Weekly Check-ins
05-09-2014, 07:16 AM
#166
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 102
Hey Big E, is it okay to use the ECU from a 300ZX twin turbo DOHC if my 2nd Gen Max is not a turbo or DOHC? will it throw errors and run crappy? Or will my VG306E think it's a VG306ETT?
05-14-2014, 11:14 AM
#168
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 102
HotAtlanta is in the house...AC back just in time for summer....
I realized that I had a AC leak last summer when the AC kept getting warmer each day after a charge. I just got around to diagnosing it. I paid an AC shop $56 for a leak-down test with dye, isolated that I had leaks in both low and high side lines, and at the service ports (valves). I got used hoses for $12 ea. easily from the junkyard, but the o-rings were a ^*%%$! to find. O'reilly's gave me closest that they can find, but NAPA indicated that American Air has a kit that is the exact match for the 88 2nd gen max.
I replaced all the o-rings, and hoses, bolted it back up, transferred my R134a adapters for the service ports to the new hoses, and then I took it back to the AC shop, for a vacuum test and it passed. I left and went to add a 3oz can of ester oil, some other additive, and 134a 1oz each. The clutch would not engage, so I jumped the AC clutch with the battery. This began to slowly suck in the mix, and then I added a 12 oz can and afterwards reconnected the AC relay switch and the clutch worked great! There's negative pressure needed to make the compressor draw in the freon....
Coolin.....
I replaced all the o-rings, and hoses, bolted it back up, transferred my R134a adapters for the service ports to the new hoses, and then I took it back to the AC shop, for a vacuum test and it passed. I left and went to add a 3oz can of ester oil, some other additive, and 134a 1oz each. The clutch would not engage, so I jumped the AC clutch with the battery. This began to slowly suck in the mix, and then I added a 12 oz can and afterwards reconnected the AC relay switch and the clutch worked great! There's negative pressure needed to make the compressor draw in the freon....
Coolin.....
05-20-2014, 02:52 PM
#169
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 1,323
your going to want a ECU from a Z31, the z32 is a VG30DE (has coil packs not distributor along with varible cam timing irrc) the z31 is the same VG30E, so it's just a matter of redoing pins on plug to make work....
05-21-2014, 12:07 PM
#171
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 102
1)Redoing the pins....wasn't expecting that... I thought it was as simple as plugging in the replacement from another ecu from a Z31 w same tranny type, and emissions. Where can I get info on redoing these pins?
2) I've heard that I should get the same year or later ECU for best performance and fewest errors, so according to this:
http://jimwolftechnology.com/wolfpdf/ecu-id.pdf
I'm looking for a
A18-A01 M85 or M43. to get an 89 non-turbo, A/T, Federal emission ECU.
Last edited by lowpost99; 05-21-2014 at 12:24 PM.
05-23-2014, 08:16 AM
#172
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 102
Help with Upgrades
Yea! I found a 89' ECU model A18-A01 M85 on for my 88' GXE Maxima for $100. I can't wait until it comes in.
Air/Exhaust
I'm not much of a performance guru.. but I keep reading here about air supply, focus on the MAF upgrade, and amount of air, but don't understand enough about it to know what I should/could do to upgrade. I always thought the K&N filters were a gimick....
As far as Exhaust, I'm reading that exhaust can be improved to increase performance, and I figure after being on factory for 26 years, it could be time soon to address the exhaust. How do you know when to change exhaust components like muffler, catalytic converter, other stuff I don't know about....
I am also thinking about Plasti-Dip to restore some kind of decent look to the body. Anyone have experience with Plasti-Dip? Anyone know if I can still find ground effects, fog lights, or other body mods still for this car?
I can't believe how expensive used 17" 4X114" rims are. I need 114.3 x.40 offset, and 7 or 7.5 to avoid rubbing right? Which one would line up closer to the outside line of the car when looking length ways?
Any comments or discussion appreciated in advance....
Air/Exhaust
I'm not much of a performance guru.. but I keep reading here about air supply, focus on the MAF upgrade, and amount of air, but don't understand enough about it to know what I should/could do to upgrade. I always thought the K&N filters were a gimick....
