Zed Head

Have you used the solid mount before? They're known for fatiguing the mounting points and failing, plus transmitting much noise. A better option maybe - http://www.technoversions.com/DiffMountHome.html

Actually, the fusible link to the EFI system could allow cranking but no starting. And there are other no spark conditions like bad pickup coils in the distributor. If we could get it down to either fuel supply, spark, or injection, that would help a lot. All we have now are dying, then cranking but no starting. Followed by starting again for no apparent reason. Maybe trade cars with someone who can do a little detective work?

rcb, it's a hard problem to diagnose because some of the clues are missing or just haven't been examined yet. If it was the ignition module that would mean it's a no-spark problem when it doesn't start and that would show up on the tachometer. No tachometer needle movement. But her tachometer doesn't work. If it's the fuel pump, the fuel pressure gauge would show it. But it has to be examined while the car is not starting. If the gauge is under the hood she'll have to get out, open the hood, try to start it, then go look at the gauge and see what pressure is left. Difficult. If it's the ECU, it would be a no-injection problem. That could probably be seen with some Christmas tree lights stuck in to the injector clips. Leave them there, confirm that they flash when the engine is running. Then open the hood and watch the lights during the no-start problem. But somebody will have to rig the lights up. An LED circuit could probably be rigged up with some lengths of wire and placed where it's visible. Some ingenuity and handiness required though. Since these things are all somewhat difficult and need quickness to be effective (examine before the problem disappears), we're kind of stuck with replacing parts and seeing if the problem goes away. It's just the way things are for the Red Bird. To the fusible link point - just to be clear, and it may have been mentioned already, but when it doesn't start are we talking about endless cranking but no starting? Or turning the key and nothing happens at all?

The P.A.P. is interesting. The thick ink is typical of the salvage yards paint pen. I wouldn't be surprised if the car has had the dying problem for years, causing it to get moved on to owner after owner. The problem is almost like a module problem but not quite, as EuroDat says. Easy to get misdirected. Based on the whole story and all of the work that was done to get it tuned right, and the fact that it does run well when it runs, but it still dies randomly, if it was my car and I had a spare ECU to try that's what I'd do next. The problem-solving path followed isn't exactly the factory path but that is Nissan's last resort - replace ECU. Next time it dies, if your left leg is flexible enough, kick the kick panel that the ECU is hiding behind and see if that gets it going again. People have said that whatever loses connection in the ECU can be be "fixed" by beating/tapping/kicking the ECU. Won't hurt it, the electronics inside are not today's super-tiny sensitive type, they're big clunky pieces.

Forgot about the Download site. Oops. Never mind. Good luck.

No it isn't. I know cuz "cuz" isn't a word in any language. Anyway, it's your time to waste. There is a chapter in the FSM called "Engine Removal" that covers everything you need to know.

Step #1 - get off of the LGLS770 and communicate normally. Tapatalk won't cut it.

It's been noted before that the 225 mm stock flywheels aren't available. I know a local shop that had a few in inventory a while back. Somebody on eBay might have one. But apparently nobody is casting them anymore. One more NLA part. I have a small collection of used ones that I think will last me. You might try the wrecking yards for used.

12.2 volts is ~ 50% charge. 11.8 is essentially dead. Get a good charge, start over and see where things are. 12.6 or higher is about full charge.

It sounds like you're saying that after it started and ran, then died, that after that it never started again, and that now when you turn the key to Start, you hear a noise from the starter that sounds like it's spinning. When you turn the key to Start and hold it do you hear a spinning noise, constantly? Or does it make a nasty noise, you let go of the key, and it makes a spinning noise? I'm thinking that your battery might need a charge. Check voltage on the battery and make sure it has a full charge. You can get misdirected when the odd things happen. Voltage should be 12.6 or higher.

No, that's bad. Sounds like the coil is grounded all of the time. Either through a bad module or incorrect wiring. If you turn the key off you'll find that the coil negative terminal has continuity to ground. Something is shorting power to ground all of the time. It does explain the "no-spark" though.

Monroe describes looking for heat-checking, and sanding and cleaning if there is none and the surface is flat. It worked for me. If you use a hard block when you sand, the sanding pattern will give you a good idea of the quality of the surface. A good consistent pattern can only be achieved on a flat, non-heat-checked surface. I like to use a flashlight behind my straight edge to see how flat a surface is. Just a trick that works. My first flywheel had a visible wear pattern shown by a straight edge. I sanded it and used it anyway and it gave me chattering problems when it got hot. I don't know if the it was the flywheel or the clutch. It was a Zoom Perfection clutch kit. My second one was perfectly flat by straightedge and worked fine after sanding and cleaning, with a new, different brand, clutch kit. Rhinopac brand. I like to experiment though so take that in to account.

