Zed Head

Thinking about how things work, I think that the piston and valve may have collided and you probably have a bent valve. That's how the valve keeper popped out. The lash pad probably got crunched on its way out also. Looks like the valve got stuck open, the piston came up and hit it when the rocker arm was up, punching the valve up faster than the spring could move and letting the keeper and lash pad free. That's the only way I could see that that would happen. Hopefully for you, I'm wrong. You could do a compression check and see if that cylinder holds. If it had a bent valve it should give a zero pressure reading. Edit - For the record, I posted this before I read TimZ's post over on Hybridz. He beat me by 15 minutes. But that's two for valve damage. Different theories, but hard to imagine that you got away free. Also, you can't measure pressure unless you put that keeper back in. You'll probably find though, by spinning the valve and moving it up and down, that it's bent or bound up. Don't let it fall in to the cylinder if you pull the other keeper half out. Full disclosure - I have not even had my cylinder head apart, I'm just working from words I've read.

The bypass plug (adapter) is for the 240Zs. bhermes has a 76 280Z. It's still not too difficult, using home-made jumpers at the plug, although there is the brake check warning lamp relay to worry about. Although, it may be that bhermes is refusing to be beaten by the external system. He'll probably make it work then switch to the internal just to show complete mastery.

Thanks Jeff, that's a good look. Wish I had paint like that. I just posted on Hybridz about using KYBs with Tokicos and got some feedback that it should work fine. I'll try the springs with the KYBs and see if I need to look for another HP shock or not. Should take some of the harsh out of the full Tokico setup, I would guess.

You can at least run it through the gears out of the car and listen for grinding bearings. Wiggle the shafts and see if they're tight. Replace the seals. Did the shop give a written estimate, or mention any damage?

You went from $100 to $1100 or more just to be sure the installation work was worth the effort. Whoa. What kind of alternatives are you looking for, a cheaper place to get a rebuild or a better way to ensure that the 5 speed works once installed? What did the shop find inside the transmission? Did they recommend a rebuild or just tell you what the cost would be? It might be fine as is. You could probably find a whole car with a 5 speed, that you could actually test drive to evaluate the transmission performance, for less than $1100. If you don't need like new condition.

Some meters have a capacitor test function. One lead on the body and one lead on the center wire. The value would be in Farads (named after Faraday, I assume). Microfarads, actually, I believe. It's mysterious...

Cure temperature is very important on these types of two component coatings. A coating applied in the cold could take a long time to fully cure, or not even make it. If it doesn't cure fully, it will soak up fuel, swell, and fail. Ideally, the coating would get a good final stage heat soak before adding fuel. Bring it inside with the family for a day or three before installing. Leave it out in the sun. Put a heat lamp on it. A coating applied in the cold could also flow to the low spots before it sets up, leaving thin areas. Following directions closely is important, no cheating. I've done some work in the coatings industry. For what it's worth.

"After it dies it won't start unless the fuel line is pinched off. Fuel pressure is there but not measured, " Just helping you focus...

I had a similar problem, with oil running down the fork to the boot. I haven't confirmed it, because I have a different transmission in the car, but I think that it might have been leaking from the clutch fork pivot stud. On the FS5W71B, the hole for the stud threads all the way through the front cover to where the transmission fluid is. Looks like you have one of the 71A transmissions but it would be worth checking.

Thanks for at least one capital letter. Although I'm sure it was unintentional. .

Thanks for the picture Blue, and the feedback Jeff. Sounds like the springs are generally good, but the Illumina struts might be on the harsh side. The Illumina's are adjustable though, right? I picked up the springs and three Tokico HP shocks, 3012 and 3013, (buggered one up removing the springs, thought it was just an old original, based on car appearance - turd - and dirt buildup), cause they were cheap and I have cut stock springs right now with KYBs. Something to mess around with in the future. Still interested in pictures or feedback. Too bad they don't make the electrically adjustable shocks like in a Pathfinder - push-button Sport mode would be nice. And, if anyone has one Tokico HP 3012 strut (front) they'd like to sell, I'm in the market.

It is a capacitor, AKA condenser in automotive-speak. Some parts stores sell them, they're also used on the positive terminal of most alternators. I think that the capacity is the same, but if you want to be rigorous you should probably measure it. If you can't find one in a parts store, the wrecking yards are full of them, in a variety of cars. They damp high voltage electrical impulses, also known as "noise" in the electronics world. Originally to make points last longer and for cleaner sound on the radio, but I believe that they also offer protection to the solid state electronics of the alternator, ignition and ECU on more modern cars. I've used a condenser to stop electrical noise from screwing up my tachometer reading after installing a different coil. The engine will run without it, but there might long-term effects. Nissan had a reason... That's my current understanding (punning again).

