Zed Head

Read back over the thread and try the other suggestions. Water pump, fan, fan clutch, damper pulley, etc. Watch the pulleys and belts while the noise is happening. Light things up with a bright light.

It's just a typical subscription service for resto videos. Odd that they don't describe more of what it's about. It's either a club for people that already know each other or just a common make-some-money scheme. What questions did you not answer? Might be a clue.

Do the front discs show signs of wear at all? Your lock-up experiments suggest that there's no front brake action. At ten mph it should have stopped immediately just from weight transfer to the fronts. A bad seal on the piston that provides front brake pressure could do that. The MC is two pressure cylinders in one bore. Might be that your front brake piston is just along for the ride in the MC bore.

I'd want to know what shape the engine was in before buying the power parts. A set of used injectors might be worth the money just to get it up on all six for a thrashing. Or having them cleaned and verified. A set of cleaned and verified injectors with documentation can probably be easily resold after your upgrade. There could be other reasons that the back three aren't combusting. The testing that's been described is pretty weak. No voltage seen, no noid lights, etc. And, on the tapping, you need something hard that causes a high frequency shock. A rubber mallet is not enough. Good luck, looks like fun. https://www.ebay.com/itm/187699479261?_skw=280zx+injectors https://protunerz.com/collections/intake-manifolds/products/l-series-intake-manifold-fuel-rail-75mm-throttle-body https://protunerz.com/collections/intake-manifolds/products/datsun-l-series-intake-fuel-injector-adaptors-14mm-11mm-1

They can get gummed up and stuck if they dry out. Gasoline residue. Sometimes they do come back to life. Tapping them with a solid object will sometimes break them free. You can do it with the engine running. You'll hear when it happens.

Probably want to find out what they mean by bad, and how they determined it. If they are bad electrically they can't be "rebuilt". Also, if they are rusted internally they can't be rebuilt. Cleaning, plus a new screen and pintle cap are all about all that a rebuilder can do, along with verifying flow rates and solenoid performance. They can't be disassembled. @Terrapin Z might have a set of old injectors. I don't know if he tests them or not.

That looks pretty simple really, doesn't it? Pretty standard resume stuff. What's interesting though is how specific things were added that were not in your original request. And the last item is kind of nonsensical. "offering long-standing industry relevance". That's not really something that is "offered" and not something that a member can use, like technical knowledge. Wasn't in the original request. Where did it come from? It's a dangerous pseudo-tool.

I just did a search for when the local school's year is over and the AI Overview says it is Thursday, June 12, 2026. And it gives the document that it "extracted" from. In the referenced document there is no mention of Thursday. "AI" just chose it as the day of the week. The AI slop epidemic is getting worse. It's incredible to watch. I still see people posting AI Overviews here and there as fact.

A recent AI interaction.

Edit - about $32,500. Not bad for somebody's garage hobby race car. The 76 US import to the UK is ending in minutes. Interesting that the seller commented that the fender edges had been cut and properly sealed to fit the flares and wide tires but the images he uploaded seem to show raw rough cut steel. Nobody commented about it. Still looks like it will get a decent price. About $24,000 already. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-datsun-280z-117/ "The flared aspect of the wheel arches were removed to accept the new extended wheel arches to allow wider wheel fitment (10×5). This was done in a clean and linear manner and sealed with a view to no potential future corrosion. I will upload photos of the inside of the arches on Monday."

I have a 2003 F150 truck that uses a pilot bearing. I think that pilot bearings are more common today than bushings. (trivia - a bushing is actually a type of bearing). But the Ford part seems much more robust than the thin Nissan part. Might be a factor. I collected some stuff from the internet. Not sure how a person might decide which to use. #9, #9, #9 ... https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/engine-280z/piston-crankshaft/9 Weird that your part numbers don't match the MSA site. I tried to search them and nothing came up. Are they old images? I had to use words. https://www.thezstore.com/product/5789/roller-clutch-pilot-bearing-70-20-240z-260z-280z-280zx-300zx-350z-370z-23-25-nissan-z-w-manual-trans https://www.thezstore.com/product/1069/clutch-pilot-bushing-manual-transmission-70-96-240z-260z-280z-280zx-300zx-z31-z32-03-20-350z-370z-23-25-nissan-z https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/precision/engines---transmissions/transmission---transaxle/clutch-parts/clutch-pilot-bearing-bushing/2b39333b9fdb/precision-clutch-release-bearing/ope0/fc68329/v/a/5307/automotive-truck-2003-ford-f-150

Is the other throttle return spring attached? Me again. Never thought I'd hang around this long. Just lucky that I bought a car with all of the problems. Edit - p.s. - check the linkage back to the firewall and to the pedal in the cabin also. Might need lubrication or adjustment. Don't forget carpet under the pedal.

