One heck of a '78 280Z

[z_ya]

Well after a few months of owning my Z i am happy with my purchase she was only $900. But there have been issues with the EFI as much as I would love to keep this thing all original I think it might just be better for me to replace it with something "fresher" from the nissan engine line up. So I am wondering how much can i sell my 1978 280Z engine for with the 5 speed tranny? I would hate to just let it sit and go to waste or have it junked i dont think i could do that. The problems are that it runs rich and i believe the piston rings will need to be changed, (that is why i am thinking of just doing an engine swap) I know that the swap is a a few months away at least. I am trying to save up for the engine i would like to get but was wondering if i can get a decent price for the original one as i could use the cash to go towards the new one. Let me know what you guys think any info will be appreciated.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

Why not keep it and rebuild it?

[5thhorsemann]

I've seen a bunch of L28 power trains for sale, CHEAP. By the time you advertise and deal with all the details of the deal it usually ends up a wash or even costing you money. If your wiring and tranny and diff are all good, I would do a rebuild with some performance mods, or buy an L28 thats already been done. Thats likely the least expensive way to go and still end up with a good result.

[z_ya]

My dad does not want to change the rings as the time it will take and the garage that we do not have, and the EFI is being stubborn. I was dead set on getting rid of the EFI and doing the AZC carburator install but thats roughly $1000 for EVERYTHING I need but then that still leaves the piston ring problem. So to sum it up, my EFI is acting up and my piston rings are bad and my dad does'nt wanna change them cause of the trouble it is to do.

[LeonV]

How did you diagnose "bad piston rings"?

[z_ya]

It will burn oil but only when you step on the gas, I have searched the problem and talked to a few people who have diagnosed that it is the piston rings. Unless there is something that i've missed or am looking up the wrong thing. The only problems I am having with the engine is it burns oil when i step on the gas (not at idle at all) and it runs rich. But if its not the piston rings that would make me feel a lot better.

[LeonV]

How much oil does it burn, and have you done a compression test?

Running rich is a separate issue, however a constantly excessive rich mixture may cause premature ring failure.

There is no logical reason to discard an engine without fully diagnosing the issue(s).

[EuroDat]

You can try and fing theproblem with your EFI. It is a basic system and generally simple to diagnose. You can also use the instructions on http://www.hiperformancestore.com/Ljetronic.htm. Could save you a lot of money and if the rings are shot, you can use the money on an engine rebuild.

I ended up lifting my injectors and cranking the engine (without the spark plugs) and found nr3 and nr 4 injectors clogged. There is a recent post about testing the injectors in the fuel injection forum http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread46931.html. If you read that it might help.

Cheers and goodluck

Edited September 26, 2012 by EuroDat

[IdahoKidd]

In answer to your original question, the engine has about zero value. Scrap at best. Go to a wrecking yard or pick and pull and find a later engine from a zx NA. I've got several good runners and couldn't get $150 for them. Do a little research on it before you get it, but you can get a good runner for $400 or less and that will give you time to save a few bucks to do something more dramatic.

[Zed Head]

Changing rings to fix a smoking engine is a typical American engine fix from days of old, on the small block chevys or straight sixes or basically any domestic engine from the 50s, 60s and 70s. That's probably why your dad says "needs rings", because that was a common fix-all for old smoking engines. The L engines though rarely waste the rings and/or cylinders. They last for hundreds of thousands of miles.

As Leon suggests, measure cylinder pressure and/or do a leak-down test. You might be jumping to expensive conclusions.

[z_ya]

alright, i know today i went and got new spark plugs and plug wires. I'll be putting them on tomorrow. I will run through and look/read those links that you posted EuroDat. My car has 126,xxx that or 26,xxx but going from that looks of things im jut gonna say 126,xxx miles. A pressure test was performed but i can't exactly remember what he said it was. But I'll read through the material that was posted and run through everything, thanks again guys for the answers and help. As for the engine being scrap that kinda sucks but i know in the future there is gonna be a swap done, right now im kinda looking to get this thing running good so i can drive it around and not have to worry about anything.

[z_ya]

Oh, i forgot to ask. If the rings are not bad then what can be causing this problem? Like i said at idle she runs fine no smoke or nothing but when i rev it up it just smokes it's not like seafoam smoke but it's still pretty noticeable. That is why my dad said piston rings. But again any ideas that you guys have i will look into and test. Thanks again.