cgsheen1

It connects to a spade on the distributor. That particular condenser is to help eliminate electrical noise from the ignition process - coil and distributor. (There's another one on the Alternator.) There should be about three or more other wires running from the area of the coil to the distributor area. they have to do with the electronic ignition and a yellow wire to the temperature sender for the coolant gauge in the cockpit. It would normally be bundled with those wires. I don't have the Factory Service Manual right at my fingertips ATM, but it's a good reference - you should download it.

I this picture, you're holding the GROUND WIRE. (please don't try to connect it to the ballast in any way!) Notice that the wire on the other side of the condenser is BLUE and connected to a Black/Blue wire coming out of the harness. NOTE: Nissan used BLACK wires WITH STRIPES for voltage! (Black/White B/W) = Battery voltage at IGN ON in all cases, Black/Yellow (BY) = Start Signal (battery voltage to starter solenoid) + bypass voltage to certain things at START, also Black/Blue (BL) and Black/Red (BR). None of these are grounds!) Judging by the length of the black wire you are holding, that may go to a spade on the distributor. I would put a new female spade on the end of that wire personally. (Edit: In the shop, I use Meguiars Hyper Dressing - which is an excellent cleaner and protectant (for all things vinyl, plastic, and rubber (and PVC wire insulation)) - to clean and rejuvenate exposed wiring coming out of the harness. Makes the harness look nice too. But the point would be to clean the wire so it's very easy to tell color and/or stripe.)

Ya, look at 110 - fades to orange when the original color was much more red. It's exaggerated here by the Arizona sun and people here with 110 think they have ORANGE cars. They think they want a part shot the original color until I show them what the original color actually is under a marker light - where they can see how it's changed over the years.

Don't discount different paint suppliers. We use a few different suppliers and they don't all come out "the same". With some suppliers the color will differ within their own paint lines - the lower cost lines especially do not match what you will get with their premium lines - which is understandable (PPG especially). Most red pigments are pretty cheap but yellows can be very expensive. We have a couple of Z's in town that have been resprayed 918 - they look nothing alike. And, to my mind, they look very little like the original alkyd enamel.

Yup, the Quartz is a rare bird from the late 280Z. I have one that I've hoarded for years.

Look at your wiring diagram. The feed to the Tach goes through the ballast resistor. The path should be: Ignition switch (BW) -> ballast (GW) -> Tach (BW) -> coil.

Interesting to me that he found his windshield leaking in the area that most Z windshields leak! What is it about that particular area? BTW, this became a particularly annoying problem for 280Z owners as the ECU is right below that spot... That is an excellent testing method! I've been "soaping joints" (threaded pipe connections, not...) for decades to locate leaks on gas piping. Never thought to use it on a window gasket. Then again, here in Arizona we don't get much chance to drive in the rain...

Maybe, but he's not in Phoenix! 10pm and it's already cooled off to 97 degrees. I think it only got to 108 this afternoon. When I get up in the morning it'll be about 88 degrees. But it's a dry heat... (still, I'd rather have this than the humidity)

(He thinks I have calipers...) I'll see what I can do - though I thought all the different length collars have already been documented.

After reading (most of - well,, part of) this thread, I'm really glad that I've hoarded a bunch of collars. I'm no good at measuring the whole clutch package so I just stick the transmission up temporarily get the slave on and check the throw. If the slave push rod is jammed tight, too long. If I can push the fork and rod back into the slave, too short. If there's only a slight amount of push back into the slave (about 1/4" or less), it's just right.

+1 - Don't over torque the bolts. Chances are someone already did. If so, it may leave the flange distorted at some or all of the bolt holes. Check the top surface and make sure it's flat. The metal is fairly soft and if it has been over torqued, the top may be mushroomed up a bit at some or all of the bolt holes. If it's not flat, tap the bolt holes down lightly with a hammer to get the top surface as even as you can. (rest the flange on the edge of your work bench and tap lightly - work your way around each side)

Oh, ya. That's too bad...

Well, they are open to the front cover... They're bound to get some oil in there thrown off the chain and cam gear / eccentric over the course of time. Not under pressure, so something would really have to be wrong to leak oil I would think.

You know the old guy who can't stand the loud music... Well, those LEDs are just too damn bright! ?

Another simple way is metal HVAC duct tape. Not the cloth kind, look in the hardware store or Home Depot / Lowes. Tin Benders use it to seal up duct work. It's high temp sticky and has a very reflective surface. Just another alternative...

Pull the bleeder screw all the way out and stick a bit of solid wire (something stiff and very small diameter) in there. There may be some corrosion just beyond where the bleeder seats.

Hardlines first (fuel, brakes). Engine and body electrical harness next. Then everything under the dash. Interior, I'd do everything I could with the dash out - except seats which should probably be last (or tied for last with the steering wheel). Dash is a bit easier to do while the windshield is out.

Yup, me too.

Start at the back and work forward. - Verify that the fuel level sender in the tank is working. - Check the wiring connections to the sender on the outside of the tank. - If you have an FSM or the wiring diagram you can check the body harness to dash harness connections on the passenger side under the dash. - if you verified you're good there it's time to pull the gauge. ? 240Z... Good luck. (This is where I'm glad I have a 260)

Oh, I thought everyone knew about Vintage Connections. I've been using them for years - originally bought the kit and crimper and have been ordering ala-carte ever since. Great connectors! The have insulated bullet connectors, insulated spade connectors, and ring connectors as well. Quality parts, great service and they've always shipped promptly. I'm starting to sound like a commercial... I've repaired many a harness using their parts and I've even built new dash harnesses and an engine harness.

Hmmm. Here in Phoenix we've always been able to get new windshield glass from any local installer. I guess I'd better check to see if that's still true (as I was going to say to the OP "why don't you just get a new windshield from one of your glass guys?"). In the past I've been able to get windshields either way, but I haven't bought in the last year or so.

Use them often in the shop - for spreading icing (fill) and the like.

I learned in chemistry class back in the '60's that "like dissolves like". (When I had greasy hands my Mother would slap a daub of butter on them before I washed - a little sand in there helps too) That's single stage alkyd paint and after this many years contaminant is surely ingrained in it's surface. Nothing is going to remove all of it (except sanding off the top layer and buffing what's left - not practical in an engine bay). But cleaning/degreasing and then using a good cleaner wax should suffice. Sorry Granny, I would never use a scraper of any type unless I was planning on repainting a part or surface. In the shop we use some wax and grease removers developed specifically for paint but they're very expensive and generally not sold retail. You've got the engine out of the way, why not pull some of that other stuff out of the way too. The wiring harness is fairly easy to pull back through the radiator core support and move away from the frame rail. A little Meguiar's Hyper Dressing will make the exterior of that harness look like new. Hoses and plastic too.

The poly bushing will fit even the curled inward side? That would surprise me a little. But to use poly, you leave the sleeve. (Normally both sides would look like the bottom picture - curled outwards. Looks like that bushing has been replaced once already) If you got a stock replacement rubber bushing, the sleeve would have to come out.

If you use poly you don't need to make any modifications to the mustache bar.