TomoHawk

take a read of this document on cleaning the electrical connectors on a Z. It's mainly about the techniques, but it shows the location of many of the important engine connectors and a few grounding spots on a fuel-injected Z engine. Still need to find the chassis & wiring harness grounds. http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/electricalconnections/index.html

Well, mine is only 27 years old now, but I'm constantly cleaning connectors & pins. I don't really have any problems with the headlights being dim- they are pretty bright at any engine RPM. The only connectors I haven't gotten to are the ones on the lamps themselves and the ones buried high behind the dash. But it helps to know where the grounding points are under the hood & on the chassis (in the back.) The wiring diagram only shows where the ground tails are on the harness. thx

I saw a show from Two Guys Garage where they were checking the cables on the starter & battery, and what they did was to measure with a digital voltmeter, using the lowest volts range, the difference in millivolts across a connection. Then they determined that one of the cable ends was bad with too much voltage drop, so they replaced it. My intent is to find & check grounding points to see where I can improve the electrical system, especially lights, but I think it would help the ignition system and fuel pump too. I just need to find out where the ground points are on the chassis & engine. Black wires? thx

That's what those two odd screws are for on the left side of the front bumper, except mine are rusted and the slot in the head doesn't look too strong. So since you are required to have a license plate on the front in my state, I'll probably need the plate frame too. Except the parts CD doesn't show a good picture of the front license plate frame. thx.

I didn't really mean a brand new one, just a new one from somebody's catalog. Not a hacked one from some car in a JY.

Thanks Steven. I'll open up the panel and see how things look. ZSaint- I'll just buy one from a catalog. There are no Z cars in JYs in Ohio.

Last summer my blower switch started working funny. Some of the settings stopped working, and would only work if you moved the switch back & forth some. Then it didn't turn on the fan at all. Are there contacts in the switch that can be checked? I could probably trace the power through, but I'm wondering if I should look into getting a new fan switch. thx

You are limited to what will adapt, so I don't think there is anything better. If it (BMW one) does bolt-on, let us know. I want a 4sp auto with O/D and lockup.

Don't forget to lube the brass contact ring so you don't wear out your paddle button. Also make sure that the paddle won't get loose and let the paddle move around and accidentally touch ground. Mine did once about 10pm (in the driveway!?) one night.:mad: Just make sure you don't strip the little plastic part the small paddle screw goes into, and don't break it off!

The JATCO (JApanese ATrnsmission COmpany) made the 4NBL transmission for many years, and that one went into small trucks and other cars besides S30, so I think you could assume it's a pretty good unit. Mine went 120k miles before it went. Some people were trying to hook up a 4sp auto from the Maxima...

200 KPH is only 120 MPH. That you can do, easy.

I will give them a call.

I was thinking the samething a couple days ago! :knockedou

Dude, www.courtesyparts.com

That's the number I saw, but I think those screws are just plain steel, no? I'm constantly de-rusting screws, and I'd like to replace them just one last time, even if they're zinc or cad-plated ones. thx Victor

Dude, I've been listening. Before your comment, most have told me to go to the "local hardware store for bolts" and since I want the right kind like you said, I'm looking all over the internet, and I did call a few local places. Even THEY tell me to go to the local hardware store "for bolts." I was hoping somebody might know of a source for stainless bolts that are like the ones under the hood of the Z. Dealer "doesn't sell just the bolts. Go try a hardware store":devious:

I can't really tell Shamus, I took the batery door to a PPG place to get the color analyzed, and they couldn't get one that was spot on. I had to settle for a color (from a Volv I think) that was close, and it's ok for the little nicks or under the rubrail.

I used to carry my car show supplies in a pail, but that seems to be to small for all the chemicals and other stuff ( snacks, sunscreen, radios, etc) that were added to the list. So instead, I think something like a plastic cooler would be good. The kind you can store like 50-60 pop cans in. A strong lid would be good in case you need to sit, and wheels & tow handle might be nice too. Velcro squares about 1 4x4 cm are stuck on the top and you stick certain things to them that you might need while driving, like spare FRS radio, etc. Plus a drain in case you need to carry water or ice, or something leaks. I would cut out the inner tub so you can fit even more stuff inside. As an afterthought, maybe one end could be modified to match the profile of the firewall, to allow a longer box to fit in front of the seat. I measured the diagonal distance in my 280Z from the front edge of the seat to the glovebox door, and it came out to be 15 inches, the width between the trans tunnel to the door is 15, and I figure 18 inches long would be a good length. So 15Hx15Wx18L with a hard shell & lid. So the only thing left would be to find a tough plastic cooler wth those dimensions. Any ideas to add? thx

It depends what kind of racing you are referring to. There are guys around here that race a stock car to ones with highly modded cars. Try the search utility or browse the racing forums.

You can get diagrams of the connector locations to go along with your wiring diagrams. Definitely look into some of those to add to your collection of service literature.

I have the engine kit from them. I looked at the "underhood bolt kit," and while the fasteners have the right threads, but the heads aren't right- just plain hex heads, AFAIK. Maybe they can get you the right ones.

ZSaint, Again, I'm not looking for regular hex head machine screws that you can get at the local hardware store. The screws under the hood of an S30 have a hex head AND a slot for a phillips drive. These screws are used to attach the coil to the fender, fuel filter bracket to fender, carbon cann to mount, all the hard brake & fuel lines to the bodyframe, emmissions coontrols to the intake, heat shields near the exhaust manifold, and many other uses. There must be about 50 or so of these under the hood, and they're all rusting because they're uncoated steel. Home Depot had some- of the wrong ones.

There are a few hardware stores and such near, but all they have is regular hex screws or screws with a phillips head. The big question now is would a show judge notice the difference between regular hex screws and the oem screws?