It was amazing to see how much crash protection was built into that car - thank heavens. How did the new car drive? Funny thing though - the CVT was not very snappy off the line, probably because the gearing is so variable. My '12 Frontier pickup, with the 5spd automatic, would easily beat it across an intersection. From what I've read about that package, Nissan seems to have limited the actual power to preserve the CVT transmission in different ways. WOT throttle isn't very exciting, cause there's no downshifting. Of course it accelerates very well, in a civilized manner, but without gears it's not much fun. I haven't touched the paddle shifters yet, so maybe those are more exciting, but the roads are still too cr*ppy to test it. I think that car with a 6spd LSD would be scary. It's a very nice car and my wife is happy, so I'll concentrate on thrashing the Shark this year.

 

I really hate this winter weather. Can't do nuthin' ...

 

I hear ya. We had 2 decent days here this past weekend and the wife and kids wanted to take a road trip. Today the temps are back in the low 20's s and it is windy as all heck.

 

My half moon seals are waiting on me still.
Only one motor mount in.

 

Ah, the good ol' college days - ROAD TRIP !!! Mexico border towns most every weekend, and doctor visits most every Monday.

 

I hear ya - it's 35* here at the moment. Global warming is messing with my spring plans - Oh, I guess that's global cooling ! Sorry to hear your half moons are leaking - wait, what's that, and which half is leaking ?

 

Dropped my trans and saw it.
Upper oil pan facing the trans is the leak.
Already ordered the parts.
I need a lot of patience on this.
Almost all firsts for me.

 

So a leaky rear main seal - not the end of the world. I think it's supposed to be warmer this weekend, so you should be able to fix it by then.

 

Not the rear main, the half moon seal right below it.
As long as my parts get here, I hope to be done in the next week.

 

Yesterday, after work, I took the Shark out for a highway run and redlined it in 1st, 2nd and third like usual (really enjoy that IPT Altima transmission) and on the way home I started hearing an engine noise, like light, then heavy, tapping. It got worse on the way home and I barely made it into the driveway. The engine shakes at idle (1200 RPMs) and revving it just makes more noise.

I'm afraid that there is major piston or bearing damage to the engine, from the sounds it's making now. I think a compression check is next, then maybe pulling the oil pan to take a look. If there is serious engine damage, then I need to decide what to do next. I've put so much effort and money into this car that I hate to see it broken, but maybe its time to move on to something else.

The next week will probably decide what I'm going to do with the Shark.



EDIT: Dated April 2 2014. This was a lame attempt at an April Fools joke. Guess no one but Fakie read it. Anyway, never mind. The Shark is running jest fine.

 

Ummmm, I might need a payment plan...with that being said I hope you keep it.

Wait..hope this isn't a sad April fools joke.

 

I was just reading this and it was making me sad. Then I read the last part lol.

Glad the car is still running good!

 

Gotcha ! but it was only a small attempt at an April Fools joke.

Car's running fine, but weather has been cold, cloudy, rainy, a tornado in SE KS., 2 inch window-bustin' hail in Wichita, and generally cr*ppy weather - and another week of the same is predicted. Some of the winter sand and salt has been washed off the streets, so that's good for me. I guess I can use the time to locate another 55 gallons of E98 for blending (Fuzion Works in Wichita sells it) and get all the nitrous tanks filled.

Still California Dreaming ???

 

Sounds like a good plan!

Yep, still California dreaming! haha

 

Nicer weather coming - except for snow Sun. nite / Monday is predicted. One of my upcoming upgrade plans is to replace all brake rotors with Brembos (again) and install EBC yellow pads on all four corners, plus change the brake fluid again. Reason is for better brakes is to run around road course tracks for fun, and because I can't lock up the tires since I installed the M/T ET Street Radials on all four corners.

I wondered if maybe the engine vacuum is low, so I bought a real oil-filled new vacuum gauge off eBay and hooked it up last night. Seems that there is 15" of vacuum at my usual 1000 RPM idle, which seems kinda low, but I don't know what it should be on a "normal" 4th gen. Blipping the throttle will spike it up to about 20" but idle is 15". Maybe that's normal for the Cosworth ZK2 cams amd 114* LSA, but I dunno. Nothing is stock in this engine, so I'll have to drive the car some and see if the vacuum goes up when letting off the throttle. I have replaced the one-way inline valve that goes to the master cylinder last year - just in case - but no improvement.

