Wade Nelson

Turns out your reply actually had some merit; instead of sticking a resistor pack up in the airstream they stick the cooling fins for the power transistor portion of the "amplifier" up in the airstream for cooling. I pulled mine down expecting it to be coated with leaves, grass, etc. but it was clean. The transistor DID look like it had gotten hot at some point... case was brownish My guess is my problem is in the relay, since revving the motor (increasing voltage) made the AC kick back in one time. Higher voltage can sometimes arc through corrosion on relay contacts and re-establish contact. I may also hardwire a DPDT "failsafe switch" to send 12V directly to the blower motor. bypassing the speed control completely ..when the other system kicks out. That way I can keep MY cool when it quits blowing halfway to the Z-car rally in Arizona... should spin a little faster too, since there's typically a .7V drop through ANY transistor based speed control -- meaning the fan is "seeing" 11.3 max instead of 12.0 like it would if wired directly. Well, I just pulled down the relay, swapped it actually, and dissected the old one... And THERE IT IS. Right on the contacts is a tiny hi spot where metal has transferred from one contact to the other over time, preventing full and complete contact. That little "whisker" will also get oxidized over time and become non-conductive, unless the contacts are pure gold. Probably not, on a Datsun. The solution? An emery file or emery cloth to burnish the contacts a little. So there it is, a 15 minute fix to an intermittent blower fan.

Delayed response... Suggest you pull the amplifier down from the airbox and make sure the cooling fins are not covered in leaves / pine needles / other debris. If it overheats it will shut down.

Today I put together and bench tested my new audio setup. Includes a fancy new JVC headunit, with Ipod controller, bluetooth, HDFM, everything, including a remote control I might try and mount to the steering wheel... I'd always gone with Sony & Pioneer (staring with my very first SupertunerIII) but the JVC's controls were more intuitive... I prefer NOT wrecking cars while figuring out how to balance the speakers... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/JVC+-+50W+x+4+MOSFET+Apple%26%23174%3B+iPod%26%23174%3B-Ready+In-Dash+CD+Deck+with+HD+Radio/4707067.p?id=1218512779392&skuId=4707067 Picked up a massive amplifier at a pawn shop for $80. 300Watts or so... I got lucky, it works... Picked up a German made crossover at same shop for $10 Picked up a beautiful sounding Yamaha stage monitor @ thrift store for $30 --- 12" wooofer.... blown 6" horn, so I cut out the crossover and just wired directly to the big woof... AFTEr figuring out that the 1/4" audio pigtail I had was somehow internally shorted......sending me down several wrong paths... Several 2" JBL tweeters from a wheelchair van conversion shop I worked for... 6x9 JBL midrange just patched in Spool of 14 gauge lamp cord (zip wire...) Old headunit (Pioneer CD / FM only...) I picked up at a garage sale for $1 for bench testing... I had the walls in the garage shaking when I cranked up, immediately blew out one of the JBL tweeters ... wired the replacement to the -6dB feed off the crossover to avoid blowing another... I can only imagine what this setup will be like inside the Z --- I've got 6x9's midranges mounted behind the seats where the 4" used to be.....some JBL tweets hung from the B-pillars......5 1/4" rounds in the doors.....might put some 4" tweets up playing through the dash.... and set the stage monitor right behind the behind-the-seat storage boxes...maybe strap it down so it doesn't come flying forward in an accident... this was AFTER wiring in a new fuseblock under the dash, running a whole new set of wires under the carpet, drilling through the "rear firewall" to get wiring to the plastic storage compartments.....cutting the bottom off one of those to mount the amp directly to the metal floor under the plastic box...so it's all out of sight of thieves.... but lift the lid and get immediate access to all the wiring... 3 2 1 Next time some clown next to me is shaking my windows with nasty-lyric RAP music I'm gonna cut loose with Springsteen's BORN TO RUN @ 110db.... hopefully I won't blow out the rear glass...

What he said.

It could be ANY injector that's stuck open, although the CSV is the most likely culprit.

$1000 worth of Mac tools? That would be one set of 3/8 sockets and about seven wrenches, right? .

Try starting it on ether (starting fluid, brake cleaner, whatever you got that's flammable) and see if it will fire up and run.

It's supposed to prime for 5 seconds after going just to the IGNITION and not the CRANK position? As in squirt the cold start injector, or just run the fuel pump and pressurize the rail?

