JohnnyP

Chris! Thanks for the hand. I had noticed that loose spade fitting before, but I never thought it could have caused such an issue :stupid: I did decide to pull the ad and finish what I started on the car. I just couldn't let her go. She's running a lot smoother now, I just squared away a bad vacuum hose/leaky cold start valve issue. But things are looking up. Ordered the horn relay so should get that in soon. John

I didn't even think to do that :stupid: I threw up the pictures just because I wanted to make sure I didn't mess anything up! Thanks for the picture, it really helped!

Hey there. Just thought it would interesting to see if any of the people on this site lived anywhere near me! I live in Greenfield (an extraordinarily small town) in New Hampshire. Just outside of Peterborough….Anybody on here close by?? John

I don't mean to beat a dead horse over this cold start issue, but I just want to make sure I'm doing this right. Z Tyler Z is this what you did to plug your cold start (or can anyone tell me if this is the improper method? If so which is the correct one?) Thanks for everything guys/gals, everyone here is beyond helpful! John

Can anybody recommend a good method of plugging the cold start valve?

How did you plug your cold start?

So….. I went out to buy a new piece of hose that runs from the carbon canister to the vacuum advance and throttle valve. I put it on, expecting to help out the "lack of power" issue but instead…no better. The new hose is ever-so-slightly bigger than the old one. I taped up the T connector, and used little screw clamps on all the fittings, even the T connection. The car still lags on startup and whenever the accelerator is depressed. When the bad hose was on there I simply put electrical tape over where I thought the bad spots were (only for a temporary fix). I figured a new hose would do the trick but the problem has come back to haunt me! Anybody have any suggestions on where to start? Here is what I've done so far: Ran through the FSM E.F.I troubleshoot for "lack of power" Tested vacuum advance Replaced the vacuum advance hose

Thanks a lot guys, I'll pull them and see what I find inside. If they are in need more skilled work I will take them to a locksmith.

Both the locks are broken on my Z. Neither of them will budge at all. I've tried soaking them in PB Blaster, brake cleaner, etc. and that hasn't been working. Is there another way to go about fixing these locks up? Or should I just pick up a new set? If so, were is the best place to go? Thanks to anyone who responds!! John

Thanks for advice guys, you all pointed me in the right directions!

Problem turned out to be bad hosing. Taped up where I thought the leaks were coming from and the car runs noticeably better!

I went through the FSM (1976 280z) and went to the Fuel System section and found EFI troubleshooting. I conducted the tests for "lack of power" did the tests, 1-(1), (2), (3), (4), (6), (8) & 2-(1), (2), (3) and everything checked out ok, just as it should. which is good to know…. S30Driver asked earlier, there are 108,713 miles on the motor. Also, I removed the vacuum advance to test it. I pushed in the plunger (part that screws to the advance plate), plugged the nipple that the hose connect to, and the plunger didn't pop out. I released my thumb from the nipple and than it popped out. Does this mean that the vacuum advance is not broken? And maybe it is the rubber hosing that connects to the vacuum advance? Could that have been why the test I did (suggested by beandip) it led me to believe the vacuum advance was broken? I think I've narrowed the problem to the rubber hose that connect to the vacuum advance. If thats leaking than it would explain the vacuum advance coming off as faulty. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks again all John

Does anybody know where I could find a vacuum advance for a 1976 280z? Tried thezstore.com but they dont have it.

I've done some searching around this site, and the other parts of google, but I am having trouble finding the windshield wiper arms for my 280z ('76). If anyone could let me in on where to come by these I would really appreciate that! John

Compression Test Results: Cyl#1: 155 Cyl#2: 160 Cyl#3: 155 Cyl#4: 160 Cyl#5: 160 Cyl#6: 155 1976 280z FSM compression range: Compression pressure kg/cm2 (psi)/at rpm: 11.5 - 12.5 (164-178) And beandip, I followed your recommended steps, and when I sucked through the vacuum hose that runs from the vacuum advance on the Dist, and no movement by the advance plate. So That shows that the vacuum advance is bad. Hopefully the only cause of the problem. My guess is the low compression is due to the bad advance plate. I'll be going through The EFI system troubleshoot for "lack of power" tomorrow afternoon. Thanks a ton you guys are awesome! John

I have a 1976 280z. The car fires up right away, but if I give it some gas (within the first few seconds of the car being on) it makes a sort of sputtering noise, like the car is about to die. And when I put it in gear and give it some gas, the car doesn't respond like it should. I guess the easiest way to describe it is it feels like when I press on the accelerator a good amount, the car doesn't go as fast as it should, the car doesn't really get up to speed. Im not sure where exactly to start with problem. Dirty fuel injectors? Bad fuel pump? Clogged fuel lines? I just put a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the tank this afternoon, and ran it for a while. Hoping to see some result there. If anyone has had a similar experience with a problem like this, your advice would be very appreciated. Just trying to get this Z back on the road. Thanks alot everyone John

Zed Head, The possibility that they are for diagnostics or a switch bypass does sound about right. Thanks for the advice all. John

Just below the hood release latch in my Z, there is a black box with two white female end plugs coming from the unit. I found two different sets of numbers: The first set was on a green tag: Part #: All-600 000 Lot #: 6310 For: L28 The second, on a white tag: Part #: A14-100 003 Lot #: 6211K Is this thing the Engine Control Module? If so where do I plug those white plugs into? I can't find any other plugs that could reach there. If anyone has any advice that'd be really helpful! Thanks a lot all of you. John

So when I first bought my 280z a few months ago these parts were scattered in the trunk. Im not sure if they even belong with this car but I figured it was worth checking here first! I have what I believe to be part numbers for two of the mystery parts... Picture 1: 1 946 434 Picture 2: 1 946 433 Any input is helpful. Thank you John

Anyone?

I was removing the spark plugs for a compression test and here is what I found: Carbon/dry, sooty deposits on all 6 plugs = too much gas/problem with the injectors...? Plugs no.2 and no.5 were oil fouled = worn piston rings or worn/improperly seated valve guides. Are my diagnosis above correct? Am at least headed in the right direction? If so, what do I need to do all of those jobs; replace the vlave guides and piston rings, and, clean or replace the fuel injectors? This would be my first time pulling the head...so I have a few questions: Is there a book/manual for doing a ring and valve job? What other things should be replaced, inspected, etc, while the head is off? ...What am I missing? Thanks again to all of you, this forum is tremendous. John

I went ahead and cleaned all the contacts on the fuses, checked the blower to see if it was hooked up properly, and it was. But still no power, and that leaky air sound. Car starts however, without issue. I'll keep snooping around though. Thanks for all the input and advice. John

Post deleted.

Yeah, I just took a look and I definitely have the cable system for the heating. However, dirty contacts that hold the fuse in place makes sense. I'll have to give them all a good cleaning. Thanks for the help guys. John

I'll have to look into that and see what I find. Thanks for the direction Walter! John