mrrossi

I was soooo close!! It was the throttle position sensor after all; I'd corrected the idle speed voltage and checked the top end and seemed okay. Took it down to Zedworld today and Jeff was able to see straight away on the diagnostics that the issue was with the TPS and checked out the voltages again; it seems there was an intermittent issue (damn, I should have checked more than once!!) and on a few occasions the voltage would shoot through the roof as the revs increased! New TPS - issue fixed. Thanks Jeff, you're a star!!! :bow:

LOL some mixed opinions there! Well it seems chopping it in is going to be hit or miss depending on the dealer, but if I spot a decent car at a dealers I may as well ask and see what they offer... else I'm going to crack on sorting the paint and get it over to Zedworld to address the hesitation issue as soon as I can, and see if they can take a look at that crunchy gear change (it's only 4th, the gearbox and clutch are smooth/solid otherwise).

Thanks guys... well I'm off to the car wash in a mo, will hope for some dry weather to have another crack at restoring the paint tomorrow and then will either put up for sale privately or look at garages and a trade in, might be easier... Shame to sell but I've had my fun and I do a lot of miles so really need something more fuel economical.

Smithy, not that easy, I actually swapped it for a car that was also difficult to value. I guess it was circa 2.5-2.7k then and I thought that was good value, considering he'd knocked a grand off what he thought it was worth then as he thought the paintwork was screwed, but he hadn't even tried t-cutting. 2k would therefore be a little disappointing.

Ok no probs, thanks!

Just wondered if anyone had a rough idea on what my car was worth in it's present condition... It's a 1992 UK 300ZX Twin Turbo in Red with 146K on the clock, modified with a +70BHP EEPROM/boost increase/air filter, nice alloys, aftermarket rear lights. MOT is 13th April next year. It's had some rust issues in the past but seems they've all been addressed (extensive service history, lots at Zed World) although there's the odd rust bubble here and there. The paint is faded, quite badly in places, but I know it can easily be touched up/restored with t-cut and elbow grease - already started doing one or two patches; time and the weather is my enemy. The car has the common 'stumble/hesitation' issue although only seems to do this when cold for a few minutes then it's fine; runs sweet as a nut. Slightly crunchy going in and out of 4th but fine if you double de-clutch; otherwise, mechanically sound. Air con needs a new compressor but have it covered under warranty at Zed World - they're a bit far from me so haven't got round to replacing. How much do you think she's worth? And if I sorted the stumble issue, air compresser (and re-gas) and spruce up the paintwork, how much then?

Thanks Jeff - think it was your name the previous owner (Glenn) mentioned too - think you've got an air compressor waiting for me too - will give a call tomorrow!

phutumsch - sorry post overlapped there - that would still be £20 for the Consult-Serial then £10 for the Serial-USB cable though right?

Ah I see that makes more sense - a Consult to USB or Consult to Serial cable is what I need. CRIKEY - the USB ones are around £60!! Just found a serial one for £20 on ebay... it's still £20 though when all I want to do is rule this out being the ECU, I'd never use it again! Oh and I quick scout of my laptop suggests it's not got a serial port either :( I think getting a second hand ECU cheap and trying a straight swap might be an easier and cheaper (in terms of I should be able to sell it on again afterwards) option.

Ok well I was about to order a RS-232 to USB cable but a couple of things... erm... silly question, but is there even a RS-232 port on the ECU??? Looking at pics in Google I can't see one!! Also, do you need a specific type of cable - see the reviews for this one, sounds like some cables work with some things and others work with other brands etc... http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B00077DJIQ/ref=cm_cr_dp_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0

Thanks guys... yeah I've checked, no fault codes. I'll look into the software and cables then :)

Are there any simple guides on how to do this/free software available?

Thanks guys... I put a note in here as well as the wanted section as the wanted sections always seem to be less well browsed/searched than the problems, plus knew a few people were already watching/following this post :D

Any idea where to find a cheap standard Z32 ECU?

I'll have a look to see if I can find a cheap standard ECU then to test out the map theory - I guess if it IS a map issue, then with a standard map/ECU the car should run fine at lower speeds/off boost for those first 10-15 mins? I imagine it wouldn't be great at higher speeds/full boost (and would I have to be careful to prevent damage?) as the standard map wouldn't know how to 'handle' that extra boost - but I can at least rule out whether it's the map or not? I'd forgot to say that I have accessed the ECU before - I did the O2 wideband diagnostic test (all ok).