SteveJ

Now it looks as though you may have a 78 280Z. The PITA is that the wiring diagram doesn't have the pins numbered. There is some numbering on EF-26, so I will use that. Pins 73 & 74 are a coil. You should have some resistance. I don't have the spec for that coil handy, but I measured a couple of standard automotive relays. The coil on one relay measured about 83.6Ω, and the other was 78.7Ω Pins 90 and 91 also are for a coil. There should be resistance. Pins 94 to 95 I believe are for another coil. Again, you should have resistance. Pins 91 to 95 are for a normally closed contact. With the relay unplugged, you should have continuity (nearly 0Ω resistance) across those pins. Search through the old posts on this site. I know I have talked about these relays in the past. Oh, and clean your old connectors. Many people swear by Caig Deoxit.

That is exactly the reason for the test I described. In this case, I chose a location in the middle of the circuit. If the first part of the test fails, the problem is between the key and coil. If the second part fails, the problem is between the coil and ground.

So with the key in the on position, you should see somewhere around 9VDC from the coil negative to ground. Did you check the gap in the points? This is where an old-fashioned tach/dwell meter can come in handy. If you have voltage from coil negative to ground and no signal on the tach, you know that either the points aren't closing or that the ground for the points is bad/missing.

First, what model Z do you have? Is it a North American, European, or JDM model? Here is a general test. If you have a digital voltmeter, put the positive lead on the negative terminal of the coil and the negative lead to ground. With the key on, it should read 9 to 12 volts. Have someone try to start the car while you are watching the voltmeter. If the voltage does not fluctuate significantly, you lost your trigger for spark. I'm not sure what distributor you have or what ignition source you have for your test right now.

Having done what I hope is enough research, I have started down the road on my next off-beat modification. I decided to pull the trigger to go with the Patton Machine fuel injection kit on my 260Z. I still think I'm going a little lean at times at the top end with my current SU setup, and I hope this will remedy that situation. The cost appears to be less than sourcing a non-egr FI intake, AFM, MS setup, etc., and it seems to be nicely sorted out. I'll try to remember to take a lot of photos for posting. I hope to get the setup in March.

I took a closer look at the approximate values on the FSM chart and compared them to the GM data. The CHTS appears to run a little lower through the operating range (0 deg C to 80 deg C) than the GM sensor. However, a better evaluation would be to run the engine with the CHTS and monitor the resistance while taking temperature readings at the thermostat housing. If the CHTS resistance is too low through that range, I know it could be the source of problems with the fuel injection. The nice thing is that I can test on the car before I get the kit. The challenge with the GM coolant temperature sensor is to make sure it is immersed while using the adapter. Whatever the result, I get to learn something...and maybe the lessons learned will benefit our community.

First, let's go over terminology. This is important for clear communications. Voltmeter - Measures voltage (difference in potential) across a source or a load, such as across the terminals of a battery. Ammeter - Measures current flow through wires. Ohmmeter - Measures the resistance (opposition to current flow) of a load. VOM - Volt Ohm Meter: This is a meter designed to measure voltage or resistance Multimeter - A meter that at a minimum measures voltage, resistance, and current. Some multimeters can measure frequency or inductance, and others have functionality to test transistors. Autoranging - A VOM or multimeter that will automatically select the range for the display, going up or down orders of magnitude. Continuity - Continuous, as in a continuous piece of wire. Now let's talk about resistance. Wire has resistance. Connections have resistance. Both should be low enough that we can ignore it if things are in good working order. Even a VOM or multimeter has resistance. An air gap has very high resistance. If you are using a digital VOM/multimeter with autoranging, the first thing you do is set the meter to measure resistance. The display will typically show OL (open line), and there will probably be a capital M near the reading to show megaohms. Touch your leads together. The display should go down to less than 1, and the M should disappear. If the meter has a continuity buzzer, it should be buzzing at this time. Please note that the threshold for a continuity buzzer may be several ohms. The autoranging feature will change the display, possibly without you realizing it. It can go from megaohms, to kiloohms, and to ohms virtually instantly, so you have to watch for the M or K on the display. If you have to set the range manually on your VOM, start with the LOWEST range when you are checking for continuity. Touch the leads together and make sure the reading goes down to less than 1. If you are using a higher range, the display may read less than 1, but you could have a lot of resistance. My philosophy when checking continuity is to IGNORE THE CONTINUITY BUZZER. The value on the display is important. So go back and start over. Have a notepad with you to record readings. Also, where exactly are you placing the probes for the meter? Be specific so we can tell whether or not your technique is correct. Finally, what year Z do you have? There are differences, and if you need help, we need to know which FSM to refer to. Feel free to post a photo of your meter so we can verify what setting to use on the dial.

One of the important things to integrate into the fuel injection ECU is the coolant temperature sensor. Since the 260Z doesn't have one, I need to figure out how to incorporate this sensor. Use a 280Z coolant temperature sensor in the port occupied by the temperature switch. (The consensus is that it won't fit.) Use a 3/8 BSPT male to 3/8 NPT female adapter to put the sensor in the port occupied by the temperature switch. (I got the adapter. It doesn't look like it will fit.) Use a 1/2 BSPT male to 3/8 NPT female adapter to put the sensor in the port that is currently plugged. (This still seems viable.) Take advantage of the CHTS port in the Maxima N47 head and use the Nissan CHTS in lieu of the coolant temperature sensor. In order to do number 4, I have to know whether the sensors have similar resistance curves. The 82 FSM EFEC section provided me the CHTS curve. Based upon a measurement I took today, I think the middle curve is the one I need to focus on. And a little searching on the interwebs gave me a data sheet on the GM coolant temperature sensor. Unless I am misinterpreting the FSM curve and the table, I believe I can use the CHTS for the temperature sensor data for the ECU.

