ttodhunter

On my '76, the white wire in the picture is attached to the hot post on the starter, which should have a cable from the positive battery terminal on it as well. From the positive battery terminal, I also have a white wire that goes into a connector and comes out as a red wire. This red wire meets up with another red wire coming from a similar connector on the negative battery terminal... I think the white wire is spliced into two, then again into four white with red stripes that feed the fusibles. I also think that we do have an external voltage regulator. Anyway, congrats on your purchase and I hope this helps! P.S. Nice battery tray. P.P.S. If you don't have it already, download "The Fuel Injection Bible" (280Z specific) and the '76 FSM.

Was that cam timing or ignition timing?

It looks like you've done some research, but you may be making things more complicated than they need to be. Your best bet is to get a L28et (complete) from a donor car with the ecu and harness. This will be a fairly direct swap and won't require any "frankensteining" of blocks and heads as they are made for each other. You will, of course, need a FI fuel pump (and maybe tank) but the rest should be plug and play. Once the L28et is in, 300hp isn't all that hard with some tuning and basic bolt ons...

My understanding is that if the filter isn't completely clogged, it will only not flow properly when it's under load. The load at idle is really small, same with at cruise or partial throttle or lower rpm's. When the rpm's are higher and the load is increased, the flow isn't enough to supply the full throttle enrichment and the higher rpm's. Give it a shot; I paid $16.

I just realized I hadn't changed the fuel filter since adding an inline filter and swapping the tank. Der. I put in a new one today and it definitely has more power and less of a bog than before... Still not 100%, but maybe I can fix that with the rest of the tune up I need to do.

Cursed intersection.

Yep, it really just depends. If you are comfortable with carbs, it's probably easier to hook up the carbs and avoid running a new harness/ drilling the firewall... The stock EFI is good if you want a stock setup and don't plan on doing anything wild in the future. Megasquirt would be superior for power and economy and allows for pretty much any mod you would plan on doing. The L28 will have a little more torque, probably about the same economy. I'm pretty sure you can use the carb manifold on the L28 head.

You are in the wrong place. This forum (all of hybridz) is dedicated to Nissan/Datsun Z cars. You are asking general questions that do not pertain to Z's...

Rust. Battery tray, frame rails, floor pans.

I might be way off, but is the cam pushing the valve down?

Best bang for the buck is honestly to get a L28ET and drop it in. Add an exhaust and intercooler, bump up the boost a touch and 180rwhp should be easy.

Update: My problem turned out to be just plain old dead gauges. Got some new ones from a junked Z and everything worked.

I agree that it is possible, but this post is about a "budget" motor. Zredbaron probably has upwards of $10k in his motor and runs 109 octane race fuel and has beautiful results. Without massive work to the head/valvetrain/piston shape/induction system or aftermarket efi, you probably won't have good results above 9.5 CR. That's my understanding and I could be wrong...

That, I don't remember.. I found the discussion here at hybridz, so it's in here somewhere. I think they had to take 10 degrees out but don't quote me.

The L28's don't seem to like much above a 9.5 CR (or so I have read). You have to retard the timing massively and that offsets any additional power made by the increased CR...

Yep, basically L28 block with LD28 crank, L24 rods and some KA24 pistons. The block will need to be bored and some say there is some clearance grinding on the crank. Here is a site full of combinations. http://www.zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/128combo.html

I'm experiencing the same thing, at sea level. The 2k elevation should not affect power much at all; the AFM is probably fine. Below 3k, the engine is really strong and torquey. But yeah, from 3-5k you can tell there is power there, but it just feels like it's being strangled. I'm assuming it's a fuel delivery issue...

There are 3 tests in the FI Bible, pages 49-51, for the AFM. You'll need a multimeter.

I would guess a good stock L28et would put out more power than this for half the price. 10:1 is a high comp ratio on a N/A L28. I don't think any of the stock ECU's would know what to do with this combination either... It's gonna explode.

You should also download a copy of the Fuel Injection Bible (280z specific) at http://www.4moores.com/280z/files/280zfuelinjectionbook.pdf

Have you tried the injector sound test and power relay check? For the injector sound test, you basically hold a screwdriver to the injector and put your ear on the other end. Have a friend disconnect and reconnect the ignition lead wire and listen for clicks. For the power relay test, disconnect the starter lead, hold your hand over the relay and turn to start. The relay should click. These are both located above the clutch pedal to the left of the steering column.

You might want to see if the AFM is actuatiing the fuel pump. You can either pull the front intake boot off or the black cover from the drivers side of the AFM, then move the flap or the lever arm (with the key in the run position) and see if you hear the fuel pump switch on and off. You could also have a friend start the engine while you hold the flap or arm open a little bit and see if the car stays running. Just a thought... Edit: I just remembered, the 77+ Z's use the oil pressure switch or alternator current to activate the fuel pump. This test will not work for you...

I got around to getting the PCV system hooked back up properly. I went back to the parts store and bought a pcv elbow for $2 or $3 and trimmed the bottom off. Took a drill to the tube and got a hole that the elbow just barely fit in. It was almost snug enough that I felt it didn't need glue. But, I glued it in anyway just to be safe. I removed the crankcase breather filter and put the tube back on and everything back together. So, now I have a functional PCV system and a 3" mandrel AFM boot. The shopping list now looks like: 1x 3-3" or 3-2.5" Silicone Coupler. It comes with a black insert. This is important. ~$7.99 1x 3" > 2.5" silicone reducer. ~$6.99 1x 45 degree 3" mandrel bent tube. ~$10.99 1x PCV elbow ~$3 Total: ~$30

Is it all the time or when the engine is cold or hot? Has it always been like that or is the car new to you or did it just start happening? Need a little more info...