Al Savage's 1982 Maxima Wagon

#46

Changed the oil today, it's been 2.5 years on the old 15W40 synth I put in back when I got it back from Dan.

Didn't add any oil between, IIRC.

FSM says 6.5 US Qts, I put 6.5 in and it's above the 'H' mark, as usual. I'm running the Wix 51085 filter.

#47

asavage wrote:FSM says 6.5 US Qts, I put 6.5 in and it's above the 'H' mark, as usual. I'm running the Wix 51085 filter.

Doesn't seem so easy to get all the oil out of that batwing oilpan. I tried jacking the car to different angles but now just dont worry about it any more. 3,000 mile oil changes. Already sure you know the 6.5qt includes what you prefilled the filter with.

#48

Related Q: both my diesel Maxis take a long time for the OP light to go out. I have tried several different filters, including OEM, no change.

What is your experience?

#49

asavage wrote:Related Q: both my diesel Maxis take a long time for the OP light to go out. I have tried several different filters, including OEM, no change.

What is your experience?

What would you consider a long time? Mine takes about 3-5 seconds to go out on cold startup. Less when the engine is warm.

#50

Mine does about the same. Oil pressure lamp SEEMS to take longer to extinguish after car has been parked pointing uphill. Need to pay more attention to this before I am for sure about it. Originally thought it had to do w/ certain oil filters. Was able to find a locally-available Purolater (can get the p/n later) that I liked in 2005 that appeared to minimize the problem. Currently using Motocraft FL-1a because it's eaiser to remove/install; my hands can grip the flutes better and 3,000 mi sneaks up sooner than it should.

All the applicable filters I have inspected have anti-drainback, and the mounting position is near enough vertical so that draining from the filter probably is not the problem. Guessing worn oil pump/excessive tolerances. Anybody have a real gauge to hook up to see what is really going on?

#51

Pyrometer installation

Three weeks ago, I did the easy part of installing a pyrometer on this rig: I installed the Type K thermocouple. I'm just throwing out some pics first.

7/16" bit, 1/4" NPT tap. The manifold is not as thick as I'd thought it would be; perhaps 3/32". Std tapping oil, fresh tap, light touch, a bit of anti-seize compound. Never tap warm or hot cast iron, BTW.

The hard part will be mounting the gauge and stringing wires.

#52

Are you trying to establish baseline EGT in anticipation of a turbo?

#53

Yup. I am not going to change the IP timing or max fuelling. I'm going to baseline the EGT on my regular commute which includes hills and speeds that do not change (rural). After the pyrometer and tach are installed, it's off to the dyno. After that, I hang and plumb the turbo, note changed EGTs, and re-dyno. Then mods, such as possibly larger exhaust sections, water injection, intercooler, things like that.

#54

This is the pyro I bought a couple of years back for my '84 F250, and never got around to installing. The little green "pills" in the ziplock are bulb covers to color the illumination lamp green to match the Maxima's dash illumination

I'm not sure I'm going to use that cheap-ass gauge mount. I've kind of resigned myself to having to mount it above the glovebox. On the dash top is just too high and in my line of vision for seeing other things, and I don't see a good/easy way to mount it anywhere else that I can actually see it without looking completely away from the outside, where I should be watching.

#55

> mounting...

Is a headliner console behind the sunvisors possible? Maybe flex in a 3/16" mounting board between the headliner trim above each door to avoid any cutting or holes... Or solder/braze some brackets onto a 4" strip of 16ga steel, soften the edges, flex into place and trap behind the headliner trim. Decorate to suit - maybe spray glue some fabric onto the whole mounting strip to match the headliner. Put the bulky stuff (the pyro gauge) in the center between seats so you don't hit your head.

I assume pillar mount a'la the ricers doesn't appeal or fit well.

The meter looks pretty deep - 2 1/2"+?

Cheers, Rufus

#56

a a-pillar mount can be modded from a 80's honda civic, so I hear. But a-pillar mounts are pretty ricer'y and I just plain out dont like it, you could mount the gauge on top of the drivers side hvac vent, but it would interfere with the defrosting of the drivers side window

#57

My '82 Wagon is a test mule; the plan is to eventually gut it for the engine for a transplant to some entirely different kind of Wagon, non-Nissan. It's rusty too. I keep it in working order but never really wash it or clean it much, and making the gauges beautiful isn't very high on my list, but I appreciate the ideas.

The main dash is too high to mount gauges above it (IMO). The A-pillar is a definite possibility, though it's awfully conspicuous. I may put the tach there.

#58

I had to move all the cars from my "private junkyard" Saturday to mow and string trim. When I pushed them back (I drove the Wagon, of course), I took another pic.

The yellow truck is the "Arlington Truck", 1986 gasser with about 318k miles. Engine pulled and sold, the '82 "Bellingham Truck's" engine on a pallet in the back, cleaned and ready to drop in. Peter is coming over Tuesday to start disassembling the '82 5-spd to replace the brgs, and to pop-rivet in the JY battery tray.

Haven't done anything to the silver '81 "Orting Truck" since I dragged it home months ago. I fired it once: bad injector + broken return line. No time to do anything to it. Looks ugly but all fluids very clean. Good project truck. May fix it a bit and donate it to the biodiesel community as a community truck -- as long as it's not in my name it's not my liability issue.

#59

Dash lights have been blinking for a couple of months. Today they stay on, pretty much. The alternator is a Nissan Reman, replaced before I got the vehicle at 86k.

Alternator is charging: at fast idle, 13.3v at the battery, 13.7v at the alternator's stud (pretty high loss, but that's not causing the bulb check relay to engage).

But, whoa, 18v on the 'L' terminal, which is tapped to the field feed from the diode trio. Lots of voltage coming out of there, like the field running a lot of current. I bet when I open it up that the main diodes are coming apart, and the VR is feeding the field heavy to prop up the output through the remaining working diodes, and that very energized field is making the 'L' terminal go way up there, which differential voltage will light the Charge light and is just enough to engage the bulb check relay. Both come on if 'L' terminal either too high or (more commonly) too low.

Didn't have time tonight to get into it: it's charging enough to get me home and back. I'll probably tear it out tomorrow night. I may have to come up with a source for a diode assy for the LR160 now, like I did for the LR150 for the 720.

If it's very bad, I'll swap in my last tested LR160 backup while I round up parts.

#60

I guessed correctly. The diodes in the diode trio are looking like they got pretty toasty (click on any image for larger):

The diode trio provides power for the VR and field current only, so they're fairly small. These have been working extra hard.

And this main diode (presumably 30 ampere) has not only cracked solder, but the anode/cathode junction has pulled out of the potting at the base:

I ordered a diode assy today, it's supposed to be in tomorrow, and tomorrow night I may reassemble this.

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Al Savage's 1982 Maxima Wagon

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