S13 Coupe Restoration

General discussion forum about the 240sx, and a great place to introduce yourself to the board!
Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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UPDATE! I GOT THE NX CLUSTER WORKING!!!!

So turns out you need power to not only the blue 12v constant wire but the solid green "12V metering wire" as well. The green wire goes to ignition, its the "on" switch for the cluster. I merged the two main black grounds with the yellow/red striped illumination ground wire and tied the blue and green wires together (just for testing purposes) and at first I tried a 9V battery because I was scared of overpowering it and assumed lighting would just be dim, but no, it made the most awful high pitch squealing you ever did hear. at first I thought it was a capacitor about to blow up and then I realized its probably doing more damage than good to use a 9V and causing a transistor coil or something to squeal. so I put an inline 10A fuse on the power wires I tied together and put alligator leads on the positive and negative and attached it to my wifes known good sonata battery... and low and behold she finally powered up!!!!

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I just gotta finish a little more timing on the dash tomorrow to make it fit but it looks really good wish I knew how to post a video here it doesnt take pictures well.


Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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UPDATE:

Since I don't have a dash harness I decided to make my own for the all the cluster lights for now at least. all I really need is to get the HVAC stuff rigged up, I have the blower on a switch and the heater core hooked up where its on permanent defrost mode and full power on the blower or no power at all, which is all I honestly need where I live so for now it'll do, but one day ill get there, I still have the OEM body main harness so the three plugs on the cluster harness boil down to two plugs on the body harness end, a white and a black plug. I took all the tape off and individually traced all the wires...

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after two days of soldering it was completed and almost all the way tapped up...

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with all the lights on the cluster working that I want working ( I didn't enable the seatbelt light but the wire is there for a lead if I want to later, and I also de pinned it for the Over Drive auto trans light and the ABS light) I began chopping up the innards of the dash to fit the NX cluster. It required quite a bit of grinding the dash. specifically in this area where the steering column mounts- I had to completely cut this section out and grind down where the top of the air vents are in the middle by the column...

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I also shaved the fins off on the right hand top side of the dash, and everyone says you have to grind the back tab down on that piece labeled "LH" that bolts on the top underside but I found it doesn't impede and left it alone, as well I'm thinking if I ran a longer screw at the very middle top of the NX cluster it would perfectly grab that mounting tab and I could have a 3rd mounting point just like the s13 OEM cluster mounts (cuz everyone seems to just mount their NX by the two bottom feet and they say it'll hold and won't break or rattle or fall in)...

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everyone also says you have to shave the parts on the side for the cluster to fit width wise but again I didn't have to touch mine. it seems to fit fine, just grind those fins and above the steering column and the vent tops.

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Also my S13 dual cam 4 pin MAF finally arrived from A1 Cardone and boy does it look like crap. I hope it works better than it looks. the top black section is lumpy almost like it was on fire at one point :wtf2: and its clearly been repainted as there is silver overspray on the side of the plastic terminal and I hope im wrong but it looks like even on the little sensor wire inside the housing :facepalm: :nono: :eek: :squint: and I went to change it out and quickly learned the s14 black probe style MAF I have has a different bolt pattern on it so its cold air intake adapter wouldn't bolt on. Luckily I happened to have an OEM airbox in great shape laying around that it bolted to so for now I was able to use that and finally I plugged the last plug of the harness up!

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I also got a brand new battery today so tomorrow ill be installing that and bolting the cluster in with the harness on it and plugging the harness extensions I made for a "dash" harness into the cluster and plugging those leads where they need to go, trim the cluster surround to fit over it and run the switch wires from it to replace the temporary switches I thought I was gonna use, and that should be everything, just turn the key and flip the switches and away she goes. ill have to get an exhaust if she runs though and an alignment and drop the suspension some. found an instant gentlemen body kit for sale locally so I might pick that up. as well found this thread about how I could wire my HUD unit up with the NX if I wanted to :dblthumb:

https://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=666001

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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and yes my intake pipe is too short now, if it starts and all is well ill go buy an extension for that haha then all I need is a radio really and to clean and tidy things up looks wise.

also side note: neither one of the bottom screw holes lines up on the cluster but I removed the metal tabs from the dash because its very close and with those removed the hole is large enough to fit a small bolt with some washers on either side and a nut on the back should do the trick nicely!

