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Drove around, got my engine hot and adjusted to specs. Should've asked this earlier but how tight am I supposed to adjust? For instance, on an intake clearance, should - (1) .010 go in relatively easy and .011 can go in but with some force OR (2) .010 go in with some force and .011 not go in unless I really jam it in there? Cause I adjusted with by (1) and maybe my valve "ticking" is due to loose adjustments? Also I noticed the wear on my lash pad is uneven. On one side/half, the feeler won't have as much friction as on the other side. Is this normal wear and tear? And am I using the side of the lash with the stronger friction as the primary feeler contact for adjusting?

On a side note, I somehow snapped off one of my front upper strut mount studs when I was tightening it back on. Had to take off the upper strut brace so I could remove the rocker cover. On a scale of 1-10, how dangerous do you think it'd be to drive around with two studs instead of three?

Update: Did a cold valve adjustment 0.008 for my intake and 0.010 for my exhaust. Most of my intake clearance were good, only had to adjust 2 of them. All of my exhaust valves were tight and needed adjustment. Put it all back together but now the valve ticking noise is a lot louder than it was before. Could the louder ticking be From loosening all the exhaust valves? Car does seem to run better now than it did before. Doesn't smell as much either. I'll do a hot adjustment tomorrow but should I be worried about the valve ticking being significantly louder?

Checked the distributor mechanical vacuum advance and seems to be working properly. I unhooked the vacuum line from the throttle chamber,hooked up my pump, added 10hg and rpm rose about 2000rpm. Also checked vacuum by disconnecting the hose from the brake booster and found my vacuum is a steady 18hg at idle, and stabilizes at about 21hg at high rpm. Hey zed head, my afm is rebuilt one from MSA and apparently set to manufacturer specs. do you think I would need to adjust it? I haven't opened it figuring I don't need to worry about it. And yes, I checked my coolant sensor resistances at the ecu connector. I'll give all the resistance and continuity checks at the connector another go round and make sure to record my readings this time. Im really looking forward to the valve adjustment. It's never been done and I've never done one. Seems easy enough though. Engine was rebuilt by Nissan but was 50k miles ago. Guess it's way overdue.

I am a bit out of the way from Ventura. I am in San Jose

Valve lash is something I've been meaning to check. I guess that's my mission for this week. As for timing, I don't have a timing gun but When they checked it for the last smog check, they read at 9 BTDC. Sucks I can't check the timing advance but I will take a look at the mechanical advance just to make sure the reluctor is moving and that the RPMs increase accordingly with vacuum. Also i just went to recheck the fuel pressure regulator. It jumps to 37psi when removing the vacuum. I'm going off memory with my findings. I guess I should've written down all my readings rather than going off memory and saying things are "within range"

I apologize cause i know this subject has been touched on so many times but i'm really stuck here. I get nasty smells (guessing it's a rich condition) from my 1977 280z at idle and WOT, smells fine when cruising. it used to smell during cruising as well however went away after getting my EGR to work properly. Coolant sensor - all within range according to FSM New AFM (or rebuilt one MSA sells) All fuel hoses replaced, fuel pressure (~29psi at idle, ~33psi with throttle) Adjusted TPS to break from idle with slight throttle and connect full enrichment at almost full throttle (checked fine for continuity at ECU at idle and WOT) New distributor vacuum advance Replaced all vacuum hoses - I checked w/ pump and recall they were were within specs (I used Atlantic Z for readings) New thermal vacuum valve, BPT Valve and EGR valve With the cold start valve, I ran car for a few weeks disconnected, noticed car would crank more during morning starts, slightly better gas mileage (maybe 1 or 2mpg better, however my MPG is pretty inconsistent so I'm not sure if it was the CSV or not), still got rich smells at idle and WOT. Thermotime sensor - As with the CSV, the MPG or smells weren't all that different with or without it connected outside of the cold starting, which makes me assume the system works fine. Right? Air regulator - replaced maybe a year ago Fuel pressure regulator - checked by removing the vacuum from bottom outlet and fuel pressure jumps to about 40psi BCDD - I think it's broken. If I engage the clutch when driving or coming to a stop, idle will drop stumble and drop to about 600rpm then stabilize around 900rpm. i have the idle set slightly higher at 900rpm to compensate the faulty BCDD. Spark plugs are fairly new. I've checked them after a drive and they do not look sooty or black. Didn't look all that bad when I replaced the prior ones either. As noted, all for mentioned were also checked at ECU when applicable, per the fuel injection book. Only one I think I didn't check was the cold start system. Lastly, I get anywhere from 13 - 15mpg. It seems to get consistent 15mpg marks ever since i fixed my EGR. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Can someone tell me which wire they used for the constant power? Before I tap a wire not in the general area in where the stereo sits, I was wondering which wire other Z owners were using.

