Captain Obvious

Was the front camber better before you did all the suspension work? In other words... Was this issue was always present, or is this a new development somehow caused by all the work you have done?

I can narrow it to 77-78. They're the only ones with the speaker holes there.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I put up the picture as there are more than one U-joint and I wasn't sure which one (or both) you were having troubles with. That column I took apart in that pic is kinda laid out as it is installed in the car. Towards the top is the steering wheel, and towards the bottom is the rack. I cut up the top shaft (second part from the top) to use as a test piece for my wheel hub, but other than that, I've still got the rest of the parts if you need any of them. Don't know if this impacts your decision to wait, but... The shaft that connects to the rack AND the lower shaft inside the steering column can be both be removed without taking the column apart. In other words, both shafts that include U-joints are able to be replaced without disassembling the rack. (Unless I'm forgetting some detail, of course!) Now, I don't know if there exists enough room to draw the center shaft out of the bottom of the column while the column is still in the car (or if it hits the engine or something), but if there is enough room, it just slips in and out the bottom. So something to think about... Replacing those lower two shaft parts might not be as difficult as it sounds. The TOP shaft (the part that contacts the steering wheel) would be a pain because it requires complete disassembly of the column to get it out, but the other two? Not so much. Anyway, these parts don't fit my later design column so some (or all) of them are available to you for shipping plus a buck or two for packing material and gas to get to UPS. If you find that you can't get new and want used, let me know. Just remember that I'm not gonna keep them forever.

How convenient! I already had pics! This is what I have left, with the exception of the shaft in the upper right. Is what you need in here somewhere?

Mike, I harvested an older style steering column as part of my steering wheel project Let me see what I've got left...

You've already got one of those... It's called the throttle position switch. That's exactly what it does.

The top pic is a condenser that is supposed to be connected to the coil. It's function is to quiet ignition noise so the radio doesn't pick it up. You can find the condenser in the lower left hand corner of the wiring diagram. The other two wires? No idea. The previous owner could have been using them for anything. What does the other end inside the interior connect to? Anything?

Me too! And for the record... When I said the below: I meant "Two heads are better than one and I've got some diagnostic equipment and some spare parts we can try that would probably help. I can also provide the foot to keep the engine running while another set of hands can check things up in the engine compartment." I did not mean "My skills are better than yours."

Cool. Was this for actual money, or your senior project? If it was for $, who were you working for? Bosch? Audi? 3rd party contractor? When we meet, remind me to tell you a story about control loops and very high gas mileage. I'm not writing anything down because I'm not sure the NDA has expired yet, but I'll tell you in person. :tapemouth

I never trusted a thing Sweed said. I'd put my money on the Madam. Backing up a little... I'm not sure how to interpret your earlier post. Did you help program the digital EFI (which used a 6805 MCU as it's brain), or were you involved in the programming to create the 6805 processor itself? In other words, did you work on the internal architecture of the 6805 or were you using it as your target on your board? Either way, it's cool. But I just don't know how you really meant it.

I know some of the more complicated aftermarket electronic ignitions systems have programmable advance capabilities. I just didn't know if yours was one of those. I'm assuming if you don't know for sure, then it's not. Shotgun approach here... Have you got access to a stock ignition module? Is the wiring still intact enough for that? Man... Just so many variables. If you bring the car to my place, I promise in a weekend we'll have it licked!!

Haha. Thanks! As projects go, this was a more complicated one. Here's a couple more shots. The obligatory "close up": One of the things that always seems to be a weakness with the aftermarket stuff is the way the adapters always look goofy. Accordion rubber bellows and all that stuff... I never liked that look at all. With that in mind, here's a side shot so you can see how the new wheel blends in with the stock column.

I was between a 300ZX and an MR2. This is my car: This isn't at the show... This is a pic I took afterwards because I'm getting ready to put my wheels up for sale. The only pics I took were of other 280's engine bays. I'm still working on undoing a bunch of stuff that my previous owner did. He took a lot of stuff apart and didn't get everything back to where it should be and I'm using others as examples of where stuff like wiring harnesses go. Wanna buy a set of vgc wheels and tires? :bulb:

