'84 Grab Bag

Snagged an '84 Turbo off Craigslist sight unseen. Previous owner said it had lots of new accessory parts and just needed the timing set. Car arrived last Thursday. This car is intended to be a winter driver and cosmetic donor to my '85 hatch of the same color. It's cool to see the different options these came with.

I will be uploading the dealer installation instructions for the "Shade Kit" that must have been on the car at one time. There's four brackets for louvers built into the rear hatch glass. No photos of that yet.

Taken this afternoon. I already popped the hood off and took it out to the dude putting an SR into my '85 of the same color. He's happy to have the clearance.  (http://i.imgur.com/wUHjss9.jpg)

It did run when it rolled off the truck and we got some jumpers on it. It ran poorly, but it did run. Drove into the garage under its own power.

(http://i.imgur.com/HiDiRhk.jpg)

New distributor cap, wires, plugs, water pump, alternator were already installed. My guess is whoever changed the water pump didn't get the timing right when reassembling and didn't feel like tearing it down again. The water pump is nestled on either side of the timing belt cover.

Is this belt riding abnormally far back on the cam gear? I pulled it forward and it would always settle back there; but only that far back. I'll be taking note of where it rides once everything comes back together.
(http://i.imgur.com/rlE6fB4.jpg)

Starting to tear stuff apart. I've never done this before so please yell at me if something looks egregiously wrong.
(http://i.imgur.com/7SPAQvI.jpg)

This was sketchy but I don't feel any marring on the pulley where the chain wrench was placed. Tried a bunch of other ways to get the bolt out but it just wasn't gonna happen. Pneumatic tools must be nice.
(http://i.imgur.com/kkza3E8.jpg)

This is where it is right now. I pulled the timing belt tensioner off and I think that may have been a mistake. Was that a mistake?
(http://i.imgur.com/7SPAQvI.jpg)

Beginning reassembly with (hopefully) proper timing this afternoon/evening/tomorrow. Will report back.

P.S. I'm in love with the camera on the Nexus 5X.

Post Merge

Use a real image host. Google Photos sucks, especially for forum use. I suggest imgur.

As for your timing belt question, it looks pretty normal to me.

I miss playing with the single cam 18et! I've never had a rubbing issue between the tensioner and the cover. The gasket may give it the space it needs but I'd buy another cover to be on the safe side. If you are planning to keep the 18et I'd remove the pop-off valve and replace it with a 1 inch npt pipe plug and I'd also mod the ovc pipe on the turbo side. Cut the end off and get a silicone coupler that fits the both the turbo and the pipe I think you may need a reducer. The orange gasket becomes a pain the ass and doesn't hold up for shit even when new plus it's a pain in the ass. It was a shitty design on nissans part. Other than that change up the exhaust and call it good since you are just planning to daily it! Good luck and happy wrenching!

Seems to be running alright; pretty rich and backfiring a bit when you wind it up. The belt fraying was a result of having the crank gear cover (basically a keyed metal saucer riding between the crank gear and crank pulley) facing the wrong way. Should have noticed it was backwards because why would you ever have a flat/sharp anything facing the belt? It was backwards on initial disassembly and had been run enough to leave gear imprints on the concave side. So even though we briefly questioned the direction, we figured those gear marks were a good indicator and went with it. Blowout diagram settled that real quick.

The timing belt tensioner was still rubbing against the cover but that stopped after about a minute. Don't feel great about that but I'll remember it and keep my ears open.

Next up is to make sure I don't have a bubble in my cooling system. It started making weird sucking gurgling noises after running for 3-4 minutes. Then it's on to see what's causing the car to putter down and want to die when I apply brakes. There is almost no pressure in the pedal but and the reservoir is filled with clean brake fluid. Hopefully just a bleed. Probably not.

What's the best way to lean out my air/fuel mixture a bit to see if that'll stop my backfire? Also, how pronounced can a lifter tick be before it's no longer a "tick", and should be addressed?

*****

Imgur has been failing to log in the entire time I was writing so y'all get Google Photo links for now.

It runs like this. https://goo.gl/photos/fWVBvcZtu6ibvx759

Brakes have no resistance so I need to bump that up in priority so I can actually test drive it. It still makes really strange intermittent sounds (annoying kid sucking on a straw at the bottom of a paper cup filled with ice) when idling and backfires pretty good when you get close to 3k rpm.

