Twin flying wedges - 1983 DR30 Skyline coupe + sedan

[0R10N]

Realized I was still missing some ignition-related componentry for the Link, so in lieu of getting fancy coil-on-plug sequential gubbins (which, as pointed out by fuel and a couple of others, can be susceptible to heat failure due to their location atop the engine) I decided to keep it simple with a set of coilpacks instead.

Hopefully these prove to be satisfactory for 300-400PS (they're from a Mitsubishi 4G63)... if not, back to the drawing board. NZEFI do a performance coil setup for a shade under $600, which could be an alternative, albeit pricey, solution. I just hope this won't be the weak link in the entire chain.

The mounting hardware finally arrived for the TS-X11 box speakers as well, so I wired and fitted those:

Don't mind the blue towel, that's only there to protect the new rear seat from the worst of the sun's rays. Which just leaves the giant rat's nest up front to take care of. The old gauges will find a new lease of life in my track car.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

1:1 boost controller/gauge panel cardboard template. Might take it to the office tomorrow, scan, and post a clearer picture, it would also help with eventually getting something machine-cut to order.

I've included the 3.5mm and Link inputs even though I'm still undecided as to their merits. The little black vivid dots indicate where the factory mounting holes are located for the bracket which usually sits behind the fascia (and has since long disappeared from this car).

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[0R10N]

Rocker cover on coupe removed for inspection and overhaul of rattly timing chain, in preparation for Nats. This has been a thorn in my side for some time and I was a bit apprehensive of what I'd find under the cover, as many horror stories abound of sludged-up Nissans due to lack of servicing.

To my surprise though, there's nothing to see except sparkly clean internals. No horrid buildups of sludge to be found anywhere, I guess this car really was looked after in Japan.

as I suspected, the chain is in fact slack, and moves way too easily with one finger - at a guess, about 2-3cm of play? The red arrow indicates the amount of lateral movement along the left hand chain guide, which is a fair amount actually. Guides themselves all look fine, with minimal grooving. It's had a Mazda ratcheting tensioner fitted already, but I may replace it again for peace of mind.

The underside of the rocker cover is super mint, even the mesh is perfectly unblocked. Ah well, at least I can rest assured knowing that this engine hasn't been cooked during its lifetime. I also found the source of the rear rocker cover leak - as you can see, the pesky gasket is all misaligned and pinched. Will fix that up as well!

ETA on the new top timing chain from Stewart Wilkins Motorsport in 'Straya is between 2-4 days (via express courier) and should be here this week, all going well. While I wait there are a couple of other issues that need remedying before Nats, the most serious of which is the braided hose leading to the clutch slave, which has split from age and started leaking.

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[0R10N]

Took a bit longer than expected, but it's finally here...

The replacement chain has a split link so should make things easy. Thanks, Oriental Chain Mfg. Co., Ltd!

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[Guest Orion]

So as it turns out: not only had the chain stretched laterally, but the modified Mazda ratchet tensioner (which was originally fitted to cure the well-known FJ20 startup rattle) had also fallen apart, which didn't help matters any. I do wonder how long parts of it have been swimming around in the sump for...

...where the hell is the rest of it?

Anyway, I had planned to pick the coupe up today fully repaired and ready but circumstances dictated otherwise, so instead I spent the morning pulling apart one of the Omoris I'd bought for squid in the hopes of resurrecting the dead backlighting. Managed to find a disassembly guide on the interwebs and after somewhat apprehensively prying the front bezel off I carefully de-soldered the old-style incandescent lamps (which were in fact blown) from the existing circuit board and replaced them with a pair of white LEDs and in-line resistors.

As you can see, there's not much to the whole package, although I was pretty careful not to upset the calibration on the gauge itself.

Success! There are a couple of bright spots thanks to the LED positioning, but once in the car it shouldn't be as noticeable. One gauge down, two to go.

Re-assembly will take place once I buy some paint to touch up the bezel, as unfortunately the only way to disassemble these gauges is with excessive prying force. Hopefully once they are mounted in the panel the damage/markings won't be visible.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[Guest Orion]

Home/together again.

