Av8ferg

Thanks for the chart Bruce. I printed it out and plotted the 4 sensors I had including the one I pulled from the head. The one that came off the car had the worst/richest curve of all of them. So I decided to install one of the other 280z ones into the thermostat housing. That was a small disaster. First none of my extras fit im that housing. This is something that Nissan did that ticks me off. All the different lower thermostat housings and a myriad of odd and non consistent openings across the years thread size/type and opening sizes…..unbelievable! Well once I found out non of the holes worked and about a quart of radiator fluid on the garage floor I cracked one of the openings by over tightening it. Dummy! so I had to remove it and make more of a mess and roll into one of my back-up housings in the box of parts. Have two other and they both have different opening and threat types. Are you serious! I finally got a combo together and filled the extra holes with needless sensors. Got it all re-installed and put it all back together. Then cleaned the garage floor before my dogs drank the anti freeze. Job is not complete and ran out of time. Here is the temp sensors graph I made putting them in hot water on the stove. Blue was the one installed on the car.

My FPR is stock. I think the error is more likely in the inline gauge but I do have a spare stock FPR and can try that one to be sure . I haven’t heard many good things about the aftermarket ones. Hard to avoid the Chinese crap: I like Jim’s idea to test to contacts to the temp sensor at the ECU connector. I have a hunch this is why I’m running rich and the plug fouling is why it’s running like crap. I have the valve cover off now and will redo the valve lash while cold. Most were about + .001 off while warm. Cold it might be worse. I noticed the oil I had a very black tint and excessive for only 500 miles of driving. More confirmation of a rich running engine.

Good ideas, So yes I have checked the FPR. When idling I pulled the vacuum line off the FPR and the fuel pressure increased to around 40 psi +/-2. I already shocked the heck out of myself when pulling each spark plug wire of the plug when running, didn’t feel to good. The spark is strong, and jumps over an inch I’d say. Rockers are are good, pulled the valve cover and inspected the entire valve train. Here is a data point when I pull either the #6 plug wire or the #6 injector wire there is no charge in engine idle condition. When I pulled any others I do notice the engine running worse. I suspect #6 could be the culprit but don’t want to assume just yet. I pulled the plugs to look at them and they look terrible. They have maybe 400 miles on the and are pitch black and heavy soot. See pics below. This may be the problem. It verified what I already knew…..that I’m running very rich. Maybe it finally started to manifest in fouling. In my quest to solve the rich condition I’ve done several things. Replaced the AFM and ECU with good known tested combo from a car that didn’t run rich when installed. I bench tested the AFM per the FSM and it checked good. I removed the Throttle Position Sensor, opened and cleaned and checked contacts with multi meter, I replaced the AAR with one I bench tested and checked the opening warm and cold to confirm. The car ran well after all those replacements albeit still same rich condition…that didn’t change at all. My next suspect is the Water Temperature Sensor. I have a P79 head so I opted to use the 82’ head temp sensor with my car not one that goes in the thermostat housing. This one is slightly different in that it’s not for “wet” applications as the 280z ones are, but maybe it’s specs are slightly off because of that. I’m guessing the temp at the head between Cylinder #6 and #5 is hotter that the engine water temp….maybe? Or a ZX ECU has a different temp band curve? So I need to confirm the resistance at specific temps. I had to add 2 feet of wiring to run that temp wire around the back of the engine. Could be extra resistance in the circuit or a bad sensor. Might just go back to the putting the right 280z sensor in thermostat housing. I don’t have a compression tester so I’ll get a loaner from AutoZone maybe tomorrow. The first pic is plugs 5&6.

Battery is good, vacuum is good. CSV is plumbed and functioning properly. next step is a compression check.

I thought I start a special thread on a recent development on my Z. Absolutely beautiful day today and perfect for driving the Z. Pulled it out of the garage and I noticed it was running very rough. It didn't really hit me until I tried to accelerate away from my house. Engine was weak, and running rough as if a cylinder was down. Hmmm....ran perfect last time I drove it. The only thing Ive don't since last drive was to pull the cold start injector and test it ton make sure it wasn't the cause of my running rich condition. I put it all back together as it was but when a problem developes its prudent to inspect the last item you touched. So I drove back to the house and began going through each possibility one by one and I still cannot figure it out. Checked: 1. Spark...strong on all wires. Got about a 1" spark from each plug wire. 2. Timing.. 11 Deg before TDC at idle 3. Full Pressure- 30 PSI at idle 4. Checked each injector with a screw driver, all were firing. 5. Extra Fuel filter I installed coming from tank is clear of debris 6. Pulled the valve cover off. Valve train looks normal. Checked valve lash, all were good. 7. Swapped to my backup E12 ignition unit and no change 8. Replaced the ECU 9. Checked for vacuum leaks, all looked normal 10. Checked Temp sending unit...unplugged and car died. Acting normal what else could I be missing.