I unplugged the O2 sensor and it runs exactly the same. Heading to the mechanic's tomorrow to yank the practically new one off of my spare 18et.

Here's a photo of the bracket for louvers I don't have. I forgot to do anything with the instructions today. They aren't very exciting. They would be an absolute pain to remove or install. Definitely easier to swap the whole hatch. https://goo.gl/photos/r3AQzAFEwkfxkWcM7 - https://goo.gl/photos/f45uwVv5VheypG417 - https://goo.gl/photos/2c9FH8LZVXKwrcF77

I was looking for a lug wrench in the trunk after breaking a ratchet and found these: https://goo.gl/photos/zQi5LQP3CKDHaqcC6

I've been looking at past threads for my symptoms so I've got to ask. It seemed weird but kept being said. Does the (cracked) rotor grounding itself inside the distributor cap make a sound? I don't think that's where one of my weird sounds is coming from but who knows.

Good to hear of another CA18ET running. There are a lot of haters on here for that engine, but mine has been doing great since I got the car in 1987. The ticking on the valves is just a lash adjustment, no lifters involved. Rocker arm has adjustment in it for the valve lash.

Hydraulic lash adjusters are the superior form of lash adjustment

Yet, every time I can, I opt for mechanicals. My lifters need adjusted bad - probably haven't been set since 1999. They rattle a lot, but it's a cacophony of light taps.

Did you run codes?

Doing that after I swap out the 02 sensor today. Something simple that I haven't done before. Hopefully it's not a litany of codes.

KA time. Who needs lifters?

sounds like you have some work ahead of you. Definitely check the codes might lead you directly to the problem...

Injector is dead on Cyl 3. Runs exactly the same whether it's plugged in or not. Unplugging any of the injector clips cause it to putter out and die.

Heading out to the shop and picking up 4 injectos, TPS and getting to it.

Runs better with a new injector but it's still not right. It's running very rich and starts to backfire pretty consistently at 2k rpm and it sounds like it's coming from the intake? Could my timing still be wrong?

Tried 2 different MAFs and didn't see a change. More research it is.

KA time.

My orange boot is slightly a little damaged but I'm not positive it's letting air out. This would help explain why the a/f mixture reaching the cylinder is rich. Probably good to change it anyhow. Is that clamp really spot welded onto the pipe? http://club-s12.org/retro4/index.php?topic=20916.0

More to come.

Cut the pipe at the weld and replace it with a silicone coupler that thing is gonna give you headache trust me. I've replaced a bunch of them before I just cut the end off and got a coupler. Cut at the weld. You'll need a reducer. As for your other problem sounds like your 180 out on the dizzy also make sure the plug wires are hooked up right to the ignition coils...

Sideways, I'm not sure what you mean by 180 out on the dizzy but I think you may be right. I redid the timing (4th - 5th time: From 0 to oodles of experience) to TDC and it ran better but still backfired around 2k rpm. Swapped in the factory distributor assembly from my '85 and it wouldn't start at all. Woops. My dad thought to pull it and turn the motor over before re-seating. No idea why, or if it could have been dangerous, but it worked.

Fired right up and now winds out without much fuss at all. Still running pretty dang rich; something I'm attributing to the busted orange boot that will be getting replaced tomorrow per Sideways' suggestion. Huge improvement overall though. 

Idle is a little rough yet, but it sounds like that's not uncommon. I still have the nastiest damn tick I've ever heard over cyl 3 against the valve cover. That's bugging me big time.

Reassembled everything (minus AC) yesterday. Hit it with some Seafoam and let it smoke like crazy for about an hour. Power steering pump has a little whine to it, but overall it seems to be doing alright.
https://goo.gl/photos/Dzb3xuCWkmZhrD6Z6

There's also exhaust leaks. https://goo.gl/photos/RE6JCYoWSHZd6uyQ8

I've got a master cylinder and orange boot replacement on order which will hopefully be the last thing before it's time to test drive.

When I said 180 out I meant 180 degrees out on the dizzy. But it seems like you got that problem fixed. Now are you replacing the orange boot or are you going to cut the pipe  and replace with a coupler like I suggested? Also you may be running rich due to the pop off valve leaking it's that weird looking thing on the top back part of the intake manifold. 1 inch npt pipe plug fixes that issue...