Thanks. I'm running a single vaccum type now. What were the two sources of vacuum for the dual advance/retard dizzy?

A resistor pack is common with a blower that has 3 distinct speeds. The 280ZX has infinitely variable blower speed which USUALLY requires a "module" of some sort containing a power transistor. The knob on the dash is just a rheostat. My query is posted in the S130 (280ZX) section of this website. I suppose I'll have to drag out the schematics unless someone comes up with a common failure to look for. I've been battling one problem after another with this AC system for 2 months now. Every time I fix one....another starts occurring. As for fuses, I've never seen an intermittent fuse. They're either good or blown, although I HAVE seen corroded fuse sockets / connectors.

My AC (blower fan) has taken to cutting in and out. Is there a controller / circuit board "between" the fan speed control knob and the blower fan itself that gives it the variable speed? Is it prone to failure? The compressor SEEMS to keep operating as air coming out of the vents, even when the blower isn't spinning, is still chilled.

Those maroons took 48 hours just to tell me a part was discontinued. Worthless!!!

I think I'm goin! 2nd major road trip for the "Silver Bullet-Hole!" All new suspension since my FIRST road trip, where I got out-cornered by a pickup truck! Williams is a one day shot from Durango! Oct 5-7, CU there!

Start by replacing all the fluids, ALL THE FLUIDS, Tranny, coolant, diffy, brake fluid, clutch fl uid, ...draining the gas tank, etc. Remove the plugs, squirt some oil in there, let it sit overnight. Squirt some more in the next morning. Then go buy a new battery and try turning it over. See if you can get oil pressure to register on the gauge. At that point yo'ure ready to see if it will start. Absolutely DO NOT try and start this engine on the "old stale gas". It may start, but then the injectors will clog. It's so much easier just to drain ALL of the old fuel out, install a new fuel filter, and let the NEW fuel dissolve all the deposits left behind. Chances are ALL your hydraulics (clutch, brake master & slaves, etc) are shot, rubber rotted. Brake fluid absorbs moisture and you live in a humid area. There are NUMEROUS threads on this site about starting up a parked car. Here's one: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/thread43849.html Suggest you search on keywords like sitting, parked storage, etc. to find others.

Someone who's QUALIFIED to render an opinion on something like this, ie an ASCE certified technician or machinist isn't going to say a word because THEY know YOU know what the answer is. Fix it, or pay someone else to do so. Unless, of course, you'd prefer a MUCH more expensive repair down the road.

The official Nissan site is at http://parts.nissanusa.com/ The official Nissan site will ask for your zip code to refer you to your closest Nissan dealer for the actual purchase. That one won't let you search on vehicles older than 1984. I tried just entering a couple of part #'s for my 280ZX and it was a no-go.

Just in case anyone hasn't already discovered it, Nissan themselves has an online parts store. Great parts breakdowns, pictures. heres an example http://www.nissanpartszone.com/components/1981-nissan-280zx_nozzle-duct-273-1388_2.html Unfortunately, it won't accept anything less than a 17 digit VIN #, preventing me from entering my ZX's 11 digit VIN for compatibility checks.... I emailed them about this "problem" Perhaps if a few of you do likewise, maybe they'll fix it.... Prices actually seem pretty good, shipping costs not so good.

OK, I was WRONG ONCE AGAIN. The fresh air motor is different in one very subtle way. The lever the motor pulls is 90 degrees offset from the C3379 motor. Not only that, but a third, even more careful comparison revealed the REAR vacuum port faces the other direction. So three distinct vacuum motors, completely non-interchangeable. There are even differences between California and Federal models. I mean REALLY Nissan, you had to alter the vent door motor for EVEN more incompatibility issues??? Fortunately nissanpartszone.com has them for a "mere" $58. http://www.nissanpartszone.com/components/1981-nissan-280zx_nozzle-duct-273-1388_2.html

Ok Zed, but you throw ONE MORE trick question at me and I'll boot you off this forum! Ya know, I've got this little voltmeter-like thingey that hooks right to an 02 sensor... very similar to THIS http://www.getme-tools.co.uk/shop/index.php/diagnostics/testers-meters/oxygen-sensor-tester-and-simulator.html I've actually driven several vehicles around with it attached and it's quite interesting to watch... until you hit a tree!

