JeffTT

So a buddy of mine did well at the BMW show at the weekend securing him self some rewards for the effort put into his car and sent me some pics, I was rather taken aback when I saw the trophy`s Very, very nice quality and fitting to the occasion. Now take a look at the many car and trader ones I am very proud and appreciative to display even today in my office, and wonder with the exception of the lower cup one`s why they are made of plastic ? this when there was £25k in the club account ! now I get it that the Bmw one`s there are sponsored and so the club is not paying out full cost, but then the amount of prizes they gave out was huge compared to our humble club. Shameful really eh? and still some are wondering why the membership are not that responsive to meetings and competitions, all agreed we need to make the remained of 2018 and the next year a change of style but also quality. Jeff

Oh no please No !! Some haven from Facebook (ism ) is required. Jeff

Although not technically difficult there are some good reasons to get the job done at some like Jimmer as there are some traps that even mechanics fall into who have not done one before, if however you are doing it yourself then get on line there are plenty of video`s on how to, also after the work is complete remember you will need to check the ignition timing with the correct light and a ConZult session to get the most from the work you have done. Jeff

Phew ! glad you did not like it too !! Jeff

Well if not some questions would need answering !! that said the membership fees now will not be a patch on what they were. Was the £25k money ever invested in anything or left to drip away ? sorry to sound harsh but do wonder.. Jeff

Yeh get that partially, volunteers may not have the time to commit even if their efforts are more than expected when they are involved, but I remember a time, like some here when there was like £25k in the club bank account, at that time even club banners were hard to squeeze out of the committee for local events, so guessing those money days are well gone now.. So what are the bank funds like now? can I / we even ask that question? Jeff

Given the body structure is the earth point there is no difference to where it is connected, should not cause any power surges, however with engine out the alternator and starter cables very likely touched down and caused issues. I don`t see how this would cause the headlights to blow, although they have switched earth`s the relays that supply them been open circuit would be prevent any issue. My bigger worry if you have some kind of surge as you suggest then the ecu for the abs and the engine etc. could be effected, lets hope not. Jeff

When was this? Any pics?

Now if only we could organise this kind of event on the way to zx shows, my Bmw friends do seem to have it sorted... Jeff

Noise your hearing is the relay clicking, the problem is the board dry joint is after the relay, so no power out to the window, often holding the switch in and banging the door panel in the centre where the unit is will make the window work once, remember you do not need to take off the door panel, unclip the bottom and look up and you can reach the unit. Jeff

That is the negative value, better known as "Brexit effect", just wait till next year and once you guys are san`s European....up the creak without a paddle..whoops.

Yes you have my vote ! Oh and as the thread starter you can see who has read the thread, maybe if you number crunch how many members who viewed that have not added any comments are paid up and how many are not, may go some way to answering if it is infact going to make any difference changing things.

My prefered link ....lol https://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?128022-power-window-repair-(inside-out-feature)&highlight=window

199 views and only 10 replies, come on guys !!

Well like I said earlier, post view count against replies... dreadfull take up, now stands around 187 views, but only nine actual replies from members,that nut is really hard to crack eh?? there has been some suggestions of lowering costs and that seems to have legs, some about making it subscription only, but sure that actually would be the death knell of the forum to be honest for new owners/ members. Ok not an answer to the immediate problem but the forum does look flabby and although smooth is clunky compared to other later car site`s, please do not take as a criticism just an observation, quite why there are so many sections and sub sections, member only areas and sales area of which some areas are probably infrequently visited. Trial a slimmed down version to evaluate the response, with maybe just three areas is all that is needed tech, general and admin, kind of thing, that should keep it tighter whilst actually logged in, as to attracting more threads then make it interesting with some kind of member input areas, a simple one, the old car of the month gig, make it that the car is featured on the header each month, voted by the membership, everyone can take a go each month, or even weekly, that said I understand this does increase admin time which can be a problem, but this is commonly used on Fb, who I really consider the forums nemesis today. Long, long threads such as what Bird mentioned an very correctly said is stopping new threads been formed need to be time limited to prevent it going on and on to the detriment to fresh threads ( well said Lee ) This needs to be done now, I did mention this some time back and actually got some negative replies against my view on it, it needs to be done NOW, end it and lets have some fresh threads... please. Leave selling parts to ebay and private messaging, does not really need an area of its own. And one final thought, I use and others use the word "forum" and of recent times the word "club" is used in part I think to elevate the "forums" importance in the z scene. But and with the exception of the Coventry meet I do not see a club, a few banners, a few leaflets and flags do not make a "club" when the big funds were in the kitty £25k if I remember correctly there was talk of why the money was not been used to promote, to expand and to grow. Now years later with nothing like the same fees coming in it really is a bit late, unless of course the money was kept safe and is still available, if so how about we SPEND IT, proper like, "club funded prizes, club funded lunch and evening meets, club funded 300zx only meets ( not unlike Coventry meet but better) get traders to attend with actual stands with stock on like I used to at JAE before it was out priced by the greedy corporation now running it. As a forum the question is what do we ( the paying members want?) how about what we can we as a "club" afford? and can we ask that? Jeff

