RobH

I was running about the same boost on hybrid turbos, straight through exhaust, fmic, intake, 555s etc. It was ok when running below 1 bar (approx 360HP and 400ftlb at the fly). Mine eventually spat most of it's oil out at 1.2 bar (estimate about 360BHP) - presumably due to blowing past the pistons. To be fair I had been abusing it for 8 years or so and it did have 118,000 on the clock... Cheers H

Back to the original question ;) I cut the belt, removed the compressor and all pipework from the engine bay, left the gubbins behind the dash. Also removed the second (narrow) radiator thingy - someone is going to tell me that was a mistake no doubt, but I've had no related probs in the 4 years since I took it out. Heater and blower still work fine to clear misty windows. Much easier to work in the engine bay with that cr*p gone...I don't like aircon anyway, always smells musty and feel damp to me (yes, I did clean it). I think mine steams up due to leaky roof = damp carpet, floor gets pretty warm on a long run. Cheers H

Would you prefer a pair of elasticated trousers or a fitted suit? ;D Properly mapped on a dyno the car will be tested and proven to run within it's fuel and ignition timing limits, just swapping the ROM chip is lucky dip. If you do go that route though John Dixon is widely regarded as the best man for the job. I'm an advocate of Nistune, love it! I believe John is pretty handy with this as well if you want a proper job doing on the dyno. Settings/maps can be adjusted as and when you apply more upgrades without burning new chips etc. You're asking quite a lot of a stock motor, fine if everything is running perfectly but I doubt there's many Z's left with everything running A1. Cheers H

Switched CAS with a spare one and it's much more central now, looks like a dodgy CAS. Very strange that the temperature won't go above 75 though, after a long run it was reading 71 ?? Perhaps time to test the ECU temp sensor, it's only a few years old though and was working fine a few weeks ago. Cheers H

Yes, I use a strobe on cyl #1. I've got a spare CAS so I might put that on, I don't really see it as being a CAS problem but it's worth a try. Cheers H

Ok, the belt was out by one tooth at the crank (i.e. all cams were 1 tooth retarded!). All back together and power delivery is much stronger, popping on the overrun has stopped and idle is steady. The very odd thing is, having checkd the ignition timing the CAS is STILL at maximum adjustment to get 15 deg advance!? It was this that prompted me to check in the first place. Temperature doesn't go over 75 degrees either, I'm sure it used to reach about 82?! Anyway, Consult is expecting 15 degrees BTDC at that temperature so that isn't the issue... There are a couple of other anomolies as well so I need to do a bit of investigation. Cheers for the help RobH

Not sure about that Andy, TDC is relative to the piston positions and fixed to the crank therefore belt and cam positions have no bearing on TDC. Unless I've misunderstood what you're saying. Cheers H

Hmm..strange, I remember going to great trouble (and expense) to get one from the states as there were none available from breakers in the UK at the time. Not sure what the reason for the swap was as I didn't do the work myself. At least it's hopefully a requirement to cross off the list... Cheers H

Ok, thanks. I've assumed that the 0 deg (TDC cyl #1) timing mark on the lower front belt cover, when lined up with the crank pulley index mark, will be the same as lining up the lower sprocket with its index mark - I can't see any logical reason for Nissan to not match this to TDC, but Nissan are full of surprises :-\ I guess this confirms that I need to go a bit further, pull the crank pulley and the remaining covers and start counting teeth etc... bah! Cheers H

I agree that all the info states to use the cam belt marks when installing a new belt but that's not what I'm currently doing, I'm trying to check whether the old belt is correctly fitted - hopefully without removing any more covers... If the back plate marks are for reference, what reference are they for if not to confirm that the cams are correctly timed in relation to the crank ? (regardless of belt position). Cheers H

Not sure you'd need ECU wiring but I do seem to remember having to source an alternator loom from a manual, original can probably be modified. Also think you only need the front half of the prop. Starter should be the same as auto (I think). A clutch may help as well ;) There are a couple of plates between the engine and bell housing on the TT, not sure if needed for NA Cheers H

Hi guys, spoke to Jeff this morning, what a helpful and knowledgeable chap, I'll no doubt be calling on his services before long. Anyways, the upshot is that I think I have a cam timing issue. There is some confusing info on here regarding which marks to use when installing/timing up the belt etc which is why I'm having to ask this question. If I just go by the info in the manual, the passenger side cams are both retarded by a tooth, I haven't got around to removing the driver side and lower covers yet (it's raining :( ). This is assuming that the sprocket marks should align with the index marks on the backing plate. I've attached pics (excuse the quality) of the intake and exhaust cam sprockets with the crank pulley set to 0 degrees. As an aside, you can see in the second pic how far advanced the CAS position is to get 15 deg BTDC - this is what started the alarm bells ringing. If someone could clarify for me it would be much appreciated. I've always avoided touching cam belts but I suppose it was inevitable :(

Just to add, I bought one of the XTD 6 puck items with a chrome moly lightweight flywheel off eBay from 'aimcoclutch'. I have to say I was quite amazed at the quality, price and shipping speed, more than satisfied. My only slight niggle is that there isn't a lot of 'feel' in the clutch and it's a bit stiff, I'm just splitting hairs though as you can't have it all ways...great for normal driving, not so good at low speed. Cheers H

