daeron

I just checked through the USRM quickly and didn't notice a proper write-up on doing this to the coolant temperature sensor.. would one be in order? I guess I am gonna go ahead and cut the plug and solder it, I may as well take photos. If anyone knows that there IS one in there already, let me know..

the basic question at issue is: Do I have water contamination in my bottom end from running like this for about 10,000 miles? Are my crankshaft bearings worth putting headgaskets on? The answer, thus far, seems to be that my motor seems good enough, and ALSO that I should chuck the idea of the fel pro headgasket SET, and just assemble-my-own kit with the right parts, then? what exactly ARE all the rest of the pieces included in the kit? (I read it all at one point, and am going to do so now, so that question IS somewhat rhetorical.) Regarding the heads, I am torn. Knowing how high the gauge has gone, I want to have grab set, take them to my buddy's shop, and get them done. Either way, I'll have him rough them up a tad, I can be there while he does it I ALSO wanted to get the heads ready ahead of time, so I could just pull the old heads and have the new ones ready to go.. but with the cash situation, I will probably just wager the extra day it will take me to get new heads, on the hope that my heads check out OK. They should be...*fingers crossed* Thanks for the latenight feedback.

Whatever custom A-arm setup we make.. HAS to be made out of old bedframe rails though. JUST for the street cred

I want to add again, that I avoid lucas oil stabilizer like the plague.. I just HAVE used it, and had no problems. MY understanding is that it leaves alot of varnish deposits in the crankcase.

if you do a gold color, do a fairly mellow gold. with that arctic blue, you don't want anything too gaudy. Mellow Gold was a Beck album, wasn't it?

CRC is a solvent comapny, they were competitors with WD40 for a long time but they make LOTS of aerosol good stuff. The particular cleaner he means is called QD Electronics cleaner, its quick drying stuff.. carb cleaner should also do the trick, or WD-40? I dunno, i know carb cleaner has been recommended before with safety.

that got thoroughly answered earlier in the thread :-p I forget who, but you basically need to re install alot of that to make sure everything was working right.. go re read the thread from the beginning, and ignore the flamewar that threadjacked you.

Cool, I just wanted to bump for an update. Maybe I should've been more polite when I did so, my bad For the record, I agree with you, I was just making some noise while thinking about it myself. I've been watching you build the suspension, and the transmission, for this brat of yours (brumby, i suppose) and making it into an impressive beast, and I likey.. I hope I didn't give the wrong impression

*envy*

Hey, the datsun transmissions shift just fine if they have good bushings in them. The bushings are also ABSURDLY simple to just fabricate a good solid replacement for, anyhow. Theres no excuse to whine about a loose shifter on a datsun gearbox. Then again, the OLD old ones (sixties era gearboxes, some models carried over into early 70s Zs and 510s) were the ones that earned the name "monkey-motion" gearboxes, which is one I STILL chuckle over.. *ooo*oo*AHH*AHHHH*

You know the only thing that fuel efficient he would be caught dead in would be designed to drive offroad and tear up mother nature. :treehug: *as the hippy runs in terror from the stampede of offroaders he just angered* seriously, though, score one for ronnie.