As far as Exhaust, I'm reading that exhaust can be improved to increase performance, and I figure after being on factory for 26 years, it could be time soon to address the exhaust. How do you know when to change exhaust components like muffler, catalytic converter, other stuff I don't know about....
I am also thinking about Plasti-Dip to restore some kind of decent look to the body. Anyone have experience with Plasti-Dip? Anyone know if I can still find ground effects, fog lights, or other body mods still for this car?
I can't believe how expensive used 17" 4X114" rims are. I need 114.3 x.40 offset, and 7 or 7.5 to avoid rubbing right? Which one would line up closer to the outside line of the car when looking length ways?
Any comments or discussion appreciated in advance....
05-23-2014, 04:10 PM
#173
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 1,323
as far as the MAF your going to want the one that came on the car that the ecu is from unless you get a tuning device, since the ecu is going to be tuned for that MAF and if you go bigger or smaller the it will throw off how much air the ECU thinks it's getting, as for the exhaust whats going to make the bigges gains is headers, i'm not sure what ones work the best or will even work with our cars but they are kinda cheep for vg30 these days........ i think there is still one body kit thats still around, other then that what ever is in the junkyards that isn't beat or that could be made to fit...... for rims I have them from a sentra ser, (90-93 irrc) but i think any of the years should work and more then likely off a G20, so that might be something to look into for some cheeper options.... Plasti-dip works great and super easy to change if you feel the need....
05-26-2014, 03:55 PM
#174
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bay City, MI
Posts: 399
Finally got my '87 wagon running again today. The heater core blew in September and just ended up parking it in the garage. I was looking at parts to get a heater core bypass together and stumbled on 3/4" brass PEX caps at Home Depot. Like maybe $2 each.
Got a couple hose clamps, plugged the ends of the heater core hoses with the brass caps, refilled the coolant and zip tied the ends up and away so they didn't bounce around by the rear exhaust manifold and presto, a running Maxima after a jump start. Took a couple long drives to charge the battery up a bit and the car doesn't seem to be any worse for wear. Old R-12 A/C is cold as ever. Hopefully I'll have time to replace the core this summer...it's so much cheaper to pile miles on this car than it is on old 4.9L Cadillacs...cheaper to fill up, better MPG and no premium required. Glad to have this car back running!
Got a couple hose clamps, plugged the ends of the heater core hoses with the brass caps, refilled the coolant and zip tied the ends up and away so they didn't bounce around by the rear exhaust manifold and presto, a running Maxima after a jump start. Took a couple long drives to charge the battery up a bit and the car doesn't seem to be any worse for wear. Old R-12 A/C is cold as ever. Hopefully I'll have time to replace the core this summer...it's so much cheaper to pile miles on this car than it is on old 4.9L Cadillacs...cheaper to fill up, better MPG and no premium required. Glad to have this car back running!
07-09-2014, 04:23 AM
#176
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 15
Checking in from Yellowstone, WY
For our vacation this year, we decided to drive to Yellowstone from Orange County, CA, and then visit family in Anacortes and Bellingham, WA before stopping in SF and driving home down I-5. It's a straight shot up I-15 through Vegas and Salt Lake City, then cutting over to US 89 and cruising past the Grand Tetons before entering the park from the south. As it involves climbing 4000-8000 ft. mountains, some of it in desert heat, and a round trip distance of 3000+ miles, there was some debate as to what car to use.
For peace of mind, the consensus was to take the 1 yo Impreza, but, with 410,000 miles on an engine that has been redlined frequently and still doesn't use oil, the '84 Maxima has proved that it doesn't care how hard you drive it. With the new Impreza engine, I'm not so sure. Unlike the Maxima, it sounds and feels distinctly unhappy at higher RPMs. I wanted to upgrade the oil to Royal Purple 0-40 for some extra protection, but Subaru nixed that idea. I've heard they've gotten into the habit of denying warranty claims for upgrading your oil (for some guys who broke their WRX's), even to a superior brand, so it was like "screw that, we're taking the Maxima." Besides, the Maxima has its RWD balance and AD08R's, while the Subaru will be protesting in the corners with its FWD-like weight distribution and stock AVIDs. (It's too bad Subaru doesn't offer the driver-controlled center differential as part of their Sport option.)