But not without a strange new bogging/hesitation issue on acceleration. It's not as bad as when the AAC/EGR/etc valves were gummed up a couple years back, but still noticeable. I spent an hour or so this evening trying to adjust a few things but only succeeded in making the hesitation worse.

Really wish John (CXGPWR) was still around to work his magic like last time. I'll give it another go before Burgerfuel, but if I have no joy I may need to run the car back down to my mechanic. Fuck!

Oh well, at least there's no more chain rattle.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[Guest Orion]

Oh shit.

It was not making this noise before. All signs point to the oil pump, which incidentally can't be bought brand new anymore nor rebuilt.

However oil pressure is still fine, and it does quieten down slightly once the car warms up.

Of course this may mean it won't be coming to Nats unless I manage to get it sorted in the next ~20 days.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[Guest Orion]

Dropped the belts as recommended by Cam and KK, no change.

Arranged to take the coupe back to my mechanic, who pulled the sump off and reported that apart from finding bits of tensioner floating in the oil (which were cleaned out post-haste) he couldn't see any major blockage or restriction to the pickup which could be causing the whine to occur.

For peace of mind though I had him get the panelbeater to hammer the sump straight, and he also moved the pickup slightly so it was no longer touching the bottom, which is a common thing to happen when the sump gets dented on a FJ20.

After what seemed like an eternity's wait for a new sump gasket to arrive, everything was re-assembled and we hoped to no longer hear the whine upon the first turn of the key. Alas, this was not to be

In desperation we tried to brainstorm what else could possibly be causing this to happen... and then, eureka:

It was the bloody top chain guide all along!

So with that all sorted, I turned my attention back to the hesitation issue. As alluded to in another thread, I'm fairly confident it's a TPS adjustment issue, as this has a direct effect on the fuel pump controller module in the boot, which varies the voltage to the pump depending on load (so anywhere from 6-12V). The trick is to try and get it running right, before embarking on my Nats roadtrip/trackday; there's an element of danger involved if the pump's only seeing, say, 10V at WOT.

I have yet to discover the "sweet spot" but with three days to go I'll drive the car as much as possible and keep tweaking the TPS settings until then. So with that in mind I loaded it up with some reyums and tyres and will try my luck at getting the semi slicks swapped onto my spare Watanabes tomorrow morning.

Managed to fit all four semis in the boot with the sub out, I'll run my small 10" sub for Nats instead of the gargantuan 15" that usually resides in there. The things I do; first world problems, etc.

Oh, and this is what 205/50R15s and horrid +45 offset Mitsubishi wheels look like fitted to the rear:

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[Guest Orion]

Do I really want to know why half the warning lights came on unexpectedly this morning on the way to work? Quick initial tests indicate nothing major is broken (i.e. waterpump, alternator) so I'm not entirely sure what gremlins are responsible for this latest weirdness.

Nevertheless, still managed to get a couple of Nats-related things sorted (in case I can solve this new problem before Thursday)

First thing:

Second thing:

Tomorrow I find out if the A/C can be regassed or if the entire system needs an overhaul.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[Guest Orion]

Coupe's A/C system was low on gas, full of moisture, and even after a re-gas is still only operating at maybe a third of its efficiency. However the band-aid solution in place should see me safely through to the other side of the weekend, at which point I'll have the system pulled apart, flushed, and new components fitted.

Somehow, the dash warning lights all flicked off while driving around yesterday - and stayed off. I took this as a sign that all systems are go for Nats. So help me god.

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

Cammy FJ20ETs do not like the cold. (It wasn't even that cold tonight!)

 

 

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[0R10N]

Recently picked these TS-X7 shelf speakers up for cheap due to the woofers being busted (and the foam rings had all but disintegrated).



Sent them away to be repaired and they arrived back on Wednesday, so fitted them into the coupe that evening.

 

They contrast nicely with the TS-X11s in squid

 

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

What's this? An update? Golly.

 

Nothing too serious though. Got bored of the TS-X7s in the coupe, so swapped them out for some full alloy chassis TS-X9s.

 

 

They're the "little brother" to Richy's TS-X11s. The alloy enclosures and giant woofer magnets make them heavy (7lb per box) and despite lacking one speaker each compared to the TS-X7s the tradeoff is superior quality sound.

