Free / Cheap mods!

[Jeff240sx]

Since this is the FAQ, and free mods comes up a lot, I figured we should post them, and how you did them.
I'll start first.

1) Resonator box removal.  Gives the car a unique growl and possibly some power.  But faster revving is pretty much agreed on.  
   How To: Open air filter box.  Remove air filter.  Unbolt the 3 or 4 bolts on the bottom and remove the air filter box.  Then there is another black box under / beside the filter box.  That unbolts too.  Remove that, and throw it away.  Bolt the filter box back on and re-install filter.  Most people also remove the black hood scoop thing to.
   What Rampid360 and I did:  Removed the resonator box.  Remove the hood scoop and feed it through the hole in the engine bay under the resonator box.  Hook it up to the filter box.  Then draw a cutting line, with the "mouth" opening towards the bumper.  Remove the scoop, and cut it.  Re-install the scoop, and now you have a home made CAI for free.

2) Automatic transmissions ONLY:  On both s13 and s14 auto trannys, there is a circuit, that when broke, removes some fluid weight from the tranny and shifts faster and harder.  GTech meter shaved .2 seconds off.... but then again, GTech sucks.  This has been said by Nismo to not cause any harm, and said by people that anything harder is going to lead to broken stuff.
     How To: On the right side of the engine bay, near the strut tower, really close to the fender, there is a grey connector.  Unclip that.  There is only one, and yes, it is a pain to unclip.  Turn on your car, and drive away.  
Please note: This will cause an s14 check engine light to come on.  Read the FAQ about ecu resetting to clear the code.

Ok.  I will try a few other things soon, and edit this post and add as I need to.  If other people would add what they did, that would be appreciated!  And I know someone has done the hyper-blinker here... so tell how you did it.  I KNOW that you don't need a kit, and its free.
-Jeff

[rampid360]

Cut your springs for some mad tight agressive stance and increased handling.   (please dont...)

Anyways, since im bored to tears....im copying and pasting stuff that i didn't write...but its all the same.

1. Hyper Blinker:
I got a great idea for all of you. I found out that you can change your stock flasher to a high performance strobe affect that just going to cost no more that a 25 cents. Here's the trick, first find your signal relay, to find your relay, first turn on your hazards, then hear the clicking sound and try to find the clicking sound under the steering column inside you car. Pinpoint the exact one by holding each relay while its clicking and feeling if the relay has a heart beat. When removed, the the hazards and flashers won't work, now you found the right one. Its all about trial and error. Next open the relay, then you'll see a circuit board with a kind of big funny looking object that has windings and windings of wire looking like a coil. Now hears the tricky part. Find a capacitor that says 4.5uf 12v, or something like that. Some relays may have two, for the two model relays, one has to be replaced with a capacitor(I'll tell you later). Now for the single capacitor relays, desolder the capacitor and replace it with a different capacitor. The different capacitor your looking for is a 1.5uf 12v or a 1uf 12v. The v. on the capacitor can be used if the v. is 12 or higher. But on the uf part. after replacing the capacitor and resoldering it on now your ready to check it. To check it replace the relay at the place where you got it from on your car then turn on the hazards if you did it correctly then the strobe will start, if not then some thing is wrong. If the both signal lights on you car are on than here's the troubleshooting. Check the solder make sure its not touching other terminals, check if the capacitor is hooked up at the same terminals(+ goes to +, - goes to -). Or the capacitor is too fast for the relay. Change it to a number higher than the capacitor.(2uf 12v.). E-mail me if you have any more questions.


How do I make my blinker blink faster?

All you have to do is unscrew your front two turn signal lenses and then carefully disconnect(in order to make it easier to put back) the ground wire leading to each light. This should do it!

2. Clear lenses:
A way to make ur own clear turn signals is to go get clear cutable plastic or   plexiglass and trace an outline of your orange ones onto the clear and make   the cuts, it should be too big but thats ok,youll need sandpaper to sand it down to the  proper size and then measure the holes to be able to screw in.you can also    put chrome  vinyal in it or spray chrome paint into it for the light to be brighter.it  really does come out pretty good and attracts attention to you turbocharged  240sx

3. Sleepy Eyes (s13)

1. Make sure headlamps are off and in the "closed" position.
2. Get down on your back and look up through the large opening in the lower front bumper.
3. Look directly under the left and right headlamps and find their electronic plugs.
4. Now while you are down there, you can reach through the large opening and unplug the electronic plugs left and right. You must unplug these in order to adjust the headlamp motors manually.
5. Now get off the ground and pop your hood. You should see a headlamp motor next to each of the headlamps. Looks like a single prong.
6. Pull the cap off each headlamp motor. Now you may manually adjust the headlamp angle at any variable by turning the knob. Make sure that both headlamp motors are evenly adjusted.
7. Now turn your headlamps in the "on" position. Notice the motors dont move and the headlamps simply light up. Viola, instant "sleepy look."
**Now in order to get the headlamps in its original position you have to manually adjust the headlamps in the "closed" position via the motor. Then plug the wiring back together.

