Project Lex

[Halon]

Car is getting close. Unfortunately this PnP harness has been not so PnP.
- Wrong Alternator Plug
- Wrong TB Plug
- Wrong Starter Plug
- Wrong coolant sensor plug
- Coolant sensor plugs routed to wrong side of engine (GTE is exh side but GE is int side)
- Starter wire pinned incorrectly where it plugs into chassis harness
- TB plug wired incorrectly (working through that currently).

So on Monday Brett/FenFab worked with the remote tuner Vlad to check things out. They planned to start the car. Everything seemed to check out with the exception of the TB. Something isn't wired correctly there so they are working through that. Hopefully get it started soon.

I'm setting up a plan to drive back on Friday next week to bring it home. So pretty pumped about that.

In the mean time, I had shattered my new front poly lip loading it on the trailer on the way out there. So I bought another one. But I can't keep paying $200-$300 to have these damn things painted if I just keep breaking them. So I decided to try wrapping for the hell of it. Picked up some Vvivid CF wrap for $30. It's not perfect, but for my first time ever wrapping I'm actually quite pleased. And way better than spending money on painting it again!

[Halon]

https://youtu.be/SAkP-eOE1GQ

SAkP-eOE1GQ

[Halon]

Starting to make some baby steps. Pump gas conservative tuning, 2nd gear pull. 18psi feels so good after the long winter!!

Also took it to work today. So far so good, nice to have it back out in the wild :)

[A//// Guy]

Nice!!

[Halon]

Update:

(5/4) - I had gotten a few misc items buttoned up and wanted to take the car for a spin. While wiping down the motor, I all a sudden noticed the T-Belt was half way off the cam gear, ermagrd. How does that even happen? It sawed right thru the plastic lower timing cover. I started taking it apart and realized that the little guide plate that is supposed to be on the outside of the crank sprocket was missing, which is basically like a large thin washer looking thing that keeps the belt put and doesn't allow it to walk off. So that same day I order up a replacement T-Belt and that guide piece from Real St. for $50. I think they source it from the dealer so it'd be a few days until they got it and then shipped to me.

(5/8) - I had gotten things torn down a bit. I had to order a crank pulley puller because these crank pulleys are a bitch to remove. But this thing was a beast, took the pulley off like butter, so glad I have this puller now. Anyway I get it all torn down and then I notice the oem t-belt tensioner is still installed. I ask the shop where's the billet one I included? They said they never knew I included a billet one and never saw it. I know I included it, but tore the garage and house apart looking for it (didn't find it of course). He looked around his shop and didn't find it. Great, $180 tensioner is gone. I'm not putting this back together without one because the factory ones are known to crack/fail once you start stressing the t-belt more (springs/cams). So I have Real St. add one to my order since they were still waiting on the other parts to show up (another $180). I also go ahead and order a new plastic timing cover since my old one got sawed to pieces (another $60).

(5/14) - All parts have arrived over the weekend, except Real St package scheduled for this day (monday). Get home from class and the package is there, yaay. I should have everything to move forward now. Open the package, in it is the T-belt and the guide deal, but no gawt-dam tensioner!!!! I write them letting them know the tensioner isn't in there, but it's late so no reply. So I make what progress I could. Reinstall some interior trim. Then I do a re-torque of the head studs which all I did was pull cams, throw tq wrench on each stud and checked at 90ft/lbs to make sure nothing was loose (and they werent). So I reinstalled cams. Can't really do anything more without a tensioner so call it a night.

(5/15: today) - I find a local guy has an old Dave H billet tensioner. So I'm going to go grab it soon as I can (hopefully tonight). I talked to Dave H (hardcore supra racer from fargo) and he still has one of his old ones left he will sell me and ship it to the guy I'm taking it from so we should all be straight. I say sounds great thanks! So I write my contact at Real St, continued from my message last night, saying just cancel the tensioner order, I found a different one since you guys missed the shipment. He replies pretty quickly "It's 7:30am, I'm still in bed. The order shipped in full." Fuck me in the goat ass, are you fucking kidding me?!?!?! I'm basically just throwing money away at this point. I just reply telling him to him me up when he wakes up then. So yaay I found one so I can make progress, but literally I'm on my fucking 3rd tensioner at this point, and they aren't particularly cheap. And it really is hard to argue "yes we did, no you didn't, yes we did..."


Here some photos :)

[Halon]

Well maybe I have some 'proof'. Will see how this goes. But here is my package. The billet tensioner would have to be weightless if it was included. I measured roughly 0.4kg (~1lb) on our scale at work with the package and all the contents it came with. UPS site confirms, saying it was roughly 0.9lbs. I'd bet the tensioner weighs a couple pounds...

[A//// Guy]

That is some riduclousness. How did the show that did the install of the motor not know about the washer Tbelt guide? Or was that supposed to be installed by the engine builder? Not sure if you got it as a long block or all in pieces.

Id be fuming at not getting that part covered by the shop that lost it. You have proof you bought it with the original receipt.

[Halon]

Putting on that guide would have been the shop that worked on my car, not the engine shop. They had the piece, he even remembers having it, but said he had to pull the crank pulley off a couple times and so it must have fell off one of the times and they didn't realize. So he admits it was him. But not much he can do, I'm not driving it to detroit for him to fix. He offered to cover half the timing belt, but I told him thanks but no thanks as it was only $50 (so we're talking $25). Then later when I hit him up about the missing $180 tensioner, he just said we never talked about a billet tensioner, and he never saw one. I told him it's true we may never have talked specifically about it, but just like I didn't tell him specifically that I brought new gaskets, new t-belt, and other new peice parts. It was just included with those, and if you know anything about the 2jz a billet tensioner is just one of those things you run with a built motor. If anything it surprised me he put the OEM one on without asking me "hey did you really want to still run the OEM one?". I have proof I bought the tensioner like a year ago. I have a picture of it in my dresser drawer where I kept it lol. But that doesn't prove I borught it to him in Detroit. It's he said she said, and he gave me such a deal on the work, and did a bunch of rework to the messed up harness for free, as pissed as I was I just decided to let it go and focus on moving forward.

[A//// Guy]

Yea that makes sense. Crappy situation but glad you caught it before the belt fell off!!

[Kracka]

Wow, what a mess! Regardless, sure am glad you caught the belt before it was thrown of the cam gears! I would definitely be doing a credit card charge back on this latest tensioner from Real Street unless they can prove it was shipped. Possibly getting drop-shipped from elsewhere?