Davey G

Thanks Frank. Doug Bakke is working on it. I've decided to do all of it while he's got it in his shop already. The man just does good work.

Here's a list of items I need to do to my '78 280Z. Help me decide which order to do them in: A/C repair - needs evaporator valve (It is 95 degrees here and this is my daily driver) Clutch - needs new slave cylinder, but just squeeking so far Differential - slow leaking of fluid, needs new seals RPM hold (?) - the device below the throttle body that hangs the rpms between shifts...not working causing tendency to stall and affecting gas mileage Opinions?

Would it narrow the diagnosis any to add the fact that it seems to pulse @ idle, from 700-800 rpm like I'm playing with the gas pedal...but I'm not?

Upon deceleration of my '78 280Z (EFI) the rpm drops past the idle speed of 800 down to around 500 or less, sometimes stalling. I currently have to keep my idle speed set around 900 rps for it to not stall. Anyone have an idea why this is happening?

Got the Z back from Awesome Z this morning, and it runs great. Now it looks good and runs good:laugh:. There is still lots of small stuff to do, but they can be done one at a time now. Here's a few of them: New windshield gasket Repair clock Upgrade dash lights New stereo & speakers Antenna New brake calipers Also, now that I have the tach and speedo fixed I know how fast I'm going! The 5-speed in combo with the 3.54 rear end is a great highway package. I'll see soon what my mpg is.

Just got off the phone with Doug @ Awesome Z. The pulley is fixed, the crank and key way are good. Yeah! He replaced a belt, as well as some cracked vacuum lines and the wrong fuel line after the filter (carb grade rather than EFI) and is replacing the defective tach. He'll advise me of anything from there after he drives it, but it should be good to go . "On the road again..."

Yes, I'm in good hands. Doug came highly recommended by Houston Z Club members. He sees stuff that escapes me; must be the 40 years looking under the hoods of Zs. This '78Z is my first, and I need all the help I can get. There are performance mods in the future, so Doug's experience is invaluble to me. I'll do some wrenching myself, but he is the master and I the grasshopper.

I'm not driving it; I have it at the Z mechanic Doug Bakke, of Awesome Z. He's seen these problems many times over his 40 years working on Zs, and explained several causes, one being a problem with the crankshaft itself. I'm hoping it's anything but that, as I'm not due for a rebuild for awhile. I'll post details on the problem and solution.

Well, the crankshaft pulley on my '78 280Z is wobbling. Doug Bakke of Awesome Z in Houston noticed it as he was looking at a couple of other items for me (fuel pressure and lines). We're hoping it's not the end of the crank itself, but just the pulley/bolts/rubber. Pulley is on it's way, so I'll find out soon.

Made my knees get weak looking at that photo.

In a 280Z made from 8/76 on (raised rear deck), the rear speaker panel is available, but mods are needed to accommodate it?

Yep, TPS had water in the connector. I took some canned air, like we clean our keyboards with, and blew it out. Not a problem after that. Thanks for the help guys! You guys are awesome (and save me money). -dg

Thanks. I'll post whether this remedies the problem. -dg

Where is the TPS located? I looked on the EFI sticky thread, but the diagram did not list it.

tps????

I cleaned the engine department of the 280Z last night, trying to get some of the dust off from the final paint sanding. But afterwards, though it still starts fine, it won't get past 2500 rpm, and just cuts off at that point. I popped the dist cap off and saw no water, but left it off overnight, just to let everything dry out. But still this morning its cutting out above 2500 rpm. What did I do? What do I check?

The '78 280Z is coming along, and completely drivable now. However, the space-saver rim and tire are original, with the rim having rusted on the felt pad that it rests on. I'd like to put a full-size spare in there, but it looks like there's not enough room for one. What are my options for a spare tire for this car? Thanks for the help.

Just did my passenger seat this weekend, with the driver's seat to follow this evening (and carpet the rest of the week). A lot of work, but it came out great! Buy the new foam!!! Make sure you get all the wires out of the seat hems; you'll need them. Take time to line everything up like the edge seams with the edge of the foam.

Will do. I took some 'before' pics, but will get some with finishing touches done. The left side is polished out already and looks good. I've ordered carpet and upholstery which will be in next week, about when the weatherstripping is put on.

When I removed the hood I found some rust where the left hood hinges attach to the front body. There are 3 nuts welded to that body piece for the hood hinges to attach. The metal between the 3 nuts is badly rusted, including some holes, though the welded nuts are very secure. It looks like there was a minor fender-bender at the front left corner at one time, and the two pieces of metal that are essentially glued together to make a strong support for the hood were repaired. However, when the repair was done the now missing filler was not filled in, and a gap between the two pieces has been letting water in between the two metal pieces with no where to drain to, hence the rust. After eating the rust away with some acid wash, a piece will be added that will also have the 3 bolts going thru it, strengthening all of it, and filler added to waterproof, then paint. I thought I'd be back on the road by now, but I'm also glad to find what needs fixing. I can hear my dear departed Dad now "Patience boy, patience."

So you just have to add the adapter sleeve with the SX240 TB?

Has anyone used MSA's big throat throttle body + K&N cold air intake upgrade on a 280Z(http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/PFFC12/11-3021KI)? If so, what were the results? Was it worth the money? Did you need exhaust upgrades to realize benefits?

Update The door jams are repaired and painted. The interior of the doors are painted. Rust repaired (welded) at hood front corners. Hatch frame rust repaired and painted. Underside of hood needs to be done. Rear panel needs to be done. Everything still needs to get a final polish, but it's looking good. Then the new weatherstripping. As I said, rust on floor pans is fiberglassed (and dry with new rubber), but needs better repair, including pan rails. Also, when engine needs rebuilding I'll paint the engine bay and rear deck, as they are still the original wine metallic. It's entirely drivable, but will get carpet and upholstery upon finishing the paint and weatherstrip.

That's my question as well. Of those who have had both, (1) which did you like best (2) which lasted longer?

Thanks guys...just what I was looking for. I'll formulate a game plan from there.