tlorber

I'll pile on here and say that SU's are really easy to set up and keep going once you understand them-set it and forget it. The only reason I would even consider fuel injection is that (at least with modern systems) you can map the afr at each rpm to run exactly the mixture the motor wants. With SU's you are at the mercy of the needle profile. For most of us here they are perfectly adequate.

Just wanted to close the lid on this post- at least as far as my problem is concerned. After trying a few alternators and having the same problem, I checked the voltage regulator bypass plug and realized I had broken a tab off on it (the lower right one in case your interested). After fixing this the alternator charges immediately on startup with no revving required. I now have a rock stable ammeter, solid headlights that don't dim at idle, faster blinking turn signals and a fan that spins stronger. I believe these are due not only to the higher amperage output but also to bypassing the mechanical voltage regulator. For $50.00 alternator and $20.00 for the plug this is a great upgrade.

Just make sure that you understand everything that you need, so that you don't start the job and hten find yourself missing parts. I went with urethane on everything but the TC rod bushings, where I stayed with rubber. If you search here you'll find out why.

I've bought some replacement weatherstripping parts for my roadster that are made of neoprene instead of rubber. It seems to remain more pliable and has better longevity. Just something to consider. As far as which pieces are needed, I would think hatch seals are a pretty common problem.

I recently put a "new" electronic dizzy from a ZX into my 240. I got some backfiring through the carbs and the car was nowhere close to running. There is only one way the dizzy shaft can fit in. However, when a mechanic friend that happened to be passing by saw the dizzy and compared it to the original, he noticed that somehow the internals of the new one were 180* off. Rather than pull the dizzy apart I just rewired the cap so that #6 became #1 and then went 1-5-3-6-2-4. Fired right up. Make sure that what you are assuming is "TDC" is truly that-with valves closed-and not a 1/2 cycle off. One thing to look for though-after backfiring, some of the rubber caps on the carb intake ports were blown off, which then caused excess air to be sucked into the manifold. I know you have EFI, but just check to make sure that if there are/were any such plugs, that they are still in place.

It's strange that the car idles smoothly running only on cyls 4,5, and 6. However, I could see how the car would not idle well but could still run well at higher rpm. The idle adjustment only regulates where the throttle plate stops at idle. Once off idle, that adjustment has no effect. At higher rpms, the only adjustments that matter are the mixture (large round "nut" at the bottom of carb) and the bracket adustment that syncs the two carbs at higher rpm. You may also want to check where the fitting (banjo bolt) where the fuel enters the float bowl. These originally had a fine copper screen in them as a final filter before entering the carb. These can get plugged with grit and starve the carb. However, this would seem unlikely if, as you say, the car runs smooth and has plenty of power.

In reading about alternators, it appears that they all have a cut in speed at some rpm. I don't know where in the process this occurs (i.e. voltage regulator?) but since everything else works fine, I'm inclined to think that the problem is NOT in the ZXP-at least in my case. If my cut in speed were around 1,000 rpm instead of 3,000 I would be fine. I'll call auto zone to see if they have any input. I'm SURE they'll know.

Does anyone have input to this post? I just did the same upgrade to my '73 and had the same result. My "cut in" is around 3,000 rpm. Other than that it seems like a nice upgrade.

Is the seller in Sylmar? If so, I bought a ZX dizzy from him and it worked fine. The guy I met with had built the bottom end of a stroker but then opted to put in a Skyline motor into his project.

The problem I see with 280 seals is that they are almost as old as the originals. The sportage I pulled mine from was a 1994, or roughly 1/2 as old. The Kia Sephia I mentioned was even a couple of years newer. They are all one piece. They do, however have a seam but this is placed underneath the metal plate that is screwed into the car so it can not pull off from that point.

I will try to take a pic once I get my camera (its in my office). Its not much to look at though. Since I did NOT get the pre formed 90, I just tried to bend the metal in the approximate area of the door jamb's 90. I then used a piece of wood and the afformentioned mallet to drive the weatherstripping into the corner as tightly as possible. By the way, does anyone know of a non-OEM application for the hatch weatherstrip?

Just tacking on to an old thread here, I just replaced my door seals with those from a junked Kia Sportage. Thanks to all who have provided info here I knew exactly what to look for and for $14.00 and some very easy labor my doors no longer rattle, and will presumably seal water out. One thing I'll add is that I saw a car called a Kia Sephia at the junk yard. The weatherstriping had the same profile as the Sportage, but each piece had a pre formed 90* bend. If I had it to do over I'd get these only because they would perfectly coutour the the 90 on the driver's side door. Also, having a rubber mallet was very helpful for both collapsing the metal in the weatherstrip back down, and for installing the moulding. Next, its on to the new noises that I am now able to hear.

I can't remember where, (probably on this site) but I remember seeing a post by someone that made their own shortshifter for a later tranny. They basically took one of the shifters that had the longer distance from pivot to bottom, and drilled new holes on the tranny pivot pin ears about 1/2" higher than stock. This effectively created a shorter throw. I can't remember if he shortened the shifter as well. I plan on trying this when I get there.

The hazard flasher and the turn signal flasher are completely different on the 240. I would imagine they are independent on the 280 as well. The hazard flasher on the 240 is on the passenger's side right interior above the kick panel. You may want to check the contact there as well as the flasher itself.

I'm not totally clear on the symptom. You state that there is a "crazy idle" but then say that you have 15* static advance (idle speed) and it is stable. Are you saying the idle wanders or that it is stable? If it is wandering AND your AFR is fluctuating I would be more inclined to look at carburation than ignition. Did you shoot the brake cleaner in near the throttle shafts? This is where the carbs will leak air if the bushings are worn.

Scott, I'm not sure how much you want to spend or how far you want to go, but I keep coming across 240's in various stages of completion in the Los Angeles area Craig's List.

Lisa, Welcome to the site. Do you have a sister?

K nevermind. I found this great site that you can download factory service manuals from for ZX's. http://xenons130.com/reference.html This one is for Z's. http://xenons30.com/reference.html Sorry for any redundancy if you guys already new of them but they seem like a great resources.

Does anyone have a link to the '82 Factory Service Manual, or an exploded diagram of a 5 speed? I'm trying to figure out what the pieces are that were stuck to the magnet on the drain plug. Thanks.

I'd say the only downside to a 5 speed is that then you'll need to swap the diff as well. I just bought an 82 zx tranny and a 3.7. Not sure when I'll have time to put them in but I am looking forward to the change in performance. I understand the desire to keep stock, but as stated above, there are many upgrades that the factory would have done if the technology had existed. I think what is important is that the mods are done well, without butchering the car. I hate to say it, but with rare exception the value in these cars lies in their value to us, not in what they fetch on the open market. So you might as well enjoy the most of what you have.

I know this will sound bad, but a demo bar works fine if you have one laying around. It is kind of like a flat crowbar. I just used on on my door panel and if came off fine. They are $4.00 at OSH.

Don't mean to purvey the obvious here, but did you bleed the fittings at the master as well?

That calculator is great. Can someone verify what the original stock tire size was (or what the speedo was originally geared to?) I have read 195 60 14, 175 70 14 and a couple others.

Does anyone have an audio clip of the MSA 6 into one header + exhaust? Ideally it would be nice to hear idle, under load, at high rpm and backing off throttle. I remember seeing a video clip somewhere of multiple z's with their exhaust (can't find it now) but it did not state which car had which exhaust. Thanks.

Thanks, Mike. I guess I'll order the fuzzies and figure out how to attach them. So is there a small diameter pop rivet that is sold for the normal tool, or is there a special tool required?