Wade Nelson

Through a little sneaky cut and paste here are similar close-outs for the 1980 Datsun 280ZX RockAuto Auto Parts

Sure. I'll take 'em. Let me know how much to send you for shipping. Thanks! Wade Nelson PO Box 1701 / 68 Eagle's Nest Arboles, Colorado 81121

10' x 6.8 x 8.8 inches tall (maximums) for a group 24 http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/electrical-s30/27636-240z-battery-size.html

Ahh can someone remind us when and where? Sounds like New England; that would be a bit of a drive from the 4-Corners.

I learned the same lessons after putting glasspacks on my '64 GTO. I had the tailpipes extended 8" beyond the bumper. They'd snag your pants going for the trunk but it was worth it to be able to hear the radio.

I can think of several alternative causes for a repeat leak besides a machine shop that didn't do their job correctly. One is a tiny crack in the head, which even the best machine shop is unlikely to find. It might require applying bluing or x-raying. If the head is flat, has been milled slightly for a perfect surface, then that's unlikely to the cause of the problem. So that points to the BLOCK side. How was the block prepared? Did someone use an abrasive wheel (3M zip disk) to remove old gaskets, and leave behind deep scratches? Or try to file it and not keep the file perfectly flat? What about the gasket? Is it the correct gasket? For a 2.4, not a 2.6 or 2.8? Turned the wrong way? If you've had leaks with two Felpro's (best in the biz, imho) then I"d try a different one next time around. Who knows, maybe they had a manufacturing problem. And definitely give Fel-Pro a call; they're great guys and will bend over backwards to help you troubleshoot a problem! What about your torque wrench. Is it a professional tool, calibrated within the past year --- and not dropped? What if you're simply not getting enough torque on the bolts? You could at least COMPARE it with a couple other wrenches. Even mighty Subaru had some head gaskets they absolutely couldn't get to seal, brand new, and issued bulletins instructing frustrated techs replacing them to pre-emptively dump in a film-canister sized container of leak sealer (ground up pecan shells? aluminum powder?)...to seal microscopic head gasket leaks. Google it if you dont' believe me. And the cost is negligible.

A battery at 12.3 is 50% discharged. And it should not drop below 9V when cranking. YOu most likely need a new battery. A fully charged battery is 12.6 or above with the engine not running. 12.1V is 90% discharged.

Hmm, I recently had the EXACT same problem with a 280ZX. Intermittent, one out of 10 cranks. If I shorted from the + post to the solenoid with a screwdriver it would hit and crank. I wired in a failsafe switch to crank it. I tried it the next time the keyswitch only produced a click and it blew a 15 amp fuse. At that point I replaced the starter. Some sort of failure mode in these starters causing excessive solenoid draw... which is a great way to ruin ignition switches.

I'd start by posting some pictures here. Chances are one of the serious enthusiasts here will want to buy it from you. Lots of rip-offs on eBay and Craigslist. Absolutely DO NOT hand the car or title over to ANYONE until you have CASH in hand. They even forge cashiers checks today!

I've cut out a pair of windshields using an razor knife. There is no way to save the rubber seal; either it's been glued to the windowframe or else it's in so dry and tight you couldn't "pop" it out without breaking teh windshield. I successfully recovered one windshield, I broke the other. What I found is that getting a USED windshield installed; well, you'll only pay $50-$75 more to get a NEW windshield installed. The seal, the labor, etc.....they're not in the BUSINESS of installing used windshields.

It seems to me you have two options. One, stick some new plugs in it, gapped correctly, and see how she drives with the Maxima ECU / AFM combination currently in it. You're not going to HURT anything. After a tank of gas check your mileage, pull the plugs, and if they're STILL black and fouled, and less than 20mpg or thereabouts, then it's time to make a change. Two would be to go to the junkyard and get an AFM and an ECM out of a '75-77 280Z, or find someone here to sell you those parts. As earlier posters have commented you can use just about ANY A11-600 000 and AFM, it's just that you'll have to hotwire your fuel pump if you use a '78 or later AFM. The earlier AFMs hve contacts which KEEP the fuel pump running as long as air was flowing through the ECM. This isn't needed while cranking, only after the engine starts, and it SHUTS DOWN the fuel pump if the engine stalls. An oil prssure switch can be rigged to do the same thing, or nothing at all. There's really no harm/no foul in having the fuel pump running anytime the ignition is on assuming you don't sit there listening to the radio. It's also helpful if you crash the car so the fuel pump doesn't empty the tank on you while you're upside down and on fire. There is no "matching" to be done; it's not like the AFM and ECM are calibrated to each other or anything. The ECM IS, however, calibrated to the displacement of the engine, the size of the injectors, etc. Which is why you want a 280Z 2.8 liter ECM and not a Maxima 2.4 liter ECM, despite the fact that the engine may start, and run "well enough."