Mitec
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2017 6:25 pm
Car: RB20 S13 hatch
Location: Upstate SC

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Man, that wiring is beautiful. The car is coming along great .. I'm a little jealous :)

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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really? haha thanks! cuz I think the wiring is a flipping mess right now haha looks wise anyways. today should be the day! I just put main grounds on and we bleed the clutch system and Im routing the cluster wires now so were about an hour maybe two from first start up!

HollywoodJackson
Posts: 262
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Car: 2004 Infiniti G35
1990 Nissan 240SX Hatchback
1990 Nissan 240SX Coupe
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Blaqkfox wrote:
Tue Feb 26, 2019 3:05 pm
... so were about an hour maybe two from first start up!
Bro if you don't video that first start up, there's gonna be trouble!

LOL

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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lol I will. idk how to upload videos on here though! also I didn't start it up today lol weather got bad and it got cold and I got lazy and tbh a little nervous haha I could start it right now if id just hook the fuel up but yeah I really wanna get the gauges hooked up first lol. turned out I didn't run my wires long enough on that harness I made by about a foot or so, sooo now I have to run some extensions off those. but eh ill probably do it tomorrow if weather is good.

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Should be able to just host the video on youtube and then post it here.

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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ill see what I can do. I have a video for the NX cluster and much more too, but another day of that north western cloud and cold so I doubt ill be getting to it today. missing having a garage right about now... I really just need to extend a few wires and crimp a ring terminal on and screw it to my board for power but im just not feeling it today. I wanna do it on a good sunny day where im focused.

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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Here y'all go. just a short video link, I got the cluster to turn on from the key, just gotta trim that bezel around the cluster a bit more tomorrow and then I can run the switch wires and change the oil and we should be good to go for a first start up! I still cannot figure out how to get video on here, youtube only lets me share in HTML code (which I can't use here) or I've heard with the BBcode just use the link with some " {youtube] [/youtube} " or a button I need to click or something but idk I cant get it to work, I can see " {flash} is OFF " under my emojis here so maybe that's parts of it? couldn't figure out how to enable flash so... at any rate I'm gonna start doing some videos and figuring out how to post them here eventually...

https://youtu.be/kAG9mFIWbQc

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PapaSmurf2k3
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I just copied the link from the address bar and dropped it between the youtube brackets.

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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well ill be! must be something on my end cuz I tried that about a million times lol

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:34 pm
Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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does anyone know if the brown fuse block plug (F9/F10 plug) [next to the main grey plug everyone pulls ECCS ignition and ecu power from] needs wires powered in my case? interestingly enough the black and yellow wire on the fuel pump relay doesnt just run straight back to the pump, it tees off in between the relay and pump and goes back through this brown plug and up to the IACV regulator where it turns into a "L/R" colored wire on the IACV plug side. I have heard of guys with swaps and wiring setups like this having to hardwire their IACV so I may need to do that. I also got an email back from wiring specialties just now saying that yes there is a certain sequence for shutdown and start up and its ignition on before ECCS and ignition off before ECCS. someone else clarified it has something to do with the ECCS resetting the IACV to the "0" position so the computer knows where its at on start up next time. as well I notice theres an orange ignition wire here. now ive got an orange ignition wire from the F1 brown dash plug hooked to the starter signal wire, I am told this orange wire (that goes straight to ecu) is so the ecu knows when to dump extra fuel and stuff when the starter is actually turning over. I am not sure if the orange wire on the brown fuse plug is the same, ill go trace that one today and find out.

most the wires on the brown plug seem to be signal wires for relays but ive ran my own now so I don't think I need them but then theres a few that I wasn't aware of that ran off the same relay for something else, like that IACV black and yellow wire deal. so idk if I'm gonna be messing the circuits up without this stuff hooked up or not, seeing as the other ends of the signal wires go the the ecu, I'm just not sure if the ecu is just using these as trip wires or if it needs to know internally that relay "x" signal wire has power therefore that component is now on and the ecu needs to do "xxx" with fuel and air, or what have you. if that makes sense. in other words is the ecu just sending power out or is it taking more into account based on when it sees power on its own signal wires.

