Aaron's 75 280Z

[Aaron Datsun]

Mainly you darrel. The Z has been sitting it has been very cold the past couple weeks. I think I might bite teh bullet and replace the transmission mounts with the poly mounts now that I know I have them, and it is pretty clean under the car.

[Aaron Datsun]

Alright awakening from my winter slumber. I got a giant intercooler today, and now all I need is a BOV. I am going with a Tial 50mm. I should have some new time lapses and videos in the coming months. I also picked up some new brake rotors. I am going to be bleeding the brakes and putting in some Motul fluid as well when spring finally hits. Not a lot going on this year, just going to get her to the track some More. Here is what I am looking to do in the next month.

 

1. Install Intercooler and BOV

2. Remove Emergency Relief Valve

3. Build Manual Boost Controller, or buy an electronic one (any opinions?)

4. Replace Transmission mounts with the poly ones I have

5. Replace front brake rotors.

 

The goal is to do both time lapses and informative videos this year. that way I can upload them on the youtube. This should be a good year.

[Aaron Datsun]

Not my car below! So some pictures of the intercooler from the seller. She is sitting in my garage now, waiting for me to choose the BOV, and install. Ohh and I didn't mention it also has the air temp sensor already in the piping.

[drummingpariah]

I've found that documentation for megasquirt on the l28et is disorganized at best, nonexistent/misleading at worst. I'm currently fighting with the injector relay box and the rpm signal wire (from the tach) for my megasquirt3 install, and it sounds like you have yours fairly well sorted. Did you document your wiring? 

[Aaron Datsun]

I did, it has been a few years since I set it all up but let me look are you having a problem with MS not reading your RPM or just your tach not reading your RPM. Also are you using stock injectors or others? I found that DIYautotune was a great resource when I was first setting up. They had an article about the wiring of an L28et.

[drummingpariah]

Yeah, I ordered pretty much everything DIYautotune had to make this a little easier, but their article is a little old (ms2 was still in testing/unstable, I believe).

 

I've read a lot of conflicting information as to how the stock l28et distributor should be wired up, and how it should be set up in Megasquirt. I have a 1k 1/4w resistor ready to go for its signal power wire, but I don't know anyone who has a working configuration to confirm that I've got it right.

 

For right now, I'm using stock injectors (low-z) and have the original injector resistor box, and just came across a diagram in the FSM that REALLY helps (the resistors just go inline ahead of the injectors):

 

I have some EV6 injectors on their way to me, but I'll have to machine a fuel rail, injector stays, and almost certainly machine the injector bosses in a spare intake manifold to accept them. For now, I just want running, even if that means running badly and stumbling around town (that's much more fun than still sitting in the driveway).

[Aaron Datsun]

Alright here is what I did.

 

Are you using the relay box?

 

I am the way I configured it was putting a jumper wire in place between the Tach Signal wiring and a 12V Key on the way I did this was on the relay box I put a jumper wire with the resistor wired inline from the Tach pin to the +12V feed they had along the top I will look for a picture of it and highlight it for you.

 

 

If you look below the Tach pin is the 6th from the right from O2. I put the jumper up to one of my unused Injecter 12+V as I only have 2 banks of injectors. If you have those taken up just find a 12V source that remains on during cranking. If you are looking just to feed your tach from the l28et, I am assuming you put it into a 240,260, or 280z then you follow Moby's write up on how to hook up the tach, the write up is on Hybridz.org I am using MS1 MSNS-e, I have had it for a while.

 

 

Image below from DIYAutotune. It is not mine

[drummingpariah]

Very similar, but I just soldered leads from a battery backup I had and crimped a weatherpack connector to the end of those leads.

 

 

The distributor wiring is pretty straightforward assuming that's still valid with ms3 3.57 - I think it's pretty elegant to use one of the injector 12v leads for it. I was trying to figure out where I'd source that from, it looks like I'll use 2 12v leads to power the 4-cylinder resistor box, 1 12v lead to power the 2-cylinder resistor box, and the last to power the distributor.

 

Any idea why the coil's 12v + comes from the fuel pump relay, and not somewhere else? Is it just because the fuel pump relay is guaranteed to have enough current to power both?

[Aaron Datsun]

Very nice wiring. You could still use one of those ports, just use one that you think draws the least amount of current. It is two banks of 12V tied to the injector fuses. Just different pin outs right there for easy use if I remember right. I can't guarantee, but I have been doing that and haven't had any issues in the several years I have been running MS with my tach, Now I am using a much older version so I don't know if something changed.

[Aaron Datsun]

Time to awake from the deep sleep of winter. I finally got word that I will be moving for my job in the next year, and yes Darrel I have been saying that for a long time, but this time I am actually on the list. The goal is to drive it to the next location. The goal this summer is to get AT LEAST one more track day on her at HPR before I go, I believe the date is 28 June.

 

The list this spring:

Intercooler, BOV,  and Piping

Perhaps Boost controller turn it up some

Change brake rotors

Get Datsun Hood Scoop finished and installed on extra hood

Replace the Trans-mounts I missed when I was changing to poly bushings.

New Wideband controller I cheaped out last time and I am not impressed.

 

I will continue to work on making timelapses. I am going to try and incorporate HOW-TO video type portions as well.

[Aaron Datsun]

Alright, I got the new Wideband controller in as well as figured out why my fan wasn't working, The transistor went bad so I have to replace it tomorrow. I should have the car up and running soon.

