What did you do with your Z today V (ON TOPIC DISCUSSION ONLY)

Originally Posted by TheFLiP

So, what did I do? It's definitely a saga that took the span of two months. Here's the Cliffs notes version.

Took it to the shop to get the following installed:
Z1 anti fuel starvation kit, KW V3 plus supporting SPL links, SOHO Motorsports A2A with the Stillen Supercharger kit with crash bar, Z1 34 row oil cooler. ~460 whp on the Dyno.

Car lasted about 500 miles before the engine blew. Later learned catastrophic failure of the high flow cats.

Towed back to the shop ~250 miles away. Ordered new engine from a '17 Nismo with 17.5k miles. Added Motordyne headers and test pipes. Dyno showed 499 rwhp in Albuquerque's 5,300 ft elevation. Car's running way better. Added a crackle and pop tune to one (out of 5) of the maps. Car runs strong. Runs hot at 220°F and climbs quickly during spirited driving.

Added Z1 2-piece rotors, steel braided brake lines, and new yellow stuff EBC pads, front and rear Hotchkis sway bars, and the 15+ Nismo front and rear bumper.

Took her to the track. 89°F max temp for the day. Found out that I can't do more than three laps without the car dangerously overheating. Thought I had coolant leak. Nope. Cooling just can't keep up and fluids boiled over. Almost burnt my hand when I checked the coolant level when I thought it had cooled enough. I was wrong but thankfully it had cooled down but just not enough. Max oil temp I saw was 290°F. Max coolant temp was one dot from max. This was when I didn't check temps and was chasing a lap time. This was after two laps from ~200°F oil temp on the gauge. Oops. Engine life has definitely gone down quite a bit. I'm surprised the engine didn't blow.

Topped off on coolant and drove home. Had a friend follow me just in case. Car worked fine on highway speeds. Just can't handle the track.

Today, I took apart the car's front end and bottom undershroud to clean all the coolant that went everywhere. Drained the oil from the engine, lines, and oil cooler. I also installed the front wheel well liners today. Went to the track without it.

Tomorrow, I put her back together, and try a test drive. We'll see what we get. The next project is to address the cooling issue with a new radiator, additional side mounted oil coolers, different fan blades and hood vents. Someday. I have to lick my financial wounds from the unexpected engine swap.

Any tips would be appreciated.Attachment 142688

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Originally Posted by Z_ealot

Was gonna ask how you overheated, but then saw you have the stillen supercharger... also, Albuquerque is over 6,000 feet and I'm wondering why you drove all the way from El Paso to here.... getting tuned by sqc? Also, as someone else mentioned already, get yourself some hood vents!

Originally Posted by TheFLiP

The closest Nissan specialty shop is NM Imports so I had them work on the install and SQC did the tuning.

I'm going to get the track spec hood vent kit and the CSF radiator soon before I run her that hard again.

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Originally Posted by Hotrodz

I would recommend keeping your OEM radiator. It is the most reliable radiator for the Z. Get the vents and do some ducting as Rusty stated.

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Originally Posted by Z_ealot

Agreed.... seen to many people now that have had issues with the csf radiator to be comfortable recommending one, especially for track use

Originally Posted by Rusty

Seems like they're good for about 2 years at the most. Then they crap out.

Originally Posted by TheFLiP

Glad I saw this before I ordered it. I did, on the other hand, order the hood vents from TrackSpec.
https://trackspecmotorsports.com/nis...er-vent-kit-79

Another issue popped up today. After changing the oil and coolant, I drove the car around and after 150miles or so, the idle started getting worse and the Check Engine light popped up saying I'm running too lean. I was running the crackle-and-pop tune on it so, I dunno. I didn't have the issue before the track day. This just sounds like I need to start a new thread looking for a mentor.

I'm closing in on my wit's end. I told my buddy that I'm gonna put a ream of paper under the rear tires so it's an actual paperweight.

Kidding aside, what do I start looking at? Clean the MAF sensors and throttle body, check vacuum lines? I disconnected the battery before I put her to bed tonight. I don't know what else to do. I really just want to get it to a point where it's stable with the SC kit.

Rusty, do you know of any pictures of the air guides for our cars so I have an idea of what I'll be doing and not waste too much aluminum? Thanks.

Originally Posted by TheFLiP

Glad I saw this before I ordered it. I did, on the other hand, order the hood vents from TrackSpec.
https://trackspecmotorsports.com/nis...er-vent-kit-79

Another issue popped up today. After changing the oil and coolant, I drove the car around and after 150miles or so, the idle started getting worse and the Check Engine light popped up saying I'm running too lean. I was running the crackle-and-pop tune on it so, I dunno. I didn't have the issue before the track day. This just sounds like I need to start a new thread looking for a mentor.

I'm closing in on my wit's end. I told my buddy that I'm gonna put a ream of paper under the rear tires so it's an actual paperweight.

Kidding aside, what do I start looking at? Clean the MAF sensors and throttle body, check vacuum lines? I disconnected the battery before I put her to bed tonight. I don't know what else to do. I really just want to get it to a point where it's stable with the SC kit.

Rusty, do you know of any pictures of the air guides for our cars so I have an idea of what I'll be doing and not waste too much aluminum? Thanks.