 

 

 

Astute readers may have also noticed my ranting in spam as of late regarding the coupe flooding itself and not starting unless the fuel pump relay is pulled (thereby running the car with reduced fuel pressure and whatever's left in the rail) - managed to mitigate this problem somewhat by fitting a new fuel filter, new plugs and cleaning various sensors in the engine bay including but not limited to the AFM, IAC valve and VSV valves. Hopefully once squid receives its Link and giant turbo I'll be able to swap these parts out with spare ones that are no longer required.

 

Speaking of squid - I'm hoping the next major thread update will involve said vehicle. It's been far too long.

 

Discussion: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/21738-orions-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

Speaking of squid - I'm hoping the next major thread update will involve said vehicle. It's been far too long.

 

Well, not quite a major update, but this one does involve squid, as promised.

 

It's languished in the corner of the shed under a thick layer of dust for far too long, but I've been keeping a surreptitious eye on Yahoo for various bits and pieces to buy and keep aside for when I finally restart the project.

 

A few days ago a set of tidy door cards were listed, so I requested the services of Alex @ MLR to secure them for me. Boom!

 

 

The fronts on squid are a bit worse for wear - the map pockets are missing and the trim has screw holes from where someone's carelessly mounted a pair of ugly box speakers. Next step is to try and secure some replacement boot carpet from a guy wrecking a HR30 sedan in Australia, and then the interior should be complete, save for the construction of my custom gauge panel and repairing the tear in the driver's seat.

 

Lastly I also need to save up for another FJ20ET dizzy to rebuild and then convert into a crank angle sensor to drive the Link G4. They are readily available from YAJ, but are expensive even in unrestored form.

 

Discussion: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/21738-orions-dr30-wedges/

 

And a photo or two to keep myself enamoured:

 

 

[0R10N]

Door cards finally arrived, courtesy of Stacked/MLR's latest container. Cheers, guys.

 

That's the first thing ticked off the (huge) list for 2015.

 

Discussion: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/21738-orions-dr30-wedges/

 

Just think, I went to all this trouble for a pair of front map pockets and a few less screw holes

 

 

But at least I can now fit the factory umbrella...

 

 

...and it's good to have spares anyway. One of the rear door cards in the sedan is falling apart where the top section meets the fabric, if I remember correctly.

 

[0R10N]

I got sick of dealing with "Skyline Army" retards who either wanted to charge eye-watering amounts of money or failed to respond, so ended up buying one of these from Yahoo for less than the local price, even after taking shipping into account.

 

 

Yeah, factory steering wheel. Just so I have a "stock" piece for the coupe should I ever decide to repurpose my Nardi.

 

Discussion: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/21738-orions-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

It turns out that two of the Omoris I'd taken a gamble on buying in Japan (oil temp and water temp) had busted senders/mechanisms in addition to blown backlighting. Bummer.

 

Robinson Instruments in Onehunga were helpful enough when I phoned to inquire about getting them repaired, but as they'd never worked on Omori gauges before they couldn't really give me an accurate quote for repair. I did find out that the core disassembly charge would be $37.50+GST per gauge, plus appropriate labour/inspection costs before any repairs could be made, so that's probably the best option I've got short of importing another pair off Yahoo. The added bonus is that I can get the backlights fixed at the same time.

 

In the meantime a triple set of '80s Lamco gauges happened to come up for cheap on Trademe. Thinking they could be a nice alternative option, I decided to chuck a bid in.

 

 

Okay, they do look rather... industrial, so I will just repurpose them for the track car. Everything works though, bonus!

 

Coincidentally they came with Subaru sandwich plate and water temp fittings that are both directly compatible with the B6T.

 

Discussion: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

One gigantic weak point of the FJ20ET is the stone-age ignition module (or Power Transistor Unit, in Nissan-speak) which has a habit of crapping out like clockwork after 20 years (let alone 30). When this shits itself, many people report a distinct lack of power, hesitation when accelerating, and other weird symptoms consistent with either an intermittent or weak spark due to a bad module.

 

Hmmm, this sounds all too familiar!

