roger.svoboda

Is the car stock? There is a vacuum pump thingy on the right fender inside the engine box to keep vacuum going when in boost. Maybe there is a hose missing there or has been taken off which happens a lot after people start working on it.

If you are getting a low brake fluid level signal then that light stays on until you replenish the fluid to the proper level. Did you disconnect anything from the brake fluid reservoir when you swapped stuff?

have your battery load tested also. I had a new interstate (which is all I buy) in my 280zx and was getting all weird problems also. After much cleaning connections and gnashing teeth finally went to the battery place and said test this baby - sho nuf new battery made all my troubles melt away.

ignitor in nothing more than a power switching transistor. You can make a rough and dirty check with a VOM to see if it is really blown but not 100%. Here is a link that explains it well. http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_3/chpt_4/3.html

Plug it off if you are confident in your waste gate working correctly.

Basics!!! zxt are really voltage sensitive for the ecu and electronics. First step is to put in a good battery like an interstate not some walmart $20 special. Put in new battery cables unless the ones you have appear to be in good shape. Be sure the ground strap goes to a bolt below the battery box and then to the starter. Lots of zx have had the cable clipped and then run to the starter cause it is easier to do a butcher job than the right job. Be sure the ground connection to the frame is free of corrosion and clean and tight. If you are still having trouble after that then start the process of tracking down other problems like low fuel pressue or poor spark. Cylinder head temp sensor makes them run lousy but shouldn't affect starting. Cold start injector more likely culprit. How does it run when you get it started???

still better to rewire. while you are in there you might want to run new coax from the antenna the original is a little delicate. I've had two that were bad.

transmissions are the same as noted the driveshaft length is different and the 2+2 had the 240 mm clutch (a good thing). If you are swapping the tranny might as well go with the 240 mm clutch if you can get the flywheel. if not then tranny drops in.

as above you disconnected something that you didn't plug back in.

You are better off running new speaker wire from the rears as they are the easiest to get at. Nissan used a one wire common for left and right coming back to where the radio sits. If you rewire then you have separate commons for all speakers as you should have for a modern stereo. Be sure to tape off or insulate somehow the old common that you clip off the rear speakers. You could use the old hot side wires but I choose to go to a heavier gage wire.

I got bit by the "but it is new" when I was seventeen and tuning up the 49 ford I owned. New points etc she wouldn't start. The dad walked out "whats wrong son?" smart mouth kid says don't know new points she wont run. dad HOW do you know they are good. Well they are brand new dad ask again how you know they are good. On close inspection found that NEW points were faulty manufacture. Never have trusted a new part since.

well you got the right sensor. It is odd that you get the same response from both cars. There is an ohmeter check in the FSM which you can download and check that. I'd also look at the wiring. Friend of mine found someone put a resistor in the wire for CHTS. Is the sensor physically touching the block (which it needs to do) Careful putting it in if tightened too much it gets crushed. Download the fuel injection bible lots of tips in there. Try the new sensor in both cars. I assume you have checked the timing and the fuel pressure. Pull the main connector off the ECM in the driver compartment and see if it is clean. push in out a couple times make sure seating properly. Never had an issue on 280 but swapped out several on 300zxt which made a big difference. Luck

I'm over in seattle and have a black zx dash in excellent condition. no gages but the wire harness is there. If interested make me an offer. krs@whidbey.com

believe it is internal to the alternator.

I'm pretty sure it is just something to fool us. Seems when I did mine there was a connector hanging there for what purpose I know not.

I bought an exhaust 90 brazed a flat iron brace 1/8x1/2 and took it down to a bolt below the radiator. Grind it nice paint with spray can. K&N filter. Cost me like $50 bucks. Plastic with a wide radius waste elbow would work also and cheaper but maybe more work to paint and brace.

might want to grab the cv joint half shafts for use better than the u joint model.

I retarded the spark til she barely ran (83 n/a) then ran the idle up to 700 rpm. drove over there to get it good and hot and it passed drove to the nearest parking lot set spark back to normal and idle so I could drive it easily but it did pass.

go to harbor freight and buy a vom for like 15 bucks and then see what the alternator is really putting out. Should be 14 volts. If you are only showing 12 then you have a problem. I'd go to a battery place. Have the battery load tested and test the charging system. If you find out things aren't really working right you may have to get another alternator. Just because something is new doesn't guarantee that it is working as I sadly found out when I was sixteen and tuning up my 49 ford. New points car wouldn't start. Dad said how do you know the points are good? cause they are new says the kid. My dad said okay but how do you know they are good. On close examination found out the points were bad. lesson learned young. Also if you got a new alternator why couldn't you get one that fit?

probably want to disconnect the battery before you start swapping but otherwise Tony D is correct

you should be getting 18-20 around town. My 85 turbo gets that. Check with a good flashlight around all the injectors and hose connections on the fuel system to be sure you have no leak. Don't forget to check by fuel filter. My son was a little weak putting on a new filter and mileage dropped a lot.

it is a borg warner t5 tranny. pretty easy to find parts and/or get repaird. i was quoted $500 for a complete rebuild. Might be something not too dificult. the input bearings have a habit of going bad. They are easy to work on if you have confidence. linkage is separate from the gears so if that is the only problem should be easily repaired BUT does the guy know what he is talking about. if the engine runs,body in good shape, interior in good shape go for it. look for rust in the rear from window leakage see the post above someplace. If you have no data on timing belt change that is a must because that is an interference engine and when the belt breaks so do a lot of other things. as pointed out above could be something as simple as a clutch problem.

pretty much the way nissan built em. those triangle windows leak. get them resealed and put some sort of rust stop primer or whatever and call it good. not really a structural issue.

81 n/a and not really running probably only worth 2-3 hundred. I'm in WA bought 81 turbo needed new battery for $450. 83 Turbo blown head gasket $250 but I wanted the nazi wheels. ran them both for a few years. They are fun but that one sounds like a project car and you say you aren't a really good wrench so you will either learn as you go or you may want to find something a little more together.

there are two wires going to the pump. one of them is a ground. when you turn on the key one wire should show 12 volts. run the other to a suitable ground point near the pump.