Ttiger

View Advert Looking for a standard 280zx flat top piston Looking for one standard size, flat top 280zx piston. Should be from an 81-83zx. Stamped P79 on top. Advertiser Ttiger Date 05/27/2022 Price Category Parts Wanted Year 1982 Model 280zx

What counter weight? I have the same problem with my '76. Thanks

I'm putting my L28 back together after replacing the rings, bearings, valve stem seals, etc. The engine had two bad rod bearings which is why I pulled it apart. I had removed four of the cam towers to get my valve spring compressor into position. I kept track of where they went for reassembly. I've got the towers back on and the cam in place. I left the towers loose while I slipped the cam into position. I can tighten all the towers, except the back one (#5). If I tighten #5, the cam wont rotate. If I leave it loose and tighten the 4 others, the cam rotates smoothly. I played with feeler gauges and found that if I put a .04 feeler gauge under the #5 tower and tighten it, the cam will rotate freely. The thinnest tower shim I've found is .15. I really don't want to try and shave .04 off the other 4 towers. Ideas? Thoughts? Thanks

Good points Carl. I saw a used crank, rods, pistons from an L28 on C-list. I'll take a look at that.

I've been reading all the stuff I can find on interchanging 240/280 engine parts. I have a 1976 280Z with a N42 block and N42 head. It has a destroyed rod bearing (#5) which chewed up the crank journal. The top half of the rod bearing is gone and the bottom half is smashed paper thin. The car has an automatic and I wanted a 5-speed so I found a 240z engine and 5 speed, cheap. The 240Z motor is a P30 block and a E88 head. I did a compression check on it and one hole is at 35, the rest are decent. I'm in CA and 1976 is still a smog year so I need to retain the stock EFI, I believe. As I think I have figured out, assuming the 240Z crank, rods and pistons are good, I can put my N42 head on the P30 240Z block (new bearings and seals of course) and all should work? Thanks!

For those in CA, not only are the reg fees high, DMV is looking to get back fees for a car that has not been registered. A car that had not been registered for 5 years would "fall off" the system. When you went to register it, you would start from scratch. Now they want all the back fees. I was looking at a project 240z, the price was fair, but the DMV back fees were $650!. That was a deal breaker. You can try and get the penalties waived, but it's up to the manager at each DMV. Make sure you ask about about current registration when you're looking to buy. You can go to DMV's website at www.dmv.ca.gov, go to the online services page and then the fee calculator page. With the VIN you can put in some basic information and find out what fees are due. It's well worth the time!

If you can look down there, check the tensioner. If it's still in it's housing, you may be bale to push it back in to get your wedge back in there. If not, the front cover has to come off. Be careful when you take the oil pan bolts off so you don't tear the oil pan gasket. The timing cover uses the oil pan gasket a the bottom.

I have one for the 240-Z. It mounts on the over rider guards. The chrome is great but it has a small bend in it where someone must have tapped something when it was on the car. It's not very easy to spot but it's there. I also have the rear with hardware, also in great shape. Let me know if you're interested..

My son's '71 240-Z started making a noise that he describes as like a playing card in bicycle spokes. It's definitely speed relative as the noise tempo slows down as the car slows. He hears it in all gears and even when coasting in neutral. He says it's coming from under the console between the seats. I had him jack it up and turn the rear wheels manually, no noise. He noticed a lot oil residue under the car coming from the transmission area so I thought maybe it was low gear oil so he checked and it took a full quart!. He only had one quart so he put the drain plug back in, drove back to the parts store for another quart - noise was still there. When he got back home, put it back up on stands and took the fill plug out, the oil came gushing out! It didn't dribble out when he filled it the first time! He has tried coasting in neutral with the clutch in and out, same noise. He's heard it in gear (all of them - 4 speed) and it's always there. I thought maybe it's output shaft bearing? Front U-joint? Any ideas?

The Dana cruise control for about $90 on ebay worked great in my '71 (similar one here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-Cruise-control-after-market_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2304c461a5QQitemZ150403834277QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories). I used the magenets on the driveshaft and used a transmission mounting bolt for the sensor so I didn't drill any new holes. All the electronics are contained in the servo unit which I mounted on the passenger side fender inside the engine compartment. I ran the cable to the throttle linkage on the firewall and put the small control module on the center console. It works great and does a great job of holding the set speed. You can also "tap up" or "tap down" to increase or decrease the set speed by pressing buttons on the control module.

