LeonV

Wow, that Z belongs in a museum! You car is in amazing, original shape. I would say that of all first generation Z-cars ('70-78), the late 260Z is the rarest of all. They were only made for 3-4 months, and I've never seen one in such great shape.

I don't know about you but it's pretty easy for me to interpret, "fill to the plug hole." Not much lost in translation there. FWIW, there is a cartoon finger sticking a finger in the fill hole (MA-25, '81 FSM), so I guess it is important! Comment about "finger in fill hole" in 3...2...

Thanks Al, it's good to have some people who actually understand this. I was typing as you posted.

Not according to Nissan. Take a look at the FSMs again. I don't have time to sift through each one, so I'll use the '72, '78, and '81 as examples. Page GI-10 of the '72 FSM clearly states, "approximate refill capacities" in big, bold letters. Not any single transmission, engine and differential are going to be exactly the same. The 240Z is lacking in information however, and not just in this section. They assume you will fill to the plug. Page MT-5 of the '78 FSM does state to fill up to the plug hole. The '74 and up FSMs all state to fill to the fill plug, they never tell you to fill exactly "X" number of quarts, and the 240Z shares the same differential as other S30s and S130s, therefore, you should fill then all to the fill plug (notice I don't say until overflow). This is also clearly demonstarted in two photos (trans and diff) on page MA-25 of the '81 FSM. End of story. This is simple logic, folks. Gearboxes are designed to have a certain oil level in them, not an exact volume. Approximate fill capacities should only be used to make a decision on how much oil to buy. You can do whatever you want to your car, but if your procedure is incorrect according to the manufacturer and the recommendation is given out publicly (like an internet forum) then it must be corrected. Don't take it personally, you can do as you wish. I'm not telling you what to do, just informing everyone of what should be done by design. Unless maybe you know something that the engineers don't and have a good reason to change the procedure...

I'm pretty sure there are already provisions for foglights in the wiring harness, at the front of the car.

The 280Z FSM, as well as the rest of the Z FSMs state that the transmission and differential must be filled to the filler plug. Reference page MT-5 in the 280Z FSM, as it clearly states, "remove filler plug and fill transmission with recommended gear oil to the level of the plug hole." You quoted approximate numbers from the manual but did not state what it says about capacity, otherwise we wouldn't be having this discussion. The point of my reply is to clear up for others about how Nissan tells you to refill their gearboxes. Back on topic, no, you cannot overfill the transmission if filling through the filler hole on a level surface.

If you did, then you'd fill to the fill plug! Beermanpete is absolutely 100% correct on this. The FSM shows that the diff and tranny must be filled to the fill plug.

That is just an approximate amount. If you look in the FSM, it shows that it must be filled level to the fill plug.

I misread your post and apologize. I though you were going to buy a new switch. There is no need for your buddy to be immature about it.

Isn't this what I said in my first post? Did you search any of the terms I gave you? Hmmm...

I will definitely have a use for them! PM sent.

Pierce has banjos and lines: http://www.piercemanifolds.com/Default.asp Not sure what you mean by "nice fuel lines". You can get proper fuel lines at the local auto parts store or buy them from Pierce with your banjos.

Nope, there is no head casting with 'N33' on it. It looks like they came up with alternative names for the 3 variations of the E88: small chamber, large chamber, and large chamber plus bigger exhaust valve. Again, there is no such thing as an N33 head casting. Just as I thought.

This sounds like the emergency switch has shut off the rear circuit, a new master may not solve anything. Search for "brake emergency switch", "rear brakes not bleeding", or something like that. I know it has been discussed before.

Uh-oh. That's the easy part... Search "spindle pin" and you'll find plenty of information.

Your engine is operating properly, use the cold start device when cold. If it runs great in the cold without the "choke" then you're running too rich.

This means that you have a late 280ZX long block. The P90 only came on the turbocharged cars. You can confirm that the bottom end is from a turbo by looking through a spark plug hole with the piston at TDC. If it's dished, then it's a turbo block, if flat then NA. FWIW, the turbo engines have a compression ratio around 7.4:1.

I sense irony...

There is no "N33" head, that may have been something you saw on the intake casting. The head casting number is on the bottom of the head, by the #1 and #2 spark plugs. The block casting number is on the left side, below the manifolds. If it is a 280Z engine, then the block casting should be "N42" which came with either an N42 or N47 head. However, mix-and-match possibilities are endless so you won't know what you have until you verify it.

I used a 1/2NPT plug from the hardware store if I remember correctly. However, I believe that most, if not all pipe threads in the S30 are BSPT, so I reluctantly used teflon tape. NPT threads are the same pitch but of a different shape, so an NPT plug will fit but likely not seal.

Precisely. A slightly stretched timing chain is not the problem.

All a worn timing chain does is slightly retarding cam timing, which shifts the powerband up. You will have a bit more power up top and a little less down low. It has zero effect on ignition timing. Cam lift and duration are unchanged, just valve timing changes. The intake valve will definitely be closed by the time spark should occur.

Not a problem.

(1) Remove horn pad (2) Loosen nut (3) Remove wheel All is described in the manual and in countless threads.

Put them where the FSM recommends. Under front rails, by the TC bucket and the rear transverse rail in front of the rear wheels. Pictures are in the GI section of the free FSM, probably page 5 or so. Are those spots rusted through?