Zed Head

I bring this up occasionally - I've had two 280Z's that wouldn't start when the tach was not installed. Beside that, who knows what else is disconnected with the dash out. These cars aren't like an old Chevy that justs needs a wire to the coil and some gas in the carb. Most of the electrical needs to be connected and working for the engine to run. Probably going to have to put it all back together and run the electrical tests in the FSM or the EFI Book. Edit - it's probably running off of cold start valve fuel, and the EFI system isn't even powered. The EFI relay is attached to the dash.

Alright. Must be the passages in the cover that confused me. I'll stand corrected. Until I know better. Something to explore... So you did use a garden hose...

It's the opposite. The coolant is pushed through that hole in to the block, where it flows up and to the head. The hole on the left of the pump is the inlet, from the front cover passage. The back of the pump is all outlet, pressuring that big hole with the passage in to the block. All clear now. Thought I was missing something. Carry on...

The hole I pointed at with the red line is the outlet. Maybe you meant the inlet?

Am I being trolled? Just can't tell...

Here's another link, showing two sticks but one tube. Not sure they got the years right on the stick, but still. Two sticks, one tube. https://zcarsource.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=dipstick

Forgot to say, measure your tube.

It's a fun puzzle. You know, the 1979 to early 1980 280ZX used the N42 block and N47 head. Motorsport auto sells a tube and a dip stick but they imply that the sticks are interchangeable so who knows what you're getting. http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/17-8046 http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/classic14g/17-8048

The ZX pans are different from the Z pans. The sump is more centered in one of them, to fit the different crossmember. Can't remember which is which. You can see in my picture that the ZX F54 block stick is 6 7/8". I didn't mention it earlier but the other half of the system is the tube in the block. You said that you measured to the top of the rubber. Maybe you meant the sealing edge? That sits on the tube? that's where I measured to. If your "ZX" stick measures 7 1/4" then it's not like my ZX stick. I don't know if your part number is right but I do know that it's not the Z part number. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-280z/cylinder-block/20

Did you disconnect the AFM hose or the wires? Spend more time composing your post before you send it. Describing the problem will help you understand it too.

Well, that's a bummer. Didn't expect you to pull the trigger so fast. I went out and pulled all three of my dip sticks and took a picture. A 76 and a 78 N42 block, and an 80-81 F54 (1981 2+2 ZX but with an 80 ratio 5 speed, junk yard car sale). You can see the difference in the grid pattern where the oil level would sit, the shorter F54 stick is finer. I also tugged on the rubber seal at the top and it's tight. The ZX stick had some bend to it also. Got a measuring tool? Who knows, my ZX stick might be wrong.

I've worked with polyurethanes of the A scale hardness, 80 to 95A range. They're pretty soft. Found a good chart in the Wikipedia link. Of course, making some small samples would give a good feel for the final product, and would be good practice to iron out process difficulties. It's not uncommon for molds to be destroyed because of poor release. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shore_durometer#Durometer_scales

Site provided the picture. I just made a joke. Make sure that the cylinder actually slides back and forth after installation. That's what it's supposed to do. It's self-centering.

Fish fry or fishing lessons... He's gonna need to fish eventually. Good luck. Post some pictures.

Oops, it's right there in the first post isn't it. My mistake. So, back to a full tuneup and a little more detective work. Maybe some minor modifications.

Good point. A full tune-up would be the way to go. Piece mealing won't be very fulfilling. Beside that, I don't think that you can get to 2.9 liters on an L24 block without swapping the crankshaft. An overbore alone doesn't get you there. Kind of looking like a run-of-the-mill L24 engine that needs a few mods and a tuneup.

The illustrations in the Service Manual are very good. Is it yours or your buddy's? http://www.classiczcars.com/files/category/9-factory-service-manuals/

I think that the E88 is the head that people sometimes put the bigger valves in. So that's an unknown. But you definitely need the flow to match the displacement. Fresh air is the limiting factor for power. I was trying to point out that the manifold is just the start of the exhaust system. The two mufflers after it and the pipes can hinder exhaust flow. John Coffey often posted about how the exhaust system after the manifold was the most significant improvement for performance. It's the first modification for power. And the 240Z system is smaller, I believe, in diameter,at certain points, than the 280Z system. And your engine is bigger than a 280Z's. From what little I know about the Unilite system, yes, .044" is to big. It was one of the first electronic systems but not a "high energy" system. Probably about like a 1976 factory electronic ignition system, which is at 0.28 to 0.031". Even the later Nissan systems spec. at 0.039 to 0.043" gap. The second two are easy to get into, take a measurement on the pipes, check the ignition system part numbers and ballast. The head will be harder to figure out.

You won't lose power due to gearing, just acceleration from a dead stop or very low speed. One thing that jumps out in your list is a cylinder head designed for 2.4 liters on a 2.9 liter engine. That's going to choke air flow and limit the potential. Another might be the exhaust system, after the manifold. Muffler and pre-muffler. They can choke power also. Finally, maybe inconsequential, but I don't think that Mallory Unilite is designed for .044" gap. Might be getting some missing while under power. Especially if you still are using the ballast resistor. Patcon has replied while I was writing but I'm going to post anyway.

And so begins a new adventure, guaranteed to frustrate yet entertain over the next few years...

Nothing says that the casting line has to be centered! The drain plug isn't. One of the other pictures shows though that the bottom of the pan is level with the car which is right. So, just an odd angle seems to be why the first one looked weird to me. So the pan has uneven side lengths so it rides level and the drain plug is centered in the pan but not to the car. Just haven't been under my car in so long I forgot what it all looked like.

Just gabbing... The car looks very solid. The dinged up floor reinforcements, aka rails, look amazingly rust free. Even the little weep holes look like they might still have original paint on the edges.

Probably normal. I know that the engine is tilted. Just never noticed how far off the oil pan was from center. Look at the middle of the crossmember. I tried to find the car on the California CL's but couldn't. Wonder if he bought it yet.

That's a good point. Is it my imagination or does the engine seem a bit tilted? The drain plug is offset. Maybe that's normal. I can't find any similar images to compare to.

That sounds like you have a short circuit in one of the switches on the combination assembly. The whole thing is designed to bolt to the metal of the column, lots of metal to ground contact. You can bend the metal tabs back that hold the little pieces of fiber board and open the switches. You might find something shorted inside. You can also bolt the assembly on the column with the wires disconnected then see which switch causes the short by plugging them in before taking one apart. Check the wires too and make sure they haven't worn through or been pinched.