MustangForums.com - Zex Install Basic How-To

Ok, so I've finally found the time to finish my nitrous install. One thing I've noticed while doing all my research/reading here on the forums is that there are a lot of questions that keep getting asked over and over, and a lot of things some are just plain confused on. So here is my attempt at a very basic write up of how I installed my Zex wet kit on my v6. This isn't meant to be a complete in depth write up, just something to go over the basics like how to run lines, where to tap wires, and what to remember to do. If anyone has any suggestions, or things they notice that I could have done better with both the write up or install, please let me know and I will change it. Here goes....

Ok, so first I'd like to suggest some things you will want to have handy to make the install go smoothly and cut some time. You will probably want and or need the following:

Tools (duh), ie. screwdrivers, socket wrench and sockets, xacto knife, wrenches, soldering iron and all necessary accessories, shrink tubing, plenty of wire, various wire connectors, a drill will definitely help, and I also used a dremel.

When you start out, I can't stress this enough...read the manual! And when you are done, take a break and process what you've read.....AND READ IT AGAIN! This will cut out a lot of time, because you will already have a basic idea of what you are in for and what you will need to do, thereby allowing you to plan your time accordingly.

Second, mock up your install. Figure out where you want to run your lines under the car, how you will get them into the engine bay, and most importantly where you will mount your box (or solenoids if you are using another kit). I didn't do this the first time, and I ended up needing a longer line to reach my purge, which took about a week to get to me.

Ok, first start by mounting the bottle. The zex instructions are pretty clear on how to mount the bottle. The outlet should be facing down and toward the front of the vehicle. This way, as the car moves forward the nitrous will move toward the back of the bottle and the siphon tube will pick it up. I also mounted it above the rubber grommet where the hose will be run through.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/7236/dsc0035zu3.jpg

The easiest way to run thenitrous feed lineis to use the holes that are already in the trunk. There is a rubber grommet on the passenger side about a foot from the rear seat. You can run your line through here and under the car. Note: I misplaced the grommet, and I need to purchase another. I don't know how well the steel braided line will hold up against the hole in the trunk, but it is pretty sharp and I don't want to take any chances. I would suggest you use a rubbergrommet as well.

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6194/dsc0036un5.jpg

The line is very long, so you shouldn't worry about how to run it or running out of line. In fact I still need to find a way to kill an extra 2' of line at the moment. I plan on doing that when I get some steel clamps to redo the mounting under the car, I don't really trust the zip ties. I ran the line along the frame and up into the passenger fender. Then I pulled it out through the hole where the intake is facing so that it could go straight to the nitrous management unit. (Note, I didn't have any pictures of the line under the car or running to the fender, I will post some when I'm not too lazy or it isn't too hot to jack up the car.)

Next you will mount the box/nitrous management unit/solenoids. If you are using a kit that uses solenoids as opposed to the zex box this part will be a whole lot easier. The zex box is a wonderful piece of equipment in that it makes installation easier with everything being in one box, but it is bulky and a pain to find a good place to mount it. I opted to mount it in the space under the intake tubing. It is mounted using self tapping screws and it's on there pretty good. This is the place I would recommend because a) it is easy to mount it there, you just remove the intake and drill a couple holes....and b) the length of the lines that comes with the kit require it to be somewhat close to the intake and this is the best place to do so.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3209/dsc0019kl3.jpg

Next install the nozzle. The instructions say to mount it 6-18" from the throttle body. I opted for about 10". Remember point the nozzle in the direction of the air flow, this is VERY important (Note the direction of the arrow in pic). When done, put your jets in, and attach the steel braided lines from the nozzle to the nitrous management unit.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/550/20sg4.jpg

Ok, now here is the fun part. Wiring everything together. Be sure the battery is disconnected before you start. Now there are probably dozens of ways to go about this, so I won't go into too many specifics. I will however touch on3 issues that I see get touched on every so often in the forums.

