crazyoctopus

distribution center was taken out of a nissan maxima (if you find a 93 they are slightly easier to work with) total cost $6 at a junkyard. the other way would be to actually buy a pre-built fuse box for $16-$170. with the relays, take it off the smae car and they are pre-wired and fairly easy to identify the amperage, just takes some internet browsing. awesome thing about the nissan relay housings is that you can connect however many you want to eaachother (run anywhere from 5-500 relays and they all snap into eachother) as far as the mounting goes, the 240sx (s13) center console lends itself perfectly for the mounting of the fuse box. The relays will be mounted under the dash near the switches. as far as the wiring goes; all of the relays that I buy/use, except the wiper, are 4 terminal relays. In the case of the wiper motor I am even thinking about just cutting that down a bit and making it switched for fast-off, instead of slow-off-fast, but i am still thinking about it. We have made a few more adjustments since rev6, some of the amperages were a bit excessive, decided on going with an eBayish 12v heater, and I moved/removed a couple more circuits/switches/relays that really didn't need to be there. full size >> http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4469515326_a17763031f_o.jpg

new revision, made everything modular. kinda wanted to keep it below 10 circuits but we found some fantastic fuse and relay boxes out of a 90s maxima so how many circuits we use is no longer an issue. larger size >> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2789/4467690139_0c31f79cfe_o.jpg

that is a pretty damn good tagline "maybe you dont think winnign races is important for a family car, but it sure beats whatever is second."

oh i agree completely. before i pick up the exhaust components tomorrow i kinda want to move stuff around so as to make it look the the routing and placement of everything, but it all depends on how much alchy i ingest, and how early i wake up.

Moved the wiper motor onto the heater circuit, it just looks like I may be overloading the accessory circuit. The heater connections have been changed. I was planning on running the core with a PC fan, but found this site http://mildevco.net/chevypowereddatsuns/necessary_stuff.htm and am going in that direction. In looking at prices and weights of how to connect the iPod to speakers I found that while a head unit is about $10 more than just an amp, it weighs about 3 times as less. as of right now the cheapest deck that I can find with an aux-in is this http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dual+-+50W+x+4+In-Dash+CD+Deck+with+Detachable+Faceplate/9463154.p?id=1218108653996&skuId=9463154 ==if you know of a cheaper one I am all ears, all it needs to have is an aux-in. also added a cigarette lighter so that I can charge my iPhone/iPod while on the road. I think this is nearly the final design version of the diagram, if you can see anything that I missed or ways that I could combine circuits let me know. My goal is to have 8 circuits, but as long as I am under 10 I will be a-okay with it. larger version http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4444494096_1d942b906f_o.jpg

updated for kill switch and fuel pump. large image http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4442635632_fcedeea5fc_o.jpg

thanks geezer, -Horn button and relays are replaced with the CB and its 100w PA. -forgot about the fuel pump and i'll make sure to add that in, as well as the appropriate shutdown circuit. =thinking about the shutdown circuit i forgot to show the the battery disconnect switch -all interior lighting is removed, and replaced with a battery operated flashlight -rear defrost, rheostat, handbrake ind are not going back in. -antenna switch is not needed due to me not having a radio, and the area that usually holds an antenna will be replaced with a CB antenna that doesnt require power. battery is located in the storage bin behind the passenger; the PC680 fits PERFECTLY in there =it has since been lined with an 1/8th inch thick rubber mat to protect from grounding out. yes my goal is minimalist with an invisible harness. as far as the wiring thanks for the link it will be very helpful, as of right now i plan to use RV wire due to it already coming insulated as well as with multiple wires and colors; not finalized yet. for the windshield washers, i thought it was just the law to have blades not the pump

-geezer - I have yet to source out the connections and relays, so that link is super helpful. and as far as the layout goes, I am planning to get measurements and lay it all out on a piece of plywood with nails and twine. - SteveJ -honest critiques = yes please. mainly looking at the fuse and relay amperage, let me know if they are too high or low; If there is any chance that I can tie two circuits together, or if I have something wired incorrectly. - cbudvet - i guess it does!

