Zed Head

I was only reminded because I've drenched a rain coat in 90 weight waaaay back when I was helping a friend replace the clutch in his Firebird. We had the front end lifted and it started pouring out as soon as I pulled the driveshaft. He decided that I might not know what I was doing, whaich was partially true, and took it home after I put it back together. Good times man, good times...

savasjn got a nice deal. Signed up on BAT just to get the 280Z. Went with bolder bids than usual. 400, 200, 150, 300. Well done.

No reserve running project 1978 280Z in Orlando FL. Looks like it came from an inheritance. Hopefully not a member here. Looks in great shape. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-datsun-280z-196/

No clues there. Maybe the plugging in of the parts causes some internal connections that shouldn't be there. I'm not actually clear on where that new connector goes. I've only worked on 76 and newer Z's. Edit - I guess it's at the old VR. I'd check that connector for problems. A dirty/corroded connection or bad wire terminals could cause heat. There are old stories out there about overheating adapters though. I'd probably plug it all back together, turn the key on and see if it gets hot. That will separate starting activity from simple key On activity. Break the problem down in to pieces. Starting draws a lot of amps and sometimes a poor connection on the starter cables will cause excess current on other circuits. That's why the battery cables are so big. They're really just for the starter. https://www.thezstore.com/product/178/alternator-upgrade-adaptor-70-72-240z

On the alternator measure resistance to ground on both pins. You might have a short circuit in the alternator. New does not guarantee good. One pin goes through the windings and the other measures output from the alternator. Both should have some resistance. I think that S should probably have infinite resistance. Not sure, but it should definitely not be low resistance to ground since it's connected directly to the battery. I would also measure resistance between BAT and E. I would also turn the key on and see if the new white connector gets hot when it's disconnected. There could be a short inside the connector. ZX alternator pinout.

Don't overlook sealing the hole at the back of the transmission before tilting the assembly for reinstallation. Avoid oil wastage. I'm sure you had it covered, but just in case.

Is there a problem or are you just looking for a reason to work on the Z?

The opening to the reservoir is open when the clutch pedal is up. So you don't want to press the pedal if you're trying to pull fluid through from the slave cylinder bleed screw.

It is interesting though that the images are different. Is there another company out there doing sheet metal? Or is somebody just creating new images? https://zcardepot.com/collections/sheet-metal/products/tail-light-panel-sheet-metal-rear-240z https://www.carbody.com/product/datsun-240z-parts/replacement-tail-panel-for-nissan-datsun-240z.html

It's odd how much hype is out there about what they're doing but very little about actual part quality. They seem to be making a ton of parts but not much out there from anybody actually using them. Where are they all going? Actually, I just remembered that they're probably going to places like Resurrected Classics. So, there has been some commentary about part quality there. They do have some parts that are more functional, where fitment and durability will be more critical. Stainless steel? https://www.carbody.com/product/datsun-240z-parts/replacement-front-door-hinge-down-19691973-for-nissan-datsun-240z-stainless-steel-11535.html

I wonder what type of metal and metal treatment is used. Will these last one year in the rust belt? Will they flex, warp, and fatigue? Could be one of those phenomena that lasts a few years until the reality reviews start rolling in.

It might be that the air (or fuel vapor) that's in the cold start valve line doesn't get fully purged. The best setup for cold starts is Nissan's original design.

I don't have the car anymore. No pictures. I thought that this whole thread was about finding that there is a problem with the pump's check valve. Do you think that the problem is the check valve in the pump or the leaking hose? Most intact systems will hold 10 - 20 psi overnight or longer. Your earlier description of air leaking in would have to happen after enough liquid fuel leaks out to relieve all internal pressure. That would be a lot of fuel, especially with fact that the wrong hose probably expands like a ballon. All of that volume has to leak out. I would fix as much as you can then see where you're at. Your car is a danger to you and the public around you at this point. I remember fixing a coworker's car well enough once long ago to get him home so he could fix the problem correctly. He had overfilled it with oil and the PCV system sucked it up and clogged his air filter. He didn't fix it, just kept driving it and beating on it. One night, about a week later, he parked it in front of the place he was renting after a night out and it caught on fire and burned. The oil had leaked on to the hot exhaust manifold after a night of beating. Luckily the car was parked far enough away that his landlord's family's house didn't catch on fire. He was renting a room. I think it was a Yugo with a manual transmission. He drove it like an F1 car.

