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mobr86
05-19-2015, 07:29 AM
Alright so I just picked up my 1990 180sx yesterday in Virginia. Drove it to Louisiana without really any issues. I have a pretty rough idle and between 3 and 4 thousand rpms it misses and pops and hesitates. I floor it and it clears up and revs to redline. The car came with a open bov after the maf. Not sure if this is a problem. I fixed a few vacuum leaks and looked over every thing and can't really see anything visual that would be out of place. Also not sure if it matters but the ecu looks to be for a sr20 and it has some type of adapter harness for it to plug in.
azreark1
05-19-2015, 06:10 PM
What is the number on the ECU and what motor is in the car? Pics of the harness would be cool too.
mobr86
05-19-2015, 06:16 PM
I'll find the number as soon as I get home. It has a ca18det. Its as is from Japan. It also has hks cams and a z32 maf.
azreark1
05-19-2015, 06:25 PM
oh nice so it's an imported 180sx! Very nice find!
mobr86
05-19-2015, 06:27 PM
Yep. Only down fall is not knowing exactly what's been done to it.
azreark1
05-19-2015, 06:34 PM
Yep. Only down fall is not knowing exactly what's been done to it.

Welcome to the freakin club dude. I lost track of how much I've dumped in to mine to fix the last guys short cuts...and i'm not even done :/
mobr86
05-20-2015, 05:54 PM
Well today I recirculated the bov because it was open. I mess with the cas and I cannot get the the timing marks on the balancer any where near the pointer. I'm so stumped. The car has a popping and slight hesitation at partial throttle. Like cruising in 5th gear at like 3000 rpms its has a steady jerking and popping.
mobr86
05-21-2015, 06:46 AM
So far all I can find on the ecu is a big Auto Value sticker on it and the numbers 832
azreark1
05-21-2015, 07:23 PM
Uploading some pics will help
mobr86
05-21-2015, 08:09 PM
Do I have to crop the pics to make them upload or something?
azreark1
05-21-2015, 08:20 PM
Not sure, don't think I've uploaded any before. But I usually upload to inageshack and link over to forums
mobr86
05-22-2015, 02:00 PM
http://i59.tinypic.com/2dhe7ox.jpg
azreark1
05-23-2015, 07:09 AM
Well looks like the ECU number is 56...which I can't find anything about it, and that wiring nightmare scares me a little. You sure it's the CA18 in there?
azreark1
05-23-2015, 07:16 AM
Take that back, looks like it's E6 which is a SR20DET Blacktop Automatic ECU.
mobr86
05-23-2015, 09:11 AM
Its for sure a ca18 in there. It has like some sort of ecu adaptor for the harness. I've never seen that before
azreark1
05-23-2015, 09:12 AM
Sounds like serious shortcut then. Of course not for sure because I've never seen that but not really sure how the SR ECU is running the CA
mobr86
05-23-2015, 11:03 AM
Lol I never knew it was possible. I guess when I get home I'll pull the cover off and see if there is some sort of daughter board in it or something.
azreark1
05-23-2015, 01:32 PM
Snap some pics of the engine
mobr86
05-23-2015, 01:35 PM
http://i60.tinypic.com/5dkw9i.jpg

Thats the pic from when It was for sale.
azreark1
05-23-2015, 01:41 PM
http://forums.nicoclub.com/sr20det-ecu-on-a-ca18det-t415486.html

Okay that shows a guy did the SR ECU for modified CA. So see what the guts of the ECU looks like and do you have a list of mods done to the engine?
mobr86
05-23-2015, 02:13 PM
I'll have to open the ecu. And it for sure has hks cams. Possibly a sr20 turbo. Tomei downpipe. Other than that I'm not sure.
mobr86
05-23-2015, 02:14 PM
Oh and a z32 maf
mobr86
05-26-2015, 03:27 PM
http://i57.tinypic.com/n2o9s0.jpghttp://i60.tinypic.com/soqww4.jpg

Can anyone tell me if this is the stock ecu? Looks stock to me but I'm not sure.
azreark1
05-26-2015, 03:51 PM
No that's not stock, that has an aftermarket board on it. You should be able to undo the screw holding the light green board and pull it up to see some chips on the bottom side.
azreark1
05-26-2015, 03:55 PM
This looks like the same type of daughterboard...

http://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=253597
mobr86
05-26-2015, 04:16 PM
So do you think if I use one of those ecutalk consult wires on it I'll be able to see what its tuned for?
azreark1
05-26-2015, 05:27 PM
So do you think if I use one of those ecutalk consult wires on it I'll be able to see what its tuned for?
Now that much i'm not sure, just starting to get into ecu tuning myself.

Now that we have this info, have you checked your plugs? Does it run good in all the powerband except 3-4k range? Black smoke when it sputters? Does it do the same sputter when revving in that range in neutral or only in gear?
mobr86
05-26-2015, 10:26 PM
It only stumbles and sputters in the lower range. If I floor it then itll start clearing up and run up to 8500 with no problem. No smoke but its running really rich. One thing I noticed was the bov is after the maf. I'm not sure if that could be an issue or not. And when I put a timing light on it its way past the timing marks on the crank pulley.