Virto

Good to know - I'll probably switch to 6 down the road, when/if the car actually sees street duty. For now, while it's not safe to drive on the street, the hotter plugs will be fine for whatever moving of the car or testing needs to be done.

MSA got back to me on the fuse links - they did incorrectly send green vs red, so they're shipping out the new red links without charge. I like that kind of business practice. Ordered a new water pump and fan clutch, and a new set of water pump bolts from MSA. Can't hurt to use new over the old. Looks like the long bolts are very prone to breaking off, which should be exciting. Anyone think there's a type of penetrating oil that can get all the way to the threads of one of those bolts? I'd be happy to soak it for a week before I try to pull them out. Any other tips for the pump removal?

Ended up using BR5ES-11 gapped to 0.40. Fired up right away. I found the owners manual (knew I had it somewhere) and it states that B6ES-11, B5ES-11, B7ES-11 and the BR variants of the same plugs are all acceptable in the US. BR6ES, BR5ES and BR7ES are the approved "Canada" plugs.

Yep, it's stock so it's EFI. Not sure about replacing the radiator quite yet - it was replaced the year I bought the car from the PO. The hoses could probably all stand to be replaced, though, that's for sure. I'll have to to an engine survey and see how many we're talking about. I need to do some poking around for water pump replacement info. The EFI engine bay is a little cramped, so it should be interesting to say the least. The wobbling of the fan (and the clutch, the whole thing visibly rocks) seems to be a good indicator that the whole shebang needs to be replaced. After that, it's probably the fuel pump. Man, the issues are piling up, . With the pump sounding the way it does - and I swear, it's like a banshee - I can't be all that surprised that the car doesn't want to rev.

Sitrep: She's alive! New battery, new plugs, fresh oil and she had no trouble turning over. I know the gas in the tank is old, but it didn't have any issue starting on it. As long as I've owned it, it's never started on the first crank, so I'm not surprised that it started and died 4 times before catching and running fine on the 5th turn of the key. Brakes might be dragging a little in the back - I didn't lift the rear to try spinning the wheels. Car moves under its own power and stops fine, given enough distance - so I might just need to fill the MC and bleed it out and then try to figure out why the front reservoir emptied. Refilled the radiator and it maintained a good temp while idling and when I took it around the block. Oil pressure is a little low on the factory gauge when warm and idling, but fine while underway. Might benefit from a switch to 20w-30 versus the 10w-30 in it now. Now for the new issues, and they're reasonably significant, in terms of my mechanical knowledge: 1) The fan and or fan clutch are either loose or broken. There was a noticeable wobble to the fan and some clanky-clunk noises to go with it. 2) The fuel pump sounds like a vacuum cleaner from inside the cabin. It's incredibly loud. 3) I noticed that the fan was throwing some oil up and out of the engine bay - it ended up on the fender and my glasses. No idea where that's coming from. I need a new work light or better flashlight to get a look. I didn't notice anything coming from the sides of the engine (although I can't see around the manifold) and the plugs aren't weeping. Plus, I'd assume it needs to be in an area where the fan could suck or fling it. 4) The coolant didn't wind up in the oil pan, thank goodness. However, it clearly ended up on the ground. After my trip around the block it was evident that I was leaving a trail, and once parked it continued to leak. It's too far back to be coming from the radiator, I think - more like the front of the engine, which forces me to think "water pump" but I'll have to do some searching before I commit to that. 5) It will NOT rev past 3k. Or somewhere around 3200 or so. Idle to 3k is just fine, but it'll stumble and buck and then the RPM will drop back to 2k or so if you try to get past 3000. It does this in neutral or in gear - the car went around the block in 1st, because it never got up fast enough to shift itself into 2nd. This could be a combo of things from old wires to the old gas. Progress? Kind of. One step forward, two back, perhaps? Still...great to hear it again.

Oh, capital F! First potential setback - I ordered a new set of fusible links from MSA since my existing links are in really poor shape. I received the correct black links, but instead of red links, I received green ones, which are called for on the 260 and early 280 (yes, my invoice says red). Does anyone know the capacity of the different links? I can't make out anything on the plastic sheathing. I've sent an email to MSA service, but I doubt I'll hear back by tomorrow afternoon, when I planned to try and start the car. Worst case, I can probably leave the existing links in and postpone the replacement, but that's still irritating.

