... I think I'll fix a snack and have a ... 'brake' ... myself...

Assuming you're like most folks and you hold your foot to the brake when you start the car, as soon as the engine fires up you should feel the brake pedal getting 'sucked' down a bit further from the added vacuum assist. At least that's how it feels in my 280 ... perhaps it's a bit different in a 240 or 260... .. but I can tell you one thing, if you had a 280, you'd notice if you had a pretty sizeable vacuum leak (i.e. in the booster) -- does pretty funny things to the idle on these cars...

Sweet. That's exactly what I needed to hear. :classic: I have no desire to mess with brake hydraulics, even though, technically the repair manual says you're supposed to pull the brake lines out of the MC. New booster comes in tomorrow (long story, short: was out of town, it came in while I was gone, and even though I told them to hold it, they sent it back when I didn't claim it... reordered on Sat), so with any luck I'll be sittin' pretty by tomorrow night.

Hrm, I was completely unaware of that... *Gulp* ... how do you know? In that case Tyler, I'd recommend you find a cheap timing light and use that to make sure your coil is pulsing.

You can see if your coil is any good by pulling a sparkplug and holding it against the valve cover (or anything electrically grounded ... wouldn't recommend your battery though, for obvious reasons) ... and as you try to crank the car over you should see the spark leaping across the terminals on the plug if the coil and plug are both any good. The fusible links are contained in the two 'boxes' just in front of the battery. I'd have to find a picture to show you exactly what I was talking about -- they're basically wires that are designed to melt and break current if they're overloaded, like fuses more or less. -- What you're talking about, the things coming off of the battery are important though too -- one is the chassis grounding wire, and the other provides positive current to the fuel-injection goodies (someone else will have to step in to help me on this one... the drop resistor I think it's called?) ... so hooking those back up is kind of important .. .and if done improperly could screw something up. You smell gas? That's a good sign, that means that its' getting to the engine, now just make sure it's not leaking all over something somewhere -- or more importantly, make sure it's actually getting squirted into the cydlinders... Also, you might want to check and make sure all of your vacuum hoses are connected/in tact. (after 30+ years, if they haven't been paid attention to, I'm sure there have to be a few that are falling apart)... If you lose enough vacuum at the manifold you don't have a prayer of getting an EFI Z to start. You can check to see if your injectors are pulsing two ways: 1 (the less accurate, but easier way) pull your plugs after trying to crank -- if they're all wet with gas, then you know ... 2 (the more 'official' way) -- take a multimeter, set to DC and pull the connectors off of the injectors, place the test leads into the +/- on the connectors ... and as you crank you should see the voltage spike/invert in very quick spurts. ----------- I say look at your injectors first (especially if the positive terminal wiring is a bit suspect), and make sure they're doing their job. If fuel, then check spark. If you have spark AND fuel (which I somehow kind of doubt), then look at all of your vacuum hoses, especially around the brake booster. I hope this is all helping so far. Best of luck!

Hey Tyler, Have you had a chance to check on any of your fuel stuff? The fuel-injection on these cars can be really sensitive and tricky to revive (but once you get it dialed-in correctly, it'll run flawlessly for a long time -- mine can sit for months and start back up again like it's only been sitting for a few hours). How's your fuel pressure? Is your pump ok? What about your fuses? Fusible links? Is your coil working? Are your injectors pulsing?

OK, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like I can remove the booster without having to mess with/bleed any of the brake hydraulics? ... As in the master cylinder can come out of there as one, unmolested unit? This is just an issue for me because if I have to bleed the system/mess with hydraulics, I need to have another person to help me, but if I can leave all of that alone, it looks like I could "easily" take care of this job by myself.

Perhaps I'll do a little research then before I decide. Thanks for the useful tidbit!

Good to know. As I'm looking at parts online, I see two options, one is the 8.5 inch diameter booster, the other is the 10 inch diameter booster. Is it reasonable to assume that the 10" is for the 2+2?