Mark W

Ready made Zed fogs?! That's no fun! :D

Hmm- there was an echo in my message! silverfox- it depends on the relay and whether you're switching both inner lights or just one. I used double-pole, double-changeover relays. And they're normal "consumer" relays rather than automotive ones- I couldn't find auto ones with the right contact setup. Mark

mrogers- mine had the reverse light conversion, but I got fed up of everyone saying "mate- one of your reversing lights isn't working", and not being able to see behind me! W1NG- IIRC there's not so much a write-up but there's quite a bit of discussion about it. And there's a wiring diagram on Andy P's website here http://www.300zx.org.uk/brake-fog.htm I based my set-up on that, but with the extra resistors which I don't think I've seen discussed on this site. (I think they're mentioned on the Z-Club site though). If I can't find anything similar around I'll put a diagram together of wot I done... Mark Mark

Cheers to everyone at the meet today :) And thanks for organising it Jay- t'was a good one! And thanks also to Gio for pointing out (smugly, I might add!) that I have a right wheel on the left and vice versa. Mark

Yay! Finally got around to doing the inner brake / fog light conversion. :dance: Used relays on each light so that not only are the brake lights dual-function, but dummy loads (10ohm resistors) are switched in so you don't get the "LIGHTS" warning on the dash :nana2: A well spent evening I think- time for a beer! :duffer: Mark [NB In my text and diagram below I originally made a mistake on the resistance required. I originally said 10 ohm when it should have been 6.8 ohm- bear that in mind when reading the responses!]

Bad luck there Nick. And you're only just back on the road aren't you? :cry:

LOL Yep- that too! :D

So nothing to do with the grinning bugger behind the wheel with shades on and a heavy right foot? :rofl:

Why is it that when the sun's out and the targas are off that the Zed is both faster AND handles better?! :D Mark

Someone at the pound has pulled a fast one here- no way can they do that! I hope it all gets sorted out, and I hope you get them before they've changed the car's identity and sold on... Have you posted on the various clubs about what car to look for? Someone might spot it. Mark

Cool! :cool: See everyone there! Mark PS- won't have time to wash the car by then, so somehow I don't think I'll be up for trophy!

Bit of an odd combination of things here, so if anyone can help shed a little light then I'd appreciate it! :confused: Points to note: a) I haven't tried the HICAS test yet, and I'm not getting a HICAS warning light. :) b) I've had 4-wheel tracking done, which didn't highlight problems with any of the points below. :( These are the things I'm concerned about: 1) The steering lock engages when the steering wheel is 1/4 turn to the right. Is this correct/acceptable? 2) To steer straight, the steering wheel is typically 1/8 turn to the right. 3) Generally the car tries to pull a bit to the left, but this can be exaggerated under certain conditions such as lifting off on a RH bend after full throttle or occasionally braking hard. :eek: 4) The handling tends to feel a trifle vague at times, which could be a side effect of 3) above (due to having to fight the steering :mac1: all the time) or could it be something else?! 5) Where is the sensor located that activates HICAS, and how does it work? Does it transmit a steering angle, or simply that you've steered left or right and determines rear steering angle from your speed? :hurl: I'm beginning to wonder if the basic problem is that the wheels aren't straight when the steering column is central, hence all sorts of oddness due to the rack trying to return the wheels to a non-central position, and the HICAS working at odds with the front wheels. :smw: The other thing that's occurred to me is that the bushes might be at least partially to blame. :smash: Anyone out there got any thoughts?! :bow: Mark (PS In case anyone mentions it, I don't want to disable the HICAS, I'd rather get it all working right! :rolleyes: )