"It's always something"

 

15" at 1000 rpm sounds about right considering those cams. I have 20.4" at 750 rpm and 18.6 @ 1000 rpms. The brake booster only needs 13-14"s to produce full braking pressures.

 

Those are useful vacuum numbers - I dug around in FSMs but couldn't find any numbers, and I've never had a vacuum gauge installed in this car so didn't know what to expect. So the booster only needs 13-14" maximum to do its thing? Sounds like I do need to replace all the brake system parts, then. EBC yellow pads are supposed to be super good for street/track use and better than the Hawk HPS pads I have now. Also plan on using Speedway Motor's AFCO hi-temp DOT 3/4/5.1 600-degree fluid. I guess I'll go ahead and start ordering the parts and making a pile in the corner until I'm ready to have my shop install everything correctly.

I still think I should be able to lock up the M/T ET Street Drag Radials on demand, but I can't as it sits. The car will stop very quickly when I stand on the pedal, but no tire noise and no skid marks since I switched to these tires. First time that this has happened to me - well, come to think of it, I couldn't lock up the M&H slicks either when slowing down after passing the traps, but with low tire pressure, the car would shake its head when I tried to stop too hard. Guess I'll find out if this is a good idea or if the M/T tires just are too sticky to lock up.

Thanks for the numbers....

 

I could never get my MT 275/50/15's to lock up (not that I wanted them to) on dry pavement w/ the abs.... there is just too much grip with that compound of tire. On a rain soaked road driving home from a rainout.... yeah, the abs and traction control did their magic. I had stock rotor and Advanced Auto ceramic pads. I don't think you have any worries there. Lol
The tracks here are opening soon. Let's hope all goes as planned for the both of us this year.

 

I could never get my MT 275/50/15's to lock up (not that I wanted them to) on dry pavement w/ the abs.... there is just too much grip with that compound of tire. On a rain soaked road driving home from a rainout.... yeah, the abs and traction control did their magic. I had stock rotor and Advanced Auto ceramic pads. I don't think you have any worries there. Lol
The tracks here are opening soon. Let's hope all goes as planned for the both of us this year.

 

Amen to that - it snowed again today, 33* this morning, supposed to drop to 26* tonight. The rest of the week is iffy, but I gotta go the KC this weekend and help one of the daughters + family move to another house. So no race track time for me... Whee.....

 

update

 

He should, it's nice in Kansas today.

 

That was a long freaking weekend. Job is done, though. Tracks are just starting their spring schedules, and I need to get my nitrous bottles filled. I need to install the remaining new NX super-flo valve and siphon tube in a bottle, first. Can you believe I have nine 15 lb bottles? I gotta weigh everything again, but it's gonna cost $$$ to get those filled. I've burned up all four jugs of E85 and need to go to Lawrence KS to get them filled. I took the Shark out yesterday because the temp was up over 70* so the engine temp got up over 170* when engine runs best, and I'm liking the 4.5 final drive more and more. I get thru that nasty bog at the 1-2 shift quicker and ran it up over 100MPH in third very quickly. It drank about two gallons doing that, too.

Wichita KS is having a special NO-PREP race on May 10 which is gonna be lots of heads-up street racing on their new track. I'm going to spectate for sure, weather willing and the creek don't rise. Of course we had .63" of rain today and 1.25" on Friday, so rains will be happening for 2-3 months now. No bracket racing, at least.

 

Looks like the weather has finally flipped over to "Spring" mode, so I'm starting on a way to mount a 36-1 trigger wheel on the crank pulley - without welding on the installed pulley. I had an idea about that yesterday - if I use a standard crank bolt, weld a 1-1/2" diameter pipe stub to the bolt, make a 3-1/2" circle of 1/8" steel, drill a 1-1/2" hole in the middle, then drill and tap the circle to match the eight rows of slots in one of my trigger wheels, maybe I can take out the existing crank bolt, screw in the modified trigger-bolt and tighten, then bolt the trigger wheel to the steel adapter plate for the correct slot placement and perfect rotation.

