chaseincats

Sorry, I did not close this thread. The issue was the clips around my new fuel filter which were tight but apparently not tight enough.

The wires inside look good but the ones outside look a little cooked. That said, it's been like that since I got it and it runs great after the restart and now.

@Captain Obvious In my experience when the pump dies the car stumbles a bit before the car dies as it burns through what's left in the rail before finally dying instead of it just all dying at once - at least that's how my car handles a fuel pump cutoff? @Zed Head I remember looking at the needles while sitting at the light before it shut off and everything looked great which was odd. I was being paranoid about the gauges since it was pretty warm out and was checking them habitually. @siteunseen The car doesn't have a BCDD anymore and I don't believe the tach needle was freaking out. I took the ecu and transistor ignition box apart and neither had any visible issues like burns/loose solder joints/etc. I then looked around through the ignition system via the wiring diagram and the only thing I could find was a mysterious burn on the distributor's pickup coil's wire bundle shielding (see below image). It looks almost like a spark arched out of it or something because you can see the red wire in the bundle as the outside protective wrap was melted through (the wire's insulation itself didn't look burned). If that's the case, then that spark arching to the engine would have shut it off. I don't understand how that could have happened though... That distributor was installed (not refurbished) about a year ago and that burn wasn't there otherwise I'd have sealed it with electrical tape or something prior to installing it. I'm not sure how long the wire has been like that or if that is indeed what happened though. Is my theory plausible? Note: the casing in this picture looks ripped/torn but that is just a bad picture its very much melted around the areas where the holes are.

The car will shut off while running if the ignition switch is faulty?

I will say I did not have the negative terminal REALLY cranked down as I was taking it on and off when working on it. When I got home I popped the hood to look and the terminal was on there. Before I removed the ECU I pulled the terminal off and it required some strength to do so but I still could. The terminal and connector are in great condition.

That makes sense but the strange part was that it wasn't right when I came to a stop, I was idling at a red light for a good minute or more before it died.

That makes sense but may be tough to put the engine on a stand. I replaced the ignition switch in 2017 due to it not firing during cranking so it shouldn't be that. Regarding the connections, I went through the AtlanticZ connection cleaning page (http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/electricalconnections/index.html) a year or so ago and everything is now 'like new.'

Gotcha It absolutely feels hesitant and is a real dog to drive so it shouldn't be the gauge in that case.

I removed/opened my ecu for my new problem here: https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/65578-sudden-engine-shutoff/?tab=comments#comment-624753. But since we were discussing what my ECU looked like, here it is too lol

I opened my ECU and I don't see any cold solder joints or anything

Is there a way to test the ecu to see what the issue is? Do you mean the big 'transistor ignition module' box in the passenger footwell?

Really strange thing happened today. I was sitting at a stoplight idling and the car suddenly died. The car runs so smoothly that I didn't even know it was off until I looked at the gauge and saw the e-brake light on. I turned the key and it fired right back up like nothing happened and drove home another 20 miles without issue. This is probably electrical/spark related since if it was fuel the car would have stumbled before it shut off I'd assume. I popped the hood when I got back to see if anything was loose then checked under the dist cap to see if the pickup coil was chewed up at all and everything looks perfect. Any ideas where to start?

I was curious about that. It's surprising to see how much current the defogger actually pulls from the system.

This is awesome! Did all cars come with glovebox and cigarette lighter lamps? I don't believe mine has either.

This will be invaluable for the community. Weird that the voltage regulator would have a fuse.

I wasn't aware there were spare fuse holders. I usually just kept fuses loose in my center console.

I replaced all the fuses probably back in 2017. So while its not decades old, it has been cooking in there for a while.

Thanks Capt. So I replaced the fuse - lets see how long it lasts.

I was looking in BE but didn't see a list just a bunch of wiring diagrams to follow. It's weird that the turn signals would be affected by this because while the hazard switch doesnt work due to the fuse, the turn signals do...

Question for you guys, is there a master fuse list for the s30s? I found the below image that lists which fuses cover which electrical aspects of the car but only for a 280zx (below image). My voltmeter fuse blew while driving today which apparently shares that circuit with the hazard switch, so I was curious if there was a list like the below for a 1978 280z that would list where else I should look for the short.

Gotcha. You are a wealth of information per usual. In this case I think I'll just stick with my warm feet lol

It definitely isn't the vacuum system since nothing changes when I pull the vacuum pod that controls the heater doors all the way shut. When the heater is engaged that pod is what pulls the doors open.

Ah, I didn't think about that. Yes, the small amount of air coming out of the heater vents is indeed heater hot. I'm assuming replacing that valve is a messy and possibly dash-out repair?

Quick question - the "mode door"'s foam I'm sure is on its way out because with the car on vent or AC, a small amt of heat comes through the heater vent on the bottom. I tried pulling on the vacuum pod that opens/shuts it and it's all the way down. Any idea how big (or small) a pain it is to re-foam the mode door (sometimes called the blend door)? Is this doable without taking the dash out?

Haha sounds good. I just went to check and this is my ECU's version label like we were talking about: