Chickenman

This is what I've used on the backing plate of Pads for the last 40 years on all of my Street cars. It's a flexible rubber type of adhesive. Only stuff I've found that really works. Anti squeal products that you apply to the face of the pad are absolutely useless, IMHO. Plus I do have a preference for good Semi-Metallic pads. I've used Bendix Semi-metallic and Titanium-II pads religiously for decades. Only Ceramic pads I've ever used are on the back of my Audi. Akebono Euro Ultra premiums wich are highly recommended on BMW and Porsche forums. No squeal ever. On my Audi, I have Porsche Boxster calipers up front with guess what? Bendix Semi-Metallic pads. I had ATE/Brembo semi-metallic pads up front before and they were good as well ( no squeal or fade ) but a bit too dusty. I've also used Stop-Tech High Performance pads.... NEVER again. POS pads. On my Autocross Camaro, I've used Hawk HPS on the street with no squealing. This is with WilWood Superlite-II calipers. That's a racing caliper with absolutely no shims no anti-squeal clips etc. I don't even use the CRC Disc Brake Quiet on those pads as I swap them out with Mintex FR1 Racing pads for Hillclimbs and Track Days and the glue gets to be a PITA. But I guess I must be doing something right overall... Edit: I think the main problem is lack of quality in a lot of the Pads made these days. The common Napa, Autozone, Centric etc " house " names just aren't up to the task. That and some of the substitutes for the banned Asbestos ( which was excellent as a material in brake pads, shoes and clutch discs ) has resulted in an increase in Pad squeal. Unfortunately, pads for our cars are not a big seller, so selection is getting smaller and smaller. I'm going to start stocking up on Bendix semi-metallic pads for all my cars. Closing down their North American operations is a big shock...

^ Did it fix the problem?

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Removable center steel insert on the Tilton Flywheel or Plasma spray? I would expect removable steel insert. Haven't seen a Plasma spray aluminium flywheel in decades...

Yep..toss those plugs in the Garbage. Unless you have a old abrasive Plug blaster those will never clean up. Fixing Pin #27 and draining some oil will hopefully fix the issue.

^ I never use shims behind any of my Brake pads on any car. All I ever use is CRC Disc Quiet Brake spray or brush-On . Shims can add extra compressive travel to the pedal, especially the Teflon or Rubber coated varieties. Shows up in competition events ( Track Days, Autocross, Hill climbs ). Pad shims are OK for street.. but I've never used them in the last 40 years on ANY of my cars. Never had ANY pad squeal issues running with out shims. It's all about Pad material and Rotor preparation. Get them right and there is no need for Pad shims. ( Anti Rattle clips are a different matter ) BTW, I've seen lots of cars in my times with horrible Pad squeal and factory shims behind the Pads. It's a common issue. Shims do not always fix poor pad materials and/or bad rotor preparation.

Auto wrecker? I will be removing my complete EFI harness later this year when I convert to a Haltech system. Everything is intact, works and in very good condition. If he's not in a rush I may be selling it. PM me if he's interested. Won't be pulling it for a couple of months though. I even have a brand new Master terminal kit with the newer style push locks. Never got around to installing it. All injectors, AFM , Coolant sensors and Fast Idle Valve connectors.

One of the big deals with pads these days is rotor prep. Many modern pads work on and " adherence " principle of creating friction rather than the older " abrasive " mprinciple ( Semi Metallics and Organics ). The adherence principle actually lays down a layer of pad material on the rotor. Material is constantly transferred back and forth on a molecular level between the pad and rotor and it is this transfer of material that creates friction. A bunch of weird technical stuff, but here's the important part: If you switch pad brands back and forth, the deposit compounds may not be compatible and this can cause pad squealing or even uneven pad deposits, which will grow and feel like warped rotors. So rotor prep is critical with these new pads. Bendix solved the issue with their Titanium series which scoured the old deposits off the rotor surface. EBC uses the same method. You may have to manually remove the old pad deposits. You can either put them on a Brake lathe and take a skim cut, or sand with some medium Emery cloth using Brake Clean as a cutting agent. You want a non directional finish so circular sanding is required. A Brake lathe and hand sanding works, but you can do it with out the Lathe. Here's a couple of articles explaining the difference between abrasive friction and adherence friction: http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/bed-in-theory-definitions-and-procedures/brake-pad-bed-in http://www.essexparts.com/learning-center/cat/brake-rotors/post/Bed-in BTW, I've had horrible experiences with Stop Tech pads. Huge problems with uneven pad deposits ( adherence style pads ) even with brand new rotors and proper bed in procedures followed. Just a warning...

I'm running Bendix Semi Metallic right now, and I have no squealing at all. However I am running Nissan 300ZX-TT 4 piston calipers. On the flip side I have run Bendix semi metallic in many types of cars and have Autocrossed and Hill climbed with them. Have never had them squeal on any car. If you can find the Titanium II Bendix pads they are really good. They have a Blue titanium coating that scours the rotor clean of any incompatible deposits from different pads. This conditions the rotor for the bedding of the new pads and the bedding goes much faster. Trouble is finding them for our cars... Edit: Searched Bendix Master Catalog and they don't make the semi-metallic any more ( MKD114 ) . They do however make a Ceramic pad D114 which is a reasonable price. Nuts!! Apparently Bendix has closed down it's North American Production. Most of it has gone to it's Australian factories. EPA strikes again?

