Dec 16, 2011, 4:14 pm · #51
Sounds like someone needs a new engine harness... Or a MegaSquirt. :lol:
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Project Refresh.
Mar 7, 2012, 7:01 pm · #52
I've found them. I've finally found them. I've got verbal, from a business that they are mine! HELL YES, and the price is wicked awesome. stay tuned for what "them" may be.
Mar 9, 2012, 7:47 pm · #53
officially paid for and shipped. Im not speaking of what they are, until i get them. (won't believe it til i see it sorta thing). so...very excited.
Mar 13, 2012, 2:27 am · #54
z31 turbo hubs???
Mar 14, 2012, 11:56 am · #55
Yes! from an 89 z31 Turbo. Sweet. Found them after months of emails, phone calls, browsing the web, etc. I had come across multiple sets, but when it was time to get down to it, the sellers wouldn't come off them. I still have a set promised to me from an 88 Shiro Partout. If i can get them for the right price, i'll grab them n' resell, but im not gonna pursue it any further.
anyhow, Im taking them in to work and gonna clean em up (sand blasting) and then gonna paint them with a high temp paint. I'll get pictures when all done.
I'm going to get a set of summit Racing brake rotors for the front. they're $35-40 each, for a performance rotor. I'm not positive its something that would withstand a trackday, but im not expecting that. Also going to order a set of Hawk HPS pads. Lastly, going to pickup the bigger S13 (or was it the z31/32..) master cylinder. rear brakes will be stock replacement rotors with HPS pads as well. Going to try to pickup a set of stainless lines as well, but thats a lesser priority as the combo it will already have should be plenty for my usage.
Work on the car should begin here at the end of the month, and my goal is to have the car on the road mid to late summer.
Mar 20, 2012, 6:25 pm · #56
I removed the studs, removed the old bearings/races, and sandblasted the hubs. washed 'em down, and put on a few thin coats of high temp (500*f) paint.
Then I reinstalled the studs (1 had to be replaced, it was previously damaged/shortened--see previous pic, left hub, bottom right stud), pressed in the new races, and were ready for use. just gotta pack the bearings when ready for install. Used timken bearings. I got them at about 50% off, so i'm a happy camper!
paint is pretty glossy, so the pic shows my finger prints, etc., but the hubs look damn good.
May 23, 2012, 2:40 pm · #57
Got any recent updates? I havent heard about the old beast in a while lol.
May 23, 2012, 7:32 pm · #58
I got some clear bumper lenses, and thats about it.
Work has been unusually slow for this time of year, and my paycheck is based off of work flow/hours turned (flat-rate technician), so as you can imagine money is a bit tight, and the s12 isn't the highest on the priority list. I think this weekend though i am going to get it into the front garage (yes, i have 2). If its in the front garage, its in eyesight and therefore more accessible. Plus, alot of the work that needs done doesn't require money (pull engine/trans..suspension, etc) initially.
I have been toying with selling my motorcycle, but the wife won't allow it. she says i'll regret it just like i did selling my old S12. I don't have the passion for bikes as i do the s12, but..damn. she wins.
Jul 15, 2012, 11:54 am · #59
ok. time for an update, lol.
It hasn't run since my last update. turned the key and it fired right up! went through to verify everything was working. well..not anymore. the master cylinder was completely empty. no visible leaks. maybe in the booster, but i got no smoke after running. filled it, and it has a pedal, but naturally its mush. clutch was stuck. pumped it a couple times and all is better. turned on the blower motor. THUD! followed by a god awful smell. the smell of rotting animal. damnit. something made a nest and died in the blower box.
Given that it runs, Im eliminating all mechanical aspects of the motor. gonna pull it, clean everything, regasket, and do what needs to be done. I may need to get it towed to the local dmv, but its GOT TO BE DONE. need the title in my name.
unfortunately work has flip flopped. as in, im working 50-60 hrs/week. no time. im going to west virginia next weekend, so thats out. MAYBE sunday. we'll see. I desperately crave driving a fun car, so motivation is coming back. Lets see if i can get it on the road before snow hits.
edit: On second thought. I work at a shop, have all kinds of tools (at work, minimal at home), and access to LIFTS. Providing my Boss allows, Im just gonna get it towed to my work, pull the engine/trans, and do work there. so much easier. Oh, and the Nissan franchise thats part of my company...yeah. they're literally across the road.
Jul 15, 2012, 3:09 pm · #60
i didnt realize how close we are. i am going to Akron all the time Ravenna is about 1 hour 20 minutes from me. i have a ton of SE parts so if there is anything you need let me know.