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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got the harness for the switches ran today, hopefully this video link works this time. ive maxed out my little distribution block now as well :dblthumb: this panel only covers the gauges and the engine stuff needed to run, so ill have to make another smaller one for the headlights, blower motor, pop ups, wiper motor, turn signal relays and other accessory stuff.

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Like I said when we first played with the starter before leaving town it sounded like it was in a bind, and I have been done with the engine stuff for some time so I hadn't turned it over by hand in over two years probably. well the starter was in fact binding, because it was hard as hell to spin over by hand, we put some ATF down the spark plug holes after taking the plugs out of course, and spun it by hand a few more times and it eased up. then the starter turned everything over on its own just fine. its been about two months since then. and I'm sure we overfilled things after adding the ATF so tomorrow I just need to check that things are still spinning smoothly and then change the oil out for fresh oil, change the terminal end on my one wire O2 sensor from a torpedo to a flat male pin, plug up the ECU, make sure its lighting up, make sure all switches are working for powering ECCS, IGN, and PUMP, and then were gonna see if she starts up :)

any words of advice for a first start up after 5 years of sitting after a fresh rebuild? lol the head isn't new and I don't believe the piston rings need to re-seat, but perhaps. engine got new rods and bearings and I believe a cylinder hone, but old pistons and old head. praying valve stem seals are still good, but I can always order a brand new head for like $500, I have a HG on hand, so ill grab a $100 timing kit with that if I have to do it. I do still have to order a bolt on exhaust and a high flow cat, and now replace a front wheel bearing or add a shim, idk pass front is just a little loose for some reason. but after that I'm road worthy and can take it for a ride! also trans feels really good now. after we bleed the clutch it now goes into all gears and feels good :dblthumb:

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PapaSmurf2k3
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I'd just start the damn thing up and see where you're at after that.

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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haha I know I should. tbh ive just been afraid of something happening lol. I did discover last night that the black and yellow wire on the other brown fuse block plug is in fact the power to the IACV. now my understanding was I had to power up the ignition first and ECCS second and power them down in that same order to reset the IACV to "0" to match what the ECU expects it to be at start up (so they're synced together). well interestingly the IACV power wire gets its power from the fuel relay kicking on. so I need to take that wire and run it back to the board where my fuel pump wire is also screwed down in order to kick it on and off like factory. THATS HOW IT IS FACTORY. which confuses me. id think it should rather go with the ECCS relay power in my case. that way I know when I turn things on and off in the right order things are resetting properly. at any rate I'm gonna do it up like it is factory right now and just see what happens. don't rightly know how to reset things if I get them unsynchronized is more my worry.

ive got that wire to run and this orange wire from the F1 plug for start signal. change my O2 sensor terminal end, and well see if she fires up. here goes nothin!

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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Well we just tried for a first start up. can’t hear it but the lower tone from the compression is there so that’s a good sign. Idk if my fuel is too low and or too old or (most likely) the rail isn’t primed enough. Unfortunately it’s getting dark and cold and I’m without starter fluid so we’re gonna get a good amount of fresh gas to put in it and starter fluid tomorrow and see if it’ll do it then. After we took this video I tried oscillating the fuel pump switch to build fuel pressure in the rail and it sounded 10x healthier then, but still wouldn’t combust. Hopefully it’s just the fuel. Might be voltage issues, so may end up putting the pump on the 5 pin relay with the starter cuz switch lights go dim so perhaps that’s my issue- starter turns over with enough power but maybe the voltage drop from running the pump at the same time takes too much away from the ECU power. Light is on on ECU, and no check engine lights or codes showing up either so that’s good news. Probably rent a compression tester tomorrow as well to verify everything is right still before I go on a goose chase.



