Zed Head

It's not very common but the ECU can go bad. I had a spare that I tried out just to make sure that it was good (it wasn't), it ran well for about one mile, then started cutting out and running very rich. Then it killed the engine and only started a couple more times, dying quickly each time after it started. I put the original "same part number" ECU back in and the engine was right back to where it was before I put the funky ECU in. I've also read at least two accounts of a sudden "running very rich" problem being solved by banging on the ECU or wiggling the ECU plug. As I said, uncommon, but a possibility to consider.

I looked back through your thread but don't see an actual fuel pressure number with the fuel pump running, only the "3 pounds" number (not really sure what that means either). Have you measured it? The stock fuel pump can, according to the FSM, pump up to 64 psi before the internal relief valve lets go, and the typical aftermarket pump will pump up to 90 psi. That is a lot of extra fuel. The factory spec. is 36 psi. If you have a blockage you could have some high pressure. One other possibility is a blown FPR. The diaphragm can tear and the engine will suck unregulated gas straight through the vacuum port. You will see gasoline in the hose from the FPR if that was the case. Just thought of one more possibility - if you connect the fuel rail up backwards, the FPR will act as a blockage, causing your fuel rail pressure to increase to the maximum the pump can put out.

I assume it was the recommendation to "tell a story" to the PA DMV that got it deleted. I thought the rest of the advice was good, (if I recall correctly) use the PA DMV and the lien holder to get clear title. eatingZ, did you ask the credit union if they could give you a letter confirming full payment of the loan? Sounds like you almost had half the job done but missed the opportunity. If they were the lien holders, the person who took the loan out and used the car as collateral, or didn't pay a debt and had the lien placed on the car, doesn't matter anymore. They didn't loan the money, they borrowed it. Only the lien holder and the person who's name is on the title matter, or the person holding the title if interest has been released. The car could have been "sold" 50 times since. No reason to contact any of those people if they don't have the title.

The shims that go behind the pads don't seem like much but I could not get rid of the squeal on my stock 280Z front brakes until I found a set and reinstalled them. Do you have shims on your setup?

I believe that the only two people that matter as far as getting clear title are the person named on the title and the person holding the lien. The person named on the title can release interest in the car, and the person holding the lien can release claim to the car. If the 2nd and 3rd owners aren't one of those, they only matter because they've taken other people's money, selling somehting that doesn't really belong to them. The state DMV doesn't care who they are, they are essentially undocumented as far as car ownership is concerned. Edit - You might have a case for fraud against the guy who sold you the car, depending on what your Bill of Sale says.

Your two biggest problems will be getting the wipers to work well and consistently (it can be done), and keeping the rear window defogged. If you're lucky the defogger strips on the back window have not been weathered and cleaned away and still work.

One more thing - I don't see that you have checked your ignition timing and your vacuum and mechanical advance mechanisms in the distributor. If your static timing is retarded and/or your advance mechanisms aren't working you'll get a doggy, low-power engine. Ideally, you get everything set to factory spec., then start tweaking for driveability and performance.

Didn't know you were looking for a permanent gauge. You could check your current gauge with a temporary install of the new oil pressure gauge though. If they match, the odds are fair that they're both accurate.

See if you can get one 5"16" barb with threads that fit your gauge and put the gauge on your cold start valve fuel line.

The tension/compression rod goes through that hole along with with a metal bushing. The metal bushing has to fit through the hole and have a certain range of movement allowed so that the rod can move around as the suspension moves. If you have the bushing you'll have a good idea of how big the hole needs to be. Or you could go to a wrecking yard and take some measurements. Look in the FSM to see how the parts fit together.

