78 280Z - Finally got it driving - High Idle, will occasionally die (but restart), sound like it has a misfire

[grannyknot]

Have you checked the fuel hard line for obstructions, blown it out?  FI clamps are fine to use.

[NocturnalEmber]

35 minutes ago, grannyknot said:

Have you checked the fuel hard line for obstructions, blown it out?  FI clamps are fine to use.

I haven't, but when I ran the car with the gas can serving as the fuel tank, it ran fine fuel pressure wise for 20~ minutes before I turned it off.  Something to keep in mind though. Everything else has been replaced at this point otherwise.

[NocturnalEmber]

Well, progress happens incrementally I'd say.  An update:

 

The tank is in, So after a startup and safety check I took it for a drive to the gas station about a mile up the road. I thought a 25mph limit with plenty of stop signs would be a good way to give it a public road maiden voyage.

Some observations:

* Fuel pressure seems to be in the 30's (though I want to say it was nearly 40 when I turned the engine off to get gas.) - seems a bit high ?

* I noticed the fuel pressure had leaked down to 0 in the 24~ hours since I had installed the tank and ran it last night.  Not sure what caused that, I perhaps need to tighten the fuel clamps more on the feed/return line at the tank? The only lines that were touched were the ones going to the tank (and the vent lines up top), I also replaced the O ring when I transferred the sender over.  I didn't see any fuel leakage though, and the pressure while running has remained consistently stable.

* Car will still bog under anything more than light throttle. I can go WoT and the RPMs will struggle to rise, I want to say the highest I was able to get it at was four after a few seconds of WoT.  My harness plugs are all broken and I noticed that the #1 injector plug was almost completely off, while the others were on there. I put it on and revved it at idle and it seemed like it was fine, I doubt it was solely the loose connector though, but I have a replacement harness on hand that I plan on installing while also making sure all the connections are cleaned in addition to being secured.

* When I gave it WoT I smelled a distinct burnt rubber smell. It went about as fast as it came, but it seemed to only occur when engine speed increased and subsided when it slowed down.  I'm certain its not a clutch smell, just based on how pungent a burnt clutch smell is (at least to me.) I didn't see any smoke, and it didn't smell like oil, coolant, or brakes. I was thinking maybe the belts could be rubbing? I don't hear any squealing from the drive belts, though. I'll inspect tomorrow.

* Reverse lights don't work (I was told that one came on for a split second when I put it in reverse, but then went out and now nothing.)

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions they can think of I'd appreciate it, currently formulating my next strategy and looking over the FSM.

[Yarb]

Replace that harness. I think you will find the reverse light sockets are corroded and have at least one bulb that is burnt out. The harness is the key IMHO. As far as tightening those clamps they only need to be snug. There isn’t any significant pressure except on the feed line. 

Edited April 7 by Yarb

[NocturnalEmber]

6 minutes ago, Yarb said:

Replace that harness. I think you will find the reverse light sockets are corroded and have at least one bulb that is burnt out. The harness is the key IMHO. As far as tightening those clamps they only need to be snug. There isn’t any significant pressure except on the feed line. 

The harness is next to go on, probably in the next day or two!

I was wondering why the fuel pressure leaked down to 0 PSI over the course of a day, its never done that before. The car didn't have any problems building or holding fuel pressure while on though. 

Going to check the reverse lights out at the same time as the harness, I'm expecting corrosion. I'm hoping for burnt out bulbs, but I'm thinking its probably going to be corrosion.

Edited April 7 by NocturnalEmber

[Zed Head]

12 hours ago, NocturnalEmber said:

I noticed the fuel pressure had leaked down to 0 in the 24~ hours since I had installed the tank and ran it last night.

This might affect starting but won't affect running.  It's usually caused by a bad check valve in the pump or a leaking regulator.

 

12 hours ago, NocturnalEmber said:

Car will still bog under anything more than light throttle.

This could be caused by many things.  Sometimes you just have to make a check list and run through the tests in the FSM or the Fuel Injection Book.  TVS, AFM, ignition timing, clogged injectors, clogged muffler (not actually one of the tests), clogged converter (same), rotten EGR channel, and more, could be a cause.  But without seeing all of the things that are correct it's impossible to make a good guess. 

This is page 6.  If you made a file, like in Wordpad, or a Google spreadsheet and linked it so that people could see your test results easily, they could zero in on next steps.

You could zip tie those injector clips on temporarily.

[Patcon]

I assume there is no wideband available

[NocturnalEmber]

21 hours ago, Zed Head said:

This might affect starting but won't affect running.  It's usually caused by a bad check valve in the pump or a leaking regulator.

 

This could be caused by many things.  Sometimes you just have to make a check list and run through the tests in the FSM or the Fuel Injection Book.  TVS, AFM, ignition timing, clogged injectors, clogged muffler (not actually one of the tests), clogged converter (same), rotten EGR channel, and more, could be a cause.  But without seeing all of the things that are correct it's impossible to make a good guess. 

This is page 6.  If you made a file, like in Wordpad, or a Google spreadsheet and linked it so that people could see your test results easily, they could zero in on next steps.

You could zip tie those injector clips on temporarily.

Google spreadsheet has been made! 

Edit: Car does not have a catalyst, I haven't checked the muffler.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eRC31JowXWN3sx6-Y-zguYGn5HORvq0jeS9s4Pt3rxM/edit?usp=sharing

Edited April 8 by NocturnalEmber

[Zed Head]

Looks good and it will probably help you in the future.  You need a column with results though.  More detail too, like brand of injector, etc.  Maybe even cost but you can keep that private.  I had a spreadsheet for a while for my car.  Realized the nickels and dimes had added up in to the thousands for the whole car as a project.  $20 here, $50 there.  Doesn't take long.  Don't look if you think your hobby is inexpensive.  It's probably not.