rcb280z

That is sweet! Wish I could do something like that here in CA and be smog legal.

Yes Jan, I was asking you how it ran. There is hope for my Z after all?! Guess I will look into it. What did you start with? I mean is there just a basic system? Maybe you can post a link or more info.

So how does it run right now?....good?

Hagdog, I would advise you to start collecting what you need for parts as they are becoming harder and harder to find. And when you do find what you need it may be in bad shape as well. Not saying it is impossible...just getting difficult to find good parts. Looks good in the one pic. How about some more pics. BTW, welcome to the club.

Your right about that and usually I do. However this time I didn't have another one and had to get this thing together so I could smog and register it in CA. I knew I was taking a chance. I hope it's just a loose nut on one of the studs. It's not bad. Just don't want it to get worse. Good to hear from you Dan! Rob.

Anyone that has followed my "EFI relay unplugged" know that I just recently solved (with the forums help) most of my fuel injection issue. I now have an exhaust leak at the header. I hope it is just a bolt that has come loose from the head. Anyway, I hear it only after it has sat overnight! Hmmm...sounds like that could be my cold start problem! It takes about 2 minutes for the leak to seal and that's about how long it takes for the cold idle to work properly. Next item on the list....check exhaust/intake bolts.

Hey Bruce, check your PM.

I mean Magnaflow for the exhaust. :stupid:

I don't know if you can purchase the rubber only. I ordered the whole piece from BD and am not happy with it. The stock one is heavy gauge compared to the BD one. I will take a look at the motorsport one in April at the show. It was too easy to dimple the new one. It is thin metal.

Ok, took it out today and drove it around for a little while. Runs pretty good. But it is still a little rich running. I think it is fine at idle but somewhere after the idle circuit before WOT I believe it gets rich. The TPS is dead on, just checked again. So I need to find out when adjusting the AFM, difficult to do w/o the right equipment, where the fine line is. That is hard to find. If I could leave idle adjustment alone and find a good setting for say like 3/4 throttle I think I would be good. While I was out cruising around today I stopped and had a new Dyna-flow exhaust from the cat back installed. They did a nice install. I think everything is good now. I want to thank everyone that helped me trouble shoot the issue's with my EFI system. I hope this is the last of the problems for awhile. I am going to do some fine tuning though. Now on to the clunking sound that sounds like it is coming from the passenger rear.

Just got my card in the mail too. I will go. I go every year. Wish my Z looked nice enough to enter!

Wow, original! awesome. Thanks for the pics! I will post pics of mine as soon as I can get around to installing them.

Hmmm...I wonder why, if it has worked for years and years, he would want to replace it.

Blue, I set the AFM wiper to the 1500 rpm range like the one in the pic you supplied me. It was off like one "click" and it changed the way it idled immensely. Just one click! I took it out for a drive and it felt good. So I will drive it again tomorrow and post results. I can't believe how much better it seems right now. I think I am still a little rich off idle...smells like it. My TPS is dead on so I need to adjust bypass screw little bits at a time. But not yet. Going to drive it a bit first. If it feels good I will leave it alone unless mileage sucks. Plugs still look lean!? I'm also going to take Zed's advice and have a leak down test done. I want to know whats going on in those cylinders.

When CA does the smog test they don't measure "upstream" from the cat. They stick the "sniffer" in the tail pipe and if you are not within spec you fail. I don't know that much about them either but I know they lower the amount of HC coming out of the exhaust. I would imagine HC would be much higher before it went through the cat. As the exhaust pushes through the cat it heats it up burning the raw excess fuel (HC). I know the CA cars also have a "floor temp warning" sensor alerting the driver to a overheating cat. I have never experienced this nor know anyone that has. But it is there incase it over heats and my understanding is if you are too rich it could over heat the cat also.

Hell, the stock system is a PITA. Just read my thread "EFI relay unplugged" and you'll see the problems I'm having! If I could I would take it all out and install an aftermarket system like Megasquirt or something I would. Don't know if it would pass the visual inspection in CA.

Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. They are the stock heat range. B6ES11. Capt. Obvious, yes I do have a CAT and it's not even 2 years old yet but have contemplated taking it in for a new one. They are not too expensive. I couldn't tell you anything about the composition.

Blue, I agree with you. But if you could experience how it is running you would think different. That's why I pulled the plugs because I expected to see them fuel fouled. 16 miles per gallon is all I got yesterday on that short trip. City and highway driving.

What should the resistance be for the air temp sensor inside the AFM? I have read 2500 ohms. In both of my AFM's they only read between 1700 & 1800 ohms. Should I be concerned?

Almost forgot something important. My wife and I jumped in the Z and drove it down the PCH through Malibu to Santa Monica and it ran ok if we were driving and not going through stop and go traffic. It was nice to get it out and run it. But, by the time we got back home it was really running rich. I had my wife rev it a couple of times and it was blowing black smoke out the exhaust. And I leaned it out by 8 teeth before we left on the drive. So I pulled a couple of plugs and they look good to me.

The popping, After leaning the AFM...turning wheel (spring) CW about 8 teeth if I rev the engine it will at times, although rare, pop through the AFM. So I know it is lean. It runs perfect cold. I don't think it pops at all when it's cold. You can tell when it's warming up because that's when it starts popping through the exhaust. During idle it pops, if I slowly rev the engine up and hold it at any rpm it pops. When coasting it pops. It really seems to pop (backfire) through the exhaust at all times but when it's cold. I did a compression test and the results are in post# 76. Adjusted valves about 4 months ago. I do it 1-2 times a year. I haven't checked actual valve timing or done a leak down test. But that gives me another direction to go in which is why I'm here asking for help. I know the post is jumping around some and that's why I did a "summed up" post (#129). There have been a lot of ideas and I have done, and will continue to do, my best at getting the results back. So I just ask that you bare with me. I tried a video recording but my camcorder stinks! It wouldn't pick up anything clearly. Will see if I can barrow one. Zed, one question, If it had anything to do with the combustion chamber would it (pop / backfire) all the time? Cold or hot. Once again, thank you, to all of you.

OK I just pulled the AFM to see how the 7 pins looked....looking for corrosion and found none. Couldn't remember if I had check last time it was off. The inside of my AFM seemed a little oily. Like an oily residue. Could that be from the popping through the intake I get occasionally? I just richend the AFM slightly so it would run a little better and to help avoid the backfire through the AFM. Don't think I'm too concerned because it is the original with the anti-backfire spring but none the less.

UPDATE: On the cold start aspect; when I started the car this morning I let it struggle with the unstable idle...didn't touch the throttle. Took about 3 minutes, seemed like it was searching, but the car actually made it's way to the cold idle range. About 1300 rpms and then slowly dropped to factory setting. OK this is good. I can accept this. On the rich running condition: Experience would tell you that popping through the exhaust means "rich" correct? And popping through the intake means "lean" correct? So what the heck does it mean when you have both? I thought you could only have one or the other. If I hit the throttle it will pop through the AFM occasionally. But it sits there popping through the exhaust like there is an intermittent miss during idle and part throttle. Don't know about full throttle. The plugs are clean as you can see in post #77. Could I have a combustion chamber issue here? I have a friend that had to replace his heads on his chevelle engine because he was having a similar issue. Thoughts?

Wow, wish I could be so lucky!

Another question for Fastwomen. What's the difference between the potentiometer adjustment and the AFM adjustment. Wouldn't you get the same results for enrichment?