symposer

Yep, it's looking up and there's moisture pretty much all over, but the carpet is also wet (not enough to squeeze out water, but damp). I was wondering heater matrix, but the heater works fine and the coolant level doesn't move (over 1+ year). Thanks for the tip on the gate valve, I'll take a look!

Hi chaps, the carpet in my driver's footwell is often damp, especially in the winter. I can't find any rain leaks, and the targa drains aren't blocked. I'm not losing any coolant either (at least noticeably) - it does seem to taste a bit like coolant but I might be already intoxicated... The whole area behind the pedals just seems to get covered in condensation, so much so that there's surface rust (hard to see but the shiny parts at the top of the picture are wet): Any ideas on the cause? Could it be rain dripping in via the throttle cable or master cylinder? Or is it just because of the weather being damp? Heater matrix? Thanks!

I think that's the bulb check relay. When it's chattering, is the charge warning lamp also flickering? If so then it points to an issue with the voltage sense line from the alternator. What is the voltage at the battery terminals when the engine is running? Does it remain stable as you rev? If you've dried off the fusebox then I'd be looking at alternator/wiring to it or battery. Have a look at the workshop manual pages EL-7, EL-25 and EL-70 to see the wiring for this relay.

Another idea to try - I had a similar sounding issue, that occurred only in the first 5 minutes with a cold engine. I had hesitation and stumbling/kangarooing at part throttle, particularly noticeable just coming on or off the throttle, but also with constant small throttle openings. As soon as the car was warm there was no issue. I found a dead spot on the TPS and got another one from MarkDerby (thanks!). The replacement TPS seems to have fixed the issue. With my original TPS, I could adjust it to 0.45v with closed throttle, but as I slowly opened the throttle the voltage would then jump around a lot as it went through the bad spot, then would be smooth from 1/4 to full throttle. I also couldn't adjust it so that the hard idle switch was closed when the voltage was 0.45v (but I believe the ECU doesn't use the hard idle switch if the TPS voltage is working). So I think the ECU was seeing a noisy/random throttle position at small throttle openings. There were no codes set but you could see the non-smooth pedal response in conzult.

Thanks Jeff, that's very useful. Pretty sure the fan isn't locked because after an initial roar on cold startup it quietens down, plus you can spin it by hand when it's cold. Coasting down from high speed off throttle the temperature can sometimes drop into the low 70s, so I'm a bit worried the ECU will switch to "cold" fuelling and safety boost. Economy is pretty good, though (25-28 mpg at 70ish).

My TT normally runs at about 75-78 degrees on the motorway, off boost. (Consult temp from the ECU sensor). This seems a bit cold compared with most cars, but I guess this is normal with a 76.5 deg C thermostat? The dash gauge is just marginally under horizontal. If I drive at constant 50mph a couple of minutes after a cold start, it takes over 10 minutes to reach 70 deg C. Ambient temp 10 degrees. Is this normal or could the thermostat be stuck open a bit? During warmup, at what temperature does the ECU stop fuelling rich, is it a threshold or does the enrichment gradually reduce as the temperature rises? What temperature enables full boost? Thanks!

If you replaced the original injector connectors, are you sure that the new terminals are the right way round where they plug into the injector?

Stupid question but you haven't got any type of immobiliser wired in, have you? Also when the engine is turning over, does the fuel pump run?

Z32, the easiest thing to do is to remove the number 1 injector connector, then: 1) Set meter to "volts" and make sure the meter probes are connected to the volts inputs and not the amps inputs on the meter (easy to mix up!). Check the meter shows +12V or so when you connect it across the vehicle battery. 2) Connect the black meter lead to the battery negative terminal and connect the red lead to the wiring harness injector connector pin with the white/black striped wire 3) You should see +12V on the meter If you do see 12V, the problem is with the ECU drive signal (ground signal). If you don't see 12V, then get a length of insulated wire and poke the bare end into the injector connector pin with the white/black wire, then connect the other end to a fuse (5A fuse would be fine), then connect the other side of the fuse to the +ve battery terminal. If the fuse blows straight away, there is a short in the injector wiring somewhere. If the fuse is OK then this will then supply the other 5 injectors with a +12V feed and it should start and run (on 5). In this case, you have a break in the injector wiring somewhere. You need to be careful not to connect 12V to the ground (ECU) side of the injector connector, because this would blow the ECU. So if you find that both wires on the injector are coloured W/B, then choose a different injector.

From the printout it failed on fast idle CO (5.64%, should be 0.5% max) and lamba (0.869, too rich). http://www.300zx-twinturbo.com/tech/co/co.html

What's the purpose of the bit in the centre of the circle in the first pic? Are the two sides of the exhaust joined? Do stock JDM TTs really make less power on the dyno in practice compared with export market? I always assumed the 280PS/300PS difference was just a quoted figure, and they were actually all the same...

