'76 280Z Question on dist/manifold vacuum, dist timing, fuel pressure, brake booster

[cozye]

Will my pedal get any spongier with my motor on, do you think?

In my experience, I couldn't really tell how spongy it was until I got power to the booster, so quite possibly...

[Jennys280Z]

In my experience, I couldn't really tell how spongy it was until I got power to the booster, so quite possibly...

Thank you so much you're a saint!

[Jennys280Z]

Little mini-update.

I started and drove the car for at least 30 minutes last night.

The brake pedal got far looser after starting the motor and activating the new booster for the first time. It felt pretty much exactly like switching from regular brakes to power brakes. I used to have a '72 Cutlass with regular brakes so I know how it feels to have to put some leg into stopping a car.

Per cozye I will do a final bleeding at all six bleeder valves in the proper order. I still have to look see how much of a contortionist I have to be to bleed at the wheels with the car on its wheels.

I've been handicapped on brakes for so long, I had a really good time driving the car with good brakes again. Thanks again to all who helped me.

As for my AFM work, the car ran a little bit richer than it was before. My throttle response was good but the car lurches too much, and is still raspy sounding at low RPMs. I noticed it most of all at 1400 RPM in 3rd gear. Sounds like a helicopter but smooths out audibly at higher RPMs. Whether the car performs better with the AFM adjustment, I don't know. The motor sounded a little too "crackly" if that makes sense. Maybe with my enrichment of the AFM back to baseline, 14 degrees of advance is too much? I didn't hear a single backfire while driving last night but I swore when I was driving it, it sounded as if it was close to backfiring a couple times. I'm going to dial back to 11-12 anyway but I wondered if 14 was better when running lean, and now 10 is better for running proper air/fuel?

Also my spark plugs are like 15 years old. They barely have any miles on them because the car was asleep in a garage for almost 10 years. They *look* fine but could the 10 years of storage have created an internal defect?

I have some NGK BPR7ES plugs here that I haven't put on yet. I was saving them for the valve adjustment but now I am thinking about putting them on in a few days and readjusting the timing. I could also see if my brand new torque wrench actually works at low settings of torque like 15. I need to be extra careful here though. I read reviews of my particular torque wrench that say it doesn't work at lower torque settings, that is, it doesn't automatically release when it hits the desired torque. This kind of thing could cause a newbie like me to overtighten a plug and ruin my block...just thinking out loud guys.

I didn't have a vacuum gauge attached at all last night. I was always connecting at the booster but the booster was connected for my drive so I was too lazy to plug it in somewhere else.

I still have the "cold idle" issue. But after driving it for 30 minutes and pulling back in the garage, the idle was smooth as a razor at around 850-900RPM. No visible black smoke.

[cozye]

new plugs and valve adjust would be next in my mind. Also, if you have a T fitting for vacuum line, the FPR vacuum connection is a good place to pop on a gauge in 5 seconds. I use that location a lot.

[Dobber]

Hi Jenny. I would not use an inexpensive ft.pound torque wrench on the plugs, They really are not that accurate at the low settings. Don't sweat it. Just finger tight and and approx. 1/4 turn max.. It's not a lug nut, so just snug it up with the plug wrench. If you really want to be anal about it, get an inch pound torque wrench and convert the numbers. There's 160.00 that will lay in a drawer a long time between use.

[cozye]

Yeah, I second Dobbers suggestion. I missed the torque comment. It's definitely very high risk to use a torque wrench on plugs. You loose the feel, they have way too much leverage, and they can be inaccurate at low readings. Many have stripped out aluminum heads and oil pans with torque wrenches.

The method I use is the "3 finger" method. I hand tighten the plug, then with my ratchet, I grip the ratchet with one finger in front of the extension and the other 3 behind it, very close to the head of the ratchet and then just "snug". This limits the amount of strength I can get on it and provides good feel for just snugging them up. The worst thing that can happen from having a plug a little loose is that you will hear the air leaking and get a little miss. It has to be pretty loose to do that.

[Jennys280Z]

Great torque advice cozye and dobber. Thanks!