Also maybe this is part of my problem. I found this terminal plug its the only wiring left now that I don't know where it goes or what it does. at first I thought this was the plug for the IACV controls but looking at the diagram now I don't believe it is. I have no idea what its for and neither does anyone else apparently.

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Yeah that starter sounds taxed and labored. What does it sound like if you have some jumper cables on there from another vehicle?

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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more bad news. so today I started with a compression test. I heard it should be reading 150psi, kinda standard for this age NA engine, but when I tested mine they came up (1st - 4th) 110 90 80 90. NOT GOOD. during the last two the starter sounded taxed, so I took a small break to think, I went back to cylinder number one in hopes it would read lower now and I could blame the starters poor performance. but no it still read about 110. so I'm afraid to say it but I think this engine is toast. Now when I picked this engine up I was told it had fresh rods and bearings. the head had clearly never been separated but the rods looked brand new and there was assembly lube squeezing out of the bearings (the oil pan wasn't on) and it seemed to spin freely so I paid the man. if I was smart I would've put the starter on and checked compression before putting it in the car. ive always had this idea in the back of my mind that the head could likely be s*** so I'm hoping thats all it is right now. I'm about to go verify my timing first and if its on point then I'm looking at internals or a head gasket. a friend tipped me off to tighten the head bolts down 5ft/lbs over heavy to try and squeeze the gasket more to create a good seal if it is that. also though being this engine hasn't run in years could it possibly be due to low oil pressure? in other words does oil around the rings and walls create the compression and I could just more blow by than normal because of that and thats my issue? if timing is on point I suppose ill move to a cylinder leak down test, been awhile since ive done one- if that extra blow by scenario is plausible could that effect my leak down test and send me on a wild goose chase through the head when its the bottom end this whole time? asking because I'm currently stuck in an apartment complex parking lot with no garage so like if its a head ill just go buy a new one, I can do that in this situation, if its the bottom end I'm completely screwed and I need to either sell this off and take the loss or something cuz I cant be ripping an engine out where I live now...


Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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perhaps part of my problem is the starter just isn't turning with enough juice? I know factory its on a 75A fuse and draws about that much. currently its running off a 30 or 40A max relay with a 30A fuse. I figured it would blow this fuse or relay but it hasn't and ive seen others run their starter off the same style relays so I'm not quite sure what to do with this mix of information.

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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so right now my main issue seems to be no spark. I looked at the FSM and traced the wires and theres only about 3 really- power, ground, and signal. the ground I have grounded, the power to the relay and the signal goes straight back to the ECU. perhaps I do not have a good enough ground but I should. I'm about to go probe about. pretty sure the low compression numbers are due to both the starter drag and I forgot to hold it at WOT during the test so vac pressure probably created an ineffective test... I'm about to call wiring specialties and see what they say after I make sure grounds are good... my assumption if so is the ECU probably needs some other pin to get power before it can send the power out to the dizy, but theres no wiring showing me that, so it must be internal in the coding of the ECU, and without more information im basically in the dark then. option number two would be rip all my wiring back out and just get a body harness from a donor car, then everything should just plug right up and go, but I don't have room to put a donor car in this living situation of an apartment complex, now there is like 3 for sale on Ebay but only one of them looks to be in good shape and doesn't come with the fuse boxes (just has the SMJ on it) so id have to fix my boxes to integrate onto it. and even so this one appears to be a single cam harness that someones tampered with in a few places... so donor car would really be the way to go.... I'm so close though. I believe if I can just get spark and rework the wiring to the starter so it has more juice (at least switch my ACC power to the 5 pin relay the starter is on so ACC will cut power to give it juice) so its as simple as relocating one wire on my panel in the back, and that'd probably be all I need to be running! I did have a guy offer me a nice BMW last night, and TBH I really just want to quit worrying about this 240 in the current living situation, I guess I'm just getting older and my life focus has shifted, so a comfy daily sounds like exactly what I need in my life. kinda hate to see the car go, but I believe the new guy will take care of her well. its still up in the air though so we shall see... mostly see if I can really come to terms with letting this project go after so much... but I gotta do something, it cant sit here or it'll be towed, I'm not supposed to work on it in the parking lot, don't have a garage, moneys getting low and don't have a job yet so I don't wanna pay for a storage unit...idk man its a tough call.

