Captain Obvious

I had the video game. For the original Game Boy.

Well those numbers look a lot better than the measurements you were getting with the previous gauge. I'm less concerned with the absolute numbers than the fact that it seems to be reacting to manifold vacuum now. Just changing the gauge shouldn't have had any effect on that, but whatever.... Now it just looks like most other old 280Z's that are running either really rich or really lean because of a whole bunch of interrelated issues like dirty connectors, improperly placed connectors, and vacuum leaks. Back calculations from the pressure differential to calculate what the manifold vacuum is in psi... Do the numbers make sense? With the filler cap on and the engine struggling at 400-500 RPM... Decrease of 2 psi converts to 4 inches of mercury. With the cap off and the mixture more conducive to a smoother and higher idle... Decrease of 4 psi converts to about 8 inches of mercury. Did I do that right, and does it make sense?

LOL! You eeeeeeedddiot!!!

Anything look wrong? I think so. I don't like the looks of the clear silicone blob on the big gear at the 2:00 position. I suspect that blob was originally at the 11:00 position over by the locking screw (hidden by the big silver metal counterweight). If my suspicion is correct, then it looks like someone rotated that gear way leaner (looks like close to 20 teeth) than factory. An indication that they were fighting a severe rich condition and decided (incorrectly) that adjusting the AFM was the way to fix it. That black silicone that was holding the lid on is another indication that someone has been in there poking around. Of course, none of that explains why your fuel pressure is wrong, but it's something that you'll have to look into as well.

No. Not unless it's a three way valve and vent the regulator diaphragm to atmosphere when you move the switch to eliminate the vacuum. In other words, it's possible to do this, but not with your typical two port valve. However... You can use a longer piece of tubing with a curly-loop in it ("pig tail") to make it easier to get on and off for testing. I have found that you can bend the two metal nipples so they aren't pointing exactly at each other and fit a longer piece of tube in there temporarily.

Huh? Someone say cheesesteak??? I've been casually watching the thread, but didn't want to have too many cooks in the kitchen. But since someone promised cheesesteaks... My thoughts are that you guys are getting out in the weeds with the stuff like leaking EGR valves, bent AFM vanes and brake booster issues*. Of course, all that stuff could need some attention too, but I think you need to focus here first: The OP measured his fuel pressure and it was too high. Then he replaced his fuel pressure regulator with a brand new one and it was STILL too high. In fact, the new regulator behaved exactly like the old regulator. That's something that needs to be figured out first and it doesn't sound like it's the regulator. The 40 psi too high with the pump running and the engine off could easily just be gauge error. I'm not too concerned about the difference between 40 and 36 with the engine off, but the second sentence...... "Fuel pressure while idling is 40 psi as well"? The engine will drown at that pressure. So I would pose the question to the collective... Other than a problem with the regulator itself, what could cause the fuel pressure in the rail to be way too high while the engine is running? Return line plugged? Too much static pressure in the tank? *About the weeds... The brakes feel pretty much normal, so there may be some leaking at the booster, but it's not catastrophic. The EGR valve might be stuck open a little and leaking some exhaust past, but that would cause it to run lean, not rich. The AFM vane bent a little wouldn't cause the FPR to be non-responsive. And the water temp switch... The engine is designed to run relatively well with the switch in either position. Just with lower emissions on one position or another depending on the temperature.

Here's the datasheets that I translated earlier. FTX series: FLWX series (that is pretty much the same as the FTX with the exception of the color column:

The majority of info on the FLWX sheet was the same as the FTX so I didn't bother to duplicate the translation. Almost everything on the FLWX datasheet was the same as the FTX, so I didn't bother to do both. About the only thing that was different was the color column, so I did that one and didn't bother duplicating the effort on the rest of the info. Guess I should have made that clear and saved you the trouble. As for the amperage rating, the amperage that it can handle depends (among other things) on ambient temperature and the length of the link. My read on the situation is that datasheet isn't for fusible links. It's for wire designed to be turned into fusible links. That said, I agree... I think they could have specified a typical case based on a fixed length at a specific ambient temperature. Would have made a convenient column to include.

We know what you did last winter.

Well done!!

LOL!!

What are the critical features of that part? Is it the kind of thing that could be hogged out of a solid chunk of brass or aluminum? Is there a reason it must be plastic?