 

The FJ20 isn't the only Nissan engine to suffer from this issue; if you google "Nissan PTU failure" you'll get about a million hits all talking about the same thing. Owners of other '80s Nissans (notably American Z31s and S12s) have been able to figure out a way of adapting an ignition module called the "PRW-1A" or "PRW-2" plus the matching coil from various later model Nissans. Transistor technology has also come a long way since the 1980s and the supposed advantages of upgrading to this setup are an improved idle, better acceleration, and most importantly, no more hesitation between gears.

 

Sounds mint. But as far as I'm aware, no one has managed to adapt this setup to the FJ20. So I thought I'd give it a go.

 

In fact, Nissan realized the original FJ20 PTU was garbage, so in 1985 they actually upgraded the ignition system to something called "Plasma Spark" with an all-in-one coil and igniter - amusingly, this is similar to the setup that all the Z31 owners complain about. In other words, also garbage.

 

This is the stock non-Plasma Spark FJ20ET module, the little button thing on the coil bracket.

 

 

This is the PRW-1A.

 

 

Ironically, the module in squid is perfectly fine, as the previous owner managed to buy a Nissan old stock replacement in Japan in the mid 2000s... and furthermore, I'm taking out all the factory ignition gear when the Link gets wired up anyway! All of this work will be so I can get the coupe running better and not have to solely rely on the crummy old transistor setup.

 

After checking about 40 different wiring diagrams, reading a bunch of threads on various forums, and going nuts with the multimeter using squid as the test dummy, I finally managed to work this out:

 

 

Simply put, all of the existing wiring can be used, with a couple of caveats: an extra ground from the PTU needs to be run, and I still have to figure out if the factory tacho output works without requiring an extra resistor or diode.

 

And the best thing is that instead of paying upwards of $200 (after currency conversion and shipping) for a stock replacement PTU if you can find it in stock, you can buy these bits from Pick a Part for about $30, as the PRW-1A and PRW-2 setups are used on P10 Primeras, U13 Bluebirds, N14 Pulsars, and basically anything with an EFI SR/GA/CA engine from the early to mid '90s that doesn't have the ignition module in the distributor.

 

The end result (again using squid as the test mule):

 

 

Eureka!

 

Ran out of time to test the tacho output, will add that tomorrow and give it another run. If it all works hopefully this weekend I'll be able to make another trip to the wreckers' and obtain a couple more plugs to solder together a neater loom.

 

Then the big test will be finding out whether it runs for longer than 5 minutes (i.e. no cold start cycle messing up the testing) and/or if I can put any load through it without melting the module or the coil. This will take a bit of planning - the coupe isn't currently drivable as the alternator developed a charging fault in January this year

 

I suppose I could do some sneaky driving around the block a few times in squid... which hasn't seen the road since 2013.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

Not long after I got the ignition module upgrade running I received some info about an off-the-shelf kit being sold by DR30.jp - had a look in case it was easier to just order one, but it turned out slightly too pricey for my tastes.

 

 

 

Went to Zebra over the long weekend and bought a couple more bits to wire up a second module and coil to keep as a spare.

 

Hmmm... does this remind you of anything?

 

 

Looks nearly identical to the KRS upgrade kit, except not quite as well presented and I still have a couple of plugs left to wire up. Nice to know I was on the right track all along.

 

With a brand new battery I've managed to get the coupe started and running (it holds charge at 11.98-12.00V without going any lower) so it should be safe to drive around the neighbourhood for a couple of test runs after work all going well.

 

Discuss: http://oldschool.co....ns-dr30-wedges/

[0R10N]

Spare module, coil, and wiring loom finished.

 

 

Received word back from my regular parts guy that after two years of being on backorder Tridon finally has more TFS143 thermo fan switches in stock, so bought a pair of them for the coupe. One goes in the top of the radiator and controls the secondary A/C fan and low coolant warning system, and the other sits at the bottom of the radiator for the main cooling fan. Both of the switches in the coupe failed over time, so the fans stopped turning on automatically - I had to wire them to stay running permanently. Also in the photo is a Nissan genuine water thermo switch for the ECU, thanks Scott (brdflu) for sorting this out thru your work!

 

 

Quite satisfying to finally have these parts after a few years of making do with workarounds.

 

 

Once these are fitted and the alternator has been overhauled, the next thing on the list is to track down some replacement ASCD (cruise control) sensors to get that up and running again; typically, it was working up until "four years ago"...

 

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