KDMatt

Actually, to my knowledge, that little bit about the thermotime switch isn't true. The thermotime switch is only active when the circuit powering the starter is active. As soon as your key returns from the "Start" position to the "On" position, the thermotime/cold-start circuit is dead. So I highly, highly doubt a bad thermotime switch could be giving you any grief. Sorry '76, not tryin' to steal your thunder bro. Anyway, just start by checking the hoses with the engine running and looking for gas. However, frayed hoses aren't necessarily 'leaky' hoses. I have plenty of old hoses under the hood of my Z that look like crap, but still hold up every day. You could theoretically spend over $100 getting the injectors professionally cleaned/rebuilt, but I would not worry about that right now. If the injectors got clogged, then they got clogged for a reason, and it would be in your best interest to find out why before you go down that road, otherwise, what's to keep it from happening again? Anyway, check simple stuff first... Find a copy of the EFI bible (I could probably send you the PDF for it tomorrow if you want, plus the full '76 Service Manual) ... for all we know it could just be a faulty temperature sensor... and that's a very simple fix.

Ahh... I'm fascinated by those old turbo kits. Even though they're not that great compared to the Turbo setup Nissan designed, I'd still like one, just so I can point and say "this is period correct," and get lots of oohs and ahhs from people who don't know a lot about turbos. I'm curious, for the BAE supplied header/manifold (??) that you pulled off of this car, were the exhaust ports square or round/diamond?

Hrm, I don't want to hijack a thread, but I think I might be having a problem with my AAR as well. My car will idle at a high RPM for a while when it's cold, but then all of a sudden, it'll drop down to like 650-600 and just sort of bounce around and run very rough... as though the AAR isn't doing it's job long enough or something? I had to adjust the idle bypass screw to make it idle decently when it does this.

Hrm, perhaps I'll chime in now, being an FI-guy. What Enigma says is true, if there's a lot of garbage in the fuel and it passes the filter, it can clog up the injectors and keep them from closing properly, thus discharging all of the built up fuel pressure into the cylinders while the car is off. However, let's not get too far ahead and jump to conclusions. First, are you seeing any smoke from the exhaust? Grayish/Blackish smoke indicates a rich condition in the engine, that's one way you could tell. The other way is by pulling the plugs. If you see dried-up, black deposits on them (the plugs will usually just be covered in the soot), then it's almost certain the fuel mixture is off as a result of a bad sensor or clogged/leaky injectors (this is my Z's chronic problem). Also, you say that the engine bay smells like gasoline... I had this happen as well, it turned out to be a leaky hose on the fuel-rail (and that little tiny leak was robbing away enough fuel PSI to make the car run and drive like crap too, I was thrilled when I finally figured it out). So what you should do is, with the car running, inspect all of the fuel hoses. Rev up the engine a few times (this should increase the pressure if there's a leak), and see if you can pin down where it's coming from. Just follow your nooooooose...! Check it out and report back.

Did you actually remove the AFM from the car? ... A couple of the mounting screws I believe are actually ground points for the AFM itself. If those have gotten crudded up, again, you might have some problems. I did this for sh*ts and giggles, and cleaned it up, and it seemed to make a difference. Bad ground connections seem to plague every single electrical component of these cars.

I know you said you went through the entire EFI system, connector by connector, but are the connections to the AFM still any good? If those got corroded it would be bad news.

Looks like someone doesn't know what he's got. '73 280z turbo? Yeah... Though it does have an L28ET... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Datsun-Z-Series-1973-Datsun-280Z-Turbo_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6187QQihZ008QQitemZ180126438334QQrdZ1

Oh man it's like christmas! Nice score Should I keep my eyes on the classifieds section, or are these goodies only for the two of you guys?

Hotwheels cars maybe? There are a few of the Z's that were made in the 70's floating around in places. That might a nice touch! ... even if it isn't really 'literature' persay.

I'd also like to ask, what kind of shape is the gas-tank in? If there's a lot of sediment floating around in there it could all be getting sucked up by the pump, and after a certain period of time making nice little clogs, keeping an adequate fuel supply from ever reaching the carbs.

It actually doesn't adjust the mix, it just adjusts the speed of the idle.

My battery has been almost completely discharged twice and I've never had this problem. In fact, one time it went completely dead :dead: over the winter and I had to clip on an overnight charger in the spring... and I haven't noticed any diminished capacity... In fact, just this last winter, I let the car sit idle for just as long, and the battery still had a 12 volt charge when I went out there in the spring to fire her up! (no charging, no jumps, nothing) So if anything, my battery's doing better now than it was before. Only thing I noticed is that the clock had gotten five minutes behind during that time... yes, the clock in my Z still tells time, and it's accurate!

