Wade Nelson

Please, do NOT waste $$$ on a new ECU. Not until you have exhausted ALL other possibilities. You just gave a major clue --- dim headlights typically indicate you have a poor ground. Check your main ground to your engine block and the littler one to the body. Make sure there isn't PAINT underneath them, if so, grind it off so it's bare metal to shiny bare metal. Pull your battery terminals, inspect, clean, and re-install. I don't CARE if they look perfect, you can get white lead oxide between the terminal and the post that is INVISIBLE unless you remove them. Your engine cutout is, in 99% probability, due to loss of nice, clean, 12V power to your ECU and other systems. IF a fuse isn't blown, then it isn't your problem. But do replace them with the correct size.

Invisible forces are the true test of a mechanic. Upon encountering "invisible forces" do they reach for A) crowbar, a FSM, or C) a cellphone (to call their mentor). You want the mechanics in group C.

Start by checking vacuum. That will give you an indication of the health of the valves, rings, mechanicals. http://www.classictruckshop.com/clubs/earlyburbs/projects/vac/uum.htm Chances are VERY good you simply have a vacuum leak somewhere, and that unmetered air is what's causing your miss. One very fast way to find it is to smoke the manifold, using a tool only a shop will have --- a smoke machine, that pressurizes the intake manifold to 1-2psi with smoke. Pull off all the rubber boots between the air cleaner and the throttle body, clean, and inspect using a bright light to find cracks in the bellows, etc. See if you can get rid of the miss (a lean miss) by adding faux fuel. If not, attempt to identify the cylinder misfiring -- pull plug wires, or find a shop with an old-tymey "Engine analyzer" --- oscilloscope. 30 seconds to show which cylinder has the problem. Modern vehicles (OBDII) all do misfire detection automatically, and report it to scan tools, so finding a guy who knows how to use a scope (and has one) may be a challenge. Ask around, ask one shop what OTHER shops might have a engine scope. http://www.governmentauctions.org/uploaded_images/engineanalyzer-778764.jpg

We already have a boobs thread on this site. And now you want to add trannys???

If you're "going through rotors" every few months, you probably have your aftermarket coil wired wrong. A coil should ONLY full receive B+ (battery positive voltage) when cranking. Typically you run the 12V from the starter solenoid right up to the coil + terminal. Once the engine is running a so-called "ballast" resistor is used to drop the voltage delivered to the coil down to 8V or so. You can buy a ballast resistor at NAPA, or go steal one off an old FORD at the junkyard. Its a big, heavy wattage, typically ceramic resistor often mounted on the firewall. I ran a Subaru with some OMG big aftermarket coil wired directly to B+ for awhile. After less than 3000 miles I pulled the plugs. I couldn't figure out where my spark plug electrodes went to. It was simply vaporizing them. A GM HEI ignition "only" puts out 40,000 volts. One of those MSD coils hooked directly to B+ may put out 200-300,000 volts. Upside: You'll never foul a plug. Downside: You may wonder where your plug electrodes, points, ... went to. And THAT is what is most likely eating your rotors.

Keeping the ignition circuit from broadcasting is only one function of a condensor in an ignition circuit. The other is making the points last longer. A LOT longer. Without a condensor, metal will migrate from one point to the other until they're unusable. With a condensor exactly matched to the size of the coil (capacitance = inductance) there will be no metal transfer. Too much capacitance and the metal will move the other way. You can never exactly balance the two, so all you're really doing is GREATLY slowing down the transfer. When the points open, current stops flowing. Well current doesn't LIKE to stop flowing, so, without a condensor it will make a nice big arc --- which carries the metal from one point to the other. With a condensor, that "arc" essentially gets shorted out. It gives it a place to go. W-ARC, btw, is the station COIL plays on, and you can hear it ANYWHERE on the dial. Typically an ignition condensor has one wire and the case is grounded. With a meter you could figure out if a 2-wire condensor is actually two capacitors in a single case, (like for a dual-point ignition) or if they simply ran a second lead rather than using the case for ground.