Hmm.. my base timing was actually at 5 deg ATDC when the engine was first run so being 10 deg advanced (due to not modifying the neutral switch wiring) it was actually 15 deg ATDC in total(?!) From what I've been reading, if I wire up the neutral switch correctly I'll be back to 5 deg BTDC at idle/warm and as I have no more CAS advance available I'll be a bit knkd! Does this confirm that cam timing must be out by a tooth or more?? Is the neutral switch rewired just to get the base timing back to where it should be without adjusting the CAS or is there some more fundamental reason why the CAS can't simply be adjusted to compensate? The car generally runs well whilst driving, not perfect at idle but not bad. The timing maps are being accessed according to load/rpm so it's not as if the neutral switch is preventing this. Cheers H

Thanks Andy - though not what I wanted to hear LOL! I use a piece of HT cable and a plug cap with a traditional timing gun on Cyl #1 to time it up, I don't trust the induction loop. The car was converted to manual a few years ago but presumably so long as the base timing is set right it should make no difference (?) I know some folks have had some issues with the neutral switch but it's not clear to me what problems this causes. Is there any obvious way to tell if the cams are timed wrong without removing the rad, belt covers etc? It's not something I want to embark on unless I'm sure that's the problem. Cheers H

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think if I can get a wideband O2 sensor on each bank it should help identify whether there is a problem on one side, unfortunately I only have one wideband and getting a bit fed up throwing money at the old heap :( I am still running in so will wait til I've finished (400 miles to go) and installed correct oil, new plugs etc before splashing out any more cash... Old Zed, presumably valve timing being out could have a similar result? I'm not 100% sure the belt was timed correctly (I didn't set it), I had to rotate the CAS significantly from its marked position to get base timing to 15 deg. SY, you mean leaking when it should be closed or leaking around the seals? They're Nismo 555cc with only a few thousand miles and a couple of years on them, should be fine but wouldn't take it for granted... Cheers H

I'll double check the throttle cable adjustment as well just to be sure...

Yeah Mike, often get a pop when changing gear, almost a bang sometimes.. Jeff, that's the thing that's confusing me, with throttle fully closed it still pops whilst engine braking is slowing it down. I've had boost leaks before (some pretty massive ones) and they've never caused this. We checked the exhaust quite thoroughly and confirmed no leaks. TPS is relatively new, setup to 0.42V and reading correctly. I wonder if the MAF sensor could be over reading somehow? Or perhaps air is still being drawn past the MAF with throttle closed?? Just a thought, I have Blitz dump valves, my new engine should have way more compression than the old one, perhaps the dumps could do with adjustment? Cheers again H

Yes, I have access to all the fuel maps and scales via Nistune, it's a more or less standard map (apart from Injector size) I'm running at the moment with the factory enrichment, fuel cut etc, shouldn't really be a problem there...I had disabled O2 sensing to set the base AFR at idle and did suspect it might be the issue, however reactivating the sensors has made very little/no difference :( Oh well, I'll just have to put up with it ;) Cheers H

Hi guys, I know this has been covered but none of the usual suspects apply. I did have a sizeable leak in the exhaust but I had help from a guy on Angelsey, modifying the exhaust so that it now lines up perfectly. He does custom exhaust builds and mods to a very high standard if anyone is interested. There should be no overfuelling, I'm running the same tune as I did on my previous engine without any popping. I don't see how it could be an intake leak as this would lead to unmetered air and therefore lean if anything. It's making good boost anyway so I'm confident it's all sealed up nicely. It runs well, not perfectly smooth at idle, but I do have a lightened flywheel. No misfiring, popping etc when under load, only pops on the overrun at lower speeds when warmed up. The engine has allegedly had some cam work done on it, could this be the culprit?? I actually quite like the odd pop but just concerned it may be indicating a problem somewhere... Cheers RobH

Mine was pretty well stuck so I got a 2 foot long, half inch square drive breaker bar on it, wasn't pleasant but it came out with a bit of persuasion and further damage to my poor back :( . Perhaps a local garage with a pit could be persuaded to let you use the facilities for 10 minutes?? Cheers H

If you've got non standard turbos you might struggle to get the sump off unless you have an extensive set of tools, one of the bolts hides behind one of the gearbox brackets which in turn hides behind the RHS turbo. I found it to be a PITA even with the engine out!! Presumably you've tried nipping the bolts up a bit tighter in the problem area? Good luck H

Yes. I had a bumper fitted and sprayed and didn't know there was a problem until a loud grating noise every time I put my foot down. Turned out the front undertray section wasn't secured to the bumper and the airflow was forcing it to rub against the road! I removed what was left of it, not sure if there is a reliable way to install it so may or may not bother with a replacement.. Cheers H

Hi Rich. My lines came with the kit from Z1motorsport but they do sell them seperately I think. The restrictors are fitted to the turbos and the lines then fitted to the restrictors. Stock restrictors (K bolt on the LHS and weird shaped connector on the RHS) are deleted. Best to get professional advice from the folks who rebuilt your turbos or the manufacturer regarding the amount of restriction required I would think. Cheers H

LOL - possibly, but at least you know some other folks have done it. I would do it slightly differently if I did it again. You may find your kit allows you to screw it straight in as suggested by Jimmer. I got the GT675RS kit, the oil return pipe on the driver's side is a little short, making options a little limited around the oil filter tree. Far more of a concern is the fact that the Z1 5 bolt dump pipes don't fit with the steering connected. Maybe locate some pipes designed for the UK market to save any issues. I've been stuck on this for a week now and haven't yet resorted to 'modifications' with a hammer or tig welder... Cheers H