Thanks Jeff, looking forward to seeing how they sit. What do you think of the ride and handling, would you do it again or go a different route?

In general, I believe that studs are meant to be finger tight. It's the nut pulling up on the stud that provides the clamping force. Some people do tighten them in using doubled up nuts, which tends to keep them in the head next time you remove the manifold, but it will also pull the first thread or two up out of the head and add some deformation from the shaft of the stud. You're probably seeing some of that while you're removing gasket material.

Is anyone using Tokico 5022 springs on their 280Z? And would they have a picture or an estimate of how the tires sit in the wheel wells (equal distance around the tire, or thin/thick at the top)? I posted this question over on Hybridz also, but there's a lot more coilovers over there. One response so far, from John Coffey (thanks John). I've seen 280Zs that sit high in the back, like a 78 parts car I had, and seen them that sit lower like my 76 280Z did. So I don't know what a 1" drop will look like.

I think that's the drain tube for condensation from the AC system (AC means heating and cooling in Nissan-speak). If you're lucky, it's just one of the hoses to the heater core, not the core itself. Take the AC control panel off (the panel with the control levers) and you should be able to see where the leak is.

I've had that happen to me, in the same way, waiting for bubbles that never came. Ran the engine for 20,000 miles afterward, no internal gasket problems, although it did weep when cold at the back of the head. 1976 280Z. I've drained and refilled the radiator and engine a few times for different reasons, also with a different, more solid engine (no leaks at all) and never had the air entrapment with overheating that the 240Zs apparently had. I just fill up the radiator, put the cap on, run the engine then check it after it cools down. It's never very low.

You could buy some bullet connectors for the end of each wire, cut the suspect plug off and put individual bullets on. You would lose some weather resistance but it would get you to the same spot you'd be if you bought a replacement plug. An "in the mean time" fix. Or you could bypass each wire - type or copy 7063k32 in to the search box on the McMaster Carr site. http://www.mcmaster.com/# Tap in to each wire and run a bypass wire around the plug. An option. Or you could tap in to the L wire only and bypass it since it's the one that affects regulation. Or you could bypass one wire at a time until it works. The easiest way to do the internal alt swap is with jumpers at the harness plug. You could do that without cutting anything. Instead of cutting the connector off, just get some bullet connectors, put one on each end of a short piece of wire, then connect the appropriate wires at the connector. Make sure that the bullet connectors are tight or insulated so you don't get a short. It would be reversible. Type or copy bullet connectors in to the McMaster Carr search box to see a bullet connector and options. Radio Shack has both taps and connectors, but of lower quality.

Plus.

Before you get too far in to buying (or trying to buy) new parts, you should take a little time and download the 1978 FSM, and read the Engine Electrical section. Try to understand how the coil and ignition module can have power to keep supplying spark to the engine, while power to those other components is cut off. Check your circuits with a volt/ohm meter, if you have one. Read up on the charging system so that you don't spend too much time trying to buy an external voltage regulator (78 doesn't have one). Those are odd symptoms. What does the voltmeter show before and after the problem occurs?

You might have answered this already in some other thread, but is the pump a regulated low pressure pump suitable for your type of carburetor? I see that you have an L28, maybe it was swapped in with EFI and someone swapped the high pressure EFI pump over with it.

Thanks Blue, I've seen that before and it's a great reference for finding used injectors once you know what you're looking for. It seems that when Nissan and Toyota (Denso or Nippon Denso) licensed the Bosch/Bendix technology though, that they also started making knockoffs of the Bosch design. The old cars from Japan all use Denso and the cars from Europe all use Bosch.

Thanks for the pictures. That must be the latest reman design from Standard and BWD. I wonder if the white plastic piece is for spray pattern control. I think that both BWD and Standard manufacture in South Carolina. Here's the BWD link, if you click on Manufacturing at the bottom of the page, a new page from Standard Motor Products comes up. Find the dot in South Carolina and you'll see that it's the Fuel Injection division. I think that "T" stands for Tru Tech, which is probably a quality level designation for the FJ707 product. Interesting stuff. Good luck with them. http://www.bwdbrand.com/ROOT-Home/Content.aspx

Did you put the shim between the hinge and the body or between the hinge and the door? .060" is 1.5 mm. Does that sound about right for thickness? That's a fairly thick shim. My driver's door only shuts half-way occasionally, like some cars do when the cabin is sealed really well, and this might be worth a try. The hinges do have some play.

Glad you got it fixed. Not sure what your comments mean though, since all of the internally regulated alternators from 78 to 83 are wired the same way, and the FSM diagram is correct I believe. Just posting, with pictures, for any future alt swappers. The top of the T is S and up and down part is L. Of course, in the FSM drawings, the T is upside down, maybe that's the issue. I copied two, from 78 and 79, just to show what I mean.