Zed Head

You're way ahead of many, you have a running engine. Here's another thing that can cause rich running - a blown fuel pressure regulator (FPR). Pull the vacuum hose from the bottom of the FPR and check for liquid fuel. If you make a list of all of the suggestions being given you'll knock of the high probability stuff and might find a winner. Many ways to get there. Some people would just remove the engine and rebuild it because "it probably needs it".

The other hard part of solving problems is describing what you're seeing. I said "fuel pump power" but you're writing about fuel supply. You're looking at very rich conditions but talking about lack of fuel from a clogged filter. Often, just trying to describe the problem will make you think of something more to look at. If the engine will rev you might try just cranking up the idle speed to keep it running. It's the big screw head on top of the throttle body. You can turn it by hand. Get fuel flowing and let things loosen up. The TVS (aka TPS) has a full throttle position that can get stuck and cause excess fuel. The test is described in the Guide and the FSM, Engine Fuel chapter. By the time you're done testing you'll be an expert on basic fuel injection principles.

There are a lot of different parts on the EFI system. Try to break them down in to their individual systems. Each system needs to work right so the next system can do its job. I think that you've mixed the running rich problem up with the fuel pump power problem. These engines will almost always idle just fine forever if the fuel pump is supplying fuel. Consider jamming the fuel pump power contact switch or hot-wiring the pump while you do the other tuning. And the cold start valve is almost never the problem. It's there and it could leak, but it would have to leak a lot to cause major fuel enrichment.

Sounds like someone ripped your piece of retaining wire out or it's just stuck in the open position. The ends can get stuck open. Actually that's the easy way to get the plug off, is to pry the wire ends out and get them stuck. You have to put them back in to place before re-installing the plug. I think that I've read that other brands of cars that used Bosch style air flow meters have plugs that can be interchanged. Early Toyotas, BMW's, maybe Volvo or Mercedes. Forgot to say - the wire terminals can be pried out of the plug and reinserted in a new one. No need to cut wire and solder.

Taking the other side of the argument - the specs. are there for confirmation that everything is right. They can be measured. They could show worn bushings, or bent parts, or signs of a previous accident, or even find a basic problem that was built in to the car (some say that older 240Z spindle pin bores were drilled off design axis). If the simple toe-in spec. doesn't get the car right, then the alignment shop visit is probably in order.

Don't forget the rear wheels. A fun experiment would be to take your car to several different shops and see how many take your money for aligning the rear wheels and "setting" camber on the fronts. Take a fat wallet. I can't give in on the "just spend the money" argument. We're here to show people what they can expect from these shops. What's involved in doing the job right. There's no camber adjustment for a shop to make.

Don't confuse opening a fat wallet with getting value for what you pull out if it. And on a DIY-focused site, using bubble gum and kite string to get a job done right should be lauded. It's why we're here.

It's easy to miss the point of what's really being said here, especially if you take it to a shop without actually trying it yourself first. There is only ONE adjustment that can be done without a hammer or big lever or jacking/bending suspension components around. Toe-in. That's it. Nissan has provided zero adjustment anywhere else. No camber, caster, rear toe, nothing. Everything else is locked in by the part of the unibody that it's bolted to. The typical alignment shop has a book that describes what procedure to perform on whatever car that's brought in. People have described taking their Z in for alignment, then paying nothing (and having nothing done) because the guy checks toe-in, it's in spec., and there's nothing to charge for. Wheel balancing is a whole different thing. A re-centered wheel is nice also, but the same two nuts were probably turned to get there. Just wanted to be clear on what typical wheel "alignment" entails for an S30. Don't pay too much.

There are pictures around the interweb of the rear wheels of various Z's moving back in the wheel well under hard launches. The factory rubber bushings let the rear wheels toe-out and move back. Under braking the front bushings allow the wheels to move back and toe-out also (the TC rod is what keeps the wheel from moving back and the rubber donut they used to position it compresses easily). The factory stock S30 bushings are pretty loosey-goosey in general, and non-adjustable except for front wheel toe-in. It's an inexpensive sporty car. That's why a piece of string, some tape, and a Sharpie are all you really need to do a full alignment procedure on the stock parts. There are many aftermarket parts that will let you do much more. But the factory parts are basically done once they're bolted on.

I used CO's described method and it's easy and works well. Pick a spot on the tread and make it the same distance on the front of the tire as the back. The spec. for toe-in is 0 to 3 mm for a 1976 280Z, so equidistant is in spec. If you want a bit more stability, add a half-turn or two to the adjustment. I found also though, that the slightest wheel bearing looseness will magnify the wheels' attempts to track on ruts, and divert over bumps. I've also found that the factory wheel bearing tightening method of 20 ft-lbs of torque then backing off 60 degrees doesn't work well. My old worn parts may be part of the problem. But the methods they describe in the FSM can be conflicting, 60 degrees nut back-off, or wheel turning torque? The turning torque measuring method seems most logical but I lost my fish-weighing scale years ago. I use a wheel shaking method (my own) now, it seems to work.

I can't find any reference to such a thing as an A11-801-000. Can you take a picture? Could be a scratched 6.

Does the Vintage Air Gen II have its own fan? I assumed that it was just a compressor and cooling unit, and the stock Datsun fan was retained.

Nobody can give you good advice on how to paint your new booster unit. They'd have to know what type of paint is on it now. If it were mine, I'd just buy some black spray paint and spray away. The booster doesn't get much abuse at all. It will last a long time. Black is black.

He's making progress site! The Honda blower swap is popular. The factory blower is a bit weak. Do the swap.

