Zed Head

1976 came with an external regulator. It would be mounted underneath the metal "shelf" by the battery with all of the other electrical components. You wouldn't have an internally regulated alternator unless someone had modified your car to have one. Checking the alternator and voltage regulator for proper operation is pretty easy. Your mechanic should be able to do it before he changes the regulator. A good mechanic would have checked his work the first time.

It's not really clear what you've tried. You hooked S to power, and connected the white and yellow wires, then K to battery. ??? Did you follow the directions in Post 3 (my Post 2 link was only good for later 280Zs)? Squealing and idle reduction sounds like power generation. Why didn't you leave it like that?

I think that you have ECU controlled timing. There is no ignition module but there is an "ignitor", which is a simple transistor mounted by the coil. It is triggered by the ECU. Your ignitor might be bad, I would check that before replacing or removing any parts. There are test procedures in the 1983 FSM. Your tests would be for the E.C.C.S., not E.F.I. You should unjump the WTS also, for when you get consistent spark back. That's a resistive circuit and shorting it might not be good for the ECU.

Someone hacked my post! Actually it's a typo. Should say 1976. I just repeated what I said in Post #7, with a few more details.

Marty brings up a good point. I missed the fact that the 240Z four speeds actually have a different set of gear ratios, with a much lower 1st gear,, than the 75-79 four speeds. Negating most of what I said. It looks like some work involved to get that extra gear. Let's see if my Excel numbers will be legible if I paste them in here. Nope, no WYSIWYG. Move the bottom 5th gear numbers over one column and it works. - 72-74 75-79 80 81-83 3.592 3.321 3.062 3.062 2.246 2.077 1.858 1.858 1.415 1.308 1.308 1.308 1 1 1 1 0.864 0.773 0.745

My 1974 coupe 4 speed Federal edition had the dual pickup distributor with the water switch actuated timing advance, but no EGR. No signs that my car was not completely factory stock. It's either a leftover piece, like an appendix, or it serves some unknown purpose. Either way, all it does it advance the timing 6 degrees for the short time that it takes the engine to warm up. Described on Page EE-26 in the 1976 FSM. It's in Engine Electrical so does not appear to be an Emissions device, unlike the top gear vacuum advance switch which is described in the Emissions section. From what I can tell, the California cars with EGR don't have it, they have the single pickup in the distributor. It's a weird thing. A lot of hardware to advance the timing 6 degrees for the 5 to 10 minutes it takes the engine to warm up. It seems to me most like a patch to keep the idle up between the time the AAR closes and the engine gets warm. That's my best guess.

The 77 to 79 5 speeds have the same 1 - 4 ratios as the 4 speeds. If you don't find your self wishing that you had one more gear to shift up to while on the highways, then, yes, it would probably be everything that you're worried about. A lot of risk with very little benefit. If you're looking for different ratios, and have one of the ZX type 5 speeds with the closer 1 - 4 gear sets, then the risk/benefit ratio changes. But unless you open the transmission and look you won't know what you're installing, so you could get a noisy, poor-shifting old transmission (of course, they're all old). Otherwise, it's a pretty direct, bolt-in swap for both types of 5 speeds..

I see here that you have a 75. New info, not in the other post. The fuel pump should run when the key is at Start and the small wire off the starter solenoid. If not, you have other stuff going on. Looks like a messy situation. You're creating chaos by creating new posts on the same topic, but I guess that fits your situation overall. Good luck.

You seem to be using the forum to get advice on work that you'll be getting paid for and which you should probably be capable of completing, as a professional automotive restorer. You need to at least make it worth people's while to respond. At least do the things that they suggest, even if you don't believe that the advice is helpful. Have you checked fuel pressure yet? Some of your comments don't really follow known facts either - "The fuel injection system relay is supposed to get 12V from the ignition switch in the Start position on a black/yellow wire at the switch which I have." What really happens is the fuel injection harness gets power when the key is On and at Start. The CSV works when the key is at Start and the thermotime switch is cold. It might be grounded through the thermotime switch or it might powered through the thermotime switch. It would be a good thing to figure that out through the FSM diagrams. Many of the Zs systems are activated through grounding and have power available all the time. If you mentioned the year car you're working with, someone might have some help also. There are several full-color, detailed, wiring diagrams out there, free.

