Zed Head

Here's a car that "people also viewed" from the 105 page. Somebody values their work highly.- http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-Datsun-240z/112437184911?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D44732%26meid%3D7928fd31efa84d09bd18a0c7fdc6a641%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D292151078816 Edit - if the engine is not in stock form, is it still a concours restoration? Concours restomod maybe?

The basic fuel pump test is to remove the small yellow wire from the starter solenoid and turn the key to Start. That should provide power to the fuel pump. With the engine not spinning noisily the pump is easy to hear. You'll probably hear the pump relay click also. The EFI systems are a collections of sub-systems. Each needs to be checked for function. It looks complex but if you just start running through each you'll be done pretty quick. They're not like the old carb'ed muscle cars, where you just need power to the coil and a screwdriver at the starter. All of the electrical stuff tends to get a little bit of corrosion that causes problems. The headlight switch, turn signals, maybe the Hazard switch, horn, various relays. But there's probably a thread about each one in here somewhere. Almost all people new to the 280Z EFI try to jump ahead but in the end we all had to work through the electrical systems, one by one.

There's an old yellow 280Z under a broken down shed on Skyline Blvd. Still there. They'd be useful for whoever can break that car free. @Mark Maras

That is a cleaner, neater approach. Just don't let it run if it does start spinning. The car has been sitting for ten years though (2007, first post). So a person could argue that if he just wants to hear the engine run that he should probably plumb up a suction line to a clean can of gasoline and bypass the fuel tank completely. The odds of 2007 gasoline being run-worthy are super-slim. I don't see any mention of new gas or new parts. Getting even more basic, if one of us was looking at this car the first thing we'd probably do is pop the gas cap and smell the filler hole. "Eeeewww,..that's not going to work" is my guess.

I would do what site says but also disconnect the hose before the fuel filter, in the engine bay away from any sparks, and catch what comes out in a 2 liter bottle or gas can. Check the quality before you pump it through your filter and fuel rail. If it smells sickly sweet and is orange let the pump drain your tank and refill with fresh fuel. Also, read up on the fuel pump contact switch in the AFM. It's a simple check of the power circuit for the pump. Open the vane.

He's selling another Z too. Same phone number. I love and hate the internet. http://www.autoquid.com/car-detail/z-series/1972-Datsun-Z-Series-1972-Datsun-240Z_292140781007.html

I almost wrote earlier about 105 seeming familiar and maybe being associated with the Harmony guy who posts but never sells. Pumping up the values. Can't find it on the site though, maybe somebody's memory will find it.. Google "HLS30-000105" without the dash and a bunch of other stuff comes up. Google extracts data and posts it on the search results page that can't even be seen when you click the link. Like a leaky NSA. Joel Harmon, car is in Las Vega, Nevada. Edit - I see that this in the eBay ad too. "(702)-460-7122 it is located in Las Vegas Nevada 89115." https://www.google.com/search?q=HLS3000105&oq=HLS3000105&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 http://cars.oodle.com/detail/1970-datsun-240z-series-1/4578497274-las-vegas-nv/ http://www.buyautoshere.info/292151078816.html

My mistake. They put the vinyl on pretty tight on the early cars. My 76 is loose and puffy. My 76 has gray primer. Did Nissan use red primer for the early cars? Just adding to the puzzle. Edit - is that a factory green color? Seems kind of bright. Edit 2 - there's overspray on the serial number badge. Edit 3 - two tone seats. Not stock, or an early option? Yellow sway bar. That's the thing about barn finds. They're time capsuley. Restoring removes all that.

The bumpers say 76 or earlier. And my 76 has a "square" Datsun on the back hatch, yours has diagonal. Unless that's a 2+2 thing. I'm locking in on 1975. You might get more and move the parts quicker if you spit them up. AFM, AFM rubber boots, ECU, harness, manifold, even the charcoal canister. All valuable individually.

$3.76 and a tune-up. Done. For a while anyway. There is something about seeing history writ in wear and tear that's attractive. 105 looks like 106 looks like 107...after restoration. Looks like it started life as an orange car. The rear strut towers are orange and the sanded through areas on the body. Must have been a good paint shop though, they painted the spare tire well green. Or is that a factory color change? Where's the low number guys.? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Stops-Rust-10-25-oz-Clear-Rust-Inhibitor-Spray-224284/100567660

I am fairly sure that 1976 wiring diagram is close to 1977. There's a nice one available on the site. And the FSM has small diagrams in the Body Electrical chapter and the Engine Electrical chapter. Take at least a glance, some people pick up wiring quick others have to work at it. But the answer's in there. What are you trying to do now? Get it started or just get everything working, or both.