If I were wiring up a NEW fusebox I'd run power from either the alternator or the battery B+ terminal, and from a relay providing ignition switched power from either one of those two. I'd use 10 gauge wire. I'd have a 60 amp "main" fuse on the first feeds. 20 or 30 amp on the ignition relay, depending on what the relay is rated. Use two relays in parallel if I need more switched juice. So I'd need a 2 or 3-feed fusebox, and fuse my individual various accessories off of one of those feeds, depending on when I wanted the circuit to be active --- always or only when the ignition is on. I'd suggest you get a factory service manual, see what the stock fusebox is, whether you can recycle it, or go steal a more modern ATC-style fuse fusebox out of some newer vehicle at the junkyard and go from there. I found NAPA's selection of "home-brew" fuseblocks quite limited, and limiting. If you need more help or advice than that, I suggest you hire an auto electrician.

Ya know, if the rest of the car is georgeous, the bottoms can be fixed. Request they fix it, but politely. Don't become the Z-owner they never want to see again because sure as chit, 2 weeks from now someone will ding your door and you'll have to go back to have THEM fix it. Don't burn bridges with your attitude. Just accept they got 80% and are now going to make it right. When you're ready to pay $10,000 for a paint job, THEN you can throw a hissy fit when it's not perfect. My guess: Your paint guy is over six feet tall.

Ignition module failure, ignition SWITCH failure, sudden death while running is almost always electrical in nature. You're losing fire. Confirm this by hitting it with some starting fluid next time it happens. If it won't start, it's definitely electrical. If it fires right back up it's probably fuel starvation.

Positive and negative terminals are actually slightly different sizes. Be sure you have the right one. Clamped down tight even air shouldn't be able to get in there and form oxides. If you have a "repair" bolt-on terminal, toss it and go get a new manufactured cable or have a local shop make you one. At this point you may have scrubbed enough lead / lead oxide off the terminal NOTHING will fit tight.

Would I be out of line to suggest it's time to hire a professional mechanic and get it fixed instead of jerking around on the Internet?

What he said.

I just pulled the electrical. I figured with no electrical input it would stay in whatever position it was in last, whether closed, or leaking and it would be pretty easy to figure out which. It appears to be closed. I'm replacing it anyway. Do you still have your tester?

One of those cars is beautiful, a timeless piece of metal art.

I decided to invest in a new set of injectors after speaking with a local mechanic friend. Vehicle is 1980 280ZX, 230k miles, which runs terrific, and gets excellent MPGs. My ZX usually starts IMMEDIATELY, and other times cranks and cranks, AS IF the fuel rail has lost pressure. In addition I've twice found liquid fuel in BCCD vaccum lines and a strong aroma of fuel on startup / underhood SUGGESTING a sometimes-leaking injector backfilling the throttle body. I've recently tried driving around with the Cold Start Valve unplugged, and it didn't seem to change things one way or the other. I figured it would either lengthen my starting cranks, or perhaps solve the loss of pressure problem. It did neither. So that LACK of change suggests it may be one of the primary injectors that's leaking. Ed, a local mechanic I've worked with for years, told me he has cut apart a few failed or failing injectors over the years and what he most often found was that a return spring where a couple of the coils had broken off. That seems consistent with an injector that OCCASIONALLY fails to close, and leaks fuel. It also suggests that rebuilding an injector may not solve the problem. Do the springs get replaced? I was going to pop for some NOS Bosch injectors some guy in California had, he was asking "only" $200, but another Z owner here....NEVERMIND!!! So I went with some STANDARD injectors being offered on Ebay. I don't know if they'll come with new seals or if I'll have to chase those down. At 200+K miles, it just seemed like TIME, given my symptoms. So what has replacing injectors done for you? Boosted performance or MPG's? Improved starting at all?

If your hose is too small you might try dating Asian women.

I've started cars on everything from ether to brake cleaner to, in desperation, WD-40. I drew the line at spray paint, . Hairspray (AquaNet) and Lysol should work too, as that's what we charged our potato cannon, and flamethrower with, respectively. And to answer the OP's question, yes, it is 100% safe to crank the engine with the distributor cap removed. Just don't leave it hanging where the fan is going to catch it. I always START with the ether and check spark IF ether fails to give me a running engine. Time is money and a squirt of ether takes 10 seconds. Replacing a torn spark plug boot takes a trip to the parts store. After my 2nd or 3rd "electrocution" by a GM HEI ignition (40,000+ Volts) I broke down and bought a spark tester. Those brain cells are never coming back.

