baby ice dog

Friday afternoon, spotted twice ;) Gunmetal import 2+2, with '99 spec front bumper (I think... a roundy one, looked well nice), and a single fat exhaust (3-4" approx), driven by smartly dressed man :) Saw ya first coming into town on Uppingham Rd, in Humberstone Park, about 4pm. I was coming the other way in slow traffic, crawled past you staring but the sleek lines of my plain white Pug Partner failed to impress you enough to notice :( Later, bout 5:20pm, saw you heading west on the A46 away from Syston - blasted past you, but even the roar of a stock 1.9D pushed to the limit failed to impress, and you didn't rise to the challenge :'( (OK, I say "blasted", but it was more like a fast trundle - the Pug takes a while to build up speed :S) Anyway, sweet car - front looks juicy, and although your rear end needs a bit of a clean, seeing the backside of a Z always brings a smile to my face :) Nice zorst too! Seen quite a few Zs in the last week or two, actually - Red one parked up on a corner kerb on the way out of Coventry (don't know the place well enough to be more specific); another red heading past the truck stop at Shepshed, towards M1 jn23; and a black (mayb grey?) beast that suddenly appeared sat behind me at lights, southbound on that new section of A6 from A52 to A50 (and jeez, ain't the new road great?? :D) - must've turned off to the west though, cos it was gone by the time I'd got off the island.... Oh, and even better, a white 280z coming into Ashbourne (think it was there, anyway :S) - gave it a thumbs up but heh, who pays any attention to small camply-named vans?:'( Zs always brighten up my driving day :) Just wish there was some way of showing appreciation of these fine motors without making the driver paranoid (why's he flashing me? did i leave my briefcase on the roof again?).

Yay! First one was a black 2+2 with a meaty-lookin spoiler and a bashed-in looking driver's side rear quarter panel, parked up outside the bike showroom on the A6 out of Matlock (towards Buxton, that side). Looked really scruffy, but I guess that's just winter dirt ;) Spoiler was nice, anyway :D Second one was red, coming *into* Matlock Bath from the other side, about halfway from the A610, at the bit where the road crosses the river and comes past that big Inn. That must've been about 3:15pm. Looked dirty, but *nice* :) Passed it too fast to see any details of spec or cosmetic mods, though :S Me? Heh, I was in a white Pug Boxer hi-top LWB, you wouldn't have noticed me.... :P

Yeah, I got two 3.5" backboxes like this on mine (Apexi, I think), and they look/sound great :) If you want pics feel free to mail me baby_ice_dog@hotmail.com (can't upload em here cos I'm not a member :cry: ). I'm always getting comments, kids drooling over them, people in the car behind at lights craning to see them over their bonnet... ;)

Well, kinda Castleford/Allerton Bywater way (I don't know the area well enough), by the new ski slope/cinema/everything centre Xscape, 7pm Sunday night. Red 2+2, aftermarket rims, possibly import... I was in the back of an ugly blue Clio being driven very badly - we were toying what exit to come off the roundabout at (well, ok, we were shouting at the driver to take the *next* exit, so he was stopping dead), you came up behind and honked. Made me smile, cos just quarter of an hour before he'd been having a go at me to get my "woman's car" out the way so he could shift his "manly" Clio off the drive :rofl: So: sorry about the awful driving (he only passed his test three weeks ago), and good on ya for showing up his macho Clio:D

Riiiiight, gotcha ;) O2 sensors it is then :) Thanks alot! :D

Wangan Midnight!! :D Wangan is a strip on the Tokyo ring-road, isn't it? Here in Notts the closest thing I can find is Initial D at Trowell services southbound - Initial D is an anime series worth checking out if you like that kind of thing, btw - it's about JP mountain-pass racing, the story of a young Tofu delivery driver in his dad's AE86. There's some nice technical detail in there if you're into JP cars, drifting, etc, and some *awesome* CG battle scenes... but I've not seen any Zeds yet :( Not arcade, but anyone played any of the Tokyo Highway Battle series? The first one on Dreamcast had an old 260z as the ultimate boss ;) It's a good game for dreaming with - you can buy a Z32, respray it, slowly kit it out just the way you like it, upgrade, tweak... *sigh*

Yeah, it definitely doesn't happen when cold, but it's more than just on hard acceleration, I think. Anyway, sounds likely - when I get some cash together I'll get that done and maybe the speed sensor at the same time (more intermittant dodginess there...) :)

