mom'sZ

1rad280: read the other threads in this troubleshooting forum. Check out the one titled 'fuel pump still won't turn on'. Cozy Z Cole posted a link to the electrical schematics for a 75 280 from the autozone site and woldson posted the link for the EFI bible. Get the EFI bible, it is the factory manual for your fuel injection system. Print it out, read it, read it again, memorize every word until you know it. Here is the link http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/efisystem/280zfuelinjectionbook.pdf do it!

zmaster: car is a 75 280z correct? Stock fuel injection correct? OK... to answer some of your questions the thermotime, tps and the ECU have nothing to do with the fuel pump getting juice. Like woldson mentioned at the begining of the thread, the AFM (air flow meter) has a cutout switch designed to cut juice to the fuel pump if the engine isn't running. It's a saftey feature so if the engine stalls in an accident fuel doesn't start a fire. Later model ZXs also had a cutoff switch wired into the oil pressure switch but you Z does not have this feature. Here is how to test it real easy. Pop the boot between the air filter and the AFM off. Turn the ignition to the on position with the engine not running. Stick your finger in there and tilt the flapper open a little bit, you should hear the fuel pump run. When the ignition switch is in the start position the fuel pump gets juice. If you wire the fuel pump directly without this saftey feature do so only temporarily to test the fuel pump. Just jumper it with a 12v source. You should be able to hear it run. Your ignition switch could be bad, check the fusable links as well. Read the EFI bible and trace the wiring harness down using the schematic Cozy Z Cole Larry posted. Keep at it man, you'll get it. And when you do, you'll be driving a cool thirty year old car nobody else has!!!

Elliot: what year Model Make engine are we talking about here? The best quick way to check the ignition is to pull a plug, plug the spark plug wire back onto the plug, lay the plug somewhere where it will be grounded and crank the car over. You will see / hear a spark. Now be careful when you do this. Don't hold it with your hand, you'll get a mighty shock. Don't lay it near any source of fuel, you could catch fire. The best / easiest way to do it is they have these little tester plug thingies at the auto parts store. It looks like a spark plug with a big clip attached. That way it clips to a ground real easy and you don't have to pull a plug. They are cheap and you'll use it a million times in one lifetime. You will be the envy of all your friends and all your dreams will come true!

1rad280: your 75 280z has stock fuel injection no? If so, the fuel pump does not get power with the ignition in the on position unless the flapper in the AFM (air flow meter) is open. This is by design, in case the engine stalls in an accident, to prevent a fire hazard. The fuel pump should get power with the ignition key in the start position. Turn the key to the on position with the engine not running. pop the boot between the air filter and the AFM off and stick your finger in there and move the flapper slightly. You should hear the fuel pump run. If the ignition is not getting juice could be a bad ignition switch. Check your fuseable links as well. Best way to check ignition for juice is one of those spark plug thingies that clip on a ground. pulling a plug, plugging the wire back on it and ground then crack works to. To check fuel injection get a noid light, they are cheap.

Jegs and Summit both carry a rollover valve as well. I don't know if it will help with the smell, but it sure will help with gas pouring out of the car in the unlikely event you end up tipped over http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2D220020&N=700+4294925239+4294839036+4294849067+115&autoview=sku

How about somebody who rebuilds 5 speeds in the South Florida area? A shop that knows Zcar trannys, not just willing to give it a try, but really knows these things? Already had one done, and not real happy with the results. Shipping out of state gets real expensive real fast.

Good good, double door bars are all I'm lacking, trying to get them fit up this week, oh and I gotta swap out the bum tranny. Going to try to make the Daytona drivers school, april 15th I think. There's one down at Homestead in may or june as well. whoops edit: Daytona drivers school is April 19 - 20 and homestead drivers school is June 14 -15.

A while back we were discussing a brake problem and the subject of bleeding brakes came up. A member here Ezzzzz told us how he used a garden sprayer to pressure bleed his brakes. Here's a link to the thread http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=106464&highlight=pressure+bleed Well, I just wanna say thanks to Ezzzzzz because I tried it last night and it works GREAT! I had completely drained the system, replaced master, calipers, discs, drums, lines and wheel cylinders. The system was completely empty. Went to Lowes, picked up a ten dollar garden sprayer, cut the wand off, presto... pressure bleeder.

here's a link to a thread where the bellhousing bolt sizes are discussed http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=115555&highlight=engine+stand

Go to the automotive paint supply house in your area. Look in the phone book if you don't know where one is around you, they're out there, every town with a bodyshop has one, but since they aren't really suppose to sell stuff to the general public they tend to not be right on the main drag. You are going to have to make friends with these guys anyhow. They usually have plain flat sheet metal for patching in easy to work with sizes like 2' x 3' or so. They generally carry some universal patch panels as well. Rad support is basically a box section and a good canidate for sheet metal patch.

Mario: If you read the SCCA GCRs, they actually describe using the 6 point attached to the lap harness points as acceptable. You sit on top of the sub belts. That is how mine are in my car and I can tell you, when you step hard on the brakes and your body weight shifts foward, you can feel that you're harnessed in, almost like a parachute harness or something.

It's not to tough to change out, shouldn't even need to jack up the car so this is something you could do in the parking lot at school if you had to. Point is though.... brakes are not something to dink around with!!!! you could hurt yourself or someone else. If the master goes dry, you will have no brakes, instantly! Even if you have to pay a shop to do it, don't drive the car until it is done. That fluid is going somewhere. Here is a simple test. Pump the brakes up with three or four quick pumps, then stand on the pedal... hard as you can. Keeping pressure on the pedal, if there is a leak, you will feel the pedal slowly going down. It could be the back wheel cylinders or the master. I suspect if it was the wheel cylinders you would see it drolling down the back side of the tires by now.

