FastWoman

Yeah, I agree with Eric. If your motor fires up easily, then forget the fuel pressure leakdown when it's sitting. It's not a problem. If I were you, I wouldn't mess with the screw underneath the plug. It didn't do anything particularly obvious on my engine. It's probably better to keep it however it came from the factory. You might still have a vacuum leak. You're forgetting about the junction of the intake manifold and the cylinder head. Your intake gasket could be leaking. Mine was. Moreover I couldn't easily find the leaks because they were on the underside of the intake manifold. (My '78 manifold has heat shield webbing between the intake ports. The yogurt cup test is pretty quick and easy, and it rules out any question as to whether you have a vacuum leak. If you do it, you will probably be the second person in recorded history to do so!

Thanks, AJM! Then it's definitely ABS and not PP? If so, that simplifies the situation greatly. My thought in backing the panels with fiberglass is to add rigidity to them, so that the plastic does not NEED to maintain its integrity into the future. It would function almost like a fancy, textured gel coat. There's a guy in a Miata forum who has taken this sort of approach with his dash, because he's tired of replacing cracked dashes. Of course one thing I'm forgetting is the need to flex some of those panels to remove and reinstall them. Hmmmm.... But my long term goal is to figure out how to make these panels survive decades into the future. I wonder whether that's possible. OK, I'm off to dinner now... I'll be back tomorrow! Thanks, AJM!

Reviving an old thread here... I need to repair/replace a few interior trim parts on my '78. Among these are my A-pillar trim pieces, which have distorted over time, and which have the screw recesses broken off. I'm considering the following approach and would appreciate any insights as to whether this is a good approach: (1) Lay the panels out, and hit them carefully with a heat gun, so as to work out the distortions and put them back into the proper shape. (2) Sand the backsides with coarse sandpaper. (3) If I can find any solvent that will attack the plastic, brush it over the backside, and then immediately overcoat with a brushing of West System epoxy. (4) Brush a layer of unthickened West System on the backside (either as the first coat or as a follow-up coat to #3). Add a layer of fine-weave fiberglass, and wet out. (5) Possibly overlay a layer of chopped fiber mat for strength, wherever thickness is not a problem. (6) Finish with another layer of fine weave over any chopped fiber mat. (7) Let cure, sand smooth, and paint any exposed epoxy black. Re-drill holes, and mount back in place. Thoughts?

What Chris said. Also if you're going to get 200 hp to the wheels, you're going to have to use some form of forced induction, and I don't think a motor from a ZX turbo will get you there.

As far as I'm aware, it's the same motor, except that the L28 is bored.

I bought a rebuilt one from AutoZone -- lifetime warranty. I've heard some of the rebuilds end up with a bent shaft, but mine was fine. I like the lifetime warranty because this wasn't exactly Datsun's best designed part, and it's prone to failure. It's easy to R&R, so a part with a lifetime warranty is a no-brainer. Here: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/1978-Nissan-Datsun-280Z/Distributor/_/N-ivfvlZ93xku?filterByKeyWord=distributor&fromString=search A Pertronix distributor (which has its own ignition module) would be another obvious choice -- perhaps a better one, as you'd otherwise need to put together the rest of the electronic ignition. That said, I retrofitted my 280 with a GM HEI ignition module. There are plenty of threads around that will tell you how to wire one. The retrofit cost me $14.

One option would be to buy a rebuilt 280 distributor and return your 240 distributor as a core. It would cost you about $125, and the unit would be fresh.

Very nice! I might need to learn this black art! I have rust repairs to do in the same area, both left and right, but mine aren't as extensive. I *might* be able just to clean up what I have, primer/fill, paint, and be done. FAIW, someone on this board filled the bottom part of the hatch area to create a smooth run-off slope, so that water wouldn't pool in that area. I thought it was a pretty good idea, although it leaves the area rather thick in bondo. I'm wondering whether an even better solution would be to weld a sloping metal piece over the top of the existing metal. Any thoughts???

Cool! I hope that does it. You might drive your car a couple hundred miles on fresh plugs and then read them. I suspect you might still have a mixture problem. BTW, points are a pain! You might consider upgrading your ignition sometime to electronic.

