Wade Nelson

Find an Auto AC shop with good references. The AC compressor won't kick on if the low or high pressure switches in the system are tripped, meaning you've either lost all your R-12, or the system has gotten air/water in it contaminating your R-12. AC Systems don't "need charging." Ever. What they need is leaks repaired, even very slow ones. Since R12 is no longer available you'll find it a lot cheaper just to install a FRESH compressor and dryer/receiver, and go with a R134 upgrade. Last one pound "can" of R12 I saw went for $150, and you'll need 2-3. A new compressor, dryer, AND several cans of R134 are cheaper! The new dryer/receiver will soak up any moisture in the lines and condensor remaining after pulling a vacuum on it -- assuming you've fixed all other leaks. It's usually not compressor efficiency, but contaminants that keep systems from getting nice and cold, the old receiver is saturated -- which is to be expected after 30 years. A R-134 conversion, done PROPERLY, will give you nice cold air. But you really need to find a dedicated AC shop, not just "Joe Mechanic" who has an AC machine. I learned all this after wasting hundreds of dollars on mechanics who claimed to do AC service but were amateurs. I leanred what it took to DO IT RIGHT - including an expensive "micron pump" and gauge that can pull a vacuum resembling outer space! The best part about R-134 is it's cheap, so if your mechanic doesn't get it right the FIRST time, it won't cost you another $300 to recharge it a SECOND time after correcting leaks.

Donating via Paypal would be my preference. Getting a single question answered can save me hours and hours of labor. More than worth a few dollars once a year. Let me know when it's set up. Wade Nelson Silver '80 280zx "Sway-Z"

Where in the country are you located?

When your heart races at the sight of a pile of junk like that you know you're addicted to Z's.

i'm the guy that got the 280ZX seats that had been sitting in a garage for 20 years, after the owner put in Recaro's. Saw the ad on Craigslist and jumped on it. $200 for a pair of PERFECT condition original seats. Would you have driven 892 miles for a pair of NOS seats?

By a "complete suspension upgrade" I take it you mean: KYB struts, Eibach springs. Poly bushings, MSA sway bars and strut bars??? What are these, fatter & stiffer sway & strut bars?

There's a good video on Youtube about rebuilding a MAF. Same basic MAF design as this one, I think originally a Robert Bosch design. Basically the little wiper (a potentiometer) wears a track out in the resister it rubs against. With a little work you can move the wiper up or down to scrape a new line against the resistive material. It would be a VERY good idea to have a spare MAF in hand before attempting this, and if you're not mechanical, keen eyesight, and patient, fuggetaboutit! And if swapping your MAF with a known good one doesn't change your "issues" then chances are your problems aren't with the MAF to begin with. I've wasted far too many hours blaming MAFs for various stumbles, hesitations, and problems when it turned out to be something else.

My recently acquired 1980 ZX is definitely in need of bushings through and through. Every piece of rubber is either rotten or gone. Right now the thing SEEMS to lean into a corner until something finally gets a grip or hooks up at which point it JERKS the car toward the inside of the turn. Takes a lot of finesse' with the steering wheel not to switch lanes or end up in the ditch. or maybe the rear end is winding up and finally grabbing... saw some post about rear bushing being a rite of passage for Z owners... Really feels like my new ride is trying to kill me. On a recent trip through Northern Arizona (Salt River Canyon, and Beeline Highway to Payson) I had pickup trucks passing me in turns. Rather embarrassing. And yes, I know how to drive. In my turbo-MR2 I'd be leaving those boys in the dust. It's lower, too. When you got all done installing all those urethane bushings, what was the result? A greatly improved ride?

get on ebay and search 280zx temp or "280zx switch" there are several folks selling new ones. First confirm that's your problem and not a burned up motor or fuse. Ground the lead and then shut the motor off and see if the fan runs on. Ebay's about $50 for that switch, I got lucky and found one for $15 so if you're not in a hurry, might watch awhile. My fan STILL isn't kicking in, the switch says 210 on it, so maybe it's just not hot enough yet. It's been starting good, so I haven't worried about it.

1980 ZX. I just drove it out to San Diego and back (2000 miles total) and here's what I found. On AC settings, cold air comes out NOWHERE. It's "as if" the thing has blocked ALL the exits. The VENT setting in the middle DOES send air out the AC vents, as does bi-level. Heat comes out the bottom, as planned, but not nearly as much DEFROST comes out the defrsot vents as it should. The little open/close switch under the ignition switch --- can't really tell what the heck it's doing, if anything. I'm convinced two of the hoses got swapped, but I'm just not sure which ones. I've got the FSM and trying to construct a truth-table to deduce which two are reversed BEFORE I tear the dash out...again. My best guess --- right now --- is the fresh air vent line got swapped with the vent door up top, as shown in the FSM. Upside down under the dash is my favorite working position. NOT!