Which part number? Exact match or not? Just curious, I already know that a variety worked on my car.

So, you're not using the switch when it's hot outside? Might want to give it a squirt and see if things are better. Here's what the FSM says about its operation. Don't forget though that today's gasoline is less volatile than back then. Formulations have changed for emissions purposes. It's kind of interesting but not talked about much. https://www.google.com/search?q=volatility+vapor+of+gasoline+today+clean+air+act+history

What did you get and where from?

I think that w3wilkes is suggesting that your CSV has failed. Would be worthwhile to confirm that it's squirting. It's probably almost 48 years old.

I'd squirt some oil in the adjustment hole and spin the drum before destroying it. You'll waste the shoes but not the drum. It's the friction of the shoes that's holding it, plus maybe a ridge inside the drum. Lubrication wil help. It can take a surprising amount of force to get the drum off. Typically, wiggling it back and forth a mm at a time, pulling on the edges of the drum, will get it to move. I get the impression, no offense, that you're being too gentle, because it's "not right" that it's stuck. Use controlled brute force. After banging that screwdriver against the adjustment wheel.

A test, if you can time it right, is to open the hood and press the throttle blade closed while the idle is hanging. Even if you've cleaned everything, it's a test worth doing. Narrows the possibilities down. Also not clear if the idle slowly drops to normal or if it's just high since you put things back together. The second might just be a vacuum leak. I had two cases of hanging high but don't want to complicate the discussion. Yet.

People are shocked! at the quality. Surprise.

Yes, but it's not clear what was done on this car. The lower port is not, apparently, blocked off. The big hose to the can seems to come from the lower block port. A person could argue "close enough", but, is it? The buyer can modify it, it's not a huge deal.

It has some odd mods. Check out the catch can plumbing. Looks like both crankcase vents run to the can. Can't tell if the system is actually open to atmosphere or plumbed to intake vacuum. Maybe there's a hose to the air filter box. And that's a lot of rubber fuel hose running over the top of the engine. Nissan used as much metal fuel tubing as they could, rubber hose was mostly short sections joining hard line. I watched some of the driving video and it's weird how these Youtube people become "authorities" on vehicles. Said that the Z's were considered to be poor handling, at about 8:14. Youtube is a very strange place. As is the internet in general.

You'll feel the teeth of the adjuster with the screwdriver. You'll be able to tell. A small thin screwdrive with a sharp edge is best. It has to grab the teeth as you push it inward. And, as noted, the access hole is at the bottom. The drawing that Nissan provides is good, just not well-explained. They're showing the screwdriver in action. They even show the direction of rotation. Jam it in, make the wheel turn until things get loose.

USA car in the UK. 1976. No reserve. Modified. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-datsun-280z-117/

Check your distributor breaker plate. They tend to get rusted and stop advancing timing under vacuum. That will affect emissions. Might be able to break it free with some lubrication, but don't force it. The plastic bearing retainer tends to break. Disconnect the vacuum canister rod and move it by hand. Or remove the retaining screw for the canister and move the canister back and forth. Sometimes the diaphragm in the canister cracks and vacuum no longer moves it. Be gentle. I checked Rockauto for Champion plugs and that number does not show. Closest is RN11. There sure are a lot more plug types spec'ed these days than I remember. I think that manufacturers might just be saying "close enough" to make some sales. Nickels and dimes... https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=205531&cc=1209260&pt=7212 https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/nissan,1978,280z,2.8l+l6,1209260,ignition,spark+plug,7212

What's the test procedure? Idle only or 2500 RPM under load? Does it have a catalytic converter? Since the system was designed to pass emissions I would set everything to factory specs. Ideally you'll be able to take it out for a good Italian tuneup or two before the test.