Zed Head

Edit - misunderstood the goal.

I would get all of your timing marks set to known correct positions then see where #1 should be and go from there. The cam lobes/compression stroke/TDC and the damper pulley mark ( which should be zero at TDC), then put wire #1 where the rotor is pointing and set the remaining five accordingly. It never hurts to reverify that things are correct. I put my wires on backward rotation (clockwise) once and the engine still started and ran, but it ran really poorly. I assume that a few cylinders still got spark close enough to make the engine go around. #1 was right for sure but I never sat down and figured out which others got spark that would work. But it "ran".

It's possible to install the oil pump drive shaft incorrectly, and that's what drives the distributor through the quill. Happens often. If you can move the plug wires so that #1 wire is where the rotor points under the cap that might do it for you. Put #1 there then install the wires in the correct order, 1-5-3-6-2-4 counterclockwise. Leave the distributor position where it is, it's correlated to the crankshaft position. It will probably start. Maybe you'll get lucky and the dead cylinder just has a stuck ring. Worth a shot.

Darn it, I tried to quote my own post but it only quoted the part I wrote. So I had to go dig around in the pile of words. This part, above, sounds like the AAR. It's the thing that looks like a torpedo on the intake manifold with the hoses running through it. If you want to get by in the short term, just turn up the idle speed screw. It will start and stay running but the idle speed will keep increasing as it warms up.

Just doing a favor for anyone else who tries to read your post. Sorry but the run on train of thought tapping on the phone texts are hard to read... (Edited - I was being an arse. Well done, Dylan.) How long have you had the car and has it ever run right?

Browsing the parts manual and came across these factory cylinder liners. Didn't realize they were a factory piece. And, even better, you can get them on Amazon. http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-280z/cylinder-block/26 https://www.amazon.com/Nissan-11012-N4200-Liner-cylinder-11012N4200/dp/B01LX9V3ZK

If you've already been spinning the engine with the starter and had a few pops then starting it on 7 shouldn't do more damage. Good luck with the lash adjustment. There is something called "sunk" valves that could cause that. Not good, but it might let you get it running for a short time if you readjust. At least you'll know.

I'm going to guess that the Tonneau cover was the owner's idea, and they can't see how it really looks. Wonder what it sounds like. No offense intended if you're a member here. But it has to be noisy. And leak in the rain.

It should still start and run even with a dead cylinder.

Taking off from a dead stop. The higher the number, the easier it is. Less clutch work. If you use a ZX 3.062 with a Z 3.54, the 10.83 ratio (just multiply the numbers) is noticeably "doggy". Slow acceleration. On the other hand, some people put a 3.9 diff in their Z's to give them more zip. 3.321 x 3.9 = 12.95. Think of about 12 as what the Nissan engineers chose for the average driver. So about 11 is tolerable at the stop signs and lights, and about 13 is what you want if you're a light to light racer type.

The drawings are just representations. The hoses are smooth, the defrost tube does not shoot straight up, the front vents look different.

Nissan seemed to shoot for about 12 overall in first gear. You live in Texas so might do some 80 - 90 mph cruising, and not so many hill starts to worry about. Really depends on how you plan to use the car. These are coupe numbers. Things get weird in the 2+2 cars. Early cars 3.592 x 3.364 = 12.08 280Z's 3.321 x 3.54 = 11.76 280ZX's 3.062 x 3.9 = 11.94

It's probably just a 75-76 thing. You're hoarding the wrong cars. My 76 only had it on one side. Maybe they phased it out. 2, 1, 0.

Checking plugs and exhaust is the best way to see a rich condition. Here's another thing I learned years ago. The cylinders can lose their seal if they have surface rust and have dried out over the years. You can squirt a big shot of motor oil in through each spark plug hole so that it runs down around the rings to give you a temporary seal. A friend and I spent a day and half trying to get a 63 Bonneville started until an old farmer on a tractor came by and said "squirt some oil in the cylinders". It fired right up after we did that. It was a carbed engine but the same might apply here. Use one of those flexible nozzles or a piece of hose to get the oil up to the top of the cylinder so it runs down around the rings. If I were in your situation, I'd pull the plugs, recheck gap, squirt some oil in and let the gasoline dry out for a little while. Then squirt some starting fluid in each hole, put the plugs back in and give it a crank.

Edit - it's in the AC chapter of the FSM.

My 76 had something similar on the driver's side. It just blew air down on my feet. Can't remember if it said pull-push or not. The hose looks factory Nissan on yours.

Don't overlook weak spark. 1975 was the second year of electronic ignition. Not the strong spark of later years, just electronified points level spark. Make sure your plugs are gapped for it, around 0.029" I think.

The other "extra fuel" thing is the cold start valve. Somebody just had that problem. Your resistance looks about right, chart below. You can disconnect the fuel hose and plug it for a test. It will have full fuel pressure behind it so be careful. Something for the back of your mind - the ECU's often go super rich before they fail completely. Too bad, no quick fixes for you. Looks like you're on the marathon route.

What resistance number did you get from Pin 13? That's the coolant(water) temperature sensor. High resistance makes the ECU think you're in the Arctic. Adds lots of extra fuel. Pretty common to have a problem there. You could disable the fuel pump and see if it dries out enough to start with fluid. It will give you a clue about timing.

That's nasty looking. The thing with the damper and key and keyway is that they look so simple and crude but they are really very precisely machined and fitted pieces. You can see how the edge of the damper would catch on those dings and push it right out of the keyway. Now you know. Good luck.

The name is Silver...SilverFinger. Somebody likes silver. Check out the rocker/valve/cam cover. It's different. Arizona. @cgsheen1 ? https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-datsun-240z-153/

Green 72 with minor goobers. Lots of originality. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-datsun-240z-171/

Silver 77 sold for a sensible price. $23,250. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1977-datsun-280z-52/

Noun - person, place or thing. Thank you Mrs. Partridge, high school English teacher. She thought I was an attentive student but I was really just making a list of all of the parts I needed for my car.

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