pig4bill

You could have gotten water into the injector connections too.

What about for alloy wheels, like the snowflakes?

I have a 78 2+2 with 15" snowflakes. Are these 6 or 6.5 inches wide? I've seen conflicting info. What would be the widest tires I could use? It had 205/65's on it when I bought it. Would 60 or even 55 series work well?

I got in touch with the previous owner and the starting issue is a flaky ignition switch he forgot to tell me about. I'm still hoping to hear from a 280 owner about whether the "charging" light staying on is normal or not.

The alternator is one that he pulled out of his other car, which was working fine before he pulled it out. Still possible it's failed, I suppose. This is a '78, which I'm told have an internal regulator. I have no idea if there's an aftermarket thermo-fan, I've only owned this car 2 days. I could check the electrolyte level in the battery, but it's got plenty of juice as of now. WHEN it cranks, it cranks fast. Guess I'm off to the parts store for a wire brush and some grease.

You will be in California during one of the premier automotive events in the U.S., the Monterey Historic races from the 15th to the 17th. There are other related events as well, like the Pebble Beach concours and the Italian car concours.

Thanks for the recco. I've heard someone say Scott's Performance on Lafayette was also good. If Strictly Z is on Almaden Road, it's a little more than half an hour from the SF airport. Maybe half an hour from the San Jose airport. More like an hour and 15 from the SF airport.

I just bought a '78 280z 2+2. The "charging" light stays on when it's running. Is this bad? I don't have an owner's manual. I couldn't see that the light was on, or didn't notice, in the daylight. When I got home to the garage is when I saw it. The previous owner said the alternator had gone bad and replaced it with another used one that he said was working. The battery was beyond saving so he put a brand new one in it. So I was able to get home okay but I don't want to wreck a new battery if this alternator is also bad. I don't know if it's related but it also has starting problems. Turn the key and dash lights and radio light up, but then turn it to start and nothing. It doesn't sound like the starter Bendix is engaging or anything. If I keep switching the key on and off, it starts on about the 20th try and everything seems normal at that point. Normally that points to loose or bad battery cables, but they seem tight to me. And when it does fire up, the starter whirs with gusto, so it's getting plenty of juice. Bad ignition switch?

I'm looking for a good shop in the South bay area to work on my '78. I haven't had a Japanese car for 10 years, so I don't know any around here. Thanks