Allright, we know I talk to much, so I shall try to keep this as succinct as possible. I changed my oil today. Last July I concluded that I had a partially blown headgasket. I had an incurable bubbling out of my radiator overflow; new radiator, NO thermostat, whenever the engine was on and after shutting down, for a while, bubbling.. and it held pressure. I unlock the rad cap as I walk up to a cold car in the morning, and it relieves pressure into the overflow. (New radiator cap) I have NEVER seen any trace of oil in the coolant, its is a rusty red-brown color. No whitish tinge to it at all. and absolutely never seen any trace of water in the oil. I use water, because I go through it; I am up to adding about a quart and a half a day; it just bubbles off. As long as I keep water in it, it runs at PERFECT temperature. However, at one point, about 200 miles before my PREVIOUS oil change (before today) I put in over half a gallon of straight, new antifreeze I had found in my trunk. When I changed the oil, there SHOULD have been some antifreeze contamination, if there was water contamination. No Trace, At All. I capitalize, because I checked it 235334 times, in glass vessels up in the sunlight, et cetera. I have NOT done a compression test, as I have had no power loss. I am curerently having cold-running issues that I think are CTS related, but I am in the process of ruling that out. Basically, for the last seven months or so, I have knowingly been driving with a headgasket that had blown the bit between combustion chamber, and coolant jacket. I religiously refilled it with water every day (or every time it cooled off, if needed be) and it has NOT overheated.. I don't think. There have been a couple of "hotspots" here and there that were quickly alleviated, and I have a digidash anyway. I do not know fully how to assimilate the data it gives me. I was anticipating also getting a pair of JY heads and having them spec'd and milled if needed (buy the heads, machine work for free) JUST to be safe. I have been waiting on money to do the bloody headgaskets.. When I looked up the prices, it seemed like the fel-pro kit alone was gonna run me at least 80, and then dealer intake manifold, and front and rear seals (also, needed, I leak too much) put the tag up above 150, plus heads, maybe 30 bucks... so, like, almost 200 total. That kind of cash hasn't even been REMOTELY accessible since, well, about August. We are talking a mild inability to buy groceries.. :-\ Until I saw this I had had NO worries about water in my crankcase, or lower end damage. I had been thinking, "no water in oil (yet) so I am kosher, right?" Upon seeing all that white goop, I was scared. I had put a some seafoam in the oil when I changed it last, and (okay, shoot me) never got around to changing it before a full 3,000 miles had snuck past me. (I have had a crazy life. Ask me about it sometime.) Bosch oil filter the whole time. I know that this white goop can come up for other reasons, like PCV system clogging, and I have to give this whole top end a flush out now to make sure everything is operating properly so I can start troubleshooting.. but what do you guys think? I think I might want to just start thinking about a JY engine instead. Here are some pics of my oil: And I just thought this one was kinda pretty (except for my thumb there ) That oil looks like it has NO water in it whatsoever to me. My local junkyard charges 82.99 for an engine block with heads, no intake. the online price list says "Head 28.98," I can only assume thats for a pair for the engine (these guys *are* reasonable.) The other place is 150 and 40, respectively. What I HAVE done on my engine, and when: Timing belts, 30K ago. Water pump, ~8K ago. wow, i really thought there would be more on that list until just now.. but the rest has been other stuff.. Should I just buy a new engine? go to the boneyards with a comp tester and a booster pack, find one with good compression that looks allright, and get ready to do T-belts, water pump, bearings and oil seals on it instead? Which would be more time? Do I really need to WORRY about the water in the oil? Is there any way to check the crankshaft out to a degree that will give me more information? AFAIK, the only thing I could do would be drop the oilpan and the crank saddles.. but thats partially disassembling my motor, I don't wanna just DO that some day to check something out.. Guide me!!! Cripes, thank you all for reading all of that. That was a long post.

oh, I know all about not using butt connectors to repair it. I made my post less than an hour before I was due in for work, and was contemplating cutting and butt splicing JUST to "test" the idea of fixing it. I am not sure that the CTS is my problem... but it probably is. Whats the best way to solder this connection? I've got solder and shrink tubing, should I just cut the wires, twist them together and then tin that connection, bend it back and slip the heat shrink over it? I am not as handy with a soldering Iron as I would like to be. Oh, and here is one of those "duh" questions.. the CTS *is* located on the passenger's side of the thermostat housing, right? I just looked at the overall schematic of the FI system in the FSM and it pointed at a spot on the driver's side intake runner... Naturally I went out to the car and checked that area, but found NO other sensor on the engine that looked like a CTS. I feel embarassed having to ask these details.. but I only posted the thread in the first place 'cuz I was in a hurry. I'm looking right now to find the specs on what kind of resistance values I should be getting cold.

thats exactly what i thought but i thought i had read about bullet connectors now, testing for resistance THRU the sensor, with the engine off and dead cold, i should be able to get a relatively low resistance, right????? because im getting open circuit.. ill go try different range and ive got NO time, i need to be at work in 30...

Allright, I know I oughta do a search, but here is a (blurry) photo.. Now, where do I splice? I see no oxidation on any connector, but do I remove the large round black plug, or do the leads unplug from the body of the sensor? Also, I have not the time to solder today, but this issue needs resolution NOW. will butt connectors work for the time being? Thanks in advance.

try to find the check valve in the vacuum line that supplies the brake booster. To be brutally honest, I have yet to notice the thing, so I can't tell you where it is at, but there is ALWAYS a check valve to ensure that there is no positive pressure making it into the booster. In other words, there should be a valve that only lets the engine suck air out of the booster, and NOT blow air into it. I *THINK* it may be kinda built into the vacuum inlet on the booster, but consult a manual or look for yourself.. Sorry for the vague response, but it is an issue I have had in the past, on other vehicles. It might be worth investigation.

heh, I drove a 5 speed Zcar for four years, then had a clutch master go out on me. The one I got from the store wasn't right, it didnt provide enough throw so the clutch did not disengage. However, that took us some time to conclude... and before we did so I swapped a known good 4 speed in to ensure that it wasnt a trans issue. Anyhow, the last eight months or so that I drove the thing, it had the 4 speed in it.. (no time to re swap) That made me feel like I was driving an antique for the first time. I never did lose the habit of going from fourth to neutral before remembering there was nowhere else to go.. shift back into fourth!

I actually HAVE had good experiences with an engine I used it in extensively for a couple years, before I heard people say it was JUNK. I stopped using it because I was shown a PLETHORA of information against it, and all it had arguing for it was the silly little plastic gearset in the parts store. I started using it every third or fourth oil change in my 75 280Z.. the speedo cable was broken the whole time I was driving the car, and the odometer had 11500 on it.. so the motor probably had over 100K on it?? and I have no idea what i put on it in 4 1/2 years of driving, BUT the rest of the time since I got my license I have averaged almost 20K a year. that being said, I will make the conservative estimate that I put 65,000 miles on my 120,000 mile motor. I was using lucas towards the beginning, and it seemed to stop up an oil leak I had had.. I parked on dirt though, and never REALLY saw a "leak" anywhere, I just "lost" oil. the lucas seemed to stop it. After I stopped using the lucas, I tried to get the "high mileage" motor oil because I was fighting oil leaks the hard (and stupid) way. Now I honestly do NOT recommend the use of the stuff at ALL.. as I said, I have read too much negative about it, and seen FAR too little hard data in it's favor. BUT the motor in that Z pulled hard and strong, and did not smoke a bit. I ran it to hell and back, NOT taking the best of care of it.. and it loved every minute of it. The car was sidelined by an electrical fire 2 years ago, and I have not run the motor in that whole time.. The biggest reason I post this is to see what the thoughts are of others on the forum here. Most of us would agree that lucas == bad engine juju... BUT the motor that I ran it in really seemed to like it. If I ever pull the engine apart, I will be sure to dig this thread up and resurrect it, and inform everyone what the REAL outcome of this engine was.

for that matter, are the control arms still holding up well? :-p Another option for welding the "new" control arm back together that might work better would be to use two pieces of channel steel at 3/4", or about 20mm, at whatever length seems appropriate. (You've actually seen how long you arm is, I haven't.) Set each angle on either top side of the control arm, then cut a middle plate, weld all pieces into place.. Maybe match it with some similar steel bracing underneath, and you should be stronger than original. Heavier, but its unsprung weight, so its not like adding ten pounds to each wheel or anything. Not that I doubt the sturdiness of your job; it looks great. I only mentioned it in case anyone else out there was on the fence, and unsure about the strength of that thing.

you manage to score that turbo leggy?? You had mentioned in another thread that the cold weather in recent weeks has hindered further progress, but when I re-read this thread, I wondered about whether this was gonna be a TURBO Brat

http://www.finleyweb.net/JonsStuff/SubaruDocumentation/tabid/54/Default.aspx You are welcome.. :lol:Someone else here on the forum posted it a day or two ago and I figured I would bookmark it, so I could regurgitate whenever applicable. If the link belongs to you, and you don't want me forwarding traffic to it, let me know

gotta love the open pipe ea82 sound.... its the only soob motor ive heard unfettered, yet... then again, my geo storm sounded pretty mean sans exhaust, too..

yah, youve been granted a few very normal "issues" to deal with on your soob.. There are many of us here whose first major "jobs" on the subaru was the timing belts, oil seals, or CV joints.. and we can all attest that these procedures, even all three lumped together, make for a GREAT "training program" on how to keep your subaru alive. Once you learn how easy it is to work on your car, then you can simply refuse to extend your credit, buy a new one, deal with the payments and the higher insurance rates, and in general just flip "the man" the bird. If your car is as low on rust as it is in miles, then you would NOT be "parting it out," you would be selling it to a board member who would be getting it back on the road. If you want to do that, go ahead.. but my vote is for doing the work. It provides instant gratification whenever you look at YOUR car, because you know its YOURS.

Okay, just had to check. All you said was that it was fine.. Run the D-check mode. And replace your cap and rotor. Before you buy a new one, though, make sure that, if it is needed, the screw in the back of the rotor is there. (sorry for all those commas) Some rotors have them, some do not.. if you can see a hole for a screw and there is no screw, i think we have found your problem. If all this doesnt work, then I have a question for you.. before the car started acting really really bad, did it have strange acceleration properties? Did you sometimes seem to have "blind spots" in your gas pedal? theres a chance that your Throttle Position Sensor is going bad. This is a potentiometer that is connected directly to the throttle plate.. Picture a volume knob that tells the computer how far open the throttle is. Sometimes these "volume knobs" get bad spots in them, just like on a stereo. You ever hear a stereo that would crackle as you turned it up, and have spots where you couldnt leave the volume? same kinda problem. Its a stab in the dark, but there is a testing procedure for it.. I think i have that page out of the FSM somewhere, if youd like. it requires a good volt-Ohmmeter and a set of feeler gauges to calibrate it properly, but to check and see if yours is OK then all you need to do is check for a given resistance between two terminals at no throttle, and at wide open throttle, then check that the resistance between two terminals gradually and smoothly increases as you gradually and smoothly depress the pedal.. simple enough.

I usually make mine SWAGs.. Sophisticated Wild-assed guess. I second thermostat. classic symptoms. Other potential diagnoses would be treated as differential.. replace the thermostat first, then see what happens.