DTA (UK)

I think that kind of points to the ECU water temp sender contact (the yellow one on the water pipes). If you need a new one I usually stock them (although I've been cleaned out this week). New stock should be arriving in the next 10 days. £22 for the new sender and £20 for the connector and wiring harness (you'll still need to solder or crip on the wires). Check out http://www.smithys-place.co.uk/oem.php for more info. The image is for illustration purposes only but the blue connector now replaces the yellow one. Regards, Dan

Just to clarify things, Fitting a delimeter behind the speedo cluster technically doesn't remove the "bonging" noise. What it does is it moves the threshold from 60mph to 112mph at which point you can't hear it due to road and wind noise. In any case, if you're not delimiting the car you can get rid of the bonging noise by removing a part underneath the speedo cluster cowling (ie the curved bit of plastic that sits on top of the cluster. There is a writeup about it somewhere on here but I haven't been able to find it. However, do this at your own peril as this box also functions as the alarm box for when you leave the lights on when you stop the engine, etc. HTH Dan

Allan, Can you PM me with the details as to why the banjo's didn't fit? May be a US vs Euro/JDM spec issue. Thanks! Dan

Depends on whether you want OEM lines (get at Nissan dealer) or stainless steel braided lines. I can get you both. OEM lines (front): £TBC (will let you know this afternoon as there has just been a change in prices by Nissan) S/S braided lines (front only): £55.00 S/S braided lines (front & rear): £75.00 HTH Dan

Hi Uno, Yes, very messy job as the sump doesn't have a drain (usually). It is highly advised to replace the sump gasket as the old one will likely be torn when separating the sump. I got mine from Mike at MJP and the kit included a full set of new bolts. Well worth the money. Cleaning the strainer and changing the gearbox oil made a world of difference to my AT box. HTH Dan

2.4

I think you're right Andy. If memory serves me (and I'm having to dig very deep into my GCSE Physics time many, many moons ago), as volume decreases (ie lower profile tyres) then pressure must increase in order to support the same mass (ie weight of the car). So therefore it follows that if you drop the profile of the tyres you'll need to increase the tyre pressure in order to support the weight of the car. I stand to be corrected. Dan

You are on the registered user list Mark - PM me your new e-mail ID and I'll send you a link to the updated software. ATB Dan

Allan, I'm sorry that your Powertrix kit didn't come with installation instructions. I am in fact still waiting on their official write up (which I will chase up this week). However, I do have a copy (pdf file attached) of the installation guide for the Stillen eliminator kit (which comes with the same recirc. fittings as the Powertrix kit.) I'm sure this will help you with the install. All the best, Dan

Hi Dan, For peace of mind I would suggest you opt for a 120K Service Kit and get the ancillary belt kit as well (look at OEM002 & OEM003+ on www.smithys-place.co.uk/oem.php). There is no reason why the VG30DE(TT) engine isn't good for many more happy motoring miles if it has been looked after throughout its lifetime. If you feel you want to go for a mild rebuild then have a look at item PER017 on www.smithys-place.co.uk/engperf.php. This is the basic rebuild kit and contains some elements of the 120K service kit. Should you wish to go down this route then rather than buy both a 120K kit and rebuild kit I can supplement the rebuild kit with the parts required for the 120K kit. Like Santa suggested, you may be well advised to opt for a new Engine and EFI loom if you rebuild the engine - this will save a lot of hassle when it comes to reinstalling the engine. HTH Dan

Steve, I used to run mine at: Front: 235 x 35 x 19 @ 34psi Rear: 265 x 30 x 19 @ 36psi Gave me a good handling balance. Car's been off the road for a year now so probably have square tyres by now ...LOL! :) I do seem to recall that maximum pressure ratings are now stamped into the sidewall of each tyre - have a look. Don't exceed those ratings. Dan

Boost leaks are not exclusive to TT's - every car has vacuum hoses and pipes all over the place. Perhaps better terminology would be a "vacuum" leak. ;) HTH Dan

