Orangys280Z

Update on the Z: I replaced the AAR earlier and the idle was at like 500rpm(with everything set from the other AAR) I messed with the timing a bit and opened up the idle screw and got it back up, but I need to figure out which plugs aren't firing now. I have quite a bit of smoke coming out the exhaust(cooling system not in car and only exhaust manifold is on with the intermediate pipe on, no cat or anything after). Sounds like 2 or 3 plugs aren't firing right now, so tomorrow when I get a timing light from my friend I'll clean up the plugs and set the timing to where it should be.

I'll try pulling the AAR off tomorrow and try to find the one from the old engine to put on to see if there's a difference. I remember the old engine didn't have any idle problems(besides when it overheated and blew the head gasket due to a clogged radiator and I had to drive it for a while since I didn't have any other vehicle to drive to and from school 25 miles away). Though does anyone have any idea what would be causing the engine to die though? After I get the idle down through the timing, it would be fine for a few minutes, no backfires, no acting up, nothing. I have tried to advance the timing when it started to die, but it was pointless. Then couldn't start it afterwards, no matter what I did to the timing at least. Any ideas about that?

How would I go about checking to see if it closes? Last time I checked it seemed to be running rich. I checked the plugs after a couple runs and they were black, but still firing.

Arizona Z-car has a kit. http://arizonazcar.com/brakes.html not sure on price though

Ok, I'll try all that as soon as I can(next day or two if my schedule allows), but would the AAR and b.c.d.d explain why the car dies once it has some temperature? I DO have the AAR connected correctly though.

I swapped the engine in my '77 a while back for another '77 280Z(both are CA cars) and kept the original ECU and wiring harness. After figuring out a few things I was able to start the car. When I want to start it I have to have the distributor centered(screw in the center) but when it starts, it idles at 1500+ rpm. I've turned the idle screw all the way down, and that doesn't help much. If I retard the timing 100% then it goes down to 900-1000 rpm idle, but if I turn the engine off and try to start it, it won't start. I've tried leaving the idle high to see if it still kills itself after a few minutes just like if I retard the timing 100%(still runs for a few minutes, then dies). Does anyone have any ideas on what could be causing this? ECU maybe? With my luck it'll be something obvious that I overlooked.....

That's good to know, Thanks WingZr0! Before all this happened I know my Z was overheating all the time. I still don't know how I got water in the oil though. I don't see any cracks in the head, or on the head gasket and block. As soon as I'm able to, I'll post some pictures of everything, maybe I'm overlooking something.

I found a place that has a 2.5mm and 3mm metal headgasket. The company is called Kameari. I heard of some people using KA24 pistons and I believe the same rods as well. But I'm not 100% sure on those clearances. If I do go through with making my L28 a stroker and keep it injected, can I still use the stock injectors or would I be a good idea to upgrade them? If so, how big of an injector should I use?

Basically, I just want a reliable engine that can take me to my school and back everyday(about 55-65 miles round trip), and still show the Honda boys that Datsun Z-cars are better then the jokes they're driving with the hot-air intakes. I know where to get a head gasket to deal with the piston-to-valve clearance issues. Also, I would like to keep it Fuel Injected, possibly upgrading the injectors if I need to.

I just started to try and rebuild the engine of my '77 280Z recently and found a few interesting things. For starters, I don't have the original block. The one in there is N42 and the head is N47. Though I have been wondering what's the difference between N42 and N47 blocks and heads? Also, cylinder #2 and #6 had bad compression. When I took the pistons out(all of them) I wiped them off a bit with a rag. I heard some metal hit the floor and saw that 25-30% of the first two rings fell off of 2 and 6! I'll try to post some pictures of them soon. The other day I brought the head to UTI so I could put it in the hot tank and clean it off. Well, I found out that if a spring won't compress(I was using an pneumatic spring compressor) , don't hit it with a hammer too hard because the retainers will fall out and the spring will fly across the room :stupid:. I still can't find the outter spring and one of the retainer clips. The head looks almost new thanks to the hot tank. Have some residue left from the head gasket, I'm assuming, between some of the exhaust ports. Speaking about exhaust ports, I noticed some tubes inside the ports that went all the way to the exhaust valves. Does anyone know what's up with that? Even my instructor didn't know what was up with that. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to rebuild a L28E? I was thinking that since I'm rebuilding it I might as well put a LD28 crank in it since some water got in the oil(that's why I'm rebuilding). Anyone know how much a good one would go for? Or would I be better off with just a L28 crank price-wise and performance-wise?

This year, I plan on getting my '77 running and make it a "Budget Beater" and show all the dopes at UTI that Honda sucks and they need to grow up and get a REAL performance car. hahaha

Hey everyone, I got this assignment today saying that I have to teach the class I'm in about ignition timing failures. I go to UTI right now and that's what the instructor wanted us to do. Cool thing is that I've learned quite a bit about my 77 280Z. For example: the distributor has a magnetic sensor/ "triggering device" and that it has solid lifters(which is why there's a lot of ticking coming from the engine). My real question is what happens when the timing fails? I figure it's better to work smarter not harder, so just go here. Hahaha Oh, we haven't gone through timing yet in the class, if anyone's curious.

Woah! Where did you find that? That's pretty cool!

I got busted a couple weeks ago for doing 67 in a 45 zone. All I was doing was coasting down this hill. But it was my own damn fault. Cool thing is that the cop said that since I was honest with him, he let me go with a 60 in a 45(since 65 or faster would've been an additional fine). I learned my lesson: Don't go that way anymore, go another way. Hahaha I'm such a smartass!

If you want cheap(but legal) labor, go to a UTI campus, if there is one near by you. I go to the campus in Rancho Cucamonga, and as long as you supply the parts, the students can install it. Because it's going towards educational purposes the labor is free. Just gotta sign a Liability release form and give some info on a repair order and wait. There is a class that only does A/C. Not a bad deal huh?