lorenzo
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Posts posted by lorenzo
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Thanks everyone, I think after 4 voltage regulators I will try installing the 1983 280zx alternator and wiring it like zcarcreations recommends.
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Here you go. This wayback machine site is pretty crazy - https://web.archive.org/web/20160307132855if_/http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/alternatorswap/index.html
On a 76 you'll probably have a problem with the brake check warning lamp relay staying on and draining your battery. You can just disconnect while you figure out a way to get it power only when the engine is running. It's under the passenger seat. You'll hear it click when you reconnect the battery.
NewZed, thank you for the link. I will look into that connection under the passenger seat. This seems to be a strange one. Would this continue to be a concern if I were to do the swap with a ZX alternator?
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Bolts right in. All mounting points are the same as a Z and uses the same belt.
Terminal on back of alternator is different though. A lot of Mazda products use the same connector. Miata's, Proteges, Mini Vans etc. I grabbed one from the local Pick a Part.. $2
You can also get them new a repair pigtail on E-Bay.
I used the Z Car creations wiring artcle. Works just fine.
http://www.zcarcreations.com/howto/voltreg.htm
Edit. Just noticed I said 1985 Maxima in my post. I actually used a 1985 300ZX 70 amp alternator. The 85 300ZX 70 amp alternator has a single groove pulley.
The 85 Maxima has a serpentine pulley that you have to swap over. The Maxima alternators are available in 80 and 90 amp versions though, which is why they probably have to use a serpentine belt. . Rock Auto has some great deals. The Remy alternators at Rock Auto are good quality.
Thank you for this detailed write-up chickenman!
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I had a ton of charging issues with my 75. I ended up just switching to a 280zx alternator and rewired how the write-up stated. Problem solved for 3 years now.
Grillhands, did you use the rewiring write-up from Atantic Z? That site is no longer working for some reason.
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^ Yep.. I recently installed a 1985 Maxima ( Mitsubishi 70 amp. ) IR alternator and Voltage is much more stable now. Idle output amperage on these newer alternators is increased substantially over the earlier models. 14.35 Volts at idle and 14.55 volts at 2,000 rpm. Rock steady!!
I can have lights, wipers, stereo and defrost on full blast and no drop in Voltage at idle any more. Even the previous 60 amp 280Z alternator ( External Reg ) couldn't mange that. . I feel much more confident taking the 280Z on long trips now.
Chickenman, does that alternator require any mods to fit in the same spot as the original alternator?
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Are the no charge light illuminated and the Brake warning light on...even with the handbrake released? If so check out the following. It's a weird one....
Fuse block. Lower right hand corner. There is a fuse marked 1 amp for Floor Temp lamp. If this fuse is blown you will get a no charge situation.
Thing is this circuit is used for non-Catalyst cars ( Canadian and Federal models ) as well as Catalytic( California ) models. This circuit also ties in with the Brake check relay and the Charging relay located inside the V/Reg. If this fuse is blown.... no chargy.
Another point. The fuse amperage rating seems to be wrong. No way is it a 1amp. I have a 10 amp fuse in there and it would occasionally blow when the V/Reg acted up. A 1 amp fuse blew as soon as I inserted it.
Picture of 1976 Fuse cover. Fuse in question is in lower right corner.
I have been away from the car for a bit and it is still not charging correctly. I do not have a Floor Temp fuse in my car, that slot is empty.
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1976 280z coupe changed battery (it was bad), voltage regulator, belt and alternator (which tested bad). The car still fails to charge, I am reading about 12.6 under no load and about 12.3 or 12.4 under load. Car is Still hesitating and bogging at stops. Any thoughts on what I should look for, maybe bad wiring?
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I would like to thank everyone for all the great advice, I am feeling a little better about what happened. Hopefully, I will have it fixed soon, it is such a tight spot to work in!
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I was replacing the temperature switch on my 1976 280z tonight and I must have gone too far and cracked the housing. When I put everything back together there was some antifreeze squirting out around the sensor. I cleaned it up and found there was a hairline fracture
Is this a lot of work and time consuming to change? I have never done it before. I checked Motorsport and they do not even carry the part. I was thinking of sealing it with a gasket sealer but not sure if that would even work.
Any ideas?
Where to buy? Thanks
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You may have a vacuum issue, also. Does the car still have its original vacuum accumulator bottle?
Hi Phantom, are you referring to the Carbon Canister? If you are then yes it is still original.
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Okay something new, I checked the wires and resistance is good on all 6 wires. When I start the car and leave it idling and revving there is no bogging whatsoever, even left it for about 30 minutes. This tells me it is not temperature related. It is only when I start driving the car that the bogging starts, could this be a problem with the AFM? Possibly the flap?
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Pull your plugs and see if they have a clean burn pattern on them or if maybe they are running rich - black and kind of wet looking.
I tried this only one had a bit of darkness the others were clean and dry looking. I am wondering if there is a problem with my carbon canister, or spark plug wires, I will check their resistance tomorrow.
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Have you measured resistance of the coolant temperature sensor circuit at the ECU connector and compared it to the chart? How do you know the new one is even connected to anything?
I will try this when I get the chance. Another thing I noticed is when I open my gas cap there seems to be little if any pressure released, I remember it would usually pop and exhale a lot of air when I would open it before.
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Does this mean it runs well cold, then runs poorly after it warms up? There's no time-frame to work with, besides "starts out driving" and "then a short time later".