I can imagine you are mate. I've had some luck restoring paint work after my good lady wife left a dollop of bird shite (although judging from the size it may as well have been an elephant ...) on the bonnet of her MX5 for over a week in baking sun. In a nutshell - get paintwork cleaned by washing with a good quality shampoo and tar remover. Use a well lubricated claybar on the affected area and then carefully polish the area using a mild cutting compound (I think I used Meguiar's No. 80). Once that was done I used a show car glaze and then applied two layers of wax. I must say that even on the red paint of the MX5 you can't tell where the mark was. I now make it a point to inspect her car every other day just to make sure this doesn't happen again. Having a propperly applied layer of wax also helps minimise the effect of acidic bird droppings. Hope the above info is of some use to you mate. All the best, Dan

Actually not so. If you look at the radiating efficiencies of say a domestic heating radiator then you'll see that a trendy looking chromed radiator radiates about 60% less heat than a non-chromed radiator. I'm pretty sure that's how inefficient chrome radiators are but I believe Robert (Dunk300zxtt) can fill in the details as he's in that business (IIRC). A polished plenum will require more maintenance than a chromed plenum due tot he fact that a polished plenum will tarnish over time. Nothing a bit of Autosol won't solve but still, a pain if you have to keep polishing the plenum every couple of months or so. The quality of chromed items depends entirely on the preparation of the item as well on the amount of chrome applied (measured in microns). If the plenum isn't polished well enough or cleaned/degreased properly then no matter how much chrome you apply it'll eventually start to peel off and in my opinion will look a lot worse than a polished plenum which you need to keep polishing. Just my 2p worth. Dan

Alex, A faulty O2 sensor could well influence the idle of the car as it is sending incorrect information to the ECU (which in turn has control over the idle valve). Couple of things for you to check first - (1) base idle: disconnect the yellow connector on the idle control valve and see what the rpm's do. Idealy they should sit at 850~950rpm for a TT. If not, get a screw driver and adjust the idle to that level and reattach the yellow connector. (2) TPS: cleaning the connector is good but won't help if the TPS is set incorrectly. Easiest way to check the voltage is to connect a ConZult or Blatz diagnostic kit to the car. Failing that, do a search for "TPS voltage setting" on this forum and a writeup will come up showing which terminals to check using a multimeter. Although the range of operation is more important to the TPS, the voltage (at idle) should be around 0.40~.042V. If you haven't got a multimeter, then loosen the two bolts holding the TPS to the side of the throttle body (don't remove them) and slowly turn the TPS until you find that the rps increases. Now turn the TPS back SLIGHTLY to the point just before the rpm's increase and secure the TPS. Now you must turn off the engine, disconnect the black connector of the TPS and turn the engine on (but don't start it). This will clear the values stored in the ECU. Reconnect the TPS and start the car to ensure it still idles at 850~950 rpm. (3) Boost leaks: boost leaks can affect idle as well. Go around the engine bay using a stethoscope (if you have one otherwise stick a piece of vacuum tubing in your ear and go around the engine with the other end but DONT connect it to anything as it is likely to cause damage to your ear). It could be a hearline tear in a pipe or perhaps a clip has come off somewhere. As for the O2 sensors: have a look in the FAQ section of this forum and look for the "engine by numbers" thread. There you'll find a picture with all the connecors labelled. Basically, the O2 sensors have a connector each at the to of the engine at near the fire wall. You'll find three identical looking connectors - one is for the knock sensor (and has 2 wires), the others are for the O2 sensors and have 3 wires (black, red, white). If you need to replace the sensors then I've got a brand new pair in stock at about half the price that Nissan charges (£120/pair from me vs £110 each from Nissan). I would suggest you replace the pair (if necessary) to avoid having the other one go in the future. Hope the above is of some use to you. Regards, Dan

Dave - That is a very kind offer and I would appreciate a look at that template. If you've got any pics please fling them over to info@dta-motorsport.co.uk. Otherwise, if you're happy to do so please pop a copy of the template (just paper will be fine) in the post to me at DTA-Motorsport (UK), 1 Allendale Avenue, Studley, Warwickshire, B80 7QA. Much appreciated mate! Look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Dan

At the moment it's primarily R&D costs so not an accurate reflection of retail cost but to date it has cost me £120.00 in parts. To this I still need to add fabrication costs for the mounting bracket which will probably be another £15~£20.

