Pulsar Oil Change Using Valvoline Restore and Protect

Just recording an oil change here for the Pulsar.  I used Valvoline's new Restore and Protect on this change; maybe it will help the stuck lifters!  Since the odometer doesn't work on the Pulsar there's no point in recording the mileage....

Replacing the 280z Brake Check Value

The 280z had the original brake master cylinder check valve.  I suspected that the valve was leaking so I decided to replace it along with the old vacuum hoses.  Unfortunately replacement valves and hoses are not to be found (although reproduction hoses for the 240z are out there).  I instead grabbed generic check valve and figured that I'd make my own hoses.

The new check valve was slightly smaller in diameter than the old so I printed a TPU ring to fill the gap.  I painted the firewall mounting bracket for the valve.

To form the hoses i used a spring made for copper tube bending.  I marked where the bends should be on the hose and used a heat gun to heat the hose in the areas of the bend to the point where the hose was slightly smoking.  After naturally cooling the hose will have nice bends where heated and I've found this method to be quite effective when I need to shape a hose.

Was it restoration perfect?  No, but it's good enough for me!

New Tires for the Cube

Looks like the Cube will be the vehicle to test the new tire changer (and my ability to use it).  I ordered a set from Tire Rack and they were delivered within a matter of days.

I didn't grab any pictures during the process but there wasn't really much to see that you couldn't see in the many YouTube videos outlining the process.  I ended up leaving the TPMS sensors in place; my reasoning was that since I'm now my own "tire guy" I can easily replace one if it goes out before the next change.  My parents did get me an awesome TPMS tool for Christmas that came in handy for verifying each sensor was still functioning after the tires were installed.

I did find while balancing that a couple of the steel wheels were slightly out of round.  I'm not surprised as the Cube has likely hit a potholes and other miscellaneous items throughout its life.  The rash on one of the wheel covers may confirm that suspicion.  After test driving there was no excessive vibration or shaking in the steering wheel though.

The Rogue Catch Can Caught Something

It had been a few months since the oil catch can was installed in the Rogue so I decided to see what that catch can had caught.  Was it worth installing?  Well, you be the judge.  Everything in this can would have been circulated through the intake manifold.

You Bought a WHAT?

If you know me you know I like to do my own work.  I also feel that nowadays our culture favors quantity/profit over quality.  I had been eyeing a tire changer and balancer for some time ever since I found that reasonably good quality can be had for an affordable price.  Given the looming threat of tariffs I decided to pull the trigger on a setup.  If you research these units you might come to the conclusion (like I did) that most of these units are very similar, possibly coming from the same source.  Whether true or not I watched a ton of videos and read many reviews before making my decision.  A big factor in my case was making sure that I could get the unit delivered into my garage as I don't have the equipment necessary to haul the unit from the street to my driveway.  The seller I used offered an add-on delivery package to address this need.

I bought a combo consisting of a tire changer and a dynamic balancer.  The seller had a store in both Amazon and eBay; I got a slightly better deal from the eBay store.

The unit was shipped quickly and I was contacted to coordinate delivery within 10 days.  The person who delivered my unit used an electric pallet jack to effortlessly move the two crates up my driveway and right into my garage.  As a bonus he knew a bit about Nissan cars and we had a short enjoyable chat.

With the help of my lovely assistant (and a shop crane) I was able to separate the units from their stacked shipping configuration.

The tire balancer was pretty much assembled; all I had to do was attach the balancing shaft extension.

The changer required just a bit of assembly but the instructions and online videos made assembly pretty straightforward.

Given the space I have available in my garage I chose to mount the changer on heavy-duty castors with good brakes.  This allows me to wheel the unit into a nook when not in use but move it into the open bay when I needed to use it.  The unit is heavy enough that maneuvering the changer requires a bit of muscle even on wheels.

Within no time I had the unit ready for a test run and it did not disappoint.  I had watched a few videos on the process so nothing was unexpected.

After moving some things around I found a spot for the two units to live.  Following many of the recommendations I mounted the balancer to the floor for better results.  

Now to decide which vehicle needs new tires first!

Z Heel Toe Pedal

I was having trouble rev matching when downshifting on the new Z.  After looking at the pedal setup I felt that the shape of the accelerator pedal made it hard for me to heel-toe so I decided to design my own pedal.  As you can see the distance between the brake and accelerator pedals is large.

I designed a pedal pad to sit on top of the existing pedal and printed it out of carbon fiber infused nylon (MatterHackers NylonX).  The design allowed for several attachment points both on the face and the side of the pedal.

Once installed the wider pedal closed that distance between the pedals as well as raised the accelerator pedal by about 5mm.

Now it's time for some practice!

Z Oil Catch Can

Since the Vr30DDTT engine on the Nissan Z is a direct injection engine, I knew I wanted to install an oil catch can as early as possible to hopefully avoid or at least drastically slow any buildup on the intake valves.  After researching my options, I decided that the kit from Z1 motorsports was my choice.

As usual the installation instructions provided by Z1 were spot-on.  The most challenging part of the installation for me was removing the intercooler.  Maybe I was just being too gentle with my new car but it took me a while to coax the intercooler off the hose to the turbo.  

With enough pulling and coaxing I was finally able to separate the two.

After I was able to move the intercooler out of the way the PCV hose routing and catch can mounting were very simple.

Once installed the can looks like it was installed at the factory.  

Will I ever know if the catch can reduced the buildup on my intake valves?  No.  Does it make me feel better to have it installed?  Definitely yes.

280Z Carbon Canister Replacement

I've repaired the carbon canister on the 280Z several times.  The have been discontinued for quite some time meaning a new replacement is impossible to find.  I came across a very clean unit from a 280ZX on eBay and snatched it up.

Old unit where you can see the repairs on the diaphragm housing

New Unit

280z Oil Change

I changed the oil on the 280Z today.  Instead of the normal 10w-30 Mobil 1 oil I changed to Valvoline 5w-30 Restore and Protect.  The car has 56,280 miles on the odometer.  I captured a sample for used oil analysis as part of the change.

Z1 Undershroud Installation

The Z has a plastic oil pan protected only by a plastic rock guard.  Just after Z Nationals I ordered a Z1 aluminum undershroud for the Z.  Installation was pretty straightforward and the instructions provided by Z1 were spot-on.  The hardest part of the installation was installing the rivnuts.  I also used some foam weatherstrip to simulate the seal around the vent on the OE rock guard.

The quality of the undershround is great and the service panel makes it really easy to perform future oil changes.