Quote:
Originally Posted by Oh_yea?
 lol, if funny how many of us are victims of the same problem, im guilty as well. Great review, thanks for follow up. BTW, how's the oil temp treating you since the last post and for some of us average tuner, how much dedication will one need to invest with such a set? Can someone that daily drives his Z cruise around without worries, or will the hood be prop most of the time? |
Personally, I took it a little beyond in terms of the mechanical installation and preperation in the engine bay, and light modifications of many parts just for better fit or long term reliability. Just from working in the field for a long time and seeing what lasts and what doesnt, I am left unable to simply attach any part someone gives me without having to go over it all first, usually picking at a few things to change, or upgraded/swapping the hardware or plumbing, etc.
I am not sure if I mentioned it earlier in the thread or not, but I put over 200 hours into the install. I could have tossed it in with probably 50 hours work, but to spend such little time on my first rodeo with the 370 would result in a half *** job. I think I could do it again just how I did or better in about 80 hours now, and probably 50 the next time.
The engine bay is different enough from the 350z that I had to learn new tricks, angles, custom tools, for working about the difficult spots.
With all that time spent, I would be rather upset if I had to open my hood for anything at all! I am proud to say that the hood has only been opened to either show someone the install, change/check the oil, and, well, thats it. I have not had a single mechanical problem requiring any attention. Nothing has needed any adjustment.
I believe this setup can be very reliable for DD. Key points for reliability being:
1: tune quality
2: oil/fuel/etc fluid quality and maintenance
3: high quality plumbing (this means quality hoses, no crappy fragile T fittings, no crummy vacuum hoses, proper heat and abrasion protection to all OEM and added hoses).
4: quality hardware and gaskets. i dont usually use anything given to me in spots where i expect it to last. i can expand on this if anyone needs.
5: keep it simple, dont over complicate. some people tend to just buy everything they can find.... part A doesnt fit right with part B, or you overwhelmed the installer and they rush through the last of the stuff, etc. use what you need, get it tuned and done. if you need something else later, add it then.
In regards to oil temperature, I for sure need a larger or a second core now. The last few days have cooled off significantly, we are in the 60s/70s, oil temp for street use has been no concern. However, last week and labor day weekend it was high 80s low 90s. I could keep the oil around 200 degrees if I drove it like an old man all over the place... but within about 30-40 seconds of hard driving, I was at 220 and climbing. I really dislike passing 220 because I believe that is when power reduction begins in the ECU tuning. I swear I used to feel it when NA, and I swear I still feel it now.