TheCrazySwede

Video added! (Finally!)

The engine is turning, but it just doesn't start. I added pics of how the Volts look. The video doesn't want to work for some reason...I'll see if I can fix it.

Dear HybridZ, I've been here asking for help in the past, many times, for I have nowhere else to go. My '77 280z is my first car and I love it very much. Since I'm not an expert on the matter, I find myself useless in times when mechanical experience and knowledge is required. At the moment, my car won't start. I don't know what it is...The car was fine, but then I didn't drive it for 2 days. I came back to it and now it won't start. I got a video of it trying to start. Maybe you guys can help me out. There are no leaks, the car has fuel (checked lines and there's fuel going through), the car has oil, and the battery seems to be ok, but I'm not 100% sure. The Volts stay at around 13 with the key ON, and it drops down to around 11 when you try to start the car. The spark plugs seem fine, too, but I haven't fully taken them out yet, just the connectors. They were replaced a couple of months ago. If it were the spark plugs, wouldn't I have had stuttering and other symptoms prior to this when driving? Again, I'm not sure. I hope you guys can help. Thank You very, very much! The video doesn't want to upload, but here's how the Volts look. When the key is ON - http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg155...pg&res=landing When turning the key to start the car - http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg831...pg&res=landing

Dear Hybrid Z, Last night I tried starting my 1977 280 (FI), but the car wouldn't start. I shed some light onto the engine and noticed that one of fuel hoses were leaking. Now, I'm not an expert on these engines, but I believe it's the A Fuel Pipe to B Fuel Pipe Hose, right next to the pressure regulator. I took some pictures to demonstrate... Here's my engine bay (prior to the problem) The red arrow shows where my problem currently exists - Here's some images of how it looks like now (Sorry for the darkness. I'll see if I can take better pics in the morning) What would I do to fix this? What exactly is that part called? My apologies guys, I'm not really an expert on these things :/ It's a real pain in the bum because this Z is my daily driver. I'd really appreciate the help, especially since I don't know much about all of this... Thanks everyone!

Well that's a bummer :/ What are my choices, then (if any) regarding engine swaps? Another L28 and that's it?

Dear HybridZ, I wish to conduct an RB26 swap in my 1977 280z. The only problem is that I live in the state of Commiefornia. Is it possible to get smog equipment on a Non-US Manufactured Engine and pass inspection/smog in the state of CA? I want to preserve the mileage on my stock engine, but since the 280 is my Daily-Driver, I wanted a new engine to fuel the car along. Thanks for the help!

That's exactly what I was talking about! I just don't understand that design. What is that plastic bit for? It just looks like it's feeding the air from the engine back into the air filter, and at operating temperatures, I wouldn't assume it to be cool air, either. Thanks for the reply!

Dear HybridZ communtiy, In my '77 280Z, there's a rubber part right where the arrow is pointing in the picture. One open end is open facing the engine, and the other open end is facing my air filter. Does this thing take warm air from my engine, and send it down my air filter, back into my engine? Anyone know what this part is called and what it really does? Other than confuse me, of course. Thank You! Cheers!

I figured as much. Is it normal to have it squeal when driving, but not when revving? Before I tightened it, it would squeal even when you rev, but it doesn't do that anymore. Am I just a paranoid driver? I will have the belt replaced, but I don't have time to do it today. The car starts fine, the voltage is fine, AC and everything works, so I should be safe to drive....I hope....right? Thank You for the reply, JohnC!

I have installed a new clutch kit, and I changed the trannny fluid to some Redline MT90. Everything has been bled. I do have a lot of play in my shifter, which is why I had to place a bolt washer right next to it to keep it from wobbling. So is it the bushing that needs replacing? Would the bushing cause the symptoms I described, more so in one gear? Thank You Leon!

