Captain Obvious

Excellent! That's awesome! I'm surprised (but very pleased) that the damage was confined to that resistor. I'll take another look at my notes this evening and see if I can come up with any theories as to what could have caused that. I don't remember off the top of my head what part of the ECU that resistor is associated with. Keep that other ECU on the shelf in case there are any issues in the future. It's good insurance. So how's this for a small club to belong to... Has anyone else here ever done successful component level troubleshooting inside a 280Z ECU? Anyone?

Haha! They call me Captain Obvious! :laugh: I'm not holding out lots of hope that simply replacing that resistor is going to fix it. I don't know what happened that fried that resistor, but it clearly wasn't pretty. I'd be very surprised if the damage was isolated to simply that resistor, but it doesn't hurt to try. After replacing that resistor (and verifying that there aren't signs of heat elsewhere), you can do a very basic "reality check" on the ECU on the bench without having to install it in the car: Connect ground to pin 5 Connect a FUSED 12V supply to pin 10. The fuse should be 2A or smaller. The ECU should draw less than 1 Amp. If it draws more than that and pops the fuse, then there's still something wrong inside. If you are at all unclear on how to do the above, then don't try... BTW, it's not a computer. There are no programmable devices inside. It's all analog.

Here's one of those poorly written broken english Craigslist ads with no pics: ALFA ROMEO DUETTO SPYDER 1969 But the price indicates it might be something interesting. Of course... There are ads like this too: 73 240z

Leon, Looking at your pics posted above, the colors of the resin in your two pics appears very different. Is that truly the case, or is that a factor of the camera and/or lighting at the time the photo was taken?

Forget about the reverse polarity stuff... I took a refresher look at my notes and reverse polarity shouldn't fry that resistor. Haven't looked deeply enough to guarantee that something else might fry, but those two wirewound 15 Ohm resistors should be OK. Actually, there's something to check... There are two spherical glob shaped zener diodes with red stripes on them. One of them is visible in your pic (ZD101). There's another one near the other wirewound resistor (ZD201). Measure the resistances of those two zeners in both directions when you get a chance. Use a low Ohms scale. With that resistor fried, it's possible that ZD201 (the one NOT visible in your pic) took a hit. And after that... I'm not going to get into component level troubleshooting of the board. It's going to be impossible on-line.

Sorry. I get it now... Up above you said that you'll stick to refurbishing those emblems that just require a new plate of chrome and some paint. I read that and thought you meant you would do side emblems that were in good enough condition that you could get away without replacing the fill. But in fact, you meant that you wouldn't mess at all with the side emblems because they had that fill... You would only mess with emblems that had plate and paint, with no fill. I'm with you now. :stupid:

Blindingly beautiful. Only other comment is that if I'm not mistaken, you've got full band style aftermarket clamps on the fuel lines? If that's the case, I would recommend replacing them with Nissan clamps because the Nissan hose clamps are stainless while the aftermarket stuff is not. I know... Tiny point to be made about near perfection!

Don't get hung up on the composition or the exact value just for a test. In other words, just to test "Dead" or "Not dead" on your ECU, it doesn't have to be wire wound. It also doesn't have to be exactly 15 Ohms. Just for a test, any resistor between say, 10 and 20 Ohms regardless of composition should work just to see if there are other problems. BTW - There's another identical resistor in there, closer to the big wiring harness connector. How's that one look? I'm trying to come up with situations that would have fried your resistor and one of them is reversed polarity to the ECU like maybe having jumper cables connected backwards? If that were to happen, there would be damage elsewhere on the board, including the other 15 Ohm wirewound. Do you see signs of heat anywhere else inside the ECU?

Gotcha. If the boat tail is a requirement, then you're painting yourself into a beautiful corner. Aluminum block and head, wet cast iron sleeved, chain driven DOHC hemi with direct tappet driven valves. The clatter is hypnotizing. The whine of the gears. The smell of the seat foam. The 'snick-snick' of the gearshift. The way it flits through the curves... The way the heater doesn't work for shat. The constant voltage regulator and generator replacements. The carb percolation. The faded sun crazed plastic on the once beautiful dash gauges. The seats from an era before headrests and shoulder belts and where the recline mechanism is an adjustment screw on the bottom. You either get old Alfas or you don't. If there's anything I can do from the eastern end of PA, LMK.

Haha! Yeah, It's dead Jim. As for replacing it... I don't have high hopes for that. I believe that resistor is part of a protection circuit indented to prevent damage to other parts of the ECU. If that resistor burned open, I bet other parts went as well. Worth a try, but I'm not holding my breath. Might be a good idea to put a couple amp fuse (2A) in series with the FI power coming off the battery. With the injectors not firing, the ECU draws less than 2A, but the stock fusible links will pass much more than that.

There's a lot of love for the Duetto and the prices reflect that. You're probably already aware, but you can get basically the same car with the Kamm tail for much cheaper. I think the Duetto ended in 69 and the vertical back Kamm tail started in 70. Cheaper, but doesn't carry the same "mystique" as the Duetto. If your wife doesn't care, then a later Kamm tail might suffice. Forgot to mention it before, but I've not heard good things about the SPICA fuel injection system. Everyone is always screwing with it and bitching about the unreliability and lots of people pull the whole system off and throw on a pair of Webers instead. However, with myself being a flat top carb proponent, I'm sensitive that there may be different views on that situation. I looked at my books and I don't have anything new enough to cover the Duetto. All my info is from back when the Spider looked like this: :kiss:

Haha! I've got everything I need to test the epoxy method except for the tint. Send me an empty emblem along with a small tube of red tint and another tube of yellow, and I bet I could make a pretty good imitation! About the chrome plating... The chrome plating runs under the filled area, doesn't it? Is it going to work to replate with the original fill in place?

