EuroDat

Sounds like you have a Maxima head. You can tell them apart by the extra sensor between number 5 & 6 spark plugs. It is not the same as the L28 N47 head. In fact its considered to be a far superior head with "closed" combustion chambers. In the Datsun world its often refered to as a MN47, the M being Maxima. The MN47 had 39cc chambers where the N47 and the E88 have 44.6 or 44.7cc chambers. It will raise your compression ratio to about 10:1 with a 1mm head gasket and a 2mm head gasket will give you about 9:1 Its a bolt on replacement except for the exhaust manifold has round ports with emmision liners. You will need another exhaust manifold from a L28 280Z. The 280ZX non turbo exhaust manifold will fit, but its routing for the pipe is differant to the S30 model. What is the noise. Could it just be tappet adjustment? That would be the easiest way out. Chas

Hi silversurfer, Welcome to the club. Your engine stall issue sounds a lot like the TIU is failing when it gets warm. Typical for these old cars. The next time it does it. Pull the center HT lead out of the dizzy and hold it a couple of mm of the manifold and get someone to crank the engine. You may want to do this test when its cold and all working as it should. That will give you a good base line to compare to. I used and old spark plug. That way the gap in the plug would always be the same during the tests. A second check you can do is simply check the tacho. If it starts bouncing around, its a good sign something is wrong with the ignition system. Here is a link to my TIU conversion. There are other ways to fix a failing TIU like fitting a 280ZX dizzy, but I chose to keep the original look. http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/49588-fitting-a-hei-module-in-transistor-ignition-unit-1977-280z/ I don't think the lights are related to your engine dying problem. More of a coincidence. Here is a link to the Factory manuals. A must have when working on these cars http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html The Fuel injection supplement on the xenons130.com is more complete for the efi even though its on the s130 site. See the S130 EFI manuals section. Early version. http://www.xenons130.com/reference.html Chas

But the real secret is: Don't roll it

The diff ratio and the five speed are playing a big part in achieving 30mpg. You are running 3.364 with a five speed which gives you long legs and the best chance of getting 30mpg on the highway. If you had 3.54, 3.7, 3.9 or 4.11 you can forget it. The pertronix ignition would also be an improvement over the points system. Keeping the speed down and no hard acceleration also helps a lot. Once you go over 50mph the wind resistance its devastating to your milage. Anything performance wise done to the engine is generally a big negative for economy, but thats not the objective when fitting up for performance. Im running a stock L28 with efi and getting nowhere near 30mpg. More like 20mpg, but then Im not all that much on the highway. I like cruising the back roads and its not a daily driver. I think Black gold man has a good point. Multiple fill ups will give you a more accurate reading although it will be average milage. Chas

That is what I was thinking too. With the engine on a stand with radiator en transmission you can access everything so much easier. Once the wiring is all sorted out and the unused stuff removed, you can bundle it together and label were everything goes. I did this and routed the exhaust through a muffler and some flexable aluminium tubing outside the garage. This gives you more advantages: 1. The Z is off the road for a minimum time. 2. Your "back out point" is outside the Z. If it doesn't work or you decide to give up on it than its minimum loss and the Z is still intact. 3. You know the engine will run before you do the transplant. Nothing worse than getting the engine in and spending the next six months getting bugs out of the electronics. If you go forward with this, take plenty of pictures. I didn't and have regreted it ever since. Chas

I would be inclined to make a frame and mount the S38 on it. You can set it up with the radiator and transmission to get it running with the ECU. That way you have plenty of room to work on the harness end sensors. Once it working, you can then decide to transplant it in the Z. I have done that on a holden gemini Isuzu when I transplanted a 1987 "Isuzu Faster" 2.0ltr with its efi into it. Gave me plenty of room to work around it. I don't think I could have done it without doing all that outside the vehicle. Chas

Chris, Have made a discision on changing your motor or starting on another Z. If you could do the swap without cutting into the Zed, that would make it easier to reverse later if needed. I don't know if you have the matching numbers L24? Without it the collector value will drop a lot. Any idea what power loss you would have by changing the efi for tripples? What would be your option for the ignition? If you could do the transplant with all that it produced somewher around 250hp. Thats a big increase over what you have now and probably better fuel economy as well. I came across this bargin today in a saleyard close by us. He has 2 240Z's. This will give you an idea what crazy prices they ask over here. http://www.erclassics.com/Datsun-240Z-classic-car-for-sale-1190.php Chas

Yer, and thats the rust you can see with the paint on it. After sandblasting it can only get worse. Quote: Parts not original to the car:Hatch is a Series 2Speedometer is a Series 2Center Console may be a Series 2End quote. He forgot the 5 speed transmission.

its great weather here and Im in the backyard drinking some beers with a friend. Beemer is a nickname for old BMW's here in the netherlands . Google dikke beemer and you will see what I mean.http://www.autojunk.nl/2014/05/oude-maar-dikke-beemer-635 Chas

Chris. I seem to agree with Oiluj. This project could very easily go feral on you leaving you with a Zed that just refuses to steer right due to geometry issues and a Beemer in pieces. I like your other idea better: Transplanting the M5 engine and gearbox in the Z. Maybe going to an R180 with LSD and selling the BMW parts to buy a GC coilover system like HaZmat. My 2 cents. Chas

Wow, Thats just a second hand vavle cover. What would the rest of that motorbe worth? This one is €1150 after 3 bids. http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r127249094

Thanks George. I saw the GTO, but I missed the 240Z on Discovery.

And btw if it has a really old filter chances are its failed and allowed a lot of crap through to the injectors and FPR. They could be bloked and or the FPR could be stuck open with crap in it. I changed my old filter when I got the car. The car was sitting for a long time. This is how it looked when I cut it open.