Mario: Link works for me but starter is listed as $34.98 plus ten buck core charge. I wonder if it's cheaper in Ariz (I'm in Florida) Still cheap but am I misssing something? I use stuff from Advanced all the time (not on the race car) and have ordered from them plenty (not a starter though) Get here super fast, no screw ups so far. Advanced is the main auto parts places around here. Bought out Discount.

Ezzzzzz: fresh rebuild means all new bearings, new synchros and new seals. New tranny has 300 miles on it. Shifter bushings are brand new. Shifter is even brand new. (didn't have one) Gear oil is some kind of synthetic, I think valvoline. Thanks for the advise on doing the job. I have a ZX tranny at home disassembled so I'm sort of familiar with what it looks like inside. (Anybody wanna buy a disassembled ZX 5 speed? can't use it... class rules) Jon: Definitly has some freeplay. Master and slave are (you guessed it) brand new (not even rebuilt... new) steel line new, flexable hose between steel line and slave braided SS also new. No leaks. That's what I'm saying, there really is no adjustment. Thanks for advise guys. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I have a spare 5 speed and spare 4 speed. Both are running used condition. Might try the synchro myself, might have a tranny guy friend help (he has a lift) might crate up and send back to orig. rebuilder. Ordered a couple of baulk rings already, seeing about gasket.

OK I just talked to my parts guy and he said the syncronizer consists of a hub, a sleeve and a (usually brass) baulk ring. He said most people refer to the brass baulk ring as a synchro. Then this Baulk ring is what I need? Also can confirm 1st - 4th uses the same part number part. He suggested that I might want to check clutch operation. I had thought of doing this because the more I drive it the more I'm unhappy with how 4th engages, and how downshifting into 1st works. But the system is so simply, how can it be out of adustment? I realize the pedal linkage is adjustable, but the hydralic system is what it is. If it isn't leaking fluid, what else could be wrong? The slave and master are new. PP and disc is less then 5K miles. Any suggestions? Thanks for the help guys.

Thanks Jon, great explaination. I just paid to have it rebuilt, I'm sure the guy would fix it for me, problem is he's in Tenn and I'm in Florida. Shipping is the killer. First question... are all the sychros in the tranny the same? Do I need to replace all the sychros or just one for that gear (are there more then one?) Anybody know anyone who is experienced with zcar trannys that's in the south Florida area?

DrEaM: no, the clutch is the same one I was previously using with a 4 speed that was in the car Jon: I was hoping you would reply. I guess I need to restate something. By power shifting I just meant shifting at higher RPMs but using the clutch and letting off the gas. I've never tried to do a clutchless shift or not let off the gas. So... you think it sounds like a syncro? That's what I kind of thought to, but I know very little about a manual tranny. Can you tell me a little about what syncros are, what they do, how it works? I have a factory service manual. How hard is it to replace? (obviously the tranny has to come back out and be taken apart) Could I manage it myself or should it go back to the builder? Thanks

I have a freshly rebuilt 5 speed (early 280z) installed in my car. When you upshift between 2nd and 3rd it grinds. It doesn't do it at first, when the tranny is probably not warmed up. It doesn't seem to do it when downshifting from 4th down to 3rd. If I don't rev the engine very high and I shift very carefully, it doesn't seem to do it. If I try to power shift it, it flat won't engage and horrible grinding ensues. Any ideas about what is wrong?

It shouldn't be to hard to swap in the EFI stuff. The fuel injection harness is a whole separate harness from the rest of the car. Carefully remove it all in one piece. It hooks to the battery with a hot and ground to feed the ECU. Save the ECU, stepping resistors and AFM (including the bracket that it mounts on). You'll probably have to use the thermostat housing off the EFI car so you have the thermotime and watertemp sensors. And under the dash the harness hooks to the ignition module for RPMs. (automatics also have a WOT switch on the gas pedal) Most guys wanna go the opposite way... swap thier EFI for carbs, and I usually try to talk them out of it. The stock EFI is a great system, simple and efficient.

The starter will swap over between auto and manual trannys. The pedal box for an automatic has the bolt holes for the clutch pedal and if you have the brake and clutch pedal you can use the pedal box from the auto. You'll need the pivot bolt. I'm not sure it is possible to swap it into the car without removing the pedal box. To remove and reinstall the pedal box, you must remove the dash and drop the steering column. Sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't that bad, a few hours.

Well here's a kick in the butt... after splitting the trans and engine, removing the flywheel and clutch, it appears the plug in the end of the oil galley was what was leaking.

OK Jon, I got my slid hammer at the ready. The engine came back out last night. mustard-z, got those little rectangular seal things coming to, my guy asked about them. Thanks for the help

I think he said he wet it with oil. Anyhow... that's what I need, folks to give some advice on how they do it. We've heard conflicting ideas on how it's suppose to be done. (installing the rear main seal that is) So... how do you do it? What has worked well for you?

Tim: thanks for the data point, this is in fact a factory seal... and it does leak 'like a sieve'. When you installed it, did you notice it was too big? The engine builder said this one was tight going on.

I just got done installing a rebuild and it leaks oil. It appears to be either the rear main seal or the pan gasket. I think it's the rear main seal. The pan is an arizonaZcar pan. My engine builder wanted to know if the brain trust here on hybridZ had any advice or tricks for installing the rear main seal. It's an N42 L28