Your dash lights and your tail lights and running lights are all on the same circuit / fuse. Do you have a circuit diagram / FSM? All three go through the same switch on the steering column. So if all three are out, it's the fuse, wiring, or switch. If you have tail lamps and running lamps but no dash lamps, it's PROBABLY the bulbs in your dash blown out by the overvoltage situation you described. Drop the panel beneath the steering column and you can probe the connector coming from the lighting switch. Red and Yellow (coming from the fuse block) should be hot (B+), red and blue (RL) should be hot with the switch on. I kinda doubt the rheostat is bad or got fried. It would be the LAST thing to burn up in an overvoltage, bulbs would be first. The horn is on a separate circuit. First, unplug the connector at the horn itself and apply 12V and see if IT is good --- it should honk, that's simple and easy before you dive into the steering column. If it turns out you need a new combo switch / lighting / washer / horn, there's Ebay, and I also have one. But they made several styles, with and without cruise control, for instance. I happen to have a combo switch --- my old one --- no cc --- which is good, except for one burned contact. You could swap one GOOD set of contacts from your old combo switch if it turns out your switch is bad. (i'm not 100% sure it's bad, it may have just gotten some grease in there, but it's black....) Putting the tail lamps on the same circuit as the dash was a smarty-pants way Datsun told drivers --- people behind you can't see you at night, so we're not gonna let you see your gauges in order to be sure you get it fixed. How's that for an answer, 6 hours after you post? Ain't the Internet great

Has anyone ever dug in and diagnosed or debugged a HVAC system? There appear to be 3 vacuum "motors" that make the whole thing work, and it appears one of mine isn't working. Cold air (AC) seems to come out the defrost vents rather than the vents it's supposed to. Heat and defrost seem ok, so I'm thinking it's the vent door actuator. The floor door actuator SEEMS to be working ok. Really can't tell if the bypass door is working, effect is too small. FSM is of limited help. Other than broken hoses / hoses fallen off barbs, any common problems / failures with this system I should look for?

Thanks. I photoshopped up a faux window sticker for my car using your originals.

Sorry I can't get my !@#$@# together and give you a single, worthwhile reply. Assuming it's fuel injected, find and fix the leaks /cracks in ALL the hoses from the mass airflow sensor to the manifold. It must be 100% sealed or "false air" which was NOT measured by the MAF will cause it to run lean and stall out. Take the bellows-type hoses off, wash and inspect OFF the vehicle.

280? Fuel injected? Skip the carburetor advice, replace the fuel filter then check the fuel pressure after replacing all the 3/8" fuel injection hoses in the engine bay which are now filling the injectors with rubber bits, be sure and get FUEL INJECTION clamps, not screw-type hose clamps, and figure you've got a 50% chance of needing new injectors. Listen to them with a stethoscope.

Will it idle if you sit there and continually spritz (starter fluid, brake cleaner, anything flammable..) into the intake while it is set to idle at 800 rpm? If so.... The idle circuit in your carb(s) is plugged up. No amount of Seafom or carb cleaner (poured in the gas tank) is gonna cure it. Once there's a plug of crud in a microscopic hole in a casting, nothing flows past it or is gonna dissolve it. Yes, you SHOULD have drained all the old fuel, that MIGHT have prevented the passageway(s) from getting blocked. Next time listen to your OWN common sense, take the difficult path, not the one that appears to be easy. The cure is taking the carbs apart and rebuilding them, including getting the idle circuit(s) open using either compressed air or a wire off a wire brush. Find an ole-timey carburetor guy. Do NOT let your young (under 50 these days) mechanic who has ONLY worked on fuel injected vehicles attempt a carburetor rebuild. Ask around at a couple of shops --- "Who around here used to rebuild carburetors?" Even if all they worked on was 4bbl Holleys and Rochesters, the knowledge/experience is similar enough. Someone who has worked extensively on lawnmower or motorcycle carburetors will also have sufficient experience to guide you through the process. You'll need to find / order some carburetor "kits." And no, you do NOT want to attempt this yourself if it's your first carb rebuild. You will be looking for small parts / springs on the floor for days, mis-assemble it, etc. Hint: working over a clean white towel is #1 when taking carbs apart, and do them one at a time so you REALIZE when you mis-assembled the first one. If adding faux fuel will NOT allow it to idle, you have OTHER problems besides the idle circuits, like vacuum leaks, rotten hose to the distributor advance, sticking valves, etc. Next time, whether it's front end work or HVAC plumbing, I suggest you seek advice BEFORE starting the process, not once it has gone awry. That is what the Zen student would do.

Aluminized bubble wrap, on the ENGINE side, is what will really keep heat out of the cockpit. That and sealing all the holes, replacing grommets, etc. The rest is just soundproofing.

I've got a dangling vacuum line, and I'm wondering if my 1980 Federal Model originally had the distributor with BOTH advance AND retard vacuum solenoids -- like the one I pulled at the junkyard. Anyone know the history on the distributors, federal vs California, etc?

Money put into restoration work will NEVER come back out of it. Do it if you WANT to spend the money fixing THIS CAR up, otherwise you're be $ ahead to sell it, and go BUY an already-restored daily driver.

How about posting a picture of the window sticker?

SMP/STANDARD TS-193 Switch, Radiator Cooling Fan (Thermo) (Fits: 280ZX) There are a dozen of these for sale on ebay at any given time, or you can google it and find other suppliers.

from another thread: It's the vacuum control knob. When the A/C is on or in the vent position, when it's open you have 85% air flow to the upper vents and 15% to the floor and when it's closed you have 100% to the upper vents and none to the floor. When the heater is on it has no effect.

Mine is located in the panel directly below the ignition switch. But what does that control knob do, or control?

Knob on the dash below my ignitions switch, little do-hickey that sez "pull down to open." to open WHAT?

Circled in red. When I pulled one of the vacuum lines off fuel came out of it, making me think it's some sort of fuel pressure regulator --- with a torn diaphragm, perhaps? The vacuum line I'm still looking for a connection to has a red line on it. It's connected to manifold vacuum on the top, its the 4th of the 4 metal vacuum lines in the "pipe gallery," the one closest to the firewall. I can't figure out where the end at the bottom is supposed to connect.