Dear HybridZ, I would like to thank all who help out us less experienced owners with our Z's. My '77 280Z is my first car, so I am still learning about how these magnificent machines work. I have returned with another question, not to be confused with my dozen other ones. Yesterday, I started hearing squealing whenever I would rev. Gradually revving would be fine, but if I drove or blipped the throttle, I would hear a squeal, very similar to a timing belt squeal. Now, my car is fairly loud at the moment, due to the fact that I ordered a new exhaust kit, but ended up getting the wrong exhaust kit sent to me. This is after I had cut off my Cat-converter to weld it on to the new exhaust. In other words, I am stuck running from my down pipe until I get the exhaust I wanted so that I can weld my Cat onto it. Because of this, it is difficult to hear squealing when driving, especially since my shifter boot quit on me and I can simply look down at my driveshaft, so the exhaust sound is always present. Now, I figured my fan belt was loose or something, so I tightened it up. It doesn't squeal anymore when I rev, but I think I can still hear some squealing when I drive....or perhaps I'm paranoid. My question is this; Could the squealing be present only when driving and not when revving at a stand still? Wouldn't a timing chain rattle instead of squeal? Is there something else here that I could be missing? Another belt/chain? This is the belt I tightened: (Picture is from another 280z, but same engine) Thanks a lot HybridZ, I don't know what I would do without you guys. Such a great community!

Dear Hybrid Z, I have noticed that sometimes when I shift gears (90% of the time, it's 2nd gear) that I feel that the shifter does a small "click". In order to illustrate my problem, I made this picture: First off, pardon my poor MS Paint skills. I hope you can all see what I am trying to draw. So the round ball is the shifter, and I drew the path for the different gears. Now, notice the small red circles. Those are the points where the gear lever "clicks". You know, one "click" for going from 1st to neutral, then one more "click" when it goes into 2nd, for example. I'm not saying that there's a clicking sound, but I hope you guys understand what I mean. Anyway, notice how there are two red circles near 2nd gear? That's because I feel two rapid "clicks" whenever I shift into 2nd. Instead of it being "click" into second, it's "click-click" into second, as if my second gear has been divided into two pieces and I need to "jump" over a small bridge. Where the arrow is pointing is where the first click occurs, but then there's a second click right before the shifter is fully into 2nd. Now, it doesn't always do this. Sometimes, it's really smooth....just like it should be. Most of the time, though, it's like that. Is it a bad shifter cable/bushing? I hope you guys understand my wacky way of diagnosing a problem. Thanks a lot, cheers!

Thanks for the reply, guys! So it's my reading that is inaccurate? What about the lower rpm idle? And this might sound stupid, but is my dipstick's reading inaccurate, as well? I ask this because I recently performed the first oil change done by me. I recently bought this Z, and about 100 miles ago, this same thing was happening. The gauge was reading low, along with the dipstick. I wasn't sure when the car's last oil change was, so I performed one there. Now, about 100 miles later, it's doing it again. I just want to know if it's safe to drive :/ Thanks guys for your help, it means a lot!

Dear Hybrid Z, I, once again, turn to you for guidance. I own a 1977 Datsun 280Z and recently I've been experiencing some really low oil pressure readings. At idle the pressure is at 0. I checked my dipstick and there's plenty of oil....on the low reading of the dipstick :/ I changed my oil about 100 miles prior to this happening. I can't remember what the specifications of the oil was (got it done at the local Chevron gas station and the mechanic there said that Chevron uses their own oil...or something.) The car also idles rough and lower than usual. It used to idle at around 800rpm, but now it idles at around 600-650. After driving it a bit, the idle comes back up to around 750, but the oil pressure gauge, along with the dipstick, still state that my oil levels are low. Any ideas on what might be causing this? Thanks everyone, cheers!

Dear Hybrid Z, I have some questions regarding the installation and operation of a side exhaust system. 1. Where would the Cat' be placed? There isn't much room under my '77 280z, so I can't see where it would be seated. I live in Cali, so having one is kind of a must. 2. I've read around that the Patriot side exhaust limit flow by a lot and that the internal muffler only has 1 5/8 in air clearance, which is really choking the flow. What other options are there? 3. This is referring to sound; I love loud cars, but law enforcement doesn't seem to share my taste. Cali law says that modified exhausts should not exceed 95db's. If a Cop suspects that it's too loud, one would have to go to a service station where they check the db's of your exhaust to make sure it passes under 95db's. My question is this: Is it possible to use side exhaust and still pass the "Cali sound test" without restricting the air flow? Thanks everyone. I'm new to Hybrid Z, but after a couple of post, I am glad that I signed up. Such a great community! Cheers!