Blaqkfox
Posts: 159
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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SHE FREAKIN RUNS!!!



So last night those compression reading scared the s*** out of me, but today I went through and checked, we had spark, we had fuel I could smell from the chamber, and then my buddy tipped me off that the rings probably needed to seat and to try putting a little oil down in the combustion chamber. I did and the compression numbers immediately shot up to 150psi. she hit two licks but that was it. I thought plugs fowled out. decided to check distributor time, and sure enough it was slightly out. I adjusted it and BOOM she fired up first lick! No fuel leaks, no oil leaks, not even a check engine light! and she started idling on her own after a minute! :dblthumb: :dblthumb: :dblthumb: IM SO FREAKING HAPPY RIGHT NOW! Thanks to all who followed this thread and to those who find this later on I hope this post can help you! any questions do not hesitate to find me on facebook or on instagram under the name 'Blaqkfox' !

I hope your speed over the rival!
- Adam Lee

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Congrats!
I was reading your previous posts and kept thinking of a bunch of stuff to try, and then I read this last one and thought "whew! Glad he got it!"

So when do you take it for a spin?

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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well i have a few issues first. I need to seat these new rings (we believe theyre new anyways... pretty sure). and to do that I need to drive it but one of my wheels feels loose on passenger front so I need to fix that. as well get a power steering pump so I can tension on a belt for the water pump, and of course the overflow nipple on my radiator snapped off. its threaded but its so bad it doesnt even catch anymore, so I cant just tap it. maybe tap and get an oversized one if I can... or some sort of pipe solder perhaps? idk hate to have to order a new radiator over it but gotta do what needs be done well see. I also still need to order a high flow cat and cat back exhaust system to bolt on. it was quite loud today lol. I have the funds though, so maybe two weeks? however long it takes to get parts in really, the rest aught to be cake but perhaps that bearing... id also like to hook up an oil gauge just to be sure things are well...

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PapaSmurf2k3
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How many threads are there on that radiator overflow nipple? Just helicoil it man... or weld that son of a b****.

And you don't need exhaust to drive :)

Blaqkfox
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ive seen a few but just people using JB weld, helicoil might work! don't have a welder / its aluminum and thin so probably really hard but someone might be able to do it. was hoping for a quick fix I can do here so I can get a break in drive done. don't need an exhaust but up here in WA its cold and kinda worried with the emissions laws and being just headers don't wanna accidentally warp a valve like the old wives tail goes. playing it safe for now. I ordered a magna flow high flow 3in cat to go with the headers, and the ISR dual 3in straight pipes. they're relatively cheap but I have hard negative reviews, was thinking id splice this bola onto it though :) . also ordered a Revel digital oil pressure gauge kit, some floor mats, and another smaller fuse block to start the accessory and lighting relay board I need to make! probably have it all done by end of the month, waiting on parts now mostly.

Blaqkfox
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well I picked up some JB weld and some quick steel just for the time being and hopefully that'll hold for a while cuz I need to start looking for a job and stuff. Im just waiting on parts to come in now, but also trying to decide what front hubs to buy. I don't know if I have s13 or s14 spindles. the bolt holes at the top fit just fine when I swapped my 4 lug stuff out for these, I heard the s14 holes were bigger so could that mean these are s13? but then someone pointed out that they have bump stops on them so that must mean they are s14 spindles. they have j30 hubs on them whatever they are... but I need to order new hubs so I gotta find out. and I can't just tear into it without a garage and start measuring and stuff... I wanna get all these parts in and use the maintenance garage for a day to get it all on, take a drive to break things in and be done with things lol after I buy these hubs thats gonna be about another $1000 into it. XO. lord I've got well over $10k in this build now... almost embarrassing haha but cheaper than college I suppose!

