KDMatt

... Out of curiosity, did bypassing the voltage regulator solve your problem?

I burns oil when it's cold, particularly when I race it. The more I race the engine, the more oil it seems to burn off. When the engine is warm however, this is not a problem. So, you think that could be related to bad valve seals eh? Is it going to be devastating to the car to let it sit, unused, for six months in cold minnesota winter? Don't sweat it.

I've finally, sort of, put my finger on a peculiar acceleration quirk I've noticed with my Z. Last weekend I ran the engine in my 280z for the last time (presumably) until spring, and I decided to put her through her paces by slowly pressing in the accelerator further and further (why not?) ... What I noticed is that the engine seemed to "hang" at about 3000 rpm. I kept pushing in the accelerator slightly, it stayed at 3000 rpm for a bit, and then shot up to 4500 as though playing "catch up" with itself. I don't believe this to be a tachometer issue since the car was stationary, and I'm pretty sure I would have noticed the engine speed climbing. ... On a side note, I've also noticed that if the car sits for more than a few days it'll burn off some oil when I run the engine: the other reason I was pushing the engine to high revs. Any ideas? ...

EDIT: Sorry, didn't realize you'd already replaced the alternator o.o

Actually yeah, that's what I was aiming at doing in the future (distant future probably): a turbo upgrade... I also have a question about the N47 head... The Z-history timeline in my Haynes manual says that in 1977 "modifications" were made to the engine to increase total power to 170 hp, does this have anything to do with the N47 head vs. the N42?

Hey folks, I've been doing some reading about various L-block engine heads (using this site as a resource), and I've just got a quick question for someone who wants to answer. If I've read and understood this correctly, my '76 should have the N42 head (if it's as stock as I'm assuming it is), which means it has square exhaust ports, the same as the the P90(A) heads... so in theory, would that mean at some point down the road (forgive the pun) I could bolt on a ZX turbo exhaust without having to replace the N42 head? Link me up if it's been done (that'd be great). :squareeye

Yeah, I've done some digging around, and I didn't realize that the later alternator was of a higher amperage rating than the older ones (hence, a good reason to upgrade I suppose), and that, furthermore, the external regulator could be easily bypassed by snipping and taping off a few wires. Actually I have a question about alternators in general in relation to this car... Are they somewhat "interchangeable" between makes, models, and years? Like, say, right now, there's an AC Delco alt. on there for some reason, would that have required a lot of modification to accomplish? ... I mean like, would it be hard to go back to an alternator that was meant to be in there, if someone had changed the setup to accomodate an off-brand one? I only ask because it could save me some time if I could order the alternator this weekend while the shop is closed, so that I could possibly have them do the work on Monday. (I know I know, I should do this myself...)

Ugh... well some of you may have seen my post in the Electrical section about a weird negative spike in my voltometer reading... and I inquired if it could be the signs of a dying alternator... well... today I inadvertanly answered my question... in a bad way... If it hadn't been for my cell phone my Z would have left me stranded. Basically, I overworked the alternator I suspected was not working too well already, and now I need a one (windshield wipers + headlights + stereo = 'crippled alternator' and battery with about 7 volts of power) Once jumped the alternator provided enough power to keep the car running... but tacking on any additional accessories led to rapid power loss... that and the car was not running too well... I somehow suspect that my lousy alternator was barely providing adequate power to make good, clean, sparks. Well anyway, I took it to a local shop that I know does good work for rock-bottom prices, and told them to give it a good once over and tell me what they found out... In the mean-time I searched for a place that could get the part to me... (two places said they'd have to overnight it from Atlanta... which isn't TOO bad... So long as I could actually get it some place... I called about a dozen local outlets around town, and none of them stock the part)... Anyway, so I'm all set to order the part the moment the mechanic notifies me that, yes, the alternator is shot (I only had my suspiscions at this point) ... and when that phone call arrives, on a whim, I ask my mechanic (Jim) if he also checked the voltage regulator, and I am shocked as he says, "Oh it's part of the alternator..." Me: "Come again?" Him: "The Voltage Regulator is part of the alternator." That leaves me baffled, since I was under the impression that the voltage regulator was seperate until '78? I mean I know that the first couple of owners made some weird mods to my car (i.e. 5-speed tranny, electric mirrors that don't really work...) but is it possible that I somehow got a 78-a-sized electrical configuration to boot? Is there any advantage to even doing that? Hell... maybe someone dumped a whole new drivetrain in there... which would certainly explain the 5-speed on a '76 and the need for an internally regulated alternator. Anyway I'd appreciate some insight on this matter... and comments beyond "Your mechanic is a lying scumbag..." ... since I trust him more than I would some young guy who goes "Datsun? What's that?"