I'm replacing with a coupler. That boot is a very poor design. I'll also pick up a 1" npt plug.

Awesome! Well if there's anything I can do to help via  the forum let me know!

Got the new master cylinder on and brakes bled, so that's sorted.

Went for a test drive and the car has something wonky in the front suspension. Like, really wonky. No idea what it is, but it is not being driven anywhere except a shop to have somebody else align/diagnose.

So now, the engine. Still kind of sucks. Despite only being able to drive it a few hundred feet twice because the suspension, I can tell you for sure that it has absolutely no oomph to it. Not sure what that's about, but we ran a compression test and it has 100 across the board. That's not good.

I've got some decisions to make before the snow falls.

Only 100 across the board huh? Turn up the boost lol Is the dizzy timing good? I had an issue with my old red car the dizzy had to be in full advance in order to feel any power before boost, when boost kicked it was fine...

Car is at the shop being looked at by the dude who has my '85 SR car. Poor guy's inheriting all my crappy project cars.
 
Oh well. Stay tuned for results re: suspension and whatever else gets identified as a source of error.

Awesome! Good luck hopefully it's nothing to major...

I've got the best mechanic. This guy goes above and beyond anything I would even feel comfortable asking him to do.

Exhaust valve was reportedly stuck completely closed on Cyl 3 and the turbo is seized. Valves have been adjusted and I hear the car is now running "100% better" in NA form. The turbo from my spare 18et (sitting in the corner of the shop with both my crappy s12s) has been pulled, cleaned, and will be installed today.

"Something in the rear suspension is FUCKED UP. I had it up to like 40-50 test driving and it felt like the wheels wanted to come off. I'm going to look at it today while I've got it in the air changing the turbo."

Stay tuned.

Sweet that's not bad. Sounds like you may have a wheel bearing issue in the rear...

I was going say wheel bearing as well. But glad you have a good mechanic! Sounds like the car will be pretty mint after the better turbo and some rear end work! Keep the updates coming!

**Update**

Rear subframe bushings have disintegrated. Replacement poly bushings have been ordered. Should be the last thing and I'll be on the road.

So now that it's looking like I will be saddled with two functioning cars in the future, it feels safer to start planning for that situation.

I'm torn on what the long-term plan should be for both of these cars now. My '85 has a minor tweak in the frame just behind the driver's headlight which kind of gives it a snaggle-tooth look being that the bumper juts up from left to right a bit. This damage was hidden by the stock air box, and I didn't notice any effect of such during the 3-4 months I was able to drive it before, well... See my other thread for that sadness. My fault.  Body panels and almost everything else on that car are 7.5/10 at least. That's the one getting a new motor, which I had planned to make a long term fixer-upper, spirited daily driver.

The '84 has spots of rust on the rockers where the skirts (now gone) meet the flaps and minor bubbles of surface rust on all 4 fenders. The interior of the '84 is a little dingy, but complete and functional including digi-dash, voice, and trip computer. It also has the weather stripping and uncracked honeycomb grill that the '85 does not. Could be a good bodywork learning template?

I'm not sure I want to hodge-podge an 84.5 together come spring like originally planned. I also don't think I can justify having 2 s12s for very long being that I live in a front porch cabin apartment. With any luck this '84 will get fully resurrected and I'll be able to slosh it around through the winter and make the tough decision to sell or store it come spring when the '85 should be road-worthy.

This concludes my mid-morning rant. There will be more.

I would set one up for a daily driver and the other I would use as the powerhouse/ spirited fun weekend car.

I'm going to be trying to sell this car soon.

I've got way more money in it than it was ever worth and I don't feel like continuing down that path. It runs and drives now with a little bit of knock from somewhere in the block. Desperately needs tires, but I don't know if that's money I want to shell out at this point. I know I'm not going to get crap out of this car but let's see if I can pass it on (honestly with full disclosure of condition and known issues) to somebody that wants an s12 project before considering other means of relinquishing it from my possession.

Lesson: don't be so trusting. Seems to be one I've learned a couple different times already.

I'm game if you source a KA and do the work.

You mean you're gay if I source a KA and do the work.