So the next tasks for me on this rolling restoration other than this drip edge removal will be the following: 1. Convert to a throttle cable and ditch the linkage. Mine works fine but it is sticky and has a little slop. I’ve come to the conclusion this is probably why my throttle hangs up around 1100 RPM after steady driving and coming to a stop. If I pump the throttle when I get stopped it will go back to 800 rpm. I’m tired of revving the engine like a teenager at the stop light. I try adding another spring but that made the accelerator heavy. 2, Convert end rear half shafts to CV. Mine work fine, have zero play in the joints but they’re a bit noisy, I’ve lubricated all the fittings and it seems to be squeaking a bit. I’m hoping CV will be lighter and a bit smoother There is a company called milk fab engineering that has adaptors that allow you to fit the 280zx turbo CVs to the 280z wheel hubs, https://milkfab-engineering.com/shop/ols/products/240z260z280z-cvaxlekit I spoke to a rep on the phone and he was super friendly and said they have had their company Z about 10 years which started as a prototype and have sold many since. They guarantee it’s plug and play, no welding or fitment issues. I was concerned because the adaptors are pretty thick and that it might be very tight and cause binding, He said it’s tight but no binding. They did have some QC issues with the GSP Branded CVs a few years back but since they inspect every set that comes in . Has anyone used these adaptors.

Thanks guys, I’ll look at my options online, Went to Harbor Freight and Lowe’s and neither had these bits so I’ll go check out Amazon.

Awesome, where did you get those and is there a specific brand you recommend

Thanks, yep I’m aware of the drip edge on the back above the bumper. It’s on the list of things to do . I’ve avoided it up to now because it will expose the rough looking paint along the spot welds. I want to drill out the spot welds with out damaging the underlying skin. It will require so paint work too I think there is a special drip bit I need to proceed.

I really like the classic look of Louvers and oddly they are coming back in style. You see them coming from the factory on new Mustangs and Cameros models. The constant cycle of trends. I still wouldn’t wear Bell-bottom pants or a Members Only jacket no matter how cool they become.

Finally got my Louvers installed. I bought these over 18 months ago for $100 on CL and dragged them home from Oakland on a work trip. They sat for a long time as I pondered how to install them. The hardware they came with originally is unobtainable. I have a buddy near my that has a 78’Z with different style Louvers (rounded corners) and he has aluminum fabrication skills as an aircraft mechanic. He built these upper straps that hook around the rear hatch and the lower fittings that slide under the rubber molding to I could mount these . It came out great in my opinion and is very sturdy with no drilling required . Here are some pics. BTW…fresh powder coat was done this in Satin black for $130. They look like new .

Patcon, I know you live not too far from me. If you’re interested in a rust free 1964 Ragtop VW without an engine let me know. I need to get rid of it because it’s stored at my moms house and she’s sold the property. The chassis was already repainted and I was going to rebuild it but don’t have space and my wife would kill me if I brought another car here. She barely tolerated the Z. I’ve had this car for 20+ years. Probably going to let it got for $800 or less.

A “layover” is a term used to convey the time at an airport spent between connecting flights. I landed in Charlotte and was waiting for 2 hrs for my connection to Las Vegas to go to work. Chips was a 70-80s series show based on LA Cops. Miami Vice was an 80’s series based on Miami Cops. Both were pretty popular shows.

Watched Fletch on my layover the other day: if you haven’t seem it and want a flashback to the good-ole 80’s it is a must watch. Wow, has our country has changed, I’d give up all the tech to go bac. Chevy Chase is classic. Loved this movie. Saw 2-3 Zs in the movie.

Wanted to chime in here. I’ve ordered a bunch of parts from zcardepot. They’re generally pretty good, with some hiccups. One is they never pick up the phone. Leave a message and they don’t return the call. I think its more a function of the inability to handle the work load. The owner Ryan seems like a good guy from the few interactions I’ve had with him. He’s running parts for Dodge Vipers also. I found this out accidentally. I needed new front and rear inner tie rods for my 2000 Viper and they’re almost impossible to find. I found a set on at a place named Viperpartsdepot. Sent them an email to ensure proper fitment and got a fast response. I ordered the parts and that evening i checked my email and got a PayPal message with a $250 charge to Zcardepot. I hasn’t bought and Datsun parts recently. I emailed Zcardept and he responded he runs both online parts fro both Vipers and Z’s. I think the guy is overwhelmed, but he ships fast and I’ve never been left hanging like Zcarparts. They left me hanging for months and never told parts were backordered. Here’s the screenshot of the email Ryan sent me.

Dan sorry for the late response. This is the First Alert Brand for auto applications. I picked it up at my local hardware store ($25). I think both Lowes and HD have them. I used a piece of angle iron and mounting it to the existing seat bolts. I’ve purchased a different mount for the bottle itself . It comes in this week and I’ll post new pics. This current mount impedes the seat from moving forward.

Terrible story and I’m sorry to hear about it. Makes me nervous since I rebuilt my motor in my garage and pray every day it doesn’t blow up on me. Runs great but so did yours until it began to knock. You said it appears to be oil starvation. What clues gave you that idea and did your oil pump fail?

