SteveJ

Actually, one of the signs I read of a coil failing was hard restarting when hot. If it was a 280Z with the hard restarting hot, I would have guessed ECU as well. The OP hasn't tried to answer some of the questions I posted, so who is to say what it is? Vague descriptions usually draw vague and/or differing opinions.

He and his family are doing fine. Tony D posted about it over at Zcar.com

What is the car doing? Is the starter engaging? If it is cranking, do you smell any fuel near the intake or exhaust? Did you check the gap/dwell on the points? Have you checked to see if you have a spark when it's hot?

Of course, a really good "kill switch" is to open up the hood, open the distributor cap, and place the rotor in your pocket. How many people are going to have a spare Z car rotor with them.

First two guesses: 1. Rust flakes in the tank blocking the fuel line 2. Ignition coil telling you it's about to head for that big spark in the sky...

You know, come to think of it, that could be the problem, too.

No offense, but your problem description doesn't have enough to have people give more than wild guesses. Have you actually gone through the diagnostics in the FSM, section EE? If so, what tests did you run and what were the results? (Pass/Fail or numbers) Did you install the alternator with the right tension? Did you re-check the tension to make sure the alternator hasn't moved? A lot of people seem to have their favorite "shade tree mechanic" way of doing things. In my own experience, I do better following the manual and asking for help on the occassions the manual falls short.

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You probably have a dash cap.

A bad wheel cylinder can cause the brakes to drag, too.

Dang, I need to preview before I post. LED bulbs are much easier to deal with than relays. NOW my post makes more sense.

Common problems include: Corrosion in the side markers (I've got the replacements sitting in my garage.) Fuse box melting down (I've seen this on more than one 240Z) Connector between the combo switch and dash wiring harness burning up. (That happened on my 260Z. Two weeks ago I met a guy with the same problem. He handed me phillips screwdriver, and I took off the steering wheel cover. The connector was burned at the Green/Yellow wire, just like I told him it would be.) For your car, you'll find an 8 wire connector for the combo switch below the steering column. If it is damaged from overheating, you can try to re-pin the wires that were damaged. If that doesn't hold, you can get an 8 wire connector from Vintage Connections. It is not an exact replacement, but it's the closest that I've seen. By the way, if you haven't used those types of wire connectors much, spend the money on extra pins/lugs. It's worth it. To prevent the problem with the fusebox or connector in the future, you can 1. incorporate relays into the circuit to take the load off of that wire 2. replace the incandescent bulbs with relays 3. do 1 & 2. Number 2 is the easiest. Search on threads started by me, and you'll find the details of what I did on my 260Z.

They could have been given the wrong part by their supplier, or it could have been a QC problem at the manufacturer. Let us know how the new VR works for you.

All S30 wiring diagrams that I have studied have two flasher units.

There is one VERY good reason to keep looking over there. Tony D is still posting and still trying to correct the errors in people's posts.

Actually they finally fixed the frequent logging off problem that many of us were experiencing. However, I think the damage has been done.

Brian is referring to the solenoid on the starter. Edit: Of course, I missed the third sentence of Brian's post completely where he said it was the solenoid. I need to wake up before posting.

XenonS130 has a link with 5 speed transmission ratios. The 83 FSM, available at the same link, should have the ratios for your automatic.

Step 1 - Get a copy of the 74 wiring diagram (See the links below) Section BE of the FSM is really nice to have, too. Step 2 - Let us know whether or not you understand the wiring diagram and FSM. Step 3 - Clarify. Are the Oil Pressure & Water Temp gauges the only gauges you're installing? Step 4 - Let us know where you're intending upon mounting them. If it's in a stock location, what gauges do you intend upon removing. Step 5 - Include a picture or link to a reference so those of us familiar with the electrical system but unfamiliar with the gauges can see what you're working with. Do I sound anal? Perhaps, but if you want good advice, more details tend to give you better responses.

Carl, PM me about where in North Georgia. If it's close enough to me, maybe I could get the mythical parts.

Yes, there is a site. Look in my signature...

Yes, Derek sold the site. With the new owner(s) came a flood of spammers and tons of ads. Many of us found that we were logged off frequently, which by some "strange" coincidence meant that we would see ads that were not normally visible to logged in members. Some of us grew tired of seeing the same questions every couple of days in the technical forums, too. Members in the S30/S130 section made a valiant effort to assemble FAQs, but the newbies just ignored them. Add into that the floods of newbies that, as Tony D pointed out, seemed to coincide with school break, and the character of the site has changed for the worse. I have focused most of my posting here over the last year or so because of the decline of Zcar.com. I know I wasn't the first, and I'm sure I won't be the last.

Glad to see you here. It's great seeing some of the best contributors from Zcar.com setting up shop here.

Alex, I don't think the club has turned away anybody. Heck, they even allow me to be a member. By the way, by NOT being a member, you failed to hear about the racing at Road Atlanta last weekend. It was great out there on the 19th. I got a nice sunburn out of it, too.