At a crossroads with the 1992 NA

[oerllikon]

Hey guys,
I got a 1992 NA with some nice bells and whistles for a good deal. I got it towed to our shop, started messing with it, realized that the fuel pump was bad, and replaced it with a TT unit for more power down the road. When I pulled the plugs, they all looked clean except for one which looked like it may have had a weak spark. I didnt notice any oil or coolant fouling.
Dilemma: When I try to start the engine, it will run but it runs super rough, and will not stay running without messing with the throttle for more than like 30 seconds. Part of me thinks its a vacuum leak, or a blown head gasket. It could possibly be out of time?
So I guess my main questions are: Is the TT really THAT hard to work on? This is the main thing keeping me from starting the TT swap. I do love the sound and the TQ that the VG puts down though. I was also considering an LS swap, but I dont have a place to weld.. I dont really want to mess with the NA VG that much, unless you guys have a good idea on what the problem could be
Thanks!

[nissanfreak12]

Very well could be injectors, since it has the old style they are known to go bad due to the ethanol in the gas. They should test between 10-14 ohms. Very easy to test with a multi-meter. Anything more than 14, they are bad. If you have one or two that are bad, might as well replace all 6.

If you want to TT swap the car, if you do all the work yourself, you are looking 5k+. I did mine with a few upgrades for just under 5k, but got amazing deals on a lot of the stuff. I also did a auto to 5 speed swap. TT's are not that much harder to work on than the NA, just more things in the way and have to keep a closer eye on things that could ruin the world in a TT.

[twinturbozxtacy]

An out of time motor will run and stay running, but with a chug chug chug bad miss fire type idle. A head gasket would give numerous clues(IE coolant oil mixing in either pan or rad(or consumption of such liquids) poor compression in one or more cylinders. could be bad coils or injectors as stated above. do a power balance test. are they the right plugs? only one kind is used for the z32.... check the timing with a light then you will know in about two minutes if its off...

[oerllikon]

Thanks for the replies guys. Ill check the injectors. I know with a TT swap there are a lot of nickel and dime expenses, but I found a long block TT motor with injectors, turbos, etc, IC piping with ICs for around 800. Does this seem like a good deal? I know the trannies minus the bellhousings are the same.. Is there anything else that would add up quickly to 5k? Where are the bulk of the expenses? Ill check the timing too, it does have a really bad chug, not like when a coil pack goes bad and it sounds like a sewing machine lol.
Again, thanks for the assistance
EDIT: The plugs were bosch platinums with 2 electrodes. Idk if these are acceptable or not? I know generally japanese cars are supposed to have NGKs

[twinturbozxtacy]

you can get a complete tt jdm for 1k... but all used motors are a shot in the dark. all these cars ever do is nickel and dime you... to the extreme ha ha. for a tt swap you need the ic piping, ic's, motor, fuel pump(u got already) motor mounts and trans with clutch. you can use a ebc with the stock na harness so the boost jets are no problem...i did mine for like 3k, but i had been well versed in the zx from my previous true tt car so i knew what i needed and so on.

[oerllikon]

you can get a complete tt jdm for 1k... but all used motors are a shot in the dark. all these cars ever do is nickel and dime you... to the extreme ha ha. for a tt swap you need the ic piping, ic's, motor, fuel pump(u got already) motor mounts and trans with clutch. you can use a ebc with the stock na harness so the boost jets are no problem...i did mine for like 3k, but i had been well versed in the zx from my previous true tt car so i knew what i needed and so on.

I hope the nickel and diming is worth it lol. So I can use a boost controller and NA ECU? Ill do some book learning and try to find all of the small stuff for the swap. Are you guys that have done the swap satisfied with it?
Thanks!

[nissanfreak12]

Extremely satisfied.

Yes you can use an NA ecu, you just need to get an EPROM with a chip, cost roughly 100-150 at most respected places. Its just a generic tune, but a lot of us do it with zero issues. 800 is a good price, but is it a JDM or USDM? How was the maintenance? Compression?

JDM's are a crap shoot, I got insanely lucky and mine is running great and at about 400 hp, great fun, enough power especially with the 4:10 gearing. If you plan on rebuilding, which is recommended, then you don't have much to worry about. If you want to find all you will need, Z1 performance has a nice list on doing the swap. Its time consuming, but really not extremely difficult. Personally I would loved to have put the VH45 in, but not too much n aftermarket support and wasn't happy with the choices I ran into when I was looking.

[oerllikon]

Extremely satisfied.

Yes you can use an NA ecu, you just need to get an EPROM with a chip, cost roughly 100-150 at most respected places. Its just a generic tune, but a lot of us do it with zero issues. 800 is a good price, but is it a JDM or USDM? How was the maintenance? Compression?

JDM's are a crap shoot, I got insanely lucky and mine is running great and at about 400 hp, great fun, enough power especially with the 4:10 gearing. If you plan on rebuilding, which is recommended, then you don't have much to worry about. If you want to find all you will need, Z1 performance has a nice list on doing the swap. Its time consuming, but really not extremely difficult. Personally I would loved to have put the VH45 in, but not too much n aftermarket support and wasn't happy with the choices I ran into when I was looking.

Im pretty sure its USDM, but its an obd II engine.. I have a few other leads to chase to find a TT. Although a VH swap does look pretty enticing, now that there are pistons available and such. Ill keep trolling on craigslist for partouts
Thanks for the input!

[nissanfreak12]

OBD II engine isn't too big of an issue, you can move all your NA stuff over and use the NA ecu, make it OBDI. You will be absent of VTC, but there are some great options for cam gears that can offset that. And if you really want VTC, new cams, and take your solenoids off the NA. Its really quite simple. You are going to have to splice wires together, but thats easy stuff.

[t.mcginley.jr]

Thanks for the replies guys. Ill check the injectors. I know with a TT swap there are a lot of nickel and dime expenses, but I found a long block TT motor with injectors, turbos, etc, IC piping with ICs for around 800. Does this seem like a good deal? I know the trannies minus the bellhousings are the same.. Is there anything else that would add up quickly to 5k? Where are the bulk of the expenses? Ill check the timing too, it does have a really bad chug, not like when a coil pack goes bad and it sounds like a sewing machine lol.
Again, thanks for the assistance
EDIT: The plugs were bosch platinums with 2 electrodes. Idk if these are acceptable or not? I know generally japanese cars are supposed to have NGKs

No, Bosch is not an acceptable plug to use in these engines.

For NA engines, use NGK PFR6B-11 (same as NGK PFR6G-11)

For TT engines, use NGK PFR6B-11B

End of story lol almost any other plug will cause problems like rough idle, etc. Most parts stores don't carry these specific plugs, so you'll have to order them online most likely. http://www.z1motorsports.com/product_in ... cts_id=636