JeffTT

Getting back to the thread topic, a word of warning Jeremy, if you decide to solder in the new connectors yourself disconnect the battery first because the 12v supply is permanently live to the injectors even with the ignition switched off, failure to do this can short out the outputs on the ecu and fry it!! Jeff TT

Yes, a good second hand one will be ok. Jeff TT

The pulley that goes through the seal needs replacing as it has a wear groove that is causing the leak, common problem, ask Smithy!! Jeff TT

Vijay has answered the problem exactly, the tps is thE cause of both problems and is most likely a bad connection. Jeff TT

Most common in the side light circuit is the side light bulbs / holders at the front, also the side light circuit that runs behind the dashboard for illumination to the switches radio etc, etc. Note: Be careful with fuse ratings in the future, higher blow rated fuses puts the wiring at danger of overheating and a real danger of fire, find the fault. Ok Dad rant over Jeff TT

Code 21 is caused by either ptu failure or bad connection on the ptu,usually the lower of the two connectors is the problem. Is the engine not starting at the moment? if so remove and clean the connector, if however the engine does run and you got the code when checking it`s an old code, still clean the connector to be on the safe side and clear the code by leaving the battery disconnected overnight. A failed ptu is still possible if you have a non starter despite cleaning the connectors. Jeff TT

Hi, Try a look here. http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=122156 Jeff TT

Right ok just a bit of info on short shifters, the length of the lever is not the full issue, it`s the change of ratio as slick pete mentioned, by moving the pivot point at the lower section it reduces the amount of movement at the top required to select gears, it does mean its slightly harder to move the lever as some of the mechanical advance is lost and this is why you cannot have a really short top lever as it would be too hard to move. As far as shortening standard one`s, it is important to remember the original one included an anti-vibration joint, if this is removed you will feel more vibration through the stick, of course this applies to the after market short shifts more so as they are made without any anti-vibration joint at all. Jeff TT

Will post pics for the auto and manual sensor position tomorrow. Jeff TT

ConZult check is the easiest way. Jeff TT

Ok simple to change just three small fixings and no bleeding is required as only a very small amount of fluid leaks out of the port, one other tip, the power steering ecu resides in the passenger footwell and if the signal to the solenoid turns out to be faulty then next thing to do is check the output at the ecu, if it is ok there as it usually is, then there is a cable fault behind the dashboard which is very common. Rather than spend hours looking for the fault just run a new cable only takes 20 mins that way. See how you get on first and if you need ore help just let me know and will go through it with you in more detail for the connections and wiring colours etc. Jeff TT

Yes thats right, maybe the solenoid is at fault then, one way of testing the system is to monitor the power supply to the solenoid whilst driving the when the problem occurs. To do this you need to run a cable pair from the solenoid ( use scotchlock to connect the cables ) tempory to inside the car and connect to a voltmeter, as you go faster the voltage should go down and rise back up to 5 volts at idle and car stationary. If the problem occurs and the power supply is intact the solenoid is faulty if the power supply fails then more investigation is needed in to the wiring etc. Jeff TT

Will get some pics together tomorrow and post it. Jeff TT

The solenoid on the steering rack has a connector not sure if you have checked that, as its position is in the flow of rain water etc that is a real likely candidate, as the system works on around 5 volts with very little current hence it does not take a lot for it to play up. Jeff TT

If the thermostat cannot close properly it cannot regulate so the engine water temp will hover around 62degc at tickover and rise on the road under slight load to about 70 deg but will drop when air in through the rad gets higher. It is easy to see on the ConZult but it will also show out via the heater been slow to warm up and go cooler when you go faster, the temp gauge will show around the 7 O`clock area rather than the 9 O`clock position Other signs to look out for are raised tickover speed and poor fuel economy. Jeff TT