1) Dials not working: Did you manage to dismantle everything without damaging the plastic circuit sheet? Dunno how much you took it apart, but every dial has (at least!) 4 screws which electrically connect the circuit sheet at the back to the circuit board PCB for that dial. Inspect all of the metallic pads on the circuit sheet to make sure they're ok, coz if not the dial won't work properly. Same goes for all connecting areas, but I reckon those are the easiest to break. Also check that the parts of the circuit sheet where the connectors plug in are fitted correctly before you plug the connectors back in. Make sure all the connectors are seated properly, and that they're all connected up. You might find that you give one of them a wiggle and it sorts itself all out. 2) Dials didn't fit: Presumably you tried to fit turbo dials to an NA, or the wrong type of turbo dials for your car (UK in a Jab, or vice versa). If the description of the dials wasn't clear, then get your hard-earned pennies back! Mark

Red heading West on the M3 between the Farnborough and Bracknell junctions, about 9:30am. White heading Sounth on the M6, between 11am and 12:30 and somewhere between the M5 and Manchester junctions- bit vague as I've got a crap memory... Both looked fairly standard, not that I could spot much travelling at a relative speed of about 160mph :mac1: I wasn't in a Zed that day- my girlfriend refused to spend 5 hours in it, and reckoned it would break down. Oh how little faith... :D Mark

So let's see if I've got this right... If it's a hand-held device, i.e. not on a tripod or in the back of a van, then it's only a radar gun and not a camera, and therefore if no-one pulled me over at the time then I'm ok? Mark

Sgt C- OK, I'll worry again then :D Craig David- I calibrated my speedo using GPS and it was in the order of 1-2% out (over-reading). So 35mph is near as dammit 35mph.

Cheers for the advice chaps! :) Nick- It was down Minley road, about 20 yards from my house. Not the usual Farnborough road sites. Never seen them along there before. I only saw the copper with the gun, and it was definitely hand-held only- no tripod. Didn't see his collegue anywhere, but that evening when I was cycling down the same road I did see the pair of them chatting in a layby. Wasn't a cop car anywhere to be seen. Wasn't speeding that time either! :D Post-It note already attached to monitor! I didn't know that- I feel a bit more optimistic now :)

The pigs may have got me last Wednesday morning. :cry: Does anyone know how long it takes them to process a ticket? A woman coming the other way kind of waved and gave me a thumbs down... not seen that warning before! Wondered if my fogs were on, so while I was preoccupied with that I'd wandered right into the trap :headvswal I wasn't giving it any beans, but I was still doing about 35 when I saw the copper hiding behind a tree. As I drove past he just kind of stared at the Zed, so maybe he was so dumb-struck with awe that he forgot to take the reading! :rofl: Or maybe that's just wishful thinking...? :nono: Mark

I was in mine as you drew up alongside- you gave me the thumbs up, I waved back. :D

Provisionally I'm up for it! Silly really- I've worked for BAe at Farnborough for 5 years now and never been to the museum. You'd think I might be interested!

Mines a daily driver. Only a few miles to work tho, which makes me a lazy penniless bugger! Tried cycling to work in the past, but go too quickly and arrive in a big ball of sweat! There are showers here, but then you're talking about an hour of hassle to do what's normally a 15-min journey. Really should cycle more slowly...

I mixed it all up for a bit, until I realised my good economy coincided with Optimax and my poor economy coincided with not-Optimax. Never looked back! :)

Isn't it a nightmare trying to keep Her happy though?! Besides the Zed, I'm in a band, do lots of mountain biking, and work's really busy right now, so there are quite a lot of late nights. Thank the Lord, she's busy doing a part-time degree while holding her job at the same time- that way we're both busy all the time- avoids conflict but not necessarily too healthy either!!!

Know the feeling! I'll probably get myself a pair of my own blades in the sales- easy enough to just bung in your bag. Krsmayo- yeah the swooshing off-piste is *exactly* what makes me want to board. That and the fact that a bunch of my mates who were all die-hard skiers have all tried a week of boarding and now won't do anything else... Just the shoulder thing that worries me- I'll just have to make sure I'm good! :D

LOL Guess I can expect that from a boarder... :smash: