Is there any chance the timing is off? Did the distributor hold down bolt get loosened and the distributor turned possibly?

Dogbone - just have one pull/push the engine and get the dogbone lined up. I will move with force.

Idle - is the IAC plugged in? If so try this, unplug the IAC (square 4 pin connector on the throttle body), then unscrew it. Then try this. Hold the spring back and screw the pintle into the IAC a bunch. If the pintle doesn't screw then your IAC is the type that doesn't. Some do and they spin fairly easily. If you leave the pintle screwed back and the IAC unplugged your idle should stay high till you get it figured out.

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 10-27-2010).]

Here is 2 videos put together of the car runing, or attempting to run.

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Before trying the others - try this - warm it up a bit and then try letting the idle down but keep it running. The ECM should start trying to bring up the idle. You could also try just disconnecting the battery for a bit and then connecting it again. The ECM should have it idling fast to start then.

ok, when I hooked my battery up today it was dea, and I bought it the day after I bought the car. we jumped it off with 300zx's car and left it hooke up until we stopped messing with the car. But next time i mess with the car, I will try these things and see if it helps. Did you see the video? Also before we removed the engine the car had no problem running. We changed the tranny fluid, plugs, wires, and ignition coil, clutch assembly and fork since last start. Only thing that would affect it possibly is the plugs wires, and ignition coil.

If you do remove the IAC, you can identify them by the pintle shaft. If it has slots down the side, rock it side to side while exerting pressure on the pintle. It will slowly retract. If it has a round pintle shaft, compress the spring away from the pintle head and screw the pintle down. Reinsert the spring tangs into the slots on the back of the pintle head. You want the distance from the tip of the pintle to the base where the gasket sits to be 1 and 1/8 inches.

Got my tie rod in this afternoon. There was a nut on there to mark how far to turn the end to. I'm guessing the grease fitting is a different size on the new one, so I have to get the right size fitting and pack it with grease. Tomorrow I'm going to clean all my electrical connections with muratic acid, then put dielectric grease on them. Good idea?

The nut on there was just there to keep things together. Each car is different, so the position of that nut likely didn't indicate how far to install it into the sleeve. Grease fittings should be standard, too. You shouldn't need to change it.

I wouldn't use muriatic acid. It's very corrosive. Try a good degreaser like Castrol Super Clean. It's water soluble.

Well I need something to remove corrosion and clean up the connections. I have heard to use CLR or Muratic Acid to clean the connectors, scrub, spray with connector cleaner, then grease it to prevent future corrosion. My tie rod was definately but up to the nut. I will get it aligned as soon as I start driving it to double check.

Well we got the car to run on its own, and put it on the ground to try and drive it around the yard, and the clutch isn't engaging. It just grinds when we try and put it in gear. Once we slammed it in reverse water poured from the bottom middle of the boot. Looks like 2 coolant hoses connect there, and an opening next to them. Seems to be coming from the opening part. It was a good bit of fluid. What could be the reason the clutch isn't engaging? Slave is getting good travel.

Pump the clutch pedal 5 times and see if you get the clutch to disengage. I assume you mean to say you are having problems with the clutch dis-engaging, not engaging. Also if you want to drive it, put the car in gear before you start it.

Take a block of wood and position it between the cluch's slave cylinder push rod and the arm on the tranny. Then bleed the slave, then take the wood out and see if you get the travel you need.

If I start it with the car in gear I still can't change gears. And is the fluid pouring out just an overfill tube? I topped the fluid back off, and let it run a little again, and some came out again. Before when we slammed it in reverse lots of fluid came out. It poured for a couple seconds.

The fluid comong out is radiator fluid? Do you have the thermostat out? Did you fill the engine from the thermostat housing? See ogre's cave re filling the coolant.

Well all that's in the car now is water, and water is what came out. I filled it from the engine fluid reservoir while car was on so it circulated through everywhere.

PhoneDawgz, I noticed your posting on the "slave cylinder push rod" thread. I failed to mention when I bought the new slave cylinder from the parts store, the push rod was so short it wouldnt reach the clutch arm. So I used the stock slave cylinders rod. I am getting lots of travel from the slave, and gravity bled it for a long time. Is it possible my push rod is too short? If you dont recall, I bought a slave cylinder originally and was told it was the wrong one and returned it for the one I have now. I assume there are only 2 types of slaves, one for Muncies and Isuzu's and one for Getrags. So if the first slave wasnt right the one I have now should be. Would a "custom push rod" made similarly to yours solve my problem? I have a new clutch pedal, so It isnt bent, slave is bled, and clutch wont disengage when pressed. I did have the flywheel resurfaced before I installed the clutch kit, so is it possible that there was enough taken off to couse the need for a longer rod? Just a thought into all this. Idk what else my problem could be. It seems to me that I am getting close to 2" of travel. So i dont believe travel is the problem. I could be wrong.

Your slave should look like this and the heat shield should be captured between the mount and the nuts, not between the slave and bracket.


Your throwout bearing might be installed backwards? The top in this picture goes toward the transmission and the bottom toward the pressure plate.

[This message has been edited by fierofool (edited 10-31-2010).]

That is my slave, but the rod it came with is only about 3", so I'm using the stock slaves's rod. Also I'm pretty sure my TO bearing is correct. I'll upload a pic of it installed just to double check.

The bearing is correct, and you're right to use the original push rod. You said you gravity bled the clutch system. Did you have the master higher than the slave and the driver's side higher than the passenger side? Works better that way.

I did have the master higher than the slave, but idk if I had the driver side higher than the passenger. I jacked the car from the middle of the front. So probably not. But like I said, I'm getting plenty of travel.

Measure your slave push rod throw. I know it takes two people but it will help point you in the right direction. If you are getting 1 1/8 travel or more everything before your slave is fine. If you are getting less than 1 1/8 then look from the slave back.

With the slave cylinder, if the push rod is truely too short the slave cylinder will "top out" and the piston will reach the end of it's travel. The end of it's travel is stopped by a C-clip that prevents the piston from exiting the cylinder. When this happens the pedal will get very firm. Because the C-clip presents a very strong block, excess pedal pressure WILL bend the Master Cylinder Push rod and/or the bracket the MC push rod mounts to. What will happen then is the pedal will not be pushed back to it's full upright position. Following pedal pushes will be less than a full stroke and you will get less than 1 1/8" of Slave pushrod travel. You can visually check for a bent MC pushrod. It's somewhat hard to tell if the bracket is bent with the pedal in the car. You can however see how high the pedal rests at. It SHOULD rest 1" higher than the brake pedal. If it does your MC pushrod and pedal bracket are most likely fine.

Pumping the clutch pedal several times quickly will compress any air in the system. So if pumping the pedal increases the Slave Pushrod travel that indicates air IS in the system. Nothing else can be compressed by pumping the clutch pedal.

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 11-01-2010).]

As long as the piston isn't bottoming out in the slave bore and the pushrod stays tight in the release arm, you're OK. The hydraulic system compensates for the cut on the flywheel and wear on the clutch assembly.

Have you followed the procedure for aligning your shift cables? It's explained in the Haynes Manual. Just reattaching the cables to the transmission could have your shift gates out of sync. I thought I had read that if you put it in gear and start it, it will try to creep away. That's surely in the hydraulics or clutch. Check the banjo rod, again. the 86 had a different bushing that went into the banjo rod. Also, be sure the bump on the banjo rod is turned upward. If it's downward, the clutch won't fully release. It should look something like this __________O when installed.

The banjo is correct for sure, because when I bought the car, the clutch pedal was stuck on the floor because the banjo was installed improperly. When I have the car started, and try and put it in gear nothing happens, it just grinds. When I slammed it into reverse with the clutch held down, I jerked into reverse and immediately shut off. The clutch is not disengaging at all. i am getting good travel. The clutch pedal is about an inch closer to the front of the car than the brake. It has to be the push rod. I did not align the cables yet, but I plan to. I am pretty sure that is not my problem as the clutch itself isnt disengaging. It has nothing to do with the gears. I could be wrong, but the way I have it in my head the shift cables shouldn't have anything to do with this problem. Not saying once this is fixed there wont be a problem, but I am trying to take this one step at a time.

Well, my clutch pedal appears to be bent, so we removed it heat it up and bent it back a pretty good bit. Upon reinstalling it, it wobbles a lot left to right. We removed the spring that the factory put in, but according the clutch pedal removal thread that piece can be removed and thrown out. I don't understand why it is so loose, and looks like I may have to buy another pedal.

Matt, check your PM's.

Nevermind. A kid that came over to help failed to mention there was a bushing in there before he left. Found it on the ground.

We are getting closer!!!


Clutch is perfect now.


When attempting to accelerate it hesitates almost and and there is no power as if the timing is severely retarded it doesn't feel advanced.

As far as the calipers are concerned i think it is just there time to go lol.

Are the headers glowing red - an indication of timing too retarded

Cool that you got it going!

I dont think we have seen them glowing red but the header paint that was on there flaked off after about ten minutes of running.

haha, definately not glowing red, but we did use engine enamel on the instead of flame proof paint. There is still a red tint to them, but like 300zxmaster said, it burnt off quick.

Well, I installed the other tie rod end, and played with the timing bled the front brakes, and have a little bit of braking power. Went to bleed the back, and no fluid would come through the line, it just bubbled air in the master cylinder, and the other side bleeder screw broke off. Drove it again, and I have power, but it still kind of bucks and studders. Also I have a hard time finding 3rd.

Try bleeding the broken bleeder caliper by loosening the banjo bolt on the caliper and letting the fluid run. Pump the pedal a few strokes and you should push a bunch of air out.

You will need to drill out the bleeder. Drill a bigger and bigger hole into the bleeder till you can get the bleeder out. Try to get as close to the threads as you can without killing the threads.

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There is an adjustment for the shifter in the Haynes manual. Do the adjustment and see if that gets you into 3rd better.

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Bucks and studders - Set the timing with a light. Check the center pin of the TPS with the key on, engine off, tps connected. (stuff a paper clip up the backside of the connector to measure the voltage) You should have 0.6 with the throttle closed and about 4 with the throttle fully open.

Do the same with the MAP sensor. Key on engine off center pin should read about 4 volts (ish) Then start the engine and the reduced absolute pressure of the intake should reduce the output voltage of the sensor to about 0.9v

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I just bought a multimeter too. Guess I get to put it to use! I will keep this info handy next time I work on it. I drove iy tonight, and it ran good in first and second. Before I got home, there was a puddle of water in the passenger floor board and smoke coming from the boot.

Since you have your meter out check the Coolant Temperature Sensor (CTS) and the MAT (Manifold Air Temperature) sensor conviently located on the air filter housing.

Measure the resistance from pin to pin on the CTS and the MAT and compare it to the following chart. See if it seems to be reading the correct temperatures.

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 11-05-2010).]

Was it smoke or steam? And when you say 'boot' do you mean the front compartment? Sounds like the heater core dumped on you. Not really hard to change out. Just be sure you get a replacement for a car with A/C if you have air. You'll need to remove the right speaker grill and speaker to make access to a couple of top screws much easier. I have a flexible shaft drive that I use for those screws along with a battery powered driver. I also usually leave the top screws out when reassembling.

If it's smoke, check it out and find the cause before driving it any more. Wouldn't want to see you loose all your hard work.

I assumed it was the heater core. Its steam. Comes through the vents whe I turn the air on. My car had air until someone unhooked the pulley from the A/C compressor (probably because it stopped working) and now its siezed up. So I removed it. But I'll still get the AC heater core just in case I hook it back up, or if it calls for it since the car was originally equipped with air. Phonedawgz, are you a walking repair manual with all these #'s?