Score! Northern Auto Parts has the ITM pistons and rings. Thanks 2 Fast 2 Z !!!

Great input guys! I had totally forgotten about balance!. I have not replaced pistons in a looong time. I'll buy a complete set. The only set I've found is eBay. I did find the ITM website and they list a set, but Isent an email and so far, no response.

I'll try Summit. I only need two because just two got chewed up on the edges. The other 4 are fine

I'm trying to find 2 standard size pistons for my 240-Z motor. Nissan says there are none in the USA. Motorsport does not have them, Kragen can't get them, my local auto parts storen can't get them. Any ideas? Thanks

And double check your dwell settings. If the points were not tight, they may have moved, changing dwell which changes timing.

I was driving my '71 Z and when I came to a stop and tried to start up, it died. I got it started again and continued. While climbing a hill I was losing power and finally the car died. It would not start and I had it towed home. After a few hours I tried to start it and it would only run with the choke pulled. I checked the carbs and using my hand, found the front one sucking much more than the rear. However when I put my Uni-Syn on them they were pretty closely synched up. The plugs for #4-5-6 looked decent although #6 had a small bit of oil on it. Compression was all over the map: 1-145 2-150 3-82 4-159 5-37 6-65 #5 and #6 would cause low compression and therefore low suctiuon from the carb. The valve adjustment was OK and I did not see anything broken when I pulled the valve cover off. Aside from a complete tear-down, any other ideas? The car was running great before this happened.

Take a spray bottle and put a very small amount of dish soap and fill the rest with water. Spray it on the car. Peel and stick the stripe. You'll be able to move it around and work out all the bubbles with a squeegie. Let it sit overnight and you'll be all set. You can put a small bit of rubbing alcohol along with the water and soap in the bottle to will make the water dry out sooner. So if you're in a hot climate, skip the alcohol so you'll have time work out the air bubbles before the water dries.

It would be really hard (if at all possible) and not worth the effort. The ZX cruise uses a pickup in the speedo (the 77 does not have one). The ZX uses the ECU and other factory electronic components to make the system work. I bought a 1981 Turbo ZX in 1981. In 1982 Nissan came out with the resume feature on the factory cruise. I could not update my '81 because it was so closely tied into the factory wiring and electronics.

I put an Audiovox aftermarket system (from eBay - $100) on my '71 and it works great! I used the rear trans crossmember bracket bolt to hold the magnetic pickup so I didn't have to drill any holes. The magnets get zip-tied to the driveshaft. I put the servo on the passenger side inner fender and ran the throttle cable up to the stock throttle linkage on the firewall. It looks factory. The control module is very small and I mounted it on the center console just under the heater control panel. It lights up with the parking lights and does a great job of maintaining the speed. It's very accurate even when climbing and decending hills. I'm very impressed with the quality and I'm going to put one on my '73 soon.

That 3rd photo is what's left of the condenser, for sure. You need a new one. They're cheap and easy to find. The second photo looks like some kind of aftermarket relay. It also looks like there are some loose wires above it. Does the car have (or had) fog lights? Driving lights? Air horns?

I can scan it (it's black & white) and send it if you want. My first car was a '69 Datsun 510, then I got the Z bug and got a '71. I've had one (or more) in the family ever since. My #2 son is the one who gets the crash title, although not his fault, his been through two of them so far... sigh...

I did a "how to buy a used car" report back in high school (1976) and just dug it out of the archives. I used Z cars for my report and I had a pitcure of a new one in there too! The sticker is on the passenger side window. Enjoy!

General insulation would help, but there is a lot of glass area so the sun just bakes the inside. I put a rear window louver on mine and it made a huge difference. There are several kinds, one that you drill holes and a few that you don't. Make sure your rubber shift boots (under the console - on the floor) are not torn. You'll get tons of hot air through the shift lever area if they are. You can get the A/C to blow cold with a little work. The L-6 engine can handle the load no problem. Just make sure your radiator is clean.

Even though you cleaned the cable, there may be gunk or burrs in the housing. Mine does the same thing. I bought a new cable, but have not put it in yet.

I'd start by checking all the wiring at the tail lights. Especially the plugs and the bulb sockets for corrision while you're there. They are easy to get to and may be a part of your problem. The brake lights are on a separate 20 amp fuse (240Z) so it would take a huge amount of resistance to heat up enough to melt the fuse.