The steering wheel on my 280 has seen better days. The foam along the top started to degrade like they all do, and the whole wheel was squishy, especially when hot. I looked into options and finally decided on a wheel from the 90 300ZX. This wheel was used on the first year 90-96 Z (the only year without an air bag) and also on a couple years of 240SX. Why this wheel? Because I wanted something that "looks like it belongs". I didn't want a fancy multi-colored racing style wheel or a small quick turn go-kart wheel. I wanted something that looked "right". "Appropriate." Something that could be mistaken for factory. And as a bonus... It's still a Z wheel: There were several hurdles in getting this thing to fit the old Z, but the biggest challenge is that the spline design is different and the new Z wheel doesn't fit the old Z steering column. I made new hub with correct splines, cut off the original 300ZX hub, and welded on my hub in it's place. Here's the hub I made. Aluminum test piece on left, steel real piece on right: Back of 300ZX / 240 SX wheel: Cut off original hub: Welded my hub on. I'm no welder, but it's secure. Note the two prongs to cancel the turn signals: Bottom line? The results are fantastic! Overall size is almost identical to stock as is the distance from the driver. The leather grip portion is firm and much thicker and meatier than stock which feels much better to me than any of the first gen wheels. Was a lot of work, but I'm very happy with the results.

Yeah, you were clearly rushed and I completely understand. I would have tried my Z on the autocross, but it just wasn't worth the risk. As I got on the Turnpike that morning I came to the realization that the trip to Carlisle that morning was the single longest trip I've ever taken with that Z! It was also the only time so far that it's seen highway speeds for an extended period of time. Thankfully it made it to the show and back home again without so much as a hiccup!

OK, so I'm of limited use here... I know very little about the aftermarket stuff. Where is the timing advance curve being introduced? Mechanically in the distributor, or electronically in the HEI module? Surely not both, right?

Fred, Sorry... I should have figured out a way for us to meet up at the show. We probably saw each other there without even knowing it! :disappoin Have you got your pics uploaded anywhere?

I'm thinking that it was an un-documented mid-year change in 73 and your car is configured more like a 74. Especially since you don't have the thermostatic switch inside the cabin. And if that's the case, you're right... The temp switching points are nowhere near where you need them. From the FSM, the water temp switch characteristics are as follows (EC-28): Off (open) below 88 F On (closed) above 106 F And that's if the switch even still works at all. Mine didn't. As for pulling it out, it's pretty high up. You don't have to drain a lot of coolant to get below the level of that switch. Maybe a gallon? Sorry, but I don't remember what the threads look like. I don't even remember if they are straight or tapered.

So what are you currently running for ignition? What's the system look like?

That looks like the "Water Temperature Switch", but here's the problem... 73's aren't supposed to have one. According to the FSM's that wasn't supposed to have started until 74. (Not that they aren't without mistake though, so who knows) Here's a bunch of info about the water temp switch. Read through this and see if it makes sense. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/electrical-s30/46647-water-temp-switch-what-does.html

Made it home safe and sound. Great show! Wish there was more of a forum presence there... Would like to meet other members. Thanks Chuck. And I had a great time chatting with Ed as well. Please thank him again for me as well.

Nobody else even going?

msglength

I'm not sure why they picked the fuel cut points they did, but I find it "harsh". By that, I mean... If you pull your foot off the gas at 3500 RPM and let the fuel cut feature kick in, the engine braking effect from 3500 down to 2800 is much more pronounced than if the fuel had not been cut off. Makes perfect sense since the engine is a complete load instead of supplying some power. In fact, once the RPMs drop and you hit the bottom of the hysteresis band at 2800 or so, you can feel when the fuel starts flowing again. However, I'm used to the "normal" engine brake coasting effect like what occurs in other cars, and the fuel cut induced "uber braking" above 3200 is uncomfortable. It's too steep of a curve and I'm glad they didn't do that everywhere. As for the Pathfinder... Is it automatic? In automatics, the engine braking effect is always smaller because there's slip in the hydraulic drivetrain. They might be able to get away with a full time complete fuel cut because the drive train slip will prevent you from feeling like you're gonna smash your face on the windshield every time you let off the gas. (Have we strayed far enough from the OP's question yet? )

So what happened when you plugged the AAR inlet into the manifold? Did the idle drop to where it's supposed to be once the engine is warm? My original AAR was intermittent. Tricky part was that it always tested fine on the bench when cold, but went "open" once up to full temp. So I know you already replaced your AAR with new and I would hope (assume?) that the new AAR does not have an internal problem. It might, but let's hope not, so... How about the 40 year old cracked, crusty wiring and loose, corroded connectors leading TO the AAR? Maybe there's an intermittent connection somewhere?