In over my head !!! Please help

[Dropthatkouki]

So this is my first time owning a s14 (97 nissn 240SX ) i started by remiving the egr.. Bad idea now i got a bounh of CEL codes, on top of that i decided it would be a good idea to 5 speed swap the car. This is were things got crazy.. alternator went out lucky me had a spare (s13) two days later i notice a leak, again i went to the spare ka I had to debo my water pump witch i hope is ok. had a diffrent numer of fins but oh well its my DD and i had to make it to work. now my car is parked at work cuz yet again ive ran into another problem. The car wont make a sound my battery reads 12.75v, and if i unplug the jumped wires (AT trans wires) next to the fuse box under the hood i can get one click out of the car then it goes back to doin nothing.. im slightly mechanically inclined and have almost every tool in the book (thanks to my awesome job and brother) but im stumped someone please help.

I have a starter (s13) that im going to try out tomorrow after work. Can any of these wires be causing the problem, auto TM box next to clutch, AT wire harness, not having my spedo or any other MT connectors??

[PapaSmurf2k3]

That shouldn't affect the starter actually kicking in. Make sure you check your battery terminals to see if they are corroded. Do your lights and everything else work ok? If you turn on an interior light, does it turn off (or get SUPER dim) when you turn the ignition key?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Also, I'm moving this to the 240sx forum.

[Dropthatkouki]

Wow. that was exactly the problem The terminal was on tight but is was the stock double band one, the bottom band had broken.. vice grips to get a good connection and boom fired right up. My bad for posting in the wrong section. is there perhaps a noob tutorial section here at NICO were i can learn the forums better? And thank you for the advice!!!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Its no big deal, it happens all the time (that's why we have us moderators haha).

There's some sticky threads at the top of every forum you can review, as well as the "I'm new here and have a question" thread in this 240 section.

Glad it worked out for you!

[Dropthatkouki]

was wondering if someone can help me out once again ive read a bunch. and my setup is a cluster F**** i noticed my RAD had boubles in it so i decided to look for a HG and ended up finding one on craigslist. Car was running with a little miss fire. so i took the head off well the engine was still in the car and that was a pain. i had a un blown ka24de from my old s13 so i cleaned it up and put it on the block with a s13 HG i still used the s14 mani, dissy, and s13 valve cover. put everthing together and the car wont start... so i messed with the timing a couple times. after i checked the compression 60 90 100 60 wtf? it was not that bad before i did this i dont know what im doing now. so i took everything off again and there is coolant in the cylinders again another wtf? i know that coolant runs throught the mani but would it leak into the cylinders when i slid the head off? is there anything else i can check before i start looking for another motor.. oh and i noticed that my right side bottom timing chain guide wask broken so i replaced that as well after taking off the oilpan front cover and accessories replaced the guide front seal oilpan gasket and put the motor back together any hlep would be appreciated..

Thanks Eirc

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Does it sound weird when you crank it?
Sometimes if your valve timing is off, you'll have funky compression like that.
And yes, when you pull the head, coolant from the water jackets can spill into the cylinders.

[ericjanes]

I do believe the compression could just be from the motor sitting for a long time and the oil leaking completely into the pan, I've seen this in many older motors, once the motor has ran for a bit it will recirculate the lube and compression will restore to a certain extent

[Dropthatkouki]

Ok so i put the s14 head back on and the compression is up to 150 on all cylinders. also i put my cams back to stock green exhaust orange intake timed them right but the car is running real rough. I believe its the dizzy that is off and ive tried like 50 times moving and adjusting the darn thing and i get shakey motor and loss of power.. i put the motor to TDC and put the DIZZY marks inline moved it back and forth and it does not seem to change. what could i be doing wrong ?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Moving it back and forth doesn't seem to change it (while it is running?)

I've noticed sometimes the dizzy likes to rotate itself as it gets installed. Usually if that happens, the car runs best (and is closest to correct timing) when it is twisted FAR to one side of the adjustment. If that's the case, then just try installing it a tooth off, and it'll compensate as it gets pulled in.

Otherwise, if its always running like crap, look for a big vacuum leak somewhere, and that all your sensors are plugged up.

[Dropthatkouki]

Ill give that a try.. as far as when to insert the dizzy. Would i move it a tooth counter clockwise ? or clockwise? Also when i put the motor to tdc should it be set at the seccond mark from the left? the red indent. or should it be Before tdc seccond indent in from the right side? i know that kinda confusing but from what i read those marks are degrees in timing. And i found a google picture saying that stock timing is on that mark? (second line in from the right) . As far as the vacuum leak i was all over that motor with a flash light and did not see any hoses loose but ill check again.
As alway thank you for the help and info I did pick up a timing light is it nesessary to time this engine?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

yeah you'll need a timing light to fine tune it. You'll have to unplug your TPS when you get to that ponit.
And yes, the red mark (2nd from the right) is TDC.

I want to say you'll have to rotate the dizzy shaft CCW (while looking at it from the exterior side) before installing, but don't quote me on that. You should be able to look at the rotor/button as you insert to see which way it goes.