Considering everything, I would remove the pump, get the proper hose barb for the inlet, take the banjo fitting off of the outlet and see if you can identify the check valve, and try to fix it. It might just be a piece of rust or debris in the check valve seat. You need to fix that zip tie mount anyway. If that breaks, the hose ends up on the spinning halfshaft and you could easily end up spraying fuel and creating vapor back by the muffler. A fire/explosion waiting to happen.

That barb image is from the link you gave for your pump. I'm pretty sure that most aftermarket pump setups have some sort of cobbled together fixturing. I used some of the metal tubing from the original setup and some creative hose routing. I put a loop in the hose to make the sharp bend that is a typical problem back there, from the pump the damper. It can be a difficult puzzle.

I think that most of us go to the hardware store and find the barb that fits the hose. Looks like that hose rubs the halfshaft over the bumps. That whole setup looks a bit sketchy. Gasoline fires are scary. I've scared myself at times just lighting the BBQ coals in the backyard grill.

Why would you not use EFI hose? If the leak is on the high pressure side, that might be the reason. Right after I got my car and got it running again, but before I had given it a good examination, I was out for a short test/tune drive and a UPS driver pulled up beside me and flagged me down right after I had left my neighborhood. He said there was liquid pouring out from the under the back of my car. I pulled over to check it out and found that the hose from the fuel pump had split. It was not EFI hose. A PO had used the wrong hose and it had fatigued and come apart. That UPS guy probably saved my car. And this was after I had made a few high speed runs down the freeway. I got really lucky. There was a guy behind me who cared, I was on a two lane road where he could pull up beside me, and it had split at just the right time.

One sign that the valve is blocking flow is if the pump gets louder. It's a common problem when people use the Walbro 255 on the 240Z's after converting EFI. The carb return lines are too small for the pumps 255 liter per hour flow rate. Anyway, always fun to experiment. I tried to solve a pressure leakdown problem on my car when I was trying to make an adjustable FPR work. They leak down too. Had the same hard start problem. What brand of fuel hose are you using?

Those are pressure numbers, not volume of fuel. If you restrict fuel flow the leak will get worse between the pump and the valve. If you put the valve where you clamped the line it would probably work for startup. But you'll still have leaking fuel in the back somewhere. Seems like fixing the leak is the best solution.

Not sure of the logic here but your pump should already have a check valve. If the cause of the pressure loss is a leak then adding another check valve won't solve it. And SteveJ offered a good example of finding actual specs but that specific example doesn't seem right for high pressure EFI. The call out low pressure applications. Forgot to say, flow rate is important also. EFI pumps push a lot of fuel. The valve might check but it also needs to flow.

Don't lose those shims. I could not get my brakes to not squeal until I found an old crusty set of factory shims like those. None of the tricks/fixes worked.

Have you checked continuity from Pin 1 to the negative side of the coil? And have you checked for spark? The blue wire splits three ways after it leaves the coil - the ignition module under the dash by the fuse box, the tachometer, and the ECU's Pin 1. The blue wire at the coil is the same wire that allows the ignition module to create spark, in the factory setup. There are other reasons that the injectors won't work, with Pin 1 connected correctly.

The different hole patterns might be for the coupe and 2+2 pressure plates. By the way, common wording is either pressure plate and/or clutch cover. The pressure plate bolts will pull the cover down to the flywheel. They are what apply the force that creates the friction that allows the clutch assembly to transfer power. It's important to tighten the bolts evenly to avoid warping the cover. As you tighten the bolts the pressure plate springs will take a load. Patcon posted while I was writing...

That is unusual. Have you stuck the pin through the hole in the pressure plate? The main purpose is alignment. Here's a Nissan pin. It's pressed in. If it was loose it could fall out. https://www.thezstore.com/product/1026/factory-clutch-dowel-pin-70-96-240z-260z-280z-280zx-300zx-z31-z32

I think it's meant to be permanent. That's why they are using high temperature compound. Most dowel pins are an interference fit and need to be tapped in. It's actually odd that Fidanza's are not. Might be that they made the holes too big and chose the retaining compound as a fix. If you're planning to remove the dowels after torquing the pressure plate down then don't use any retaining compound. The Loctite data sheet is an interesting read. Retaining compounds are pretty durable. It should be fine to leave the dowels in place.