[Grant]

remove the air intake resonator..

rewire the A/C fan to run full time and pull off the clutch fan...

if you want hyper blinker just get LED 1157 bulbs or get smaller bulbs (same size base).

[240meowth]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (rampid360 @ June 16 2002,7:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">3. Sleepy Eyes (s13)

1. Make sure headlamps are off and in the "closed" position.
2. Get down on your back and look up through the large opening in the lower front bumper.
3. Look directly under the left and right headlamps and find their electronic plugs.
4. Now while you are down there, you can reach through the large opening and unplug the electronic plugs left and right. You must unplug these in order to adjust the headlamp motors manually.
5. Now get off the ground and pop your hood. You should see a headlamp motor next to each of the headlamps. Looks like a single prong.
6. Pull the cap off each headlamp motor. Now you may manually adjust the headlamp angle at any variable by turning the knob. Make sure that both headlamp motors are evenly adjusted.
7. Now turn your headlamps in the "on" position. Notice the motors dont move and the headlamps simply light up. Viola, instant "sleepy look."
**Now in order to get the headlamps in its original position you have to manually adjust the headlamps in the "closed" position via the motor. Then plug the wiring back together.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
no need for that, i reacall we discussed this on the board b4, get into the driver side kick panel fues, pull the 10A one that says headlight motor or somthing. &nbsp;voila, no need to disconnect anything. &nbsp;and u adjust the same way. &nbsp;only thing is, if u flash ur high beam, the headlight pops up, and u have to adjust it down again.

[240sxspeedracer1]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Grant @ June 15 2002,10:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">if you want hyper blinker just get LED 1157 bulbs or get smaller bulbs (same size base).</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
can someone elaborate on this?
Do you put 1157 bulbs on the front and back and it automatically hyperblinks? &nbsp;Where can one find LED 1157 bulbs?
One more question, what is the regular number bulb for the front and back turn signals? (I dont have the owner's manual in front me) &nbsp;Thanks

[Grant]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (240sxspeedracer1 @ June 18 2002,10:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Grant @ June 15 2002,10:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">if you want hyper blinker just get LED 1157 bulbs or get smaller bulbs (same size base).</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
can someone elaborate on this?
Do you put 1157 bulbs on the front and back and it automatically hyperblinks? Where can one find LED 1157 bulbs?
One more question, what is the regular number bulb for the front and back turn signals? (I dont have the owner's manual in front me) Thanks</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
basically you use lower wattage bulbs, if you want LED's just get those LED bulbs they are selling on ebay (or any auto parts store/ racer shop). basically using lower wattage (smaller bulbs) or LED's have less current draw, causing the lights to blink faster (IIRC).

[dr2if4ta0sx]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">no need for that, i reacall we discussed this on the board b4, get into the driver side kick panel fues, pull the 10A one that says headlight motor or somthing. voila, no need to disconnect anything. and u adjust the same way. only thing is, if u flash ur high beam, the headlight pops up, and u have to adjust it down again.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>



Just wondering... where does it say headlight motor... is it the "head lamp cont" or is it something different...? <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/eh.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':eh:'>

[Anubis]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Jeff240sx @ June 15 2002,02:40)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">2) Automatic transmissions ONLY: On both s13 and s14 auto trannys, there is a circuit, that when broke, removes some fluid weight from the tranny and shifts faster and harder. GTech meter shaved .2 seconds off.... but then again, GTech sucks. This has been said by Nismo to not cause any harm, and said by people that anything harder is going to lead to broken stuff.
How To: On the right side of the engine bay, near the strut tower, really close to the fender, there is a grey connector. Unclip that. There is only one, and yes, it is a pain to unclip. Turn on your car, and drive away.
Please note: This will cause an s14 check engine light to come on. Read the FAQ about ecu resetting to clear the code.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Im not sure, but is this the connector you are talking about?:

[xeroxed]

but with the droppy eye thing....what about at night time when you want to see what is in front of you?