[Aaron Datsun]

Well the transistor is replaced it took way longer than it should have, and then the car didn't start. The pull up resistor between the CAS signal and switched 12V broke. This is the second time that has happened I need to find a way to brace it so it won't flex through there. I am making my videos now. I have decided I like the video's much more than anyone else. Thanks for coming to my page here is a picture of my and my Z.

 

 

BOO!

[Aaron Datsun]

I didn't add a lot of annotations. I would have had the Z running, but I accidentally drug home a 210 and that has been taking up my time.

 

Pulling out the old Wideband controller and started fiddling with the new one

 

Pulled Megasquirt out and de soldered the old bad transistor and put in a new one

[Aaron Datsun]

Fitted and tested the new transistor as well as figured out that a resistor lead had broken.

 

 

[Aaron Datsun]

The car has been good to me lately we went on a drive today this was the route, and here is a video there are more, but they are pretty boring honestly. Lots of stops along the way. I gave the engine a nice rev in one of the tunnels.

 

 

 

[Aaron Datsun]

Sorry it is a bit loud but can anyone tell me if they have heard this noise before? It is a bit loud beware. It sounds like a whirring/whooping like air or something in a line whistling by an opening. Anyone else ever seen or heard this? I am thinking it is the FP regulator.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1bgiJVoNOc

[Aaron Datsun]

So I figured out the sound I was getting low on fuel when I took the video a top off fixed that sound almost immediately. So it seems that when it gets low on fuel it gets a bit of air or something in the lines and makes that racket.

 

Also I figured out my hesitation on acceleration was caused by a mis-tuned acceleration enrichment in MegaSquirt. I have been fiddling a lot with my VE tables and the car is becoming so much more of a pleasure to drive.

 

I had almost forgotten how much I loved this car. I have driven it daily since the beginning of August to include all the rain and even a tiny bit of hail and have been loving it. I still haven't figured out why my fuel gauge fuse keeps blowing and taking my Tachometer with it. To be fair though I haven't opened up the FSM either so it is really mainly based on my laziness. I really want to get some video's with my camera tucked under the car somewhere maybe like rear suspension so I can see what it looks like when I drive her around, any suggestions?

[Aaron Datsun]

So I fixed the short and took her to the track today I will post more later. Here is a link to the album of pictures I took.

 

http://s1225.photobucket.com/user/aaronwarren/library/2014%20HPR%20Fun%20Run

[uieluck]

Obviously Alex was out at the track... But who's red four door is that? I would assume that was his sons green goon?

[Aaron Datsun]

I didn't get to talk to the guys with the 510s which really bummed me out they showed up then walked around and I never figured out who's was who's. Those nachos sat on that goon for hours!

 

The green had a nice engine bay, a very clean interior (beautiful blue stock color on all the metal surfaces too), and a wicked SSR meshie in the back. If the green goon comes here I am somewhat interested in the specs on the SSRs if he is willing to sell them

[Aaron Datsun]

Update: Alright I wanted to give all people an idea of how I made the determination of my short in the electrical system.

 

Situation: The Fuel Gauge fuse kept blowing, and it was intermittent (which is the worst type of problem)

 

Possible Cause 1: Alternator going bad and over charging the system overloading that fuse causing it to blow. Testing Cause - I have the ability to datalog so I left the fuse blown and did several datalogs to and from work then would check max voltage later. This turned out to look just fine on the datalog, so I moved on to a more frustrating, though albeit cheaper testing method.

 

Possible Cause 2: a short in the wiring somewhere. Testing Cause - I started at the fuse, working my way up the wiring harness I isolated the rear section of the car from the front it still blew the fuse. I then separated the tach from the circuit, the fuse still blew. It was at this point that I moved inboard from the extremes of the wiring harness and started stripping the loom and tracing the wires and all of the splices in it (from factory mind you). This was done visually as well as with a continuity tester on the voltmeter. I then separated at the wiring junctions under the dash and found that it was leading to the engine bay. I then inspected the engine bay and found the culprit. It was a filter capacitor that fatigued at the factory crimp and fell off and shorted against the fender. 

 

If I were making a suggestion I would suggest doing a visual inspection first as this could have saved me a ton of time, as the break was very noticeable. 

 

I am an Electrical Engineering Technician by schooling and I still get frustrated by electrical gremlins, but tackled this very easily by going step by step and being very methodical. 

 

Pictures:

The fuse box

 

The offending circuit

 

Found it!

 

Then I fixed it! THe car is ready for the track!

 

Bonus the wife and I celebrated the 67th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force at a Ball the night before. We looked fancy and I don't normally just post pictures of myself so I figured I would change it up a bit.

[Aaron Datsun]

Here is a lap out at High Plains Raceway. I used the free version of RaceRender haven't decided whether I want to pony up the cash for it.

 

[darrel]

Alex brought the NSX, his daughter had the red 4 door dime.

 

It was a family in the goon. They brought 2 cars. One a daily driver and the goon.They stopped at my car for a bit, but I didn't get a chance to talk. I was busy trying to get caught up on my sessions. I didn't get a chance to meet everyone who brought their cars either.

[Aaron Datsun]

So I got one of the sessions complete using racerender. Here is one session nothing that cool happened sorry.

 

[Aaron Datsun]

Well this was a good session for me as well. The car ran great, and I got black flagged because I passed when I shouldn't. It was still a fun run! This was the 3rd run of D group that day.