Zed Head

Does it stay running after it starts? Not clear. Just trying to get a feel for the problem. The thing about the early Datsun EFI systems is that the Start functions are kind of separate from the Run functions. You didn't say year of car either. Forgot from your other thread.

Seriously though, strut changes are pretty easy, with a few simple tricks, like unbolting the inner bolts of the control arms, for the 280Z. The 280Z struts are longer than 240Z so the descriptions of just dropping the back struts out form under the fender wells don't work. Unless you unbolt the inner attachment points.

That is true. Why are you oiling fish?

Didn't know it was a brand name too. There's no Monroe on yours though. He said Monroe quick struts. No offense zhead, but after 1,17X posts struts should be a piece of cake. You do need a spring compressor, for factory springs.

"Quick" struts probably just means self-contained, like the KYB's and others. The factory strut tube damping parts are removed and everything is replaced with self-contained dampers. Oil, valves, shafts, everything. Not sure what your mechanic is talking about, with "special tools", unless he was planning to rebuild the factory internal dampers, which I'm not even sure can be done by today's mechanics. Maybe you have an old-timer who knows how to do it. There's no real benefit to doing all four versus at once versus just two, besides one shop visit versus two. That was your question and the answer is "personal preference".

The "retarder" wire is the white one that goes through the coolant temperature switch. I was going to mention the possibility of blue wires. That's what the reman companies do. But they leave the colored ends as stubs at the pickup itself. Looks like you're figuring it out anyway. The last clue that might help you is if you get it all together and the engine starts but runs funny, and you can't get a solid timing light. If so, then the red and green, or brown and green, or blue and green, need to be swapped. The polarity through the pickup coil is backward. The voltage curve is reversed.

Maybe you saw this already but it's a very good deal. MFactory has a good reputation. Don't know what the ratio is. He has the other parts too, apparently.

Not trying to one-up, just clarifying. Even though it doesn't really matter much for this case. Took me a while to logic out the second pickup. Sometimes it's called an Emissions function but it's described in Engine Mechanical. Attached a picture. Also attached a picture showing the wire that is common to both pickups. Actually, Green is the common wire and Red or Brown are the separated wires. The key is just to make sure that the two wires to G and W on the HEI module actually pass through a pickup in the distributor. Green goes to G on the HEI module (for proper polarity) so Red or Brown could go to W. It seems complex but once you get in there it's just G to G, coil negative to C, battery power to B, and the other side of the pickup coil (not G, either Red or Brown) to W. And make sure the module is grounded well. I had a 5 wire Nissan module in my car for a while and I just left the unused wires disconnected, and sealed the ends.

The two extra wires are for the extra pickup coil in the distributor. You'll lose one if you convert to the GM HEI module. It will only cause a low idle during warm-up, in between the time that the engine gets fully warm and the AAR closes. The extra pickup coil advances the timing when the engine is cold, increasing idle RPM. The FSM has great diagrams of the TEI's, and Saridout's wiring diagram has the colors, if they're not in the FSM.

Can't really go wrong any or all three of these - https://www.amazon.com/Rebuild-Your-Nissan-Datsun-Engine/dp/1931128030 https://www.amazon.com/Modify-Your-Nissan-Datsun-Engine/dp/1931128049 https://www.amazon.com/How-Restore-Your-Datsun-Z-Car/dp/1931128022

Looks like two compression rods are serviceable. With bushings. The firewall VIN patch might be intact. The car can be saved! (That's a troll comment. Couldn't resist.)

Just tired of zag's attempts to get people to join him in his "found' money club. He's the guy that throws the ID away and keeps the money when he finds a wallet. Hoping that that's not acceptable on this site. You can't have a discussion with him because he ignores your posts when they destroy his point, or he comes up with nonsense like at the top of this page.