First, "Where do I find a 12v power source that is only on when the car is on?" Well this one isn't too hard to find. This assumes you are a manual by the way. I'm sure you can access the wire if you are auto, but I wouldn't know how to go about getting to it. Anyway, remove the shifter knob by unscrewing it counter clockwise. Then pull off the shifter boot, be careful though as you will have to unplug to wires going the assembly. The whole boot assembly is cliped to the dash, be careful and try not to break any. Once it is off you will see a group of wires tucked away to the left. You are looking for a white wire with a violet (purple) stripe. From what I've read, this is for convertible tops, but all mustangs have them. Best of all it only recieves power when the car is on, just like the kit calls for. You can also find a place to ground here to. I have the power to the NMU going here, as well as power to my switch console. Installation is opposite of removal.

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/8968/dsc0028ha8.jpg

Ground should be easy, just attach the wire to a bare metal part of the frame. The other wire is the second question I see a lot. "Which wire do I get the TPS signal from?" This one wasn't too hard to find, but I had a haynes manual at my disposal. If you don't have one by the way, it's a good pick up, you should definitely get one. Anyway, the TPS signal can be gotten from the middle wire on the TPS sensor. It's connected to the throttle body, and it's pretty obvious what it is. Just use the included t-tap connector and tap into the middle wire. You will want to attach this wire to the white wire going to the NMU, or you will want to attach this to your window switch if you have one.

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/9172/dsc0022ll4.jpg

Now you're gonna want to program the activation switch and see if the solenoids open and close properly. I will skip the specifics as Zex's instructions are pretty clear about this.

After I was sure the solenoids were working properly at WOT, I added in the zex window switch. The last question I would see a lot and the one that troubled me the most, was figuring out where to get the tach signal from. I tapped the coil for the tach signal. To get to this, you need to remove the ignition coil. Be careful not to damage the throttle cable, and tuck everything to the side. Then under the intake manifold, you will see a little black plug looking thing with wires coming fr

Before I start, I can't figure out how to get the pictures to show up....I copied the link from imageshack, but all it does is show said link. If someone could tell me how to fix this I'd be very grateful.

Ok, so I've finally found the time to finish my nitrous install. One thing I've noticed while doing all my research/reading here on the forums is that there are a lot of questions that keep getting asked over and over, and a lot of things some are just plain confused on. So here is my attempt at a very basic write up of how I installed my Zex wet kit on my v6. This isn't meant to be a complete in depth write up, just something to go over the basics like how to run lines, where to tap wires, and what to remember to do. If anyone has any suggestions, or things they notice that I could have done better with both the write up or install, please let me know and I will change it. Here goes....

Ok, so first I'd like to suggest some things you will want to have handy to make the install go smoothly and cut some time. You will probably want and or need the following:

Tools (duh), ie. screwdrivers, socket wrench and sockets, xacto knife, wrenches, soldering iron and all necessary accessories, shrink tubing, plenty of wire, various wire connectors, a drill will definitely help, and I also used a dremel.

When you start out, I can't stress this enough...read the manual! And when you are done, take a break and process what you've read.....AND READ IT AGAIN! This will cut out a lot of time, because you will already have a basic idea of what you are in for and what you will need to do, thereby allowing you to plan your time accordingly.

Second, mock up your install. Figure out where you want to run your lines under the car, how you will get them into the engine bay, and most importantly where you will mount your box (or solenoids if you are using another kit). I didn't do this the first time, and I ended up needing a longer line to reach my purge, which took about a week to get to me.

