82 280zx tuning

[p_trice]

i have a non turbo 82 280zx 5 speed. I have done pretty much everything that can be done to it. It runs and drives amazingly. I just wanted it a bit faster. I have already eliminated the egr system and put a pacesetter header on it, I saw an increase of almost 20 hp. I am just wondering if anybody knows any good tuning tricks to get it to have a bit more power without spending a bunch of money. I heard there was a way to mess with the air/fuel ratio and get it to have more power. Does anyone on here know of this? In the great words of Ricky Bobby, "I wanna go fast"

Edited December 18, 2011 by p_trice

[p_trice]

i guess i'll just leave it alone for now, until I can get some more aftermarket parts for it.

[LeonV]

i have a non turbo 82 280zx 5 speed. I have done pretty much everything that can be done to it. It runs and drives amazingly. I just wanted it a bit faster. I have already eliminated the egr system and put a pacesetter header on it, I saw an increase of almost 20 hp. I am just wondering if anybody knows any good tuning tricks to get it to have a bit more power without spending a bunch of money. I heard there was a way to mess with the air/fuel ratio and get it to have more power. Does anyone on here know of this? In the great words of Ricky Bobby, "I wanna go fast"

And where did you "see" this 20hp increase?

What is the reason for eliminating EGR? EGR has NO effect on power at WOT and also increases your gas mileage at partial throttle. So not only does it not affect max power, but it gives you better gas mileage when you're cruising around while significantly dropping NOx emissions. That's a win-win in my book.

So what the headers actually gave you was more noise, more heat, marginal (if any at all) power gain and a drop in fuel economy. You've actually lost power at partial throttle by eliminating EGR.

There are no "tuning tricks" unless you consider it a trick to clean electrical connections, adjust valve lash and set timing. You will benefit much more from these three things I just listed, than haphazardly slapping "aftermarket parts" on it.

[p_trice]

well first off, I could care less about gas mileage, so that is not an issue for me. second, I don't have to pass an emissions test so that is not an issue. and third, I took the motor out of the car when i got it to make sure it was mechanical sound. When i pulled off intake and exhaust manifold together, the tube that goes from the egr on the intake to the manifold broke in half, as it already had a crack in it. plus the bolt on the manifold wouldn't come off, even with heat. So i just went ahead and blocked off egr, and put a header with no smog fittings. I did actually see an increase of horsepower and that was proven on a dyno. plus, every car i have ever owned i have eliminated the egr system, and they always seem to run better.

[LeonV]

well first off, I could care less about gas mileage, so that is not an issue for me. second, I don't have to pass an emissions test so that is not an issue. and third, I took the motor out of the car when i got it to make sure it was mechanical sound.

If you don't care then you can do whatever you want...

If you're talking about making an engine run as best as it can (this so called "tuning"), then that's another deal altogether.

When i pulled off intake and exhaust manifold together, the tube that goes from the egr on the intake to the manifold broke in half, as it already had a crack in it. plus the bolt on the manifold wouldn't come off, even with heat. So i just went ahead and blocked off egr, and put a header with no smog fittings. I did actually see an increase of horsepower and that was proven on a dyno.

I'm really curious to see the dyno sheet of the 20hp gain that a header alone got you. Can you post the dyno sheet to substantiate your claims?

plus, every car i have ever owned i have eliminated the egr system, and they always seem to run better.

Okay, the key word here is "seem". This does not quantify anything whatsoever. The EGR valve should always be inspected and replaced if it's malfunctioning. A malfunctioning EGR valve or broken parts is the only reason why an engine would operate better without the EGR system in place.

[p_trice]

ok, i agree with you. but i didn't install only the header, i also installed an aftermarket throttle body and bigger injectors. that is probably where most of my hp increase came from. but ur right, the egr was leaking/malfunctioning before, all i did was seal it off, thus eliminating the leak/malfunction.