Virto

Sadly I agree. The FSM as a whole is great, but the diagram for vacuum hose and fuel piping is not the easiest to read. Here is a better copy of it that I found on the internet. I'm in the same boat, preparing to rework all the lines - so I just happened to be looking for it last night.

Found a much better copy of the vacuum diagram via google images. Still clear as mud, but at least I can read this one.

In fairness, those ebay options for the rear emblem I provided will likely beat the price of any of the popular vendors by 50% or more, and they have availability.

I don't think there was any true "re-design" for the 260/280 in the sense of someone sitting down, carving new models and drawings from scratch. Things like the tail lights and rear end may have been designed to be different, but the rest of the work was likely down to need. Sure, someone designed the larger bumpers and the style of the hood vents, but they were drawn up to fill a need.

If the mounting posts are missing, then yes, they're broken off - they probably fell into the body of the car. Both the rear Datsun and the rear 280Z emblems have two posts that fit into the clips and then down into the holes in the body. The clips expand once they're past the hole and keep the emblem from working loose. You have two options - buy new emblems or use double-sided tape to adhere them to the bodywork. The tape will obviously result in paint damage if you remove them again down the road and it may absorb moisture that could encourage rust.

Oh you need the clips... Datsun 240Z 280z 510 Body Emblem Clips Free USA SHIP | eBay

Here are a couple ebay options: Datsun Fairlady 280z Rear Hatch Emblem Metal Very Nice Condition 1 Ref A3 | eBay Datsun Nissan 280z Fender Emblem Insignia Badge Logo 280 Z Original | eBay

After seeing the condition of some of the lines, especially on top of the intake, I'm inclined to agree - it should all be replaced. Now the issue becomes determining what sizes of line I need to essentially re-work the entire system. It doesn't look like there's a full vacuum diagram in the FSM - something I admit I liked having in the Chilton's manuals for my old F-series trucks. In any case, it might have to wait a while before I can do the work, since I'm pretty tapped out for the month. Was hoping to get it back on the road this summer, but we'll get there little by little. EDIT: I found the tubing routing diagram under engine tune-up in the FSM. Really hard to make out everything on the page, but sure beats nothing. Re-edit: What the hell is the "3-way connector" vacuum hose? I noticed that my carbon canister doesn't have anything connected to the little raised cap portion on the top. The diagram says it leads to the "3-way connector" but it's really hard to trace on the picture. When I moved the canister to replace the water pump, I noticed it had a large-diameter hose hanging down from it connected to nothing. I left it as it was - does the vent line just hang down?

The stumble went away once the fuel pump was changed - the old pump was almost entirely plugged with sediment and rust. I'm going to take a look at the FSM later on today and see what I can find. Is the distributor vacuum advanced? It's located right in that same area. I didn't have my little light with me, so it was hard to follow to a source.

An OEM dash for these cars in an uncracked state would cost a fortune, if you can find one. Between the dash cap options, the full cap looks much nicer than the half-cap. Some folks have having some very serious success refurbishing cracked dashes. Here is a a link to the thread featuring plenty of instruction and lots of pictures. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/interior-s30/23919-dash-repair-process-pictures.html The 280Z hatch emblem is available from MSA and Arizona Z car - both can be found under the vendors tab at the top of the page. They also show up regularly on eBay, but may or may not be a better deal based on condition. Welcome aboard.

New plug wires are on and boy, they sure are pretty. It wasn't until I was halfway done pulling off the old cables and then laying them out with the new ones to check length that I noticed the NGK boots had a little sticker on them to indicate which plug they were for. >.> I can't get my fat hand down past the washer bottle to pull the vac line off the brake booster, so I pulled it apart at the T connection. Then I realized my vac gauge didn't come with an adapter large enough for those big fat lines, so I'll have to make a trip to the hardware store at some point. I did notice a hard metal line that runs down next to the exhaust that comes from the intake manifold. I have a feeling that this is the vacuum line that connects to the modulator on the side of the transmission. The vac lines on the top of the manifold are nasty, cracking and gummy feeling. Which changing the coil wire, I noticed what appears to be some vac line that runs under the AFM - connected to nothing. I didn't trace it back to see what it's connected to, but the vac line was just hanging down in the engine bay.

That's actually really smart.

I didn't think the clutch ever allowed the fan to stop spinning, just to limit the amount of rotation - very possible that I'm wrong here. On my 280Z, the fan spins from first crank to shutdown. I'm not sure if the operation of the ZX's clutch differs from that.

Cool your jets, man. Just let it go, it's not adding anything to the discussion to get upset about a post and then look for a fight, and no need to call anyone names or anything here.

Glad you found the problem. Those single-wire issues can be a real bear to track down.

I'd suspect the tank is loaded with rust if you're clogging filters. See how long it takes to foul another filter - that'll determine if it's a minor issue that you can get by with regular filter changes or if you'll need to drop and clean the tank. Just the act of filling the tank creates movement that will knock sediment and rust off the bottom of the tank. I've been dealing with the same issue, which actually killed my electric fuel pump.

I don't have the vacuum reservoir - the factory AC was removed before I bought the car. I've used the brake booster hose to seafoam the truck, so that should be fine for a vac test. Good call on the FPR, would cloud the results.

