jjohart

Hi, if you like to get off on other Z restorer's pain when something goes to hell, read my earlier post (same forum)..I did (duh!), and e mailed to Mr. Jeff, who responded 1X. While I can't get him to clarify, I'll ask you helpful hardware (nightmare) folks....my shop got the woodruff key, the harmonic balancer and bolt for pulley, etc (I'm waiting for a washer for that bolt that will cost me $8 for the part and $32 for shipping O/N!!)..
The short question is....how likely is the crank to be found to be wasted/ruined, even after they get these other parts on? Is there any way to check to see if its ruined before they put on all the rest of the parts that were ruined? The engine only ran for about 45 seconds total time before we shut off/determined the bolt came loose.
More importantly, Mr. Jeff didn't reply to my mechanic's question as to what specialized tools would be needed to repair the crank. I'm not even sure what advantages he's referring to about the Volvo and Nimso Euro pieces...are they for racing, a more durable repair, or something to fix the crank with. Please try to give me a ballpark estimate of crank repair costs, as my mechanic has no idea what sort of proceedure/tools are used in a crank repair. He has basically told me if the cranks' gone, I would have to ditch the engine, or trade in/toss the car....he seems to think it's astronomically hard to repair, so I'm probably looking for another repair shop in N.England! At any rate, it'd be nice to hear something positive, but I suspect I am yet again taking myself to the cleaners!!
Thanks
John Hart-83 280ZXT, I/C, other goodies expendable...(as Captain of the Nostromo in Alien the movie asked-on the computer)....."What are my chances?"!

P.S., here's a copy of the reply, much of which I don't understand the point/purpose of....is it all about crank repair?!?

Mr. Jeff has been kind enough to inform me further of the dire likely circumstances of my bolt's impact on said damper...he will hopefully not kill me as well for lifting/repro here (for the benefit of all), FWIW (I ask members who kindly read to consider a reply here as to whether its really likely killed my whole motor, and what advantages this Volvo/weird Euro Nimso part replacement has on durability..I simply don't understand (!):
TEXT BELOW REPRO'D W.O AUTHOR'S PERMISSION for non-commercial purposes only..with gratitude from J.Hart, replicator!
Well sorry to hear about your problem. Generally if the engine is run that
way for a time the damper will end up eating the crank shaft, and possibly
shearing the woodruff key.
Most of the time the crank can be repaired, I have even heard of cutting a
slot in the opposite side of the crank snout to fix the damage to the crank,
but that is extreme cases.
You will want a Volvo damper washer that you find on the B200 and B230
engines, which is just about every Volvo until 1990. You will have to
machine the washer to size on the washer OD to get it to fit the Nissan
damper. I haven't verified the bolt yet, but I do believe the Nismo bolt for
the Euro damper is what you want. I have to call them and order one, I tried
ordering a stock LD28 damper bolt from Nissan but it was only 35mm so I am
still not totally sure what application the bolt came off of. I do know it
is a Nissan part, I just need to find the part number.
I found a long bolt (45mmlong) when I was pulling an LD crank one time the
bolt looked exactly like the stock bolt except it was 45mm long in stead of
the 35mm standard length. I had to shorten the bolt to 40mm to use with the
Volvo washer and it worked out perfectly. I have torqued the bolt to 160
foot pounds, but have changed the torque to 140 foot pounds with RED
locktight and that has turned out well. Anyway, if you go that route with
the damper bolt and washer you will not have any further problems.
One thing though, don't go for the impact wrench, or anything like that.
Pull the starter and wedge a good screwdriver in the flywheel teeth to
torque the bolt. NO put it in gear, apply the brake, or anything like that
to try to tighten up the bolt, it will not work. You need a good positive
torque, and to do that you need to hold the crank fixed to tighten down the
bolt and get accurate readings.
hope that helps, and you can repair your engine.
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Last edited by jjohart : 1 Hour Ago at 02:54 AM.

