mrtaquito85 wrote:I connected the Multi-meter to the GP Bus and nothing . . .
This problem is usually the fusible link's
connector about 6" off the battery terminal. It's a "large" (5/16") spade terminal in friable (extremely brittle) plastic sleeve: you touch it and the plastic breaks, due to repeated heating from a bad connection plus outgassing of the plastic, as it turns into dust.
It's where you see the white tape in this picture, and the type of connector is shown next to it:
I have run into three of them bad, including my own '82 Wagon and the '83 Sedan I bought a couple of months ago.
I have been looking at:
http://asavage.dyndns.org/Nissan/Maxima ... -038_b.jpg
this schematic for the Glow System. And thinking, since I will be eventually transplanting this motor into a different car, I'm going to have to wire something to get it working in the Z. So, I'm thinking, can I unplug Relay 1, Relay 2, the Fast Glow Control Unit, Dropping Resistor etc etc and get my own wires and wire it together myself.
[rant]
Why does everybody want to re-invent the wheel? Other than the OEM GP Controller not glowing on a warm start, and sometimes not glowing long enough on a cold start, the only problem with the OEM system is connections. A lot of engineering time went into that system. It's a 25-yr-old car and while wires seldom give trouble, connections usually do, after that much time.
[/rant]
I really do not want to deal with searching for wires throughout the harness and what not.
The harness breaks we've seen have (so far) been confined to one splice, and that affects cranking. The GP system connection problems are all external and easy to find and test.
is this a good idea or not (since I'm going to have to do something similar when I do the swap)
You will want the afterglow system. Homegrown wiring for starting is easy. For starting
and good cold idle and reduced cold misfire and reduced cold smoke requires an afterglow of the GPs. You can't duplicate that with wire alone, hence the twin relays and dropping resistor. This is not a tractor!
And the Maxima uses fast GPs, which are not designed to put up with over-glowing. A manual button is going to require the self-control to not hold down the button too long. Or perhaps you can put slow-glow GPs in and not worry -- but you'll wear a dimple in your thumb holding down the button long enough (if you've ever started a pre-1980 Mercedes-Benz diesel, you know what I'm talking about. Glow times over a minute (!) are not uncommon. The really old MBs (220D and older) have a
pull cable with a knob for glowing. You pull it out for a good long time on a cold day!)
What gauge wire should I use for connecting all the items together?
GP: 10ga or heavier. 10ga will do, but note that Nissan wired twin 10ga wires to feed the GP bus bar (not shown on the schematic you link above, but shown in the wiring
diagram on
page EL-40.
Again, the problem is likely to be the fusible link at connector
9M in that wiring diagram. This is very easy to check, it's a few inches from the positive battery terminal. Connect the voltmeter at the connector (backprobe the connector), and then
have someone else turn the key to ON. This is important, as even a bad connection may show OK voltage until the GP Relay is closed, and then the high resistance will cause the voltage to "go away".
For the fuses, what amp fuses should I wire in?
Fuses are not recommended for this kind of load. The inrush current for this kind of resistive load is about 4x the steady state. A fusible link is best.
Figure that the GPs should draw ~15A each after five seconds = 90A, but that there may be more than 250A for the first second. You
can buy fuses that will delay on that kind of draw, but they are not your typical Honda Accord fuses or stereo amp fuses (which is what you are probably thinking about).
And for the fusible links can I substitute them for fuses instead?
See above.
Being indelicate here: I do not think you can do better with new wire and new fuses and starting from scratch, than Nissan did. My recommendation is to diagnose the current system and then either repair it, or if you don't like the operation of the GP Controller, use the existing wiring and install a momentary-contact switch that applies voltage to the GP Relay 1 -- that way, you can override the GP Controller's timeout. Connect 12v via your switch to the small wire on the GP Relay 1 ("Main").
But find out
why there is no voltage at the GP bus bar. If you can't figure it out, you probably can't wire a replacement either. Sorry if this offends.
Whats the recommended replacement interval for the Glow Plugs?
They're not really consumables. They are often replaced in search of easier starting, when other factors are at fault. Unless they are over-glowed (voltage applied too long: probably somewhere over 10-12 seconds), they last "forever" on the LD. I have never seen a bad one on an LD (yet).
I'll be replacing them with Autolite P/N 1104
Autolite is the very worst GP on the planet. Please reconsider, and if you don't believe me . . .
Clarification: For the marks on the Timing belt, is it 1st tooth is a white line, 18 blank teeth then the last mark is a white line making it 20 teeth total . . .
Yes: the white lines (which are not on all aftermarket belts, BTW) are on teeth No. 1 and No. 20.
I can't make out No. 5's condition from this picture, but it's the critical area: where the two white 10ga wires bolt to the GP bus bar. You've seen in the pic of mine in the other link how they mash and corrode. Take a better (closeup) pic of that one.
From my '82 Wagon:
The GPs look fine to me. That's not a test, but visually there are no holes [shrug]. Again, for poor starting of an LD, look at injectors and GPs last, and the GP connections first.
P.S. I sent payment via paypal for the FSM. Let me know if I put enough down for the paypal fees if not so I can send some more monies.
It's sitting out with your name on it, and will mail out tomorrow (in a box: never ship manuals in an envelope, it's a rule).
Another hour donated to the cause . . .