Annoying for me because it was so littered with ads and crap that I couldn't even get through it! There were ads on top of some of the answer buttons and I couldn't make them go away. Then the whole thing ground to a halt and restarted. I gave up when it did it a second time. I don't know how many questions there were in total, but I was doing 100% before I frustrated enough that I decided I didn't need something like that to evaluate my automotive prowess. I got better things to do.

LOL. I blame aliens. Good luck with the project and keep us informed as to the progress!

I don't think you should be able to get the car to even run if the linkage is all the way pulled off. I think if the adjustment screws are all backed out so far that they aren't making contact, then the butterflies should be shut so much that the engine can't even get enough air to idle. I'm wondering if something is put together wrong, or if someone messed with the "never adjust these" stop screws on the carbs. Can you take a couple decent res pics of the linkage?

Those switches just snap in with little plastic fingers kinda holding them in from underneath. Most times they aren't in there very tight and you can just pull them out from up top. If the console is out of the car, you can reach underneath and squeeze the plastic retaining fingers and make it easier. But even with the console in the car, they usually aren't that tight. I'm thinking that someone spilled some Slurpee some years ago and they're stuck in there from sugar syrup.

Yup, that capped off nipple just behind the dome is where the distributor should be connected. And, since you're in there.... That same nipple is also where the control line to the CARB canister is supposed to be connected. That ported vacuum source off the front carb is supposed to drive both the distributor and the carbon can. So if you're in there messing around in that area, you might as well plumb a new line over to control your canister at the same time? As for the dyslexia and the fast idle control device... The engine idle RPM will drop when you turn the A/C on because of the additional load, but I don't know if it's enough to cause a problem. The original designers thought it was an issue though, as indicated by the existence of the device. However, I don't know if they were just trying to keep the RPM constant, or if they were trying to bump the RPM's up to do something else like improve cooling by pulling more air through the condenser and radiator. In any event, if connecting it up correctly is a PITA, then I would just try it the way it is and see what happens. If your engine stalls when you hit the A/C then you'll know you need to do something else?

Well I certainly won't claim to be an expert, but I have some input anyway. Yes, your throttle opener is plumbed incorrectly. You have the input and output switched on the control valve. I wouldn't know for sure if the throttle opener control valve would be bi-directional, but I doubt it. I (like you) suspect that with it connected the way you have it, it's not doing anything at all. And same for the vapor recovery carbon canister system... With the control signal capped off over at the can like you have it, the purge function is disabled. Not mission critical, but sooner or later, the activated charcoal inside the can will eventually saturate and no longer be able to contain the fuel vapors. Neither of the above have much (if any) performance impact or affect the engine running in any way. So, other input about things you didn't ask about? The thing that concerns me the most is that you have your vacuum advance for the distributer connected to the wrong source, and if you set the ignition timing like that, then it's set incorrectly. The vacuum advance should be connected to the small vacuum nipple right behind the round dome on the front carb. It's a ported source, not a constant source and there will be no vacuum present at idle. Other than that... The thing that concerns me the least? It's not "FCID"... It's FICD. Stands for "Fast Idle Control Device"

Their estimated value of the vehicle is $33,000!! That's awesome!! Mine must be worth at least twice that!!

@heyitsrama , You got any good board stories?

Almost done. Infinitely better than what I have on the car now!

So in summary.... There aren't a lot of different donut spare sizes. The only 14 inch version I found was T115/70/14. (Don't get the 15 inch spare. Won't fit.) You can get the space saver with the correct lug pattern and probably use it on the rear right from the yard. But it probably won't fit in the front. If it doesn't fit over the front calipers, your choices are to move the tire to a different wheel (like I did), or in the event of a front flat, move one of your rear wheels up front and use the space saver on the rear.

Haha! You like that? Here's another shot so you can get the full visual impact of that donut: But the important part is that even when fully inflated, it fits in the 77-78 spare tire well:

I put the reworked donut spare on and drove around a little bit. Nothing scrapes. Now don't get me wrong... The car feels terrible with that spare installed and the steering wheel doesn't even sit straight, but it would get me to the next exit in the event of a flat. And it looks so sexy!!

I'm an excellent driver.