Ugh... it's not a curse... just two back-to-back coincidences... yes... that's all Anyway, back on topic here, going electric might help your problem, especially if you're not noticing any kind of additional "whirring" at lower speeds/higher temps. A new OEM fan clutch will run you upwards of $80. My only opinion on the electric fan is on electric current, the Z alternator is, subjectively, pretty weak, in my opinion, for additional electrical goodies. If you're not going to be placing any other loads on the system (foglights, CD Player, amp, etc. etc.) then you'll probably be okay... I'm just, personally, very nervous and superstitious when it comes to electrical stuff... and until I pop in a high-output alternator I probably won't ever feel safe having more than two or three draws at once. :tapemouth

I love that color. I hope it sells well.

Geez! Sounds like what mine's doing! My PCV valve is crazy wet (can't tell if it's oil or gas or both) ... I'm gonna look into this FPR business too, thanks for the tip! (Sorry for the brief hijacking) I hope you're getting this issue resolved on your 77 Scott! My '76 and I are feelin' your pain! (BTW, if you're really serious about playing with the AFM, I don't recommend it, counter clockwise would enrichen the mixture further, to lean it out turn it clockwise.)

Hrm... might be cool if they showed some "battle scars" ... I'd love to see them after traveling 50+ mph on a gravel road... lots of little dents, dingers... and maybe even a hole or two? ... Then they'd be awesome Right now they're a bit showish/garagequeen for my taste. Sorry

I'm going to sound off in agreeance that the temp gauge is reading FAR too high. Half way in between 120 and 250 is 185, so it should be very close to the middle with a 180 degree thermostat. That reading you have right there looks pretty close to 215 or 220. If you say it goes back down at speed, then I would also say you could try a fan shroud. It might certainly help get more airflow at lower speeds. ALSO, while we're at it, is your fan clutch doing it's job? When your engine gets hot, you should hear the loud whirring of the engine fan as it speeds up to cool things down faster. Still... way too hot for a 76 degree day (hotter days are ahead!). Aftermarket thermostat sounds like the most likely culprit so far to me as well. Or... you could just forget about it and move to Alaska

I actually noticed a bit of a difference when I added a "cold-air kit" ... it wasn't huge but every little bit helps.

I think somewhere between 15-18 mpg ... maybe less with the engine running as rich as it is... yuck...

Also, what about your header/manifold? The header in my Z is 20 years old (or so) and has developed a hairline fracture somewhere ... I can feel it but I can't pin it down, and all it's doing is spewing exhaust fumes into the engine compartment ... and probably not helping the smell in the cabin...

HAHA!! 'Sorry to say there are still plenty of trees left that could go down. Let's just hope the Z is nowhere to be found when they do!

Hey! Not my fault, it was in the driveway this time! :stupid: Anyway, it sounds like 3 or 4 votes for WD-40 ... maybe with a dish-soap rinse... I have both on-hand, so I'll give that a shot. Thanks everybody! ... let's hope that I don't have a third tree dilemma to deal with...

I'm not sure if there's a component that controls 'just the front three' ... have you performed any tests yet to get a handle on where the problem's originated? A good place to start is to check for spark... if there's no spark you can work your way back through the wires to the dizzy to assess the problem. If spark isn't the problem then you could examine fuel... The injectors all share a rail and pressure (to my knowledge) and basically fire simultaneously... so I suppose in theory if there wasn't enough pressure in the fuel rail, this would have a few injectors coming up short each time around, so it could be something like a bad regulator, or a clogged fuel filter, etc. etc.. things that rob you of pressure. ... before you go that far into it though... just take a peek at the electrical connections to the injectors. I once had a cylinder "quit" on me only because the connections to the injector on that cylinder had gotten all green and corroded. Simple fix, took me five minutes. -- I've actually had a small number of electrical goodies 'mysteriously' stop working because of this. Worst-case-scenario is that something is stuck or broken in the actual cylinder head... but from what I'm told, this engine is a time-proven design that rarely actually fails or gives-out mechanically, so I doubt you're having a problem like that.

... Yup... another tree fell on the Z No pics this time, it wasn't quite as spectacular as last time, and I didn't have a camera. Anyway, this time it was a 35/40 foot tall pine tree, and while it didn't do any damage to the car, it left all kinds of sappy goo on it. Windex got it off of the windows with lots of rubbing... but I've got no clue what I should use on the body... Any suggestions?

So, seeing as we're on the topic, what are some good mirrors for the S30? A PO retrofitted my car with some craptastic electric mirrors that really don't even work, and I'm ready for something better. I've seen the so-called "bullet-styled" "racing mirrors" that look, stockish.... and sell for $40 or so...