Engine swap complete

[Dave WM]

Part  of a multipart project. This is a N42/MN47 NA engine. I just finished it up and hope to do a longer test drive tomorrow.

 

[Yarb]

Good job Dave, Great practice run before we stab my new motor in!!😂😂

[Diseazd]

The secret to getting the engine and tranny matched up while in the car I’ve found is to get two old long head bolts threaded through the top two bolt holes in the bell housing then started into the block. Then, get someone to help square up the tranny to the block and slide her right in. No problem! Don’t forget to grease up the pilot bushing.

[Dave WM]

had the guide bolts in (cut tops off, extra long) we could never get that close to even try it. the compressor kept getting in the way, even with it tied off as far out of the way as possible.  Maybe if I had removed the compressor mount then tried it. Its all so tight in there with installing the compressor, I was concerned that getting the mount bolted to the engine block with the compressor in the way would make it hard to do, so I left put the mount on the replacement engine before installing....

Edited May 13, 2023 by Dave WM

[SteveJ]

46 minutes ago, Diseazd said:

The secret to getting the engine and tranny matched up while in the car I’ve found is to get two old long head bolts threaded through the top two bolt holes in the bell housing then started into the block. Then, get someone to help square up the tranny to the block and slide her right in. No problem! Don’t forget to grease up the pilot bushing.

Good to know. I'm doing the reverse soon. I'm dropping the old 4 speed out of the 260Z today if all goes as planned.

[Dave WM]

Well the replacement dorman welch plug leaked... dang.... I cant say for sure but I "may" have tried to install a used one. Back when doing the turbo I think I originally installed the dormans, thought about it, then removed them for nissan OE. found them in a baggie with the old rusty OE ones. they did not seem to have any witness sealant, but did not look virgin either, some small witness marks were noted. I attributed it to them banging around with old OE's all in the same baggie, should have just thrown it all away. Anyway got some new OE's on the way  should be here tuesday, so standing down for a while. At least this will give the block a good long time to drain before I reinstall. the short test drive was excellent so I am pretty sure I will be happy with the end result, I just hate the down time. I was tempted to install one of those rubber temp plugs, but that seems silly just to have it for a couple days.

[Dave WM]

6 minutes ago, SteveJ said:

Good to know. I'm doing the reverse soon. I'm dropping the old 4 speed out of the 260Z today if all goes as planned.

is there a 5 speed going in? if so are you planning a diff swap as well? I used the same 3.54 final drive on a 5speed from a zx, final gearing was nice for highway driving, but not much use below 70, if you hit a hill at 65-70 it needs a down shift. I think a 3.7 would be a better match for highway driving and a 3.9 for use of all gears regardless of type of driving.  In FL the lack of hills makes it ok, but when I did the cross country trip to Pikes peak I definitely had to down shift when crossing even mild inclines in 5th at speed.

[SteveJ]

4 minutes ago, Dave WM said:

is there a 5 speed going in? if so are you planning a diff swap as well? I used the same 3.54 final drive on a 5speed from a zx, final gearing was nice for highway driving, but not much use below 70, if you hit a hill at 65-70 it needs a down shift. I think a 3.7 would be a better match for highway driving and a 3.9 for use of all gears regardless of type of driving.  In FL the lack of hills makes it ok, but when I did the cross country trip to Pikes peak I definitely had to down shift when crossing even mild inclines in 5th at speed.

Yes, it's a 280Z 5 speed. No, there isn't a new diff at this time. I'll be using the 3.364 rear end. It'll only drop about 500 RPM or so in 5th, but I'll be happy with that improvement. 

[Dave WM]

ah ok, so its the "wide ratio" as its known by, yes the OD is much better suited for that tall final drive.

[Dave WM]

oh jeez they were used....

 

[Dave WM]

all done, hood back on, test drive complete, no leaks, runs very smooth, not sure if I can notice any performance pickup other than the smoothness, will have to get it out on a high way and really open up. Will take the cool running (90's today, and used the AC), and solid oil pressure. Now I will start the oil consumption testing. That was really the main reason, as I just was getting tired of the oil loss (qt per 800-900 miles). Should be interesting to see if any better. I also will hold off on tearing down the original engine until I get some time on this one, JIC something goes bad wrong, i can quickly replace it with the oil burner and not loose any drive time.

So long term plan will be to continue the wire harness mods for Plug N Play turbo, and a complete tear down of the original engine to see if there is obvious reason for the oil burning. I have hoping for stuck oil rings or clogged piston drain back holes. I will do an inspection for cylinder wear using the rings to check for any out of roundness. I did pick up some rings (std) just in case its not worn or damaged to the point of needing a rebore. All this is a ways off as I need to get some drive time in. Been too long since I had a nice road trip. Maybe up the east coast this time....

 

[Yarb]

@Dave WMOne thought on the performance aspect between the two motors. On the test stand you had a free flowing exhaust setup where I think on the car you’re still running the restricted system with the original catalytic converter and smaller exhaust. Please correct me if I’m mistaken My friend. Great job quick turnaround time.