Hey all,

I'm about to go the MegaSquirt route on my '79 280zx N/A. I was wondering if all the info in the following article (on this site) applies to naturally aspirated 280zxs:

Apart from the parts listed at the top (see below), are there any other upgrades required to get MSnS working on a stock 280zx?

Thanks for the info.

 

MSnS is MegaSquirt and Spark.

If you go MS I would strongly recommend you do spark as well so you can have options later, like being able to just throw a L28ET in there or turbocharging your L28E.

You can run MS to trigger off of the (-) side of you coil, which would be fine for an N/A application and your stock dizzy. I'm not sure why you'd go through the trouble of MS though.

If you wanted to do Squirt and Spark, get a 1982 or 1983 Dizzy and Dizzy shaft [different connection] and put it in your car. It is a very easy installation IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

There are other distributor-less options like EDIS but they are more $$$ and require digging into MegaSquirt more.

http://www.diyautotune.com/tech_arti...80zx_turbo.htm

 

Thanks for the info.

Am I right to assume the 'Intake Air Temperature' sensor probably isn't needed since the description on the MS site shows it being for forced induction?

So to get MegaSquirt (and MSnS) installed and ready to tune on a stock 1979 280zx N/A all that is needed is the following:

1) [MS130-K] MegaSquirt I Kit (v3.0) -- $187.00
2) [MSHarness12] 12' Wiring Harness -- $65.00
3) [TuneCable6] DB9 Tuning Cable -- $5.50
4) [Distributor] 82/83 N/A Distributor -- (looking to buy)
5) [Shaft] 82/83 N/A Distributor Shaft -- (looking to buy)
6) [TPS] 240SX TPS -- (looking to buy)

So the conversion should cost roughly $400. Sound about right? Anyone see anything I may have overlooked?

Thanks!

Edit:
There is a schematic under Variable Reluctor Distributor on the HybridZ MSnS Installation Guide that seems to suggest the stock '79 Dizzy can be used to trigger MSnS using the GM HEI.

If I use MSnS set up for Direct Coil Control (IGBT) then could I use that schematic with only one GM HEI (instead of 2) to trigger MSnS? Has anyone here tried it?

 

let me know how you go, i've got a 79 n/a and this is about my only way of getting more horses at the moment as finding turbo gear is too hard over here

 

Intake Air Temp Sensor is mandatory for MS, I'm pretty sure

I guess I'm just old skool with my dizzy setup... I think MSD 6A would do fine for me :P (does fine for my 500+hp Firebird and a POINTS (okay, it's a dual point, but still lol) distributor!)

And when I do go to EDIS, I can just buy the spark control MS (I forget what it's called...) You gotta run the programs seperately anyways...

 

Thanks for the detailed description. I want to become a mechanical engineer and in this aspect this site is very informative for me. Keep it up!

 

What is the benefit/relevance of swapping out for the newer style distributor?

 

the turbo dizzy is way easier to wire and more accurate by far. you can then control the spark curve from the ms instead of relying on weights to do that job. personally im going the route of edis and coil near plug and ditching the dizzy all together. the iat is manditory as it tells ms whats coming into the engine. also recomended is to go with the ms2 v3.57 which is pre built by diyautotune.com. they can also set it up for you with what options you need like the turbo dizzy or edis when they build it.

 

So... How'd your MS install go four years later? Haha.