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Pilgrim

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About Pilgrim

  • Birthday 06/11/1950

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    http://www.colocougs.org

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  • Gender
    Male
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    Fort Collins, CO

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  1. To update and provide valid link to the "how to remove the dash".... http://www.zcar.com/forum/10-70-83-tech-discussion-forum/306057-how-remove-280zx-dashboard.html
  2. Pulling the dash in a 280 is easy - no more than a 90-minute job after the first time. There are only 8 screws holding it in after you pull the radio console. Not sure why you had problems. I've documented the process online a number of times. See: http://www.zcar.com/forum/10-70-83-tech-discussion-forum/306057-how-remove-280zx-dashboard.html It's easy to pull the steering wheel and take a look at the combination switch. But if nothing obvious is visible, I'd get another combination switch and replace it. And "muscling" something like a dash in is the single fastest way to damage parts and create problems for yourself. With time, we tend to learn that.
  3. I'm guessing that you'll need to jumper a couple of wires to make the electrical circuit think the transmission is in Neutral or Park so that the starter will engage. In addition, you'll need to find the wire that turns on the reverse lights.
  4. I'm in the same place you are - but with an '83 ZX Turbo. I spent months getting the dang manifolds loose, then gave up and pulled the head with manifolds still attached. The answer is...the end connectors were studs in the first place. Everything but the last connector on each end is a bolt, but those are studs. They often break off, which is why I pulled the head - I'm not crazy enough to think I can free-drill those studs out when they've been stuck in there for 30 years. The good news is that a Z specialist I am working with says that normally, replacement connectors do not break off...probably has something to do with the metal the studs were made with. Take the head to a machine shop and have them drill out the studs, heli-coil if needed, then (my advice) re-mount the manifolds and re-install them all as one unit. I'm going to rent a cherry picker for the re-install, as there's no way I can hold everything in place.
  5. Which switch? Rheostat for the blower? (The AC switch which mounts inside the control unit was replaced with the wiring and it tested OK.) It's not a bad thought - I have replaced it once, a couple of years ago. It tests OK but intermittent problems can be like that.
  6. There's good news...not necessarily a permanent fix, but at least a temporary positive note. Last week I dug into the ZX and checked wiring, and darned if I didn't find a blown fuse. It was the 20A fuse on the bottom right corner of the fusebox; I didn't check the label on the slot, but I replaced the fuse and my blower fan and AC compressor both work!! I drove it around town and on the highway for more than 1/2 hour and everything continued to work. Do I think the problem is solved? Not really. I think I fixed a symptom, but there's a reason the fuse blew - and that reason is the real cause. However, I'll live with this for the time being. I suspect the test will come when the weather warms up, as the original problem occurred when days were hot. It's possible that when I replaced the wiring harness for the blower fan and AC control unit that I blew the fuse - and if so, I'll be a happy guy. But after six months of down time, pulling the dash and replacing wiring and vacuum hoses, I'm damn glad to have it driveable again!!
  7. Definitely worth looking at! I'll check it and let you know how it did.
  8. Unfortunately no, the car is still sitting while I tend to other issues. It has been down for at least three months, which is a bummer. Good call on the fuse...it's one of those hidden "gotchas" which can be hard to find. I know about it and have checked it, but I'll re-check. Right now I have no fan, no AC compressor engagement...nothing. Not the result I was hoping for. I need to spend some time with the wiring diagrams and see where these circuits travel. Before installing the new rheostat and AC switch I tested...the AC switch inside the climate control box tested good for contact closure, and the rheostat tests good as per the test procedure in the shop manual (it's also accessible by removing the center AC vent, unplugging the harness from it, and using a multimeter to check function.) I believe the problem is elsewhere in the wiring, but I'm still stumped as to where. The fact that I have (1) no fan, and (2) no AC compressor engagement indicates to me that there are two aspects to the problem. Initially when I lost fan function, the AC still engaged - but neither system works now.
  9. Good suggestion to check the fan speed rheostat - but I replaced it, and checked the contacts as well using the process in the factory manual. I don't believe it's the problem.
  10. The amplifier is an excellent idea, - I have a spare and tried swapping. Still has the problem. Dang. Best candidate according to FSM and tests is the blower relay, a 4-pin relay mounted on the underside of the blower housing next to the amplifier. Need to replace it; called Courtesy Nissan but they had trouble identifying it and no call back yet. I'll have to rattle their cage Tuesday.
  11. I checked all wiring diagrams - none show a thermal sensor for the manual AC system...so that's not it. It's also not the AC fuse in the fusebox, because....I need to correct an error. This does NOT happen only when AC is on - it happens regardless of AC. All I have to do is turn the fan up and it will shut off within 5 minutes of run time.
  12. I have the manual AC system and a factory service manual...wasn't aware there was a thermal switch near the glove box. Will check manual. Every fuse relating to AC and fan has been removed, tested and reinserted - twice. Not bad fuse contact...but will jiggle things and see if the problem occurs or disappears. Remember that the AC works properly and the compressor engages, it's only the dashboard blower fan that shuts off. I can tell from the load on the motor and the idle speed that the AC compressor is still engaging.
  13. I'm having a problem with my 1983 280ZX Turbo. The blower works fine on vent and heat, but after just a few minutes (sometimes only 2 or 3) with the AC on, the blower fan stops working. (EDIT: With more testing, I learned this happens regardless of whether AC is on - it happens even if just the fan is running!) The AC compressor still runs, but the dashboard blower fan which delivers the cooled air inside the car stops. Turning the AC off doesn't bring the fan back to life; it will only start working again after the car has sat for a few hours. This has happened 4 or 5 times. No fuses have ever blown, including the stealth glass tube fuse that's mounted under the blower motor. After sitting for a few hours, the fan works again. But hop into the car when it's hot and crank up the AC - and the fan runs for a couple of a minutes, then shuts off. If the car sits for an afternoon or overnight, the fan works again. The way this reasons out to me, it seems like running the fan must make some component associated with the blower fan heat up and fail. When it cools off, the fan runs again. Does this diagnosis sound likely to you? If so, what component do you suggest I check? I was thinking of the amplifier mounted under the blower, but it is used all the time - it operates both with and without AC.
  14. I sure wouldn't do that, for a simple reason: tint means less light transmission. Less light transmission means you're harder to see; that means you have more chance of getting hit by another vehicle. Anything which makes you less visible to other vehicles increases your danger. To me, tint on any lights, anywhere, is a bad idea because it increases the risk to you.
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