cpuhost

I tried to post and i need a higher score. whats up with that?

cpuhost

First time poster, long time lurker here.

I'm driving a 93 - 2+2 - stock.

This week i've had to pull my z off the road due to some radiator problems.

I noticed that small puffs of white smoke were coming out of the engine and that my thermostat was rising. *(its never moved past 1/2 way ... EVER)*

I found out the top of my radiator has a hairline crack in it on the left side. So i figured i would take a looksie. I love working on my Z, brakes, oil changes, clutch fan, calipers tunes ups etc. Just general maintance but this time it's my first mid range repair.

cpuhost

I went to autozone and picked up this: http://autoparts.thecarconnection.co...adiator-cu1242

I was sad to find out the edge of the radiator did not have any holes for the shroud to mount to. In addition to that the drain plug is on the opposite side and the mount for the exit coolant hose has a small mount. (see pix) had to be filed down in order to put this piece on. I was nervous that the screw would damage or even create a new hole when tapped down.

Carefully i put the screw back in and life is good there. But i stumbled upon a new problem when filling her up with coolant and getting ready for a warm up test.

I've got a small drip of fluid from this area, now im assuming it's the water pump and or seal being toast due to the heat wear etc.

Can anyone here shed light on this subject? I just wanted to point out, i tapped 4 new holes in the mounting brackets, the aluminum is really soft so go extremely slow and take your time. There isnt much to work with. I ended up wire tieing down the left and right side of the shroud. Thankfully the top center screw for the shroud holds it in place and the bottom clamp helps hold it in place so its back to where the factory one was.


Here is the non tapped radiator (note the missing 4 holes for the shroud)
http://imgur.com/delete/mBBjdlXQtj

Here is the area that i had to file down for the mount to fit.
http://imgur.com/delete/nRLh9PWZyX

Here is the drain plug on the opposite side for those interested
(front of car is to the left side)
http://imgur.com/delete/UQkiZmeI2x

Here are pix of the leaking area (bottom video lookup up the engine)
http://imgur.com/delete/S93oeW4YJm

NismoPick

Welcome to ZDriver!

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Checking the Site FAQ's is always a good idea.

cpuhost

sweet thanks, didn't realized you had spam issues. Captcha should help you out if you suspect any issue, but it's a user deterrent and this community is pretty open. Thanks for the quick approval of the post.

NismoPick

Captcha is in full effect, and filters the bots, but not "human" spammers.

Did you specify which transmission when you ordered the radiator?

cpuhost

They carry 2 models, TT and NA. The NA is one model for all types of trannys.

92-93-94 all carry the same part numbers on the NA.

Autozone has 1 model and Advance Auto has 2 models. both do not have bolt holes. I can confirm this.

napoleonzheking

when my radiator on my NA went out I called 1-800-radiator or something like that got a new shipped to my door for 100 bucks and it fit perfectly, had shroud holes and all. what'd you pay for this one?

Also, check into maxima radiators from around the same year model, they're the same, only slightly bigger, no fitment issues (the one I got from that number was actually a maxima radiator).

This was of course, years ago, which is why i can't remember the number exactly, or if they still operate. I know I also ordered a radiator from them years ago for my dad's 2000 blazer, and it was also good to go when I got it on, no fitment issues or anything either.

cpuhost

I had to replace the thermostat / radiator / water pump etc etc.

Here are just some courtesy pix

napoleonzheking

wow, learn to resize pics! lol and i hope you replaced the coolant by pass hoses while you were in there....

cpuhost

i just tossed up the pictures, they are from my phone i didnt realize the rez was so huge, ill adjust that. I havent touched the bypass hose but boy was this water pump a good size job.

I wanted to test all the injectors but i had a hard time getting the clips off.
Any ideas, ive searched around alot and learned to test the ohms.

I just don't want to break anything the plastic is a little frail and dry.

NismoPick

Big pics are fine when showing a specific part (as long as you don't post 50 pics).... Who has anything less than a 17" monitor these days anyway....

brommec

Ive used the plastic cable tie's for the after marcket electric radiator cooling fans...the front side of the cable goes through the radiatir with a square that is about 1 inch. then it goes through the shroud with another 1 inch square that zip tie's on...their pretty strudy too...I have had them on my tahoe for about three years since i put electric cooling fans....I got them @ autozone..

cpuhost

Ok, So i've completed all the work Water pump / Thermostat and 3 belts and no i've got some new problems. (crack in top of radiator and slow drip from water pump after removing the radiator to find the leak)

Please Go easy, im new to working on cars and the Z32 all together.

It's a 1993 2+2 - auto.

I've followed/consulted these forums and the online manual and twinturbo.net for answers. Maybe im searching wrong.

When i started her up (after being off battery for a few days) she ran pretty rough. I would say 50% more rougher then normal. Assuming its because she was sitting elevated up on jacks for a few days, fuel wasnt pressurized etc? Garage is a hair moist and cold also.

She fought to stay running and the new belts squeeled. So i tightened them all up. the dreaded squeel went away with little effort.

After running her and getting the coolant system 100% full and topped off i have 0 leaks and her temp stays solid @ 1/2 way. Where it always was in the past.

Now she idles around 750/1k give or take. Things that are new.

1. She dips (down alot "to like 500ish" then recovers) while idle. Normal i think but out of the norm for her.
2. When i hit the gas, she sounds like a diesel motor.
This is totally new. Just the sound to me is out the ordinary.
(i'm going to post a video for more troubleshooting wed. dec 17th)

It litterlly sounds like i'm driving a diesel motor when you put it in gear and get her going. (that's if she doesnt stall when the computer compensates).

