Pomorza

Not all 280z's have separate belt tensioners. My 280 had and A/C (which I took off). It just ran off the crank and was adjusted by moving it over on the mount. I took it off and now basically have just one belt to the alt, water pump and crank. It makes sense that that the belt would make the squeeling noise. It is possible that it can be the alternator. It hard to "hear" the noise over then net so I'm just making an educated guess. Jan

Did you wash the engine bay when you washed your car? What exactly does it do when you try to start it? Does it turn over, or just not make any noise at all? Jan

Thanks guy. I changed out nearly all the lines on the fuel line last night. It took a bit longer than I hoped (4+hours) but no more leaks. Jan

I'm sure this has been asked before but. One of the many rubber lines on the fuel rail has developed a very slow leak on my 280z. (76'). Is there any tricks or hints you guys can give me on replacing them. Is it just basically take out and put in or is there something special I should do. Thank Jan

The number one cylinder is closest to the front of the car. There's a topic here posted about two or three weeks ago about how to set the timing if you can't get (or see) the timing mark on the crank. For what I remember you have to find TDC for the first piston and then take a look at the dizzy. I'm not exactly sure but think it supposed to be pointed at about 11ish looking from the driver's side of the car. The simplest way I've found to find TDC on the number one piston is to pull the cover and look at the intake valve for the #1 cylinder. When it points straight up the piston "SHOULD" (and I can't stress that more) be at TDC. But make sure using a straw or something in the piston. Once you find this and make sure the timing is right you should have an idea of what should be wrong. Jan

Thanks for the help mate. The calipers I put on were brand new and the pistons were all the way in. I might take it to my mechanic and see what he says. Jan

Two things. 1. I see no photos. I think you forgot to insert them or something. 2. When you mean bed the pads what exactly does that mean. I just did the same thing you did (calipers pads and rotors) and when I was done I just took it for a nice long drive and applied the brakes a bit harder. Did I miss something? Jan ooops didn't see your second post until after...sorry. And one more thing. Are the pads supposed to ride on the rotor a bit. Mine do, just a tad so you can hear them when you drive.

Hello all This past weekend I was cleaning my Z and came across an idea I hope you guys can help me figure out. There is a tiny wire that goes to the top of the starter, I believe this is the ignition switch wire. Anyhow, is it possible to splice in a switch of any kind that would prevent power to reach the starter? (A kill switch on it that is) Thanks Jan

Hey guys. I know this is old post but here's a bit of an odd update. Sunday I decided to clean and wax the Z. In the process I found that I have a can of Seafoam in the car. Decided, hell why not clean the motor too. Poured a third of the bottle in the motor and let it sit for a bit. Started her up and saw just a tad bit of white smoke. (let it sit of about 5 min). To my amazement I come out this morning (when its like 85 degrees) and take the Z for a drive. No noise, nothing, nadda, it's gone. It was there the night before when I poured the seafoam in. Today it did it twice in a 20 minute drive. (for reference it used to do it all the time, anytime I revved the motor on the way down it would rattle). Any ideas? Could it be a stuck valve or something? Jan

Thanks guys you've been great help. Now I just need to actually get all the bearings and parts and get with the program. Jan

Matt you are the man. Thanks a ton for that. I was on that site earlier this morning and I guess I completely skipped that section. I'm sticking with the stock calipers and drilled and slotted rotors at this point. I don't "track" my car but I do go driving around the mountains here in Arizona so brakes are kind of important. Do have one questions. What grease did you use for the bearings? Would white lithium grease work fine or is there a specific type I should look for? Jan

Hello all I finally have time to redo the front brakes on my 280z. In short the caliper on the right wheel is riding the wheel the entire time. The left caliper sticks occasionally. So I ordered a new set of calipers along with rotors. According to the manual I have to remove the rotor I have to remove the hub assembly, which contains the outer wheel bearing. I've never done this before so I'm rather in need of an explanation of how it should be done. Should I replace this bearing while I have everything apart? Thanks Jan

