RobH

Hi Richard, apologies, wasn't sure what the policy was but suspected as much. I did advertise as a trader when the trader's section was first set up but because we specialise in a niche we got very little business from it unfortunately.

No, plenum is far from polished, it's as Mr Nissan intended it - although possibly dirtier. I used flange sealant to little effect, think it will be instant gasket as the last resort. I made sure I tightened the nuts and bolts evenly but still no good. Cheers H

Yep, that's BKR7EIX, BKR8EIX and BKR9EIX, they've just missed the start off the code. Don't know if I'll get told off for posting this ......................... BKR8EIX looks your best option but be prepared to experiment. I'm making 350 - 400BHP and running fine on BKR7EIX. Cheers H

I've installed new O-rings but still no joy. As it happens, closing off all the leaks I could get at has identified a big one on the intake manifolds (both sides) making the balance bar of little consequence :-( Not looking forward to tackling this, just had the plenum off and back on to fit a proper EGR bypass kit, now I've got to do it again goddammit ! Had the same thoughts about the clutch vacuum hose myself but wasn't sure if it was just another incidence of Nissan over engineering, might stick the old one back on to be safe, even though it's now half an inch shorter ;-). Don't think the vacuum could get to a level where the hose could collapse, thick walled narrowish bore...safety first though eh? Cheers H

Might be worth double checking for leaks, I found a load despite being convinced I had none, was having to run my AVC-r at 90% duty (maximum) to reach 1 bar. Leaving the wastegate actuators open to atmosphere (risky) only gave me just over a bar. I know it's not the same kit as you have but sounds like a similar problem.

Hi guys, Located a whole load of boost leaks including one at each end of the balance bar. I've put new seals on it but it's still blowing, can't understand it. How does everyone else seal it up completely? Also, I can't understand why it should be blowing past the nuts (lost one of the dome nuts), assuming the seals are sealing there should be no leakage here. Assuming they're not sealing I'd expect it to leak out of the sides rather than the more difficult route past the stud and nut (!?) Perhaps the balance bar flanges are warped through previous overtightening?? I'm going to resort to some flange sealant for the time being I think. Any reason why I shouldn't use some silicon hose between the balance bar and the clutch booster check valve? Last thing, does anyone have a pair of throttle body intake hoses they'd care to sell? don't want to buy the whole set of 4 as I have dump valves on custom lower hardpipes. Thanks in advance for any help. H

It's a daughterboard that replaces the original ECU chip (you need to socket it), not sure if it's a piggyback, as that implies to me that the original chip is still in place. There's a 4 pin ribbon cable you also need to solder into the mainboard but it's really easy if you have a desoldering tool and a decent iron with a fine tip. You put the ECU back in the footwell where it came from and all programming is then done via the consult connector. Assuming the consult cable you have is the same you'd need a daughterboard, a software license and a wideband (if you want to map it yourself). Cheers H

If the mods are doing their job to keep combustion chamber temperatures down you shouldn't need to go extremely cold (this would lead to fouling at idle, commuting etc). Rule of thumb is 1 grade colder for each additional 50BHP but the margins get a bit blurred when your car is capable of massive power. When turning up the boost it's just as important to use a smaller gap setting - otherwise it'll misfire under heavy load. Better to be safe and go too cold, a set of fouled plugs is considerably cheaper to replace than your engine. Best (but expensive) options are NGK or Denso race plugs R7434-8 or IK01-24, cheaper are standard Iridium plugs, BKR8EIX or IK24, BKR9EIX or IK27 if you want to be sure your plugs are cold enough. Good luck! Cheers H

I would 100% recommend it, 110% if you're gradually tuning your car and don't want to pay out every time you make a change for someone to burn a chip for you. Price was $200 for the daughterboard, $200 for a single user software license, $110 for consult cable + few $ for shipping - Note this is Aus $. Me and Rich666 got a board each and share a software license and consult cable so it's prob cost us about £200 each. Support is excellent and the software is awesome for diagnostics etc. Of course to get the best from it you need a wideband sensor as well unless you're going to pay a tuner to map it on a rolling road (recommended for best results). Cheers H

Fuel and ignition maps will probably be more agressive for the Jap spec, their fuel is apparently higher octane. Less likely to det so they can push it a bit harder. Best stick to super plus etc. Cheers H

I got an Innovate LC-1 which seems to work nicely with Nistune. This comes with a boss to weld to your exhaust at your preferred location. I just install it in the stock LHS location when I'm messing about with fuel maps and take it out when I'm done. You can leave it in but they're quite an expensive thing to wear out without good reason. They lose their calibration every few months too and need to be removed to 'free air' calibrate again if they're going to be accurate. The LC-1 can also emulate a narrowband O2 if you want to use it as a stock O2 sensor - bit beyond me though... H

Hi Guys, I've seen some EGR pipework to plenum blanking plates online somewhere but I can't seem to find them now I want to buy some. Can anyone point me in the right direction please? I cut and solderedthe stubs of my old pipes but I'm not convinced I've done an airtight job. As an aside, I've sealed up some leaks in my intercooler pipework (FMIC), there is now a distinct sound like an asthmatic inhaling deeply immediately after turning the ignition off, it comes from the centre of the plenum area (i.e. the cylinder intakes). I'm surprised to hear this from this location, bit suspicious there may be a leak at the plenum mating surface. Anyone noticed a similar sound? I might just be paranoid. Thanks in advance for any help. H