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Wait why do you need new hubs again? What's wrong with the ones you've got?

Blaqkfox
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So when we pushed the car the first time we move in I noticed the front passenger wheel looked a little wonky. I jacked it up and it had about 1 or 2 millimeters of up and down play. now this may very well be due to the fact I am using s13 ball joints (wasnt sure till yesterday what front spindles I had and turns out there're s14. everything felt tight bolted up and the driver side does feel tight and all right), but I read the s13 ball joints will feel tight but will fail due to the difference in taper angles on the spindles/ball joints between the two models. So I ordered those Moog ball joints for s14, ive read I can press them into my s13 lower control arms and get away with things that way cheaper till later down the road ill likely just swap to s14 control arms if I ever need new ones (the s14 arms are longer, but I extended my s13 arms 25mm anyhow so its almost non factor there). So long story short if its not the ball joint taper issue, then it is in fact that wheel bearing went bum on me. to be completely honest I don't remember if I ever re did the front wheel bearings or not. pretty sure its one of the only things I didn't do cuz I didn't know what bearings to order. Now, these s14 spindles Ive got have the j30 hub conversion. this was likely due to them being 4 lug s14 spindles. Now after researching it ive come to find on the s13 spindle you can simply press the s13 bearing into the j30 hub, but it will cover the failsafe snap ring. you can get a groove machined to install one, but most say since its all bolted up anyhow I mean where's the bearing really going to go? sure it could slide a few millimeters over maybe mess stuff up but ive never ever heard of anyone having that issue. anyways back to what I have. so I have the j30 spindles on the 4 lug s14 spindles. someone probably did it as a cheap-o five lug swap. unlike the s13, the s14s front bearings are non serviceable. so you have to order new hub assemblies with the bearing already in them. the spindle size of the s14 is also larger and the j30 hubs are also non serviceable. when you do the j30 hubs on the s14 spindle you simply use the j30 bearing thats already in its hub but you also have to shim it and grind down that one washer a little bit. as well the j30 hubs are longer so I had to make brackets to push the caliper out to meet the j30 rotors I have (would be same with z32 rotors). So TLDR if the wheel bearing is the issue I cannot just press a new bearing in, they are non serviceable bearings on the j30 and s14, and these are s14 spindles, so the best route to take is to just order 5 lug OEM s14 hubs and I can quit running caliper spacer brackets, don't have to worry about shims and rigged Frankenstein stuff, it'll just be like a bolt on s14 spindle. granted my lower control arm ball jointsI have to swap over from s13 to s14 as well, but otherwise im paying and tracking down s13 spindles that are 5 lug or converting them to 5 lug which is more work and more expensive than just ball joints and hubs.

also today I got the ECU bolted back up in its factory location, got the bezel for the ac unit and radio and shifter clipped on, got the cable ran to the AC unit to switch it form heat or regular air, and the driver door panel trim pieces, also used quick steal and fixed the radiator nipple. so now im going to Joannes to get some fabric to recover the glove box cuz its ready for install and the headliner as well. big updates coming, I ordered almost another $1,000 worth of those parts I mentioned, few big ticket items coming in, and still have some stuff on the shelf ive yet to install. stay tuned.

Blaqkfox
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Car: 1992 s13 240sx coupe

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Today I picked up some faux suede which I used to recover the headliner!

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I also got some black pleather for the glovebox and door inserts! but I ran out of adhesive spray too late in the day to go get more today. ill finish them up and install them tomorrow or later this week :) parts should all be coming in starting Tuesday so just about two more weeks and ill have the final product together!


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