Ok, first start by mounting the bottle. The zex instructions are pretty clear on how to mount the bottle. The outlet should be facing down and toward the front of the vehicle. This way, as the car moves forward the nitrous will move toward the back of the bottle and the siphon tube will pick it up. I also mounted it above the rubber grommet where the hose will be run through.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/7236/dsc0035zu3.jpg

The easiest way to run thenitrous feed lineis to use the holes that are already in the trunk. There is a rubber grommet on the passenger side about a foot from the rear seat. You can run your line through here and under the car. Note: I misplaced the grommet, and I need to purchase another. I don't know how well the steel braided line will hold up against the hole in the trunk, but it is pretty sharp and I don't want to take any chances. I would suggest you use a rubbergrommet as well.

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6194/dsc0036un5.jpg

The line is very long, so you shouldn't worry about how to run it or running out of line. In fact I still need to find a way to kill an extra 2' of line at the moment. I plan on doing that when I get some steel clamps to redo the mounting under the car, I don't really trust the zip ties. I ran the line along the frame and up into the passenger fender. Then I pulled it out through the hole where the intake is facing so that it could go straight to the nitrous management unit. (Note, I didn't have any pictures of the line under the car or running to the fender, I will post some when I'm not too lazy or it isn't too hot to jack up the car.)

Next you will mount the box/nitrous management unit/solenoids. If you are using a kit that uses solenoids as opposed to the zex box this part will be a whole lot easier. The zex box is a wonderful piece of equipment in that it makes installation easier with everything being in one box, but it is bulky and a pain to find a good place to mount it. I opted to mount it in the space under the intake tubing. It is mounted using self tapping screws and it's on there pretty good. This is the place I would recommend because a) it is easy to mount it there, you just remove the intake and drill a couple holes....and b) the length of the lines that comes with the kit require it to be somewhat close to the intake and this is the best place to do so.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/3209/dsc0019kl3.jpg

Next install the nozzle. The instructions say to mount it 6-18" from the throttle body. I opted for about 10". Remember point the nozzle in the direction of the air flow, this is VERY important (Note the direction of the arrow in pic). When done, put your jets in, and attach the steel braided lines from the nozzle to the nitrous management unit.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/550/20sg4.jpg

Ok, now here is the fun part. Wiring everything together. Be sure the battery is disconnected before you start. Now there are probably dozens of ways to go about this, so I won't go into too many specifics. I will however touch on3 issues that I see get touched on every so often in the forums.

First, "Where do I find a 12v power source that is only on when the car is on?" Well this one isn't too hard to find. This assumes you are a manual by the way. I'm sure you can access the wire if you are auto, but I wouldn't know how to go about getting to it. Anyway, remove the shifter knob by unscrewing it counter clockwise. Then pull off the shifter boot, be careful though as you will have to unplug to wires going the assembly. The whole boot assembly is cliped to the dash, be careful and try not to break any. Once it is off you will see a group of wires tucked away to the left. You are looking for a white wire with a violet (purple) stripe. From what I've read, this is for convertible tops, but all mustangs have them. Best of all it only recieves power when the car is on, just like the kit calls for. You can also find a place to ground here to. I have the power to the NMU going here, as well as power to my switch console. Installation is opposite of removal.

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/8968/dsc0028ha8.jpg

Ground should be easy, just attach the wire to a bare metal part of the frame. The other wire is the second question I see a lot. "Which wire do I get the TPS signal from?" This one wasn't too hard to find, but I had a haynes manual at my disposal. If you don't have one by the way, it's a good pick up, you should definitely get one. Anyway, the TPS signal can be gotten from the middle wire on the TPS sensor. It's connected to the throttle body, and it's pretty obvious what it is. Just use the included t-tap connector and tap into the middle wire. You will want to attach this wire to the white wire going to the NMU, or you will want to attach this to your window switch if you have one.

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/9172/dsc0022ll4.jpg

Now you're gonna want to program the activation switch and see if the solenoids open and close properly. I will skip the specifics as Zex's instructions are pretty clear about this.

After I was sure the solenoids were working properly at WOT, I added in the zex window switch. The last question I would see a lot and the one that troubled me the most, was figuring out where to get the tach signal from. I tapped the coil for the tach signal. To get to this, you need t