Jul 15, 2012, 3:50 pm · #61
Lol, Cutter, hook him up! it's my old car (technically still mine until he gets the title sorted)
Also, Jeff, let me know if you need help with the titling when you get to that point, I don't mind faxing a signed Bill of Sale to you or the DMV, etc.
Jul 15, 2012, 3:51 pm · #62
I'm so glad to see that you're cataloging a few things that need to be dealt with and have a solid plan of attack... sounds like you have recent cashflow, and a potentially and highly advantageous place to do it at! :thumbsup:
Jul 15, 2012, 3:56 pm · #63
Xano on 03:50:56 PM / 15-Jul-12Lol, Cutter, hook him up! it's my old car (technically still mine until he gets the title sorted)
Also, Jeff, let me know if you need help with the titling when you get to that point, I don't mind faxing a signed Bill of Sale to you or the DMV, etc.
yes i see that it was yours.....so i figured he would need a lot of help fixing everything you messed up on it :grinwink:
Jul 15, 2012, 4:02 pm · #64
pwned haha
Jul 15, 2012, 4:07 pm · #65
Ouch. It's not terribly messed up to be honest. I haven't had my chance at scraping the RTV out of the rear subframe so I may take that statement back. Oh and the steering wheel. I liked the Stock one better.
The engine harness is a NIGHTMARE, but beyond that, I'd say its in better shape than 95% of cars the same age around here. Rust kills cars here.
PM'd cutter. Definitely need some parts. I'm sure I've left some out. I'm just stoked to make progress on this thing.
Jul 15, 2012, 4:09 pm · #66
Well and I remember Ben telling me that he would get hungry some nights in his sleep and wake up to find himself gnawing on the harness, so that might explain some of your woes. Just sayin :innocent:
Jul 15, 2012, 4:12 pm · #67
I'll say this, 99% of the issues that car had mechanically or electrically, were there before I bought it. The only stupidity moment I had was filling the subframe with goo, just so I didnt worry so badly about it all the time (And it's not RTV, it's silicon caulking glue). I had solid subframe bushings somewhere in the pile of parts lol.
But yeah, it got beat up, I've said it before, I hated that car so much, because I had problems with it from the first day I owned it.
Jul 15, 2012, 4:18 pm · #68
Xano on 04:12:43 PM / 15-Jul-12 But yeah, it got beat up, I've said it before, I hated that car so much, because I had problems with it from the first day I owned it.
oh no the S12 gods are going to be upset now a Administrator of their forum saying he hated a s12.....shame...shame...shame :laugh:
Jul 15, 2012, 5:11 pm · #69
if the engine harness is messed up, i have a complete uncut one for an SE as well as the injector harness and all that nonsense, let me know if it can be of use to you since im not gonna use it
Jul 16, 2012, 12:22 am · #70
cutter67 on 04:18:31 PM / 15-Jul-12oh no the S12 gods are going to be upset now a Administrator of their forum saying he hated a s12.....shame...shame...shame :laugh:Lol, i love the cars as a whole, i just hated that car
Sep 3, 2012, 3:45 pm · #71
Moved in a forward direction today..
Bled the brakes (as best one man can), and it stops. Adjusted the TPS, and viola, it runs. Im not gonna say it runs GREAT, but it runs nevertheless. has a miss at idle, and skips a bit under load, but is driveable. Im gonna see if i can't go into work a few hours late and handle the Title situation, once thats done I can go hog wild on pulling the motor/trans/suspension components...only been saying that for a year.
Also..I pulled the blower motor.. GROSS. three dear mice, and about 2 pounds of insulation. The stink was overwhelming! Removed the lower cover to the HVAC and cleaned it all out. used compressed air and cleaned out all of it. Fan works nice, and doesn't smell like rancid shit. There will be burnout in the neat future. it will be recorded.
Apr 6, 2013, 8:56 am · #72
Hey. an update. this many months later.
Quite literally, the car hasn't run since that last post. not because I couldn't get it to, but because It sat thru the winter in my back garage. Went out to the back garage and she fired right up. woohoo. Plans to reconstruct the whole thing are still there, but theres no way I can do it all at once. so here's whats gonna happen over the next few WEEKS.
Engine/Trans pulled. Figure out the 5th gear synchro problem. make it work right.
regasket/reseal motor. Don't wanna have the heads reworked, but ill cross that bridge when I get there.
Install z31 front brake components (hubs, rotors, calipers)
Install rear subframe bushings
Install miscellaneous parts that I have
fix leaky tire
Get new exhaust. (money will dictate, but likely getting a set of headers. just makes sense to do it now, since the whole exhaust needs reworked.
figure out temporary lighting solution. front turn signals, headlamp motors.
basic maintenance, there were golden.
im gonna rock the stock wheels and tire for now. same with struts/shocks/springs. just wanna get it on the road and make it a WORKING project. none of this letting the car sit for months thing.