[Dropthatkouki]

OH. wow put me in a chair and roast me.. Didn't even consider the TPS is there a air line i need to block or is it as simple as unplugging it from the wire harness? On all the reading I've done no one seems to tell you how to remove or disconnect the tps.. didn't think it was too much of a factor.. I'll give it another go after work today. If i find myself banging my head on the car with frustration I will most likely record a video of everything. Cams, crank dizzy position and anything else that could be a factor.
Thanks Eroc

[Dropthatkouki]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMgb4olzv8s[/youtube]


So i recorded everything i have been doing. Im not sure as to witch position the dizzy should be put in. any input would be appreciated!! Also i looked through the FSM on nico and couldn't find the section with the distributor. Compression is 150 in all 4 cylinders im getting spark in all 4 as well. The timing chain is not lined up but the cams look good.

Thanks

[PapaSmurf2k3]

What did the timing light read, and what did you say when I heard something along the lines of "both sensors unplugged"?

Typically, you can start the car with ALL the sensors plugged in, then you just unplug the TPS to calibrate timing. That engine almost sounded like it wasn't running on all of its cylinders. Have you confirmed if it is or not?

[Dropthatkouki]

Well i have the timing light set at 0. Once i started the car the timing makes on the crank were not visible with the timing light.. Maybe I'm not using that thing right. As far as those sensors I unplugged the two that were in the TPS before I started the car. Was i putting the dizzy in right? With the dowel going straight vertical or when the dowel is lined up do i point it more towards the radiator? The not firing on all 4 has me thinking.. i did check spark and compression maybe one of my injectors is not doing its job i can check that after work today.
Thanks you've been really helpful!

[Dropthatkouki]

Just got home from work all 4 injectors are at 11.1 ohms I've sea foamed the car twice since I've had it ( 6months ) and have ran nothing but shell premiuim in the car should I remove and clean them anyways ?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I wouldn't yet.

Does the car run reliably enough to where it wont randomly die on you?
If so, you can start pulling plug wires cylinder by cylinder to see if you notice a change. If not, then that cylinder isn't firing.

Does it run any better or worse if it gets hot?

I've never used one of those fancy timing lights where you dial in the actual timing to the light... I just use the ones that light up when they detect spark. Positive clip on the positive battery terminal, negative either on the terminal or a ground somewhere, and inductive pickup on cyl #1 wire.

There should only be 1 TPS sensor connector. And yes, I'd start the car with that (and every other sensor) hooked up.

Another thing you can try (which should tell you if its a fuel problem, or something else), is to spray some type of fuel (be it gasoline or starting fluid, etc) into the intake while it is running. Try to do this after the MAF (so you don't damage it). That should richen the mixture, so long as you keep any created vacuum leaks plugged (or you can pull a hose while it isn't running, dump some fuel in, plug it back up, start it). If it runs better (like normal), then you're running too lean for some reason.
You can also induce a vacuum leak somewhere to see if that helps. If it does, then you're running too rich for some reason, or your idle air control valve is clogged, not letting any air in.

What happens if you blip the throttle while its running?

[Dropthatkouki]

Ok i thought I'd go over everything I messed with or moved or even touched on the car as far as the motors goes. And you were right once again there is a vacuum leak between the upper and lower intake mani.. I disconnected my fan and ran my lighter around or close by everything that breaths air and the flame was sucked into the manifold. So that was a pain in the neck to remove after a few hours i got it off. But tore the mani to head gasket i just replaced.

I'm going to order a gasket today. The engine would let me play with the throttle and not die i could drive it but i would wake up the neighbors with blinding speeds of 15 miles an hour. lol It had no pull and sounded like i had race cams hopefully this gasket fixes things. With that being said since I have the upper manifold out of the car where can i get replacement hose ? just bring in the old stuff to autozone or do i need to order specific type.
Thanks again you have been a great help ill keep you posted

[Dropthatkouki]

So everything is back together timing set to 20btdc I have this ticking noise that was not there before.. thought it was the timing chain but I removed the upper guards and it sounds a little more serious.. possibly a lifter?? Id like to stop driving moms minivan.. but dont want to damage motor.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgS-eXJ7 ... e=youtu.be[/youtube]

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Man, that thing sounds WAAAAYYY better than it did before.
That ticking really isn't too bad. I'd drive it for a while and see if it goes away. Did the valve buckets/shims get messed up at all when the head was off? That sounds like either an exhaust leak or a valve that is out of adjustment. Either way it'll be ok to drive.

[Dropthatkouki]

Haha thanks man! Yeah overwhelmed with confidence at this point lol. When I was cleaning the old hg off of the head three buckets did slide out. So that is where Ill start. Wont even ask what the gap should be if there is one ill be doing some reading tonight on what they should be set at. Thanks again your the ka GURU again much appreciated help !!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Yup, should be in the factory service manual.
www.nicoclub.com/FSM

I know the spec for my miata is something like .007-.009" for intake side, and .011-.013" for the exhaust. Exhaust side usually has more to allow for larger amounts of heat expansion.