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jfairladyz

As far as replacing the damper, bolt and pulley goes your best bet is just to use the ones meant for your engine. What he suggested to you for replacement parts would require a lot more work then simply going out and getting the right parts to begin with. As far as crank damage goes: What part of the crank are you worried about? The front where the balancer was? Just give it a visual inspection to look for any gouges or deep grooves. If it appears to be in good condition then it most likely is. If the notch for the key has been damaged it can be welded up and reground. But have a machine shop do this as it is precision work and not something you want to do with a grinder. If the crank does need to be repaired take it to a machine shop and they can weld up any damage and grind and polish it out so the new balancer fits on nice and snug. Another reason this is not for the DIYer is because the heat of welding can distort the crank and it needs to be straitened. Something a machine shop should do.

Now if you're worried about damage to the crank inside the engine itself then you'd have to pull the crank out to check it. No other way. If the crank rotates freely without binding up (make sure the spark plugs are OUT) then it's probably fine and didn't sustain any damage. I hope all of this answers some of your questions. Oh and just so you know: If the crank is badly damaged then it would be cheaper to source a used one in good condition rather then have it repaired.

jjohart

Thanks,
that's the clearest reply I've gotten, and I've posted the same semi-coherent stuff on HybridZ and New England Z Club as well. Must be that young feller of yours makes you more patient and able to cut to the chase!
Happy T-day
John-Natick, MA (doubtful my Z will survive long enough to be inherited by my 7 year old daughter).

RodMoyes

Sorry man, but patience has nothing to do with it. I hate to say it, but reading one of your posts is like trying to watch a doubles tennis match through a kaliedascope. Clarity is an awsome thing to have when asking for advice. I think J just didn't mind burning an extra hour or so out of his day to try and figure it all out for you... Hooray for J. I'd love to help you out myself, but damn! I have a family I'd like to spend a little time with

Rod.

jfairladyz

Actually I just picked up on key words and even then I was still a little (ok really) baffled as to the exact problem. But then when I read the part from Mr. Jeff it came a little clearer what the problem was. Oh and Rod, it was two hours No seriously though, and this is no offense jjohart, but the other thread you had on this one lost me completely. I think it was the whole trying to colorfully describe the situation and the situation itself got lost in the description I think I just lost myself But yeah, the shorter and simpler you describe your problem the more likely you are to getting a response. If anything be vague and then we'll ask questions. But atleast that way you'll get more people to read your post and give you advice. I tend to look at the treads with the least amount of post first and this one didn't have any. So I was still fresh and not getting tired of reading and typing yet But don't take any of this the wrong way. We're all happy to help you with any of your Z problems. It's just important to keep it clear and simple. We're more than happy to have all fellow Zers here (as long as the attitude is great) so don't let any of this discourage you from participating here

Oh and Rod, you come up with the funniest ish. Doubles match through a Kaliedascope

jjohart

OK, well, after about $500+ and 2 weeks waiting for the new parts, which I won't detail here, the mechanic said they've had to devise a bolt of some kind to connect up to the crank end, which was indeed munched. He tells me he thinks the crank situation will show up again aind I should either wait til' spring when they can get the crank out and send it to a machine shop (i.e a month or more), or sell it.
Short question is, am I going to have to lie if I sell it on Ebay or not mention the crank, or tell people it's been repaired but might need mucho attention in the future...and if the latter case, how much LESS should I expect even a mechanically inclined buyer to fork out for the car, assuming all other engine components are ok?
There...that seems clear enough...but not in the real world, where the market would probably have me lose $5,000 on a disclosure like that crank issue!
John

NismoPick

If you lie on ebay about a prob w/ your car... be prepared for an *** whoopin... If someone did that to me, I'd hunt them back down & bring em to court.

I never read your first post cuz it was sooo bloody long... u think you could restate the prob in 2 - 3 lines / sentences?