Jumpiness..? Yeah, that sounds about right - at 2-3k it's kind of coughy and jerky. When you put your foot down, yes, it runs like kak for a few seconds, stumbley and without much power, then everything clears up. Tbh, I'm not sure whether it clears up because it reaches higher revs, or just because a few seconds have passed - have to try and check this out next time ;) So yeah, sounds like you're right :D Good good, that's the most helpful advice I've had so far on the wet weather stumble (it's tough to diagnose because it's only intermittent). Thanks *alot*, I thought I'd never get that niggle sorted :)

Resolved! It was the darned PTU all along - it had failed on just one cylinder :o I'm hoping the over-fuelling was related to imminent PTU failure - it's been fine until a couple of weeks beforehand. However, this also corresponds to the start of the wet weather, and as I might have mentioned, I sometimes get a chuggy flat spot up to about 3k rpm when it rains (but only after the engine's warmed up :/). So, these might be related and separate to the PTU stuff. I'm gonna clean the inside of the zorsts and watch how fast this tank of fuel goes, *then* start worrying ;)... at least I'm on the road again :)

Thanks alot, I appreciate the help :) Yeah, I'm hanging on the electrical idea - it's been over-fuelling for a coupla weeks since the weather got wet, so it seems likely, I guess :/

Hehe thx, that's very comprehensive :D Yeah, I'd not thought about using a spare cheapy plug to do the spark test - doh, nice one :) And I had no idea where to go on the injector side of things :S Hopefully get this sorted tomorrow now, thx again for all the input :) [last second edit: yeah, the zorst *stinks* of fuel - I think it's the right hand one, which also seems to be producing less smoke/vapour. That ties in with the bad cylinder being on the RHS of the engine, I guess :) I'm praying it isn't a valve or compression thing, cos that sounds expensive :S]

Well, I tried swapping the plug on the bad cylinder with the one next to it, but no change to either. Likewise I tried changing the coilpacks round, with similar effect. I'm such a newbie at this kind of thing, I figured that would rule out both components (does it?). The wiring *looks* solid where I can see it, but of course some of it disappears into crevices in the engine block (er..I think). After it emerges it is quickly gatherered up into one of those neat plastic pipes that keep the wiring bundled. But yeah, seems like it *must* be either the wiring or a freak PTU failure. HOWEVER, I've still not checked the injectors (because I'm too fat-fingered to get the little wire clips off the connectors), and I've not checked visually whether I've got a spark (because I have no friends to help me out, and I'm worried about the coilpack rolling off the engine block while I'm at the wheel, or something going wrong that necessitates cutting the engine while I'm messing around in the bay). The exhausts absolutely reek of fuel, though, and there's the whole cat-overheat business, both of which suggest petrol is getting through (I guess the running rich maybe also confirms this?). I know these should be checked next, but I'm too clumsy to be trusted, which is why it's being dragged to Jeff's tomorrow. That way the PTU can be ruled out, and hopefully the wiring can be multi-metered. Is there anything else it could be that I've not thought of? Like I said, I'm new to all this, so I have a very simplistic view of how the whole system works :S Oh yeah, mention of cats reminds me I meant to check what happened to that thread about de-catting NAs...

Ah, andyduff... was hoping you'd turn up ;) Yeah, I've taken the PTU off, crimped up the contacts a bit, and put it all back - still no joy :( Jiggling the connectors on it before made it sound like another cylinder was going down, but at no point did the dead one kick in. I've not jiggled it since the crimping (lost heart a bit tbh). I gather it's possible but rare for a PTU to fail on one cylinder, so maybe that's it. Jeff will have a spare one I guess, so we can test that tomorrow. Bit of a cop-out if it turns out to be that, though...

Thx mate :) It's going to Jeff's for a once-over tomorrow afternoon, so with any luck he can confirm exactly what it is (didn't want to go to a non-specialist because they could easily turn round and just tell me it's the PTU cos that's the only thing they can think of). The wiring looks solid, but like you say, it disappears into all kinds of tight dark spaces, and you never know what could be going on in *there* :S

