Zed Head

But, they're probably better than these. https://www.ebay.com/itm/DATSUN-280Z-FUSIBLE-LINKS-1975-1978-/152443943323?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

Thanks zspert. I think that you're not getting the point of the last 20 posts. We don't know for sure that "red" is right. You're still selling red. but what Nissan sells today is not red. https://www.zzxdatsun.com/cat280z.php

mbz, the more detail you can give the better. If you just describe what seems important to you then our brains can only go as far as your brain. Tell us the stuff that seems worthless. "Exhaust" isn't good enough. Does it smell sweet, like coolant? could be a head gasket. Has it overheated recently? I said "inspected" the plugs, not replaced. How did they look? Were they wet with gas, or clean like they've been washed with coolant? Were they all the same or were one or more different? Details. The white wires are for testing. They just sit there, doing nothing. So, you are holding RPM at 2500 for two solid minutes (that would be a long time) and it just pours white smoke? You said "kicks out". Don't know what that means. No offense intended. Just need a better idea of what's happening. Does your car have a catalytic converter? You're in CA and they were the first to get them.

Sorry, just filling out the picture. zcarsource sells three 0.35 mm^2 links, and a black 1.0 mm^2. Not terrible, the 1.0 is undersized but won't burn up your wiring. At least you know what you're getting. https://zcarsource.com/fusible-link-cover-set-280z-76-78-new

What does the white smoke smell like? Have you inspected the spark plugs? How high is "high" - "very rough for about 1-3 minutes at high RPM "? Give the ECU a sharp tap or two and see if things change.

Keep an eye, or a finger, on the coil to be sure it's not over-heating with full current running through it. Good luck.

And here's zcardepot's Brown link set. Probably repackaged Nissan parts. So the reds are cheaper, but it's not clear what, exactly, they are. And, even better, I'm pretty sure that you can see "0.3" on the wire itself, and 1.25 on the Black ones. https://zcardepot.com/products/fusible-link-brown-black-wire-set-oem-280z-77-78

If you want to work on the tach problem later you can run a wire from the ballast resistor output terminal to the coil positive terminal. That will bypass the tachometer. If it starts and runs that will be another sign that your troubleshooting is correct.

There's a nice 1971 wiring diagram on page 37.

There a lot of wires at the tach.

Sorry, I missed this post. My last post was redundant. You might post up which wires you're measuring continuity and power to. If you're seeing power to the tach and continuity from the tach, then measuring continuity through the tach would be the thing to do. Actually, resistance measurements, ohms, are better than continuity.

The power goes through the tachometer on its way to the coil. If you measure voltage at the coil then there is a clear path through the tachometer. The ignition module provides a ground to let current flow, then a spark is created when that circuit is broken. 246's diagram shows the path (it is missing the ground from the IC ignition box though). It's easy to confuse voltage with current. You might describe what your meter reads at the + and - terminals of the coil with the key on. There should be voltage on both terminals.

The "distance piece" AKA spacer, is meant to match the hub, not the axles. So, mixing up axles shouldn't matter. If you got 220 ft-lbs on the nut then there shouldn't be any axial play around the spacer, side-to-side, because you've clamped the spacer between the two inner races of the bearings. The bearings themselves are not high precision bearings. They're very tough ball bearings but can have some small amount of play of the balls in the races. I think if everybody went out and wiggled their rear wheels they'd find some play. If it rotates freely your bearings are probably fine.

Doesn't look like Nissan's link, which would be the most Yazaki-like, I'd guess. I think the the aftermarket vendors are probably selling "big" links, 0.69 mm^2. Get your links from Nissan.

Are MSA's and others' links made by Yazaki? That's my latest question (2nd edit). Check out zcardepot's page. Edit - the red links look thicker than the black one. https://zcardepot.com/products/fusible-link-wire-set-280z-77-78

Not a problem. I don't always maintain the nicest tone in my own posts. The internet is not the world's best communication tool. Now, off to go comment on CO's last post...

It is funny how some of us look at things differently. I saw three 5 arrows and one 6 arrow in the picture, then went down to see what 5 and 6 were, in the table. The table says that 5 is a 1.25, and 6 is a 0.3. I stopped there, with three 1.25's and one 0.3. That was my path of thought. But, once you're looking at the table, you can look to the right to see quantity and you see one 1.25 and three 0.3's. So the diagram is redundant, but the redundancies don't match. And if you look closely you can't really tell where the arrows for 5 and 6 on the front "case" are pointing. They both end at the inboard link. I'm just glad the little sticker-picture on my car is well-drawn and intact. I hope it's correct.

Not even sure what this conversation is about now. I was supporting your comment about mistakes in the fiche. You mentioned placement, I mentioned quantity. Let's move on.

So the "key" is not the number on the diagram? 3 and 4 are the link blocks with covers, "case", and 5 and 6 are links? I'm seeing three 1.25's and one 0.3.

Looks like they also got their numbers backward. Three 1.25 links (key 5), and one 0.3 (key 6).

Really just want to know where MSA and others get their red links, and what I have on mine. I don't know if I have 0.69 new red or 0.3 old red, or if new red is 0.3 after all. A test for other people would be nice too. Plus, sometimes I test things even though they're not a problem. I can't easily get to the conductor to measure it with the fittings on the end. Surprised that the MSA guys didn't reply. They've been around, on the Koni strut thread.

It's shown in the 1972 FSM, Engine Electrical chapter.

I got the impression that they were localizing the melting to a small specific spot, instead of the whole wire, for FTX over FLWX. Based on your translation. I wonder if a good meter could distinguish between red and brown links. They supply resistance numbers. Here's what Nissan wrote in 1976 with their Service Bulleting about changes.

It's Whatsapp. Edited, never mind. No need to be insulting. Not a good look for you.

Wouldn't you need to know what the smallest gauge is among all of the circuits on that link? I've wondered about Nissan making a mistake but it seems unlikely that they would repeat it year after year, through various FSM's, as other links change size along the way. Like from 76 to 77. They changed a green 0.5 to a brown 0.3. Somebody had to have done some calculations there. Maybe the red came from somebody else second-guessing the engineers? But if 0.3 hasn't been melting, what reason would you have to go to 0.5? Extra risk for no benefit.