Just a word of caution with regard to the ZCentre autobox cooler. The way that setup works is you use the new larger cooler for the engine oil and use the old (smaller) engine oil cooler for the autobox. This has two inherent problems: (1) the old engine cooler is ... er, old en prone to failure/leakage/etc (2) cross contamination of fluids (ie you really don't want engine oil running through your autobox) The best way forward (IMHO) is to use the new autobox cooler exclusively for the autobox. You'll need to make sure you check the fluid level after installation and top up to the mark as adding lines and a cooler increases the capacity of the A/T cooling system and you don't want to be low on oil. I "was" working on what I thought was the best A/T cooler kit on the market but got side tracked somewhat by other events. The setup was a 13-row half width cooler with braided lines running all the way back to the banjo points on the side of the gearbox. This would completely by-pass the existing cooling lines which are probably clogged anyway and increase cooling efficiency tremendously. I've got the cooler, connectors and hoses but am struggling with finding a suitable location for it all. Plus, I'd need to have a mounting bracket fabricated as well. As I said before, the project has come to a standstill for the time being but I'm sure I'll pick it up again soon. HTH Regards, Dan

We have had a lot of success with our RPS Max Street and Lightened Flywheel combo (see http://www.smithys-place.co.uk/clutch.php for details). The clutch will easily hold around 500bhp and 570-odd torques (;)) Both parts are specifically designed for the Z32 by specialists Greg Dupree and are used in some extremely powerful Zeds over in the US. I can highly recommend these parts. Regards, Dan

Pretty much import only. I will have a look for you next week to see what I can magic up! ;) Regards, Dan

Thanks for the info Ian - I appreciate it. I haven't powered up the HU yet so don't know whether it's got two separate switched outputs or one. But what you said makes sense so once the lot is powered up I'll be able to see what's what. As for the orange wire - the instructions seem to indicate that the reverse camera switches on automatically when reverse is selected but also that it is selectable by the user by tapping the appropriate icon on the touch screen. My money is on that the orange wire goes to the reverse lights though. Thanks again! Dan

That would make sense! :) The instructions with the HU are so poor it's almost like an IKEA instruction sheet LOL! So, earthing that wire will make the screen viewable at all times? Thanks! Dan

Hi, Following on from a previous thread I posted regarding an external GPS antenna I have another question. This one is Head Unit/Amplifier specific. (1) The Head Unit (HU) I've got uses one single RCA connector per speaker (ie, one RCA for "front left", one RCA for "front right", and so on. I will be using a pair of competition speakers powered by a suitable amplifier at the front of the car. At the moment I am undecided as what to do with the rear speakers as I only really need staging at the front of the car (btw - this is not a Zed). The amplifier requires a Line-IN feed from the HU. Am I correct in assuming that I can connect the "front left" RCA on the HU to the "L" line in on the amp and the "front right" RCA on the HU to the "R" line-in on the amp? The HU has a 65W Mosfet amplifier it self but the speakers are rated at 400W and I'd like to have the clear definition you can only really get when using an amp. (2) When connecting all the wires coming out the back of the HU, everything is neatly connected via an ISO block with exception of two wires: pink and an orange wire. In the "Engrish" instruction manual it indicates that the orange wire goes to the rear view camere (I'm assuming it's a power feed as there is a separate RCA camera IN on the HU) but the pink one should go to "BRAKE"??? I have no idea what they mean by that - anyone have a clue? (3) Remote amp turn on. The amplifier requires a REMOTE start up connection. Is this the "power antenna" wire coming off the HU and can I splice into it to power both the antenna AND turn on the amp? Thanks for your time; Your feedback is much appreciated! All the best, Dan

Simon, Upon further investigation two things emerged: (1) The AUX/VIDEO-IN RCA connector can only be used with a standalone GPS unit that has a video-out connector. This defeats the purpose of having a dedicated SATNAV function on the headunit as I will still need to programme the handheld unit first. (2) I have found another seller of this headunit and he in turn states that the unit has an internal GPS antenna. I have yet to power the headunit up as I didn't want to do that in case I need to return it to the seller. However, when it stops raining I might just hook it up and see what happens. If it does have an internal gps antenna I hope it's amplified as it'll need to see through the top of the dashboard when fully installed! I'm going to have a go at this later and will let you know what happens. Lee - the unit I bought is identical to the following unit as sold on e-bay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280254094216&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123 Although I need to add that my unit didn't come from ebay and was significantly cheaper too ;-) Regards, Dan

Yep, that's the same conclusion I've come to ... thanks for the confirmation. Guess the unit is going back to sender then! :( Regards, Dan