Zed Head

Metal fatigue is different than just a straight overload failure. A picture of the broken end would be interesting, to see if there was a crack there before the final failure. Weathered material versus shiny new surface. Maybe we should be Magnafluxing our mustache bars.

Problems like yours are common on Hybridz.com, have you been over there? - Drivetrain - HybridZ You will take some heat though, for swapping a CLSD for a VLSD, if you post a question on Hybridz. You could have run the stock u-joint half-shafts with the CLSD, using 280Z companion flanges in the diff, although there might have been some binding at certain points of the suspension travel. - Beta Motorsports, LLC Bench Racing

Here's a picture. It has numbers but I can't easily figure them out. Different from yours. Apparently scratched in to the sand before pouring, maybe, since it's raised on the part. Or engraved in to the mold for the investment the sand is packed around,. No metal-casting expert, so could be way off, just guessing. Notice the big vent or sprue chunk in the picture though, missing from yours.

I have a 78 5 speed with the two exhaust hangers and the tall shifter ears. I've noticed the shifter ears on mine and wondered. I decided that the shifter ear thing as an identifier was incorrect. The shifter itself is the same as my 76 4 speed shifter and fits fine, no interference. My 76 4 speed has the access plate and the 78 5 speed does not. Both transmissions came in cars I bought and didn't show any signs of being replacements. Measuring the 5th gear ratio is a pretty good way of telling the late from early 5 speeds. .864 for the early and .745 for the late, with a .773 thrown in the middle, late 80 to early 81 I believe.

I had pondered the turbo timer but discounted it since it was typically a delayed off timer for the ignition, and they appeared to be very expensive (over $100 by a Google search). You're right though, it could be activated with a simple push-button momentary switch, or always working with an ignition circuit.. I'm new to EBay. Looks like the $20 EBay units are all from China or Hong Kong. Worth some more research, for sure. Edit - I'm not sure any of them run for 20 minutes either. Can't tell. Most of the ads seem to be selling blue or red LED colors as the main feature. Edit 2 - what kind of timer did you use on the Jag? Was it one of the $20 EBay jobs? They look a little iffy to me.

It's hideous, especially compared to some of the nice engine bays shown on this forum. I must decline. There are only three main parts - the ZX fuel rail cooler blower fan (zip-tied at this point in time to my AC system drier bottle on the passenger fender well), the pre-heat hose (similar to that linked in a previous post) with holes that you can't see underneath, and the flexible piece from the ZX cooling system to connect the hose to the blower (probably not necessary). The rest is a fuse holder, some wire, and the timer zip-tied to the steering column. There is room under the fuel rail that is ready-made to slip the tube in to. The bilge blower I linked to in Post #6, from BGM's suggestion, would probably work as well as the ZX blower. Still a little bulky but probably easier to mount.

Thanks for the tip. I searched that number though and got a 24 hour timer. Like you'd use to set a sprinkler system or lights. The Amazon listing says it's 120 volts also. Intermatic E1220 Timer, 24 HR TIMER W/TOG SW PLT - Amazon.com

I had a pinhole leak on the bottom of my Pathfinder tank (a manufacturing flaw I assume since I bought it new). I used a two part epoxy designed to seal gas tanks. Most auto parts stores carry it. The first patch lasted a couple of years and I just put a new one on. Too tiny to justify removing the tank and too big to ignore (constant raw gas smell). If you find a small leak and decide to try it, take your gas cap off first to make sure there's no pressure pushing gas out of the hole while you're sticking the patch on.

I think he might have meant 15 minutes. I have a one hour timer and just turn the knob about 1/3, so 20 minutes. If it's still running when I come back I just let it blow while I drive. I have a fuel pump cutoff under the dash also that I always flip anyway, not because my car is worth stealing but because I think it's probably easy to steal. Saab apparently had a delayed-off relay on a few of their models to run an electric fan but they started failing closed so they recommended replacing them with regular relays (I think that have a thermal switch in the circuit also). There are solid-state electronic timers out there but I haven't found one that stays closed for over 5 minutes and/or will run on 12 volts.

Good luck. If you have it all figured out, then what is the question? Just tell the muffler shop what to do. Sign a waiver if they need it so that you'll take liability for not having a converter, since they are federally mandated. There's no way to answer your question since you have a car of unknown origin. My impression has been, in Oregon, if the tag on the door says "Catalyst" then the car has to have a catalytic convereter. If you want to take a chance with federal law, go find a tag that says "No Catalyst" and stick it on there. The shop is going to go by the tag, not what you tell them you think is right.

If your door pillar and dash tags aren't correct, then what would be? The VIN usually follows the frame, and the tags match the VIN. I've heard that the VIN might be stamped on another part of the body also. Not sure where. Does any of this matter? Sounds like you're putting an exhaust system on a car that you won't be able to title and register anyway. Could even be arrested for owning.