[240meowth]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (dr2if4ta0sx @ June 19 2002,03:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">no need for that, i reacall we discussed this on the board b4, get into the driver side kick panel fues, pull the 10A one that says headlight motor or somthing. voila, no need to disconnect anything. and u adjust the same way. only thing is, if u flash ur high beam, the headlight pops up, and u have to adjust it down again.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>



Just wondering... where does it say headlight motor... is it the "head lamp cont" or is it something different...? <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/eh.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':eh:'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
yes, it's the headlight control thing. but not like i care now...

and to see @ night? &nbsp;this is what i did, i wired it up so that i'll use my high beam when i turn on my headlight, and angle the headlight up, and pop open the eye a lil more. &nbsp;result? still can't see didly squad... i get light, but not a clear light pattern.

[hurleyboi514]

dont forget the other resonator. &nbsp;theres one on the passanger side next to the e-fan. &nbsp;the hose connects up to the intake tract near the throttle body.

[91red240hicas]

Free/Cheap things to do to any car
just make sure everything is in "top-notch" condition. &nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp;Clean intake tubes (I used alchohol for the long one and carb cleaner for the small ones). &nbsp;
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Clean pcv tubing. clean throttle body. make sure throttle plate opens fully when pedal is fully depressed (make sure to actually have somebody depress the pedal not just pull up on the cable)
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Replace/check plugs, wires, cap, rotor
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Get some intake tract cleaner and run it in through a vacuum hose to clean intake manifold.
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Replace air filter either with a k+n or a oem.
&nbsp; &nbsp; change all lubricants (incl. trans and diff)
&nbsp; &nbsp; If needed (look at color, should be flourescent green) flush radiator
&nbsp; &nbsp; Check/replace belts
&nbsp; &nbsp; Use fuel system treatment type that cleans injectors (not sure if these really work, but its worth a try)
I know I'm missing some but you get the idea.
Kevin

[Two4ZeroSX]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Grant @ June 16 2002,9:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">remove the air intake resonator..

rewire the A/C fan to run full time and pull off the clutch fan...

if you want hyper blinker just get LED 1157 bulbs or get smaller bulbs (same size base).</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
how does having your A/C fan run full time help? doesnt it take away horse power when your A/C is on?? when i race i always turn it off, and i can def. tell a difference...so please explain this...

[aqwkmf]

the a/c fan on the front of the radiator. not the a/c compressor

[knives]

*edited

[BLiTz]

Jeff240sx,
Is the Resonator box mod just for the S14?? Because ive got a 92 S13 FB, and cannot get the filter box off, and it doesn't look like theres anything under/beside the box (that i can see whith the filter box on) So can it still be done with the S13, if so...how? And does that have any side effects, i.e. check engine light?
Thanks,

[vancity240]

Originally posted by hurleyboi514
dont forget the other resonator. &nbsp;theres one on the passanger side next to the e-fan. &nbsp;the hose connects up to the intake tract near the throttle body.

Whare I'm sorry but I'm not sure exactly what you mean. A little help here would be good also did you notice any diffs

[sspikey]

Originally posted by BLiTz
Jeff240sx,
Is the Resonator box mod just for the S14?? Because ive got a 92 S13 FB, and cannot get the filter box off, and it doesn't look like theres anything under/beside the box (that i can see whith the filter box on) So can it still be done with the S13, if so...how? And does that have any side effects, i.e. check engine light?
Thanks,

would like to know the same

[HaLo]

Resonator box ALSO applies to S13s... I ripped mine out in order to pass the intercooler piping.

[91CRXsiR]

sleepy eye mod for S13s..

w/o getting out of your car.

you need two things

1.) A wire/cable
2.) A toggle switch

both can be bought at Kragens, Auto Zone etc etc for no more than $5.00

anyways.

left of the steering wheel there is the headlight button that when pressed/on it makes the headlights pop up no matter if the lights are on or off.

pop out the button cover and you should see wires underneath it

take the Light Green wire and cut it.

then take the wire you bought and splice it to that wire and hook it up to the toggle switch
make sure you leave enough room for the wire so you can run it where you want. [ i have mine by my ash tray ]

now to test to see if you did it right.

turn the toggle switch OFF

and push the headlight button.

[ head lights should pop up [ if not already up ]]

now press it again [ if you did it right it will not go down ]

now flip the toggle and the headlights will start to go down.
before it goes all the way down flip the toggle agian and it will stay.

wa' la!

$5.00 sleepy eyes

everything took me 1 HR

but i can do it agian in 15 mins now.