This is a weird thing that happens intermittedly, and I'm wondering if someone can shed some light on this. Usually when the car is running, the volometer will settle in to a reading between 13 and 14, but now and then, it'll erratically jump down to around 12.5 or so in consistent intervals. This is especially noticeable at night when my headlights are turned on because they will dim each time the volts spike down. It only seems to happen when the car is idling which is leading me to suspect the alternator, but I'm curious if this could also be a connection thing too. Your experience is appreciated. :nervous:

I'm gonna have to agree with my fellow Minnesotan Z-owner. First-gen Z's really are the beez-neez, regardless of specific model/installment. Ideally, some day, I'd like to have both a 240 AND 280... with the former being my perfectly restored take-out-for-a-sunday-drive car, and the latter being my cool looking, modified daily driver. I hate to state the obvious, but it really boils down to personal preferences and needs. There was hardly an afterthought to picking a 280 for me because at this stage in my life, I need a car that's not going to give me a ton of headaches, and having something with a carbuerator didn't seem like it quite fit the profile, so, fuel-injection is my path. I think if we're really going to debate, we should debate about inter-generational things (like first-gen vs. second-gen) ... and we all know how that'll turn out... since the first generation PWNS... hands down... though... I have to admit, I'd like to find a 280ZX turbo some day... T-tops rule.

Man... this is crazy... Well a while back while I was driving my Z, I was heading away from my house, and this guy in a '67 Firebird waves me down and gets me pulled over... as it turns out the "guy" was really a "kid" named Steve, probably only a few years older than me, and he told me to follow him back to his house... which I did (three blocks away)... where he promptly showed me his 1985 300ZX Turbo, pretty much mint condition too. So, I thought, "how quaint is that?" ... two Z-owners within less than 10 minutes' walking distance from one another. So the other day I'm driving home from an errand at the DMV, and a half-block from Steve's I see, parked, another Z... this one a 95, 96ish Black 300ZX Twin-turbo with T-tops... again in top-notch condition... Interestingly enough, I bump into Steve an hour or so later, and ask him if he'd seen that car before... and he says that he knows the guy who owns it... Here's the kicker too... as it turns out Steve's dad's got an '04 350Z ... So I saw that car too (I was talkin' to him in his driveway for a bit while Steve struggled to get that old Firebird running again) ... So I mean this is just gettin' crazy... 4 owners, 4 different Z-car generations, within 4 blocks of one another... Has anything like this happened to any of you guys? All we need is a 280ZX and we've got the full set!

Ya know... I agree that Nissan should do a more economical, low-budget GT in the spirit of the original Z's... but I am going to be really, REALLY pissed if they pull a Ford and simply copy and modernize the look and style of the original Z's. One of the reasons I take so much pride in my car is because there's nothing else on the road that looks like it... and if all of a sudden, there are a ton of cars out there that look like it... well... I dunno about you... but I'm going to feel really ripped off... I don't know about all of you (okay... well maybe I do), but I love the 350Z... not as a Z-car, just as a car. I agree that it severely violates the spirit under which the Z-car was originally unveiled, but as a whole, I think it is a very well designed car, and, in fact, one of the things I've really admire about the new Z is that the designers, when they made it, intentionally decided not to revert to a "retro Z" look, in favor of keeping it modern. In a nutshell... yes... a cheaper Z would be a great idea for Nissan... but I think that recreating the looks of the 240/260/280Z would be a grave mistake. My $0.02

Hey folks, I'm back after a nice, restful vacation... and I think I have some stuff to respond to o.o Tomohawk: I believe the company that sold it to me was "intake pro" ... I've been watching them and this other C/A intake seller have a bit of a price war on ebay, so I moved and snagged theirs when I saw that it was less than 28 dollars (the lowest price I'd ever found one for) ... I think it turned out to be like 27.70 in total? ... anyway, I'm not sure if I'm going to be leaving them postive feedback or not... just because the instructions were so vague... Personally, I feel a difference. It seems like the car is idling nicer, and is providing more power at low RPM's ... the difference isn't massive, and I'm sure it's not the 10 to 15 horsepower that advertisers tell you you'll get, but it is more powerful nonetheless... ... I can't wait to see what happens after I end up bolting on that MONZA exhaust... Hey, actually, I have a question too, in terms of horsepower and performance. I was reading in the history of the Z-car, that in 1977, quote, "engine modifications raised engine horsepower to 170" ... what modifications were those? ... I have a '76 and can't help but feel a little cheated after reading that...