OK, here's an update :): I tried swapping coilpacks around, and the dead cylinder stayed the same. I tried swapping sparkplugs round (they looked pretty brown, but basically fine), and again the dead cylinder stayed the same. The coilpack connector looks fine, clean as new, and the wires going into it seem fine. I couldn't find a mate willing to spend a coupla minutes helping me check if there was a spark, but the smell of fuel I mentioned before is definitely strongest round the exhaust, so this implies the injectors are working, and that I'm almost certainly just lacking a spark, right? Don't think I can hear air hissing under the bonnet, but it's hard to tell with all that noise going on. I tightened the one pipe I could find that had crust round its joint, checked every fuel line I could see for visible splits, and sniffed for petrol to no avail (like I said, my sense of smell ain't that great, but I can certainly smell it round the exhausts, very strongly). So, any more thoughts here? I'm guessing a sensible next step might be to check the electrical signal from the coilpack connector, but I haven't got a multimeter to hand, and I don't even know what signal I should be looking for, or which of the three connections to use. Any other signals I should be checking if I *do* have to scrounge a meter? And finally, is it worth pulling the PTU connectors off and having a look there? Chasing the wiring, it seems like there's alot to go through between the coilpack and the PTU, and I've got no idea how directly the PTU connections correspond to specific cylinders. Really, I don't know if I'm missing something stupidly obvious here, sorry if I am :(

Smart, good info, thx :) Yes, this was where I suspected the plug might be (under those two 12mm bolts), but I obviously wasn't rough enough trying to get it out (plus I didn't undo the connector). I'll try and borrow a socket off my mate so I can get this checked tomorrow. It's the outside metal of the plug that needs to make contact, right? And do I need a mate, or if I start it myself should I be able to see it sparking as the engine runs? If there's a spark, then that means I've got injector problems or something serious, yes? And if there's no spark then it must be the plug (which I can check visually), the coilpack (for which I can do the test you suggest), or the coilpack connector (which looks fine)? What about the PTU idea? Is it unlikely only one cylinder would go down if the PTU connections were dodgy then? Anyway, I've got some good ideas for what to try tomorrow now, thanks, and at last I know where the plugs are :)

Thx, and for the picture too :) I'll check tomorrow when it's light again, meanwhile wait for more suggestions. I *have* noticed a smell of petrol while messing under the bonnet (and my sense of smell is terrible, so I guess it must be strong), plus at least two pipes have some orangey crust around them where rubber hose meets metal pipe (the rest of the engine bay is pretty clean), as if something's been leaking. Neither of these pipes were specific to the cylinder that seems to be down, but it's worth checking properly, yes... and they might be a contributing factor, at least. Would the cold weather cause things like this to get worse? The night this happened it was frickin cold, and I was bombing up my *ahem* private test track *ahem* at about 100-110mph (once the engine was warm, of course), so perhaps extremes of temperature like this stress the rubber/metal pipe connections? I couldn't hear air hissing under the bonnet, but with two 3.5" exhausts and a poorly engine, it's unlikely I would. On the "sounding like a V12" issue - heh, yeah, at low revs it does kinda.. when I limped back from the supermarket it was school chucking-out time, and I got twice as many "pwhoar! whadda beast! how fast does it go, mister?" comments as usual. Heh, youth ;)... I was cringing at every chug :(

Well, I've mailed Jeff about this, but I'm reluctant to *keep* bothering him with foolish newbie questions when I might as well ask them here ;) My NA Zed is running on five cylinders - when this first happened the cat overheat light came on for a bit, but after easing off it disappeared, and while limping home up the M1 I only saw it once more. The engine smoothed out by the end of the journey, was fine the next day, but since then has been running on five constantly. ECU diag gives code 55. Oh, it might also be worth mentioning that I've been running *very* rich recently. From a search, and from Jeff's advice, it's a dodgy connector or spark plug somewhere, right? OK, well I tried disconnecting what I assume are the coilpack connectors, one by one, and the dodgy cylinder is the middle one on the left (looking from the front into the engine bay). This is where my mechanical aptitude runs out and the stupid questions flood in: Coilpack connectors: They're the chunky grey and black plastic connectors on each cylinder, right? I hope I've got this right :S The contacts look clean and shiny, and the connectors themselves are well pushed together. Is that all I'm looking for here? Injector connectors: I'm loathe to investigate these because they're buried under the central cover, and because they have those little wires clips I am no good with. Am I right to think that it shouldn't be these, because of the cat overheat warning? I've not seen the warning light since, but then I've only trundled to the supermarket, taking it very easy - should it be appearing even then, or do I have to boot it to get this effect? PTU: This was replaced a few months back, but it's possible the connections are a bit ropey. Again, I'm loathe to take things off to get to it unless it's a likely suspect. I kinda prodded the rubbers round the connectors with the engine running, and I got a dip in revs, as if I'd lost a cylinder - is this normal? Or could it mean I have a screwy connection and it just happens that only one cylinder is down *so far*? Spark plugs: OK, where *are* these? :confused: In a flash of inspiration I undid the chunky thing next to the coilpack connector (held on by two 12mm bolts), but that didn't free anything, and I couldn't see what else to undo, so I put it back. So, many thanks for any advice you can give. Please remember I am a technical moron, and any explanation or advice should be accompanied by fool-proof instructions on how to identify the relevant part. Sorry to be such a drag :/ If all else fails I'll limp onto the motorway and call out recovery to drag me to Jeff's, but it seems a little extreme for just a spark plug...

