Zed Head

p.s. Neutronics Enterprises is still out there. Check out the email addresses here - https://neuracing.us/brushless-motor-engineering-and-manufacturing-based-in-sand-diego-ca/ Phone numbers - https://dieselnet.com/com/85.php Stop by and say hello - https://www.mapquest.com/us/california/neutronics-enterprises-inc-366412161 Here's a book that references the patent - https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-5903-2_124

Provide some details about the car. Is it a California car with a converter or is it a Federal car without? There will be a sticker on the door jamb that says Catalyst or No Catalyst. I found the patent describing the concept. If the system follows the patent there will be some hardware attached to the air intake system after the AFM. Attached below. If it was mine I would disconnect it and get the wiring back to factory stock in order to simplify things until you get the engine started. There are numerous reasons that it might not be starting. Start with the basics - power to the coil, spark, tach signal, etc. Download the 1980 EFI book and do the electrical tests. Try starting fluid if you have spark. Make sure the fuel pump is working, etc... I'd also start a separate thread where everything you try is contained. Sometimes people start multiple threads and you can't tell what's been done. It can take a while to get things right after an EFI car has sat. https://patents.google.com/patent/US5163412A/en "Pollution control system for older vehiclesAbstractA pollution or emission control system for retrofitting on older vehicle engines includes a catalytic converter with an in-built oxygen sensor for mounting in the exhaust line, and a supplemental air input line containing a control valve for connection to the engine intake manifold to control the amount of air supplied to the engine. A computer monitors the oxygen sensor output and the engine speed, and controls opening and closing of the control valve according to the detected conditions. The computer also controls the speed at which the valve is opened or closed dependent on the engine speed and optionally the engine temperature, so that the valve can be closed faster at slower engine speeds and opened faster at higher engine speed. The computer is additionally capable of producing diagnostic telemetry, both digital and analog, to assist installation of the invention and test for proper operation once installed."

I would. But it will take me 35+ hours to get there. If I leave immediately. And break the speed limit.

Here's a similar thread with good advice in it, linked below. Download the EFI Book from 1980 and run the electrical tests. Get actual resistance measurements at the ECU. Write them down and let us know what they are. Don't do the continuity tests and don't report any measurements as "good". If you want to save time. Check the vacuum hose to the fuel pressure regulator for fuel. It should be dry. Welcome to the 280Z EFI problem club. Good luck. https://www.classiczcars.com/files/category/4-manuals/

You've probably heard these songs but didn't know the artist. Same guy. He wrote one of them. Wahhh wah wah wah...

I think he's talking about the bend in the wiper arm.

ECCS is what Nissan called the computer for the ZX's. The 280Z's used an ECU. He has a 1978 280Z. At best you could correct people for adding the E. Electronic or electrical control unit.

Are there any witness marks where the cover sat? Residual dust patterns? UV light bleaching?

Were you measuring at the ECU connector? Yarb's comment about the connections is a good one. I forgot about that. The temperature sensor especially. Higher resistance means more fuel.

I don't want to be a buzzkill or a distraction or stir up a controvery if it's controversial - but why are you calling your car "him". I've noticed its use in some other places but I don't know where it came from. Is there a backstory? Seriously, I don't know, but it looks odd. I grew up with "her" or "she", which is probably not PC today, but "it" seems like the natural default. Anyway, good luck on the trip and the event. Should have made a "will it run and drive" video. There's still time for the "will it make it" part. A barn find with the dust still on it will probably draw more attention than the resto's.

Lean misses can cause rich exhaust. And California cars did have 02 sensors and catalytic converters through 1975 and up. Where did you get your car? Does it have a "Catalyst" sticker on the driver side door jamb? Looks like it has the proper AFM. Are the injectors original? Doesn't look like you pulled the vacuum hose the FPR to check for fuel. Pulling and inspection of each spark plug is worth doing, you might have a bad cylinder. Check and set valve lash, it's the first item in the Tuenup chapter. Check that your timing advance mechanisms are working correctly, both vacuum and mechanical. 16 is kind of high for idle RPM, the system is designed to retard timing at idle for cleaner exhaust by using ported vacuum timing advance. Check the charcoal canister to see if it's loaded with fuel, and check the operation of the control valve on top. Maybe somebody modified it and you're pulling intake air through the gas tank. The tiny things add up.

If the problem is synchros grinding it might be worth a shot to try Pennzoil Synchromesh. If it's bearings that another story. If it's both try the Synchromesh to see if it stops the grinding and put in new bearings if you can't find the synchros. Some thoughts. You did say possibility.

Something's wrong with the first listing. Broken link. The $589 is "Buy it now" and the other is an auction, with three bids to $56. I don't know if EBay auctions have a reserve or not. I'd guess maybe the seller can just not complete the deal? From what I've seen, the way to set a reserve on eBay is to set the reserve as the minimum bid to beat. Maybe he forgot or doesn't know to do that. The $589 is $539 with a coupon.

EuroDat has written a bunch about rebuilding transmissions. Here's one link from Tech Articles. The Resources area is really hard to get through, can't figure out where things are. Really just need a long clean list of every title in the area. Had to use Google to find it. There might be more out there. Search EuroDat's name.

Quite a blast from the past. Filling in the "rest of the story".

Random aside that might be relevant - there is also an N42 from the Maxima L24's. Some people call them MN42's. They have a cylinder head temperature sensor hole tapped in below and between the 5 and 6 spark plug holes. Still not correct for your car but could factor in to selling. Desirable for people looking to raise compression ratio on an L28.

