Almost year and still no start....

[IanS]

Hey, before I head over today, go pick up some synthetic 10w40, an oil filter, and some carburettor cleaner.

[kingdutka]

I don't currently have access to a wroking vehicle. My dad won't let me drive the truck, my mom needs the van, and the honda is broken....

[IanS]

Well, I just walked in the door, I was on the way back from the impound and my car died, I think the freaken distributer finally took a dump. Me and buddy just pushed my integra the last mile to my apartment. I'm going to go outside now and throw my spare distributer on and see if that fixes the problem. I will email you when I get the car running again.

[kingdutka]

Hey, if you'd rather not come out, or if you are having troubles, there is always the alternative.

Give me the name of a GOOD pro shop that dels in turbos and I'll call up my roadside assistance and have them tow me down there for free! Gotta love roadside asssistance! ($2/month and I get FREE towing even out of my own garage!)

[Kitswa]

Some thoughts:

1) Running with no boost gauge is just asking to overboost and destroy your engine. If you don't know the psi you are making how do you know if it is safe? You don't. $50.

2) Q45 MAFS is not the same as Z32 N62 and they cannot just be interchanged unless you have an Apexi Super AFC to make the voltage adjustment. Tuners don't use Q45 MAF - it is physically bigger but the car uses two of them so the HP potential is less than a Maxima N60 MAFS (which also should NOT be used)

3) MINES tuned ECU - and you have NO IDEA what MAFS and injector size it is tuned for? Well, I think that may be your problem! Try STOCK SR MAFS (22680-52F00) STOCK ECU (62 or 63) and STOCK injectors. Random combinations don't work.

4) Turbo Smart vac diagrams are overly complicated - follow Heavy Throttle's those are easy and 100% correct. If you mess up the wastegate vac line you could overboost and your engine will be toast (especially since you have no boost gauge).

Being inexperienced is fine, but blindly replacing things with parts that have zero possibility of fixing things (Q45 MAF) is not the way to make this work. If you don't understand something, get advice don't just go "IDK" and stick with the same non-working and possibly damaging setup.

Again, STOCK ECU, STOCK MAF, STOCK injectors - verify (no guessing) those are installed if you ever want this thing to run.

- Bill

[IanS]

Some thoughts:

1) Running with no boost gauge is just asking to overboost and destroy your engine. If you don't know the psi you are making how do you know if it is safe? You don't. $50.

2) Q45 MAFS is not the same as Z32 N62 and they cannot just be interchanged unless you have an Apexi Super AFC to make the voltage adjustment. Tuners don't use Q45 MAF - it is physically bigger but the car uses two of them so the HP potential is less than a Maxima N60 MAFS (which also should NOT be used)

3) MINES tuned ECU - and you have NO IDEA what MAFS and injector size it is tuned for? Well, I think that may be your problem! Try STOCK SR MAFS (22680-52F00) STOCK ECU (62 or 63) and STOCK injectors. Random combinations don't work.

4) Turbo Smart vac diagrams are overly complicated - follow Heavy Throttle's those are easy and 100% correct. If you mess up the wastegate vac line you could overboost and your engine will be toast (especially since you have no boost gauge).

Being inexperienced is fine, but blindly replacing things with parts that have zero possibility of fixing things (Q45 MAF) is not the way to make this work. If you don't understand something, get advice don't just go "IDK" and stick with the same non-working and possibly damaging setup.

Again, STOCK ECU, STOCK MAF, STOCK injectors - verify (no guessing) those are installed if you ever want this thing to run.

- Bill

The ECU is tuned for an all stock engine with Z32 MAFs and exhaust. Im not sure where the Q45 MAFs came from, but you are correct, it will not work. There should be a boost gauge installed, but that is up to the owner, its not needed for the engine to run. The reason the engine would not run before was piss poor wiring, and a completely messed up vacuum system. Those issues are now fixed, and after spending a night tinkering I believe the only thing keeping it from starting now are a combination of bad gas, flooding, cold weather, and low compression. Had my car not failed on me so epicly today, I think it would have started.

[Kitswa]

"The ECU is tuned for an all stock engine with Z32 MAFs and exhaust"

As long as you are sure of this, how can you tell? Because that sounds like an odd tune with stock injectors and Z32 MAFS. Not very common.

-Bill

[IanS]

"The ECU is tuned for an all stock engine with Z32 MAFs and exhaust"

As long as you are sure of this, how can you tell? Because that sounds like an odd tune with stock injectors and Z32 MAFS. Not very common.

-Bill

When he bought the ECU that is what the seller told him it was tuned for, I believe it is one of the reasons he got it so cheap.

[Kitswa]

Without a label, perhaps the seller could have been wrong, like I said that is an unusual tune with upgraded MAF but stock injectors.

- Bill

[kingdutka]

I've learned that trust is... something I reserve for a select few. In other words, I don't care what the sellers, technicians, and inspectors have all said about my car. I care about empirical evidence. That is to say, evidence I can see with my own eyes. My evidence suggests I need to re-inspect some things and gather better information.

Regardless, I am taking the car to a pro-shop. I have a few recommendations. I believe one is called JSM in Burnsville, MN. That's the one I'm thinking about at the moment. Any input on that would be great!

With any luck between me and the pro shop, we'll get this taken care of the right way!

[codyace]

As I said up above Bill's posts, I'm willing to bet your ECU is the root problem with the entire car. I still have no clue why people by JDM ECU's....they aren't even tuned for our gas to begin with!

[Kitswa]

You might want to try the stock ECU and stock MAFS before giving it to a shop to save money. That's the very first thing they will want to do if they are experienced with SR's.

