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I second that. Although a cheap GPS might be an easier option, used as a speedo those times you plan on topping 115. For those unplanned times, I'm not sure it matters so much. I used one for ages, but now I have rpm/mph in whatever gear memorized, so the gps lives at home most of the time. It does save having to callibrate a new speedo to exact gearing and tire size.

I seriously doubt you'll be able to make one good distributor from 30+ year old parts. ALL of the breaker plate assemblies break after 15 or so years. I've yet to ever see a good one. Even on low mileage cars the plastic breaks down. You're better off taking a distributor with very little (if any) shaft play, of the type/year range you want to use, and rebuilding it yourself. A new breaker plate assembly was around 70$ from Nissan last time I checked, and new bushings were only a couple bucks each. It's not that bad to do the rebuild, a bit easier than the AtlanticZ page makes it out to be. It's also nice to see what's stamped on your weights so you'll know exactly how much mechanical advance that distributor is supposed to supply.

Pull apart that spare dizzy right quick to check if the vacuum advance is still in one piece before you swap it in. Take a good look on the atlanticz page I linked above. You can also search for intake gasket leaks using an unlit propane torch. Position the torch near the suspected leak, and listen or have someone watch for the idle to increase. How steady is your idle? An idle that hunts up and down looking for a stable place is a telltale sign of a vacuum leak.

The 280ZX also has a breaker plate. They're ALL broken. I replaced mine with some parts I made on a lathe. I didn't have 70$ to get a new one from nissan at the time, but I had access to a lathe. See here: http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributorrebuild/index.html It's easy to test on the car if you have a reliable vacuum source. Just check for smooth and even movement of the vacuum pot and internal components when applying and releasing vacuum. New stuff is always good, although old stuff isn't always bad. As long as it works properly. What new stuff do you have/are you planning?

Yea, but that rpm is 1300 rpm. At least in theory. Old components go out of spec. You can correct most of it by playing with the AFM, and an o2 sensor cleans the mixture up a lot. Be sure to also check the internals of your distributor. If your vacuum advance gets stuck in the advanced position, you'll have ignition way too early at low rpm and the engine will fire against itself. Search for "Breaker plate".

I speak from experience. I used to have a big vacuum leak, now I have a small one. My car can still buck, but I spend so little time at light throttle, I hardly notice. Those intake/exhaust gaskets are cheap, but a pain to swap. The biggest problem is broken bolts/studs and warped manifolds. My main problem is actually exhaust leaks. It does effect the mixture, as flow out of one or two cylinder is disrupted, causing them to fill differently. All the same in the end. Checking your plugs can usually tell you what cylinders to look near.

That should work. However, megasquirt users switching to EDIS use the schematic found at the bottom of this page. http://www.megamanual.com/ms2/EDIS.htm It uses a zener diode to protect the standard diodes rather than resistors and should help isolate noise.

You wouldn't feel it at idle or under acceleration. You run richer under those conditions and can easily mask the problem. Take a close look at your plugs to see if they all have the exact same color, indicating the mixture is even across the cylinders. You could also try enriching your entire fuel curve by loosening the spring in the AFM very slightly. Can you get it to happen in neutral? Rev the engine until it's just off the idle TPS contacts and listen/watch under the hood for an intermittent misfire.

Great swap. Is that a square driveshaft I see?

It's quite doubtful the problem is in the suspension. It sounds to me like your engine is misfiring. What you feel happening is the car loosing power and then regaining it again, as if you were to come off and back on the throttle rapidly. Check your plugs for fouling and proper gap. Take a good look at your cap, rotor and wires next. If you have a spare coil, try swapping that in for a bit. Does it do it specifically when the engine is hot or cold? You could have a misfire from an overly lean or rich condition. If there is a vacuum leak in your intake gasket, one cylinder could easily go lean enough to misfire under light-throttle conditions, where there is no acceleration enrichment. One cylinder out of six not firing could very well cause the car to buck. Do a search for ways of locating a vacuum leak, I have a hunch you have one; an UNLIT propane torch works nicely.

Oh come on now, I need a turbo. My sis is at KU, and I owe her a visit. Funny thing is I almost bought a ticket out last month, I'd be there in two weeks if I'd got it. I have a ton of family in central Kansas, several of which have large farms, so a place to work is easy. Why do you think the cam is worn? You can't really tell through the oil fill hole. You need to take the valve cover off and run your finger over the lobes. It's normal for there to be a polished area and a rough area. Any difference in levels between the polished part and the rough part is bad, any roughness where it should be polished is bad too. Failures in stock cams in stock valvetrains are very rare when they're even decently taken care of.

If you have a place to put it, absolutely get it! If you don't, let me know. Where in Kansas is it? I'd just about have one of my family pick it up and then deal with it next time I fly out.

http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=106774 I'd also add that once I burned a hole in the carpet and floor of my old minivan. Spilled battery acid and didn't realize it. You could see the rear axle.

An architect, an artist, and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The architect said "I enjoy time with my wife. I'm building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship." The artist said "I enjoy time with my mistress. The passion and mystery I fine there is beautiful." The engineer said, "I like having both. They each assume you are spending time with the other, and you can go to the office and get some work done."

The software isn't for OBD of any sort. You dump the rom from the chip in the ECU, edit it, flash-it (having to solder in a re-writeable chip) and go. Live Edit may very well work, I just don't know if the ECU's CPU is similar enough (or the same) as to have the same memory locations for tables and variables. It's easy to find Nissan Live Edit. Get a copy and play around with it.

He wasn't graphing everything at that time. Only collecting data.