Edited after coffee kicked in...strikethrough does not show in the snippet. The idle air screw only adjusts idle RPM, not the fuel-air ratio. It's difficult to lean out the mixture on the EFI engines. Hope that you find something wrong somewhere. Edit - sorry, just looked at your picture and see that you meant the AFM screw. One possible reason for a rich mixture is a leaking fuel pressure regulator. The diaphragm can crack and let fuel directly in to the intake manifold through the vacuum reference hose. Another possibility is a lack of the vacuum on the FPR vacuum port. A disconnected or cracked hose or a connection to the wrong vacuum port. The FPR reduces fuel pressure in proportion to intake vacuum. Check the hose for fuel to see if the FPR is leaking, and make sure it's connected directly to an intake vacuum source. Sticking injectors is a possibilty. A maladjusted AFM is a possibilty. Generally, the AFM spring should not be messed with. But sometimes it's too tempting. See if the glue blob on the adjustment wheel is intact. I had also found that my aftermarket AFM was set to run rich. I had to use an old original AFM to pass emissions inspection in Oregon.

I've already expressed that in posts above.

This thought has crossed my mind. It's already known that "conversations" with AI personas do that after many repetitions. The key to best use of AI is to read the references. The source material. The talk of cadmium on Z's is based on the history of cadmium on other Nissan cars. Pretty clear, you showed it yourself. Denial does not make that untrue. Are you saying that the people using the Checklist used zinc-plated parts even though the Checklist says Cad? What do you mean? That the Restoration program cars don't have cadmium-plated parts, or they do because the Restore shops followed the literal instructions and used cadmium? You're focused on a document again, and avoiding the possible reality. The main point of this discussion is "what really happened?". Are you saying that in 1996 the professionals restoring the 240Z's knew that "Cad" meant zinc? Add some clarity. I've been surprised that none of the experts, like @zspert have commented. Did you guys use zinc-plated parts or cadmium-plated parts? Don't worry about offending me, I'm just here to learn. If the Checklist said "Cad" and you took that as zinc, so be it. Or did you just send them to a plating shop and let them do whatever. That would settle one part of the Restoration cars question. Don't any of the Restore Shop pros have old documentation? The internet was supposed to save all information in electronic form. What is Grok learning from if all of this old truth is gone.

Kids raised on AI is a scary thought. Here's a glimpse of the future.

More interesting at this point might be what whoever wrote the Nissan Restoration Checklist meant by "cad". How do we find out who wrote that thing? Doesn't one of the "shop" guys have old correspondence? Email was a thing in 1996. I had a Eudora account. I wonder if they deferred to Wick Humble. Looks like he's still around. https://www.linkedin.com/in/wick-humble-784154133/ https://www.facebook.com/wick.humble/

It seems clear that the basic disagreement here is about whether or not reality could possibly deviate from Nissan's specification documents. People who have actually worked in or been close to a high volume manufacturing process are much more likely to accept (in my opinion, having been both) the premise that "out of spec" parts could make it on to a 240Z. Because deviation happens. HS30-H is unwilling to accept that or unable to comprehend it. He always goes back to the piece of paper that describes what is supposed to happen. The product, the 240Z, is what really happened. So in essence, one side is saying "that's a possibility". The other is saying "that's impossible". Without somebody having some parts tested, there's really no resolution, if that would even help. One possible scenario is that a supplier asked to send the "old style" hardware, for whatever reason, as a deviation. It's still a thing today, see link below. Documents should be in the QC/QA department. Maybe somebody that worked at Nissan in the 70's is out there and can add some real-world recollections. Or maybe original documentation from an actual 240Z assembly line can be found, except of course it would only help one side of the argument if it showed a deviation. Absence of evidence and all that. This wouldn't be a mistake and it wouldn't be hidden. Just normal manufacturing practice, because stuff happens and the assembly line needs to keep going. Section C seems to fit. Ship it! https://www.densomedia-na.com/wp-content/uploads/SQA-Manual.pdf "Deviation request and form (can be hard copy or electronic) will be initiated and filled by the supplier as per the following criteria: a) Parts/materials which when incorporated into the product are deemed to affect product performance durability and installation in customer application and which therefore require rework and adjustments. (Testing and evaluation required.) b) Parts/materials which when incorporated into the product are deemed to affect product performance, durability and installation in customer application, however can be used as is without requiring rework or special adjustment. (Testing and evaluation required.) c) Parts/materials which are unacceptable per relevant inspection standards, but which when incorporated into the product, are deemed not to affect product performance, durability, and installation in customer application. (Testing and evaluation required.)"

That's a philosophical question. No simple answer... It wasn't just a materials lab. It was a very reputable high tech company that he worked for, that had its own internal materials lab. Very common for large research-based corporations. And, you can see that he's not claiming that all 240Z hardware was cadmium-plated. He's suggesting that some of it might be. He writes very clearly. I think that his words have been distorted a bit throughout the cadmium conversation, trying to make a gray situation black and white. Sometimes you just have to live with the uncertainty. And be careful, as Carl suggests, if you're not certain. There might be cadmium. Our History

I wonder why the seller doesn't at least blow the crap off of the car. Looks like the tires are holding air, he could even roll it out the front of the shed/garage. Looks like they're going for the "barn find" mystique. Or hiding the Earl Scheib paint job. Weird stuff.