Datsun 280zx won’t start

[Jimmyb]

Hi there,

so i bought a Datsun 280zx 1982 that’s been sitting since 1993-isch and I would really appeciate some help to figure out why it doesent start. It cranks but don’t want to fire up.

 

What’s been done:

1.       New spark plugs

2.       New Oil

3.       New gasoline

4.       New fuel filter in the engine bay

5.       Cleaned the fuel line

6.       Cleaned the fuel filter and armature/rails in the tank

 

By this stage It still wouldnt start so I continued:

7.       Remove and cleaned the fuel rails

8.       Injectors where ultrasonic washed and then cleaned inside with the help of a shot with a hose filled with break cleaner and i start button thrue a battery for manual pulsing until there was a nice ”mist”.

9.       Cleaned all the grounds etc. I could find

The damn car still wont start!

To sum it up:

1.       I got fuel, it’s coming out the lower rail(the return(?))

2.       I got a great spark

3.       The sparkplugs are still new looking

4.       When I connect my battery-starting-button to one of the injectors it wants to start on that cylinder and that sparkplug suddenly looks used

5.       When I haven’t cranked the engine for a while it almost fires up (I will try to upload a video)

6.       The fuel pump doesent work with original wiring, I now connect it directly to a battery located in the trunk.

 

So I figure:

1.       it’s the injectors who doesen’t get enough pulse/voltage, or maybe there’s a grounding problem?

2.       Are the fuel pump and fuel injectors connected thrue something? The ECU?

3.       Can you clean or test the fuel pressure regulator?

I’ve read alot about simular problems but is there anyone who’ve had this exact problem?

I am ready to spend some money on this car, just not untill I know the engine actually works.

So cheap fixes/troubleshooting would be great.

And also, English is not my first language so beare with me, wouldrally  love some help guys!

/ Jimmy

[Jimmyb]

So, here's the movie. The battery was getting a bit slow after a couple of hours (brand new battery)

And are the lights off-ignition on / ignition off - lights on - buzzer supposed to sound that extremely annoying? Or are that a sign of bad ground or something? Wishful thinking maybe but I've really come to hate that sound.

MOV_20171106_2033079.mp4

[JSM]

Have you at least tried starter fluid to see if it will start? Have you confirmed fuel pressure? You say you've cleaned the lines but just because the lines are clean doesn't mean the tank is. Can you get fuel from the tank?

Fuel pump is triggered from the AFM ( air flow meter) the big box on the intake hose next to the coil. 

[JSM]

Fuel pump control via AFM should be explained here:

http://xenonzcar.com/s130/FSM/1982/EFEC.php

[dutchzcarguy]

Hello Jimmy,  That buzzer IS that annoying!   It go's normally when you have lights on contact off and door open, closed door (or when you puss the contact in door opening. should shut up the buzzer..

The engine sound like it wants to start on the shoke injector only... maybe your timing is off or the ECCS  (No ecu in a 280zx) is defect..   A good use is to clean all the ground contacts anyway!!!  could be the problem!

good luck!  Mart. 

Edited November 7, 2017 by dutchzcarguy

[Jimmyb]

1 minute ago, JSM said:

Have you at least tried starter fluid to see if it will start? Have you confirmed fuel pressure? You say you've cleaned the lines but just because the lines are clean doesn't mean the tank is. Can you get fuel from the tank?

Fuel pump is triggered from the AFM ( air flow meter) the big box on the intake hose next to the coil. 

Hi and thanks for taking an interest in helping out! I knew I would forget something like this hehe, but yes I have tried with starter fluid and it starts right up, then immediately dies. So it has to be a fuel related thing right? I do get fuel from the tank when I connect the fuel pump directly to a battery. And if I disconnect the fuelhose from the return(the lower) fuelrail in the enginebay I get fuel coming out so.. 

[JSM]

But do you know what the pressure is?  

You did check the fusible links near the battery to make sure they are good? Also have you confirmed that the injectors are firing? If you have a spare injector you can plug it into the harness, crank the car and feel it opening and closing in your hand. 

Also, how are fuel injector connectors? No corrosion on the terminals?  With you having to jump the fuel pump from the back you may have something going wrong with EFI harness. 

Edited November 7, 2017 by JSM

[Jimmyb]

27 minutes ago, dutchzcarguy said:

Hello Jimmy,  That buzzer IS that annoying!   It go's normally when you have lights on contact off and door open, closed door (or when you puss the contact in door opening. should shut up the buzzer..

The engine sound like it wants to start on the shoke injector only... maybe your timing is off or the ECCS  (No ecu in a 280zx) is defect..   A good use is to clean all the ground contacts anyway!!!  could be the problem!

good luck!  Mart. 