Dang - that sounds good, anyway. I have some 1/8" steel ordered along with a couple of extra crank bolts. I already have a few Milwaukee hole saws for 3-1/2", 3", and 1-1/2" (to get a socket on the crank bolt) so just maybe this will work.

The goal is to create a way to mount a 36-1 trigger wheel (or other) to any nissan 3.0 or 3.5 crank without removing anything but the crank bolt. Of course I'll have to build a bracket to hold a Hall sensor to read the trigger wheel, but that's simple. I'll also need to come up with a cam sensor but I have ideas about that one - it's mounting the trigger wheel that's the biggie problem.

 

I visited a farm supply store last night, looking for some pipe, and found a chunk of 1-5/8" OD steel pipe and a 14-tooth #60 gear with a finished bore hole of 1-5/8" that is 4" wide. Maybe I don't need to cut out 3 1/2" circles from a 1/8" plate? Took both items home and eyeballed everything - I think this will work fine - if - I can drill lots of holes in the gear, to mount the trigger wheel. The holes will also need to be tapped, so the holes need to go thru the gear, but this looks good. Pics coming if all the parts will really fit.

Then I loaded up a couple of 5 gal jugs and drove 30 miles to Lawrence KS (Zarco station) to buy my first pump E85 of this year. Surprise - they have put in new blender pumps, and E20, E30, E40, and E85 were the choices. Of course I got 10 gals of E85 to take home. There was also a regular gas selection with 15% ethanol, in addition to the normal 10%. Looks like 15% ethanol for everyone is really coming.

Better surprise - at home I got out the chemistry set and tested my fuel, and it was E85 on the nose. Guess their blender pump is working OK - in the past that was unusual. I always test pump fuel, for good reasons, since E85 pumps can be kinda random. It's time to fill up everything that has a lid with real E85 ! Then, get the 15 lb nitrous bottles filled up. I have seven that need filling, and two full ones in reserve. Gottle install the last new NX valve/tube in one bottle, first. I'm getting itchy to hit a track, now that the weather is acting normally.

The big Wichita Dragway No-Prep race is still scheduled for the coming Saturday, and their web page says that six of the OKC street racers "on the list" will be there, plus one wannabe, "Freakin Rician" might be there. Nothing about the Farm Truck, but you never know. This is gonna be good...


http://www.kidragway.com/

 

U have a gopro

 

Still no....

 

We were at the Wichita track from around 2PM to 7PM, got good seats in the grandstand about 75 ft from the launch line, and saw the most incredible 1/8 mile races I have ever seen - well, maybe the ADRL cars were a little faster, but they never would have handled the OKC street racers out on the streets.

I only shot photos of Daddy Dave's car and Andrades' car (did not run that day)in the pits. They launched faster than my finger could push the button. Dang - those cars literally leaped off the line and held their front wheels high varying from half the 1/8 mile to wheels-up all the way down. No clocks were used but they had spotters at the marked 1/8 mile.

Daddy Dave (cause he has 7 kids by various women is the rumor) signed my Induction Solutions shirt, (He's number 1 on the OKC Street Racer's list) and I got a few photos of his Sonoma inside and out. He got called for a grudge match against a "66 vette" ProMod race car and the vette edged him out for the win, but that never would happen out on a street at 3AM It was stiill one hella race with both cars nose-up all the way. Daddy Dave has three nitrous stages on his engine - that I could find. Induction Solutions (Steve Johnson) builds most of their nitrous systems.

One of them mentioned that they are "filming" their third season's show for the Discovery Channel right now. The first two seasons were incredible to watch!

 

I was just checking the Test-n-Tune schedule at our local track, and I think I see my car in a photo in that section, in the far lane. There are LandShark decals in the rear quarter window, so that narrows it down a bit. Weirdness.... so the next Test-N-Tune is Friday May 30. Guess I better be there.

