Zed Head

B+ is the battery positive post, or any wire connected to it. If you have the connection from Pin 1 to the coil negative and you're getting spark, then the injectors should be firing. The ECU "counts" 3 sparks then fires the injectors. You can actually test the system by grounding the coil negative three times and listening, or looking if you have a christmas tree light, for injection. You might try that before you decide to try another ECU. Connect a jumper wire to the coil negative, turn the key to Run and tap the jumper to ground. Tap, tap, tap, etc. Every three taps you should get a click or light from the injector circuit. It's an easy test and takes out the noise and voltage drain of the starter. All you're doing when you tap the jumper to ground is energizing and discharging the coil, which creates a spark and gives the ECU one count through Pin 1. Don't leave the jumper wire touching ground or you'll overheat the coil.

Since you don't have a ton of knowledge to describe the problem, a video might be your best shot. Lots of exhaust, and snap, crackle, pop are hard to diagnose. Some people spend a lot of time and money to get those two things. What were you doing before the change happened? Winding it up, going through the gears, drifting? Just asking, that would be a good clue.

It could even be as simple as grease on a brake pad. Tim B. said the car was getting painted so he might not be back for a while.

The stiff pedal could be a booster problem. Does the idle speed change when you press on the brake pedal? You'll have to do more investigation as to why it pulls. Take the front wheels off and have a look. Pressure should be equalized left and right (hydraulics) so even air in the lines shouldn't cause it to pull. Air in the lines leads to a spongy-feelng pedal.

Have you checked continuity on Pin #1 at the ECU connector to the coil negative post? In case you missed that test. Looks like you covered the others.

Are you getting spark? The ECU uses the voltage from the negative post of the coil to determine when to fire the injectors. Also, and apparently this isn't the same for everyone, the ECU on two cars I've worked on, a 76 and a 78, needed to have the tachometer connected to fire the injectors. Not exactly sure why, although I have a theory, but I have confirmed it. Anecdotally, the resistor in the circuit to the tachometer fell out of my 76 and the engine wouldn't start until I found it and re-installed it.

3. It's actually a switch coming from the block below the master. It completes the circuit to the red brake light in the speedo (tach? - one of them) when there is enough pressure imbalance to move the switch forward or backward.

Did Eiji do port work on the head or is a stock N42 head? Vicariously curious...

I was just trying to get off the simple high CR needs less timing theme and get in to some details. A good tune on the dynamometer would be interesting after the seat of the pants, to see how good your seat is, and just for some good information on a Datsun Spirit motor. Seems like one session might be worthwhile, considering the investment. On the other hand, it would be money that could be spent elsewhere.

So, with 10.5:1 calculated CR would you rather have a long duration or a short duration cam, to avoid detonation?

Compare the duration and lift of his cam to a stock cam. It's probably why there was initially some piston-valve conflict. Cylinder pressures probably a little lower than if he had 10.5:1 on a stock cam. Will there be dyno tuning?

I'm just guessing, but it could be a sign of a clogged PCV valve, which would be easier to fix than valve seals. If you look in the Emissions section of the FSM, you'll see a diagram of the flow pattern of the gases from the crankcase under different conditions. Under normal, mid-range RPM conditions, that hose adds a little bit of air to replace what the PCV clears out in tot he intake manifold. Under high RPM conditions, blow-by can push gases through both hoses, as described in the chapter. Worth a look at the diagram and a read. My old engine did have worn valve seals and more blow-by than my current newer engine. The valve cover hose was oilier inside and my throttle body gummed up once. When I took the head off and set it aside, there was oil leaking down the valve stems on to the valve heads within hours. It burned about a quart of oil every 1500 miles. The newer engine is much cleaner, no residue in the hose.

The items you've showed in your pictures won't really be affected by using polyurethane over rubber. Have you experienced a car with polyurethane bushings or are you just going off accounts from the internet? Different suspension and drivetrain mounting points will be affected differently by the type of material. A blanket "polyurethane is harsh" statement doesn't mean much.

Are you talking about the seals? Isn't the excess trimmed off? Here's a summary from the Monroe book - Put silicone sealant in side-seal groove Install cap and tap in until 1/8" from bottom Oil side seals and insert in groove, push to bottom of channel Snug cap bolts Insert nails, press or tap down until flush Trim ends of seals, leaving 1/16" Don't know if that helps but it's in the book, but with more detail

How about a fuel pressure gauge installed so that you can check it when the problem occurs? A direct, immediate measurement as the problem is happening. Might help narrow the range of possible causes.

