NewZed

Measure fuel pressure while it's running. Your fuel pump might be losing power when off of the Start circuit.

I picked up a spare oil pressure sender and decided to try it out to make sure it was good. After swapping, I forgot to put the 1 and 2 plug wires back on and started the engine. I let it run for a few seconds then remembered the plug wires. After stopping the engine and re-installing the plug wires the engine wouldn't start anymore, unless I shot some starter fluid in to the manifold. After starting with fluid (by a single detonation I assume based on the noise), it ran normally. I started it several times using the starting fluid, but it wouldn't even pop without it. I tested everything I could think of and finally swapped modules, and it started right up. Voltage was dropping to ~9 volts at the coil and (bad) module wire while cranking so maybe the module just wouldn't work off of the low voltage anymore or was actually drawing too much current. I didn't measure cranking voltage with the new one because it starts so fast, there's no visible voltage drawdown. I'm not sure how the module got just damaged enough to allow the engine to run, but not to start. For the record, I'm using a Z31 coil with a BWD brand HEI module. Replaced it with the same brand. It had worked great for over a year, probably 20,000 miles. Just a little story for anyone having starting problems with an HEI module, or doing tuning work. Pulling plug wires on a running engine might not be a good idea. And the HEI modules might be a little bit sensitive to electrical disturbances.

Are you sure it's not the old "GM HEI has a 4500 RPM rev limit" myth from way back? I've seen it discussed on other forums. If your 94 has one ignitor, the HEI should be able to drop in and keep up, my guess, if the ECU trigger is similar to the 280ZX turbo ECU trigger. I think that the ECU trigger is just on then off, creating a square wave which the HEI module sees as a zero crossing (has to be something like that or it wouldn't work). I'm just a rookie though, so could be off. My 95 Nissan Pathfinder has one ignitor/transistor so I've pondered the possibility for when/if it ever conks out. Good luck with it and hope you figure something out. I love a good cheap alternative too.

You could probably make a GM HEI module work. Search on zcar.com for skittle's write-up to get an idea of how it might work. Or just figure it out on the basics (which you'd have to do anyway with that MSD part). Two wires to take the ECU trigger signal and two wires to make and break the coil circuit. The HEI module is essentially an ignitor with "dwell" control.

Download the FSM for the year of turbo ECU you're using and read the Engine Fuel and the Electrical sections. If you have injectors ticking, then the ignitor (the transistor mounted next to the coil) would be the next place to look.

The 260Z pump is a low pressure pump for carbs. EFI came with the 280Z in 1975. You need a high pressure pump with the appropriate FPR. And you should be measuring fuel pressure before you even try to start the car, to be sure things are right. Unless you've done some plumbing and added a return line, you could get too high fuel pressure (from your new EFI pump) due to back pressure from a too small return line. I haven't done what you're doing, these are just odds and ends I've picked up from the forum.

Might be someone from here, but looks like an interesting collection of parts waiting for assembly if you have the extra cash - http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/pts/3127405643.html

Just a guess but I think it could apply - any chance that your diff and transmission shaft centerlines are not parallel? Misaligned. A common cause of speed-related vibration. I've not measured the play in the R200 shafts but after working with several I've developed the opinion that the fit is kind of loose, and contributes to the remaining clunkiness of the Z drivetrains, in general. The splines on the R200s I have don't fit super-tight.

You have bitten off a choke-size piece of work. This might help you out with the combo switch wire colors. Apparently there were several combo switch versions used over the years. http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/electrical.htm Edit and p.s. - I saw your question about "transistor unit". You should read through the FSM to figure out how your engine and control system works before going too much further. If you're asking if you need a transistor unit, you have a lot of reading to do. Read the Megamanual site also. http://www.megamanual.com/index.html

After the early 240Z (adjustable rod) the slave cylinders are the same for the L engine transmissions. They might even be the same cylinder, but with a different rod for the early ones. Looks like you have two problems, at least.

80-83 has the evenly spaced 1-4, plus 5th gear. No idea if it would keep you on boost or not. The ratios of the transmissions, by year of the car they were used in, are listed in various spots around the internet, on web sites and in forums, and in the FMSs of each year.

The "wide ratio" 5 speed has the same 1-4 ratios as the 4 speed. 1980-1983 has the evenly spaced 1-4.

Have you tried to work around the shield to get the nuts and/or bolts off/out? That was a good suggestion. Posts #7 and #8. Or keep grinding.

It could be the fuel pump cutoff switch if it's a 75-77 car. The switch is bypassed at Start, generating enough fuel pressure to start the engine, then the engine dies when the pump loses power. The switch is adjustable by bending the rod under the AFM cover.

This web site is pretty handy - http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsuns30/DatsunZIndex/PowerTrain/TransmissionControl/5Speed/tabid/1718/Default.aspx Shows late 4 speed and 5 speed forks as the same. Also 3-4 fork is the same as 1-2. Edit - seems like you'd have a 2nd gear problem too, if it was the fork. Maybe the shift rod or the ball bearing detent in the adapter plate? If I understand things, the check ball and detent notch hold the rod which holds the sleeve.