This of course meant eliminating anything questionable on the Maxima, so it got a new 3-row radiator, bypass hoses, belts, high-pressure P/S hose, and parking brake cables (the boots were shot and you just never know when they might decide to stick). The Nissan heater and radiator hoses still looked good, but I replaced the long non-Nissan heater hose. For good measure I had my mechanic check the car over for anything I might have missed. He didn't report anything except that "this car has no leaks".
The photo shows the Maxima at the south entrance of Yellowstone after 1000 uneventful miles. At the moment, I'm in Anacortes after another 1200 uneventful miles. This weekend, if everything goes well, it will be in San Francisco.
For peace of mind, the consensus was to take the 1 yo Impreza, but, with 410,000 miles on an engine that has been redlined frequently and still doesn't use oil, the '84 Maxima has proved that it doesn't care how hard you drive it. With the new Impreza engine, I'm not so sure. Unlike the Maxima, it sounds and feels distinctly unhappy at higher RPMs. I wanted to upgrade the oil to Royal Purple 0-40 for some extra protection, but Subaru nixed that idea. I've heard they've gotten into the habit of denying warranty claims for upgrading your oil (for some guys who broke their WRX's), even to a superior brand, so it was like "screw that, we're taking the Maxima." Besides, the Maxima has its RWD balance and AD08R's, while the Subaru will be protesting in the corners with its FWD-like weight distribution and stock AVIDs. (It's too bad Subaru doesn't offer the driver-controlled center differential as part of their Sport option.)
This of course meant eliminating anything questionable on the Maxima, so it got a new 3-row radiator, bypass hoses, belts, high-pressure P/S hose, and parking brake cables (the boots were shot and you just never know when they might decide to stick). The Nissan heater and radiator hoses still looked good, but I replaced the long non-Nissan heater hose. For good measure I had my mechanic check the car over for anything I might have missed. He didn't report anything except that "this car has no leaks".
The photo shows the Maxima at the south entrance of Yellowstone after 1000 uneventful miles. At the moment, I'm in Anacortes after another 1200 uneventful miles. This weekend, if everything goes well, it will be in San Francisco.
07-09-2014, 07:43 PM
#177
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Manhattan Beach, Ca / Dallas, Tx
Posts: 3,751
For our vacation this year, we decided to drive to Yellowstone from Orange County, CA, and then visit family in Anacortes and Bellingham, WA before stopping in SF and driving home down I-5. It's a straight shot up I-15 through Vegas and Salt Lake City, then cutting over to US 89 and cruising past the Grand Tetons before entering the park from the south. As it involves climbing 4000-8000 ft. mountains, some of it in desert heat, and a round trip distance of 3000+ miles, there was some debate as to what car to use.
For peace of mind, the consensus was to take the 1 yo Impreza, but, with 410,000 miles on an engine that has been redlined frequently and still doesn't use oil, the '84 Maxima has proved that it doesn't care how hard you drive it. With the new Impreza engine, I'm not so sure. Unlike the Maxima, it sounds and feels distinctly unhappy at higher RPMs. I wanted to upgrade the oil to Royal Purple 0-40 for some extra protection, but Subaru nixed that idea. I've heard they've gotten into the habit of denying warranty claims for upgrading your oil (for some guys who broke their WRX's), even to a superior brand, so it was like "screw that, we're taking the Maxima." Besides, the Maxima has its RWD balance and AD08R's, while the Subaru will be protesting in the corners with its FWD-like weight distribution and stock AVIDs. (It's too bad Subaru doesn't offer the driver-controlled center differential as part of their Sport option.)
This of course meant eliminating anything questionable on the Maxima, so it got a new 3-row radiator, bypass hoses, belts, high-pressure P/S hose, and parking brake cables (the boots were shot and you just never know when they might decide to stick). The Nissan heater and radiator hoses still looked good, but I replaced the long non-Nissan heater hose. For good measure I had my mechanic check the car over for anything I might have missed. He didn't report anything except that "this car has no leaks".
The photo shows the Maxima at the south entrance of Yellowstone after 1000 uneventful miles. At the moment, I'm in Anacortes after another 1200 uneventful miles. This weekend, if everything goes well, it will be in San Francisco.