On 280's there are two different flashers for each function.(i.e one for the turn signals and one for the hazards). Good call, check those also and see if the connections there are nice and good. Jan

Check all the fuses again mate. Check all the bulbs and check all the connections. With this electrical problem (like many others) you have something causing a break in the line between the switch and the light. It can be something as simple as a blown fuse or something such as a shorted wire a bad connection or a bad switch. From my experience with this problem the flasher and the brake light use the same fuse (or in my Z it did), so look at that first. And just because it "looks" good does not necessarily mean that it is good. Hope that helps Jan

Last time my Z had a chirp noise that you described the U-joints were nearly completely blown. I would go under the car and take a nice look at the shaft again. It is possible that there's something there that's making the noise or binding the transmissions/drivetrain. Hope that helps Jan

No to hijack this thread, but my 280z runs pretty much at or below the middle mark on the gauge. According to the laser heat gun I have the rad sits about 160 and the upper hose at ~170. Are the gauges that inaccurate on older Z's? Jan

What are you using for coolant? How does your radiator cap look like? Jan

Hey guys How exactly does one remove the little clips that hold the panels on to the interior? I've tried using a screw driver but that ended up breaking it in half? Any ideas would be great? Jan

I bought mine for my 76' 280z at MSA. HERE. Jan

Hey guys. I've been driving my car pretty much non stop for about a month now. I drive at least two miles a day minimum. Noticed a few things that I hope you can help me with. When I back out my car from the parking spot I have a clunking noise coming from the front end. It pretty much lines up with the speed of a wheel turning. When I come to a stop the noise goes away. Secondly when I move forward I have a rattle noise coming from the front end of the car. Again the noise tends to line up with the speed of the wheels. Anyone have an idea. Could it be the brakes? Bearings? The tie rod on the car is pretty much gone, as the passenger side tire moves about an inch or so with it in the air. Could that be a possibility? Thanks Jan

Hey guys. This Friday I was working on the Z going through some of the parts in the engine bay making sure all was good. Unlucky of me I somehow put to much weight on the breather hose (the one going from the throttle body to the T elbow) and it snapped. I went over to the local auto parts store and bought a heater hose (as they don't have the actual one) and somehow fitted it on, doesn't look good but it works. Does anyone know where one could procure one of these hoses? Any help would be appreciated. Jan

Omega to be honest with you I'm pretty sure that you can do the timing chain yourself if you have the time. Its not as difficult and complex an operation as it may look. Get all the parts first (chain kit, gaskets ect), most of which can be bought fairly easily find some spare time and replace it. I did my timing chain with the help of Z train about a month ago or something. Its actually a fairly straight forward process. Just remember to get the car to TDC (there's write ups someplace about it here) before you start and where each bolt goes. While everything is off you can clean it and get rid of all the sludge (if you have any). It took the two of us about two days to get it all done. (And that was with the running around to get certain gaskets..) I don't know if this was the answer you were looking for, but I'm just expressing my opinion. Jan

I've driven three different cars in my short lifetime that were manual. My dad's 1987 BMW has that exact same noise when in neutral. Car and transmission have nearly 400k on it and they both work fine. My friends 98 Jeep Wrangler also had that rattle when the car was in neutral. My 76' 280 has the same noise. I personally really wouldn't worry about it. It seems that all manual cars have some kind of "rattle" when your in neutral. Hope that helps Jan

I'm not sure if this is insult to me but come on guys really? 1. I would love to have a RHD Z. 2. Just because I live in the desert doesn't mean that rust isn't an issue. I have rust under the battery tray in the fender. Its rather bad to be honest. If I would have just took the time to look at said fender(s) i would of easily noted the rust and more than likely bought a different Z. As must as my lectures might be rather odd, I still say take the time to look at the car so you don't buy what I bought and need a body shop. Jan