There should be a metal tag on the driver's side door pillar that says whether or not your car should have a catalytic converter. My 76 has one that says "Non Catalyst", which is a weird way to say it. Probably lost something in the translation. The converter showed up before 79, Nissan has floor temperature warning sensor instructions for 76 in the FSM. Looks like the O2 sensor didn't show up until 1980 (page EF-28).

Saw this listing on EBay and thought it was funny. Selling the little rubber doodads that get lost when you're bleeding your brakes - Datsun 240Z 260z 280z 280ZX Brake Bleeder Screw Capsnos | eBay

It's hard to diagnose a bad ignition module. I just suggested it as a possibility. Actually though, I'm not sure what you mean when you say the tachometer ("tick hand") isn't working. Looking back at all of your symptoms, they're kind of strange. The tachometer and some of the lights stop working at the same time? When you say "working", do you mean the needle doesn't move, or it moves erratically or the light in the tachometer isn't on? There is a large ground wire connected to the battery negative terminal. Is it intact on your car? Probably best to take a meter and confirm good grounds everywhere.

F54/P79 is a stock 280ZX engine. Any of the 280Z or 280ZX cams would work fine, they're all very similar. You'll need one that's internally oiled since you don't have spray bars. The N42 head is completely different from the P90. The P90 is very similar to the P79. Carbs or EFI?

Even in 1983 the system was still primitive. An earlier FSM might be helpful, like 81. The later FSMs seem to be written for use with an electronic tester which nobody has anymore, if they ever had one to begin with. The ZX EFI systems are more complicated than the early Z's. You might start another thread with a more descriptive title. Cold start issues are boring, and that's not your problem anyway.

You said that it starts cold but will only idle until warm. So "cold start" doesn't seem to be the problem. Cold running is the problem. The cold start injector only operates when the key is turned to Start. Add more details. Did you install an 83 engine? Did you re-install all of the hardware, including emissions equipment or did you leave some things off? Are you using all 1983 intake, exhaust, AFM, etc. or did you use parts from the new engine? By 1983 Nissan had a lot of things interconnected for emissions and mileage. If one thing doesn't work right, sometimes it affects other things also.

Well, that's interesting because the tachometer and the ECU both get their signal from the negative post of the coil. So, in addition to whatever is going on with your connector, you should check connections at the coil and ballast resistor. You might have a loose connection there. It could also be that your ignition module is going bad. That will cause your tachometer needle to jump around too.

What the heck is the tick hand?

I've heard of the valve heads "mushrooming" or "tuliping", probably just before they break off. Valve seats also can wear down until all of your adjustment is gone, apparently. Since you know what you're doing, you are probably thinking also that it might be best to fix that before the head breaks off and does more damage. Plus your "fix" doesn't really make sense. If you couldn't loosen the nut enough to get the valve to seat correctly with lash, there's no way to guesstimate a better spot by making it tighter. It needs to be looser. A cylinder pressure check might show you something.

Was the suspect valve on the base circle? You should read up a little on how to adjust valves. You might have just opened that valve up and are in the process of burning/warping it or it's so far open you've lost a cylinder (no compression). The proper valve adjustment process is described in the Engine Tuneup chapter of the FSM. Your current method is way off.

Ah, the engineer's esthetic (no offense, I feel the same). Unfortunately for us, aftermarket parts are usually not as-designed. Just sayin', it's one of those realities. Anyway, to the PO, you might check under the rubber boot for fluid. It might be the cylinder itself that is leaking.

The fitting on the slave cylinder is a straight thread, not a taper, (I just looked at my spare cylinder) with no seat for a flared tube end either. Seems like it would benefit from a washer unless they did some precise machining on the flat seating surfaces. Maybe the factory parts are of higher quality than aftermarket. My car came with a copper crush washer, although I don't know if it's stock. And good old carpartsmanual.com shows a washer, but, oddly, it's on the end of the hose that does have the typical brake line flare fitting. Why the "please" on no washer? Datsun 240Z/260Z/280Z Clutch Control Hose and Nisan sells the hose washer GASKET-HOS :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

Stupid cat...

Seems to me that if the heads flow well from the valve openings to the manifold surface, that constricting flow that soon will negate much of the work. On the other hand, if the "work" at the manifold surface is not matched in the bowl, and around the valves (unshrouding), then it may not matter anyway. I know that you shouldn't have flange at all projecting in to the flow path, not even a piece of gasket. It will create turbulence and ruin the flow. Who did the head work, it seems like they would have some recommendations? I looked at your Resto thread but don't see any mention of engine work. Don't forget to check the collector area of the header. If the flanges look like that it wouldn't be surprising to find a major clog at the collectors also. That header doesn't even look good for a stock head does it?