back again...and back to the exhaust issue i mentioned in a previous post...

i noticed the engine getting louder at startup a little at a time...

now, when cold, it sounds real bad, i can hear the lifters and firing, etc...
it always quiets down after reaching normal run temps, and the engine runs right as well...as i mentioned earlier, it sputters while cold, only running right when my foot is on the gas...as soon as its warm, that symptom goes away...

i climbed under and found that the drivers side exhaust manifold is apparently the wrong one. the bottom bolt hole closest to the firewall, doesnt match the block...all the others are in place, but this last one,is at least a half inch above the hole in the block, thus no bolt...also, it appears that the last hole in the block is protruding a quarter inch or so, and the manifold doesnt have the corresponding recess to match...so it looks like someone just crammed extra gasket material in this corner and cranked it down...how lame...

should i feel safe that a junkyard manifold will match my engine, or is there a chance my engine isnt standard? or is it possible i dont know what i am looking at?

i can see a bend at this end, and extra gasket material crammed into the non seated surface...
as always, all input is very much appreciated...

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85 300zx n/a with leaky t tops

just get a junkyard one and have it machined flat, bolt it up and off you go

Take a picture of your engine and manifold and post it up.

i took the z to a local exhaust shop that i trust, and he showed me that the only exhaust leaks are tiny, at the gaskets on both sides of the cat...

i showed him what i thought i saw, and he said i was wrong...the end hole is for use with other vehicles, including trucks. he used a stethiscope type of tool to listen for leaks, and said its pretty tight.

this was hot of course...

if i start it cold, and hold the idle at 1000, when the temp comes up to just over the "low" mark, the rpms go up to 1600, and i know the sputtering symptom, and exhaust leak sound are gone...

before that, it runs and sounds great, as long as i am stepping on it...

could this be a fuel/air supply issue caused by a sensor failure?

and again, forgive my ignorance, but how do i test for codes? my chiltons doesnt tell me...

thanks again, and again! :-P

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85 300zx n/a with leaky t tops

replace your cylinder head temp sensor this is a real weak point on early z31. I've done two and it made a big difference. there is a post somewhere on how to replace it without taking the whole engine apart. available at napa I know probably others as well. May not fix the problems you describe but it can't hurt anything and fairlly cheap to replace.

Or you can take 2 minutes and TEST it before you disassemble everything and spend money replacing it.

how do i test it, and again, how do i run the codes?
is it the box that is shown in my fsm?
thanks again...

The FSM has all the information you require on both things.

yes it does...i spent a few hours reading it this morning...what a great resource!

now if i can just get one of those for my chevy truck!

what chevy truck? I have one for 1995 S10, GMC Sonoma and a few other trucks that are essentially the same truck.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project

its a 96 chev silverado half ton

don't have that, but if you check online i'm sure you'll find it.

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1985 300ZX n/a

See my Z project