I would add, that the basic issue here is that most of us don't want to hear about these kinds of things. It's not what the forum is about. We know they happen, but some things are best kept to yourself. If you shoplifted some parts from the auto parts store, don't come on to the forum to tell people about your "score". It dirties up the good stuff on the forum. And don't try to argue that the parts store sold you some bad parts so they got what they deserved, or everybody does it, or some other justification. Just enjoy your ill-gotten gains, alone. That's about it. You and your friends might have a "culture" where this is acceptable, it's just not acceptable here. Sorry to the members who might have joined in with their own stories. I'm not a saint myself, and could tell some stories from way back when but I don't do those things any more and don't talk about them either. Let's get back to the basics, and stop talking about how to scam the system.

Don't forget the Parts Wanted sub-forum - http://www.classiczcars.com/forum/21-wanted/

Hate it when people do that. Wasting time. Good luck.

Here's an example of what a person can do if they value money more than time (nothing wrong with that, or vice versa. Personal choice) or just want to mess around. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/62575-z32-and-rb-cas-disassembly/

I spent some time dinking around with junkyard CAS's and the internet when I was thinking about modifying a later Nissan distributor/CAS for my L6. The basic photodiode technology hasn't changed since their introduction. I think that pinout might even be the same. You might find that you can swap in a later model CAS module in with minor modifications. Plastic tabs and hole changes. Look at the 90's Pathfinders, there's a ton of them dying these days, the yards always have them. I learned how to get that metal disc/cup off, the one you're working on, in the wrecking yard. Some of them were just plain stuck and would probably never come off. Locked on by corrosion. Some popped right off by hand. It's a very precise fit on the shaft. Here's something else to consider. The MS system generally doesn't work that well with the Nissan wheel, for whatever reason. DIYAutotune made a fairly cheap wheel for the application. https://www.diyautotune.com/product/54-mm-optical-trigger-wheel-for-nissan-l28et-or-vg30e/

Didn't this horse get turned in to sausage just a short while ago? Selling parts from a car you don't have title to is what chop shops do. You can call it taking a risk, or everybody does it, or what else could I do, but it's all the same. Big picture, since it was a divorce, you're probably doing somebody's dirty work. Tainted parts.

The CAS doesn't have a resistance that you can check, like the pickup coil does in an EFI 280ZX. It's transistorized. Power supply to the CAS is important. Many ways to have problems with Megasquirt. Some people can't get a known-good CAS to work well with Megasquirt. It takes some tricks. If you insist/persist though, like JSM says, that piece just gets stuck and can be rocked or pried off. No need for a puller. But, better to describe your "big problems". I would stop disassembling your CAS now, especially if you barely know what an ohm is. Really seems like you might be on the wrong path.

But, on the other hand, there's really nothing wrong with staking the old nuts. They're not really "wrong". And it's simple to do. What are the odds that you'll be removing that nut over the remaining life of the car? Tiny.

Looks like you might be right. Self-locking nuts are distorted at one end to pinch the axle shaft and threads. You can see the press marks on this eBay image of the proper ZX lock nut. Your nut has the raised ridge, for staking. Here's what appears to be the right part number - 43262-W1200 Google it and you'll find some stories about these guys selling the old nuts in place of the new. MSA's page suggests that the 79-93 NA coupes used staked nuts but that doesn't seem right. Anyway, good luck. Your local Nissan dealer might have them on the shelf. https://www.ebay.com/i/322923795491?chn=ps http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/23-4572

Tippy. Watch for tiny rocks. Nice on space though.

The wood HF dolly works great but the wood will slowly bend and sag if the weight is applied toward the center. Then the casters will rotate outward and it won't roll well. Easy to reinforce, or just make sure that the actual load points are by the casters.

What do you mean by "working"? Do they need to be flow-balanced? Or are you just testing fit and electrical? Would some old junky injectors work? Most larger injectors that people like to use are 11 or 14mm o-ring style installations, not hose based. The stock injectors use an EV1 connector also, not the most common. You can get newer style injectors for cheap at most wrecking yards.

Knock, knock...