Hello all, Here's a description of how I replaced number 2 injector using the dremel method, without removing the plenum. There's nothing new here and it's all been done before, but I thought it might be useful for somebody to see pictures of another example. The screws holding the injectors are covered by the plenum, so normally you need to remove the plenum just to change one injector. The dremel method involves cutting away material from the plenum to allow access to the screws. After 16 years the pipes and wiring around the plenum on my zed are well and truly baked hard, so I didn't want to attempt to remove it. Here are the most useful links I found on this topic: http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg.aspx?forum=technical&msg_id=1014990 http://www.zcar.com/forums/read/3/1157376/1157376#msg-1157376 http://www.zcar.com/forums/read/3/1939562/1939704#msg-1939704 http://www.zcar.com/forums/read/3/1185546/1185574#msg-1185574 I would really recommend this process, especially for the easily accessible number 2 injector (front right, looking at the engine). The symptom of my failed injector was a permanent misfire - rough idle, vibration, lack of power, audible misfire from one exhaust and 5 cylinder combustion noise (sounds like a Subaru). By touching a screwdriver on the injector cap and listening at the handle I could hear all the injectors clicking away, except for number 2. When I measured the resistance across the pins on the injector it read open circuit, whereas the other injectors measured 10-15 ohms. So the injector had failed electrically - time for a new one. I got a used TT injector for £41.75 all inclusive from Zedworld. Thanks, guys! Next stop was Maplin for a 9.6V "dremel" tool - on offer for £20: I used the small sanding head which cut through the aluminium quite easily. It took about 20 minutes to do, taking it slowly: Here's a closeup - it looks like a lot of material was removed, but it's the bare minimum to get access to the screw, and even then the screwdriver is at an angle: I read about a lot of problems with the screws being difficult to turn, so I soaked the screwheads with WD40 a few times and I didn't try a normal screwdriver in case I damaged the heads. Instead I got an impact screwdriver for about £8 from Machine Mart. There wasn't enough space to use this directly, so I got a £6 set of screwdrivers from the same place with hex heads intended for impact use. I used the dremel tool to narrow down the shaft of the screwdriver slightly to help with clearance, and used a half inch socket with the impact driver to drive the screwdriver. A couple of taps was enough to easily loosen both screws, with no damage at all to the heads. Half way there! The next step was to remove the fuel pump fuse and crank the engine, to release pressure in the fuel rail. Now came the tricky bit - removal of the old injector. Actually it was a lot easier than I thought it would be, using the same leverage method shown in one of the threads above. At first I used locking pliers to hold and twist the injector around, while spraying silicone spray into the gap. With it loosened I tried to pull it straight up, which broke off the plastic housing with the connector. This was the point of no return - with the plastic broken off, fuel started spraying out gently from the holes where the leads go into the injector body. At this point I realised it would probably be a good idea to have a wet towel handy in case of fire. After a few seconds the remaining fuel pressure was gone and no more fuel came out. Now I could use the grips directly on the metal injector body, and with some gentle upwards leverage using a screwdriver for support it popped right out. Closeup of locking pliers pulling the injector straight up: These were the pliers I used - £7 from Machine Mart. The old injector was pretty dirty: Both sealing rings looked in good shape so I reused them. Here's the new injector with vaseline on the seals to help it go in: To fit the new injector I dropped it into place, then tapped it gently in using a small length of wood with a hole drilled in the end to accommodate the pin on the end of the injector. Once in place it would twist quite easily with the lubricated seals. Next it was a case of reinstalling the injector cap and screws - some people replace these with hex head bolts but I just reused the screws, since the heads were undamaged. There's not much clearance to get the screws in and it helps to put the screws into the cap before you fit the cap. Finally I replaced the fuel pump fuse, switched on the ignition a few times to run the fuel pump and check for leaks, then started up. All working! Overall the process went much more easily than I thought it would! I'm so happy to have the power and smoothness back! Good luck if you try it. Tim

Hi all, My car makes an ominous creaking noise (sometimes more like a short rattle) most apparent in cold weather. It sounds like it's coming from behind the dash (inside the car) under the steering wheel or in the pedal box area. Makes no difference with clutch/brake pedal pressed or not, and it happens going over bumps in the road and generally just driving along, braking, steering etc. I don't think it's suspension related because it definitely sounds like it's inside the car. I've lubricated the bonnet hinges and bonnet stay and taped up the bonnet striker so it's not those either. Sounds like it's something big making the noise (like the whole dash moving or something), it's not something small like a connector or wire rattling. Any ideas? Thanks! Tim

Yes, I think that's it. Thanks! Looks like there's a crimp or something in the middle, so that's probably where it's split.

Hi, thanks for the link! I found out where the leak is coming from - it's the high pressure hose from the PAS pump to the HICAS actuator. Seems to be split halfway along it's length, underneath the foam cover. Now I just need to find out the part number of this hose... I'm still guessing it's the HICAS inner joints causing the rear instability, even though there's no noticeable wheel movement with it jacked up.

Hello all, Well, I just picked up my first Zed (import TT manual) and I'm starting to learn about the usual faults... I get the feeling of the rear stepping out to the right when I come off the gas pedal (driving in a straight line), which creates a little wobble. Feels a bit disconcerting to say the least. From searching on here it seems like the HICAS ball joints often wear, but I jacked the rear up (one side at a time) and there doesn't seem to be any noticeable play in the wheels left to right. The rear shocks were replaced not long ago, and the tyre pressures are OK. What else could cause the wobble, or could it still be the HICAS arms even without noticable movement? I tried a HICAS diagnostic with the 5 times steering left to right and 5 times pushing the brake pedal. The rear wheels then steer OK left and right when you turn the wheel. I seemed to get into some other test mode where the rear wheels repeatedly move left then right (engine running, vehicle stationary, HICAS light flashing). While this was happening I couldn't see any play in the HICAS outer ball joints. Then I drove off and the car trailed a nice colourful oil slick for a few yards on the wet road. After a restart the HICAS light was on and the power steering fluid level has dropped to the bottom of the container. The car normally drips something when standing - I don't know what it is yet, but it seems too clean to be engine oil so it could be PAS fluid. My theory is the high pressure PAS pipe under the alternator pulley is leaking, and the HICAS test caused more fluid loss than normal. Does this sound reasonable, or are the HICAS and main steering hydraulics completely unconnected? Thanks for any advice! Tim