I'll test the vacuum out of the brake booster one more time just for consistency's sake after I change out my plugs and retard the timing to ~11 BTDC. If I'm seeing over 16.5 inHg I'll close this thread as successful and switch my focus to my valve adjustment thread. But I like the idea of going in with a T at the FPR so I'll make some little hoses of the right length for that purpose. I'm wondering if vacuum may read a little differently at that spot vs. the rear of the intake manifold where I've been testing at. xx

[cozye]

Great torque advice cozye and dobber. Thanks!

I'll test the vacuum out of the brake booster one more time just for consistency's sake after I change out my plugs and retard the timing to ~11 BTDC. If I'm seeing over 16.5 inHg I'll close this thread as successful and switch my focus to my valve adjustment thread. But I like the idea of going in with a T at the FPR so I'll make some little hoses of the right length for that purpose. I'm wondering if vacuum may read a little differently at that spot vs. the rear of the intake manifold where I've been testing at. xx

It won't read different. Just quicker to put on and take off. IMO, I think you should keep at it until you get at least 17-17.5"

[Jennys280Z]

It won't read different. Just quicker to put on and take off. IMO, I think you should keep at it until you get at least 17-17.5"

You're right, but I'm hoping that the valve adjust will get me into that zone.

If I'm 16.5 pre valve-adjust I'll be happy. Believe me it's a subjective emotional affair, and my happiness is often irrational

I am putting it off because I'm scared. Maybe I have an unnatural fear of working on cars! :stupid: I'm always scared to push on a wire I don't know about (like the ones under the AFM housing ). Sometimes scared to get under the car. sigh But I'm still doing stuff to the car that I'm going to do anyway, so I might as well get this stuff done.

Like new spark plugs, cap and rotor!

I read on this site to stick with the same brand name for both distributor cap and rotor - at the very least, to make sure the air gap is within specs.

I noticed at an online parts store that Beck Arnley and Standard make the OE replacement parts, while other cheaper names like Daiichi and YEC are not OE. (hmmmm...actually the Daiichi and YEC have a higher suggested retail price than the aforementioned brands (37 vs $28) but the discounts on them are far steeper. This looks like marketing gimmickry to me though.)

But isn't Bosch an OE Replacement too? I see Blackdragon has Bosch caps and rotors and their prices are good. Their prices for the clutch hydraulic parts were in-line with other stores too (about $30 per clutch cylinder).

Do you guys have any personal recommendations for cap/rotor brand?

It won't read different. Just quicker to put on and take off

Cool! I'm going in that way, from now on.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Jennys280Z

[cozye]

I tried a cheap cap and rotor at first, it worked ok but I inadvertently put the cap on crooked one day and the rotor destroyed it. I then ordered one from MSA and was pleased with the quality of both. They were definitely higher quality. I'm sure if you get one from Rock Auto they will be fine.

You need to do the valve adjust. It's a regular maintenance item, and if the valves aren't in spec it can cause problems. It's not difficult. Just go for it and don't worry about it. If you can measure and tighten a nut you are qualified.

[FastWoman]

I went with whatever cap they gave me at the auto parts store. I don't know the brand. Seemd to work fine. Good fit.

I know my injectors are Standard. There were a few rough spots on the molded electrical connector that I trimmed up, but otherwise everything seemed fine. Still working great. (I was able to get my car out a bit today, if only for a short errand.)

I think 16.5 might be "good enough," but I'd want to be on the rich side of "good enough," rather than the lean side. I think after a while you can end up pitting your cylinder head and cooking your valves with a lean mix.

I agree with Eric, BTW: The valves aren't scary. They're rather easy, and they're actually fun -- way easier than stuff you've already been doing. Enjoy!

[Jennys280Z]

The cap and rotor sold at MSA is the cheapest of all. $10 for both cap and rotor, and that's higher quality? Do you remember what brand you tried first, cozye?

My rubber boot on my throttle linkage at the firewall is falling apart. Is this boot just to keep dirt from getting behind the firewall?