So for the past couple of weeks I have been working on a wiring diagram whenever I have been bored or drunk. So here is the nearly final diagram that I will be putting in my car. larger version http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4439513011_17611f45c7_o.jpg the point was to start new when i install the new dash, get rid of everything possible and use switches, replace glass tubes with and bladed fuses/breakers; since i have yet to find a diagram that does that i decided to make one and share. a couple notes on the components. -designed to work for a 240z, but really anything is possible with this -all gauges are to be assumed autometer unless i find a better/cheaper option, or i decide to use a motorcycle dash and figure things out that way. fuel gauge has 350 and 360ohm resistors ran in parallel. -wiper motor is the honda wiper upgrade, based off of the diagrams that were posted on this forum. switch is low/off/high -gm hei 280z dizzy conversion -euro/jdm rear light blinker mod; via the write up found on this forum -turn signal and indicator lamps (front and rear) are re-wired to work like the kit that was sold here and the one at MSA - all switches are ground switches, unless not really possible. everything that was operated by or from a Datsun stock component has been removed and replaced with a switch or button. -e-Fan is a Pontiac V6 Fiero fan, and the manual switch can be replaced with a temp switch. -alternator is the CS144/280zx internally regulated alt upgrade, write up found on this hybridz === this essentially my first attempt at wiring a car. Any input would be greatly appreciate, and any ideas would be awesome as well. The only thing that I have yet to draw in is the stereo, if you could call it that; essentially it would be 3.5mm headphone jack to speakers. I dont want the radio, or cd player from a dash unit just the AUX in. I think I will need an amp, or some type of signal booster, so that the two speakers will have some umph to em. I have yet to really research this, but once I find a diagram that will work I will add it in. once the diagram is complete it will have routing plans so you can have a coveted "invisible harness", wire gauge and length; and total cost needed for the entire car. Or, if anything, to be used with a painless or EZ-Wiring kit.

i took off the dizzy cap and noticed that the rotor it was kinda flopping a bit, i'll pull the whole dizzy shortly and see if there is any play in the bearing. if there is i'll run down to the parts store and pick up an hei control module and connect it to the 280z dizzy that i have laying around.

removed the banjo screens and the car wouldnt start at all. a couple chugs but nothing last longer than a second. Just picked up the new set of plugs and I will put those in tomorrow to see if they make any difference. Also when i connected the timing light to the wires i noticed that the light would not always go off while cranking. the majority that i saw it go was when the engine actually sputtered, any ideas on that? or is that normal?

no not yet, i'll do that as well. i always thought that the screens were in the bowls not the banjo bolts. good to know.

I'll connect the timing light to all of the wires when I try to get it running tomorrow, see if all of them are actually getting spark

i think i am only running on 3 cylinders when i hear it running like crap. i'll try some more random stuff to see how many cylinders are actually firing when it is running horribly.

zark - the coil was one of the first things i replaced about 3 months ago. And as far as looking at voltage everywhere, everything is prime and was most recently checked about 4 days ago. jetaway - trick of the photograph, other than being discolored they are not gapped. I will be picking up another set of plugs tomorrow and seeing if that makes a difference as far as the car running, but i did pick up a set of triple weber dcoe 40s with a mikuni, soon to be canon, intake manifold. getting these carbs isnt really a priority at this stage in the game, but it would be nice to hear my engine run one last time before the triples, 6-2-1 headers, and exhaust go on the car.

akrona - yes whenever i removed the float bowl lids and checked float with a digicaliper. i start my car with 3-4 pumps at the pedal and turn the key; when she was running nicely she would fire right up. i guess this is a plus for living in southern california. and while i did remove the cables i did not remove the lever on the carb, so if i ever did want to check the carb i would have to reach in and pull that lever. the short periods of running okay don't really seem to happen all that often, and when they do it is in a really short burst, at least as of recently. nigel - i haven't checked the numbers on the needles, but they are flush, secure, and straight.

not a big stripe fan of any kind, but i do like the look of the fender stripes like the ones coastgaurdz posted. There is however another stripe that is just fantast. with green being your base color, you could have a white thick stripe and then a perfect yellow or a bronze.

