Project INFINITI Update

Project INFINITI

The NMS Project INFINITI keeps moving along! Down at NMS-South, the 2002 INFINITI I35 recently received some work on the oil pan, as in taking it off, and installing a new gasket. Along with this procedure came an oil change, so we'll be driving it a bit and seeing if we still have an oil leak anywhere. Fixing the leaking oil pan, along with the previous work on the leaking valve covers, and the leaking hoses should have us well on our way to eliminating the leaks at least! I was able to research common leak problems on this particular car on the ProDemand software system, and those three types of leaks were the 3rd, 4th, and 5th most common, so that is good to know. The top two most common leaks on an Infiniti I35 were radiator and coolant related, and we weren't really seeing coolant leaking, so it was good to address the oil leaks. 

The oil pan was leaking, so Brian took it off! 

No oil pan leak with a new gasket!

Over the Thanksgiving NMS Team Dinner, we also installed some new low beam headlights since one of them was no longer working. Guess what? It's a LOT SAFER driving at night in a car with working headlights! This fact came in handy when I drove the car back to NMS-North, about an hour and a half on the Interstate, at night. In the dark. With the lights on! The car ran fine, so we're moving on to some more work not involving the engine. 

Project INFINITI at NMS-North, now under the careful watch of Kimi Raikkonen!

The next day saw the car get four brand new tires at a local shop, and just for good measure I spent a few minutes in the NMS garage and reduced some of the haze on the 23 year old plastic headlights. Shoot, that might make those new headlight bulbs even brighter! We discovered that Goodyear makes a tire specifically for Wal-Mart, so went with the Goodyear Reliant. 

New tire installation at Wal-Mart. 

Coming up next will be an alignment on all four wheels, so that should also fix the not-straight steering wheel. I probably caused part of that problem, because when the car was up on the lift at Adams house, and I was in the driver seat pumping the brake pedal to bleed the brakes (following new shocks and other suspension work) I did NOT have the steering wheel straight. Oh well, it's important to learn by doing, and learn from your mistakes. 

Not sure if your battery is up to speed? Throw it on a charger and test with your digital multimeter. 

The front seats were very worn, as in 163,000 miles worn, so we just covered them up with some new, uh, seat covers!

Worn out seats, before...

and after!

We also replaced the worn out windshield wiper blades, and as you can see above, we covered up a really worn and broken steering wheel with a black cover. Hey, it's not a perfect color match, but we're not entering any fancy car shows here either!

Another thing you see on older cars is plastic headlights that get hazy, and Project INFINITI had that problem too. We pulled out our handy-dandy Mothers Polish headlight kit, a handy drill with a buffing pad, and went to work. Here's the before and after versions after just one short polishing treatment. 

Passenger side before...

Passenger side after!

Driver side before...

Driver side after! Hey, we've got to be able to see those new light bulbs in there!

With lots of good progress on the car so far, we might even try to wash it and get around to taking care of the cracked windshield too!

Electronic Fuel Systems Class Update

One classmate brought in his Jeep and we swapped wheels. They're BIG!

December is going to be the end of my last automotive class at York Technical College, and this last class is all about Electronic Fuel Systems. We've learned about how the fuel system works, focused on diagnosing problems, learned about using a scan tool to track Oxygen sensors, Short Term Fuel Trim, Long Term Fuel Trim, and plenty of other related engine topics such as turbos and superchargers. We're also spending time in the shop working on various automobiles, so here's a look at some recent activity. 

A peek inside a rear differential

This class is titled Electronic Fuel Systems, so that includes the system from the intake, turbos, superchargers, the engine, and all the way through the exhaust, catalytic converters, mufflers, and tailpipe. 

A big blue spacer on those big Jeep wheels. 

Trying to find the source of an oil leak? Give this a try. 

Inside of a supercharger.

Inside of a turbo.

Cutaway inside of a muffler. 

Catalytic converter that needs to be replaced. 

Looking up to where the exhaust comes down to the catalytic converter, and you can see the upstream oxygen sensor up there. 

Another student's car, he's putting a turbo in his Miata. Next photo is the turbo initial install. 

Nothing to see here, but we've spent several days on this 1998 Buick LeSabre tracking down an issue that affects cruise control, brake lights, and the transmission. The brake pedal light switch is related to all of those systems, so we've been using a multimeter to test all the wires involved. Another easier to solve issue was a trouble code on the evap cannister, we found two hoses that had disintegrated and come loose, so we fixed that part easily. 

Four cylinder exhaust manifold into a catalytic converter. What I think is funny is the big arrow on the silver part, so that you know which way the exhaust flows through the cat. Maybe someone installed one backwards!

AmeriCARna Car Show Report

This Rat-Rod was awesome! Tractor front end? 4 wheels on the rear axle? Front and rear radiators? YEP!

Since moving to SC I've discovered the annual AmeriCARna show, and managed to head up the road and check it out again this year. An interesting setting at the corporate HQ of Trane Technologies (they do air conditioning "stuff," with "stuff" being a very technical description of their many businesses.) The Charlotte area is probably better known for being the home of NASCAR, the NFL Panthers (multiple wins this year already!) Lowe's, and of course Lance snack crackers, but Trane is a big company too. Let's look at some cool cars! There were a LOT MORE cars too, so look for part 2 in the near future. 

Classic Datsun

Hot rod 1932 Ford

Here's a great way to sell your car!

This sign describes the next photo. 

1932 Chevrolet Boat Tail Speedster!

This car show was in Davidson NC, just a bit north of Charlotte, so you can count on seeing some NASCAR  history. 

There I was just enjoying a beautiful fall day at a car show and then a Rolls Royce drove by!

Two Cobra replicas, commonly seen in blue. 

Porsche Cayman GT4 RS. This is a mid-engine Cayman that is the first time they've built a Cayman with the 911 GT3 engine. 

Volvo 1800

The white Ford Thunderbird with the Volvo 1800 made a great pair!