chaseincats

That Wai unit being new is interesting, do you know if anyone on here has tried it? It's weird it says new on the page but when you click info it says reman. I'm going to email rockauto and see which is correct...

Hi gang, I’ve gone through 5 alternators in the past 7 years. These are all rebuilt ZX units each of which had different problems (hemispheres not lining up so couldn’t mount, squealing bearing, etc). That said, the vast majority had the internal voltage regulator die and overcharged the battery per the voltage gauge (yes I checked with a multimeter). Because oreilly lifetime warranties these, I’ve just been swapping them but I’m tired of this haha. Are there any drop-in brand new (not remaned) alternators that work? I know there’s a gm alternator that does but that requires permanently modifying the mounting bracket which I’d like to avoid… Any ideas? -chase

Agree that it PROBABLY is the bullet connector on the harness that connects to the temp sending unit - that was my issue a while back as well

Try unplugging the TPS connector temporarily and see if it leans out

Yep, using an o2 sensor and an AEM air/fuel gauge I was able to get it to run stoich after the forum and I worked through this thread. I was actually pretty astonished at how well it holds stoich at freeway speed as long as your TPS is set right - it won't hold it while driving around town, you kind of tune the AFM so that it runs stoich at highway speed (it will run richer around town by design and won't lean-out) Here is how to do it: - get rid of ALL vacuum leaks using the hand pump and cigarette method - once you are SURE all are gone, run through the EFI bible and check all sensors to make sure they're in spec - once all your vacuum leaks are gone, your TPS is set correctly per atlanticz, lean the AFM back 3 teeth (counterclockwise) and it will run stoich at highway speed, sound/feel healthier around town, and smell more like a modern car - I'd HIGHLY recommend doing this with an air fuel gauge/o2 sensor so you can be sure your numbers are right, but if you do everything above, you should be good

do NOT start this again. you are wrong, you have been proven wrong on the previous 8 page thread 10 times over, all modern cars have this, you are wrong, stop spreading wrong information, go to autozone or even your favorite nissan or frankly any oem dealer and ask for an o2 sensor and they will give you one stop.

it's definitely been played with, the stock bolt has a Phillips head carved into it

The only time folks should mess with the AFM is if they have a widrband sensor to tune it with IMO

I can't seem to find the tutorial site, but it might be a good idea for you to scoot the board with the black sweeper track down a bit so that the sweeper arm is going over a fresh/flat/non-ground down track. All you do is loosen those 3 screws that hold the board to the afm housing and push the board down towards the bottom of the housing a tiny bit. Even the tiniest amount will get the contact points out of the carved area.

Update: I haven't smoked the car yet - that probably won't be for a month+ since my friend owns the machine and has a very demanding job - but I did want to share that if you have a gasoline smell in your car, change out the original-style clamps on the vapor tank's hoses to modern belt clamps and that will put an end to that issue I discovered.

The lugs are the solution, that is all.

I always understood it as by the time the hoses are dry-rotted, it's probably time for new/reman injectors

I slapped a piece of duct tape over it making sure its flush all the way around, thanks. There's actually 2 of them, that one and a smaller one (about the size of a dime) further down that panel.

Update: So I just went under the car and looked around, tightened hose clamps, etc. All the hoses under the car looked newish with modern belt-style hose clamps except for one which I yanked off (image below) which will be replaced tomorrow along with belt clamps so I think we're in business here. I also found one screw hole that was missing a screw so I dug one up strictly to plug that leak hole.

Definitely. One thing I did was stick a bright light under the car then sat it on the tank shining up towards the underside to see where light shone through then glopped some weatherstrip sealant on it to close under-car leaks

Checked all of those except for the fuel sending unit wiring harness grommet - any idea where that is?

Sealed that bad boy with some duct tape but thanks for the tip!

UPDATE: I blew through the vent hose that goes to the carbon canister and got a thick gas smell in the cabin. I will investigate the vapor tank/hoses tonight. 5/23PM: Found/fixed cabin leak by replacing old style vapor canister hose clamps with belt clamps & confirmed leak under the car using a cigarette and hand pump through the vapor tank also sealed fuel sending unit access door with seal 'n peal. Waiting on a new jack to handle under-car

Will do - I'll sniff around tonight. I was thinking that I could probably pull the oil pressure switch connector and pressurize the system while it's sitting which should work. With the taillight gaskets sealed, how would that smell be sneaking into the cabin though?

UPDATE: So I drove the car today after letting the sealnpeal cure for 7 days like it says on the package and I'm happy to say it is CONSIDERABLY better. The only time you smell exhaust now is if you really give it some gas. We are going to give it another smoke session to see where the final culprit is but this is definitely something everyone should do. As a side note, this did allow me to now notice there's a gas smell periodically. The interesting thing is though, you will only smell gas near the fuel pump when the car is running - with the car off the smell disappears. I smelled outside the right rear tire after shutting the car off and it is pretty noticeable but no gas smell coming from vapor tank area at least when the car is off. Any ideas what to check? I'm assuming the answer is 'all the fuel pump hoses' but I just don't understand how the car can smell while running but a split hose somehow seals itself when the car is off.

That sounds like the seal 'n peel clear silicone sealer we ended up using

I'll just use my nose. If I still smell it I'll seal it with tape and if that doesn't work I'll see if my friend can borrow the smoke machine again.

Update: The seal 'n peel arrived. I put an outline of it on the housing, let it sit for 10 min, plopped the gasket on top, then put an outline on the car body and popped the lights in. I set them in with the bolts finger tight, waited about 30 minutes, then cranked them in (but that part wasn't on the directions), and now we wait. I will probably use a bunch of duct tape to bridge the body to the housing from the inside of the car as well once everything is dry and in retrospect, this might be all you need to do haha. More to come.

Yep, that exact one will be here tomorrow

The taillight was the only area in the back that had leaks except for one strange spot - the 2 holes in the gas flap. I didn't know those had access to the body but I guess they do? The two spots are usually plugged with rubber bumpers for the gas flap to close on if memory serves.