FastWoman

^^ What Grant said. I didn't learn the hard way, but I did find this was the case. It's not difficult to do.

Oops... double post

Ben, you can look at insurance the way I do. It's not a money saving thing on the part of the insured. Risks are carefully computed and entered into actuarial tables, and a premium is charged very comfortably in excess of expected claims. So if you can afford the loss of your car (not saying that you won't be sobbing like the speaker of the house), you're probably better off without collision coverage. I carry liability and comprehensive (not at all expensive -- covers things like vandalism, but might not cover me for my concept of what my car is worth), but I leave collision to the goddess of stochasm. I'm a careful driver, live in the country, don't subject my car to known risks (e.g. rush hour traffic), and don't log that many miles per year anyway, so my risks probably aren't even as high as would be reflected in the actuarial tables. If I wreck my car, I'll have zero grief with a claims adjuster and can repair my car as I see fit -- or not. Meanwhile, I'll have probably saved enough money on insurance premiums to cover the repairs.

The tach is probably shorted and shorts the (-) post of the ignition to ground, ergo no spark.

Aside from snow/salt, why don't y'all drive your Z cars year-round? OK, I admit I do have a rule during the winter that I don't drive any car I care about after the roads have been salted and until the first good rainfall thereafter (to wash the stuff away). Gawd, with climate change, we sometimes have snow after snow here in Virginia, so sometimes my poor Z has to sit there for as long as a month before I can drive it. But I do... even in the cold.

I was told by my local Z specialist not to buy refurbed injectors. I asked which new ones I should buy, and he said it didn't really make a whole lot of difference, as long as they're new. Trusting in his advice, I bought a set of Standard Ignition injectors off of Ebay for about $150, and so far they're doing great: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/75-76-77-78-79-80-81-82-83-Datsun-280Z-Fuel-Injectors-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQfitsZModelQ3a280Q5AQQhashZitem256274378fQQitemZ160565573519QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories The only thing about these injectors is that the pigtails are a bit too short. Plan on removing them and clamping on some longer pigtails. I probably could have reused the ring-type connectors, but I didn't fully trust them. I just used conventional clamps instead. Very easy.

I remember when a fusible link left me stranded in my '75. The car was only about 10 years old at the time. MaxiFuses are the way to go!

Really? They said a bad coolant temp sensor (or connector) couldn't kill the engine? Well, that might be true with a modern EFI that would go into "limp" mode, however there is no limp mode on an L-Jetronic EFI. A useful experiment: Unplug your temp sensor and try starting your car. It might run, and it might not. If it does run, it will be barely, and it will be billowing great clouds of back smoke. I'm still fixated on the single tap to the thermo housing instantly killing your engine. I doubt that was just dumb luck.

You're not supposed to like the bigger, floating, 5mph bumpers! ... but I do too. Hey, it's a 70's kind of thing.

Yupyupyup... It's the same type of connector as on the injectors. If it's crumbly (which it probably is), go to a wrecking yard and get a quick release version of the connector from a Volvo (?) or some other car. The quick release connector releases when you squeeze the sides -- very handy for the front of the engine. While you're at it, grab a second connector for the thermotime switch next to the coolant temp sensor.

That's pretty cool, Darrel! Thanks! Still kinda want the brass, though.

So I've looked on Ebay and found the brass shifter bushings. (Mine are shot too.) However, it's only the side ones I see. Does the bottom one tend to go out too? Maybe it's easy to make one? In my experience, the OEM bushings only hold up for several years of regular use. I've worn out a few sets. Of course that was mostly when I was younger and... er... lived up to my "FastWoman" moniker a bit better.

Phew! Glad you're OK. I think it was Mark Twain who said something like, "Humans are remarkable for their capacity to learn from their mistakes and equally remarkable for their incapacity to learn from the mistakes of others." A complete brake refresh is on my list this year. I think I'll get more serious about it!

Depends on the year, Stinky. My 1972 JD 212 tractor with the Kohler motor is a very smooth machine! But no, you shouldn't see the engine shaking all around, unless you've got some sort of performance cam in it. I'm pretty sure the straight-6 and V-12 engines are the only engines with inherently perfect primary and secondary balance. It should be a smooth running motor, albeit with a light ticking from valves and injectors.

Yeah, I kinda do... It gives the engine some personality.

By "a bit of a tick," do you mean that you can hear the valves softly ticking when the engine runs? That's normal. It's not going to sound as quiet as an engine with hydraulic lifters, no matter how well the valves are adjusted. FAIW, 5W30 is a bit thin for these engines, especially in Arizona. But I don't think that's your ticking issue. You're probably better off with 10W40.

If you have a new sensor, it's probably good. MSA is fine. Just do a resistance check on it (at the ECU connector) to make CERTAIN it's good and has good connectivity. (Note: There may be some connections inside your wiring harness that are corroded.)

Oh wow... Well, sometimes the ECU goes bad, sometimes from a cold solder joint. I know it's a PITA, but maybe you could open up the ECU and reflow (re-melt) all of the solder joints with a 30 or 40W soldering iron. Sometimes they go cold with vibrations and repeated thermal cycling. Maybe it's a stuck (open) cold start injector. Beyond that, you could check resistances at the ECU connector. For instance the coolant temp sensor might be suspect.

Might also be a weak connection to the (+) terminal of the coil.

As far as I'm aware, there's only one official Datsun publication per year. The '77 and '78 are very similar, and I don't think the differences have much functional consequence, but there are certainly a few things they changed. Anyway, the Diagram 2 looks like my '78 with regard to the air regulator plumbing.

... except the coil might have an internal short (e.g. from overheating and insulation breakdown). A spark on the primary merely means current flow.

^^^ Yeah, most likely a dirty connector -- temp sensor, maybe AFM. If I were you, I'd replace all the 2-conductor Bosch-type fuel injection system connectors with new, and clean up the throttle position sensor connector, AFM connector, and ECU connector. You can get the connectors cheap on Ebay. This guy is honest and puts together a nice kit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/injector-connector-kit-6pc-datsun-280z-280zx-300zx-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem43a04f8954QQitemZ290452375892QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories The connectors are a bit flimsy, but at least they're fresh, and they work fine. If you ask the guy, he can put together a kit for you with the number of connectors you need.

Tapping the (-) to ground should do exactly the same thing the points do. Of course you need to disconnect any wires other than your test wire from the (-) terminal first. I admit I've never done it, but I'd be surprised if this didn't produce a spark. I suppose the "tap" needs to be a solid, deliberate tap, not a casual brushing.

Oh, that would have to be the one that got sung on almost a daily basis on the Gong Show... Feelings.... Nuttin' more than feelings.... Trying to forget that... ridiculous song.... Feeeeeelings! Whoa whoa whoa Feeeeeelings! I wish I never heard that song.... But now it's stuck in my head.... Whoaoaoaoaoooah... Oil drops... Synthetic Mobil 1 Oil drops... Lahdedah detergent... And ZDDP!

Are you talking about the "chrome" plated plastic bezel around each tail light? If this will also fit a 280, I'm in. I'd spend $90 for a pair, sure.