That resistor is supposed to be a 15 Ohm wirewound. Before you yank it, measure it's resistance. Just because it got hot, doesn't mean that it's burned open. Might be, but check first. You can measure it in circuit. Just probe right across it. In other words, you don't have to take it out to measure it.

Neat. Never noticed that. My PO "shaved" all the emblems off my car so I don't see them frequently. Looks like they potted the recessed area around the "Z" with a self leveling thermoplastic of some sort. You should be able to recreate that pretty easy using clear epoxy that has been tinted to the proper shade. Use a slow curing epoxy that has time to level, and tinting compounds are readily available. The biggest issue would be that the air entrained during the mixing action will cloud the compound and you would have to get the air out. Use a bell jar and a vacuum pump to pull the air out of the mix. It'll froth as the air is pulled out, and after the frothing subsides, you'll be left with an optically clear fill material that you can pour into the recess. "Proof, of course, is left to the student." PS - I'm not a plastics engineer... :classic:

And, I've still got some old books and repair literature, etc that I would be more than happy to send you if you pull the trigger and buy something like that. Just LMK.

I have lots of experience with it's hardtop predecessor. A 61 Giulietta Sprint. [sigh...] What advice can I provide? Same as a Z. Buy one that has as little rust on it as you can afford. Other than that, everything is easy. The driveline is rugged assuming it hasn't been abused, but the rust is the big issue. Interior is "just money". Other thoughts? You've got the choice between Veloce ("Performance" model), and Normale ("Normal" model). Veloce commands more money. Your wife probably doesn't need one, and your wallet will be thankful. Your troubleshooting time will be thankful as well. Beyond that? Lucas electricals - The only thing worse is Marelli. Girling brakes - As bad of a reputation as Lucas electricals. I love the old Alfas.... If I had more room, I'd still have one.

It's a thermostat. Good picture and description on pages EC-12 and EC-13 of the 1972 manual. 72 is the oldest FSM I have, so I don't know if they used a thermostat in that location on earlier years, but from the fact that it doesn't mate well with the tubing on your 71, it seems the answer is "no".

Sweet. I'll have to keep an eye out for that the next time I'm into struts. So, what's the "Hardway multiplier" for struts? :ogre: Man, are you gonna be so done with suspension stuff after all this!!

Hardway, Good pic. Certainly appears that the gland nut is down as far as it's gonna go and there isn't anything to be gained by working on the threads anymore. I'm with Zed Head in that it's weird that one side tightens up but the other won't. I'm guessing from the responses from others that this is a common occurrence that has been run into before? I personally haven't had this problem... When I've done inserts, thankfully they all tightened up like they should. It's not like I've done a lot of them though! My suspicion is that since Datsun never intended those tubes to house an insert in the first place, we should consider ourselves lucky that they work as well as they do and the occasional spacer here and there is a small nuisance?

Cool. That clip isn't rocket science. That's why I was suggesting that a replacement clip (of some sort) would be a lot easier to source than a replacement arm. As long as the clip you found holds the arm securely but still allows it to float on the cam and doesn't interfere with the linkage, it should be fine. Good idea to take a pic so others can see options.

I guess that's good news... One less thing I need for my 77!

Good news on getting the nut installed, but bad news that it has to come off again! Do you still have threads showing? Is it a matter of the gland nut grinding to a stop on crappy threads before it hits the top of the insert, or has the nut run out of threads (either internal or external)? Haha! Does that even make sense? What I'm trying to find out is... Are washers the correct solution, or is the correct solution to do some more work on the threads?

I've turned up a few issues with the 77 color wiring diagram: a) Hazard Switch Illumination Lamp Missing Defroster Relay Internal Short c) Ground Connection Missing a) Hazard Switch Illumination Lamp Missing - The hazard switch includes an internal illumination lamp, but that lamp did not make it to the color wiring diagram. Here's a snippet from the FSM showing how they represented the bulb: That works, but I find it a little confusing because of the implication that the connections to the bulb are affected by the ON-OFF switch position (which they are not). So, while simply adding the bulb to the color diagram just like the original FSM would work, I would humbly submit that it would be better represented by something like the below: Defroster Relay Internal Short - There is an internal shorting connection shown on the defroster relay. Simple fix as shown below: c) Ground Connection Missing - There is a bunch of items that need a ground connection in order to function, but do not have one. Again, simple fix as shown below: This diagram is such a lifesaver (or at least a carsaver)! Can we get this post as a sticky?

Haha! So there's my problem!! The problem isn't that I have spare parts... It's that I need more cars to use those parts on, right? Thanks everyone for the well wishes to the 1000 post club. I know I'm a relative newcomer to the forum, and I just hope I've pulled my weight around here.

So are the later year cars supposed to have those hatch seals or not? Anybody?