FastWoman

Way cool, Argneist! Now you're getting a taste of what your Z is like. It's a wonderful car when it's straightened out. You've probably got your engine to 90% of where it should be, judging from your vacuum readings. Try running some Chevron Delo to clean up your engine. And yes, SeaFoam in the intake is probably a very good idea too.

I'm currently running Chevron Delo (a high detergent diesel engine formulation) to clean sludge from my engine. I've been cleaning it up for some time now. When I first bought the car, the inside of the engine looked like a BBQ grill. Now I'm seeing mostly clean metal. I've also used Rislone, which is a high detergent oil additive with considerably more viscosity than ATF. People often run a quart of the stuff for the last 100 mi before an oil change. The Rislone seems to work well, but I'm content with the Delo instead.

Then your clutch is chattering -- 95% certain, from what you've described. If so, it's probably because you've overheated it repeatedly with too much clutch action, but it could also be because of oil leakage onto the clutch lining. If it's the latter, you need to fix the oil leak. If it's the former, you can find procedures for redistributing the glaze on your flywheel to smooth out the clutch. I've never tried any of them and don't know if they work. Racing clutches can stand up to harder use, if that's the problem. Without your sharing more information, all I can really do is to guess what's going on. Good luck figuring out the issue.

How do you know your wheels are hopping? Has someone observed them hopping from outside the car while you take off? Or do you simply feel a bump-bump-bump-bump as you let out the clutch?

YOGURT test. Yeah, I like it, Bonzi! But I'm going to check whether a beer can fits the boot. Breath Exhalation Experimental Retention

When you look at the wiring diagram, you'll see the wires are color coded with often strange abbreviations, but there's a key at the lower right (?) of each schematic diagram. Good luck!

Are your wheels hopping, or is your clutch chattering? A chattering clutch is sometimes caused by contamination (oil) or by too much clutch material burnt off onto the flywheel and unevenly distributed, often caused by excessive and hard clutch usage (and a hot clutch). Wheels hopping at takeoff can be caused by REALLY BAD struts. Wheels hopping at speed can be caused by very badly balanced tires/wheels and bad struts.

It depends. I remember seeing an awsome Camaro with an original, unfilled battery, all the paper tags included on the car prior to dealer prep, reproduction tires, etc., etc. It was a time capsule car, and it was an experience to behold -- a museum piece. The car was very valuable, and yes, a modern radio would have destroyed much of its value. Of course the car had to be trailered everywhere and could not be started and run. I had fun looking at it, but the car was useless to the owner as a car. The vast majority of antique car owners strike compromises. Unless you own a museum piece, it won't really hurt the value of the car to do the things that car owners frequently do to keep their cars usable and enjoyable: repaint, modern tires, modern rims, modern sound system. The important thing with the sound system is that you don't butcher the body to do the installation. Many people feel strongly about keeping the original radio, and that's fine. If you want to make an old radio more functional, get a portable CD player or iPod and an FM transmitter to transmit the signal to the radio. One more note: Your car is an '83 ZX, and as such, it doesn't have the collector value of a 240Z -- and probably never will. The first-generation cars are almost always worth the most. That gives you a bit more latitude for modifications, IMO. I'm in the same boat with my '78 280Z. I wanted a 280, and not a 240, because I wanted the car to be my daily driver. The 280 suits my needs better (more comfortable and reliable a car). I've not been shy about doing a mod here and there. I try to keep my car pretty original looking on the outside and in the cabin, but I've done a number of electrical modifications to improve the functionality of my car. My car will never be a museum piece, but it will retain a certain value as a well maintained daily driver. That works for me. Prior to my 280, I owned a '66 Mustang for which everything seemed to be a struggle to maintain originality. That car wasn't any fun to own.

Blue, is CD2 just a light oil? I used Armorall on a rag to wipe down the engine bays of my Z3 and '66 Mustang when prepping for sale. They looked awsome when I was done. I will sometimes use a bit of WD-40 on a rag when doing routine cleaning in my Z's engine bay. Any light oil is great for cleaning and conditioning rubber parts. FAIW, I usually set a spray nozzle to spray a heavy mist and work just with that. I soap, scrub, wipe with a rag, and rinse with no more than a heavy mist. If I'm uncertain whether all the electricals are tight enough for a wet start, I like to start and warm the engine very slightly before I begin. Then a restart is much easier. But as Blue suggests, you don't want to douse a hot engine with cold water.

If you're really on a budget, and if the brake linings still have some life on them, go ahead and leave them. Worry instead about the hydraulics. Buy the rebuilding kits Blue suggests. I've done my front calipers and rear cylinders before, and it's not hard. I've never done the master. Anyway, if the brake linings were good in 2000, they're probably still good. That said, if you can afford the linings too, I'd go ahead and replace them while you're into the job. PS to Blue: I've really enjoyed following your evolving image!

I don't have your answer, but I can offer you the same advice most new people get. You really want/need a copy of Datsun's Factory Service Manual for your car. It's got all this information. You can either download it for free (try searching this site for a link), or you can pick up a hard copy occasionally on Ebay or Amazon for around $80 (in good condition). I prefer the physical book, which can be spread out over your work area. BTW, welcome!