Oh, now this is the closest thing I've got to a Z-car story... Today (yesterday) UPS brought me my brand new 'cold air intake' with a BOMZ Racing filter... now I say cold-air in quotes just because... well, it's one of those cheapo ones where it's just an aluminum pipe that sticks into where the airbox used to be, though admittedly, the stock location is pretty nice if it's cold air you're after... Anyway, I set to work on it right of way. I unbolted the stock box but... for whatever reason... the tension screw keeping the box and the rubber attached would not come loose, so I tried some WD-40 (the only penetrating oil I had)... and when that (plus several different kinds of Phillips screwdrivers) didn't work, I decided to call in the cavalry... I phoned up my Dremel-tool equipped buddy. Well, I went over to his house, and we again tried a lot of different tactics... different screw drivers, chisels, hammers... a super-power penetrating oil... and nothing worked... Our last resort had come: The Dremel Tool. It was funny, because we almost attempted to Dremel the screw with it still sitting inside of the car before I (Mr. Genius) thought that maybe the other tension screw for the rubber connector wasn't stuck... and voila, it wasn't, and I was, thus, able to remove the rubber piece so that we could cut into the screw without worrying about damaging anything else... That was a big ordeal too, because we could only Dremel in so far without damaging the rubber hoses for the air filter, so the rest had to be done with a hammer and chisel... that was painstaking, but that took care of most of it, then the almost split screw was put into a vice where the pressure managed to make it break and let go its stronghold in one of the holes... As for the other? We clamped the screw itself in the vice, and untwisted the metal thing it was screwed through using a pair of pliers (that sucker was stuck on there good!)... and we were thus left with another problem in need of solving: a busted screw. We hopped in his Taurus and went to the closest hardware store. We made it with 50 minutes 'til closing time... and, we were lucky to find the right sized metric screw for the job. $ .80 spent, and we went back to his garage where we started fitting the screw to the tension clamp, ah, but alas, another challenge needed to solved, the washer that allows the 'device' to operate the way it does had somehow gone missing during all of this, so we needed to find a replacement one... ... and, with our luck, there weren't any that were of proper size, so, we found one that was a hair too small... and drilled through it to make it bigger to fit the screw... We thought for sure the clamp was good to go now... but... no... the washer fit too well around it and did nothing but thread the screw, which made the clamp not work... So again, we turned the Dremel, noting another 'stock' screw's appearance, and ground out the threads near the bottom so that the washer wouldn't thread... and... yeah, it still did... So we threaded a nut on there too to keep the washer from randomly moving up... After that, and with further finessing, that clamp worked almost perfectly again... and ya know... after the three hours or so we spent getting it off/apart, taking off the old screw and fabricating the stock setup from un-stock parts... working less than perfectly was to be desired... I twisted it relatively tightly as a test, and it was all a-ok... so I fit the rubber back into the car, and after it was resecured, I realized that I couldn't reach the newly fixed screw with my screwdriver (it was screwed on slightly rotated), so I again, removed the rubber 'hose,' and readjusted the clamp so I could actually get to it... I thought for sure we'd be home free now, so we put the rubber piece back into the car, and I grabbed the cone/pipe that I'd already assembled earlier in the day... and, once again... another challenge... That pipe was meant to fit in there incredibly snug (much more snugly than even I anticipated), so there was no way I could get it on there with the rubber in the car... so again I removed the rubber piece and then went to affix it to the cone/pipe... After another 15 minutes I finally had it... and clamped it on. So NOW I thought for sure there was no more room for stuff to go wrong... and AGAIN I thought wrong... with the air filter on there I could not get the rubber to get into the engine compartment fully, I needed to twist it in a way it was not going to go, so I grudingly removed the new cone filter, and with a little more 'finessing' got the rubber in as far as it was going to go (which still wasn't all the way mind you, but far enough where it'd make a good seal with where it met with the other part of the engine intake assembly before. So, I twisted the clamp on again... but, somehow, the stupid washer managed to fall through on THAT one... ugh... so quickly, I grabbed another washer that was close and just used that... and that worked too... so the rubber was clamped, the air filter was clamped... it was all good after that... and the "instructions" provided no detail as to how the metal things they gave me are supposed to keep the air filter from moving around... so yeah... A $30 cool-air set up... you get what you pay for... Maybe it's a 15-30 minute install on a little Civic... but on my Z is was more involved than even rewiring my speakers was... 5 hours I'd bet was spent on this project, but I'll say, the results "feel" worth it ... VROOM! The moral of the story? .... Make sure you have good screws!!

