Greetings!

[Pyrik]

So, never thought I'd be a Z owner, I know nothing about Datsuns, but I was looking for a project and found this 1977 280z on craigslist. One owner, guy bought it new when he was 35. 129K miles on it, garaged, but a bit neglected. While I'm not a HUGE football fan the "Z-Hawk" stickers made me grin, the body is straight with minimal rust, and the interior is in very good shape. I fell in love with it, and it died on me not 10 minutes from the guy's house!

After tinkering on it a few nights in my buddy's back yard that first week, I managed to get 'er home. I think I need to rebuild the fuel system from the filter to the injectors, maybe replace the fuel damper, maybe the egr valve. It's got a new fuel pump, all filters, plugs, wires, rotor and d-cap, pcv; all the easy stuff. Most of the hoses need replaced, except for radiator and heater hoses. I'm also thinking the water temp sensor (different than the thermostat?) and thermotime switch may have issues. Is there a fuel pressure regulator, or is that the damper?

I'm not really sure what to even start looking at, so here's my best shot at the symptoms:

Starts ok after a few cranks, runs ok cold then idles rough and stalls after temp comes up. Hesitates then picks up when driving, regardless of acceleration or steady throttle. Sometimes tries to stall at speed, often stalls at stops.

I'm not completely ignorant, I have an 88 Toyota 2wd pickup with a 200K 22R in it I've managed to keep running for 18 years, but Toys and Dats are a bit different, and I'm new to the Nissan game. Any hints, suggestions, or advice would be appreciated. I know this can one sweet and fun ride, and I look forward to turning it into a headturner!

[bigoak]

Ha...you got a Z-Hawk...neat...if you can, keep it that way...not massively desireable, but certainly rare...

Welcome aboard and to your new addiction...

[sblake01]

That wouldn't be the one that was for sale up there a couple of years ago that even had a small blurb on a Washington news cast?

[Walter Moore]

I haven't worked on the fuel injection on a Z car, (mine has SUs, and that is totally different), but it certainly sounds like there is a lot to do on the fuel system. There are a lot of people here who know about the Nissan injection systems, so hopefully someone will have more insight than me.

The fuel tanks on these cars are notorious for developing rust and crud over the years that finds its way into the fuel lines and plugs filters, injectors, and pumps. If you don't know the condition of the tank it might be save time in the long run to start there. Also, as I just learned the hard way, just because a part is "new" doesn't mean it can't be bad. A lot of the replacement parts for these cars, particularly the ones available from the discount auto parts stores, are really old and prone to failure shortly after installation.

But still, welcome to the "club" and I hope you can get it worked out.

[full house]

great!Its sounds cool! post some pics if you have time.