Apr 7, 2013, 6:23 pm · #73
important update!
I got all of my home tools organized. I have so much more here than I thought. So many wrenches, screwdrivers, and sockets. I have doubles of most all of those.
just trying to get a set of acetylene torches cheapish and I shouldn't need too many (if any) additional tools. if I do I likely have it at work.
Apr 10, 2013, 1:16 pm · #74
lol you have doubles, and I'm missing a few sockets and shit because of friends who forget to put things away after use :P
Harbor Freight if you hve one nearby.
This car needs resurrection!
Jun 30, 2013, 1:07 pm · #75
Oh look. Progress, and proof of it.
Today I had some free time. Finally. Decided i'd pull the transmission and see whats going on inside. The problem - 5th gear won't engage. Couldn't move the lever into 5th.
The oil -
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0177.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0177.jpg.html)
It came out silver. very very silver. While that's not good, its not necessarily a reason to deem the transmission unusable.
The Problem -
Ya know, I didn't find one. at least, with 5th gear. I can move the shift fork into and out of 5th just fine. In fact in this picture its in 5th gear. hmm. there is a chipped tooth, but nothing extreme. What I did find...
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0173.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0173.jpg.html)
You can see that the drive and driver gears have a pretty significant amount of wear at the contact points. should be a nice sharp taper. Still though, at this point the trans can be saved. Get new bearings, new 5th and reverse gears, and new synchros and it should be ok. well..
The issue -
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0178.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0178.jpg.html)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0179.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0179.jpg.html)
The case/bellhousing is disintegrating internally. the aluminum is literally chunking apart. Not sure of how that happens, but, its definitely happening. I can take a pick to it and aluminum just keeps coming apart. Yeah. This is the part where the trans was condemned. Damn. NO way am I going to rebuild the trans, just to have aluminum shavings/chunks travel through the trans, or risk that happening.
So what else did I find in today's adventure?
Carrier Bearing coming apart -
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0180.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0180.jpg.html)
Clutch, Pressure Plate, Flywheel -
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0176.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0176.jpg.html)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0175.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0175.jpg.html)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG0174.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG0174.jpg.html)
There's a whole bunch of blue going on at the inner edge of the flywheel and pressure plate. Not sure whats going on there, but Its not something I would put back in. Flywheel can possibly be machined, but still need to take measurements. Clutch plate. pfft. as much as I like LuK, I wouldnt trust the odd contact problem. can't point to one component or another. if im replacing the pressure plate, its gonna be with a clutch anyhow.
Exhaust. Sorry, you get no pics of that. It is super rusted and not salvageable. period. the y-pipe flange where it attaches to the convertor is rusted off. D'oh. On a bright note, not one of the manifold to y-pipe studs broke off. That's good, but if im going with headers it really doesn't matter.
That's all for today folks. Can't handle any more bad news. Next up is Engine removal, and upper end inspection. Ideally, i'd like to just get the heads cleaned & pressure checked, but I won't know til im in there.
At this point its starting to look more like it may be a full on part out, instead of project. Theres not too many parts of value, but there are some (some purchased, some on the car). Ive got a budget of approx. $5k to work with, of which $1k (car + transport + parts) is already eaten up. I still need to completely disassemble front and rear suspension, plus theres the body. if it starts getting close to $3k before bodywork ill have to call it quits. I'd love to drive an s12, but im not blind to the fact that $5k...hell $3k is ALOT to spend on something that's only gonna have 160-170 hp, and only not be able to make any serious power without major engine modifications or engine swaps.
Jul 7, 2013, 4:55 pm · #76
Alright, here's another update.
I've completely changed my short term vision for this car. Just wanna get it on the road. Don't care how it looks, stops, handles, smells, etc. So long as it runs and drives down the road safely and efficiently (as possible for a vehicle from the 80s) that's all I want. I'll use it as a "beater car" at this time. No, im not going to go driving into things, but flogging it, and driving it when I feel like being an idiot.
So whats new?
Transmission. I may have been incorrect in my initial diagnosis. while there definitely were large chunks/pieces of aluminum floating about, the case itself seems to be ok. I removed all the sensors, plugs, etc. Cleaned the internal and external parts of the bellhousing and tailshaft components. looks ok. painted bellhousing and tailshaft components, and reassembled the entire transmission assembly. I had to "rework" the shim at the end of the countershaft, as it was removed and reinstalled improperly during someone elses previous repair attempts. Surely its not the right thickness, but its better than nothing.
so, Ill clean up my engine wiring issues, re-gasket the engine, and go from there.