What happens is that the crank can dip into the oil, scooping it up and throwing too much against the cylinder walls. It will also aerate the oil, turning it into a froth. Frothy oil contains a lot of air bubbles and air is not a good lubricant at all!! Very bad for motor, especially the bottom end bearings.

ZH: Do you have the Factory anti-rattle clips installed on your pads? Often missing but thye make a big difference in preventing squeal. Part # 41083-E4100

" If " you can find Akebono Ceramic pads for your Z they are awesome. But I've done some searching and haven't come up with anything. Bendix Pads are also usually very good. They have a Ceramic low dust pad, although I usually prefer a Bendix Premium Semi- Metallic. A bit more dust, but more stopping power than most Ceramic pads. Good enough for mild Track Days. Wagner pads usually very good quality. Rock Auto carries a Ceramic version for our cars. StopTech ( Centric performance division ) are Shite... IMHO

That's not a good thing and likely due to overfilling the oil pan as you mentioned in your first post. Overfilling the oil pan can cause more issues than people realize. Can cause extreme amounts of oil to be throw on the cylinder bores, over whelming the oil rings and causing deposits on plugs. Just like you have. First things I would do is drain some oil out to the proper level. And put a fresh set of plugs in. New plugs are cheap. In fact, maybe pull a couple of plugs and take a picture of the oily firing ends. Use a good High Res digital Camera with the flash turned off. Flash on changes the color saturation of the picture. Post the pictures up here so we can get a good look at them. BTW, overheating would not have damaged the Temperature sensor. Cleaning all connections and ground points as Cliff mentioned is always a good idea on these old cars.

Had a similar problem on my Autocross/Hillclimb Camaro. Hydraulic clutch system, and hydraulics couldn't handle the release pressure of the Centerforce over about 6,000 RPM. Since I shifted at 6,800 to 7,000 all the time, it dragged the clutch disc on shifts and was extremely hard on the synchros. Went back to a McLeod semi metallic system and all was well.

Exidy is apparently the performance division of Daiken. I had one installed in my 280Z last year. When I used to Rally, Autocross and Race Datsuns back in the 70's and 80's. We always used Daiken or Repco ( AP ) clutches. Good stuff. I had a good look at the Exidy replacement Clutch kit ( Stock.. nothing fancy ) and sure enough all the parts were Daiken. All parts looked well manufactured, nicely balanced and good riveting. Extra HD retaining straps on the PP. Very nice semi metallic disc, well ventilated and with lots of metal strands in the material. All signs of a good product. I've got about 5,000 miles on it now. Very smooth engagement, easy pedal but lots of bite. As a former Nissan Partsman, I'm not excited about the Nissan factory clutches. The pressure plates are good... but the discs have always been.. Meh. Almost appear to be made out of cord wood. We used the Nissan discs as Frisbee's and went for a good semi-metallic like Daiken or Repco ( AP clutches ). Edit: South Bend and Clutch Masters also make good products. I had a SB in my Audi A4 1.8T Quattro. Turbo 1.8 L engine, 20 lbs of boost, tall 1st gear, 9.5 lb Fidanza aluminium flywheel and Autocrossing does not make for a long clutch life. Yet I got 50,000 miles out of it. A good semi metallic disc is all you need for a DD or Autocross car. BTW.. I hated the aluminum flywheel on the Audi. Great for autocross, horrible on the street. Went back to the stock Dual Mass flywheel on the Audi and it's much easier to drive and much less Harmonics/Vibration as well.

Warren. From personal use, I can highly recommend the Continental Extreme Contact DW for our region. I've got about 5,000 miles on mine now. Barely scuffed in. Awesome tire in the wet and dry. Very smooth rolling, very quiet and sticks like glue. Wet performance is especially good. Tire Rack has a sale on these right now. 225/50x16 Regular price = $402.04 ( Set of 4 ) Rebate price = $332.04 ( Set of 4 ) . 205/55 x16's are also on sale. $319.08 ( set of 4 ) Edit: Thought I'd add this. 225/50 x16 tires ( any brand ) have VERY heavy steering on a 280Z. Be prepared to put some muscle in it when parking. Not a girly car at all. My biceps have grown an inch driving my 280Z this summer. Not kidding!! For easier steering go with a 205/55 x16 ( available in Conti Extreme Contact DW ) which is the same outer diameter as a 225/50 x 16... or be prepared to install electric power steering. Electric power steering is actually very nice. A buddy of mine has 275/40 x17's on the front of his 240Z with electric power steering and the car is a joy to drive in Town now.

