While "many hands make light work", it is also true that "too many cooks spoil the broth". As the next tech day will be all about re-assembling the engine, we will be contacting a "few good men" as if course, as is the forum moto, we want to "do it once. Do it right". Less speed more haste. Andy, you will be one of them.
No probs mate just give me a bit of warning so I don't book overtime shift for that weekend not long finished the reco on John's motor so still pretty fresh on all that :zlove:
Got the heads back I "think" we now have everything lol. Will be seeing Simon next weekend and arrange Tech Day after that. Probably mid to late August (how time flies).
UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE Big thanks to Ross and Andy for giving up time on a Sunday to begin putting this engine back together. Status is now: Reconditioned heads back on with new gaskets Cam covers back on with new gaskets/goo Timing/cam gears back on Sadly we found the following..... Timing belt tensioner is original and screwed. This came as a shock to us as Simon payed $1500 for a "full" 200,000k service not long before the car came off the road. We' re confused as to why this wasn't replaced. Well spotted by Andy. Driver side turbo seems buggered Real effort to turn and binds. So project is on a short pause while Simon orders some parts and we see what can be done turbo wise Still given we thought we wasted time pulling the motor out only to find the original head gasket was fine, it now seems that there was very very good cause to take the car off the road. It would possibly be dead by now if he kept driving it.
the old saying of 2 steps forward 1 step back.....but progress was made, so good to be moving in the right direction. would have been unwise to reassemble with the pats that were there......would have likely failed sooner rather than later.
Sadly it sounds like he got diddled on the 200k service if they didn't replace the tensioner. Z1 in the states does a good price of the service kits and quick shipping got mine and all extra's ordered delivered in 15 days to east coast probably 17 too W.A .
More updates and credits Thanks go to Andy (Michandy) for sourcing Turbo's from Dave (Vader). So thanks also go to Dave for supplying turbos at an excellent price. We also ordered some other remaining parts from COZ including tensioner, pully, and these arrived today. Stay tuned
Update Well, we met up again a few months ago before Christmas crazyness. Most of engine re-assembled, plenum back on, and new (2nd hand) turbos fitted. We were tempted to try and see the engine back in the bay but light was fading and so we all agreed that it would be silly to "rush" and mess something up. Then Ross noticed we'd left off the plastic sleeves for the spark plugs which meant we'd have to pull the plenum off again......so we all went home lol. LATEST UPDATE So Saturday 21st Feb, Andy, Ross, Heuy and myself all converged on Simon's house with a view to seeing this zed running before the end of the day. I had to help my inlaws move so by the time I arrived at 10am, the guys had already removed the plenum again, placed the guide sleeves for the spark plugs in place, and re-installed the plenum. A few more little things bolted down and hoses clamped on, and we all agreed that the "engine was ready". Installed clutch. Engine raised with crane and removed from Engine Stand (which was purchased brand new for this job and I have donated to Ross as an official "Aus300zx WA Engine Stand") Then, with a view to bolting up the gearbox and installing both Engine and Gearbox together into the car, Andy looked round....... None of us had spotted until now, that the Clutch Pivot Ball was busted off. New part required and after many phone calls by us all, we determined that we were not getting our hands on one at short notice. So for the want of 1 little $18 part, we all went home at about 2pm as there was nothing we could do to move forward. :bash: Romonski turned up too just to take the piss out of my Chrysler and tell me about all the parts that would fail within the next 6 months Mate, if I'd have known how close you live to Simon's I'd have had you involved ages ago. So anyway, buying the "missing link" from ebay from eastern states, and on the hunt for a local oil pressure sender if we can get one. Here's some pics. If I only had an engine Ross posing Actual Work Andy REALLY loves this engine We were so close
Feckin Google Docs I'm too used to forums that let you actually "upload" pics :rolleyes2: I'll look for another hosting solution and re-do the images.
