pbatura

Thanks, I feel much better now...

All looks good, runs well, but volt gauge is just below 16 when accelerating. At idle, hangs around 13. Alternator is new (maybe 10 hours on it), so do I need a voltage regulator? Thoughts?

Well, got the mounting plate made for the fuse blocks and put it all together. I posted photos in my gallery. Thanks again to everyone for the support and guidance in addressing this electrical issue. I am very pleased with the results. Best regards, PSB

Here's a quick update - Got the DeOxit - wow, great stuff. Cleaned every connector, as well as ground points Replaced battery cables Replaced battery (under warranty) Replaced starter (under warranty) - odd situation, as the shaft was frozen Hadn't yet replaced fusible links, but decided to go ahead and test - it worked! Feeling pretty good about getting the battery replaced under warranty at Wal-Mart, I went ahead and got the fuse blocks Skunkteeth mentioned. With fuses, I'm out about $32. Thanks to sblake01 for the ratings so I could get the right fuses. I've got some scrap sheet, so will fabricate a mounting plate and install assembly in place of existing fusible links tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes. Might even send a photo. Thanks again for the great support!

Thanks to everyone for the input. After I mow the lawn this morning, I'll set about cleaning connections. I've got a can of "electrical connection cleaner" from Radio Shack. It cleans gunk off, but doesn'r do anything with corrosion. I remember seeing something in a post about a product that addresses this, so I'll need to search again and see if I can get it locally. Good idea on replacing the battery cables, which I will do. I like the idea of a fuse block, but that may need to wait and I' just get replacement links for the time being. Speaking of links, the shop manual gives the diameter of the three types of links, but not the rating, which is what the O'Reilly store has them listed under. Any help on rating would be appreciated. I'll post follow-ups as I go... Thanks again.

Thanks for the reply. You are correct, the pump I refer to is the fuel pump. I converted to dual-SUs, so used an aftermarket low-pressure pump in place of the high-pressure factory pump. Used same wiring connections though. As of now, nothing electrical works. I've verified the battery is fully charged. I think I should get new fusible links, as these look to be all of 30+ years... I'll move what I have around and reply with the results. Best regards, PSB

My son drove the '76Z last night and he ran out of gas, so he thought. Basically the engine just died, no real sputtering. He gets gas, tries to start it, and although the electrical pump is running, the engine wont crank. They try jumping it - nada. I get home late last night, take a look at everything, and the observe the same. Thinking it's the battery, charge it overnite. This morning, pump goes, no crank. Thinking it's the starter, take one from parts car and install this evening - nothing, not even the pump, no lights, nothing. Fusible links ohm out ok, except one brown, don't remember which one, is intermiitent depending on wire bend position. Battery cables test good. I have a solid state voltage reulator that I could try. I've seen the threads on intermittent grounds, and the recommendation to clean and check everything, but I'd like to get some guidance. Thanks in advance for the help...

TomoHawk - cable didn't fail, the clip which holds the cable in the backplate bracket fell out... Blue Meanie - - That's why I've got a remote for the stereo...

Thanks for the replies. I'm going ahead with the bearing replacement. I suppose that double-sealed bearings will be identified accordingly? Should I get these from Courtesy Nissan or will bearings from O'Reilly's do? Is there anything else I should do while I have the center section out, such as pinion bearing or other adjustments?

Here's a thought - Is it possible the fast idle actuator is somehow working in reverse? Meaning the dashpot advances the throttle until the A/C is turned on. Perhaps you can observe the actuator operation with the aid of a friend. Good luck.

Thanks for the replies. Car has >80k miles on the odometer. I noticed a scraping noise coming from the right rear shortly after my return to Houston (I removed brake pads & plugged brake line in Dallas for return trip). This is what contribuited to my post. So, if I make the decision to do the outer bearings, should I go ahead and do the stub axles? And if I do the stub axles, should I go ahead and do the u-joints? And if I do the u-joints, might I just as well rebuild the entire rear end? Thanks!

You might want to consider investing in a vacuum pump. Great gadget, runs about $50. Let's you bleed a hydraulic system solo, just need to refill the reservoir as you pump fluid out from the bleeder screw. Pump out the same volume you put in plus 25% and you're golden.

Had the e-brake cable assembly fail, so brakes engaged at freeway speed. Notice smoke from rear of car, pulled over and the rear brakes were basically on fire. Here's the question, along with replacing the pads, wheel cylinders, spring assemblies and such, should I also replace the bearings? Seems to me the heat would have damaged them. I only want to dissasemble this once. Thanks in advance for the help.

Stuck in Dallas - need rear wheel cylinder assemblies for '76 280z ASAP, or shop to repair. emergency brake stuck and had brakes seriously overheat. Any help or suggestions?

This may sound a bit silly, but are the spark plugs good? I was having a problem with ignition apparently mis-firing on '76 280z, thought I chased everything down (new plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, check ballast resistor, etc.) but it persisted. Was about to check the transistor ignition module when my son had the bright idea of checking the plugs. I used a timing light to verify spark on each, located two that weren't, moved plugs around and the trouble followed. Got new NGK plugs (replaced the Autolites) and the problem was solved. Sometimes it is not as complex as we think... Best regards. PSB