I thought in the VB catalog it said it would work for a 280? ... I know I ear-marked that page for some reason...

That's a real nice look for a Z, I'm particularly fond of that kit's (?) more subtly styled bumper areas... though I'll admit I'm not crazy about the rims, but to each his own man, it still looks great.

Yep, false alarm sports fans. It's all cool.

Wow... this is really weird... I think I mentioned this in another post, but for whatever reason, my firing order is 1-5-6-3-2-4 ... and, because I know you're going to ask, I tried 1-5-3-6-2-4, and that made the engine run noticeably worse. I could hear that it wasn't firing properly. At least that's the way I remember it... My buddy and I discovered this when we replaced the cap, rotor, wires, and plugs... that the way printed in the Haynes manual was not the way it was actually connected on my car... :paranoid: Any ideas?

Forgive me... but... isn't that a connection you could just carefully solder back together?

Cool? That's just sad... He took his Z, and made it into like... some... poor-man's Nova or something... I could do nothing but just shake my head in disapproval as I saw it... I agree with the belief that a Z is a good blank canvas... but I guess vision is not something God bestows upon everyone? Anyway, opinions vary... and there you have mine. Unless he changes the body style of that car... the sliced up hood with stuff stickin' out doesn't sit well with me.

ROTFLMAO! That totally sounds like something I would have said... because I was thinking it right before I read your post. Classic! Hrm, well I guess it sounds like a radiator job on 280 is a bit of a bitch then neh? Well my leak isn't really all that bad, so I'm positive I can just leave things as they are for a while... Anyway, I'm concluding that I'm going to wait a bit before tackling the radiator, maybe I'll do that next spring after my car's winterization period, (i.e. the removal of all vital fluids so that I don't feel as guilty about leaving it sit for 6 months or so while I'm at school). On that note: any good tips for storing a car for the winter time? I'm trying to line up something with a relative who's got a heated garage (that's preferable), but worst case scenario is that my Z has to sit outside, undriven, all winter. :dead:

Okay then, well I've noticed that my radiator's got a few spots of rust on it, and as such, it's got a trickling leak. From what I know about this engine (L28), I wouldn't imagine that removing and replacing the radiator would be a huge undertaking, but as a relative newbie to engine work I can't say that with any certainty. So what are your experiences with replacing it, and what exactly is entailed in performing this task? I'll consult my Haynes manual in a bit for an 'official' explanation, but I'd sort of like the 'unoffical' one first. Heheh.

Okay, this is sort of a newb question I suppose, but how important is that breather hose, and what exactly is it for? :stupid: I was cleaning up my engine a little bit today, and I noticed that the breather hose has a bit of a crack where it meets the valve cover fitting. Is this anything I should be really concerned about? I'm thinking as a temporary fix I'll probably wrap some duct tape around it until I can properly address it.

Thanks, My buddy and I did my tune up today without a hitch... though I tell ya it was a bitch to get that distributor cap off. Oh, and we didn't put any of that dielectric grease on the threads, nor did we apply any in the cap or to the rotor. I only applied the grease to parts where the ignition wires were supposed to make contact with something (i.e. dizzy cap/sparkplugs). The NGK wires and plugs certainly were worth the little extra money and the waiting period. It may just be my imagination, but it really feels like the car is idling more smoothly (or at least more evenly), and perhaps even has regained a few lost horsepower. Hey also... did the older Haynes manuals misprint the firing order?... Mine seems to have 6 and 3 switched up. I tried it the way indicated in the manual, then the way my car was previously wired, and the latter made it run noticeably better.

Excellent, that's what I want to hear! Well... I tried the highbeams again not long ago... but... for whatever reason, I still don't have them. When I pull the switch back, all it does is turn off the low beams and leave me with nothing but what would be parking lights. Is it possible that there's a wiring problem or that the wrong kind of bulbs are installed or something?