I forgot to add. The average new car has 1,100 micro chips while a high end luxury car can have as much as 3,000 . This is ridiculous! https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyshih/2022/11/20/why-are-automotive-chips-still-in-short-supply/?sh=655a140a782a

Totally agree, cars today are far too complicated and some can be blamed on government regulations (some good and some bad) . I mostly blame the manufacturers as they constantly try and out do each other. They think they’re making things better when actually they’re making it worse. Example: I hate electric parking brakes and push button starts. Push button starts has only introduced more problems. My key fob battery died and the car wouldn’t start.

Here’s an update. I’ve been busy but have had a chance to make more progress on the Z. I took the car on a 100 mile round trip drive and it drove flawlessly. Got it to about 85mph. No shakes, or rattles, engine pulls hard and has good torque. This was the farthest I’ve been from home in it and I’m building a lot of confidence. Latest work completed. 1. Zstory headers came in a while back and I finally got around to ceramic coating them (at a local shop) and installed them. Very tight fit but worked fine. Scratched up the ceramic coating a bit on install unfortunately. 2. Finished mounting rear deck 6x9 speakers 3. Replaced the speedo gear to a 19 tooth to match my set up. 4. New Reverse Switch 5. Wrapped the center counsel armrest and installed that. 6. installed a fire extinguisher in the car. 7. Intalled new door trim (top of door rim) 8. New Skillard license plate light Turn signal stopped working again, hazards work fine. Haven’t looked it over yet. Here are the latest pics.

I just stumbled on this video that I found interesting . I never had really thought about residual fuel in gas station pumps that contaminate what your paying and getting. Not really a big deal when buying 20 gals of gas but definitely a factor when buying 2 gallons.

I used a place in San Diego called Anocote Metal Finishing. They regularly do car restoration parts. I was very happy with the results and cost. I think it was $70 per hour. So whatever they could process in one hour. So lots of screws and nuts will take more time as the have to wire them up. Here is a pic of a bin of extra stuff I had done by them but don’t need anymore. All the yellow zinc you see in the engine compartment pic was done by them. It’s not perfect but it’s well within my expectation. I shipped a 14 lbs box and got it back in about 10 days including shipping time. Super easy people to work with. I don’t think anyone does the real deal chromate anymore for environmental reasons. The stuff I had done is a yellow zinc plating. Ask for: Debbie Cook Anocote Metal Finishing 7550 Trade St. San Diego, CA. 92121 858-566-1015

I had to drop both rear struts yesterday to install my insulator spacers (car was riding a tad low in the back because the replacement spacers wire from a 240z and are shorter.). You have to remove the hand brake cable clevis pins to get the strut to drop enough to get the top of the struts past the fender lip. There is a approximate 2” rubber boot that goes over the cable (see pic), near that clevis pin. Has anyone found a replacement source for these or know of one that works from a different vehicle. I’d like to replace mine if possible. In the car parts manual it’s #26 in the graphic and they call it a “spring return”, but that the spring covered by the boot I’m looking for.

Boy have this gone down a rabbit hole. Here’s what I did when my oil pressure guage was showing lower pressure that I wanted. IMG_0862.MOV

Yarb, It appears the one you want is going to be a hard find. I used my skills to try and locate you one but no luck, in fiberglass. Here’s what I found on the inter-webs. Here is the Xenon 3124 which is the style you want but not made of fiberglass. https://shop.teamxenon.com/collections/air-dams/products/3124 Here is are fiberglass ones without ducts you want. https://overboost.com/modelodrive-frp-salt-air-dam-front-lip-valance-datsun-240z-s30-1970-1973-modelodrive_120293/ https://rspeccarbon.com/collections/datsun-s30/products/front-airdam-s30 Here is a ducted 240z style air dam with round ducts. https://www.ebay.com/itm/122396634572?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28&srsltid=AeTuncr0dyf9bb_AtPcW3CoRTGZD-6l3hPuE6U6cWGIgU2zyV_QSmMLPiRc Finally, here is a guy with a 240z and an extra MSA Type 1 Air dam for sale in Olympia Wa. Doesn’t say if it’s fiberglass or Urethane, you’re gonna have to call him. My recommendation is buy the Urethane, it ban be reinforced with aluminum strips and then braced to the existing mount center mount point on the car. I already mocked up this bracket but then I decide to go a different direction and on my front. You can see a slight wave in my urethane xenon and that bothered me. I think I got a bad one, seems hit or miss but your don’t have a lot of options. I’m happy with the new look but everyone has different tastes. I like vanilla ice cream my wife hates it. I still thinks she’s great. Good luck Goose. Here are some pics of my MSA air dam vs the stock front valance with a carbon fiber lower lip. Both look good to me but I prefer the stock front valance. I was able to fill in the lower grill area by using an extra lower stock grill and attaching it to the original one.