If after checking there is a spark, then pull the plugs out and dry off, check the connection at the front of the engine for the water temp sensor, this alone can cause flooding and non starting. Jeff

Does kind of points to hub run out, having them machines on the car will negate the run out until the disc starts to wear again, could be also a caliper fitment issue, ensure the correct bolts are been used and no spacers or washers wrongly fitted under the brackets. Jeff

I see the problem you have and are trying to get an answer to, but, and this is part of the problem you are facing, at this time there has been 92 views and only four member replies. Hate to say it but there is a general apathy here that is going to be a hard nut to crack, not having a go at the members but even tech threads now get very little interest. I believe we now have a different mindset of owners / members than 10+ years ago, those really were the golden years of the forum and the owners enthusiasm. So much has changed in the car scene and how we view on line media, that the few long term members still here are the last of the breed and trying to meet the new memberships requirements will most likely need a total rethink for the forum rather than some small tweaks if indeed that is actually possible. I can see how frustrating it must feel / be to have created and maintained the forum for so long to see it dwindling, I have taken defeat in tech thread interest now, maybe I am not seen the same by many now I semi retired from Zedworld, time was when my tech threads with pics could end up as a long multi layer thread full of interest over many days. That said many of the mysteries of the zx have long since been exposed / solved and can more easily be found by a simple Google search, which if course is instant and requires no input. Interestingly I am also a member on the Australian zx forum and that has also seen a change over the years and for a little time went off line whilst they decided what to do, it came back with a fresh look and new format some time back but I see no change in their membership, and if anything is worse. I do think it is time to accept that there is no simple answer, as I said above, I retired from the hands on part of the zx scene as many here know to go to sunnier climes, of course there was much more to it than wanting sun on my face 300 days a year. I created my own niche in the market and enjoyed doing so, many long hours and lots of £££ss I can tell you, it not easy, many tried and failed before and after me and proud of what I achieved, but I could see the writing on the wall for the amount of work that was going through / required for our very expensive to maintain unit was getting less and less. Due in most part to descending numbers, but also new owners not having to try so hard any more to find tech info out, and 5 or so years ago when a good tt could be found sub £2.5k there was a new younger less bothered owner circle emerging, that basically drove them like they stole them and when they broke, just scrapped them or sold for parts on e-bay, then move on to another type of car, they were not Zx enthusiasts they were just car nuts. For me deciding to bow out while we were at the top of our game seemed the best way, unlike most other criminal zx specialist gone before and a couple after who bail out as the ship is sinking and take owners cash with them. Anyhow I believe that same effect has now become relevant to the forum, and do I have an answer? well heck no ! I do hope you get some continued support but the general day to day threads and poor attendance to meets really are not looking great guys, wish I could help :sad: Jeff

Mmm, disconnected duct sensors will give an incorrect low reading and hence the valve stays open to raise the outlet temp, but of course it cannot, the valve operating cable has an outer sheath clip and return spring, any issues with these will stop the valve closing. Jeff

What's the problem with yours then ?

You giving the valve a little too much credit there, its a very basic open close valve that is operated by a solid cable, however the clever bit is the cable is operated by a small stepper motor that can open / close across a variety of inputs from the heater system, there are cabin temp sensors above your head, also in the output ducts and within the heater box there are air mixer flaps so to not just regulate the water flow through the matrix but the mix of inside and outside air, there is a sun load sensor on the dash board vent, and of course the outside ambient air temp sensor and all very clever for its time but if any of the sensors are left disconnected after bumper off or dash board out, knee vents removed etc. the system cannot work correctly. Jeff

Yes that is the flow regulating valve.

Yes the valve can leak also but less common, even seen a few cracked one's.

Had a pm recently asking about heater matrix job and so did a search on my data base of job photo`s and came across a set of pics for a matrix swap, I most likely did around 200 of these and have covered this a good few times here. That said with new members and owners joining maybe of interest for them and a reminder for the more "seasoned members" Today I still see some garages take out the dashboard to do this job, which is simply nuts...very accessible with the seat removed and doable in a morning, that said I got it down to around one hour but do not expect that on your first attempt, little tricky 8 mm fixing around the back of the pipes against the bulkhead, I used a small ratchet spanner I bent slightly and it worked every time. 20 years ago this was a £900 job at Nissan UK, today a couple of hundred if done for you, or the price of the matrix if you fancy it yourself, maybe an odd time to be talking about heating but ideal time to get a leaky one sorted before it gets worse or fails completely. Look for damp or wet carpet in the foot well that has a greasy feel to it and or steaming up windows when it rains or gets chilly. Enjoy. Jeff - - - Updated - - - cont ...

Place a jack under the box, undo the cross member and Lower the box down, gives more access, still a bitch though with exhaust on. Jeff