Zed Head

You might just use water for testing then let it run out or drain it when you're done. On the fuel, if you don't want to pull the injectors (nobody does but almost everybody ends up doing so) you could disconnect the return line by the filter and let the pump push whatever is in the rail and injectors out in to a container. See what was in there. The injectors and their hoses are dead zones in the flow path so after the initial purge you might reconnect everything and let the pump run. Diffusion will mix the old dead fuel in the injectors with good fuel and it will end up diluted in the tank. Otherwise, once you get everything electrical working right you'll be shooting old dead fuel in to the cylinders. Maybe even water. Another way to power the pump is to remove the AFM cover and move the vane's counterweight, with the key on. You should a click and then the pump will run. Or. You can pull the injectors and rail and give everything a good rinse. Seafoam has a following. But it's really just a mix of oil and stuff that burns. Makes mysterious smoke. Gasoline is a super solvent.

Not clear which problem is the problem. The switch to manual or the wiring. Does the engine run and the car drive? Is there something that doesn't work? And where's the pictures?

That's a nice looking car though. Make sure you don't set it on fire. Get a milk crate or box or build a seat, then sit on that seat with a meter and the wiring diagram. Maybe with a little space heater in the car. Some beers. Your phone or laptop so that you can show us what you find. Take measurements and write down what you find or don't find. Since wiring has been removed (edit - had dash here), there are many many things that could be disconnected. The grounds are just as important as the power leads. Realized that your dash is still in place, which is good. But there are relays under the seat, and the Hazard switch in the console and stuff on the steering column that can be a problem.

It's a toasty 39 F here in the great northwest. Dave is right, you need to get a meter and make sure power is where power should be. The simple test for the fuel pump is to disconnect the starter solenoid wire and turn the key to Start. But apparently you don't have power to the starter solenoid. 107,000 is low miles for these engines. Assume that the engine is going to run fine once you get the other stuff sorted out. Spend your time on the small stuff. One short circuit causing melted wires will ruin things for you. I still remember taking the advice of a friend about using a Juicy Fruit wrapper to "fix" a blown fuse. Those wrappers can pass a lot of current.

A long comma, like a long pause? Very creative writing, I like it. Browse the categories on the right on this page, and download your FSM and other guides. Wiring diagrams, troubleshooting guides, they're all in there. http://www.classiczcars.com/files/ How did the fuel that you drained look? Is there rust in the tank? Does the fuel pump work? We love pictures here. What, exactly, are you trying to get out of it? You're trying to start it when it's probably full of crud that will get circulated through the various systems, engine, fuel system, cooling system, etc. Not good for long-term but you'll probably have fun before other stuff starts to break, if you get it running.

I wouldn't replace anything yet. Nothing you have described indicates a bad part. The hissing noise is normal, it's fuel passing through the FPR. Looks like you have a 75-77 280Z so it will have the fuel pump contact in the AFM. The engine probably dies because the idle speed is too low and the AFM contact switch is opening. You might also have some vacuum leaks which will cause the AFM vane to close at low RPM, opening the pump power switch. You can try turning up the idle speed to get it to idle while you're looking for leaks and other problems. There is no magic "one fix" that will make these cars tun better. It's a whole bunch of small things. Edit - actually that might be a 78 FPR. One inlet port. So, low idle and vacuum leak can still be a problem but there won't be a switch in the AFM. Still, small things first. It runs.

I knew some guys in West Virginia that used to get pure ethanol from the local chemical plant. They knew people. Years ago. The ultimate moonshiners.

I can't remember which year car you have. But the wiring diagram in the FSM actually shows the top of the T and the post, with wire colors, if you find the right diagram. Start with Engine Electrical.

You checked power at the pump itself? Back by the tank? Check the ground circuit also. If you used a convenient metal spot as your ground you might have overlooked the ground wire for the pump. And are you sure that the pump was not working? You could loosen a hose clamp at the filter and see if there's pressure. Looks like you just assumed there no pressure because you had spark.

Yes, Nissan calls it a sleeve. We call it a collar. It must match the pressure plate finger height, nothing else. Even the parts makers get things wrong in their specs. Measurements are necessary unless you're a gambler.

The only parts that need to have the transmission out to be replaced are the throwout bearing, the rear main seal of the engine, and the front cover seal of the transmission. And the clutch parts, of course. The clutch fork too, sometimes they're worn. The rest can be replaced piece-meal as necessary, or at better times, with the transmission installed. You might start your project by loosening nuts and bolts. Propeller shaft flange bolts at the diff, exhaust pipe bolts and nuts, exhaust system hanger bolts and nuts, fill and drain plugs on the transmission. It's that one nut or bolt that won't loosen or breaks that will stop a well-made plan. List all of the parts that you have and we'll tell you which ones to be careful with. The throwout bearing sleeve is the most common place that people go wrong. Some kits have it, some don't. You didn't mention it specifically.

Here's a thread from this year that kind of shows how things are still confusing. Some people like them, some people like them after they fix them, some people don't like them. Old Eibach doesn't seem like new Eibach. Nobody knows where they really come from. It's madness. But the name sounds good - Eibach. Like salsa.