43 psi is high fuel pressure. Almost 20% more pressure than the system was designed for. Either your regulator is bad or you have some blockage on the return line (or a bad gauge). The low vacuum is not causing your high pressure, you're well out of the normal range of fuel pressure. It should be 36 psi with the vacuum hose pulled off of the FPR. Have you tried removing the oil filler to see how the engine's running is affected? That is a fairly good sign of how well the crankcase is sealed. If you already have a big vacuum leak, you won't see a big effect. My 76 280Z notices the extra air when I take the tiny AC accumulator canister hose off of the manifold. What's the number of the AFM? Edit - fuel pressure effects comes up every now and then so I looked around and found a calculator - http://www.rceng.com/technical.aspx At 43 psi, you're pumping in about 9% more fuel than design. It's like having a 205 cc injector instead of a 188.

What does it smell like?

That hose (from your labels on the picture) runs through the Air Regulator and just bypasses the throttle blade to keep the idle up until the Air Regulator valve closes. Have you checked the PCV valve and hoses underneath the intake manifold? That would cause a vacuum leak. The crankcase should be totally sealed to everything except intake manifold vacuum. You should find a diagram in the Emissions Section. Might not fix your main problem but could get your manifold vacuum back up.

The gauges on the old Zs aren't very accurate. Mine has a mechanical pressure gauge fitted to the same port as the sensor for the electric gauge in the dash and the dash gauge reads low by about 20 psi. I would first get a gauge that you know reads correctly and verify your oil pressure.

I have found the AC valves on-line but could never determine if the seals inside were fuel rated or not. And I still have a spare spot on my fuel system for a gauge (the old CSV spot), which would be convenient. The reason I started looking again was because I just did some fuel system work, swapping injectors, and realized what a pain it was to depressurize (note - even with a leaking FPR some pressure remains) and drain the fuel lines. Now I can (or will be able to once installed) just connect the pressure gauge, and use the pressure relief button on the gauge to dump the fuel. It's just a convenience.

The numbers are in the FSM, with service and test procedures. http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html

I think that the "evaporative system" contains the vent to the gas tank. You may have plugged that vent which might cause fuel pressure or flow problems. Just a thought.

I was in the salvage yard the other day and found an in-line Schrader valve on the fuel lines of an Isuzu Rodeo. I've looked around on the internet for something similar but could never find anything. The Schrader valve is common on today's fuel injected cars, as a port for a fuel pressure gauge connection, but the old Z cars don't come with them. All of the newer cars I looked at have them installed on the fuel rail so not easy to transplant. I haven't installed it yet but it fits 5/16" hose like the stock 280Z lines so should be easy to splice in. It will be convenient for fuel pressure checks or adjusting, and for relieving pressure if I need to remove any fuel system components. I've attached a picture of what I ended up with. On the Rodeo there is more hard line after the cut but also several fixtures and bends that I didn't want. If someone knows of a similar in-line valve on a different model car, I'd be interested to know of it. Putting this out there for those that might want to add something convenient to their car for no significant reason.

How long have you been waiting? Hours, days or weeks?

The drilled cams have small, but easily visible, holes on the base circle of each cam lobe to let the oil out. If your cam doesn't have the holes, then it's a spray-bar cam.

Apparently, the rotors are different, starting with the 260Z, which you apparently already know. But if you have 280Z rotors on your 240Z, you must also have the 280Z front struts and hub assembly, I believe. Maybe you should check those dimensions. That's all I know. Good luck.

They look like aftermarket rotors. What is the distance, compared between the two, from the bearing seat to the rotor face? And the dust seal seat. That will determine if the rotor is centered in the caliper, assuming the bearing diameters and other critical dimensions are the same.

How long are they? And how much space do they have to fill? The space to fill should be the same on all 280Zs with the same shocks. The shocks determine the fully extended length between the perches.The only other variable is spring length. If some people need a compressor and some don't it could be because they're using different shocks. Maybe aftermarket shocks are not all the same.

Here is a thread from the recent past, with a similar problem to yours - too much fuel. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?42574-MPG-timing-fuel-and&highlight=mileage

This one? - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?34192-280ZX-Distributor-Advance-Curve-Reference&highlight=Distributor