I am looking to restore a datsun passed down to me, its obviously modified heavily, with dual side chrome exhaust, roll cage, racing seats, and probably engine mods as it was insanely fast from what I have been told, although there are spots of rust on the car.. Just to inform you of my automechanic skills, I concider myself at the level of an amateur DIY guy.

I had troubles powering my datsun in the first place, but i fixed the electrical system by rewiring a lot of the wires in the engine bay.. But now, after powering on the car, the lights inside the car running, and I found the key for the kill switch that is installed in the car.. I was very tempted to turn on the car and the fuel pump which has a seperat eon switch for it?, but wanted to ask you guys for the go ahead, to know if its safe to do so, or if I should first do some maintenance first. The car hasnt been started for a few years, probalby around 3-4.

I tried to check the engine oil level, but there is no mark on it to indicate the proper level.. The oil itself looked somewhat clean, although when I removed the line there was some filth attached to the very bottom of the metal line which I swiped clean. but when I removed the cap at the top of the engine, it looked empty, so is that normal?

The coolant in the radiator looked bright green, so im guessing its fresh and still good? The fuel tank however, might have some bad fuel in it, should I purge the old fuel, and if so how? It has a funny metal canister in the back trunk, with visibile lines. What about the fuel filter? does that need to be replaced/checked? where is it located?

Just out of curiousity, can people identify this engine for me better? Briefly looking at it, it looks like an Inline 6. It has the words written on top of the engine "nissan TURBO". It as well has on the side of the engine block (that is colored blue) written P90 on it, and on the other side of the block it has "11910 P8101" written on it or at least looked like it, because there was lots of dirt on it. Is there anything else I would have too look for, to help you guys identify this engine for me?

after further inspection of this datsun 510, i looked backwards, realising the rear driveshaft is missing, after having being told it was broken.. I guess they removed it. Both the rear arms are attached to the wheels, but the middle driveshaft part that the rear arms attach to, is missing.. What part # is this? or part #'s? And how much would a part like this cost?

Parad0x, I'd love to see some pictures, post some if you have a digital camera. We can probably identify the engine better, as they say a picture tells a thousand words.

I would identify the engine first, then find out what type of oil it needs. There should be an engine number stamped somewhere on the block (you might need to brush off some dirt/oil to find it) The prefix of this number will identify the engine (EG a Z18 will be Z1800000, or an FJ20 will be FJ200000 ). This engine number might also be recorded on the cars registration papers, so it might be easier to read it from their than on the engine itself.

When you remove the oil, measure how much is in there. So when you refill it, you'll have an idea how much it needs.. You should be able to see oil on the dipstick.

After 4 years the fuel will probably be 'off' I'd drain the fuel tank if possible. This will involve removing some clamps and making a mess. if your engine has fuel injection, you'll need to get fuel back into the lines and EFI fuel pumps need fuel in them to be 'primed'.

james

I'm guessing that he can count spark plugs,

I would guess it's a 280ZX L28Turbo.

Single Overhead Cam common old donk.

It's common to have a separate switch for the fuel pump. You would normally have kill switches for the pumps, so when you've been knocked unconscious and you are skidding along the main straight on your roof, that the fuel pumps cut out to reduce the risk of an explosion.

Cheers,
Chris

How would I go about purging the fuel, and is there a fuel filter that I could clean?

But my main & biggest concern, is finding a replacement part for the rear driveshaft that is missing.. What is the part called correctly? I am going to go call around junkyards but I dont know what i'm looking for... The arms that are atttached to the wheels have a hydrolic suspension of some sort, but they arnt attached to anything except the wheels on one side, and on the inner (center) side are touching/laying on the ground..

Am I looking for a driveshaft that came with this car stock? Or am I looking for a driveshaft that came with a possible new transmission along with the new engine that im trying to identify.. OR is this engine the stock engine that comes with datsun 510's? But I have a feeling this thing is new.

Would identifying the ECU to you guys help in any way? There is one screwed in on the drive side left panel under the steering wheel, but i find it hard to believe this old car came with a ECU stock, so it is indeed a different engine then what this car came with. Am I right on this?

Hi parad0x,

This site is dedicated to the Datsun 1200 (B110). The big Datsuns like your 510 are not really appropriate to discuss here, though we often discuss relatives of the 1200 (B110, B210 and B310).

There are many great 510 sites, such as http://www.ozdat.com and http://dimequarterly.tierranet.com/

Both sites have Forums where you can ask questions. They are the experts on 510s and L-series engines (fours and sixes both).

Hope this helps.

hey mate considering it says nissan turbo on top does it look like this? this is a z18turbo motor

Quote:

Yeah, it looks VERY similer to that. But to be more accurate, This is my photoshop quick modification, in more detail of what the engine actually looks like, with the injection/plugs/fuel rail/hoses/lettering/fan/positioning of engine components in the right position.. I put the oil cap more centered, the lettering is much smaller then the original picture you posted, the spark plugs is on the opposite side of the fuel rail, there is a small hose that sticks out of the top of the engine by the word "TURBO" on the fuel rail side as shown in this picture as well.. So then, Can anybody tell from this picture what my engine is??

I would also like to add, on the intake side, where the air goes in. There is a Closed flap on it, and I havent seen it start yet.. but I would guess, when it starts, the flap opens up?? It's positioned on the front drivers side headlight, because that headlight was taken out so that the intake will have better direct forced air flow.

I Hope this does not sound stupid, but thinking about it now I did not see an airbox.. Im not saying there isint an air filter, but I didnt see a square/rectangular shape anywhere in the intake.. I might be wrong on this, I forgot to pay attention to it, just that im recaling this from my memory of when I saw it last time.

What drivetrain parts do I need to get the car working?? Here is a picture of the parts that are missing.

I just got some more information for this car, its a 2 door, and model name is PL510 (found this on the drivers side door trim), here is a picture of it