Hi Mart, thanks for the reply!
Oh my, gess I got to get used to that buzzing then..
Timing is of.. that reminds me, I believe I heard this "puffing" sound from the air filter box, so to set that I just turn the distributor right? I've forgotten about that, let's hope it's not the ECCS.. Yeah I guess it's just to keep testing and cleaning everything. Thanks!

[Jimmyb]

27 minutes ago, JSM said:

But do you know what the pressure is?  

You did check the fusible links near the battery to make sure they are good? Also have you confirmed that the injectors are firing? If you have a spare injector you can plug it into the harness, crank the car and feel it opening and closing in your hand. 

Also, how are fuel injector connectors? No corrosion on the terminals?  With you having to jump the fuel pump from the back you may have something going wrong with EFI harness. 

No I don't know what the pressure is, I don't know if i got the tools for checking eather. I'm gonna youtube DIY-checking videos for that.

Yes I read about the fisible links and I checked those and I think it looks fine, but I'm accually not sure what it is, is it just links? Can i bypass the wite sockets and connect them directly?

As you may notice, I'm not a mecanic hehe, cars is just a hobby and I'm learning by doing (and asking you guys).

The fuel injector connectors also looks fine, but the injector does not "click" like they do when i put my battery-start button- solution on them, so bad connection? Bad grounding?
EFI harness, it goes thrue the fusible links right? Or are they even more I don't know about? (probably yes)

 

Thank you!

[JSM]

Yes there is a fusible link for the EFI harness itself.  Since your getting fuel and no injector firing focus on the injectors first. Also check the EFI relay next to battery. You should be able to feel it click when the key is turned on. Need a helper for that.  See FSM above for location. I think there are 2 there .  One I think is fuel pump, the other EFI harness, I think.

You should be  able to fire the injectors with a minimum of 3v. 9v battery is fine too. Swing by a junkyard and grab a few injector connectors from a Volvo. I like their injector wires.  Then just wire to a 9v. You can put a micro switch too. 

Get A noid light from a parts store to see if the harness is actually sending volatage to the injectors if you don't have a spare injector. 

 

[Jimmyb]

3 hours ago, JSM said:

Yes there is a fusible link for the EFI harness itself.  Since your getting fuel and no injector firing focus on the injectors first. Also check the EFI relay next to battery. You should be able to feel it click when the key is turned on. Need a helper for that.  See FSM above for location. I think there are 2 there .  One I think is fuel pump, the other EFI harness, I think.

You should be  able to fire the injectors with a minimum of 3v. 9v battery is fine too. Swing by a junkyard and grab a few injector connectors from a Volvo. I like their injector wires.  Then just wire to a 9v. You can put a micro switch too. 

Get A noid light from a parts store to see if the harness is actually sending volatage to the injectors if you don't have a spare injector. 

 

Alright! The fusible link, is it one of these? (Borrowed and uploaded an image) Perhaps the one at the bottom=front of the car?

Are the EFI relay next to the battery in the -82 280zx? In that case I've totally missed it, I thought it was next to the fuel pump relay that I've read is located on the passanger side under the glove box, but you do read alot of different answers..

The injectors seems to work, I've cleaned them all with the help of a battery, some cables and a push-button and I did try two of the injectors again today with 3 volt and they do click!

A noid light.. I like that idea!

 

I also tried setting the timing by turning the distrubator, I got nothing.

One thing though, I was cleaning some/all the ground points I could find and ofcourse without result. All of the sudden when i connected a cabel to the ground on the intake (the one you can see on the second img) and was about to test a few things, my girlfriend sat in the car and cranked the engine and it did almost start. Yes, it almost idle for a bit. Bad, but still, then one more time, then nothing. So I cleaned that grounding point even more accurate but again, nothing. And no, I was holding the cable so it couldnt have been because of the cable. So that made me pretty happy, for a while, now I'm only more confused.

 

Thanks JSM for taking interest in my problem, I really appreciate it!

Ps.

Please excuse my English, It's pretty late here in winterland and I'm exhausted.

.Ds

 

Edit:

It just occurred to me that I might have tried the pulse on the injectors just before we cranked the engine and that's why it almost started. Couse this works, I believe I wrote earlier that if I manually give pulse to the injector the car do want to start. So it has to be something with the EFI harness right? Or relay, damn I'm grasping right now, sorry.

 

Edited November 7, 2017 by Jimmyb
It just occurred to me

[JSM]

May I suggest that you take a little bit and read that link above from Xenon I posted. 

Im pretty sure based on what you've done so far your injectors are not firing. A noid light would confirm. 

Yes those are the fusible links. The relays are by the battery or behind it under a black plastic cover. That section I posted should have all that info.