Diamond, RB30 help.

I'm not running gas, but is that "plate thingy" you're talking about made of soft aluminium and about 1.5 mm thick and the size of a keyring fob? Where in the carby would it normally have sat?

I had to spend a couple of weekends and rip the head off mine to remove a chunk of this aluminium from deep in the inlet port to #3 piston. It was just floating around the valve guide and making a hell of a noise. I have no idea where it came from prior to the event. What a PITA.

yes mate thats the one.
undo the carby and lift up the heater plate. remove and throw away the funny looking alloy platey thing as far as you can. if posible take for a long drive so theres no way it can find its way back to you.
i asked nissan ages ago about getting a new plate and they said jeez we been selling a few of them lately lol. no wonder.
all the plate does it to help atomise the fuel before going into the manifold not real important.

Hi Jimbo,

I had a RB30 a few years ago. On one trip up near Mt Isa the engine started to lose power and appeared to be missing on one cylinder. After removing spark plugs found one had the electrode bent right back to the centre pin. Strange, me thought, as I had set the plugs before we left.
All went OK for about 50km and same scenario. Found another spark plug with bent pin and it looked shiny as though something had hit it. Reset gap and away we went.
Goddam! Happened again. Didn't have a clue to the problem. Reset plug gap and it never played up again.
Back in Melbourne, Russel Guest of Russel Guest 4 X 4 told me that it was this aluminium plate thingy disintergrating, going through the cylinders, and eventually out of the exhaust. It appears that a bit of the aluminium must have got on top of the piston and hit the spark plug electrode.
I had no damage to the engine, thank goodness, and the RB30 went like a dream 'til I
bought a GU 80,000km later.

Just my experience for your info.