I think the "bite" might be where the screw was tightened down on it at one time. It's sort of hard to tell. I forgot to mention, BTW, that the only consequence of the pressure leak-down is hard starting. If you're able to start your engine easily enough, then there's no problem. If you do have a starting problem, you can do like I did and install a switch to run your fuel pump momentarily before starting. That will pre-pressurize your fuel rail, and your engine will fire right up the second you turn the key. Jenny, now that you have the AFM off of your car, have you tried the yogurt cup test yet? Also, have a very good look at your rubber boots. If they're cracked (even if the cracks don't run all the way through), you might consider buying replacement boots for approx $100 for the pair (MSA, I think).

Wow! You've made a lot of progress! Corroded fuel injector connectors: I bet that made a BIG difference! You might also check the connectors on the cold start valve (top of intake manifold, near throttle), the three devices screwed into the thermostat housing (thermotime switch, EFI coolant temp sensor, temp gauge coolant sensor). I think you've already been into your TPS connections. When you put all these connectors back, don't forget to grease them a bit with silicone dielectric grease. The minor vacuum flucturation you see is normal. Old factory glue globs in the AFM would not have deteriorated at all. They should be very firmly stuck. Yours was probably adjusted by someone. (Just ask the guy who tuned the car. He should tell you.) Why would the mechanic adjust the AFM wheel? It was to change the fuel/air mixture. Unfortunately he did this without fully troubleshooting the rest of the system, so his adjustments would have counteracted problems elsewhere that were not fixed (e.g. vacuum leaks). The problem with this, besides still having the problems, is that when you fix the problems, your mixture will become off kelter. Rather than to calibrate to the properties of broken equipment, it's better to fix the equipment and then make adjustments only if/when necessary. IMO, contrary to Atlantic Z, it is not a good idea to adjust the mixture at the AFM spring. A much better approach is to adjust the AFM is to make sure it is mechanically correct. In other words, do the beer can thing to make sure the spring tension is right. You want the thing to peg out at a certain rate of air flow. Forget, for now, what this does to your fuel air mixture. Let's get everything right, and then we'll make the final adjustment to mixture electrically -- in a way that corrects the mixture the same way at every airflow rate. My AFMs have no notches carved in the wheels that I am aware. If you need to adjust the AFM wheel, you can just hold the wheel with your thumb (as you suggest) while loosening the set screw. The tension on the spring won't be any greater than the tension on the flap (which you can prejudge). Just mark it before you begin, and don't let go of it, and you'll be fine. No big surprises. Air temp sensor: It's the thing that looks somewhat like a white pencil eraser, sticking out into the air path in the inlet of the AFM. There are two black wires coming off of it, attached to the connector at the bottom. I forget what sort of resistances you should expect, but you definitely shouldn't get an infinite resistance. You should double check your connections and measurements. I don't know where you would get a replacement sensor if both of yours have gone bad, but I'm sure there's a source. Having this sensor out of whack could affect your mixture quite a lot, albeit not as much as the coolant temp sensor. You should check your fuel pressure with the vacuum line unplugged. You should get 36.3 psi. Right now you're getting 31 psi running at 15 in Hg engine vacuum (= 7.3 psi), so your total regulated fuel pressure seems to be 38.3 psi -- about 2 psi above spec. Although there's a small error, I doubt it amounts to a hill of beans. When experimenting with my own fuel pressure, I ran my rail pressure up to around 50 psi (differential between fuel rail and engine vacuum) and *almost* corrected my lean running condition by doing so. I think your fuel pressure is probably good enough. Your fuel rail does lose pressure fairly fast, though. The FSM has service criteria for the max permissible rate of leakage before it's necessary to replace the check valve on the fuel pump. On the other hand, it would be premature to blame the check valve for leaking. Your (worn?) injectors could also be dribbling fuel into the intake manifold after engine shutdown. In any event, the check valve is NLA. You can get an aftermarket check valve to go in the fuel line if you need one. They're cheap and available on Ebay. Brake booster: Yes! Good for you! Important fix! Happy new year to ya'!

Nice valve cover, Leonard!

Zed, I'd just return the booster core. When I was an ambitious kid, I pulled my OK- (but not great-) condition '75 booster apart (per the FSM) and identified all the parts that needed replacement. I went with that list of parts to my local Nissan dealer (which was still "Datsun" only a few years earlier), and they looked at me like I was from Uzbekestan. No internal parts were available for it, despite what the FSM said. As I had paid them $80 for the FSM in the first place (the same FSM that instructed me how to rebuild the booster), I shamed them into selling me a new booster at wholesale. Anyway if that project couldn't be done in '83 (?), it surely can't be done now.