Thanks everyone for your replies! Your support means a lot to me, as it is the only one I've got! Thanks again for your replies, all of you. I will make sure to think carefully about this and if I do happen to get this done, I'll make sure it is done "legally" and hope for the best

Thanks everyone for you replies! As mentioned, I am new to the conversion scene and your support is highly appreciated! Also, thanks Dan and Leon for pointing that out. Is it really difficult to get a vehicle CARB certified upon a V8 swap? I read through some government sites, and they stated that as long as the engine is of the same year or newer and passes the emissions test, I should be fine. With some good CATs, would it still cause problems? Thanks a lot guys, I have nowhere else to turn to, so your guy's help really means a lot. Cheers!

Dear Hybrid Z, I am a conversion virgin, but I am planning on installing a Ford V8 into my 1977 Datsun 280Z. I don't know anything about conversions, so I was wondering what I needed for such a project. I was looking at something like this: http://www.fordcobraengines.com/shopDetails.asp?CatId=17&SubCatId=36&ProductId=102 It comes with the engine (and everything listed below it) and a 5-Speed Manual Transmission. Is there some tutorial or guide to follow on how to do this? Any advice? Go easy on me, please, I'm new to this. Thanks everyone!

Aye, the slave cylinder seems to be leaking. I'll replace the S/M cylinders first! Thanks for the tip! By the way, would a leaking slave cylinder cause these symptoms? The car feels a bit boggy anywhere below 2,000RPM and it feels like the clutch doesn't pick up. Sometimes, I also feel a subtle knock coming from underneath the car. Are all these things S/M Cylinder related? Either way, I'll see to it that this gets fixed. On a side note, I am able to shift into reverse when the car is off (and everything has stopped spinning). I've noticed that it seems to be driving better sometimes after I've been driving on the highway at higher speeds. It's not boggy anymore. Also, one more thing. I have to make an hour drive tomorrow, but mostly on freeways. Do you guys think its safe to do so? I know the driveshaft wont snap and get shoved up my bottom, but I don't want to cause anymore damage to my transmission. I have to make this trip, but I was just wondering what the consequences were. I'm getting the new S/M Cylinders put in on Friday, though. Again, thank you all, this is a huge help! I am very grateful

Dear Hybrid Z Community, I am new here on the forums and like many, I bring with me some questions that I hope you could help me with. First off, I recently bought a 1977 280Z (Manual 4 Speed). Has around 114k miles on it and everything runs great, except for the transmission. It's a 35 year old car and everything on it is stock, so I wasn't surprised when the clutch started to act a bit flimsy. Recently, though, my reverse gear has been acting up a lot. At first, I sometimes couldn't select reverse as I would feel it grind. I would wait a second and try again, and it would work. Now, however, it almost never seems to work. The grinding has now gotten louder and more rough. All my other gears, though, work fine, though putting it into 1st does require some force sometimes, but no grind. Recently I drained out the old transmission fluid and replaced it with some Redline MT90. I thought maybe that would fix it, but nope. Still going grinding into reverse. So, here are my questions. I really appreciate your help guys... 1. What is causing my Reverse issue? Is it something that needs to be diagnosed or can it be said just by judging from symptoms? 2. After my fluid change, gears have become really stiff. This is my first trans. fluid change so I'm not sure if this is something to be expected. Is this normal? 3. I'm planning on getting a new, and better, clutch. Along with the clutch, I am also replacing the clutch slave and master cylinders. I am going for a full Clutch Kit, including the Flywheel. I'm planning on getting the clutch kit myself, for around $420, but the place I am getting it fixed at said they would charge $550 for the labor. Is that a good price for something like this or is that too expensive? Like I said, I am very grateful to those who decide to help me out with this. This Fairlady is my first car so I'm still learning. Thank You, so much! Sincerely, Swede.