Yes It drives well for about 5 minutes then it starts acting up, like it is starving for fuel. That is why I changed the Water Temperature Sensor, I thought that was the culprit. Changed the Temperature gauge sensor too while I had the fluids out of the rad.
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I can't seem to figure out what is causing my car to bog, it starts out driving great then a short time later it starts hesitating stalling and fading out.
Things I did after having it looked at by a mechanic:
Fuel pump, used one so hopefully I did not get a bad one.
Fuel Pressure Regulator, this was a new part.
Things I have tried thinking it may help:
Fuel filter
Water Temperature Sensor
changed 3 fuel injectors to new ones, had a difficult time removing the old ones to help get the fuel rail off when doing FPR. I had them so I said why not use them.
Anyone had a similar issue and solved it? I was thinking I may just install an aftermarket fuel pump. Is the fuel dampener required if I do?
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Did you bench bleed the clutch master? If you did not, there is a lot of air in the master that is difficult to bleed out through the long hose and slave. As a diagnostic procedure, remove the fill cap from the master and then remove the filter screen from the bottom of hte fluid reservior (if it is in there). Now you should be able to see the fluid transfer port at the bottom of the reservior. Have a helper press the clucth pedal slowly while you watch the fluid in the reservoir. Normal operation should produce a small squirt of fluid up from the master that shoots up toward (and perhaps past) the surface of the fluid (be carefull as this could get brake fluid on the firewall or fender). If there is air in the master cylinder you will see air bubbles come out from the port. If you see air here you have to bench bleed the master. You can do this in the car by loosing the nut that hold the steel line in, or there may be a bleeder valve next to the line fitting. Eitehr way, bleed the master before proceeding to the slave.
Did the clutch ever work since you got this car? Did you or the previous owner put in a new clutch or (more importantly) pressure plate? The lenght of the collar that holds the throwout bearing must be the correct length to work with the pressure plate you have. This is a common pitfall with this car. Even the kits that include the collar get it wrong sometimes.
Thank you great post will try this if above simpler techniques do not work.
No unfortunately I was not aware at the time I did it that it would be that important to bench bleed with this car.
Clutch and car drove worked well yes. Clutch has maybe 5000 miles on it?
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I feel your pain!
I fought the same battle when I replaced my master and slave cylinder. I tried bleeding in the conventional method countless times and could not get a good pedal. I am 99 percent sure that you have air stuck in the system. The air does not want to naturally go downhill when bleeding.
Try this: it works amazingly well!! Reverse bleeding with a standard oil can. I used this method one time and got a perfect pedal!
Check it out:
Thanks will try this and adjusting the rod further as suggested by others.
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I have a passenger seat that is perfect with no rips in my 280Z while my driver seat is ripped. I am trying to switch the seats but the bolt holes don't lineup. Am I going crazy and the seats are interchangeable? Or is there a left and right seat?
Yes I have inter changed them even had 240 seats in my car for several years and when I changed them I mixed up drivers and passengers seats. The rails at the bottom are more important to note when installing them to the seats.
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May try gravity bleeding, should I be leaving the master cylinder cap on or off when doing this?
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Are these new parts? Rebuilt? Was anything else done? Have you checked the slave cylinder boot to see if there's a leak? Did the old parts work? Why'd you replace them? Lots of detail missing.
Have someone watch the slave cylinder rod and clutch fork while you push the pedal, or vice-versa.
Yes they are new parts, even replaced the rubber pressure hose that attaches to slave cylinder. I have looked for leaks and don't see any. I replaced awhile back because at the time my stick was very wiggly and I thought replacing the master and slave would solve the issue, turned out I needed to replace the plastic boot at the bottom of the stick which I have done and it is now nice and tight.
The fork moves back and forth when I get some pressure in the system.
If I remember correctly the clutch pedal should be fairly tight when pushing down, mine feels spongy and lacks pressure.
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Okay I am going a little bonkers trying to figure this out. I replaced the Master and Slave cylinder, bled the clutch via the slave cylinder's bleed valve with the two person method and I am still not getting good pressure. Putting the car into gear when parked and running is difficult and putting it into rear gear causes grinding. Any ideas? How would I know if the slave or master could be creating the problem on this specific vehicle?
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Are you certain this is not for a 260z? I have a metal 240z and 260z front bumper and the 260z bumper is about an inch wider on each side.
I purchased a 240z style front fiberglass bumper. It get's here but the fitment is off. It seems to be about 2 inches too wide. The manufacturer is implying that bending a little bit won't be a problem but I'm concerned that the long-term tension may cause problems with the paint or the structure itself.
Is it ok to bend fiberglass like this or will it cause problems?
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Oh no, not this again lol! Buy the wheels you like and can afford. If you take good car of them and drive with care they will last you for years regardless of the brand
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I think they are ATS classics but not sure, the size is very questionable too.
Those are Performance Challenger Wheels, located in Australia. You can still order them, they come in 15x8 with -10 offset and a15x7 +9 offet if I remember correctly.
Going crazy here, charging issue
in S30 Series - 240z, 260z, 280z
Posted · Edited by lorenzo
Just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread and let everyone know that I have finally solved the problem!
Used a1983 280zx alternator (AC Delco) remanufactured
Wiring as recommended by Zcarcreations
Charge light seems to be working well and turns off after starting it. Getting 14.55 volts under load. I will not get much chance to drive it though as winter is just around the corner