I'd go with a speedi- or redi-sleeve. I eyeballed my rear seal on my current engine and decided that since it was dry and didn't show signs of leaking that I would avoid the minor hassle of replacing it before installing the engine. But it had been sitting 0 years, in a parts car, and the seal has started leaking, and it's getting worse. Wish I would have put the extra effort in to making it better when I had the chance. Your part is much harder to replace if your pseudo-fix of positioning the seal doesn't work.

It just needs a clearcoat to stop the rust. Then drive it as a survivor. What's up with the white gauges? The guy is adding more pictures as we talk about it I think. There seem to be a bunch more now. A ton.

Makes me feel sleazy if they're actually hiding but it is the internet age. Did you hear about that Congressman who posted a screen shot of something important to his constituents but forgot to crop out the porn site links at the top... Maybe it really was found in a barn The youtube video is from Harmon Classics. Apparently an equestrian club. Sounds a lot like the old "Harmony" guy though who posted old Z's but never sold them. http://www.harmonclassics.com/ https://www.facebook.com/HarmonClassics/ Here's another, that's more likely - https://harmonclassicbrakes.com/ Another - http://www.harmonsclassiccars.com/

It has no title - "it is sold with a notorized bill of sale."

You can tell that the guy who got it is just a car guy who got lucky. A collector wouldn't run 40 year old rust and grime through the engine just to hear the engine noise. Cringeworthy...

Stop...

Chirping tires during a shift is really just a function of the amount of rotating mass, the "firmness" of the drivetrain parts involved and the traction limits of the tires. Power isn't really involved. Just saying. A big flywheel and a "heavy duty" clutch will chirp skinny tires all day long. Just an example, you said that you have an automatic. The same basics are involved. Don't forget the top of the suspension assembly, the struts.

I can't find firm documentation but some Googling suggests that it's a 1975 ECU. The 050 on the AFM looks like 1975 also. It will run the 75-78 systems, just not sure what changes Nissan made along the way. People like the square port exhaust manifolds also, which 1975 would have. Is that part of the package? http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/MPE0/ECC1447/01599.oap?year=1975&make=Nissan&model=280Z&vi=1209204&ck=Search_C0396_1209204_-1&pt=C0396&ppt=C0334 http://www.ebay.com/itm/75-76-Datsun-280Z-Engine-Control-Module-ECU-A11-000-050-OEM-/142309814346?hash=item212253704a:g:66IAAOSw5cNYc8qG&vxp=mtr http://www.zcar.com/forum/10-70-83-tech-discussion-forum/104601-bosch-ecu-replacement.html

The FSM shows 1975 CA cars with EGR. California got all the good stuff early! I had a 1978 parts car with a fuel pump contact switch in side. Looked all original, a survivor. The 1978 wiring diagram shows the pins and switch and labels them "useless".

Maybe it's a Series I manifold! Seriously, maybe it's just really old. carparts suggest that there was a manifold change in June 72, but doesn't show a gasket change until July 73. You have a puzzle. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-240z-260z/manifold http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-240z-260z/exhaust-tube-muffler/to-jul-73

That's typical of dirty battery connections, or fusible link connections. The corrosion heats up when current flows and the connection opens up. It's not a short, it's an open circuit. Clean, and maybe give a little extra crimp to the ends of the fusible links, and the battery connections. If you have clamp-on cable ends, take them off and clean the copper wire, or just get better cables. Pretty common. I almost replaced my starter once, even though I knew all about the cable connection problem.

Hey Mike, that looks like a 75-77 system. The intake manifold is the non-webbed N42 intake (very desirable, for some reason). Nissan started using the webbed intake with the N47 head, I believe, which was mid-1977, apparently. And there's the three piece fuel rail which is also pre-1978. 1978 used a one piece. The ECU and AFM numbers would clear things up. Also, if the ECU and AFM are factory stock or aftermarket (like MSA) that would be important. Looks shiny and in good shape.

CO noticed the bumper rubber and the hood vents, signs of 1977. My comment was about the major changes in the body parts from 76 to 77, but confimring what CO noted. For example, if you buy 1976 door parts for your car they probably won't fit. Many other parts aren't' the same either. You probably looked at the stamp on the door jamb, that had a 1976 year on it. But that's the build date, not the model year. Nissan, and most car makers, start building their model years ~6 months ahead of the actual model year. Anyway, your car is probably a 1977 280Z. What does the title show? We're not trolling, just steering...

An important distinction indeed. 77 is the year of change in 280Z world.