frenaud

hmmm.... I did read that KYBs didn't need oil in the housing, but I prefred not to risk it. A small amount to coat the bottom is a good idea though!

I'm replacing my strut cartridges on my 280z with KYBs. It's recommended to add some oil in the strut housing after inserting the new cartridge. The trouble is that there doesn't seem to be any seal up top. Just the large gland nut. Is that a problem?

Ok, so I've got a poly bushing kit, including 4 bump stops. Here are what my current upper spring seats look like (I have 2 of each): The first one seems to have an integrated bump stop. Should I try to remove it (looks bound pretty solidly)? Also, when disassembling my suspension, I noticed that there ware NO strut bearings! Are they necessary? I think there are supposed to be at the front? My new KYB dust boots also come with white bump stops. Which way would be best?

Well crap, there's my problem: No parts bag whatsoever in the box! I opened up the other tie-rod end's box and it has a small bag of parts, including a zerk fitting! Looks like I'll have to check with the place I bought them. Thanks guys!

Do I need to grease this new Moog tie-rod end (see attached pic)? There already is some grease in the hole, but there's no zerk fitting and the hole isn't threaded. Is it meant to be "no-maintenance"?

Thanks for you inputs everyone. I've decided to bite the bullet and replace them.

That's what I thought! Thank you for the info. I was planning on replace the bearings, but they are $45 each. The front ones were much cheaper.

Is there a way to remove the outer(?) rear wheel bearing that is pressed onto the shaft without destroying it? I'm refreshing my 280z's suspension and want to clean it and grease it again. I don't have a press, I went to a shop but they told me that if they took it out, it'll break.

It's from my 1976 280Z. Dunno if it's original or if the previous owner swapped it out.

Can anyone confirm the differential model that I just pulled from my Z? Seems like an open R200, but I'm not 100% certain. I have to replace the cover gasket on it. I'll be replacing the oil, changing the gasket and cleaning/painting the casing. Anything else I should do while it's off the car?

Well, bugger! So I should just replace all 4 while I'm at it? The springs are some Eibachs (black) that were already there when I bought the car. They "seem@ good, but I don't really have any way of checking them. From what I just researched there are some KYB, Tokico HP and Tokico Illumina. The Illumina will be out of my price range. Are the HPs really worth the price difference? The 280z's a semi-daily driver during the summer and I'm currently replacing all the bushings with poly. I really love a tight handling car, but not to the point of investing in a full coilover setup

I'm currently rebuilding/cleaning my suspension and have removed all 4 struts and separated them from the coil springs. From what I can see the struts are OEM. I can press the "shiny" part of the strut back into it's housing on 3 of the struts. The 4th one, I can push back in with my force, but it keeps coming back out again by itself over the course of a few seconds. What is the "normal" behavior of the struts once removed? Should I bother to open them up and replace the oil? The 2 front ones had slightly torn shock boots which I will be replacing and a bit of red-ish liquid in them if that matters.

Yeah, I turned on rage mode and bashed the crap out of that bolt. It was really stuck there solid, but I cam out victorious in the end.

Hammer Time! So, I hit the threaded bolt I presume? Steering knuckle, thanks! Currently, only the driver side is out, but it's good to know that they aren't mirror parts.

What is the name of the metal bracket attached to the balljoint and how the heck do I remove it? Removing the castle nut on top was a pain in the arse, as I couldn't get good leverage, but even with the nut removed, it's stuck there!

I've just had the start and solenoid rebuilt. So the wire goes to the switch on the steering column? I'm gonna test it for continuity. If it's good I might be tempted to replace my key-ignition with a push-button ignition (is that even still available?).

1976 280z: I've just replaced my starter and for fome reason it won't crank anymore. I've narrowed it down to my "excite" wire on the solenoid. I've rigged a switch connecting the + battery to the male connector on the solenoid spade, so I turn the key and flip the switch for a second or two and presto! It's a bit annoying and probably not very safe. Where does the excite wire lead to? I see it going into a mess of other wires that are all electric-tapped together. But I'd like to know if anyone could tell me where it ends up before I start taking everything apart.

I was wondering what would be the best thing to hook-up a "kill switch" to? My Z sleeps outside and I'd like a little bit of extra security, in this case a hidden switch I can just fflip before exiting the car. What should that switch disable? Ignition? Fuel pump?

Holy shiznit! I've been shopping car part websites and $125-$150 per injector?!?! I guess that's for OEM? Guess I should look for generics.

Yeah, after a bit of reading, that's what I'm planning on doing, along with the hoses. From what I gather I'll need the injectors (with o-rings), some FI tubing, some FI clamps and I'll probably replace the Phillips screws with some bolts while I'm at it as about half of them are pretty rusted. So, basically, I have to relieve fuel pressure, remove all rubber hoses leading to the metal fuel rail, unscrew the injectors, then pull out the rail with the injectors? Missing anything? Oh and the car started up again after letting it cool down, much to my relief! I suppose it's normal that it has trouble starting if only 5 cylinders are working?

Tracked it down to an injector. Whe I removed the electrical connectors on the injectors, one of them actually had gas in it... I'm guessing I'll need to replace it? I left that connector unplugged and also disconnected my coil wire to that particular cylinder. Idled it for about 5 minutes then drove it for another 5 and it seems to run with a lot more power and without stalling, albeit a bit "wonky" at times. I've parked the car and now it turns over, but won't start. I'll try again once the engine has cooled down. Any way to remove the injector without unplugging and taking out the whole fuel rail?

oops... sorry... 1976 280z with stock L28E engine. I also unplugged the "cold start injector" because it was always running, even when hot. Don't need it in the summer anyways.

Sometimes while driving I'll lose some power, my idle drops below 1k and the engine seems like it wants to shut off. Also, I can smell some gas (not burning). I was thinking of checking/replacing spark plugs. How could I also go about testing injectors? Anything else to check? Oh, and stopping the engine for a couple minutes seems to fix the problem.

Well thanks everyone. Was able to pull and replace the unit. Also replaced 2 hoses that seemed pretty worn. All runs at normal temps now.

Thanks everyone for your input. I'll be pulling the unit over the weekend and give you an update.