andy280zxt

So i have a 83 280zx and since i got the car i have always had problems with the ignition, sometimes when i turn the key i get nothing.. no clicks or anything. Other times i can get the engine to crank but it is very random. Both the keys i have are not originals, and i am wondering if this may be whats causing the issue or if there's something else i can do to fix this problem. The car is currently not running, and it makes it even more difficult to try and trouble shoot when half the time you can't even crank the engine. Any suggestions will be helpful, Thanks in advance, Andy

Hey i am looking for a used distributor for an 83 turbo 280 that is in good working condition. thank you for looking, please pm me with details.

Hey everyone i am looking for an optical pickup sensor (CAS) for an 82 or 83 280zx turbo. It is the one with the CAS located inside of the Distributor. If you have one that is known to be working send me a PM please. Thanks! Andy

i have replaced the chts and cleaned the connection to it. i also replaced the o2 sensor. i cleaned all of the connections as well for the efi system. i was just looking at my cas and noticed part of the sensor that holds the adjustment screw in place is broken and i am assuming its not adjusted correctly because of this

Ok so i have a 83 280zx turbo, and i was wondering if the crank angle sensor being wrongly adjusted or faulty would cause my car to run rich.. Also i lose all power and start studdering at around 2500rpms. I have checked many other things and noticed my CAS looks a little beat up so im wondering if this could be my problem. Thanks in advance everybody!

i am looking for a 1981-1983 280zx turbo car being parted out, i need an air flow meter and a throttle position sensor. pm me, or call this number if you have one 513-309-4256

Thank you roger, Im pretty sure my afm is bad but not positive. now when i accelerate my car hesitates up to 2k rpm and then loses all power and starts sputtering violently.. i was told this is a sure sign that i have a bad afm, is this true? I am just want to be positive this is my problem before i go throwing money and parts i dont need. is there any way it could have something to do with my ecu or wire harness?

i just need a stock 1981-1983 turbo Mass Air Flow sensor. Please post your adds here Thanks, Andy

alright, so i did some testing on my afm following the haynes manual procedure and apparently it is faulty. Anybody have a working MAF for sale??

well, my only real justification is that it is smoking black.. (that is a good indication of a rich full mixture isn't it? or am i wrong?) also it will backfire fairly often when starting it up normally, or after it dies. I did a visual inspection of the AFM and the flap inside seems to be moving smoothly.. i will look to find out how else to check my afm

Tomorrow i plan on going and borrowing a timing light. but today i replaced the chts and didn't notice any change, i also checked the fuel pressure and it was at around 30psi during idle- I'll try to explain the sputtering better - Usually in first gear i don't notice much sputtering or power loss, usually just little hiccups during idle and when i throttle up in first. I do not currently shift to second gear because my synchro rings are shot. but in third gear when i give it gas it usually only wants to go up to about 2.5 or 3 grand and loses all power and will just sputter/pop/backfire/etc. the same thing usually occurs in 4th and 5th gear. Most of the time the sputtering is so bad even when i am at full throttle i cannot get over 30-35mph. the reason i am assuming she is running rich is because when she sputters black smoke comes from the downpipe (i had to cut exhaust infront of the cat due to cloggage and rusted muffler and piping.) She is not dying as often as before, although when she does die and i turn the ignition i usually get a backfire so loud that anyone around me nearly sh*ts themselves lol. So hopefully that description can give you a little more idea of what is going wrong with my car? I hope and pray we can figure this out, i bought this car about 2 weeks ago and still have yet to feel her true power it nearly breaks my heart.

so i checked the fuel pressure and its running at around 30 lbs while idling, i shut off my car and the pressure only dropped about 1 lb and sat there for a while, so i believe my injectors are still good. I replaced the o2 sensor about a week and a half ago and could tell little improvement. i bought a new chts and replaced the old one and could tell no difference in the way my car was running.. any other suggestions possibly?

Ok that makes sense.. i was just reading through the manual though and it shows that my 1983 turbo model doesn't come with a thermotime switch or a cold start valve(i could not find the valve anyway,nor could i find a plugged hole where it went) it also says that my car doesnt have a water temp sensor, only the cylinder head temp sensor (which i replaced and could tell no difference in the way my car ran) i appreciate your advise and i will take the time to read over the efi bible again. since i replaced the sensor with no luck, my next attempt will be to check the injectors

What about the thermotime switch? will that cause my car to run rich?..... i have quite a few sensors missing or broken on this car i believe. i dont even know where to begin

Thanks JSM.. i tried searching the thread for "running rich" but didn't find anything, i appreciated you taking the time to forward those links

Thankyou both for your suggestions, i was just going to add to this post that my water temp sensor has not been connected since i got the car.. i'm assuming this is my problem although i have not yet checked i will do that tomorrow. i am not sure if my CHTS is working or not although it is connected and looks to be in good condition, wires and all. I also wanted to add that i do not have a dropping resistor..would this effect the way my car runs?

So i would love some suggestions on what might be causing my 83 280zxt to run so rich. When i give the car half throttle or more it starts to sputter and will smoke black from the exhaust, when its sputtering it usually doesnt want to go above 2 or 3k rpm. but once it gets to about 3-3.5 it'll start pulling again with minor setbacks. ive replaced spark plugs, fuel and air filter, and the 02 sensor since i bought the car 2 weeks ago. the PO said the car had bad gas in the tank and thats what was causing it to run so shisty, but i dropped and cleaned the tank and it didn't seem to make much of an improvment. If you could leave me some tips on what it might be it would be much appreciated. thanks everyone in advance..

Ok, so i checked the dizzy and it didnt seem to have any broken parts, metal, etc. in it besides some black grimy sh*t.. i have not done a timing light check yet because i do not have a timing light. also i already replaced the plugs, fuel filter, air filter, and 02 sensor(just because the other was shot) i will probably go make a fuel pressure rig today and check.. but also i noticed today while my car is sputtering during acceleration/holding a steady throttle it has black some coming from exhaust. thanks for your help it is greatly appreciated and i will test the battery and fuel pressure and keep you posted.

Alright, thanks guys i'll check into that and let you know what i find. thanks for the suggestions.

Hey everybody, i am currently in the stages of fixing up my 83 280zxt and need some of your assistance. the car has been sputtering and dying since i got it (caused by bad gas according to previous owner) I since have dropped and cleaned the gas tank and ran some fuel line cleaner through it. she is running better than before although is still hesitating during acceleration. I am curious if the fact this car has no crank angle sensor could be part of the issue? i am new to working on Z's and would appreciate any help i could get. Andy