And the genuine article from Courtesy Nissan: https://www.courtesyparts.com/oem-parts/nissan-rivet-plastic-black-90909e4100 And Nissan Parts Deal: https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/parts/nissan-rivet-plastic~90909-e4100.html Tasca: https://www.tascaparts.com/oem-parts/nissan-rivet-plastic-black-90909e4100

So this got me looking on ebay. I found some panel rivet kits that have rivets in a similar size to the Z rivets. https://www.ebay.com/itm/690Pcs-Car-Auto-Push-Pin-Rivet-Trim-Fastener-Clip-Panel-Body-Interior-Assortment/254096165616?hash=item3b294fcaf0:g:bREAAOSwh99cSstW:rk:2:pf:0 https://www.ebay.com/itm/690pcs-Car-Automotive-Push-Pins-Rivet-Trim-Clip-Panel-Body-Kits-Assortment/173657019916?epid=21026357388&hash=item286ec3d60c:g:0AAAAOSw6jJb-LiG:rk:3:pf:0 It looks like the Nissan part is designed for a 5mm hole, while the Ford (and many others on the market) appear to be designed for a 1/4 inch hole. And to make a correction, it looks like the BMW rivet is likely the correct width. Depth may still be an issue. Let us know if they work.

I measured what I believe to be a genuine Nissan panel rivet to compare to the measurements of the BMW part. The BMW part seems to be a little smaller. Those rivets may have issues with staying firmly in the anchor points. The measurements for the Nissan part numbers are in blue.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-FORD-FENDER-SHIELD-PUSH-TYPE-RETAINERS-OEM-387843-S/253285631459?epid=1189303991&hash=item3af90005e3:g:zaEAAMXQlrxRa9Hi:rk:4:pf:0

I miss going to that show.

In anticipation of converting the 260Z to TBI, I realized I needed to find a good location for the coolant temperature sensor. I need to confirm, but I believe the sensor that will come with the Patton Machine system will be 3/8 NPT. On the 260Z, I see two potential candidates. The blue painted bolt is 5/8 BSPP if I understand my threads correctly. The challenge with that is I would have to drill and tap the 3/8 NPT hole into that plug as 5/8 BSPP or BSPT adapters are made by unicorns. A better candidate is the temperature switch that is just above the distributor in the picture. Is the thread pitch 3/8 BSPP or BSPT?

Thanks for the offer, Bruce. I have the fitting on order. I'm trying to line up all the support parts I may need so I don't have as much down time on the Z. I even have the 3 screw carburetors sitting in my garage, waiting for the conversion. I sent the check a month ago for the fuel injection kit. It won't be shipped for about another month. I'm guessing a lot of British sports car fans want a winter project, too.

It could be a bad distributor cap, too. When I was buying the 260Z, the guy was knocking $700 off the price since it wouldn't run. It turned out that it was just a bad distributor cap. I put on a new cap and got the car running.

I should add that I also bought a CHTS to play with since I have the N47 Maxima head. I'll find out if the 280ZX CHTS fits.

Thank you for taking the time to educate me, Bruce. I did find what I hope to be the proper adapter: http://www.britishmetrics.com/shop/Brass-Reducing-Bush-BSP/reducing-bush-1-2-bspt-x-3-8-npt.html

Here is how a relay works. https://fiddlingwithzcars.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/relays-simplified/ If you don't understand the wiring enough to make your own, I can make a plug & play double socket relay for your car for $50. It won't look the same as stock, but it will work, and if one of the relays fails down the line, you can replace it inexpensively.

The man who popularized the phrase "assembly is reverse of disassembly" has passed away. I was looking for a service manual 26 years ago after I purchased my Z. I had no idea factory manuals might be available. First I found the Chiltons manual, but it covered the S30, S130, and Z31 in the same book, so it wasn't that useful. Then I found the Haynes manual, and in comparison to the Chiltons, I felt I struck gold. I still remember using the Haynes manual to figure out how to replace the vent hoses in my 240Z since it had photos that the FSM lacked. https://haynes.com/en-gb/john-harold-haynes-obe-obituary And if you ever need to service your carrier fighter, who else could you turn to? https://haynes.com/en-gb/grumman-f-14-tomcat-manual I'm glad Mr. Haynes believed there was a need for his services. He was correct.

No problem. It was easy since you were good enough to post a photo that had your fuel rail in it. I didn't even need to do a search. The source and return will be even more obvious when you see how your fuel pump is connected. The return on the fuel rail has a small orifice that acts similar to a fuel pressure regulator (as pointed out elsewhere by @Captain Obvious).

The red arrow points to the supply. The yellow points to the return. When the float bowls are full, the floats block more fuel from coming into the carburetors, so the fuel that the fuel pump is pushing through the line needs to go somewhere. That somewhere is back to the tank via the return line.

It will work better than trying to swap one in. It might be good to make a list of what you want in a car and prioritize the list to see what really suits your desires best.

Caymans haven't been around as long as the Boxsters, so they are still north of $15K. Boxsters are dipping down below $10K. With the spike in Z car prices, $5K to $10K is likely to be a project involving a fair amount of body work. These cars aren't known for rust resistance.

520/620 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datsun_Truck https://sacramento.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=Datsun+620&sort=rel