-Bill

[kingdutka]

Ok TY so much for the posts thus far. I will try a stock ECU and MAFS first.

Ok but now one question then because i am obviously confused on the MAFS...

Which one is "stock"? The one meant for the SR motor or the KA? What is it called?

The 2 I have are the Z32 Turbo and the Q45. I was told (at time of purchase) that both would work with my swap. Of course neither mentioned anything about an ECU retune.

When I bought the ECU, I REALLY DON'T REMEMBER which MAFS it was tuned for! I am willing to bet money that it's for STOCK MAFS and injectors but upgraded intake, IC, and exhaust.

At any rate, I do know which ECU to get for "stock", I am jut unclear on the MAFS.

Ian, is there any way you could bring out your ECU and MAFS just to test them out in my car so I don't have to buy parts I might not need?

[IanS]

Sure, you can use them, you will need to find a way to connect my MAFs to your harness though, they use different plugs. As for stock a MAFs either a JDM SR20DET MAFs, or a USDM SOHC 240SX MAFs will work, I use the ladder. I will be moving my 240SX to a different location Tuesday afternoon so it can undergo some suspension adjustments to fit the new shoes. Once it is there it will be sitting for a few days.

[kingdutka]

I found this info on my ECU:

PS13 180SX SR20DET Mines ECU. Used with a front mount intercooler and aftermarket intake. Cat-less, straight through exhaust system. Normal air-flow and injectors. Boost 0.8

So, it SHOULD work! I am 100% sure I have the wrong MAFS though!! (Both of these require a retune)

I bid on a stock MAFS on ebay. If I lose, I found several for $45.

[GoTRicEo0]

If that fails. Hit me up, I got tons of Maf's for you to mess around with.

(707) 416 1706-Jeff

[codyace]

I found this info on my ECU:

PS13 180SX SR20DET Mines ECU. Used with a front mount intercooler and aftermarket intake. Cat-less, straight through exhaust system. Normal air-flow and injectors. Boost 0.8

So, it SHOULD work! I am 100% sure I have the wrong MAFS though!! (Both of these require a retune)

I bid on a stock MAFS on ebay. If I lose, I found several for $45.

\

Instead of donkeying around with tht MINES ecu, just put that for sale, and start all over. Your car still won't be tunned correctly for US gas.

[chickenknob]

i had a bad maf on my redtop it would flood like crazy i went to NAPA and ordered a maf for a 89 240sx the SOHC and took the plug from a wrecked 240 wired it up and it worked great.

[kingdutka]

I got my stock MAFS hooked up. It took her a whiel but she did start up again. This time she started grudgingly and slowly built up in RPMs, smoking (white) all the while. I had to stop to open the garage and she only idled for hald second before dying again. I was not able to get it all the way to full throttle due to having to stop to open the garage and she has not been willing to start ever since.

Would having a japanese ECU really make that much difference? I can understand idling rough and bad timing or whatever, but this seems like it's trying to run on diesel fuel... (I am using 92 octance unleaded)

[chickenknob]

somewhere along the way someone got mixed you, the injectors and the maf HAS TO be what the ECU thinks it is. if the ECU is tuned for Z32 maf and 50lbs. msd injectors then you have to run Z32 maf and 50lbs. msd injectors.

the cheapest thing to do is to find someone with a stock setup and use there ECU and stock injectors change your clean your spark plugs and try to start it once more.

[kingdutka]

Honestly, almost every swap guide I have read did NOT go into detail about the MAFS or ECU, so all I really had to go on was the fact that a TON of people use the Z32 MAFS.

At any rate, I got a stock KA MAFS and a stock SR ECU. I am waiting for the stock SR ECU to arrive (any day now) and if that doesn't fix it, the car is going to JSMotors in Burnsville, MN where I KNOW it will be taken care of properly.

I'll post again after I test out the stock ECU...

[IanS]

[kingdutka]

Why the guys? You got a better idea?

[joshuasdad]

keep in mind, if you got ECU tuned in Japan, they tune it to their gas which is much higher OCTANE. Its like they tuned it to our premium but you are using 87 octane.(just example) Try octane boost

[IanS]

keep in mind, if you got ECU tuned in Japan, they tune it to their gas which is much higher OCTANE. Its like they tuned it to our premium but you are using 87 octane.(just example) Try octane boost

That issue has been discussed, and the car does have premium in it. Even a five digit change in octane should not effect the cars ability to idle.

Why the guys? You got a better idea?

As of now, Ive got nothing, thats why Im crossing fingers, once the ECU is in, we can go from there.

[burntricer]

check your compression. sounds like if its smoking and running WHITE, you could very well have a blow hg...

[IanS]

check your compression. sounds like if its smoking and running WHITE, you could very well have a blow hg...

Cold compression tests rarely if ever produce reliable numbers. After this longs sitting, and being flooded so many times, the chance of the rings being seated properly is slim to none. I believe the smoke is due to excess fuel and carbon in the combustion chamber, though I could be wrong.

[kingdutka]

I've got all stock parts in and she still won't start. I am now getting engince error code 13: Engine temperature sensor circuit.

What is that, would it affect my car's ability to start, and what do I do about?

Anyone wanna buy my car for $5k?? I am getting so stressed out over all this, it's effecting my ability to live a normal life... I NEED a car!!

[Hijacker]

13 is the head temp sensor for the ECU. There's 2 sensor units right above the thermostat housing. The left one is the temp sensor for the ECU. Pull the plug and see if it's all corroded.

[kingdutka]

I don't know where the thermostat housing is, what it looks like, or what these other two sensors you speak of are or what they look like either. I am trying to learn as I go here...