It seems to me you have two options. One, stick some new plugs in it, gapped correctly, and see how she drives with the Maxima ECU / AFM combination currently in it. You're not going to HURT anything. After a tank of gas check your mileage, pull the plugs, and if they're STILL black and fouled, and less than 20mpg or thereabouts, then it's time to make a change. Two would be to go to the junkyard and get an AFM and an ECM out of a '75-77 280Z, or find someone here to sell you those parts. As earlier posters have commented you can use just about ANY A11-600 000 and AFM, it's just that you'll have to hotwire your fuel pump if you use a '78 or later AFM. The earlier AFMs hve contacts which KEEP the fuel pump running as long as air was flowing through the ECM. This isn't needed while cranking, only after the engine starts, and it SHUTS DOWN the fuel pump if the engine stalls. An oil prssure switch can be rigged to do the same thing, or nothing at all. There's really no harm/no foul in having the fuel pump running anytime the ignition is on assuming you don't sit there listening to the radio. It's also helpful if you crash the car so the fuel pump doesn't empty the tank on you while you're upside down and on fire. There is no "matching" to be done; it's not like the AFM and ECM are calibrated to each other or anything. The ECM IS, however, calibrated to the displacement of the engine, the size of the injectors, etc. Which is why you want a 280Z 2.8 liter ECM and not a Maxima 2.4 liter ECM, despite the fact that the engine may start, and run "well enough."

Fast -- I agree, it's a GREAT manual --- better than most. But the FSM vacuum line diagrams are virtually IMPOSSIBLE to translate into real world "this hose goes from here to here..." As often is the case with manuals, it makes PERFECT sense AFTER you get it all hooked up correctly...

Sounds to me like you found the cause of your lean stumble - find where it's supposed to connect, reconnect it, and see if stumble goes away.

Ok, I'll be the guy to wizz on your parade, since I helped design early digital ECM's for Bosch... Forget a plug and play L-jet replacement. And you already have the moment you discussed unplugging the AFM and plugging in a MAF. Should you decide you want your new ECM to also replace the (worn out) mechanical advance mechanisms in most Z-car distributors, you're already cutting wires and adding new connectors. Along with adding a fuel pump control (oil pressure based, etc?) You'd simply have to make TOO MANY compromises to make a new, tunable ECM plug and play on this old warhorse. You're far better off to get out the wirecutters and do it right.... It's time for you to go for broke. Megasquirt. MegaSquirt - Electronic Fuel Injection Computer by Bowling and Grippo ©2010 Megasquirt is an off the shelf DIGITAL fuel injection system. There's a community of thousands of users, tons of code, laptop monitoring, everything. You can buy a microcontroller, download some code, and be running in a week or two. And there are already Z car owners running Megasquirt, building harnesses, and writing software. MADKAW here on this forum is apparently involved. Your first task is to locate some guys actually daily driving some Z's running Megasquirt and road trip out to visit with them. Because that's all you will do with Megasquirt; wire it in, and write code to optimize it for the size injectors you chose, brand of MAF, 02 sensor, etc. There are hundreds of code snippets already available for you to cut and paste. Tuning software. Everything under the sun for a do-it-yourself ECM guy. If you want something to help and possibly to SELL TO other Z-car owners, come up with a complete Z- Megasquirt package, controller, optimized code, plugNplay wiring harness, replacement MAF, distributor kit, etc.

Here's a link to the Factory Service Manual (FSM) on the 1977. http://www.xenons30.com/files/FSM/77_datsun_280z.zip There should be a vacuum line diagram in there in the emissions section. Truly the fastest method would be to chase down another 280Z and take pictures, draw diagrams. The FSM is ...obtuse. I rather doubt your cold starting problems are related to vacuum lines. More likely your Auxiliary Air Valve isn't functioning properly, and/or your cold start injector isn't squirting. Suggest you SEARCH on AAV here and read up on theory of operation, cleaning/testing replacing.

We really don't need to discuss moving your arse cheeks up and down in a forum about classic Z cars, do we? What? Tweaking? Not TWERKING??? *Nevermind!*

Yeah, that sounds painful, esp to an electrical guy like me.