Morning all, Standard is PFR6B-11 for the NA, although Iridium BKR6EIX-11 is an extremely close match and should perform a little better. PFR7B-11 is not a UK part number, unavailable here, BKR7EIX-11 would be the way to go if you wanted a colder plug although that's not officially available here either come to think of it... If you want Denso options (better performance but more easily damaged through careless fitting/over tightening), ultimate performance and service life would be VK20 followed by IK20. Cheers H

Thanks guys. I'm trying to hold 1.2 bar, hybrid turbos, even a reliable 1 bar would be a start. The silicon hoses that came with the kit seem ok, very similar quality to Samco (I have these on my dump valve hardpipes). The clamps that came with the kit look pretty robust and are the same design as Mikalor Supra T-bolt clamps, not sure if there would be any benefit in replacing with a different brand, maybe a slightly smaller size would help (?) mine are almost tightened to the max. Cheers H

Hi Guys, I fitted an Autobahn88 FMIC a year or so ago and found some of the joints leaked, fixed all the problem joints I could find at the time. Tightening as much as the clamps will allow doesn't seem to improve things, I'm a bit concerned I might have put the pipes out of shape. I checked over the pipework with soapy water today and found some further considerable leaks - hardly surprising I'm not holding a lot of boost...1.03 bar maximum at WOT Anyway, the problem is getting the darned hoses to seal on the pipework, anyone got any brainwaves?? How about a little instant gasket or flange sealant before assembly - or am I being thick?? Perhaps some better clamps might help?? Any good suppliers for these? Cheers H

If you're running standard turbos you have internal wastegates pneumatically operated, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastegate . Cheers H

Just a thought, I have no cat and basically straight through pipes, I'm wondering if the total lack of back pressure is making the wgates open early? Cheers H

Yeah, thanks, that is a good link I'd actually found it earlier whilst doing some digging. I'm convinced that the wastegate springs are the issue, problem is, can I change 'em without pulling the engine again!? Even if I could slide an extra spring over the actuator arm to add a little more tension it would do the trick. Dunno where to get a suitable spring though (any ideas?) nor whether this is a really dumb idea... BTW, the old beast got through its MOT yesterday with just two rear tyre advisorys :D Cheers H

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. The recircs went in the bin a long time ago Jeff, I've been running with Blitz BOVs since before swapping the tubs and didn't have this problem then, although I have completely removed the recircs now whereas they were previously blanked off... With my setup as it is I've been unable to check for boost leaks by listening, still not sure where the pressure dissappears to. I've had to break the intake system down into sections and pressurize each one seperately, using inflation of a surgical glove as an indicator of pressure. Maybe there is a leak somewhere but I'm darned if I can find it. Cheers H

Hi guys, I've lived with this 'problem' since putting the engine back in complete with new hybrid turbos. I removed all the extra boost control lines and solenoids to run boost control purely off the AVC-r. Problem is that even setting the AVC-r on max duty cycle I can only get to approx 1 bar before the wastegates open. It has been suggested to me that the wastegate springs in the new turbos must be too weak to contain any more boost than this. I don't fully agree with this, I would expect the pressure in the exhaust system to keep the gates shut to some extent. Any observations on this? I've never heard of anyone else suffering from weak springs in this way. My second thought is that the stock solenoids apparently bleed off some of the actuator line pressure, effectively causing a lower pressure at the actuator and further delaying opening. Even so, you would expect the EBC to be able to accommodate this within it's normal operating range with some adjustment. I have gone as far as completely disconnecting the AVC-r solenoid and leaving the actuator control lines open to atmosphere - just to see if this allowed more pressure to build in the system, it only increased boost by approx 0.1 bar and seems to prove the theory of weak springs, also I guess it proves that a boost leak is not the issue as max boost would have remained the same. I know that the actuators can only take positive pressure and negative can damage them but I'm wondering if there is some way to apply a little negative pressure, prehaps from the turbo inlet, to delay the wategate opening (?) Sorry it's a long one. Hope someone can throw me a pearl or two of wisdom. Cheers H

Ok, cheers. Spade connectors it is then.... H

Hi Guys, think I've finally narrowed down the cause of my repeatedly blown fuse to the driver's side headlamp, main bulb connector. It's a bit mashed up, I've left it disconnected for the last few months and the fuse has remained intact. Anyway, I need to find a replacement connector, can anyone point me in the right direction please? It's a 1990 jap import. I don't want to do any kind of conversion if I can avoid it. TIA! RobH

Thanks Jeff. Yeah I know about fuse ratings, it was simply that I was stuck in the middle of nowhere in the snow with limited spares. Hmm, thinking about it, the fuse does blow when the sidelights are turned on so I guess that maybe narrows it down slightly. The wiring was a bit of a bad job by a previous owner I think, I didn't realise how bodged it was until I took the FF off! Cheers H

Hmm..me again, I bunged a 15A fuse in as it's all I had to hand at the time, it worked ok for a couple of hundred miles but even that blew. I've gone through a pack of 10A fuses now trying to make it work. Thought I might have found the prob with a stray wire behind the lights but apparently not. The relay made a bit of a buzz at one attempt so I swapped it with the ASCD one, no different. Anyone had this problem and identified it? Any common point of failure for the low beam circuit? I'm grasping at straws a bit, don't fancy chasing all the wires involved back to source :-(. I forsee myself being well and truly ripped off by an auto electrician in the near future :-( Cheers H

Cheers guys, 3rd fuse sorted it. Must have shorted somewhere with all the snow! H