S30Driver

He mentioned that he had them powder coated. They look great.

With the headlights on, the load on the alternator goes up, changing the stress on the bearings - whatever is causing the mechanical noise. If it was a rebuilt alternator from a chain parts place, relatively new means nothing .... Replace it, and if not done already, with at least a zx internally regulated unit - a simple conversion, before it strands you.

The relay that usually causes the problem in the zx is the one behind the glove box. Its the green one, closest to the firewall of the three mounted there. Check to see if any moisture has gotten in there and corroded the connections. Easiest to access with the glovebox liner removed. Also, reseat the ecu connections a few times to clean up those connections (behind the left drivers side kick panel) the fuel pump relay gets its signal from this connector.

You probably got water / de-greaser / moisture inside the TPS (throttle position sensor). It's the small black box that sits on the side of the throttle body, has sets of contacts inside that will short if moisture gets inside, telling the ECU to cut fuel. Unplug the cable from it & see if the problem goes away, then blow it dry with compressed air or heat, clean the contacts. Cover it with a plastic bag when washing the motor area in the future...

Wow Sorry to see that happen to your car. Lucky though the other car was not higher & do damage to the hood or more. Looks like Dave's weld held up pretty good though....

The thermotime switch tells the cold start valve when to operate & enrich the fuel mixture or prevent it from injecting fuel depending on temperature. Your cold running drivability problems might be a problem with the wiring harness between the engine bay & ecu. Check those connections just after the wiring that leaves the thermostat housing. I think they are bullet connectors. And, try to resist the siren call of the su's for now....

I have Rb's on my car. I used a set of McGard spline drive lug nuts, part # 65454. The wheels take a conical seat, thin or tuner style lugs. You will never get a wrench or socket on standard size lugs with those wheels.

Go with Neapco or Spicer brands.

Welcome The depth of knowledge & detail by members in this forum is immense. Browse the archives, everything you need to know is there. And of course, members love to see pictures of your new project. Best of luck!

Turbo's ECCS system does not use a thermotime switch, since it has no cold start valve. Are you referring to the timer that controls the injector cooling fan? If you don't have it, download the 81 FSM with the turbo supplement. Study the ECCS section, it is very different from the EFI system. Follow the troubleshooting steps. Just to let you know, this thread should be in the ZX section.

Check & clean the connection at the cylinder head temp sensor, it is on the pass side, between plugs 5 &6. Connector is the same as the injectors. If it is malfunctioning, it will tell the ecu it is cold all the time & send more fuel. Also clean the ecu's 3 connectors (driver side kick panel) with quality contact cleaner & plug and unplug the about 10 times to clean up the contacts. The turbo cars are very sensitive to bad electrical connections. If you have not gone thru all the engine bay connections, efi ignition grounds, I would recommend it.

Been tracking down a intermittant squeak & dull thumping sound from the rear for the last few weeks. Also some vibration under power (there since I got the car but seemed to be getting more pronounced) The sound went away after the car gets up to speed, >30mph and some days seemed worse than others. Took a look at the driveline, checked all the bolts, driveshaft as well, and found a little play in the passenger side half shaft. Pulled it yesterday & discovered alot of play in the inboard u-joint, bearings shot. Had both joints replaced with Neapco joints at Drivelines NW (did a great job, 2 hr turnaround) and refurbed the rest of the shaft myself. Got it back in, went for a drive and the problem is Gone! About and 90% improvement. Very pleased, much smoother & no unusual noises. Will pull & check the driver side shaft tomorrow for peace of mind. Drivelines NW ... Recommended

The turbo cars are the exception, they do not use a cold start valve.

Looks like a very comprehensive list. Only thing I can think of offhand is a quality grade 10.9 stud/nut kit for the intake / exhaust / carb setup.

The unplugged wiring is indeed the fuel pump. You can test it & prime the system without cranking the motor by temporarily unplugging the starter solenoid and turning the key to the start position. You should hear the pump run. Fuel could be a problem if it has been sitting a long time. Take your time checking everything & getting it running .... best of luck!

I agree with changing the fuel hoses, new clamps & filter. You can also try some starting fluid to see if it fires up & will run for a few seconds. Might want to keep a fire extinguisher handy for the initial fireup & until you have confidence everything is checked out and under control.

Aside from a major front end component problem as mentioned above, the alignment is high on the list of suspects from what you describe. One tie rod could be way off. With the steering pointed as straight ahead as you can get it, take a look at the front wheels from directly ahead - does one seem to be angled a little in or out more than the other? Could be many things, including a bent strut or other front end component. My guess is it will need ball joints & tie rods unless those were maintained.

Dave, Terrapin Z gave me a great deal on them. Did alot of prep & cleaning, will probably get them re-chromed this winter. But they are pretty presentable for now.

It is unusually hot in Seattle last few days, just don't fill the tank all the way. Gas really expands whan you park outside in this heat & if the tank is full, forces it out the filler.

Is it possible you overfilled it? What weight gear oil did you use? It is a 4speed & not an automatic, right? I would have drained it & replaced with Redline product, including the diff.

In for 1 mount James

Most likely the oil pressure sender. See if it is leaking oil. Try cleaning the connection while you are there.

To simplify things, get a 280zx 70amp alternator & Dave Irwin's plug adapter which will eliminate the eternal regulator. This is a simple bolt on upgrade many people are running. Replace the battery cables if they are old, clean the fusable link connections, & make sure all main grounds are clean and tight.

I used stainless bolts with a nylon spacer & rubber washers for the bumper ends after chasing the threads with a tap. Tough to get to those bolts inside the fender, but do-able. Nice & solid, finished this morning after picking up the washers etc.

As ZH said, Jegs has them, also Summit Racing. Many people use a liquid filled gauge to prevent vibration damage.