You should study up a little bit (a lot) on your car's electrical system. You're missing a basic understanding of the system. No offense, but it shows, for example, wires melted due to "feedback". Wires melted because you shorted the battery directly to ground. Twice, and on purpose. If you don't have a multimeter, you should get one (after some reading). Anyone with a meter would have checked that white wire for battery voltage when they saw the sparks, probably before they tapped it to ground. You can test everything before connecting, to save yourself the burned wires. Now that you've burned some wires, you should use a meter to see if any of the neighboring wires have had had their insulation burned off and are now shorted to other wires or to ground. Plus there are some questions about why your fusible links didn't blow instead of burning the wiring. yours might be missing, shorted or replaced with the wrong wire. Good luck. Don't mess with it until you have a meter and know a little more, or find a friend that does. Cars have burned to the ground due to wiring mistakes.

I don't think that the 240s have the resistor since they don't have ECUs or use the same kind of tach. On the 280s the resistor is bundled in to the wiring up by the relays and fuse panel under the glove box. It's a 2.3 kOhm resistor, kind of odd looking with a male and female bullet connector on the same end. Hard plastic rectangular body, about 1 cm x 2 cm (it looks like the drawing in your wiring diagram). If you have the 280Z wiring you might be able to find it and wire it in. Or get one from Radio Shack. Note that I haven't seen a bunch written about this so I could be totally off base. I've had two cars that wouldn't run without it, or the tachometer, installed though, even though the wiring diagram shows the Pin 1 wire as a separate circuit. I'm thinking it might drop the voltage to the ECU or condition the signal so the transistors work right. I'm not an electronics expert, it could be an artifact of two old cars that I had.

The "signal" to the ECU runs on a wire from the negative post of the coil to Pin #1 at the ECU. Have you measured continuity from the coil to Pin #1? Also, some 280Z ECUs (the ones I've worked with anyway) need to have the the tachometer, with its in-line resistor, installed or the ECU won't work right. I'm not sure how that's handled with the L28E swap. I have an engine on a stand, with 1978 ECU, with the resistor installed, but no tachometer, on a branch off of the line to Pin #1. You might look at that as a possibility, if you're sure that Pin #1 is connected to coil (-).

You answered your own question "one of the power wires on the electric fan had been melted to the plastic wire cover. After separating it the fuel pump cut on". So, in your custom-wiring case, the answer is yes, the fan wiring has something to do with the pump. But it doesn't need to. Your wiring has all been installed by someone with their own ideas of what might be right. Melted insulation and hot wires indicate that they were wrong. The best thing to do is to tear it all out and start over, or have someone help you do the same. It's only two simple electrical devices, it's not complicated. You'll be surprised at how easy it is once you dig in to it. There's no simple one-wire solution for you.

Is that grinding or just the shift lever rattling? Looks like the lever bushings might be gone, they're plastic and known to disintegrate.

You said it was brand new. It should be shiny and look new and probably have stickers or painted on ID numbers. Do you think it might be a fake? Or is it a brand new aftermarket? For $15, it might be worth buying just for a long metal tube. Got pictures?

Injectors that don't squirt comes up about every week or two. Almost impossible not to find a thread describing solutions if you search "not getting fuel" or "injectors don't fire" or "engine starts then dies", etc. The Engine Fuel section in the 280Z and 280ZX FSMs all give a good description of what causes the injectors to squirt. Easy reading and worth doing at at least once. Not kidding.

That would be a great deal if it's real. Somewhere from the 240z to the 280Z they started staking in the u-joints, making them irreplaceable without some machining. And $15 is about the price of one cheap u-joint. It would be cheaper, easier, and most likely better, especially if they are Nissan factory u-joints.

Does the wire to L have 12.6 volts (battery voltage) with the key at Run? That wire powers the windings that create the internal magnets that are required for charging. The wire to S needs 12.6 volts also, to sense the voltage for the regulator to control the voltage. And, of course, the thick white wire should have 12.6 also, since it is the charging wire. And the case needs to be grounded, either directly or through the E terminal. You can measure all three with a voltmeter the key at Run, and the grounding with an ohm-meter or test light. If you don't have those, something's wrong with the wiring. If you do have those, you might have an alternator problem.

There might be an inline fuse in the wire to the pump that has blown. If the wires are getting hot, then the fuses are getting hot and that's how they function, they melt to save the wires. Overall, it sounds like someone did a poor job of wiring in your fan and fuel pump. 71 didn't come with an electric pump, I believe, so yours must be a custom installation. You should probably start from scratch, using the right wire gauge, relays and fuses, before something melts and/or catches on fire. You just got the car? Some details on what you're working with would be interesting.