You ought to consider a ZX. For starters the front ends don't float off the ground when you get above 70mph. You don't have to eff with carburetors and chokes. There are fewer rust-thru problems. It's a slightly longer, heavier car, more sports-touring than a cornering machine, and if you regularly do long drives or a long commute you'll appreciate the smoother ride. These days they also tend to be CHEAPER than a Z in equivalent condition so you get even MORE for your money.

I must disagree with the majority of FastWoman's conclusions about airbags. They're lifesavers in 98% of all deployments. I used to work in the industry; interning at GM, and designing airbag control circuits for a wheelchair van conversion firm. Witness one 29mph front or rear impact test and watch those crash test dummies getting whipsawed back and forth and you WILL want airbags for your daily driver. Have airbags caused injuries; yes, to 5 percentile women (below 5'3, 100#), to children in improper seats, to people leaning forward resulting in their face being mere inches away from the bag when it deployed. Have airbags deployed improperly or failed to deploy; yes, they frequently fail to deploy in snow/ice rollovers. But all of these are extremely rare. In the VAST majority of deployments airbags SAVED LIVES. Talk to ANYONE whose had their life saved by an airbag. THAT's the input you want to hear. Below 25mph a seatbelt alone is fine, from 25-45mph you will likely survive if you have a seatbelt AND a functioning airbag, above 50mph it's a crapshoot whether you will survive an accident. Hopefully you or the other driver brake so your impact speed is BELOW 45mph. Did you know that in a modern vehicle the airbag ECU "weighs" the passenger to determine how hard to blow the bag --- full or partial blow, or no blow at all for childseat or package resting on the seat? We used to joke about adding a "girlfriend getting fat" light to the dash.... ABS, computer designed crumple zones; steel I-beams in the doors, all these features save lives. And the Z-lacks them and airbags. (Although the long hoodline DOES make a nice crumple zone for a front impact)... As a daily driver, the Z is woefully deficient, safety-wise, compared to even the cheapest airbag-equipped econobox available today.

Salvage yard?

On my '92 4Runner the fan will run for a minute or two when cold and then stop spinning. It's a very audible difference; the engine quiets down considerably once the clutch disengages. Once it gets hot, it again starts spinning. On my 280ZX the fan started with engine start (at 90 degrees ambient) and never quit spinning today after I replaced some heater hoses and let it heat up, radiator cap off, to "burp." How about yours. Does it quit spinning on a cold startup? Like me, you probably never pay any mind to it until you develop an overheating problem. I'm thinking I"m due for a new fan clutch.

My last valve adjustment (actually just an inspection) I left fuel injector wires where they got pinched between the valve cover and the head. Took me weeks to figure out what the heck had gone wrong with the FI, in the meantime ordering lots of replacement parts. Like you say, a moment of carelessness can result in carless-ness.

I found a chain of stations (Alon) that sells alcohol-free gas. I use it exclusively, primarily to reduce vapor locking. It makes a BIG difference on hot restarts, at least on my car. Alcohol in gas is both good AND bad. You typically only hear about the bad; that it can cause vapor locking, is hard on OLD STYLE rubber hoses, carburetor gaskets, etc. But it's not the demon it's made out to be. Alcohol (ethanol) added to gas boosts the octane of that gas, and it also "gathers" water both in your tank and in the station's tanks. Not that many Z enthusiasts care but it also reduces emissions by providing additional oxygen to the combustion process. Probably the PRIMARY downside of alcohol is that it is a LOWER ENERGY DENSITY fuel than gasoline. In other words, you will get WORSE gas mileage, fewer MPG's with an added-alcohol fuel than you will from straight gas. In real life this might be 1-3mpg's on most vehicles, although on some motorcycles, I've had friends claim as much as 4-8 MPG. On a Z-car, prone to vapor locking, I'd definitely go for zero-alcohol fuel. In my other cars, it's an economic decision. If alcohol-free costs more than 10% more, it's not worth taking a 5% mileage hit to avoid it. The price differential for alcohol-free varies a lot, so you have to do your own economic analysis. You can't buy fuel line that's not alcohol-resistant today so it's only a worry if you've got 20-year old fuel lines which you, btw, ought to be replaced for safety reasons anyway. Be sure you don't pay top dollar for high-pressure fuel INJECTION hose (60-100psi) if your'e running a carbureted 240....(1-5 psi) Summary: Alcohol-free; good for Z's, not really justified in most newer cars with rubber hoses resistant to the harmful fx of alcohol.