I agree. I didn't like the idea of leaving one in place, just because I have bad luck, and it's a potential point of (unlikely) failure. I'm re-buying some tools that I've had in the past that have been lost in moves or otherwise misplaced/stolen. What's the best place to check manifold vac on these motors? Can I just pull the line off the FPR or should I look elsewhere?

The vacuum modulator diaphragm seems to be a potential trouble spot on the ATs. I was able to find one helpful post over at zcar (imagine that) stating that a damaged modulator will seep transmission fluid into the vacuum hose connected with it (punctured/torn diaphragm). They seem to be common failure points over time, but my casual searching last night at MSA, Arizona Z and courtesy didn't produce a replacement. I was just wondering about the cost should I find mine to be bad. The FSM also doesn't indicate where the vacuum line that runs from the transmission modulator leads to on the manifold. I'll be playing around with a flashlight and seeing what I can find. I should have kept my little vac gauge...when I had so many issues with my F150, I ended up just mounting a little autometer vac gauge in the dash. It would be nice to have now. EDIT: I just ordered a new vac gauge and a fuel pressure gauge that can handle EFI pressures. I tend to have to accumulate parts and tools rather slowly...

Not gonna lie...the AT section of the FSM hurts my brain.

Charles - It hasn't shifted since the last time I actually drove it, which was probably 2 years ago. The last time I moved it, I just had it towed to the new house to make things easier. I agree. I'm just waiting for another paycheck to roll in so I can pick up my own FP tester, rather than waiting for the local Advance to get the one loaner back in stock. That seems to be exactly what was happening. Without having primed the pump before installing it, the rotor spun air, which wouldn't create a vacuum, since it's not an air-tight seal. Once I filled the filter (and my mouth - I will say it's the one time I have regretted having a beard) and primed the pump with a little squirt bottle, it was off to the races. I will say that I haven't heard or felt the engine rev as freely or pull as hard since I've owned it. And although I only drove the car around for about half an hour, the little in-line filter is crystal clear with no sign of crud. I know the tank is mostly full and I'll keep an eye on it as it runs lower. Since it's the first time I've been able to rev freely, I wasn't aware of any transmission problems until yesterday. The first shift point doesn't occur until something like 35MPH, if I remember what the FSM says. Since I couldn't rev past 3k, getting it to 35 was a serious chore. Still - one problem / solution at a time. I'll get to put my pretty new plug wires on now, and I'll test the fuel pressure and then worry about the stupid transmission. Getting this far has been all thanks to you folks, it has to be said.

OK, success..mostly. We pulled the in-line filter to pump hose and I sucked a faceful of gas, but we got the filter loaded up with fuel. I put some gas in a squirt bottle and used it to prime the pump itself while it was still on the car. Boom, starts and runs like a champ. It was popping and acting lean again for a few minutes but it leveled off, possibly pushing air out of the lines? I will still have to play around with the AFM to see if I can hit that sweet spot. New problem though - it doesn't want to shift out of first gear. It's an automatic, and regardless of what I stick it into (D, 2, 1) it won't shift, and there's nothing to make me think that it's starting off in 2 when I put it in 2. The fluid is full and clean red and not burnt smelling. Haven't had much luck searching here or at zcar for anything automatic related - almost everything that comes back in a search is in regards to swapping it for a manual.

Both of them are pretty slow, but I would prefer the non-turbo model just for simplicities sake. I'm sure what peak output from the turbocharger is or at what RPM on a ZX, but it probably has little effect until 3000RPM or so. That's no different than a modern turbocharged car like a WRX. Small turbos spool faster, like you see in a lot of overseas TDIs and such, but produce less power. I'd assume the ZX has a balance of power and spooling speed. You don't really have to "warm up" a turbo. If you're the kind of person that starts a car and instantly starts driving at 4500 or more RPM, maybe there's some oil-flow issue that you could run into, but if you're not beating on the car, it shouldn't be an issue. The same is mostly true about turbo cooldown. What you're really doing is letting the oil drain out of the turbo so it doesn't set up. If you drive the car hard, idling for 2 minutes when you arrive should be more than enough. If you're super paranoid, you can install a turbo timer to idle the car for a set period after you park and remove the key. You should really focus on finding a car with the best possible body / lack of rust - it's a bigger pain to deal with than say, sourcing and installing or rebuilding a motor.

I saw that car on eBay yesterday - it's down to 950 BIN, by the way. It's a goner. It's going to crumble away, but if you need a car to putt around in for a while, you could do worse, provided it runs as well as she claims.

Oooo, that's a thought I hadn't considered. I've got a couple of small cams that would probably work just fine. I didn't mess with the car last night - got some irritating letters in the mail from Fidelity. A few years ago, when I moved, I took an early retirement withdrawal, and worked out that I'd be ok with the tax hit and the loss of some interest earnings in the short term. I upped my contribution amounts and have already made up the difference, and I'm still quite a long ways off from retirement. Anyway, long story short, Fidelity processed my withdrawal using sources they shouldn't have (roth money, mostly) and now demand immediate repayment. So I'll be fighting with them quite a bit in the near future, I suspect. But my plug wires showed up....