NHRA Nationals start on this coming Friday and go thru Sunday, so I'm gonna go at least some of Saturday and Sunday. Maybe the track will still be sticky on the following Friday!

http://hpt.com/street-legal-test-n-tune/

 

The Kansas nationals were great - By the time Sunday's eliminations were over, all classes had completed with winners, in spite of the rains on Friday. Courtney Force managed to win Nitro Funny Car - may the Force be with you! A bunch of Nitro cars went over 320 MPH. Those monsters really rattle your insides and no earplug will help - they are incredibly loud !!

I finally got some time to work on my car today. I wired up a direct switch to the torque converter lockup solenoid, using an extra switch on my Shift_Fast_3 tranny shifter. Now I can lock the TC at any speed in any gear, even at WOT. The most interesting thing was when the TC was locked toward the top of first gear before the 1-2 shift, then when it shifted, the car seemed to pull harder than usual up thru the gears. Shifts were harder with the TC locked, as well. Got to tie this in so it's "automatic".

 

Beautiful picture.

Sorry I missed that post.
I would have like to have gone.

Next time, and congratulations on always moving two steps forward if you fall one step back!

 

Is your stall rpm any different in first gear?

 

?? It's pretty hard to test the stall RPM in first gear with the TC locked - since the engine dies. Starting while locked up would also be - exciting...

Now if I used an extra MSD RPM switch and relay to lock the torque converter at a certain RPM - say, 4K RPM - then I could keep it locked up after launch until the traps. Not sure what that would prove, but it's doable. Probably easier for now to just flip the switch before the 1-2 shift, though.

Previous testing of the manually locked torque converter has produced little or no gains, but this setup feels stronger. Only the strips' clocks can tell that for sure, though.

 

The reason I asked is because when my tranny is very cold the TCCS acts up and engages in first gear, and yes it WILL stall the engine if my foot is off the gas. If I power brake while it is doing this the rpm's will only climb to around 1200 or so, hence my asking if you had tried it in a similar scenario.

 

No, I use a switch to engage the TC solenoid, fully 100% on (or off), and if you do that at any RPM and in any gear, the torque converter is bypassed and it acts like a manual clutch - and the engine will immediately die if the car is not moving. Most people don't realize (or care!) about the fact that the stock transmission controls often modulate the voltages going to the transmission solenoids, probably so that things happen smoothly when changing gears or engaging "overdrive" (TC lockup).

In my case, it's all-or-nothing when solenoids are switched ON or OFF with my controller. This makes for super-hard and fast gear changes and a very positive TC lockup. I can connect the twice-modified TC and IPT-built transmission to the factory controllers, and the car is much more civilized to drive on the city streets. Best of both worlds, I guess. The difference is even more noticible when the TC is locked at the top of first gear and I continue to go thru the gears. The mushy feeling when shifting is gone - it's like the fastest clutchless manual transmission you can imagine.

 

Tonight I installed a spare MSD RPM switch and connected it to engage the TC at a preset RPM. That worked fine - I used 5000 RPMs as a set point - above that the TC is locked until RPMs drop below that. That isn't the right solution though, so back to the manual switch.

I did the usual 200 mile oil change using Mobil1 0W-40W European oil and 1/2 bottle of Comp Cams Break-In additive. Getting ready for a Friday Test-n-Tune coming up this weekend.

I made a couple of on-ramp runs tonight and easily blasted over 100MPH in three gears. That was fun and interesting. Tomorrow night it's nitrous testing, at least with a 75-shot. Maybe more if things are working right ...

 

I loaded in a fresh 15 lb bottle last night and went for a drive, with just the primary 75-shot stage engaged. Went to my private race track on the Interstate on-ramps and launched in first gear - about 4500 RPM DR tires broke loose and hit the rev limiter, shifted into 2nd, then pulled hard again until I slowed to merge. There's only room there to hit around 80, so I rolled down to the next exit where I can loop back to the Intersate with a much longer on-ramp. Had to wait for traffic (don't you hate that?) but got a good blast in 2nd and 3rd gears with the 75-shot, then went back to the garage and parked for the night.