It's an automatic - not sure if it'll work or if the Tq converter will cause a lockup. I'm also pretty sure the drums are rusted together anyway.

Out with the old (plugs) and in with the new. New plugs should make quite a difference, but I'm still using the old HT leads - I'll have to buy new wires down the road if I get it running this weekend. I did check the oil level and it seems to be on the low side; square in the middle of the hashmarks while cold. So...that's all the oil in the engine, since it's been sitting plenty long enough to drain back into the pan. That also means the radiator coolant *probably* isn't in the pan with it, as there's no odd color or quality to the oil, other than being quite dark. Should know for sure on Saturday, if I'm successful at getting it up in the air and popping the drain plug. Little by little. Baby steps for all you healthy and experienced people. Been a long time for me - it's almost like virgin territory.

Oooo OK, think I found it while looking in an unrelated thread about the coolant drain plugs. Both the block drain plug and the oil drain plug are supposed to be 22mm. I'll go with that assumption until I end up with a socket that won't fit.

The irritating part is that I have all the torque info for the oil pan bolt, but not the size. It's not in the FSM or the manual, and searching isn't getting me too far. I have more looking to do, apparently.

I'm going to work on getting the Z running again this weekend, but because the car sat for a year, I think I should probably pull the plugs and try to rotate the engine by hand. This will be a new experience for me. The crank pulley bolt is 27mm (I know that 1 1/16th, thin walled will work). What size is the oil pan drain bolt? I don't have a lot of my old notes anymore - I think it was 22mm? Think I could get by with the longest 27mm wrench I could find for turning over the engine? I'd prefer not to have to loosen or remove anything to get at the bolt.

Robert, The Windy City Z Club is still in existence, as far as I'm aware, but the website is quite out of date. The benefit to keeping the car off the road is no salt (yay!) and a reasonably controlled garage environment...nice and dry. I do love the car, and I do want it back on the road. The brake work scares me the most, as I've never been good at servicing them. As long as I can get her running with decent oil pressure and hopefully no overheating, I'll very seriously look into getting the brakes done and then fixing the god awful exhaust leak.

I'm gunning to try and get it running again this weekend. Turns out I've either lost a lot of stuff in the moves, or maybe the ex ran off with some things. I'll have to pick up a new floor jack and some stands - I need to get that old oil out of there and find out if that's where all the coolant ended up, or if it's a combination of puddles and evaporation from not having the cap on correctly. I'll also need to try to find all my hand tools and see just what exactly I'm missing so I can replace it. The links are a small part, for sure - although I wish I'd just ordered the entire tune up kit instead. The wires should be OK, though, so I'll see what this weekend brings and then if things are looking up, I'll just order it Monday. I figure nothing will get here by Friday anyway, without spending more for 2nd day or overnight. I was pricing out brake components last night - the parts themselves aren't bank-breaking - it's the labor and the lack of skill and knowledge. I don't think I've done my own brakes since I was a teen, and the last time I worked on a drum, I shot the spring across the room. So...little things first. If I can get it running happily without tearing the engine out of the car, I'll start worrying about making the car stop, too. It's not registered, plated or insured right now, so I'm not concerned with making it road safe just yet. Honestly, if I can get it out of the garage, I'd love to wash it. I hate to say it, but that might really spur me on. In all seriousness, just being back on the boards after the years I was away have re-kindled the interest. We're just getting into the nice part of Spring, so I figure I have plenty of time to make some small steps between now and the end of Summer. At that point, I should have a pretty darn good idea which path I'll take - keep, or pass it on. Anyone near Chicago like beer and huddling around broken down Z cars?

Well, B6ES-11 looks like the preference, after finding tidbits in some un-related threads. I may just bite the bullet and order a full tune kit from MSA, along with some new wires.