I can't criticize writing if I can't do reading. But, "throughout" doesn't really tell the whole story. You're right though, if the front link bushings are polyurethane now, then that FSM passage doesn't matter. Back to Eibach springs. The're something weird about the Eibachs. Many people have problems, either too high or too low, but there doesn't seem to be much consistency. It's a dice roll as to what you'll get. Could be counterfeits, could be low QC on a low volume product. I'd never use Eibachs myself, too many people have problems. I'd post some links but there are so many stories. Some too high, some too low...general confusion. You can read the stories but none will have a solid answer.

I completely overlooked the fact that the engine was not in. 400 lbs would make a difference, of course. CO has posted on this often - the bushing bolts need to be torqued when the suspension is loaded. Leave them loose until then. The factory bushing rubber is bonded to the metal sleeves and actually adds a small amount of elastic resistance to wheel or body movement, once the metal sleeves are locked in to place with final torque settings. It's described in the Service Manual. If that doesn't do it, it might be the springs. What kind are they? Progressive or straight rate? People have had problems with the progressive springs for many years.

You have to roll it back and forth. The wheels and tires move inward as the suspension drops. They hit the ground inward to the position they should be in, and will move out as they roll.

Everyone has their own way of problem-solving. Getting things back to factory settings is always a good way to start. I suggested the fuel tweak as an "in the mean-time" test. It's completely reversible, and/or you can just set the potentiometer to zero resistance. Besides that, we need something to discuss while he's waiting for the canister.

The vacuum advance goes away at any sizable throttle opening. As soon as the the blade opens and intake vacuum drops the advance won't come back until engine RPM increase. So part-throttle acceleration would see a difference but it goes away as you press the pedal farther. All I'm saying is that my math doesn't add up to the lack of timing advance itself as the problem. Maybe the mechanical advance is stuck also. I don't see any timing light info. I just went back through the whole thread and see the things I missed. But, basically, it's an engine with a hesitation at some unknown level of acceleration, and a hole in the vacuum advance canister. That's really all that we're working with. A little work with a timing light would be illuminating. I found the old ZX canister. It's from an 81 2+2 so should have up to 15 degrees. Looks like some sort of two-stage system. Could also be an 80 unit (it had 1980 transmission). Which has even more possibilities. The 80's was the emissions era.

Thanks. His site is down now so I can't check it out. The "tweak" is well-established. It's not really a tweak anymore, more actually a "fix". Not really feeling a bad vacuum advance as a hesitation problem, that's why I suggested the fix. DC8 didn't say if he plugged the vacuum leak. It would be a small one but still might have an effect, especially with the an engine on the edge of leanness. The first thing that I would do is to plug the vacuum leak.

I took a leaking one apart in the past and the diaphragm material was cracked and brittle. Made me wonder if they lost performance before they actually cracked and leaked. zcardepot has a fuel tweaker? Can you post a link? I looked but didn't find it. Might be a day or two before I refind my distributor parts.

I might have a ZX vacuum can that's still intact. I'll dig around. You'll still need a new canister, but I wonder if the hesitation was from the vacuum leak. You might get by in the mean-time by just plugging that hose. Might be a bit "doggy" at part throttle with no advance, but better than hesitation.

Is it the vacuum can or the breaker plate? They can both go bad. How did you determine that "it" was bad, whatever it is? The diaphragm in the can can spring a leak or the bearings in the breaker plate can fall out. Both will stop the advance from working. Beside that, your symptoms sound more like a running lean problem. You could try the coolant sensor tweak while you're looking for distributor parts. The problem is pretty common and I think that several 10 ohm resistors have been found in the wiring harnesses of various 280ZX's, if my internet memory serves me right. Today's gas is not the same as 1980's gas.

I notice from the schematic that when the wires are disconnected from the ballast, the Run and Start BW wires are disconnected, circuit-wise, electrically. So you could disconnect the ballast of all wires, then check for voltage at the BW wires. One will have power at Run, and one will have power at Start. Then you can use the schematic to connect them properly.

Those are good points. Don't leave out volatiles, which can dirty up windows pretty quickly. Hate to be negative but there are many ways to go wrong. Finding a material to make the shape isn't too hard, finding one that meets the demands of use is more work. An installed dash after a test run in Las Vegas summer would answer some questions. Pretty sure that there's a setting in Facebook that opens viewing to the public. Then we could all see it without logging in .

It comes in an eight-pack? Scary.

I think that the P90 is like the P79 but with square, unlined exhaust ports. Bigger combustion chambers than the N42 or N47. So you're right, it is like the N42, with the square unlined exhaust ports. The P90 is designed for the turbo engine I think, I don't know if the combustion chamber shape is the same as the P79 or not. The turbo engines used dish pistons so there is no quench to speak of. The liners tend to fall out under the heat of a turbo, people have found that put turbos on their N47 or P79 head engines. Nissan probably learned that early and changed the P79 casting molds to square ports, and called it a P90. Nothing wrong with going back to original, or period-correct. Especially if you're going to the car shows. If I had a good-running 240Z with an L24 I'd just leave it and drive it.