13 Mohms is Arctic. That's going to add extra fuel for a cold engine. 50 F should be about 4 kohms. Read rossiz's post about the path to and from the ECU to the coolant temperature sensor. There are several spots it could open or be misconnected. Doesn't sound like you have any vacuum leaks. The PCV valve under the intake manifold is spring-loaded one way and gravity the other. So it might take a bit of vacuum to pull it open. It's easy to remove and you can't really hurt it. It might be gummed up. Worth unscrewing and taking a look. Careful with the hose.

I was just pointing out something real that happened. Always nice to get one or two of those. In my case, the capacitor fixed a problem. When the wire to the capacitor fatigued and broke the problem came back, so it's been verified twice. No capacitor on the coil negative, no tachometer function. Someday I might move the capacitor to another spot just to see how important location is. I can't explain it but it's a real thing. But I can't explain how my tachometer works either, or how injector pulse durations are controlled. If you search "Kettering ignition" you can read all about how capacitors made their way in to points-style ignition systems, and the multiple benefits they have there. Seems like they started out for contact durability, then either the second benefit was a bonus or some electrical wizard did some complex math. Or both, who knows. There are some fascinating writeups out there.. That Kettering guy was pretty smart. The electronic ignition cars still came with capacitors on the alternators, so it's not just a points thing. Maybe they're insurance against a failing sparky alternator, maybe alternators inherently generate RF interference. I don't know, but the capacitors are there.

One trick I've used it to punch a hole in the seal edge with a sharp punch then run a wood or sheet metal screw in to the hole. Clamp on to the screw with some pliers and either pull it out directly or lever it out from the end of the tail shaft. Or use a dent puller if you have one. Might take two holes. Make sure the punch is sharp so you don't just mangle the seal and drive it inward.

Don't know for sure if your 6 teeth is adjusted to the lean side or not. I think that it makes it lean, tightening the spring. Could be that somebody was trying to fix the rich condition by leaning out the AFM. Pushing the vane in adds fuel, so all you were doing was making it even richer. The first impactful thing you'll want to do is to measure the resistance of the coolant temperature sensor circuit, at the ECU connector in the cabin (Pin 14 to ground?). Compare the resistance you get to the temp. v. ohms chart in the EFI Guide or the Engine Fuel chapter. If it's too high, or even open, the ECU will add a bunch of fuel, because high resistance means cold. If that number is in range, check fuel pressure (check it anyway), and check the color of your injectors. Sometimes people think that installing turbo injectors will add turbo power. They should be light green or tan, not purplish-brown. Found it -

Nissan spec'ed 0.84 to 1.02 ohms for the ZX system. I'm a big fan of using the factory spec's if they do the job. They also spec'ed .039 to .043" plug gap with that set of parts.

Is it black interior or the more typical butterscotch? An uncracked dash is a rare find. I wonder if it would survive the removal. For non-running cars with decent parts you can estimate what the wrecking yard would pay for the body and get a better idea of what the parts will actually cost you. Pick n Pull will give a number right over the phone after a few questions. They'll even arrange towing from your house after you pick ii apart. Of course towing from Onalaska needs to be factored in also. Drive trains would be very similar. 79 used the early type 5 speed.

You can do most of the EFI system testing at the ECU connector in the cabin. That lets you test the wires to the components also. The AFM black cover is a press fit, usually with a small amount of sealant around the edges. A wide blade scraper or screwdriver can be used to tweak the edges off until it comes free. There's a bypass screw on the side of the AFM that is used to tune idle. If it's far open it can let the AFM vane close. Don't forget that the engine crankcase is connected to the intake system through the PCV, the valve and the hose from the valve cover. So a split PCV hose or missing oil filler cap or leaking valve cover gasket can let air in. Leaking injector seals can also be hard to diagnose. If the wire in the AFM vane causes the pump to run then it seems like the fuel pump power circuit is in good shape. The vane just isn't moving far enough. Could be stuck. One advantage of taking the AFM cover and starting the engine is that you can see the vane move or not move. Most contact cleaners contain some lubrication. WD-40 does also and it's made for electrical applications. Lots of small things to check. Try to get real numbers when you're testing, the FSM has a "continuity" check method that usually has to be re-run for real ohm measurements later.

If I recall right the front case is easy to remove. No need to mess with the shifting mechanism, just remove the circlip on the input shaft bearing (under the front cover), remove all of the bolts that hold the back to the front through the adapter plate and tap the front case off. The back end will be loose and can create a gap but it can just be held on by hand. Here's a link that describes a fairly common front case swap. Your front case half to a newer gear set. I did the swap and never separated the back end, only the front. http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/240SX5spd/transmission.htm I know that EuroDat replied also but my internet is crapping out so I'm just going to hit Submit Reply.

Mark and Euro know the tricks for rebuilding. But if you want to get a head start, and maybe get lucky, remove the front cover. It's the piece that has the snout for the throwout bearing collar. You'll see the input shaft and countershaft bearings under it. The cover can be tough to remove (Nissan glued them on), don't break it. Edit - actually you won't get lucky because EuroDat already confirmed that it's an adapter plate bearing. Were you I, I'd (you'd?) set it aside and find another.

Here's a shot of the adapter plate stripped down with just the outer race. If you have space and some ingenuity, the tear down and bearing replacement shouldn't be terrible. The manual calls for special tools and large presses but people manage without them.

You're probably fine, since people have done that swap before and not reported problems. I was just pointing out things to be aware of. I've tried measuring half-shaft lengths and it's difficult, compressing them and keeping the flanges parallel and getting the tape on it and getting your eyeball in the right place to see the number. If I really wanted to be sure I'd build a fixture of wood with a slot in it that could be drawn together with a long bolt or piece of all-thread. A wood shop vise for gluing boards would probably work great.