Hey folks - Last time I did a plug change, I used autolite plugs, and the car ran fine, but since it's been sitting, I'm going to go ahead and change the plugs for NGK. Now, I've seen a lot of people saying that BPR6ES is the correct plug, but NGK says that it's actually BPR5ES-11. I've also seen people say don't use the BPR model, just the BP instead. So naturally I'm confused, and searching gets me a lot of results from people with 240s, and I'm not sure if the FI on the L28 makes a difference. What do you use in your 280Z?

That sounds nice, to be honest, . I just ordered new fusible links from MSA. The ones that are on the car have hardened and I don't trust them. Of course, I don't have the covers, but I'm not interested in re-wiring for block fuses at this time. One small step, let's see where it goes. I wish I knew someone close by with some experience with these cars - it'd be nice to have someone to go over it with me in person.

I haven't been around for a few years, but I figured maybe posting something would help me make some decisions. The 280Z hasn't really been driven for the last couple of seasons because it's in need of work - work that is now far more difficult for me to do since having had surgery and hurting my back...and then the packing on of the pounds that came with sitting around all the time. The stress of ending a relationship spanning 11 years, and then the joy of starting a new one that seems to be such a better fit for me. Countless house to house moves. Never seems to be enough time in a day, anymore. The last time I ran it was last fall, when I moved, yet again. I had it towed to the new place and then started it and backed it into the garage, where it's been sitting. Every time I go out there, I look at it and wish I could drive it, but I feel the strain of time and money, and how little I have of either one. The car has a nice layer of dust on it for that "vintage" look, I guess. The battery is flat and apparently has a bad cell, so I can't charge it. When I parked it, the brake pedal went straight to the floor and the front MC res is empty - the rear one closest to the booster still reads full. The exhaust is shot, but I haven't been under it to find out if it's the manifold, the downpipe or just the underside components. The radiator is empty, although I haven't found any big puddles. Turns out the cap wasn't on all the way, so it probably evaporated over a year or so. There's some rust on the driver's rear quarter. The very moist air we've had this year in Illinois isn't helping. I'm no expert with cutting or replacing metal, so that's a job for someone other than me. Essentially, the car isn't drivable at this point, and I haven't done any real mechanical work for years, at all, on any car. I can't really get down on the garage floor anymore to get under it, either. It would be months before I could afford to tow it somewhere and get an idea of what getting it back on the road would cost. Do I hold onto it, knowing that I'd fall in love with it again once it was safe to drive, or do I sell it and send it off to a better home with someone else that can afford the time and finances to make it better than I can?

Yup, it's far from common, but the owners manual even contains a section on caring for the vinyl roof.

I noticed that myself. Awesome design, but not so big on the text. Makes it look like a hair-band fan's shirt or maybe a late 80s beer shirt.

Not real sure...I don't have one at all. Tell your brother he owes me one too.

HA! Civic in the dirt! How come no super high res shots of the Zed?

Fantastic. That's one of the best. This ought to help your emmissions...if your state requires them...like scummy old Illinois. I can't believe it's been disconnected for that long...that truly is A GREAT EXPERIMENT IN PREVIOUS OWNER DUMBASSERY

The I30 has discs all around, and the rotors look good, thru the spokes anyway. The car is FWD. It's hard to describe the sound. It's like a clock that goes tick tock, but without the tick...if you get my meaning. Almost a shooka-shooka sound like somethings dragging, but low pitched. Take your finger and lightly rap it on the desk, slowly, then speed up as you would if you were accelerating. It's kind of like that. This one may win me the coveted "stupidest post" award.

There are a few triple weber setups members have here...I would run a search for weber or triple or something along those lines. There are some good pictures in a few threads and you might find an owner with a similar setup that can walk you thru it. You might also want to check at hybridz.com and see if anyone there has a triple setup.

The old I30 has just turned 135k and I'm noticing a clunk...clunk...clunk from what seems to be the right rear wheel. The sound is pronounced at low speed but at highway cruising, impossible to make out from the rest of the road noise. At slow speeds the sound can be eliminated by touching the brake pedal, but it returns immediately thereafter. The brakes were checked not long ago and had about 70% left. I'm thinking it could be a wheel bearing, but I'd like some support to that opinion before I decide to haul off and try a repair I've never made before. The sound speeds up or slows down based on the speed of the car.