No time for laziness here. I got a KA swap done on a $0 budget. So can you.

Been driving it for the last couple days. Rod knocks. Clutch slips. Whole car wobbles because I need 4 tires. Looked like this when I got temporary plates early last week.

(http://i.imgur.com/vsJ0v72.jpg)

It looks like this now. We'll see how long I can drive it.

(http://i.imgur.com/iKPjuIH.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/cfSkPl1.jpg)

Flight Panel (Complete with busted radio panel) (http://i.imgur.com/DA8j292.png)

Got new tires today. Drives perfectly straight without any wobbles or pulling. Next up, if I so choose, is to have the exhaust fixed. It's rusted through just before the muffler but I honestly don't mind the extra noise. Then, MAYBE, will be looking into swapping out the clutch on this car for the clutch that came out of my '85 car. This one is slipping pretty good but isn't something I feel needs to be addressed immediately.

It's weird to be driving something strangers want to talk to you about.

Put 50 miles on it in the last 3 days without any major issues. Let's see how long it lasts.

About 30 more miles on it this afternoon around town. Had it up to 70 for a very brief stretch without incident.

I do have something going on that needs resolved. It seems to be limited to starting again after reaching full operating temp. I will start after having driven the car and it will idle low. 3-500 rpm with a pretty good wobble and miss. Doesn't die, but doesn't pick itself up if you just let it sit either. I take off from the parking space (happened 3 times today - same conditions) and it just misses like crazy as I get through first gear. Same with second, but being in gear with RPMs climbing seems to fix.... whatever is going on by the time the clutch is engaged in 3rd @ 2500 - 3000 rpm; roughly 30-35mph.

After I make it cough itself straight it runs perfectly until I turn the car off and restart it again. Then it's the same symptoms and solution. Odd.

Did you buff the car? Seems like it's clear on one side and dull on the other lol GLWS if you are indeed selling it....

The whole car is buffed.

I'll probably throw a For Sale sign on it with a wishful number and just keep driving it and working on making it better and see what happens. People stop me to talk about it and I always say it's for sale.

Car looks real good after you buffed it.
My first 86 was that color and also the second 86 I just bought. I love that color and it just glows when you buff and wax it.
Don't sell it, fix it up and keep driving it.

I'm starting to think this sounds too light to be a rod knock. What do you guys think?

https://goo.gl/photos/iXjxbfbzcoMCDk3F8

Sounds like lifter tick but lifter tick doesn't go away when when you rev it it just gets faster...So I'm unsure...

My ca20e did the same thing.

Almost 140 miles into the first tank of gas and I waver on whether that sounds is a tick or a knock almost the entire time I'm driving. It's a wonderful source of anxiety every time I have somewhere to go; sitting at a light in my oil burner with a gnarly tick looking like a successful, upstanding member of society in my 30 year old car.

Alright, another one of us! I get more and more questions about the S-12 as time goes along. Many positive comments about the car as memories come back. My 12 year old keeps asking why I don't ditch the old car and get a pickup. I tell him he just doesn't get it!

Aside from the UPS guy complimenting me on my Prelude nobody has asked me about my S12. Nobody. But I did run into a guy with an 84 300zx a couple weeks ago.

What!?  You mean no one has ever mistaken your S12 for the infamous Delorean or AE86?  Been hearing these names ever since that Back to the Future movie came out.

I'm practically begging to get into a conversation about it with someone but it hasn't happened. I guess that's why I hang around here with you bastards all the time.

I get asked about mine every other week or so. My son's friends call my Turbo with the louvers the "Back to the Future Car". Remove all the emblems and Nissan stuff and make them wonder. My SE has no indications other than on the steering wheel, starts numerous conversations that way.

weitrhino on 09:48:25 AM / 07-Jan-16I'm practically begging to get into a conversation about it with someone but it hasn't happened. I guess that's why I hang around here with you bastards all the time.

LOL!  I did what Cajon1guy did, remove all stickers and badges to keep the public guessing what the hell your driving.  During my experience, 9 out of 10 times some young guy will ask if that's an AE86.  I always respond by saying hell no!

As luck would have it this afternoon the old lady running the convenience store asked me what year it was. Said she didn't like the designs of newer cars these days. "I can appreciate it!" were her words as I was out the door.

I'll count that as a near miss.