Dave WM

for some reason I am recalling the OD switch having something to do with emissions.

i like 280 up (or 82 or what ever it is, gets confusing with so many shared rd numbers) from tifton all the way to phenix city. nice divide hiway, very low traffic (until you get to columbus anyway) interesting sites (like the little grand canyon) along the way. just have to watch out for the dear esp around ft benning.

for my dragon run i am going to look into us 301, looks promising

an jeez my trip home on 75 was a nightmare i start south from tifton, all the way to the fl t pike, min speed in fl is about 80 lest you get run over, truck running 3 wide at times, at one point i looked down and was north of 95mph, and just keeping up... do my best not to get squashed like a june bug. next time i may go the fl/ga parkway a little on the west side of the state but very little traffic, comes up thru monticello then on to albany.

recently retired (sorta anyway) so hope to make a run to the dragon soon, missed it last year, but now work is much less an issue.

on a prior trip a strange fail, i would show sudden slight discharge for a second then a massive overcharge (like 30amp indicate by the ammeter) for several seconds. it was so bad that i was concerned with frying the ECU, so I would turn on the lights just to try to load down the battery voltage. This happened repeatedly for hours while on the same long trip I finally got to my location and was able to buy a replacement alternator which fixed the issue, I had to turn in the old alternator and was never able to autopsy it to find out what was the base problem. I eventually repaired my orig alt that failed early in my owner ship (shorted diode pack), reinstalled it and have been running every since. anyway my theory the fuse issue is perhaps those sustained high voltage/current event may have damaged the fuses (the head lights were MUCH brighter during the event, I am sure the higher voltage was causing a much higher than normal current in the head light circuit. I don't recall replacing the fuses after that trip, and a almost never run my lights as i generally avoid nite driving. I have inspected the fuses/fuse holder/combo switch all look very good, no corrosion at all. i have not checked the actual head light connection but will do that as well. I assume the head lights are stock replacements, based on the brightness I dont think they are high wattage.

I took a long road trip, several hours of night driving (i generally avoid night driving). hours into it i notice one head light seems seems very dim, the other still on but def not full bright. While stopping for gas I get out to look it over and while inspecting the very dim goes out completely. luck holds out on the other and I make it to daybreak. 1st place I check is the fuse box, good one is very hot other out. I pull them both, each shows signs of distress, partial melted. Replaced and all good again. Not sure why the partial melt down vs full blown, and all good now after more extended night running.

the later zx trans with the .75 od and a 3.54 stock r200 diff will get you 80mph right at 3k

I am not following what the problem is, is it not possible to just fix the orig problem? fuel injection and emissions on these cars are pretty simple, and when sorted out they works well.

looking good!

ah, nutcracker days, would love to have one of those back now...

heath kits and radio shack p box kits were a lot of fun, I mostly built the P box stuff. The heath kits were clearly more advanced stuff.

so you think it can be interchanged with a stock 75 ECU? vs a ZX ECU? Just relocate the wire harness and install a dry? the reason I ask is the dry sound like it may be more reliable than the one that is exposed to coolant.

is that head port you have the coolant sensor installed in actually in the coolant? on my MN47 that is in the same place its not in the flow, just a threaded hole in the head.

make sure you are using the timing light correctly. some have provisions for setting the timing on the gun and then you just aim for 0 on the pointer while adjusting the dizzy.

I thought I read that same thing about the flow rate in the FSM. its got to be somewhere if we both remember the same procedure.

a lot of running issues can be traced back to fuel issues (including running out of gas like I did before getting the gauge calibrated). things to be aware of re fuel: gas gauge accurate (don't run out of gass). tank rust can be a big problem Hard line rust again can be a big problem. Turning left when low on gas (for me anyway) will slosh the gas away from the non existent pickup sock (removed when tank was renewed) causing fuel starvation and misfires heat induced hard restarts (hot weather esp). if this happens floor the throttle while cranking (see the owners manual). regarding the pump, I like OE stuff just cause i trust it. You can get OE pumps for about 250-300$ vs 75ish for cheap pumps. Its up to you if you think the price diff is too much, but I just like the fitment and the built in regulation. Thing about pump is if it fails you are dead in the water. I take a LOT of long trips so I opted for the OE thinking why not, AND i carry a spare (the aftermarket that was on it). IIRC the stock pump keeps the fuel pressure at no more than 60psi, so my thinking is if there is a regulation issue there will be less of a possible over pressure as after markets can go a lot higher (at least that is what the specs say). You may want to install a pre filter (a filter in front of the pump). If you go this route you should look for a filter that is so designed, most filters are for after the pump. You really want a very low restriction filter that will not make the pump work too hard. I had a restrictive filter installed and the pump made a lot of noise. I went to a large, low restriction filter designed for this purpose and the noise went away. Finding a good tank is hard as most have rust and will often have pin hole leaks after "cleaning" (acid). I paid to have mine cut open and sealed after sand blasting. seems ok so far, but I would prefer a new tank, which IIRC are being made in the UK of all S30 styles.

you should read the FSM fuel section. It explains how the entire fuel injection system works, including the fuel pressure. You should get a vacuum gage to confirm the fuel pressure reading with the engine running. most see about 29-30 psi at idle, you may have more vacuum than typical (16-20 inHg), or you may have a fuel delivery problem 36-38 is more normal engine off pump on.

I have read that excessive carbon build up on the tops of pistons can increase readings when doing compression test. I like to do a leak down test as well. this will let you know the health of the rings and valves. another good test is a vacuum test, I think all of these things help with getting a picture of the overall condition of an engine.

nice work! that would be great if it works out for all those searching for a good expansion valve. Looking forward to progress report.

not sure what is going on with the gas station filling up. I presume its some kind of fuel cell? If that is the case are there any other modifications? if there are help will be limited to statements like "have you got spark" etc... Typically you should start by reading the factory service manuals. These cars have a very simple fuel injection system, as well as ignition system (by modern car standards). what they don't have is OBD so you have to follow a procedure using test equipment like a volt ohm meter (aka digital multimeter) even a test light will check a lot of stuff. Saying you tried everything is not much help, exactly what did you try? Lets start with the basics it worked somewhat until you did something, can you undo what you did and try again? assuming it never worked, you should start with a compression test, then check the timing (spark and valve), are the spark plugs actually firing in the correct order, are you getting fuel to the injectors, is the fuel pressure correct, are the injectors clicking are the passing fuel when clicking... again you should read the FSM until you know it very well, then follow the checks, this is the best way to resolve the issues. The only thing not really covered is age related problems so make sure the ground connections are good and the wire harness is free of corrosion, those can give readings that are hard to figure out when doing the checks.

fyi, that pic of the liquid is in the same place the coolant would accumulate on mine when the front cover was leaking around where weep slot was located. this slot goes to a channel in the front cover that goes around the coolant flow passages between the block and front cover. Not saying these has ANY thing to do with you running issues, just an observation.

IIRC yes but can't swear on it. You will prob have to add a new speaker wire, unless yours came with it already in the wire harness. Its not hard, you fish it along the main body harness, I used some guide tube to get it where I wanted. there is a later video that covers that.

Or there is something else that went wrong at the same time, I don't like to assume. I think a model year would be helpful.

yes you can do it