Dave WM

What really gets me is self inflicted wounds. I should have premised my problem with "I worked on it once to fix the wiper motor switch". Its those kinds of clues that rarely (like my case) get stated. That is just the kind of thing that would then follow up with "are you positive you put it back together right" anyway I am thrilled it finally nailed down. It's odd that it would not blow the fuse EVERY time I used it, perhaps there was enough resistance in the points of the switch to not blow the fuse not drop the voltage below the threshold of being able to activate the wiper motor. I prob did some damage to the points, but I did not use the switch much so hopefully not a big deal.

dumb dumb dumb. Ok when I 1st got the car, the combo switch headlights were jammed so that the wiper would not go to the off position. I must have taken it apart and got that fixed (the rotation part) and apparently when I reassembled I goofed a insulator that ls used to mount the wiper switch (BLUE on Steves diagram) by mounting it in such a way that theinsulator did NOTHING to insulate the blue wire from ground. Got it all back together and looking good. Thanks Steve! video to follow..

Yes Steve that is the exact plan I have. I check the B&1 (green and blue) on my spare combo switch just to make sure neither should ground during operation. I did look closely at the donor to try and see exactly how that could happen, too look for a weak spot, trying to better under stand the possibility. I plan to give it a go later today, will report back on the test. IF it test out the next test will be to unplug the intermittent amp from the body harness and see if it still causes the momentary short. If it does (and if the combo switch test ok) then I can assume I have a harness issue between the combo switch and the intermittent amp.

did that, in fact had both washer AND wipers unplugged, still draws massive amps just pushing the washer button, sometimes...

sometimes you get what you pay for, was the new one a Nissan OE, if not you should test it before using. I test all replacement parts like T stats, sensors etc... if you don't it tends to make you not consider the possibility that a problem could be a faulty NEW part. It happens.

Been down this road before, cropped up again. Intermittent blowing of fuse to wiper only when using the washer pump push switch on the combo switch. 1st I disconnected both the pump AND the wiper motor, it will still sometimes want to blow the fuse (I can see it on the amp meter, so I release quickly to save the fuse). It will sometime work fine, other times there will be a 30amp looking surge per the amp meter (and blow the fuse if I don't get of it instantly). Since it does it regardless of the wiper motor or washer motor I am going to hope its not the wire harness (its all in real good shape from what I can see) and assume its either the combo switch or the intermittent wiper relay. On the switch I can see a battery lead think it was B and I that connect with the switch is activated (for the wiper action anyway) I think the pump was just a ground so I don't think a problem there could blow a fuse. As for the relay, I can see a capacitor from the lead that connects batter voltage thru the switch to the ground. Maybe the cap is starting to short? its a major pita to get at the relay and I would think its a less likely candidate for the problem (shorting cap) so will start with the combo switch. Being intermittent will make it a challenge to find the issue, will start by unplugging it and seeing if I can get a tone by connecting one hot lead at a time to the ground and pushing the button. Or I could try testing my spare 1st and see if it passes the various continuity and ground fault test, if it does just install it. wondering if anyone else has experienced this failure mode (fuse blows ONLY when using washer and ONLY intermittently).

looks good, have you got a to do list put together? I am all about the AC, sure you are to in Phoenix, we had a 260 new back in the day but I don't recall that kind of control setup.

shorted alternator maybe. the box you are pointing at is the fuse link box. there are two fuse links that should be in there. they are a special made wire with spade connectors. You need to get the correct replacements and find out what is shorted.

the adjuster only ratchets up IF there is excessive movement of the shoes, typically due to wear. If its working right you can put the drums on pretty loose and just operating the brakes either by the e brake or pedal, the ratchet mech will take up the excessive spacing. once the shoes are adjusted, the ratchet cant tighten anymore since it requires movement of the shoes to operate. as far as the e brake, I am guessing it just needs to be adjusted under the tunnel to take up some of the slack.

hmmm, sounded like it started to slow down but you are there so will go with what you say. Anyway does not really make any since if you disable a cylinder is should slow down either way. But back to the issue, check the fuel pressure, look for vacuum leaks, set the TPS to the correct setting (use the FSM). Make sure all electrical is correct, make sure the Temp sensor is hooked up right, put in some new plugs run it for a bit then read the plugs again. fuel pressure should be 36psi with the pump on but the car engine NOT running. with it running should drop down to around 30psi. To disable the CSV all you need to do is unplug the fuel line and clamp it off. The TSP contributes to the fuel mix at idle and full throttle, should be set correctly. The temp sensor is the one that effect warmup mix the most. Hopefully no one as monkeyed around with the AFM. I think its a fuel pressure thing, need to make sure the FPR is working right and lowering the pressure after the engine starts and generate a vacuum in the intake manifold.