Tech tip 2 The humble engine thermostat is often overlooked when performance issues arise and can have dramatic effect in particular the twin turbo and a lesser but just as important level on the non turbo zeds The thermostat is very commonly misunderstood in how it functions and this can in turn lead to ignoring the running issues that it can directly cause. The unit works from cold by restricting the flow of water around the engine block with the exception of a small by pass hole which prevents the water pump been overloaded. A simple but effective temperature sensitive action moves the valve either open or closed according to water temperature. The restriction mentioned earlier in the water flow is designed to get the engine up to temperature quickly and efficiently and also assists the heater matrix warm up time. Once the designed engine temperature approaches the stat begins to open, this allows extra water to now flow into the block and onwards. Now this is where the story ends for many remember the common misconception that I mentioned earlier? the stat is more than just an open and shut valve it is a modulating stat which in essence the stat will close again slightly after the initial opening due to the extra movement of water through it. As this now restricts the flow again the temperature rises slightly and the stat responds by opening again, this action or “modulation” is what “regulates” the engine temperature at a mean average of around 80 deg c Now take a look at the two stats below, a used and faulty one to the left of the pic`s and a new Nissan item to the right of the pic`s. Clearly the faulty one is open and as it is at room temperature it should be closed like the new one, and what effect would this have on a zed engine? Surprisingly a LOT! The twin turbo model had built in safe guards to prevent hard boosting when the engine is cold by acting on the boost solenoid valves, now this is different to safety boost as the ignition is not effected so does not feel so obvious the temperature needs to be above 68 deg c approx. to give full boost. Now typically a stat jammed open will have the effect of reducing the engine running temp by 15 to 20 deg c which clearly will mean the engine never gets out of the cold running restriction, add to this the ecu will be fuelling accordingly to the lower temperature which is not good for mpg! Sometimes a stat although jammed will be only slightly open this then means the engine will actually hover around 70deg c, so full boost is available, until you give it some beans and the extra cooling air and water volume increase reduces the temp by a small amount that is below the full boost temperature, this can end up been a cycle of good boost ...bad boost....good boost ...bad boost..... The non turbo will of course be less effected, however an engine not running at full temperature is not running efficiently and will suffer accordingly too. So what's to do? simple change the thermostat, an easy and quick job and full stat “modulation” and engine temperature “regulating” returns and so does the happy engine performance we all crave. Jeff TT

Hammered :headvswal Jeff TT

A lot of owners have issue with the speedo, power steering, auto box change etc. All of these are related in as far as they are part of the speed sensor circuit, having seen many owners pondering on if the speed sensor is at fault then take a look at the picture below. The speed sensor is rare in as far as it can be seen to be faulty by just looking at it provided of course you know what to look for. The photo actually shows autobox sensors but the manual box sensor has the same issues. The unit is a small pulse generator, as the cog is turned by the gearbox the stator is turned within the field windings which produces a small ac voltage of around 1 to 5 volts and as the unit is very unstressed there is very little that can go wrong with it. However the unit is held together by the black plastic end cap, this end cap is where it all goes wrong, for reasons unknown the caps start to come adrift as seen in the photo. This loosening of the end cap allows the stator shaft / field windings to move out of line not by much but enough to stop the output been produced. Annoyingly as the cap originally starts to slowly moves out, the shaft end float is still small enough for it to move in and out of the correct position and so causes it to work intermittently. So armed with this information all you need to do if faced with this problem is get the car jacked up and take a look at the end cap on the sensor, if it looks like the faulty one in the picture simply apply a layer of epoxy resin to the edge of the cap and push it back in, yes that simple, no need to even remove it, and you will have one fixed sensor for a tube of glue. Hope that is of help. Jeff TT

Nissan in line with all car makers, through out the life of the vehicle they are always updating and improving things such as the ecu mapping. It will be the same as a series 2 ecu mapping not uprated just standard but with small improvements. Incidently I defo know BMW and Vauxhall update for free usually when cars go in for service any patches to mapping, it is very common with other manufactureres too but of course this is easy through OBC II which allows for quick flash recoding. Jeff TT

Boost solenoids, often disconnected when a boost controller is fitted. Jeff TT

Very common in Japan to have earlier ecu`s updated with Nissan`s later mapping, after this it gets the remanufactured sticker. Jeff TT

Pm`d you back Jeff TT

Yes we have plenty, cannot pm you with further details, subscribe and feel the fuller benefits of the club :D meanwhile e-mail so we can talk in more detail. Cheers Jeff TT jeff@zedworld.co.uk

Now who is been the clever boy !! that is by far the best non technical reply/ answer I have read that covers the very essence of 300zx repair decisions both upbeat and detailed in approach but still firmly grounded advice. I wish I had written that!! nice one chayden :bow: Jeff TT

Oh its all smoke and mirrors my friend :D Jeff TT