I think I'm ready for a little time on the track Friday night - if the predicted rain doesn't happen. I did not get the trailer out and prepped because of the 50% chance of rain, so if the weather is good after work, I'll load the Shark on the trailer and pull the circus out to Heartland Park. The new transmission is working great so I need a couple of complete WOT passes just to test everything. I do have the second direct-port stage available, so if all mechanical parts are still working, I'll connect the direct-port stage and see what I can do.

I think I have an idea about how to manage the torque converter lockup for racing. If I use the MSD RPM switch to pick a self-latching relay which engages the locking solenoid, then connect another relay to the brake pedal so that if the brake lights are triggered, the self-latching relay is released, then I should have it whipped. The converter locks when I first hit say 5000 RPM (first gear) and isn't released until I tap the brakes. That's pretty brainless and easy to live with, I'm thinking. Something to build this weekend...

 

so did you go

 

Yes, I did, only made two runs. Track was dry, no rain after all. FINALLY was able to make smoky and straight burnouts without blowing a diff, but power was WAY down for some reason. The first pass was with just the 75-shot all the way, and the car was still in 3rd gear at the traps. Second pass,about 1/2 hour later, was after I enabled the direct-port stage limited to 70% of the 150-shot jetting. Launches in first gear were consistently shi**y, but once into 2nd gear the car pulled hard - until somewhere around the 1000 ft marker, where the M/Ts started breaking loose and yanking the car side-to-side! Apparently the rev limiter was reached and I wound up in 4th gear rolling thru the traps. I put it on the trailer - something was wrong.

This is where you sit down and think about everything that happened. First-gear launches were gutless - hummmm - I had changed out the winter intake MAF and filter with the KramAir intake and MAF, but hadn't tested it. First thing on the list to check, along with making some ECUTalk logs. Yesterday I weighed the 15lb nitrous bottle I had used earlier on highway runs before going to the track, and it was down to 26lbs from a full 33lbs. I warmed the bottle to 950 psi both times, but noticed that the last purge showed a weak plume. ?? I have the purge vent right at the left corner of the hood so I can see it clearly. A healthy purge kinda reminds you of a propane torch flame - a solid core in the middle and a well-defined lighter cone on the outside. My last purge was "sputtery" - I should have installed a fresh bottle for the track - my last full bottle.

The scariest part of the second pass was when I lost traction and the car began jerking around across the lane - the tires would break loose and grab traction very quickly, while making tire-squealing noises. I've hit "bald spots" on other days on various tracks, but this track just hosted the NHRA Nationals the previous weekend - but the big boys only run to 1000 feet, and I'm guessing that the track was not prepped or treated past the 1000 ft mark. One good thing - the spooled differential held up under that hammering. Whew. At least the new tricked-up Altima transmission is working perfectly.

I have some work to do before I go out again. Guess I need to get eight 15 lb nitrous bottles filled, to start, then figure out what happened to first gear power. Probably should pull off the intake manifold and check all plugs, too. ""It's always something"

 

I spent a little quality time alone last night - with my car - and concentrated on just first-gear NA launches from a full stop. I find that if I smack the throttle lightly, the car jumps forward as you would expect, but somewhere around 1/2 throttle, the car starts to bog instead. Flooring the throtle from a stop is super-boggy. The best way to get the car moving seems to be tapping the throttle about 1/3 open first then rolling into it completely by 4500 - feels the strongest. Of course this is also super-slow launching, which is the problem. I had also swapped out the front-intake-under the lip-of-the hood MAF with a conventional filter MAF, just in case, but no improvement.

Next I'll make a few ECUTalk logs and see if something looks obviously wrong. I still need to pull off the intake stuff and look at plugs. I also verified that the nitrous controllers are active when the trunk control switch is flipped ON, and that I do have +12 volts going to both pairs of solenoids. I'm presently using just the NX3 controller and I checked the programming, which looks fine. Both stages combined were programmed to deliver about a 180-shot, and I'm not feeling that last Friday at the track. I think that the power came on strong in 3rd gear on my 2nd pass, when the 275 M/Ts broke loose and scared the heck out of me. I've had that happen on the highway last year.

It ain't over yet....