something odd with that one, if you pull the plug wire and is does not effect anything then something is up. Does not follow that you disconnected the fuel injector and it does effect the idle. You are disabling the cylinder either way, should get the same result. I suggest you try that again, disable the injector and see what effect it has. then the Plug. If that one is dead and you are getting a spark, you should pull the injector out and see if its actually passing fuel. The fact that it was wet with gas makes it seem like a spark issue. Do all that over and confirm the results.

what's going on with the TPS sensor? should not be able to move it like that. Battery sound weak. no reason to do anything else until you get the fuel pressure checked out. Also sounds like a miss fire disconnect "basically clean" spark plug (connect the cable to a spare plug and lay it on top of the valve cover so you can see the spark is working). Does the engine run any different with that plug disconnected from the engine? BTW to avoid confusion 1# is the closest to the front of the engine, #6 is the closest to the firewall. At some point you are going to want to do a compression check, see how well balanced everything is. should be around 140-155 psi per cylinder, all about the same.

if its running rich, 1st thing is to get an accurate fuel pressure reading. Next is to clean all electrical conditions, including grounds. when you disconnected the CSV, did you literally remove the fuel line to it? or just disconnect the electrical connection. Did you check the temp sensor resistance value to a temp chart and check it at the ECU 36pin connector? Listen to all the injectors with a stethoscope to see if they all make the same tapping sound while running. have you checked the air filter? have you checked all the vacuum lines/PCV hose on the crank case/AFM boot. Just regular stuff that should be done when ever going over the EFI for correct air metering.

right that is the way it supposed to work, a signal from the coil tells it to fire. Maybe the ECU is fried. You should read up on the FSM about voltage checks at the injectors. I wonder why the injectors were replaced? an ill conceived fix for the current problem?

oh ok so you have a stuck fuel injector.

If the CSV is stuck open, you could just disconnect the fuel line and plug the fuel line going to it for now.

pull the cold start valve out of the manifold (two screws) see if its leaking, should not have any spray or leaks this time. Be very careful about how you plug in the CSV and the Temp sensor, don't mix those up, they look the same (bullet connectors on the wire harness and the injector plugs ).

see if the cold start valve is stuck open. check the FPR see if its leaking fuel into the vacuum line that connects to the intake manifold.

get a full tank of gas. If you are running around with a low tank it may be sucking air.

I recently decided my rear struts needed refurbing. I was thinking of going with cartridges but I decided to keep it all orig and try just fixing the stock setup. I only needed to replace oil and I changed the O ring. I did the bleed per the manual but I did not do it well. I can see why cartridges are so popular, bleeding can be pain, esp due to weight of the strut/drum assembly. Anyway after noticing that the struts did not damp well unless pumped a few times after the install I decided I would give it another go. I also realized that I had not put in a bumper. Now this was mainly due to the fact that there was no bumper when I took it apart. there was a lot of tan debris that I just assumed was accumulated dirt and gunk. Anyway I thoroughly cleaned out the gunk, repainted the spring hats, and installed some non OE (urethane, OE was NLA) bumpers and put the assy though an EXTENSIVE bleed. this included multiple pumping and inversions per the FSM, I mean a LOT prob 20 times easy. I don't know if this is normal, maybe there is some good technique involved that I was not doing but eventually they seemed to operate much some NOS non gas carts that I had to compare the action to. After reinstalling I can say the damping in immediate now, and very effective. Actually the stock setup seem a bit more aggressive than the cartridges, but it was only a subjective feel no actual measurements. Now I just have to pull the fronts off and install the bumpers. for some reason I was able to get the bleeding done right on those based on how it damps.

Throttle opening all the way? Clutch slipping? how do the plugs look?

Some ones dream car I am sure, but when time to sell you need to find someone with the exact same dream. Looks like a lot of money was spent.

1st test after sitting overnite, started in the start position (did not have to release) and it started super fast, nearly instant, so looking good so far. I have to say I really like the EFI system, on my old 240 and 260 I don't remember it having the kind of instant start and immediate throttle response when cold that the 280z has.

I am sure this is not new to the group but since I made a video I figured would post a thread (video attached later). I have been having start issues since I got the car nearly 2 years ago. I thought I had check the starting circuits (spark and injector during startup) but since it was intermittent I prob just never caught the issue. I finally broke down and removed the switch for a more comprehensive test of the start circuit. Sure enough I have multiple dead spots on the switch when turned to "start". I did NOT test the new OE switch, prob should have but it was so easy to install I just could not wait. Needless to say it started instantly, no longer do I crank and crank then release and the engine would then start (only after releasing the key). I was losing the ign circuit while in the "start" position.

Scoring? not sure what that means. Are they a light tan in color on the insulator? wet is not good, if that is the case I would think there is no combustion happening, if wet from fuel. If wet from oil, then you have a competently different issue, as in rings or valves. How about installing NEW plugs, drive it for a while, then take them out and post up a pic. While the plugs are out you could also do a compression check just to know the stats.