Dave WM

I'm as dense as a pine not... Miami vice. Glades... I kill in jeopardy on old tv shows :)

yep, that's a haul for and unproven car. I had a alt go out on mine, taking out the electrics, then there was the water pump, both of those can get you. At the very least if you must drive it, with the engine off see if the fan will rock showing play in the bearing. Bring some water and bars leak stop incase the rad springs a leak. oh and the most important thing, a fire extinguisher. Start the engine and look for fuel leaks around the hoses. If the hose are OE, then you are likely to spring a gas leak, don't want a fire ball on your hands.

found it https://theoffice.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Cars_Owned_by_Dunder_Mifflin_Employees?file=I165891.jpg he says it was a 280z, but they must have goofed up the models in the show. funny he talks about buying for 1200, fixing and selling for 3000. While on the topic of TV, If you have not seen "the office" binge watch it on Netflix, great show.

also on "the office" I think I have seen a 280zx and maybe a 90's 300zx in the parking lot. I thought it was D's but not sure, he mostly drove that 90's firebird.

Rockford files, "the bay city boys club" IIRC, Blair Brown is driving around in a 240z, Jimbo calls it out to a guy working a fast food drive in window. bonus points for the same window used in an X files episode about a guy that eats brains with a "proboscis"...

if that was just a short time run, seems too rich. Those insulators should come out nearly white. I suspect an overly rich condition. I recommend the FPR test (pressure engine off, pressure eng on, gas leak from vacuum line, then the Temp Sensor Test, then the CSV (make sure its not leaking for firing, prob warm enough that it should not).

Double DA on me. :)

another thing to read up on in the FSM is the EGR (not sure what years and what model had it), any way study up on that as well, it can cause a lot of issues with rough idle esp when the engine is cold. I don't think it would be a rich run problem, but often times there is one problem masking another. Just work you list, check them off, and then study the EGR and test it if you still have idle issues when done with the list. Just did not want to forget that one. Deleting it is often done, but I would not recommend that, I have heard CA is very on top of illegal modifications. Besides IHMO a working EGR is not a performance robbing system anyway, if anything can help from what I have read.

the ground connections are all over the place, and there is not a real good test for them. Treat them after going thru the stuff already if nothing helps. The only way to test is to wiggle to see if they are broken, clean the spade and make sure you have good contact with the chassis ground. The really tough dogs are things like the grounds. Unrelated but still interesting, I used to do a lot of vintage electronic repairs on old TV's, vacuum tube stuff. In one set I had a very slow moving hum bar (horz bar moving upwards thru the picture, distorting the image). Generally speaking they were a result of a DC power supply that had excessive AC ripple to it. I ended up replacing the filament current with DC from a 6v battery pack before I got rid of it. Then I started trying each tube going back to AC for the filaments one at a time. when I get to the vert sweep board, it finally returned. The final analysis was there was a loose screw that secured a printed circuit board ground, not firm enough, and the filaments shared the ground stake. This low resistance allowed just enough hum to get into the ground circuit of the vert sweep tube, result, hum bar. tight the screw and bar goes away (I soldered a buss to it anyway, dumb design IMHO for rely on pressure to maintain a ground but that is EXACTLY what our cars do. Now with the car a slightly imperfect ground does not show up like it would on a CRT, but the point is pressure contacts for grounds are suspect.

you are going to have to eventually fix that idle screw not working, I keep coming back to that since generally speaking something like that is trying to tell you something. The only way it cant work is if the passage that it bleeds air thru is blocked, which would make setting the idle nearly impossible. You also have the AAR valve that maybe acting up both it and the idle bleed air allow air to move thru the throttle independent of the butterfly valve on the gas pedal. I don't want to sidetrack you too much, its just something that HAS to work if you ever expect the car to run or at least idle correctly.

just watched the videos you def want to listen for injectors all clicking use a stethoscope. IF all click, disable one injector at a time and see how it effect idle (load test). will know a lot more based on the above answers AND a reading of the plugs. Regarding hard starting, this can be a real bear. I fought with it for a long time, I refer to it as intermittent starting, so after you get it to idle smooth and the idle bleed air working you can determine if its hard starting always OR intermittent starting (sometimes it will start right up). The good news is these engines are extremely easy to work on and the EFI works really well when everything is in spec. The bad thing is the ECU operates in "open loop system" there is no feedback on what the actual A/F ratio is so sensors must be operating correctly, the ECU can not "Learn" or "Correct" for any problems. Rough running has to be: Compression (a compression check is always a good idea). Fuel pressure readings ( both with engine off and running will narrow this down) and all the EFI Air (really proper air metering) Spark (plugs/wires/dist/timing) you are on the right track just do one thing at a time. Note we forgot to mention grounds, HUGE issue is wire and connectors and grounds. This is one thing the FSM does not go into, I suppose since no one figured the wire harness had to last 45 year or longer. there are several grounds and connectors. Just checking things can cause breaks and lets also discuss NEVER clean the engine with water, no pressure washing, leave it dirty.

never mind I did not see the last post. get a quick reading off the plugs, even if just for a few minutes.