Ggrrrrrr can't edit my original post now. Pics (at another host) If Only I had an engine Ross Posing Andy really likes this engine Actual Work Engine Ready
Update Another day. Got the new pivot ball and 1 looooooooooooooooong day later, the car is back together. Will post pics tomorrow. This car has made people travel from afar. It's made people bleed. It's now made people vomit (true story). About 7:30 pm last night, the key was turned for the first time in 11......maybe 12 months. First time, she didn't quite fire up. But on the next turn of the key, she gave us all that sweet sweet VG30DETT music. ......and then she puffed huge plumes of oil smoke. ....and then I spied something leaking and we shut her down. 1 small bloody oil return line on driver side turbo. One end on....the other....not so much. Crushed up and hiding from us. We'd lost day light and we were all totally knackered. Was great to see the engine back in the car, and hearing it fire up gives us all hope that the end is in sight. And for some, it is, and fair call too. MASSIVE thanks throughout this project go to Andy who's been the brains and most of the brawn throughout most of this operation, and literally travelling from far south of Perth, to far north, each time we get together. Andy, mate, you're a friggin legend!!! Thanks also to Ross, Huey, and Anthony. All legends! So from here, should only take a couple of us to attack that return line, and I'm hoping.....no....praying, that that is the end of it. :zlove:
Cheers Cheers mate I only do what I can . As said last night, it's what the club is all about :zlove: Was absolutely shattered this morning and am still taking drugs for my back Was great to finally see her fire up after sooooooooooooo long Just hope there are not too many issues. If you need me back there I will come up again, just hoping that I don't have to long way 200+km round trip each time just makes for a long day Ross, Huey, Anthony, yourself and Simon are all legends mate :zlove: has been a real team effort all along, even though the zed has fought us the whole way. Until next time :zlove: Oh, and photo's or it didn't happen
Pics and FIRE UP video for this update Ross still looking for the engine Andy hard at work Gearbox on (YES with new pivot ball) Easy does it There's the engine Ross....it's in the friggin car mate And here's the vid that tells it all (except the smoke and the oil leak) [yt]j5TD58SnS8U[/yt]
Cheers mate. As i said to Simon on the phone yesterday "if the car was in my garage, I'd have been back under it this morning to fix that hose" Sucks that we're all so far away, and that the man himself hasn't had the experience. I'm going to get back there asap and I really pray that the smoke goes away and is "somehow" related. We'll see Soooooooo friggin close! I'll have a look at that connector for #2 cylinder as well. I tell ya, if that smoke clears, I'd be tempted by this car if I had the readies. Can't afford to have a 3rd car right now though
Another Update: Heavy smoker: Ideas? Well it's been 12 months simply because we all live to far away from Simons car, but in reality, it's been only about a weeks worth of work. Ross and myself headed back on Sat to fix that missed oil return line. While there we also fixed: 2 coolant lines we'd missed at the back of the block. 1 vac line 1 Oil pressure sender connector. Fired the car up again once we'd fixed all of the above and she seems to be running on all six. The car is officially "back in 1 piece" and was driven around the block. Sadly though she is spewing smoke. Burning oil for sure. The most likely culprit is the replacement turbos we've now installed. GUTTED. Truly gutted. After all the hard work everyone has put into this car over 12 months, and the money that's been sunk into it, and now this. Of course it was always a gamble to install used turbos and it's no-ones fault. Keeping in mind the cars owner was not in a financial position to buy new turbos or pay for reconditioning, we did the best we could do. Any other ideas for causes of burning oil Car was not burning oil before the rebuild and we have swapped the turbos as the old ones were binding badly. Is there ANY other simple cause for burning oil we could have missed? Other than pointing the finger at the turbos? Any line we could have put in the wrong place? Keeping in mind the heads have been professionally reconditioned , and full gasket set purchased and used. New O rings in every conceivable spot. Full torque routine followed with medical precision when putting the engine back together. (thanks Andy) Any "Have you checked this?" Would be much appreciated. Maybe the car was running thicker oil before? But the smoke is REALLY bad. K can't see thicker oil making it magically go away. The cars future Other than that, Simon will be selling the car cheap with full expose of the cars history and where it would need to be taken from here. Engine out (AGAIN) and new turbos would be needed (if that's the issue).
Is the smoke equal on both sides? Is the exhaust system fully divorced, or does it have a H / X-pipe in it?