I think that he needs a different piece. He actually went and found the exact Nissan name for the part. Unusual. Apparently the remans don't come with it. Pretty sure that you posted a picture of the varieties of this part in the past.

I wonder if raising the idle speed slightly would help. The rich oily fuel air blend might be too much for a cold engine. As I understand things, on the dual pickup ignition systems there are two things that keep the idle speed up when the engine is cold - the AAR and the second pickup. The AAR stays open for just a few minutes, but the second ignition system keeps the timing advanced until the engine warms up. Which could take about 20 minutes. Advanced timing increases engine RPM. Anyway, it might be worthwhile to increase idle RPM a couple hundred RPM. Turn the screw circled counterclockwise. You can actually do it by hand some times. Stole a picture from this link, post #4 - http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/37021-no-idle-screw/

Sorry to hear about your dog site. If I remember right she's the one that leaned forward in anticipation of your shifts when riding along in one of your Z's. That's a special skill, hard to replace.

You're cleaning the inside of the valve cover? Not the top of the head? Mineral spirits should work. But a can of carb and choke cleaner would probably blast the crud out and dissolve the varnishy stuff. That's what I'd use, just for ease of application. Seems better to me. Don't get the carb cleaner on any painted surfaces though. It's a potent solvent.

You can get a new module for ~$20 at OReilly Auto. They do go bad (I've had one), maybe that's why the Regal was in the yard . If it doesn't fix the problem, at least you'll have a spare. But do #6 first. It will test everything before the module. And you don't need a spare spark plug (in case you don't have one handy), you can just place the metal end of the HT lead ( the center coil wire) close to a ground and look for spark. Each time you tap the jumper from the coil (-) to ground you're doing exactly what the module would do. Each tap to ground should cause a spark from the coil's center wire. If you get spark that way, the module should be able to do the same.

She has a 76 with the lower energy ignition system. You might be thinking of 78 and on. Spec. for 76 is actually .031 - .035" so it was on the high end. I looked back through the original thread but can't find anything about miles on the engine. My 76 had high miles and worn valve seals and burned some oil at high RPM. Those plugs seem pretty black and the fact the engine ran very well but you still ended up with black, wet plugs, after just a few miles with the new plugs seems to indicate some oil leakage in tot he cylinders. I can't recall much at all either, about the general state of the car when received. Maybe it's a high mile car that sat, or a low mile car that sat, or a high mile car that was a daily driver. The first two could cause a little rust in the cylinders that might wear in to shape, the last would mean it just is the way it is. Someone mentioned Italian tune-up a while ago, I think. Maybe it just needs some good road runs to settle down. The daily warm-ups and mail box trips though, might not be enough to keep it in good shape. They like to run.

And, since I'm here, before I sign off, might as well mention the distributor. If you have power to the coil and the module is right, then you should get spark. The distributor is connected directly to the module and will make it trigger if it's right. There are several things to look at there, easy to do. There are just so many small things that you could confirm are right, if you use the meter and work through the tests. There's a flow chart in the FSM. Super easy, and it's the only good "process of elimination" to use.

Just to draw out another detail. Clarity on what exactly is happening will help a lot. You've lost the buzzer and, apparently, some other things - "like the ignition isn't even being turned on". But 12 volts at the coil only happens when the ignition is on, so that statement is a little unclear. Also, you should measure both sides of the coil. It will tell you if there's continuity through the coil circuit. You should see battery voltage on both + and -. Anyway, the answer's there somewhere. Diagnose first, fix second.

I think that you might be wrong. Some basic troubleshooting with a meter should find the answer. Although, a sketch of the wiring would tell if the module should work. Some of us have pondered the 280Z ignition systems far too deeply.

First, you need to show us how you wired it. Did you follow Eurodat's guide? He installed his the way that you did. It is possible. But no guesses can be made without knowing exactly what you did. At least make a list of the wire colors and where you attached them to the module. Second, have you confirmed that you have the basics, like power to the coil with the key On? Third, did the seat belt buzzer work before? If it did, you might have blown a fuse or a fusible link. The seat belt buzzer shouldn't have anything at all to do with the ignition module. So that might be a clue that you bumped or shorted something.

Marysville, WA. Where's Rossiz?

Here's a link to the guy who took over MM's products. http://www.chequeredflagracing.net/HOME.html The web site isn't up to date. He posts in the Vendor forum on Hybridz also.

Here's something from a guy who seems to know what he's doing. He did a nice writeup on the "bellhousing' swap for the 71C - 71B 5 speeds. He put a lot of thought into it. Nigel. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/113199-yet-another-rear-drum-to-disk-conversion-option/?hl=%2Brear+%2Bdisc#entry1060325