an hour ago I took off the carbs and looked for anything that seemed out of place, and noticed that the backside of the butterflies, the back side of the piston, and the entrance of the intake manifold were damp with fuel. Note: the engine was sitting for 5 hours at this point. So I wiped it all down, pulled the floats and checked their levels still 24mm. checked all of the bolts and nuts to make sure that they were all tight, they were. took a bit of coercing but she finally started to sputter, and while they were chugging away i pulled out the #4 spark plug, nothing happened. I pulled #2 and there was a drop, then it died. It seems that with all of the tests that I have done, the issue is indeed with the carburetors; and more specifically the vacuum of the carbs. solution send the carbs in to get a complete rebuild, get a new set of SU carbs, or buy some triple weber dcoe 40s.

during the most recent float setting i have noticed that the front carb requires to be a few turns richer than what it had been before i set my floats. i'll check em again maybe I wasn't putting enough pressure on then inlet tube. Also if my floats were set too high wouldnt that mean that i would have to be running leaner on the adjusting nut and not richer? here are what the spark plugs look like right now, just pulled them not 5 minutes ago and yeah there is no way that i can take my car out on the road i just noticed that i snapped a brake line.

So the engine started, but it took a bit of time for it to actually run normally. When it did run properly it only lasted for about 45 seconds, and then the car died suddenly. It didn't sputter or choke out, it just died as if i turned it off with the key. pictures of the plugs right after I took them out this morning, before putting them back in I cleaned them yet again with carb cleaner and a golf club brush. plug 1 plug 2 plug 3 plug 4 plug 5 plug 6 I am going to pull the plugs shortly and see if there is any change in condition. Here are the results of the comp test this morning. 1 - 150 2 - 149 3 - 150 4 - 150 5 - 146 6 - 150 avg - 149.2 Maybe I made a mistake when I did it yesterday, by dropping the timing to 12 deg, or because this time i removed all of the plugs before i did it; regardless, the comp on each cyl is still just about on avg. Before I started the car I added a dollop of bearing grease, rags on hybridz's idea, around the throttle bearings hoping to stop the possible vacuum leak, but it really didn't seem to do anything at all. while the car was actually running as it should I sprayed the crap out of everything front to back, and top and bottom listening for a change in rpm. Once I heard it in a particular spot I put on the straw and tried to localize the drop. Even with bearing grease on the throttle bushings (on both ends, and on both carbs) I was hearing a drop in RPM whenever I sprayed the side where the linkage comes into the carb body, not on the outboard side. So does this mean that it is time to get new carbs? or should i try cleaning them again and see if the problem persists?

yeah it was a dry/cold test, and the timing at that point was 15, I reset it to 12 and before i start the car this morning i'll try another comp test, and then once i get the engine warm i'll retest again.

that did not fix the issue. and a new sight, i ran the carbs a bit lean to get some lean pops and see if there was any bits smoke come out of anywhere and saw that one spray came out of the rear throttle bushing. it is the first time i have seen it, but then again this was the first time that i was looking for it as well

compression test #1 - 125 #2 - 120 #3 - 120 #4 - 125 #5 - 115 #6 - 120 avg - 120.8 all seems to be fine on that account. Fuel pressure is a solid 4psi. the spark plugs when i took them out looked pretty much the same in the first couple of pictures. i'gave them a quick clean and put them back in. I did however notice something exasperatingly stupid on my behalf, but then again I never thought to look for it until last night. Xnke on hybrdiz mentioned that i should check the brake booster, as it might be leaking internally. So before I started the car I did a visual check on the line to see how hard it was, and if there were any gaping cracks. I found this... it was easily missed due to it looking like it was connected, but without that bolt in there it wasn't really doing anything at all. This somewhat explains why the car would do it sporadically, and even more so when it was hot. I am going to the parts store, yet again, to see if i can pick up some new lines to replace these with just in case and i'll keep you all informed.

I'll head to the autoparts store and pick up a compression tester, meaning to get one anyway, and see how the cylinders are running. as far as the removed emission stuff, the EGR valve, the coolant lines, anything that isnt needed to run the car is gone. all of the lines were blocked off well, but with hopefully with today's test i'll find out exactly where the leak is coming from and move on from there. yes i have a mech fuel pump, dont have a pressure gauge, i'll see if they have one and pick that up as well, and the tank is 6 gallons full of 1 day old 91 gas. should have something to show within the next few hours from all of the testing.

heh, if this problem keeps up for the next week I am gonna scrap these SUs and go with a tripple weber or mikuni...