Jul 13, 2013, 11:51 am · #77
Removed the factory-ish wiring harness for the fog lights, as it was all cut up and green. no intentions of using fog lights for now, when I do i'll just use new stuff.
removed electric fans and related wiring nightmare. good god ben why no heatshrink, or even electric tape? whole harness is green.
pulled engine harness from engine. removed driver fender and pulled harness through. will be repairing/cleaning that. I need to figure out what the hell happened with the injector wiring. for some reason its cut, and spliced onto a different harness. looks like constant power with switched ground, but power pulled from a different circuit. odd. more service manual reading (schematics anyhow) is in my future.
Sep 8, 2013, 8:13 pm · #78
well...its not project refresh anymore, rather its a movement to just get it on the road.
today I got the clutch, transmission, and driveshaft back in. I forgot how much it sucks to put a transmission in a car flying solo. talk about a balancing act.
also cleaned up the harness, had to run a whole new injector power wire from ecu to harness connectors. took a little more time than anticipated, but its done. good lord was it green. most of that is due to T-splices everywhere. Not sure why it was done this way, but whatever.
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG03631.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG03631.jpg.html)
That's the harness after being removed, repaired, and reinstalled. I need to get the routing right, but it all hooks up, car will start and run. Theres no idle, but there was greenies at the tps connector and the iac connector, need to take care of those. OH, and theres only exhaust manifolds. im sure that has nothing to do with it.. lol.
got a few wires out of the way. goodness.
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/Jsvob03/IMAG03621.jpg) (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/Jsvob03/media/IMAG03621.jpg.html)
all those were stuffed in the engine bay. some are from the electric fan swap, but they're so green (t-splices...why ben why?!) Im just going to make my own fan harness to the switch. the relays are still good though, so that's $$ saved.
at this point I need to get the trans sensor wiring fixed, fill the trans with gear lube, machine brake rotors/replace only as necessary, fill the radiator, install fans, and install the hood and fender. from there ill see what I have.
its gonna be a sweet winter car. it may not be the intentions I had for it initially, but its better than nothing.
Sep 22, 2013, 7:59 pm · #79
Today I got a new timing belt installed. I forgot how much square toothed belts suck in comparison to round toothed ones. I had to take the tensioner off just to get it on. annoying.
also got the radiator cleaned out, removed the ac condenser, reinstalled radiator. installed electric fans and wired. Its not perfect, but better than berfore. need to clean it up a bit more and put a fuse inline and were good to go. rewired the transmission sensors, found 1 reverse light is out. meh.
filled transmission, and cooling system. started it up. At cold, it idles just like a VG. big bag of dicks. once warm its not too shabby. drives "ok". has a stumble/miss, but I still need to set base timing, idle, and clean up some other stuff (egr delete?). For those still reading, I found a TSB for setting the idle. TSB specifically addresses a hard/extended crank and poor cold idle. we'll see how that goes.
got the new transmission mount in, verified the subframe bushing is just gone, lol. luckily I still have Bens prothane bushings so ill pop those in.
alright, that's enough for now..
Aug 16, 2015, 9:21 pm · #80
2 years later and it's still in progress..
Fiddled around quite a bit lately.
New injectors
New valve cover gaskets, upper and lower gaskets
EGR deleted
New spark plugs, cap, rotor
New plug wires (again..)
New timing belt (again..)
Removed dash, cleaned out rats nests (yeah..again..)
So what's goin on? Well it still doesn't run right. Each weekend in work ok on it, it's getting better. It's running better than it ever has since I've had it, so that's a plus. Few more corroded wires to clean up and hopefully that's it.
Tried to sell, offers weren't there. Scrap prices SUCK, so I'll dump some time and effort (and money) into it, and make it roadworthy.
The current repair in progress is the instrument cluster. None of the guages work (speedo might since it s cable driven). Gonna try and make it work again. Contacts are broken, going to do some magic with some solder and wire. We'll see.
Aug 27, 2016, 8:52 pm · #81
...and Punt! Read on.
Somehow the battery in this thing won't die. Sits for literally a year, put it on the trickle charger for 2 hours and it's good to go.
Put a used/known good ECM in it. It does what it's designed to. All the hours I have fixing the wires, routing, rerouting ,cleaning, etc. It finally runs. Took it down the road. Yea. A burnout of the gratuitous type was done. Damn. It runs better than I ever remember my old one running, and that one ran pretty strong too. Stirs up those feelings of excitement my previous s12 gave me.
It's bittersweet though. It's new owner is making the journey, looks to be close to a 10 hour round trip drive for him. Title signed and stamped, bill of sale completed, ready to load up. So, maybe with him having a better starting point he can breathe some life into this thing.
I have a feeling he will be on here. He's got a solid plan. Best of luck to him.