Yeah, I was southbound M1 Friday afternoon as well :D (red J-spec SWB, but G reg).

I use Fit-It Utilities, from http://www.ontrack.com. It's better than the Windows one by a mile, and it's free :D But I'm not an IT guru, so maybe it ain't what you're after :P

I've got an Autowatch alarm and immob too, and I'm well happy with them :) Can't even think of any tiny niggles I have... Plus the blue LED impresses people more than an everyday red one :P

Is that the scooby-type spoiler? (can't think how else to describe it). If so, I think I know the guy you're talking about - he seems to cruise out of town on Alfreton Rd out down Nuthall Rd late at night most weekends - *gorgeous* looking spoiler (I'm not so keen on the plain hi level ones), *awesome* sounding exhaust - another one of those Zeds that reminds you why you bought one, especially seeing it at night ;) I happened across the guy a week or two back, came up behind him going out of town on the A610, fought through the traffic to get up next to him, and we cruised alongside for a mile or two. I gave him several thumbs up, he honked his horn (reminding me how pathetic they sound :S), two sets of wide zorsts growled their way through the night... all at a steady 30mph, cos that section of road is all SPECSed up :P Both of us had ladies in the car, I think both were amused at our childishness :P Mine especially, cos she knew I *really* needed the toilet, and all this faffing around had caused me to miss my turn-off :S Although I see him around a fair bit, this is the only time I've been in the Z - looking forward to actually meeting the guy face to face one day and telling him how good he sounds ;) There's another Zed I see regularly in Nottm - flashy silver 2+2 J-spec with a *tiny* front number plate, sweet bodykit, and tastefully small tuning stickers on the side (Blitz, I think). It's often parked in the car park I go to when I visit town. Parked up alongside him one week, and my exhausts (with two 3.5" Apexi backboxes :P) set off his alarm - one of those novelty ones that makes a variety of exciting sounds one after the other. Heh, was kind of amusing, like he had a Zed prox sensor on that got the car excited when another one came near :P

Ah, the same eh? Good, thanks :) What about back pressure issues from using a TT de-cat? I guess if Jock's is straight through, then it can't be much of a problem, right? As for Pete, well... I'd heard a couple of times that reducing the back pressure in an NA would give weaker low end, but better high end, response. SS man kinda backed this up, but still reckoned de-catting was worthwhile because they're such a gunk-trap - back pressure could be maintained by using a smaller diameter pipe for the replacement section than one would for a TT. I dunno how much sense this makes - is he saying here that a gunky cat provides *too much* resistance? :S Pff, custom SS was gonna cost a bomb anyway.. as long as a TT de-cat isn't really going to screw things up, I'll go with that :) Anyway, sorted - nippier revs would be nice, being able to use 2+2 bits makes it easy & cheaper, and if Jock isn't complaining about performance then it's almost certainly gonna be an improvement on what I have :D Yay! Thanks everyone :)

Hmm, it's something I've been thinking about, but I've got a SWB, so I figured it might be hard to find something off-the-shelf. Got my local custom SS bloke to have a look - he said the Z's he'd seen had one of two different arrangments for the cat section, and mine was the more expensive one :( Dunno how right this is, of course ;) If I could find SWB off-the-shelf, would I be using the same as a TT? I assumed not because of back pressure issues, but I know nothing :/ Anyway, what also concerned me was that the NA crawls off the line like a bloated dog, so what's this gonna be like with the reduced low-end grunt that de-catting brings? It's possible my cats are clogged with muck - would that explain sluggish pull-offs? Heh, mine is a daily driver, with two 3.5" Apexi backboxes - didn't realise there'd be any chance of it getting *louder*, and not sure whether it bothers me as long as it's legal :P

NA dashes can't be that different cos I have a SWB NA and the previous owner swapped the stock dials for Nismo turbo ones (kind of odd because they're still in kmph, so he stuck in a digital speedo too, for mph). If it helps I still have the NA dials, but the clear plastic cover is broken :S Seems like you won't need them anyway :P