TomoHawk

Ah, the enigma off the fusible link. I'm going to cut up the old fusible link later on, but I agree that it's most likely not a normal type of electrical conductor. First off, it's very flexible, like a piece of lead solder, which does melt at a specific temperature. It needs to be insulated from engine heat, and tolerant to the the heat generated from flowing electronic current. It also needs to be contained once melted, and the outer jacket may even be charred, depending on the circumstances of the overload. I just received a set of new fusible fuse links (three brown and 1 black) and they are all of a noticeably smaller gauge, especially the brown one. BTW- I got them through eBay from "z-connexion" who has a good reputation for parts, IMO. I suppose, because of modern technological advances in metal alloys, fusible links are now made of a smaller gauge?

In stead of ordering fusible links from an eBay seller, or from a mail-order retailer, both of which are getting harder to find and may soon be no longer available at all, I think I can get the correct wire from local Auto Parts stores. I have not had an opportunity to dissect one to see how it's made, so I'm asking if anyone has looked into this. It looks like a fusible link is just a short segment of insulated wire with a female blade-connector crimped to the ends, but the OE ones look like the connector pierces the insulation to make contact with the wire inside. After I get some replacements installed, I will take apart one of the old ones to see how you could make one yourself.

This diagram gives a slightly better indication of each fusible link's purpose, but you cant tell where the information is from.

Thanks, I've seen that hundreds of time, Blue. It doesn't discuss the 1978 model, nor does it mention exactly where each fusible link goes.

I will be re-labeling my fusible link covers soon, and I would like to pinpoint the purpose of the four fusible links on the right-hand shock tower. I saw an informative diagram somewhere, but I can't find it again. I also have the usual simple diagram from AltlanticZ techtips showing which color goes to which terminals, but I'd like more specific details. I know one fusible link is solely for the headlamps, but the other three are, for example, the ignition relay, the EFI interlock relays, and the alternator charging to electrical devices (accessories like the radio, gauges and inferior lamps.) One is what you would call the B+ to the ignition switch, for example, but I didn't note what the others go to. Can anyone help? Having specific information on the fusible links helps to diagnose any electrical problems.

Cool. This one device can give you data on RPM, timing advance, and MAP. Can it tell you the air-fuel ratio too?

That's interesting, that you can record data about the vacuum. Next time, you just use Alt-Prtscrn to get only the active window.

I don't think it's been discussed here, and I don't see any information on it the the FSM, so I think I will simply ask. It's probably the only thing I don't know about the car. If you needed to replace one of the green E.F.I. fuse links (mounted near the battery on the relay box) how do they come out? I don't think they have the usual female blade connector, like the other fuse links that are on the shock tower. I think they are inserted into the connector, like any of the other blade connections? that means you can't just pull the fusible link out and replace it, like other other ones. You'll have to carefully extract it from the connector. thxZ

The engine runs the same without the vent hose on or off, or the oil cap off. I think it's because there is no vacuum inside the valve cover? There is usually a little oil dripping out of that little filter- I change it annually, an I constantly clean up the drips. It also explains why the intake manifold has an undesolvable coating of oil inside.

Well, I know for the L28e, the idle is 700 RPM (in drive, on an automatic) and the advance is 10 degrees. The manual cars are 10 deg. at 700RPM. Did you want to know the total advance at, say 5,000 RPM? I think it's about 37 degrees.

Thanks. They were just like that, in stead of the yellow factory color. You just polish them after every time it rains.BTW- I plumbed the fuel rail in a similar way to the original one, with the regulator in the middle. I should have connected the regulator to the '7th hole' in the middle, instead of adding the long runs of (polished) stainless tube. I like minimal too- and it would probably even work! It took a long time working with a professional 'modder' and my own hand-bender to get the supply and return tubes exactly matched.

Thanks Sarah, I was referring to the use of the fuel pressure regulator for performance. The only advantage I could think of is to adjust the air-fuel ratio slightly. More pressure would make it richer. If you really need a lot more fuel, bigger injectors would be a better choice. Other than that, I don't think it makes things any more "cleaner" looking than the stock L28 regulator.

What would you expect t happen if you used an adjustable fuel pressure regulator?

Are you using an old dash for a clock, radio, and phone?

I still have my factory 1978 fuel rail. It's a little dirty or rusty, and sitting in the parts box.

FWIW- I still have the original fuel rail from my 1978 (with "federal" emmisions.) I believe it's in good working condition and it has no leaks.

Is it OK to wire driving lamps to always turn on with the high beams? I know some people have an extra switch to disable fog or driving lamps, but driving lamps should only go on with the high beams, and it would simplify the wiring.

That's the way you should do it, basically, just not by splicing into the car's old cruddy wires. I suppose if you use the factory wiring (on a240Z for example) to power lamps the way it was done at the factory, then it ought to work fine. IMO, new wiring should be added to the car in a way to protect the integrity of the factory wiring, while looking like factory wiring. Maybe you should dirty up the new wires to make them look like all the rest? As I mentioned, I took a wire from the starter battery post to a terminal I mounted in the fender, then I run wires to wherever I need power. Like Steve says, the alternator is what really powers things. the battery is just there for power storage between the times the engine is running (to restart the engine.)

Where did you get the power feed for the relay? Not from the wiring, I hope. I mounted a terminal post on the side near the starter, then a heavy wire to the battery feed to the starter. You can get many feeds off the post then.

I see a LOT of that lately. Apparently, "Show cars" are all about the WOW- factor lately.People will over-restore or over-do things like the paint or the interior; they had no basecoat-clearcoat or "premium leather" on the early cars, but those people will insist that the paint is of OEM-quality or the leather is stock. I've even had a few people tell me I forgot the clearcoat on my car (which has single-stage paint on the repainted panels.) that's why I appreciate going to a real concourse show, where the vehicles are restored to the way they really were, not like today's new-car "standards."

When I mounted my driving lamps, I was able to use the bumper as the earth leg. I checked for a good connection from the bumper to the chassis first. I put an eyelet connector on the ground wire and that went on the attachment bolt under the nut. the 'hot' wire was carefully routed to the cigarette lighter inside (which is temporary until I get a relay setup installed.)

It has to be another S30 owner in your area. Why would anyone else take it? Around my town, people will yell at you if they see you touching something or getting too close, let alone stealing a part from the engine area.

You can't do any of that with a schmart fone. You gotta keep the grassroots or sgade-tree guy in business, no matter what technology is up to. Technology sucks- go out and grill tour brats over charcoal.

Right... Try driving one of those Porsches with Arne's big CLOWN SHOES!

IMO, Microsoft is a greedy monster, and they want to make one more grab at getting the American Dollar before July. With millions of desktop computers that have Win XP, they will make a few dollars (20 million x $200 each to upgrade.) It's also less work for them, not to have to bother with an "old" operating system, like DOS. BTW, I still have one old computer on the shelf with Win 3.1, and I have a copy of Win 3.0 put away somewhere on CD.