Just to add to FastWoman's post. If you scroll down the xenons30 page you will find the 280Z/ZX Electronic Fuel Injection Guide, 3.8MB PDF File. Its well worth reading and the trouble shooting guide is good for finding faults. As for your starting problem: You could have problems with flow and low fuel pressure. A simple pressure gauge will tell you a lot about the system. I used a fuel gauge to iron out some problems I had.

Welcome to the forum. Noticed its your first post. You might want to start by explaining what model and setup you have. SU's, tripples, efi? You could be talking about a mustang for all we know. Members find it easier to reply when they can relate to the problem. Now you have to many variables. The fuel system changed a lot over the 8 years they produced the S30. I know enough about the EFI system to keep me out of trouble and maybe help others, but little about the SU's. The throttle staying open on deceleration could be typical for worn linkages on the SU setup. But then Im presuming your running SU's. Don't be put of by my comments. Just add a little more detail about the setup, any alterations, background information etc. Chas

Your welding is not that bad actually. You have been buzy, judging by the photos. As for the diff: The numbers don't mean much. The numbers in the casting are just casting production numbers. If he did have something in the diff changed, you will need to dismantle it to know for sure. None of the 280ZX's came with a limited slip diff (LSD). You can test it by jacking up the rear end, put the car in neautral and turn one by hand. The other wheel will turn the opposite diection for a normal diff. An LSD will turn the same direction. It all looks original with the turbo CV's, but that doesn't mean he didn't use an aftermarket version. Chas

Thank for sharing. That is a great website for tracking down colors. What are your plans if you dont mind me asking?

Nice work, you make it look simple. "its a lot easier than you thought". I have been hesitant because Im worried Ill stuff it up. Its not working all that good now, but with my luck...... Looking great as usual

The 240Z insulators will lower a 280Z rear about 1". Thats if nothing else is changed in the process.

Thats good news. Easy fix. Chickenman explanation about the hubs is probably also contributing to the problem, but the new springs is enough to fix it. To do the hubs, you need to fully dismantle the tranny. These transmissions are getting old an all the parts have wear on them. If you want to load photos, click on More reply options and you will fing it there. Chas

Really nice work on the bumper and grill mod. Thanks for the tip on swapping the top bar. I have a 240 grill and was wondering how to attach it.

The 5 speed came out of 280Z and it is the same length as th F4W71B. The F4W71A which was the original transmission in your car was 5mm shorter if I recall corectly. Its so little that it won't be causing this problem. The forward position of the selector is caused by the different selector design between the 71A and the 71B's. There is about 60mm difference in the location. Some people cut the tunnel and console to get it to fit. I have done it once, but we cut, bent and welded the gear stick to get it centered.If you want to change the rear extension housing bushing then you will need to dismantle the transmission to get to it properly. The bush was never a replacement part through nissan. The only OEM option was to replace the hole extension housing. I beleive you can use one from Opel and maybe others, but I cab find the forum right now. If a longer propeller shaft takes most of the play out of it, I would leave it a t that.

It looks far too short going by your video. I can't remeber the exact amount, but it shouldn't have that much. Did you note how far it was in the transmission? Im wondering how far its engaged. That could explain how it got damaged. Did it still have the up and down movement when you pushed it in? Your rear extension sleeve or tailshaft yoke could be worn. The standard (late) 240Z tailshaft is 22,5" (570mm). You could have the Series I tailshaft which is a little over an 1" shorter (30mm), but it is now a little bit shorter again due to the repairs. The series I should be a little under 21.5" like Steve mentioned in his post. And for the info the 280Z, fitted with non servicable uni-joints, is 565mm (5mm shorter than the late 240Z). I don't think you will be able to fit a late 240Z shaft in your situation. The shaft doesn't move around much (forward & backwards), but you still need 15 - 20mm to be able to mount it and allow some movement. You could check if you have more than 50mm between the diff flange and tailshaft flange when the tailshaft is pushed all the way in the transmission. 33mm (22.5" - 21") + 15 - 20mm = 48 to 53mm. A straight mustache bar doesn't say much. To move the diff back you simply turn it around (backwards). The way you can tell is by looking at the transverse bar connecting the lower control arms. If its straight than your diff is forward (early series I). if its curved around the diff than its been modified to the later position and the centerline is inline with the wheels. If you are running with a 21" tailshaft I would suspect the diff in in the original position. Here are some photos of one of my spares tailshafts. I thinks its from a 73 240Z.

Just watched your video. +1 on Zed heads comments. It looks like it not going far enough into the transmission. That could be what is causing that extra movement you are seeing. Mine goes in a lot further and almost zero movement, you can't see it anyway. Your tail shaft looks too short to me. Is your diff in the forward position or has it been set back inline with the rear wheels (Half shafts in line)? Someone could have shortened it incorrectly. Since it has been cut and spliced together it may be too short. Can you measure the tailshaft? Centre unicap to centre unicap. You said the shop makes tailshafts. Does he make them for cars or pto's for tractors and such. Just asking because you can get away with a lot in a pto shaft, but that will be a big problem in a car drivetrain. I don't think it is causing your vibration. The splines should keep it straight when its under load and at highway speeds it should be under enough load. It would cause vibrations when you coast. Here is a link over transmissions. You can see my yoke in post 10 5th photo. Its a through the floor shot but gives you an idea of how far it goes in. http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/46126-transmission-idquiz/ Chas

That all started when Lotus came out with 123r3 (release 3 with WYSIWYG) for DOS. Along with wp5.1 and borland dbase IV. Yer, back in the good ol days before Microsoft killed them all with Excel, Word and Access.