What year car is it? The bushings may have already been replaced in the past with factory bushings and the install caused some "non-factory" deformation. A picture would be interesting.

Try running your idle speed screw all the way in while the engine is running. You should be able to kill the engine that way. If not, you have a leak somewhere. I can't really remember what your current problem is, but that test will tell you something about how well the throttle body is controlling air through the AFM.

The AAR just lets air pass by the throttle blade in the throttle body. The only way it can affect the mixture is if it has a leak on the upstream hose. Which is a possibility. I had mine split lengthwise when I tried the FSM test of pinching the hose to check AAR operation.

I have a 76 280Z Federal model that came with the switch and the two pickup distributor. I am now using a single pickup distributor and the switch is not used. The only effect I notice that might be tied to the missing switch is a low idle, ~50 - 100 RPM low, between when the engine is started cold and when it gets fully warmed up. But I don't have EGR. Adding timing advance makes sense with EGR, but Nissan must have just left it on the cars without EGR, for manufacturing convenience.

I would get a better voltmeter, or borrow one. I don't think that these alternators will even put out 22 volts, especially at low RPM. I think that your measurements are incorrect. The measurements from your Town Car confirm the bad readings, and secondarily, show that your Z car charging system is probably fine. It's not the voltage causing the heat, it's the amps that you're pulling through the switch with the fan and pump. You should install some relays to run those motors.

The extra voltage could be overloading your ignition module also, causing it to die then able to restart after 30 minutes. It will probably die for good if you don't fix the voltage regulation. The specs are in the FSM but anything over 15.5 volts is too high, I think. You have a problem with voltage regulation.

What kind of voltmeter are you using? Sounds like an old analog meter that hasn't been zeroed or is just no good. Or a digital meter on the wrong setting. Measure voltage at the battery with the key off. Better yet, measure voltage at the battery on a car that is working properly. Post a picture of your meter as you've been using it.

There was a whole long thread on this topic about one or two weeks ago. You can probably find it. The best solution seemed to be to bend the lever.

Your problem is kind of bizarre. But I still think that my original suggestion is worth trying. It won't hurt anything. "New electronics expect nice clean electrical supply. A capacitor on the power line might help." Try a capacitor that would normally be used on the alternator power line. Or, first, check that you have a capacitor on the alternator power line. Maybe someone left it off. It's the round cylinder on the back of the alternator, about the size of a stack of 15 dimes or so.

Don't forget the transmission mount either. There are three points of contact, all rubber mounted, unless you have an early mount.

In that case, this might be a better solution - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/34969-cv-adapter-print/page__p__452891__hl__%2Badapter+%2Bdrawing__fromsearch__1#entry452891 I have a set of CV shafts and actually have one adapter half done. But I'm just doing it for fun and and as a future alternative if my half-shafts wear out. They don't offer a whole lot over the u-joint half-shafts. Here's another link to an adapter for the 4 bolt 300Zx turbo CVs - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/103581-billet-z31-cvcompanion-flange-adaptors/ And one more vendor, for the 6 bolt style that you have - http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=63&PHPSESSID=51477db1b430e29534a8802dfd4401cd The last link is notorious for slow replies though, unless you create an account, communicate through it and get lucky. Edit - Also, I can't find any evidence that the turbo CV shaft is any different than the NA CV shaft. The MM site implies that it is, but if you go to an auto parts store they'll sell you the same part for either car.

Just realized a while ago that my suggestion was about the reset cable, but your problem is with recording miles. zbane's probably got the best suggestion.

This might help - http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/alternatorswap/index.html I recommend jumping the wires at the connector instead of cutting them. It's easier and cleaner and reversible, if you decided to go back to an external in the future.

The ignition module is a very expensive thing to replace for no firm reason. You might just have electrical noise messing with your radio. New electronics expect nice clean electrical supply. A capacitor on the power line might help. But a check of the supply voltage would be the first thing to do as 5th suggests. Your alternator might be dying.

Could be a bad strut, or a loose strut mounting point, or a loose gland nut. A broken motor mount will also feel like something broken in the back.

I think that you have things backwards. The 77 came with stub axles in the diff, which would then bolt to half-shafts with u-joints. The 83 probably came with CV shafts, which are a complete assembly from diff to wheel hub flange. Drawings in the FSM or descriptions around the internet. The CV shafts would require an adapter and are probably not worth the trouble for a stock turbo motor.