it took half a day to install them with a press. worth the effort. just be sure to center the wheel before you take it off. and be sure to top off the PS fluid afterward. I forgot to do that and got air lock in my PS pump which I thought killed it but the fix for that is turning the wheel all the way left to the lock and then all the way right to the lock and holding it a few seconds, that seems to clear out the air.

 

I'm working on the VDC off + Slip problem today. I know it's not the cam sensor because the car is not in limp mode, it can rev to redline. I read that there's a VDC connector under the console that I might have forgotten to connect when I put the short shifter in. I do have a fuse out because the dash fan is not working also to do. point being, it is probably one of the four traction sensors. The lines don't quite fit in the fortune auto mounts so they might be stretched. I'll take them all off and clean them, etc, see if that clears it up. this is a damn hard problem to troubleshoot because you have to drive the car.

 

thanks for the info on the steering rack, I'll def. do that this summer when its too hot to run. Good luck on the VDC stuff, im glad I got the base model

 

I cleaned both the front and rear speed sensors twice and let them dry then reinstalled. The VDC Off and Slip lights came on instantly when I put it in R in the garage. The car seems to be driving fine though so this is going to be tough to troubleshoot.





Drove 60 miles, cruising at 80, hitting 90-100 occasionally, very smooth and tight. Lots of NVH as expected. No surprises. Need new tires. I'm just happy it's on the road again after so long. I'll figure out this last problem...

 

While a generic OBD scanner won't help you, there mostly likely is a Nissan specific reader that can pull in the codes for the traction control module and tell you exactly what's going on. Unfortunately I don't have enough experience with Z cars to tell you what that would be.

probably something like this?

 

I have a cheap generic OBD2 scanner and also a wireless Bluetooth module for use with track addict and both report 0 codes. which means it's a real-time error, not stored. when I shut off and start the car, the lights are off, but then as soon as I put it into gear, without even moving, that triggers both lights. so there are a couple of threads addressing this that I'm reading up on.

 

That's my point, generic readers are only capable of reading engine module error codes, since there are the only standardized codes across manufacturers. You'll need a scanner capable of reading Nissan specifc modules to scan traction control codes.

 

Ah. I didn't think about that. of course that makes sense, I'm just thick sometimes..
I have an iCarSoft POR for the Cayman used mainly to clear the oil change notification. do you have one of these for your 986? anyway, yeah, a custom device for the 350Z is a great idea...

 

Z1 offers one for $200. I can still try topping off the brake fluid and checking the yaw sensor under the console. but I'll order one of these anyway, looks very useful.

https://www.z1motorsports.com/z1-pro...l-p-21999.html

 

No, I don't have one for my 987, I just live with the oil change reminder popping up for the first few seconds the car is turned on. What else can it do besides clearing this message?

 

iCarSoft is set to your car's vin so it's definitely not just a generic Porsche code reader. flat 6 had to send me a replacement when the first one wasn't programmed for my car. it can do all kinds of useful things, similar to that Z1 scanner. like, retracting brake pistons, engaging ABS for brake bleeding, running smog tests, etc.

after buying the car last year, a recurring engine light kept coming up and the code was exhaust related. I don't recall the actual code now. I replaced the cat back and the code hasn't returned. I think one of the secondary cats was clogged. since those aren't required for smog, that's one good reason to replace the factory cat-back.




this piece was only $500 from topspeed1 which I don't understand because the competition is $2,000+. it cleared the problem and it sounds good. made in Texas. I think people assume it's poor quality because of the price. but the welds were all good.
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in my search for various solutions that came across this video which I think is very interesting. I did not know this, did any of you? when you tap the brake pedal, that briefly cuts off the fuel pump. these guys show how to disable that. I want to install a switch rather than cutting the wire.

they also talk about disabling the yaw sensor and the ABS entirely which I also don't want to do permanently, but a switch on the power wire of those connectors could be very useful. mounted to the dash.

 

You don't want to disable ABS entirely without substituting some sort of manual front/rear bias valve. The ABS controls the bias and without it the car would be pretty much undrivable.
Also, if you don't want to cut wires to the ECU I believe the ARC license provides these features via software.

 

a hardware proportioning valve would have to be added which would be awkward or impossible given how the brake distribution block works. I'm more interested in the other two disables.



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The Z1 Foxwell arrived. It's very helpful. Essential for a track car.






in the Nissan specific menus, there are error codes stored for each module separately from each other. The steering position angle sensor was throwing a code so I realigned it. Don't know if that worked or not. there's also a code in the ABS system.




you can also play with the systems, toggling switches.


there were no generic OBD2 codes.

 

p.s. The VCS off and slip lights are off now. so one of those two Nissan codes triggered those two lights which I don't know, I guess it was the ABS. could have been the steering position sensor. just went out for a drive and the car is a terror on public streets which are just silly. this car is like a tiger in a cage. If I turn off VCS, I can totally drift U-turns in 2nd gear.

sorry about the gushing here folks but it's been a long time on jack stands and I am enjoying the hell out of this car finally. again. thrilled that the dash lights are off. that foxwell device was a good investment.

I'm noticing the NVH a lot more now. it's unbelievably loud! 😆 this is not a commuter or good for a long trip. The fortune auto coilovers are fantastic but everything else the vibration and noise is incredible. ha ha! I would say it's not a harsh ride at all. there's not really harshness at the middle setting. for track I probably will put it only like three notches above middle maybe even just leave it at 12.

what else is left to do? I need to get the dash fan working. I know where to look for the switch. The rear hatch is fine although I would like to do pins. I've got my eyes on some fiberglass fenders with vents and of course body work/paint would be a nice finish. idk if that's necessary. it's not a show car.

I might post here from time to time but I think this car is done! The next big project will be the vortech.

this forum has been invaluable. thanks to the fellas who are regulars here. would have never gotten this car done without your help.

 

Glad that worked for you and you're able to enjoy the car. 👍

 

awesome man, great news. Hard work pays off, I might invest in that scanner too. Go enjoy it. The Z is such a great platform.

 

I'm getting up at dawn to go for a drive on my favorite curvy mountain road (up past Beale AFB and Chuck Yeager's house in Penn Valley and then over from Colfax to Auburn and the old highway 49 canyon run). here's a photo of one year ago before all of the upgrades.



I was actually talking to a friend last night about it and he asked me how it compares to the Cayman now. I had to think about that. The Cayman is stock and the shift cables are failing so it's somewhat grounded right now. I think the Z at this point is way way faster than the Cayman. but it took a hell of a lot of work to get there. The Cayman (or a Boxster) with upgrades will be incredible.

 

thats a great comparison. I was on track this monday with a stock cayman and it wasnt slow!