[/etc/shadow]

Originally posted by BLiTz
Jeff240sx,
Is the Resonator box mod just for the S14?? Because ive got a 92 S13 FB, and cannot get the filter box off, and it doesn't look like theres anything under/beside the box (that i can see whith the filter box on) So can it still be done with the S13, if so...how? And does that have any side effects, i.e. check engine light?
Thanks,

The resonator box is actually underneath the sheet metal that is underneath the airbox. This confused the f*ck out of me for months...

[DamnedButDetermined]

Originally posted by 91CRXsiR
sleepy eye mod for S13s..

w/o getting out of your car.

you need two things

1.) A wire/cable
2.) A toggle switch

both can be bought at Kragens, Auto Zone etc etc for no more than $5.00

anyways.

left of the steering wheel there is the headlight button that when pressed/on it makes the headlights pop up no matter if the lights are on or off.

pop out the button cover and you should see wires underneath it

take the Light Green wire and cut it.

then take the wire you bought and splice it to that wire and hook it up to the toggle switch
make sure you leave enough room for the wire so you can run it where you want. [ i have mine by my ash tray ]

now to test to see if you did it right.

turn the toggle switch OFF

and push the headlight button.

[ head lights should pop up [ if not already up ]]

now press it again [ if you did it right it will not go down ]

now flip the toggle and the headlights will start to go down.
before it goes all the way down flip the toggle agian and it will stay.

wa' la!

$5.00 sleepy eyes

everything took me 1 HR

but i can do it agian in 15 mins now.

hahahaha My 1990 fastback does this already. All i have to do is turn on my headlights. If they are in the down position, they won't go up by themselves. I have to pull back on the blinker lever and then they will go up. So once they are up i turn off the lights, they start to go down, about a 1/5 of the way down i turn the lights back on and the motor stops. I have free sleepy eyes. The only thing is that my lights have to be on

[Rennen]

For all of you who are confused about the resonator box removal on the S13, I removed my Y pipe, resonator box, and bottom half of the airbox. If you do all of that and you have a SOHC like me, it should look a little like this:



I had to remove part of my inner wheel well to acces the bolts to the resonator box and remove it, but overall it was fairly easy, the engine definately revs more freely. And the "growl" sounds quite nice.

I did this free mod in stages, first I just had the Y pipe off, the growl was good, then I finally found the resonator box and took it off, then I removed the bottom of the airbox, bent up a metal frame to put pressure equally around the filter, and zip tied it to the top of the box in little grooves I cut into it. This made the gave me better throttle response and even better sound. All this for $0

Next i plan on finding 2.5" dryer hose or shop vac hose to duct some cold air into there. making this whole set up about $5

I would imagine doing this with a high flow filter like K&N would be comparable to an intake for a fraction of the cost.

-Matt

[Phlip]

Guys, don't forget the other free mod that doesn't add horses, but will eventually net you speed, WEIGHT REMOVAL... There is nothing in my trunk (make sure you joing AAA before removing the spare), I don't have a clutch fan or shroud, the little splash guards in my wheel wells? Shitcanned... Various brackets and little things under the hood? Gone... It gets fun and addictive when you get into it good.

*edit* 04/02/2006^^^ All that was my old S14, removed from service in 2003

Another trick is a flywheel from the 4-cylinder 1993 Nissan D21 pickup and clutch from the 1983 Nissan 280ZX turbo or 2+2, both 240mm compared to the 225mm that you would be removing. Contact surface is the gain and both happen at CLOSE to whst stock would run you

[octane103]

also, keep the fat chicks out of car.

[InferiorWang]

On another board it is commonly stated that it takes 100 lbs of weight removal to take .1 second of your 1/4 time. Some people expect better results, and weight removal is good, but it doesn't do a whole lot unless you remove a whole lot.

[Crab Spirits]

How to make your own urethane motor/trans mounts.

I read on a forum somewhere that you can use 3M "window weld" urethane window sealer in a caulk gun to make your own urethane motor/trans mounts. New mount, broken mount, doesn't matter. Just fill the gaps in the rubber with the stuff. I heard good things about the results too. Supposedly, it's pretty durable. The window weld is like $10 a tube. I'm gonna try it on my broken mounts pretty soon.

[InferiorWang]

Originally posted by Crab Spirits
How to make your own urethane motor/trans mounts.

I read on a forum somewhere that you can use 3M "window weld" urethane window sealer in a caulk gun to make your own urethane motor/trans mounts. New mount, broken mount, doesn't matter. Just fill the gaps in the rubber with the stuff. I heard good things about the results too. Supposedly, it's pretty durable. The window weld is like $10 a tube. I'm gonna try it on my broken mounts pretty soon.

I've heard the same thing on dsm boards. Supposedly helps dreaded wheel hop that some fwd get when they have the right amount of power.