The ECU grounds the injector power when a signal from the coil negative post comes through the blue wire to Pin #1 on the ECU. Every third spark. That's when the injectors open. No Pin 1 connection to coil negative, no grounding, no fuel through the injectors. Tests are described in the Engine Fuel section of the FSM. They're fun. Having the rail hooked up backward wouldn't cause the no-fuel issue, but it would cause other problems, like excess fuel pressure.

If the truck won't take off when started "in gear" then it must not really be in gear, or there's a broken shaft in the transmission or the drive shaft is not connected. The shift lever moves a shift rods which moves a shift fork which moves a synchro coupling sleeve over the dog gears of the gear being selected. Shift forks have been known to break. If the behavior of the shift lever changes when the engine is running it seems like there must be something wrong inside the transmission. You said it's like hitting a wall. Do you mean the shift lever doesn't move as far, like it's hitting something, when the engine is running? Just trying to clarify. If you can get the shift lever in to position but nothing happens when the engine is turning, the odds point to something broken inside, not the clutch. You might drain the fluid and look for pieces.

Do you mean the shift lever won't move in to the proper position when the engine is running? Will it go in to gear when the engine's not running? Can you start it in first gear and drive it? Make sure you're pointed the right way and have some room to go in case the clutch doesn't work.

Anyone who's changed distributors on a dual pickup or dual point car to a single pickup distributor should have the unused switch still in the thermostat housing. It's only purpose is to advance the timing about 6 degrees when cold. It's described in the Emissions section of the FSM. The FSM doesn't interchange the terms but many people do. The sensor is a temperature dependent resistor that is "used" by the ECU to add fuel when cold. The switch changes the circuit used by the ignition module from one distributor pickup to the other, depending on temperature. The sensor affects fuel, the switch affects timing. There are a lot of broken switches out there. They have a small affect on engine performance, and only when cold. On the other hand, a messed up sensor affects fuel all of the time. People have made the switch from MSA work on the 280Z engine. Apparently the activation temperature is slightly different but since the switch has little effect it's not noticeable.

Impressive speed, impressive lack of regard for other people's life and limb. The opposing lanes were full of cars. I wish that we could sue people just for the stupidity that they record on these internet videos.

No pictures Thomas...

It really sounds like you have a short from ignition circuit, causing the big voltage drop when that wire is connected. Test resistance from ground to the wire at the ballast resistor that affects the way the car runs. One probe on the engine block, the other on the wire end, measuring resistance. It should be infinite. If you get a resistance reading, then the condenser is bad, or there is a short in the wire to the condenser, and it may be causing the poor spark. It would be taking current (shorting) that would normally be used to charge the coil. That might explain why the car runs good with it disconnected. It would behave similarly to a bad coil.

In theory, your coil shouldn't work if the current isn't cut off but maybe the drop in current through the ignition system is enough to collapse the coil field. I'm no expert. But the condenser wire should not go to ground. And the condenser in question should be the one by the coil, not the alternator condenser. Many people run without it, I think that it's there for voltage spike protection, or random radio noise. You can test your coil by measuring resistance across the primary circuit (+ and - posts) and across the secondary circuit (one of the posts and the main wire). The specs are in the FSM, Electrical section, but I think that they are around 1 ohm and 10 ohms, respectively.

You've already driven 3,000 miles with the rusty cam, plus whatever mileage the PO put on it after starting it after 14 years. The main problem here just seems to be the clicking noise after the valve adjustment. When rust forms, it actually causes an increase in dimensions overall (Rust grows - I have actually done a little bit of work involving spalling of metal re-inforced concrete due to rusting rebar in bridges), even though after cleaning it off there are pits. So it may be that the feeler gauges are riding on the rust of the base circle (one reason the rust hasn't worn off of the base circle of the cam lobe is that there is/was clearance there - no rubbing) leading to an increase in actual rubbing parts clearance. Just a thought, and maybe a simpler path to getting rid of the clicking. If it hasn't fallen apart in 3,000 miles, it will probably survive a Scotchbrite buffing. Then you can set proper lash and live fairly quietly ever after.

Those two white wires come up in discussion periodically. They serve no purpose for the car user, apparently they might be for for diagnostics. They don't do anything and they're always disconnected.