^ If you have an Airdam that replaces the front corner valances, the 225/50 x16's should clear easily depending on Airdam style. Have a look at the clearance on the front tire of my car, at the back edge of the Airdam corner. If you compare this to the stock side corner valances, you will see that my Airdam's back edge sweeps forward more and give more tire clearance. With stock corner valances, 225/50 x16's will catch on the back edge of the Valance when turned. ( Wider tire and wheel than stock ) With most Airdam's they do not because of the re-profiling in that area. . BTW, my car ( 1976 280Z ) is lowered a good 1" in those pictures ( MSA Eibach kit ) . Stock height suspension would clear even more. Stock 1978 280Z. 225/50 x16's will catch back of Valance edge on 16 x 7" rims. My1976 280Z with Airdam that will clear 225/50x16's. 1978 280Z with an Airdam that does not sweep forward. 225/50x16's would rub the back edge of the Airdam corner on this style:

Toyo R1R are VERY wide in a 205/45x16". Cheater size!!

It all depends on how low you go. I'll post up a picture of a local 260Z that looks very nice on 205/50 x 15's, but is a bit lower.

My aluminum knob has a plastic thread insert that is held in place with a long central screw. It gradually became undone over time and buzzing slowly became worse and worse. Drove me nuts!! Threaded insert had locating splines, so knob didn't feel loose. Finally figured it out when shift knob came off in my hand.... DOH!!! BTW, metal shift knobs get DANGED hot in the middle of summer. I throw a spare baseball cap over mine when I park the car.

It is amazing how a simple change in a gear shift knob weight or materiel can amplify or dampen transmission noise. I have a very nice cylindrical shaped Billet aluminum shift knob on my 5 speed. Perfect length and feel, but at certain speeds it will " sing " like a SOB. Touch one finger to the shift knob and the " singing " goes away. PO had a cheezy imitation Wood knob on car. Looked ugly and felt weird, but it was quiet.... Heavy weighted shift knobs are big in German cars such as Audi and BMW. They act as a Mass Damper.

I'm running 225/50 x16 Continental Extreme DW tires on 16 x7" Konig rewinds. Overall tire diameter is 24.9" which is very close to original diameter. I have an air-dam on front so front tire rub is not an issue. In retrospect the tires are too tall for my liking. A 205/50 x15 tires looks much better. Overall diameter of a 205/50 x 15 is 23.1" to 23.3" which looks much better on the car IMHO, particularly if the car is lowered. Unfortunately 15" rims limit you somewhat in tire choice. That's partly why I went with 16" rims. The other reason is that I have a BBK with 12" rotors up front. I'm looking at switching to a 205/45 x 16" tire. That will give me the desired overall tire diameter ( 23.1" ) and allow me to lower the car more. Unfortunately Conti doesn't make any tires in that size. I'll probably have to go with Yoko " S " Drive, Dunlop Direzza DZ102 or Bridgestone RE760 Sport. Or I may see if I can fit 15 x7 rims on the car and sell my 16"s. Then I'm back to the limited 15" tire selection. I live in the PNW, so a tire that is good in rain is imperative. The Conti Extreme DW is an awesome tire, but sizes are limited. Here is a picture of car with 16 x7 Rewinds ( Zero offset ) and Conti 225/50 x16's ( 24.9" Dia ) . Car has Eibach springs and is approx 1" lower that stock. I want to go lower profile tires ( 23.1" ) and have fender lips level with tires. Car does ride very nice at this stance, but a bit too high for my tastes. PS. Bumper, side skirts, rear skirts and rear spoiler are coming off this Winter. PO put them on and not to my taste. I like the clean, curved sexy look of the original Z body. Front air dam I'll probably keep.

Very nice work. You should be proud of your accomplishments!!

That's hard to identify by the microphone in the Cell phone. It kinda sounds like a " Clack " to me rather than a " Pop " . It almost sounds as if it may be the check valve in the Charcoal Canister. A defective CC valve could make that noise and may cause a vacuum leak that could explain your rough running. Could also be the BCDD valve snapping shut. I don't have one on my car ( TWM Throttle Body ) so I'm not familiar with the noise they make. If you have some time available the weekend we could meet up somewhere and I could have a closer listen. I can bring my Stethoscope and a few other things. I have a 1976 280Z so we can compare the two cars together. Sometimes it's easier to find strange noises with two people listening in different areas. PM me if you want my contact info. Regarding AFM. It is possible could be sticking and then snapping shut. May need a cleaning with a spray cleaner. CRC makes a MAF and AFM cleaner that works very well. Certainly wouldn't hurt to clean the AFM. You can get it at Lordco, NAPA or Canadian Tire etc. Richard Edit: Had a second listen after reading Cliff's post ( We were replying at the same time... but my Insomnia is way worse than his. It's 2:41 AM on the West Coast!! ) Now I'm not as sure as to what I'm hearing... Cellphone microphones are not as good as human ears. Do check out that AFM to TB connector boot as Cliff suggested. I have a spare one if your's is the pre-1977-78 type.

You're certainly welcome to join us Jim. Things are pretty casual... but do bring a couple of Bullets!! My buddy ( also into Datsun's ) has a 3 lane wood track we call Laguna Surrey. Complete with corkscrew. Measures 93 feet on the center lane and is FAST!!! 1/32nd scale cars. Right now I'm preparing a Racer Sideways ZakSpeed Capri for a North American Group 5 proxy. Top secret stuff, but I may be able to slip in a photo later on...