I think if I were to name the yogurt cup something else more technical sounding, people might actually be more inclined to do it. Maybe... Intake Leakdown Test Intake Pressure Retention Test Intake Positive Pressure Leak Detection Test Translumenal Pressurization Procedure I just named it the yogurt cup test because that's what I did it with. I have tons of Yotastic yogurt cups in the garage for mixing epoxy and doing odd jobs. The cup fits perfectly. I agree with your guru. Just weld it up for now. FAIW, I was able to detach the EGR tube from my intake by putting a huge crescent on it, tying a rope through the hole at the end of the wrench's handle, tying the other end around the intake manifold near the throttle body, and pulling up on the rope (which creates enormous mechanical advantage). However, I don't think there's any way of dealing with the other end of the tube. I'd just follow the advice you cite: Cut the tube in situ and weld both ends closed. Be warned that if you have annual inspections (not meaning emissions testing, but just a general non-emissions inspection, like here in VA), your EGR might be an inspection item. I think it's illegal to tamper with the emissions equipment. While I don't think you will get fined, I don't think your car will pass inspection. The way around this is to make the EGR tube LOOK like it's intact, perhaps by slipping a tube over both welded ends and wrapping it up with exhaust tape.

Argneist, I meant that you should have tried my patented yogurt cup test in the first place. You would have found that you were blowing air from your intake directly out the exhaust. That would have told you something weird was going on with the internals of the engine. I agree with Zed. There's likely a blockage in your EGR ports somewhere. Maybe disabling the EGR is the path of least resistance. Perhaps you can weld the EGR pipe closed and have a baffle plate on the EGR mount to block off the valve. If you leave the components still mounted (but nonfunctional), then it might not look tampered with, and you'll be able to pass inspection with it. Or maybe you live in a non-inspection state. Dunno.

Fascinating! Another mystery solved. Great job! I just have to say, though... YOGURT CUP TEST Such an easy thing to do, and it would have revealed your leak. It might have been hell tracing it down, but it would have revealed to you that somewhere in the recesses of the engine... somewhere in that thing... there was a leak. In this case, a leak directly from the exhaust to the intake, bypassing the EGR valve. Anyway, you found the problem, and that's what's important. Soon you'll be be taunted no more by the drivers of those VW bugs!

Maybe put a bunch of carb cleaner or perhaps Chemtool B12 in a mostly empty tank, and run a cheap electric fuel pump, dumping the output via a hose back to the tank. Keep it running for a long while to wash the stuff out.

Just a followup: Got my new fuel pump installed, and it runs like a champ. The low, rubbery rumble of my old pump sounded very different from any other fuel pump I've had. My new pump makes a soft, higher pitched whine. I now remember that's what the pump in my '75 Z sounded like. So I guess my pump has been weak for a while now. I also got the "new" air regulator in -- a used part from a ZX I cleaned up. I now have a high idle upon startup. Yea! Things are looking up.

Muchas gracias, Sr. Steve! Then my work is lined up for me this weekend.

(Bump) So can anyone confirm whether the ZX and Z air regulators are compatible? I'm assuming they are, but it would be great to know for sure. Thanks!

^^^ Yeah, replace them all. If you don't get the corroded studs out now, you'll probably have to drill them the next time. (Well, at least that was my experience.) MSA sells a nice stud, nut, and bolt set for the Z. It's at least sometimes not an easy job. Plan on snapping 2 or 3 studs and probably removing them with heat, lots of PBlaster and vice grips. Use nickel anti-sieze on the hardware when you reinstall.

Well, let me know if you need to adopt mine for refurbishing. The offer stands. I'll throw it in my "needs some TLC" parts box. I got my new pump from Chesapeake Nissan. It goes in this Sunday, along with my good air regulator. Woohoo! I don't think I'll make it to the Tidewater Z show. I've got neither the time nor the coin, although it sounds like fun. I'll probably be doing restoration work on an old 1930's house that Saturday, same as every Saturday.

HEI conversion: Easy. Any 4-pin GM HEI module. Some are more performance-rated than others (e.g. will sustain higher RPMs). Be sure to cobble up some sort of heat sink for the thing.

Keep an eye on Ebay and Amazon for used paper copies of the FSM. Nothing beats being able to spread out the FSM atop your engine while you're working on it.

Hi Willoughby, Yes, the pump was the gremlin. It was a sneaky gremlin, though, because it always tested good in the driveway. The gremlin only revealed itself with a stress test. So you're able to repair your AAR? Or would you like mine? I think a soaking might fix it, but then again, Jenny tried that with hers, only with limited success. She ultimately ordered a brand new one. If you're able to reassemble your coil around the bimetal strip, you might be able to re-make the coil out of nickel/chromium alloy wire. Maybe you could even re-connect the ends of the coil you have. Anyway, let me know if you'd like mine, give me an address, and I'll zip it off to you. Or if you make it to the peninsula, I could even hand it to you.

Willoughby... Oh, no! I gave the wrong impression! :stupid: My original one is sticking, so I'm planning on replacing it with my spare from the '81, if it's compatible. The ZX AAR is in much better condition. As far as I can tell, it's the same doodad as the one on my '78. I went ahead and tested it, cleaned it up, and painted it. Unless someone tells me, "No, you don't want THAT AAR on your '78," I think I'll go ahead and install it when I'm replacing my fuel pump. Anyway, my old one sticks, but the heating element is intact. Maybe it just needs some cleaning out. If the ZX AAR works for me, I'd be happy to adopt out my original one to you, if you think you can clean it up. I'd ordinarily keep it as a spare, but you need it more than I do!

Resurrecting this thread... I have a spare AAR from an '81 ZX, JECS part A32-601460, with a "233" stamped below that number. Is that compatible with a '78 280? The thing looks almost completely identical. It's got a 70 ohm heater.