Ok, I've got a CORRECTION. All three HVAC door vacuum motors operate identically. The difference between the C3378 and C3379 models lies in the location of their mounting tabs. There appears to only be TWO models of motor. There appears to be two of the C3379 motors; one is used to control the fresh air vent door. (The one behind the glove box) and one on the driver's side. If you have the side vacuum hose barb pointing UP, the mounting tabs are on the left and right of the C3379. On the C3378, if the side port is pointing up, the mounting tabs are top and bottom, in line with that port. I don't know which is which on the driver's side, but at least ONE of them is swappable for the fresh air vent door motor. I cut my old one apart. What's inside are two, u-shaped rubber diaphragms, arranged like two coffee cups, lip-to-lip, separated and attached to the metal plate that pulls on the lever. The one closest to the actuating lever connects to the side vacuum port, and only pulls the lever half way, for half-door operation. The one in the rear (u-facing the other way), connected to the vacuum port on the rear of the motor will pull the lever full travel. Or if you apply vacuum to both, you still get full travel. The side vent port can only deflate ONE of the u-shaped diaphragms, that's why. The little rubber diaphram tears, or becomes disconnected from the plastic body of the motor, and then no longer seals, and doesn't work anymore. The one off the donor car was also failed, which is why I THOUGHT the different motors OPERATED differently. They don't. But I can swap the C3379 from the driver's side. Most of this is trivia you will NEVER need to know unless you own a ZX and have one fail at some point in time. When that occurs you owe me a cold beer.

Recommendation: Spend the $20 or so RockAuto charges for a brand new 02 sensor. You'll save MORE than that in gas over the coming 5 years. 02 sensors "get tired" and don't respond as quickly to rich/lean changes.

Alternator bearings. Common. Don't buy an Autozone $69 "lifetime" alternator. After you replace it FREE for the 3rd or 4th time you'll see why. Buy a NAPA unit, or get your current unit rebuilt. Unless you like doing the same job over and over. Put the two side by side on a scale and you'll see a good unit has 2-3X as much copper in it as the cheap Chinese alternator sold at AZ/Checker/Pep Boyz, etc.

what did you say??? Speak louder!

... than a successful trip to the salvage yard? The owner helped me remove (without damaging!) the chrome windshield trim off the lone Z he has. Mine's in not so good shape, and since my windshield is pitted beyond visibility ... Here's the trick, you have to remove the INTERIOR trim just aft of the doors to get at the 10MM stud holding the exterior chrome trim pieces on BEHIND the ZX's doors, which THEN lets you access the screw holding the chrome strip over the door, and THEN you work your way forward to the actual windshield pieces. Tip: Pay a glass guy with experience and the right tools to do your trim removal/install. Next I went after the vacuum "motors" which operate the HVAC blend / vent doors. Did you know all three are different, and operate differently? Or so it appears. Can anyone with access to Nissan's part database confirm three different part #'s? Two had part # stickers which were different, (C3378 and C3379) the third, the fresh air vent control, had no sticker. Sucking on the various ports revealed subtle differences in operation -- assuming they're all working as designed... After that I pulled off the throttle body, not for purchase, but just to take pictures of the BCCD plumbing. I'm STILL working to get all my vacuum lines correct. From there I pulled out the HVAC head, and took out the little rotating disk that distributes vacuum to the different blend doors, etc. I wanted a picture of it to accompany an article here, and also to play with, for curiosity sake. (An earlier thread I posted mentioned how mine SOMEHOW got mis-aligned, so air was coming out the wrong vents --- although that was just PART of the problem). I'll wonder till my dying day how that disk could have gotten mis-aligned, unless someone REPLACED it (or the entire control head) and didn't line it up on install.... The thing I realized the other day is if you have a vacuum leak @ one of the vacuum motors, NOT ONLY does that motor not operate, the loss of vacuum will disable the OTHER motors that are ALSO supposed to operate at the same time..... I know, well DUH!, but.... Perhaps because I NEVER show up at the salvage yard without donuts, breakfast burritos, or beer, the owner sent me on my way for $40. Can you believe that? Wow. A blowjob and a beer and this will have been an absolutely PERFECT day!

An engine that's consistently running 15-20 degrees hot USUALLY has a pressure leak. Put a pressure tester on it. A single loose hose clamp / drip can be all it takes.