resurrecting a 1977 280Z

[MM569457]

At the transmission.

[MM569457]

At the transmission.

[SteveJ]

There is nothing that would affect polarity at the transmission.

Testing:

1. Get the car where you can safely get underneath.
2. Put the transmission in reverse with the engine off.
3. Disconnect the reverse switch from the wiring harness.
4. Use an ohmmeter to make sure there is continuity across the switch with the transmission in reverse.

From the voice of experience: 

@Zed Head helped me figure it out with the reference drawings.

 

[Zed Head]

Yes, it's just a simple switch.  

Somebody had problems fairly recently with a switch that didn't switch.  There's a button inside the transmission that rides on the shift rod for reverse and 5th.  The rod has a ramped notch cut in to it and the button gets pushed in when the transmission is put in to reverse.

It's easy to unscrew and I think it's above the level of the fluid.  A meter will tell you if it's good.  Or you can just disconnect it, put a meter on it to measure continuity and put the transmission in to reverse.

The Nissan draftsmen even drew the notch on to the rod.  Part #20.

 

[MM569457]

I’ll get to it. Draining the old gear oil. Virtually dry.

[MM569457]

Thanks for the heads up @Zed Head, luckily I had a simple fix: the wires connecting the the switch under the rubber grommet were disconnected.

 

I have reverse lights now.

[MM569457]

Move the car out of the garage, first time since the 90s it moved under its own power. Moved 2 feet forward so I could test the reverse before I went too far.

[MM569457]

Been a few years since I drove clutch, slippery concrete in garage, and my wife found it humorous to film.

[Zed Head]

Wow, that is great sound.  "Rebello stroker" has just been words on the video screen until now.  Looking and sounding good.

[MM569457]

9 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Wow, that is great sound.  "Rebello stroker" has just been words on the video screen until now.  Looking and sounding good.

Now I’m looking into an exhaust. Wish I knew the header make. 

[MM569457]

So to recap. Dad bought a “71 240Z about the time this 280Z had issues starting up. I figure an ignition relay went bad within the EFI.

He daily drove the 240Z until 2004 when the engine was smoking very bad.

Dad gave it to me and my intention was to drop the Rebello stroker into it and restore. The car had issues as you can see. Ended up selling it to a friend (all parts I collected for it, was going to go BRE styling, but I kept the Rebello Stroker) who still has it, albeit its now a V8 conversion.

When I returned to the states in 2008, I got a 1992 300ZX NA. When everything works as it should, it’s a GREAT ride. But once something goes wrong, it’s not so great.

the ZX to me was a mantainence nightmare, but I still loved it. The only reason I sold the car was to finance the 280Z dad finally gave me.

Edited March 19, 2023 by MM569457

[MM569457]

Looking into exhaust. Not sure which set up I want to do. Videos on YouTube don’t seem to do justice. I’m looking into twice pipes..

I know I’ll need to fabricate a reverse collector for it if I go that route.