Just to update, had to buy the one from eBay, couldn't find any elsewhere. Installed it, seems to be a little smoother at lower RPM acceleration. Still running rich though, went from 12-13mpg to almost 15mpg (not bad I guess). Fingered the wiper on the AFM and seems to run a bit stronger if I rotate clockwise. Guess adjusting my AFM is the next step.

The RainX wipers wrap the windshield pretty nice.

Okay. I will try that. Thanks for the advice.

I'm not quite savvy enough for vacuum and timing adjustments. My engine is basically stock. As of now I've just been replacing worn out parts here and there. Been trying to figure out why I've been getting such bad gas mileage (~12mpg) and I think the vacuum advance may be the culprit. I would like to upgrade to a ZX distributor sometime later down the road. Been reading that its a worthwhile upgrade.

Thank you Blue. Definitely looks like an easy task.

Thanks. Just called them but they don't have any left either. Prices on their website are much better than that eBay listing too.

Thanks, I'll give them a try tomorrow. This them? 1777 North Central Expressway Richardson, TX 75080 (972) 231-2600

RockAuto it is! Tease...

Thanks. For some reason that vacuum advance lists for a "200zx" but if you scroll down it details that it's for a 280Z. I would rather get it from Nissan but none of the local dealerships were able to locate any for me. Places like Kragen/O'Reily's and Napa said they could possibly get them. This eBay listing is pretty much the only thing I could find on the web. Even contacted the seller and confirmed it was for my car and manual transmission.

I was wondering if replacing the vacuum advance was a relatively easy task and also how it's done (do I need to remove the distributor, disassemble the distributor, etc.)? I think mine is busted - doesn't hold any vacuum whatsoever (used a vacuum pump). I apologize if this topic has already been gone through before, I wasn't able to find any specific threads on it. And just to clarify, this is the vacuum advance correct? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Standard-Motor-Products-VC351-Distributor-Vacuum-Advance-Nissan-200ZX-/190662110088?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c6458eb88&vxp=mtr#ht_506wt_1139 Was planning on purchasing this one. Can't seem to find any elsewhere?

I drove my 77 280 for a relatively long time with a dash with only the speedometer hooked up.

I'm not positively sure but it's N/A so I'm guessing the pistons are flat top.

Paying it forward... Bought some carb cleaner, spray it thoroughly through the vacuum inlet. Seemed to have helped a little but didn't solve the issue. However my vacuum is now at 18Hg when before it was at 17Hg. According to the FSM, there is an adjustment that can be made as rcb280z stated. I followed the instructions (FSM EC7)- 1. Disconnect the BCDD harness 2. Connect vacuum gauge at intake manifold 3. Start car and warm up 4. Set RPM to correct idle speed, 800RPM for manual 5. Rev engine to 3,000-3,5000 RPM and then let off quickly. Vacuum should jump to 23-24Hg before settling back down to set vacuum, which in my case was 18Hg. 6. If the vacuum did not jump to 23-24Hg, then adjust the BCDD screw accordingly I didn't have to make any adjustments as my readings were exactly what the FSM has. This means my BCDD is okay?

I just went out to check the BCDD. Bullet connector was free of corrosion and Vacuum line is new. I'll get some carb cleaner and see if that works. Thanks for the advice. It's been quite a while since it's been like this. I can't recall for sure if it was doing this before the AFM was adjusted.

I had my AFM adjusted by a Z mechanic in my area. He does excellent work, so I'm guessing/hoping my AFM is set correctly. I have seen a couple of times, mainly for emergency problems otherwise I can't really afford him.

I have replaced all the vacuum hoses and fuel hoses. How can I clean it internally? Spray directly into vacuum inlet? Can brake cleaner be used as carb cleaner?

Ahhh the BCDD (Boost Controlled Deceleration Device) is the anti stall dash pot right?