Well, a used 280ZX heater core magically appeared on my doorstep. It doesn't look rotted, but it'll be up to you to test and/or repair it prior to use.

This deserves a repost, the link in the original is SNAFU. http://media.caranddriver.com/files/the-periodic-table-of-sports-cars.pdf The omission of the pony cars, Camaros / Mustangs seems glaring....

Won't crank or won't start?

Julio - Immediately invest $12 in a copy of Barbara Winter's book, "How to Make a Living without a Job." Within a year you could very easily be making a SURVIVABLE living by taking your hobbies and talents and turning them into 5-6 individual small profit centers. For example, get good at doing something on Z-cars and offer it as a service to other Z-owners, like building replacements for some extinct part, body panel, relay pack, whatever. Start doing sailboat repairs as well! You'll need several small businesses, preferably tax-free, cash ops. I can't recommend this book too highly; I'm a former Defense & Silicon Valley engineer also (Daisy Systems), and I am surviving quite nicely, thank you, without a corporate job. Never been happier. http://www.amazon.com/Making-Living-Without-Job-revised/dp/0553386603

Thanks for the good ideas.

The little "grille" underneath the windshield wipers, which admits fresh air to the HVAC system and contains the wiper "transmission." How or where does that drain rain away? To the sides, or are there drain tubes which might be clogged? I'm getting wet carpets, the leak APPEARS to be under the dash near the steering column, and it does NOT seem to be the windshield seal.

My assumption was the ECM had a fuel pump output that controlled the fuel pump relay, but your post suggests otherwise: Let's figure out the logic if it's all done the "hard way..." 1) The alternator provides power to run the fuel pump while engine is spinning, quits pumping fuel if the engine stops. 2) Oil pressure provides a failsafe to cut off the fuel pump if oil pressure is lost. 3) The CRANK signal provides power to run the fuel pump BEFORE oil pressure comes up. 4) Ideally you'd want the fuel pump to run for 5-10 seconds @ ignition on to prime it, but that would get complex The oem relay/circuit may "allow" the FP to run for 5-10 seconds @ ignition on UNTIL it looks to see if it has oil pressure. Duplicating ALL of that would indeed be complex, but a simpler circuit would work fine for most drivers. At most 2 diodes and 2 relays. $25. If these relays are truly extinct maybe I should start manufacturing a plugNplay replacement, or at least sketch out a circuit for those who need one. I'd need an old one to cut apart & play with. And someone begging or bribing me to do so...

Your vehicle could be: A) Vapor locking Losing pressure in the rail (i.e. leaky check valve, bleeding fuel back into the tank) C) Flooding due to leaky injector or cold start valve D) Failing to provide the cranking enrichment (failed CSV, wiring, ... or E) some combination of the above. Tee-ing in a fuel pressure gauge and seeing if your rail is losing pressure after shutdown will point you in the right direction before you spend a lot of $ on a set of new injectors Testing the CSV (and signals from the ECM controlling it) with a DVOM or "noid light" and having it "pee in a cup" to verify proper operation might save you the $71 RockAuto currently gets for a replacement. You might verify operation of the "auxiliary fan" which is SUPPOSED to blow air over the injectors after shutdown. Mine never kicked in, the coolant temp switch simply never hit 210 degrees. I wish I could buy a 180 or 190 switch but none is available. So I wired in a toggle switch in the cockpit so I can FORCE it to run the fans after shutdown --- they still shut off after 15 minutes giver take a minute or too. Occasionally a "deal" will come along on a set of new injectors (*picking up another rock*) but some well-intentioned do-gooder will sometimes spoil the deal, preventing you from getting a bargain. You CAN send your injectors out for re-building for about $130 IF that's the direction your diagnosis takes you. These cars have ALWAYS been prone to hot restart problems, as noted in the original Car/Driver & Road/Track reviews. As FastWoman pointed out (*taking aim*) the fuel pressure simply wasn't high enough on these early fuel injection systems to PREVENT vapor locking, esp with "oxygenated fuels" containing ethanol. Modern systems tend to run 35-85 psi. My personal ZX starts "Well enough, often enough." But nothing like a newer Toyota or Nissan which starts and catches the very instant you twist the key to "crank." Every single time. Throwing rock at do-gooder.... (* A DIRECT HIT *)