If i put her in gear and she doesnt stall, i can coast and she is perfect. Sounds great and quiet. (i do have a TINY sputter out the exhaust but nothing out of the ordinary - i never payed a ton of attention to these things until now)

Now i only did the following:

1. Water pump
2. Thermostat
3. Belts (all 3 front - did not touch timing belt - looks excellent)

-------------------
My thoughts

1. Timing Computer is off/not set properly
2. Plugged Fuel Filter
(i have the manual - i can't find the fuel filter relay - where is it?)
3. Bad Battery Grounds

I checked the fans and everything looks clear and nothing is hitting inside the engine. I revved her a bit in park while me and my buddy poked around with a stethiscope and it sounds to be coming from somewhere near the lower rear part of the engine. Now i could be 100% wrong but i personally think it's now a timing issue.

Does the PTU/ECU forget engine timing after being discharged?
Do i have to "reset" any ECU modes or timing modes?

Thanks a ton everyone. I'm going to post up a video of the sound and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

KasbeKZ

if it's coming from the lower rear, then timing doesn't sound likely.
the only way your timing changed is if you twisted the CAS. that's the part on the far drivers side of the engine on the front of the exhaust cam. if you didn't mess with that, it's pretty sure that your timing is ok. if you're worried about it, get a timing light and check it.
you should check your temperature sensor connector. it's the yellow plug you can see when everything is put together on the top pipe coming out of the block going to the radiator. it's right beside the smaller black one. clean this up very well and confirm that it's connecting as it should.
check all other connections too. PTU, CAS, a coil pack, and injector... any of these connections gone bad can cut out power from one or more cylinders and cause the engine to shake and sputter and go slow, idle low, stall, and sound somewhat like a WRX, for lack of a better comparison.
as for sounding like a diesel... diesels clack and sound really high pitched... if your engine sounds like a diesel, i'd say you have internal damage...
there's no specific computer just for timing. if you didn't mess with the CAS, you don't need to adjust your timing.
fuel filter relay is somewhere in the driver's side foot well. it's covered in this:
http://www.ttzd.com/tech/fuelfiltertech.html

cpuhost

http://www.vimeo.com/8226043
Engine start / idle / rev sound

this is the weird sounds, listen near the end.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dysmantl.../1/IREHI67ULgs

exhaust sound (crappy quality) - i put my camera bag in front of the exhaust near the end so you can
visually SEE the sputter. not that this video tells you much.

cpuhost

I sounds like its there, it could be 1 and 6 misfiring, im going to toss in a fuel fitler ASAP and see where that brings me.

KasbeKZ

it's hard to tell with that sound quality, but i do think it's just a missing cylinder or two.
remedy: not fuel filter. you need to clean your PTU and CAS connections, along with all of your coil pack connections. clean them, and tighten them. try it again. i'm sure that will fix it, but if not, go to the injector connections.

before all of this, do a balance test to confirm the missing cylinder theory. you need to pull each coil pack plug one at a time and see which ones cause the car to cut out / run differently. the one that doesn't make a difference is the one not firing. if they all make a difference, then our current diagnosis is wrong.

5 6
3 4
1 2

i think you meant 5 and 6.

napoleonzheking

unless it's intermittent.... it's more than likely a connection somewhere.

napoleonzheking

i have 2 wide screen 19" in a pretty large resolution, and I still had to scroll over to see the whole pic....

cpuhost

Your right, it could be those, they are the only 2 electronics removed from the car since any work was done on it. lets hope, i miss my Z like never before.

I don't have a timing light to check that but im going to remove and reinstall all the electronic connectors and clean everything off nice.

I had a rough time trying to remove the coil packs and injector plugs, is there any sort of trick to these besides grunt force and holding the clip down?

-Thx guys, i appreciate the help here.

KasbeKZ

they are usually not very tight in my experience. if you hold the clip down far enough, they usually come out easily. the problem is that the clips often break down inside their hole, making it near impossible to depress them with a screw driver or anything.

cpuhost

So ,i got around to all the removal of the PTU and all connections there. Everything looks good and tight. I had a real tough time removing those connectors using a screwdriver and small needlenose to pinch the tab down. Got it set and everything is good.

I removed the PTU while the engine was running along with the heat sesnor on the top of the inlet ( 2 connections ). confirmed the fan came on. The engine idles around 750+/- and stays ice cold on the temp sensor and engine runs cool.

I still have the sputter and diesel sound, i have yet to remove and reinstall the cas connector but if anyone could view the above videos and give me a direction i woud be appreaciated. I need to get his running and back on the road soon. It wasnt doing any weird sounds or any issues before the water pump/inlet/radiator and temp sensor removal. Where should i be looking?

Is there a safe mode the engine is running in? I've read about that somewhere.

next im planning on doing spark plugs, am i crazy or do i need a flatbed to pickup my Z and bring it to a dealer?

http://www.vimeo.com/8226043
Engine start / idle / rev sound

this is the weird sounds, listen near the end.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dysmantl.../1/IREHI67ULgs

exhaust sound (crappy quality)

napoleonzheking

taking it to a dealer would be the biggest mistake, but yes, you do need a flat bed....

pull the plugs see how they look... see if their fouled....

check the FSM for spark plug diagnoses... it will tell you by their look what it means (black running rich, or if their white running lean and too hot) and what other combinations of colors and looks mean.

cpuhost

one thing i've noticed with the FSM and whatnot, it's somewhat of a P.I.T.A. to navigate and skip sections. The PDF has no links or bookmarks.

I'm editing the FSM so it's searchable and has bookmarks.

If anyone wants a copy of this edited version for easy search let me know and ill post it up somewhere.