sjb15316

I overhauled my 83 and installed a new distributor, but for the life of me, I can't remember how much "drop" it had. Did you by chance compare the two distributors??? I know it would be a job pulling it, but as you say, you don't want a future problem. I've got the old one in the shop if you want me to give you the dimensions... let me know. BTW, eBay has a "new" pointer on sale... the eBay item number is "230957112146". It and shipping is less than $15. Good luck

I agree with all the suggestions above... I've got a erratic "miss" in mine that is/has absolutely drove me nearly "postal" on mine too.... Anyway, you're going to have to weigh the pros and cons and decide if you really want to put that much time and effort into the car or cut your losses and let it go to another. I will tell you from personal experience.... there is NO GREATER feeling in the world than finding the cause of your problems and driving the car YOU fixed. Good luck.

Not sure what your state laws are. In Missouri, if a car is 1982 or older, it doesn't have to have the converter replaced. I had a leak on my 80 and had the shop cut it off and put a straight pipe in it's place. So far it hasn't caused me any problems. I just called a buddy of mine who owns a garage and "does" exhaust also. I thought it was 30 years of age that "exempted" cars in MO, but he said no. So if you have a trusted friend who is a mechanic, he should know state laws.

Glad you got that problem solved. I had to pull and reset my distributor about 3 times before I got it where I wanted it. Don't know if that's your problem or not, but it sounds like you're off a "tooth" or two. Once you get it in place, you should be able to adjust it like the book says and be near if not right on the "mark" you're looking for... Again, good luck.

I'm not sure if this is your problem, but it does resemble a problem I had in the past. It would seem the ignition switch (yeah, the one you put the key in) had a "bad" spot in it. Sometimes it would crank... crank without issue for days, weeks, months, then you drive to the store, do the shopping, get in... NADA!!! I had to tow it home, check pretty much everything you have and it would decide to crank. Next day, same thing.. just sit and spin. Next day crank. No set pattern. After many "4 letter words" I decided to and changed the switch and so far ("knock on wood") I haven't had another problem. I bench tested the old switch and it seems to work like it should (haven't figured that one out either... I've shook, jiggled, tapped it on the bench, ????). Since you have another car for parts (hopefully all the keys too), it would be a simple exchange for you. Doesn't help on the bad idle, smoke, etc, but it sure helps if you can at least get it cranked! Hope this helps. Good luck.

I have the opportunity to purchase one of these units. My main concern was a friend of mine who use to have a ZX and he told me some of the cars are not compatible with the tester. The '83 in particular. Since that is the car I'm (mainly) buying it for, does anyone know of any issues with these testers? I would hate to burn something up especially the ECM or the unit itself. I'd appreciate anyone having knowledge of this potential "disaster". Thanks.

Wade... I appreciate the response. I was just wondering if this was an "isolated" incident or an on-going problem. I know, back a few years, in the medical field the antibiotic "Tetracycline" had been labeled as one of the drugs that can poison you after it ages. The truth of the matter was, someone (ONE PERSON, in fact) had left their prescription in the sun and the heat (or actual sun) did cause it to become poisonous. After that it spread like wildfire to throw all your Tetracycline out, it WOULD (not could) turn to poison. That was my only thought... was this bulletin in response to a mechanic hooking it up wrong and blew the ECU or the tester up??? Pretty easy to call a foul if no one is around to see you caused it. Happened to me while my Z body guy had mine. He fried the ECU on it and denied any wrong doing. The guy that owns the tester, says all the instructions and jumpers/harnesses are included, so other than following the instructions, I don't see a problem on "learning the capabilities" of the tester. Anyway, that was all I was getting at.... I don't want to "fry" anything else and was wondering if any other 83 owners had used one in the past with good or bad results. Nonetheless, I do appreciate your thoughts.

First off, I'm not sure if this should be here or in the Electrical, but here goes.... I have the opportunity to purchase one of these units for my 83 280ZX (non-turbo) 2+2. I Googled the unit and came across an article from "Mitchell 1" that had a "Technical Service Bulletin" regarding use of said unit on an 83. It reads something to the effect to NOT use "Special Tool EFI Analyzer on any 1983 Nissan product with electronic fuel injection". It may cause damage to the car's electrical system or the analyzer itself and to use the alternate form of testing with a volt-ohm meter. Has anyone on here used one of these units on an 83? Appreciate any response before I go to the pains of buying it and having it shipped. Again, if this is in the wrong forum, my apologies and please (if you can) move it to the appropriate forum which I might guess is "electrical". Thanks.

Thanks for a irrelevant link. It was a simple question, I expected a simple answer, but I suppose that's too much to ask. Oh and yes I have a TON of real problems with this restoration, but I guess you knew that also.

I have 2 wires running to a plug that are wrapped around the cable that leads to the EFI control box. I saw it today and have no idea what it's for or if it's even needed on my Z. FYI, mine is not a turbo (which this may be a connection for those who do have turbo), 5 speed, that I'm trying to restore. I would appreciate anyone that might be of assistance on this matter.

Just pulled the relay from *&%$ out of mine. However, if you will unplug the 6 color coded plug-in block, remove the assembly from the kick panel and move it out of your way, it does make it easier to get the assembly out. I actually bolted/screwed the breaker back in the same place that the old one was removed. The new breaker is shorter in length so I only was able to install one screw back into the bracket, but it worked just fine. The 20A breaker is now $3.79 at my local Auto Zone which is still a deal considering what they want for an OEM replacement. I went to the trouble of drawing myself a diagram so I'd know which plug went where, but as I started pulling the connectors I noticed they were all color coded and the only 2 white ones are shaped differently so there's no way to plug the wrong one in unless you're color blind. (No offense, I know there are some color blind people in the world). Sure enough, my breaker had one connection broken off clean. Thanks for the helpful tips. It made the job easier.

Well, the overall condition of the 83 is what I'd consider 7.5 - 8 out of 10. Considering the age and the fact that it has been a daily driver, the body is tight, no rattles, no filler other than the rust above the windshield looks like it might have been "treated" and painted prior to my purchase in 5/05. So, is there a roof skin that can be purchased or is it a cut and weld proposition? Again, thanks.

I've looked through several of the posts and even did a search for rust above and below around the windshield. Either I'm blind, stupid or own the only 2 ZX's in the USA with rust in these areas. The 80 only has one spot on the panel that the windshield wipers go through, and the 83 is much worse with rust there and right above the windshield. It (the 83) appears that it was patched with fiberglass or bondo (haven't removed the paint yet) and was wondering if anybody on here has fixed such a problem. Is there a skin available for this area or do you have to have one fab'd? I would appreciate any help or advice anybody could give. A friend of mine put it on a lift and we inspected the car underneath. Believe it or not, the bottom of the car is in excellent shape, so I'm considering whether or not to put the time and effort into trying to restore it or not. It's a 2+2 with 180K on it and I've been slowly repairing problems, i.e. alternator, struts, stereo, louver, vacuum hoses, etc... but it has come time to "fish or cut bait", so I could use some imput. Thanks, guys.