For peace of mind, the consensus was to take the 1 yo Impreza, but, with 410,000 miles on an engine that has been redlined frequently and still doesn't use oil, the '84 Maxima has proved that it doesn't care how hard you drive it. With the new Impreza engine, I'm not so sure. Unlike the Maxima, it sounds and feels distinctly unhappy at higher RPMs. I wanted to upgrade the oil to Royal Purple 0-40 for some extra protection, but Subaru nixed that idea. I've heard they've gotten into the habit of denying warranty claims for upgrading your oil (for some guys who broke their WRX's), even to a superior brand, so it was like "screw that, we're taking the Maxima." Besides, the Maxima has its RWD balance and AD08R's, while the Subaru will be protesting in the corners with its FWD-like weight distribution and stock AVIDs. (It's too bad Subaru doesn't offer the driver-controlled center differential as part of their Sport option.)
This of course meant eliminating anything questionable on the Maxima, so it got a new 3-row radiator, bypass hoses, belts, high-pressure P/S hose, and parking brake cables (the boots were shot and you just never know when they might decide to stick). The Nissan heater and radiator hoses still looked good, but I replaced the long non-Nissan heater hose. For good measure I had my mechanic check the car over for anything I might have missed. He didn't report anything except that "this car has no leaks".
The photo shows the Maxima at the south entrance of Yellowstone after 1000 uneventful miles. At the moment, I'm in Anacortes after another 1200 uneventful miles. This weekend, if everything goes well, it will be in San Francisco.
07-09-2014, 09:47 PM
#178
Looking good E!
07-19-2014, 11:18 AM
#179
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 15
Re: Checking in from Yellowstone
Thanks, I've done some things that probably added to the longevity, including upgrading to a turbo oil pump after 300K miles and running it on synthetic 20-50 since 170K.
We arrived home in So. Cal on Monday, with the odometer clocking in another 1400 trouble-free miles, for a trip total of 3600 miles. The odometer is reading a bit over 414,000 miles. I didn't have to add oil. It looks like we'll be using it for all of our road trips now, unless snow is involved, as a way to keep the miles off of the newer car.
We arrived home in So. Cal on Monday, with the odometer clocking in another 1400 trouble-free miles, for a trip total of 3600 miles. The odometer is reading a bit over 414,000 miles. I didn't have to add oil. It looks like we'll be using it for all of our road trips now, unless snow is involved, as a way to keep the miles off of the newer car.
07-20-2014, 11:58 PM
#180
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 2
Posted a question in another thread.
Hi there, checking in from KY. I just joined the forum the other day. Doesn't seem to be much activity here. Are there any other forums for the 2nd gen Maximas? Also, I posted a question in the 2nd gen mods sticky if anybody could take a gander at that I would appreciate it.
07-22-2014, 01:09 PM
#181
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 1,323
hello, this is the best forum that I have come across for 2nd gens, yes it's kinda dead most of the time, but still most lively that I have found with lots of info and decent people..... as for the Z31 gauge cluster, I'm sure it could be done, but your going to need to go though the wiring and such and make sure the sensors are right, I think Big E dog, has done that swap....
07-27-2014, 09:09 AM
#182
If you post a question or concern and get no feedback. I would then pm some of the normal orgers you see here for an explanation or thier opinion of what they think...I don't own a 1st nor 2nd gen but I've worked on them (2nd Gen's) and they're really close in design to a 3rd gen Imo....
03-09-2016, 11:00 AM
#189
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 1,323
whooo hoooo new windshield put in, not to bad of a price, got one for $110 installed, only down side is the bronze tint is hard to come by, so it's the blue which is better then cracks and the last one I got was blue also so I guess I will be able to live with it, just hope it last a while and I don't have to replace it for a long time, last one was under a year I think been driving with the chips and crack for over a year....
07-28-2016, 06:35 AM
#191
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Bay City, MI
Posts: 399
Yep, still have my car.
IMG_20160726_203755 by delerium75, on Flickr
IMG_20160726_203837 by delerium75, on Flickr
IMG_20160726_203755 by delerium75, on FlickrIMG_20160726_203837 by delerium75, on Flickr
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