+1 -- Get thee to a locksmith! A key cut to the original code might not even fit a worn lock. While you're into this job, I'd get all new lock cylinders and have them all keyed the same. The hatch lock is a bit pricey. New door locks and a new ignition cylinder are pretty cheap, though, and well worth it.

1. Tackle a few small rust repairs. 2. Rebuild the transmission (?) 3. Rebuild the brakes, not that they're not working, but because they're probably due, and they're important. 4. Replace semi-rusty hard lines (fuel, brakes) with stainless. 5. Do less work and more enjoying. (Might not be possible this year.) 6. Get my car under cover. 7. Have a shorter resolutions list a year from now.

Does it burn if you strike a match to it? (Careful not to burn your fingers! You might hold the match with a pair of pliers.) Apparently fuel fouling can occur from running the wrong temp of plugs. What plugs are you running? Either that, or you're running REALLY RICH!

What sort of clear liquid? Gasoline?

You could go "old school" and use a product called cosmoline. It's a waxy, petroleum based product that was used extensively by the military in WWII and is still used for guns and tooling. It's translucent enough to see rust underneath, and I think it's soft enough to flow into pores and crevaces.

That's a nice looking '76, Ztrain!

Carl has a very good point, but only if the OP wants to end up with a perfect car. I used to own a perfect '66 Mustang, following good advice like this. It was a beautiful car, but it wasn't much fun because I was always terrified I'd scratch it. When it came time to shop for a Z, I paid the money to get as close to the condition of car I wanted to drive as I could. In my case, it was probably a lot like your $6k option. And yes, I've had to put work into it, because the engine was the weak point. (It's hard to find EXACTLY what you want.) I suppose I'd modify Carl's advice to suggest you buy what you want to drive. For some people that's a rusty junker that "runs good." For some people that's a 12k+ perfect car. For others like me, it's something inbetween. But always let someone else eat the restoration expenses before you buy the car if possible.

Well, do you know whether you have the internally regulated 60A alternator on your car? (I don't know the identirying features.) Dave ("ZsOndabrain") knows a lot about these conversions, so he's probably the one to help you. I've never done an alternator retrofit. However, I suspect the power is backfeeding from your alternator, through the voltage regulator, to the ignition circuit, thereby keeping your car running. This is often solved with a diode, but I would think it could also be eliminated by removing the (pointless) voltage regulator. Right? (Dave???)

Hmmmm... Well, my fuel injected '78 was running quite lean when I got it, and the mix burned poorly enough that I saw a lot of soot on my plugs and around the tail pipe. It was confusing, because the plug appearance suggested rich running. However, I suppose if the mix gets lean enough, all bets are off on plug appearance. My exhaust blew very hard, with occasional hard puffs. I had lots of steam and moisture as well. Engine vacuum was quite low -- around 14 in Hg. When I richened the mix, the idle picked up quite a lot, as did the engine vacuum. After I adjusted down the idle, the engine ran smoothly. Exhaust wasn't nearly so labored and was very smooth. Moreover, plug appearance returned to normal (well, after replacing the fouled plugs). So maybe your engine has an extremely lean condition. One test would be to take off your air cleaner and manually lift the SU pistons just a bit to see if the RPMs pick up (PRETTY sure about this). That would richen the mix. You might also pull off a vacuum line somewhere to see if RPMs drop (leaner = worse, or so the theory would go). Lean running could be from fuel starvation (e.g. insufficient pump, clogged filter, clogged float valve) or maladjustment. Dunno... I really don't know carb stuff very well. They're magical thingies!

Well, the white smoke is probably steam (normal). Do your plugs look oily at all? (I suspect not, but if so...) You're probably just running (way) too rich. The fact that 4-6 look different from 1-3 suggests they're also out of balance. Unfortunately carbs aren't my thing, so that's about all I can say with an ounce of intelligence.

Per my service notes for my '78 (12/77): "Replaced EGR control valve (14710-N7600) with aftermarket part. Installed #34 orifice washer." I think I got the aftermarket EGR valve from Black Dragon, but I'm not positive. As I recall, something about the cross-reference process was clear as mud, but after several phone calls, I did manage to get a definitive answer -- definitely #34.

What do your plugs look like? I bet they're fouling. Maybe you're running too rich? Are you blowing smoke (not steam) out the exhaust, and if so, what color is it?