Still don't like the idle adj screw not having any effect. There is something wrong there, You are on the large screw with a spring that sits atop the throttle body right next to the dash pot right? If its not working I would suspect a mechanical problem with the throttle not allowing the valve to completely close, thereby rendering the idle air bleed useless, OR something going on with the BCDD again bleeding excess amounts of air. that would account for a to HIGH an idle which does not seem to be the issue unless there are other problems resulting in the low idle. Very confusing.

also check the condition of the boot from the AFM to the TB for cracks, unmetered air is covered in the FSM. On diagnostic that is often used is try removing the oil cap while idling. If the system is working properly the engine should sputter and die. if it runs better then you have a too much fuel situation. if it has no effect at all then its just running a tad rich at idle.

Next most common is leaking FPR. odd readings that are not effected by vacuum would be a clue, but a definitive test is to detach the vacuum lead and look for leaks. checking the cold start valve is easy just pull it and make sure its not leaking. should not fire at all if temps are over about 70f

Number one issue on rich running is the water temp sensor, not the sending unit for the gauge but the one that tells the ECU how cold the engine is. The FSM tells how to check and what reading to expect for given temps, Test at the ECU 36 pin connector with a good volt/ohm meter.

EFI section of FSM is key, you must read read and read again until you understand everything about how it works. Plugs clearly so rich, OR are the an incorrect heat range, guessing rich. common thing causing rich incorrect fuel pressure (too high), defective FPR could even be leaking raw gas into the manifold. defective or incorrectly connected water temp sensor Leaking injectors/stuck injector/defective cold start system (injector or thermotime switch). AFM, if been prior monkeyed with, a common thing as its just too tempting to go mess with it. ECU (diagnostics are if everything else is ok, then its got to be the ECU, but you really really need to eliminate everything else). as a start, fuel pressure, then listen to injectors to make sure they are all clicking, then pull the cold start and make sure its working properly. I will not go into the specifics that is what the FSM is for on how to test all the systems. It does not make since that the idle adj is not working. it should slow down CW speed up CCW, its an air bleed that bypasses the throttle plate.

I designed it that way (high CG) so it would match up with the existing store bought engine holder. On wider, I have limited space so I really wanted the stand to take up no more space than again the existing holder. Your points are well taken though, the plan will be to see about adding some out riggers that are removable to widen the base. Can't do much about the high CG just have to hope its not a issue.

working on getting a setup to fire up the spare engine.

keep in mind they are not supposed to spin inside the control arm, the spindle pin lock holds them in place. Overtightening that lock will deform the spindle pin, making removal very hard. Keep that spindle lock in mind when reinstalling them, it needs to be precisely lined up to get the lock in place.

posted for any updates on status, Hung Vu responded back they are working with the maker on mold issues. They are wanted a quality product, not something rushed out that is not right.

non fuel injection head, at least I don't see the cut outs for FI, and the pump hole is blocked off. that seems odd.

so the Fuel pressure is good, the temp sensor is good, and the TPS is suspect, and the air temp sensor is suspect. Neither of those would account for a sudden loss of power, but would account for a chronic mixture issue (air temp) or a idle issue that was constant. Since intermittent shut down is the real issue, I would focus on fuel or spark. Install a perm fuel pressure gauge (extreme caution here, you don't want to have a gas leak and engine fire) and the spark monitor. You are going to have to isolate the issue before any more testing. The ign switch is a extreme long shot since it typically would be a start issue and not a run issue. With the spark and fuel pressure monitored you would have to catch it next time it happens and see which of the problems it is. and if all else fails (spark is good and fuel pressure is good) I think the FSM just points to a bad ECU, try giving it a smack (don't know if ZX has them in the same place as the Z) with your hand on the case and see if it has an effect.

1.1 ohms or 1.1K ohms? 1.1ohms or 1100 ohms. If its 1.1k or 1100ohms then all is ok with that system, both the sensor and most likely the hookup, you can check that off as a non issue.

Get a ohm reading of the temp sensor AT THE ECU if you have not done that already. This will check both the sensor and the wire hookup. the FSM will tell you which pins to check. This one should track with the water temp per the scale provided in the FSM. This check requires disconnect the battery and unplug the ECU to get to the pins.