EverRude

I managed to get it swapped mechanically except for reinstalling the driveshaft (low priority) and mounting the AFM correctly (requires fenderwell mod). It now cranks over, fuel is delivered (fuel pump temporarily set to run in "ON"), and just yesterday I managed to get spark. Now it's just a matter of firing the injectors. Then wire up the internally regulated altenator. Progress is being made but I got frustrated and convinced I couldn't get it running without spending anymore money I didn't have. Decided to cut my losses and sell it. Posted in for sale section. However I am getting closer to getting it to run. If so it'll come off the market or the price will go up.

For Sale

I'm giving up but I'm not. Listed it for sale here on the boards and my local craigslist. I'll still keep working on it but if someone offers to bail me out for the cash I have in it i'll take it. I just refuse to spend any more money on it till it runs. However I manage it.

Well I did get the car to crank without smoking wires. Turns out there was a ground to the main harness I hadn't connected when I swapped the motor. The old wire was Red and I didn't realize it was a ground until I traced the pinouts at the ECU connector. I get spark but only when I run a hot from the battery to the + post on the coil. Means the coil and distrubutor are fine. There's 12v to the ignitor with the switch in "on" so it could be the ignitor isn't properly grounded or it's bad. Injectors aren't firing. So even if I manage to get spark properly I still have to sort out the injectors. It's really too much for me. Too many thinks it could be and my troubleshooting skills are far too haphazard and impatient to make it work. If I ever manage to get it to run it'll be pure luck. I tried. I'm not upset that I failed to make this work. In fact I'm proud I swapped the motor all by myself. I usually have help for that stuff. As long as I have the car I'll keep playing with it but I won't spend any money. I've listed it for sale but maybe I'll get it running before that happens. I appreciate everyone's support. I feel like I let you down more than myself. Sorry.

Found the problem. It was that wire with the bladed connector at the neg batt post. The reason I couldn't figure it out was because the wire on the old harness was red. I didn't remember a red wire going to the neg batt post. I would think that would kinda be noticeable. Anyways a friend and I ran continuity on the bladed red wire on the old harness. It was ground to every nearly every pin on the ecu connector. So we used that wire and spliced it into the main ground harness in the bundle of wires that runs down tha passenger fender well below the battery. Worked like a charm. Motor cranks normally and no smoking wires. Hoorah. Also figured out my fuel pump wiring. Now I can troubleshoot the rest of the EFI harness using the manual. Progress. Yay!

There's one thing I noticed after the swap that could be related to my problem. There was a wire connected to the negative battery post via a blade connector that's not currently hooked up. I can't find that wire. Is it stock and does anyone know where it connected to? Here's a pic.

That's how it is. Remember I disconnect the main harness from the battery and the car cranks fine when I jumper the solenoid. If I hook up the main harness (large white wire with red stripe) jumping the solenoid does nothing. It's like all that cranking power is attempting to go somewhere else but only when cranking. Nothing is smoking with the key in the "on" position. If I replace that ground at the ignition harness plug I'm sure it would begin turning over slowly again and burn out that ground again. Something in the starting circuit is shorted. But I have no idea what.

I thought so too. The first thing I did when I got the car was swap the battery cables (this was about 2 days before the motor swap and eveything cranked fine after I changed the wires). That wire to the starter is new. But when I encountered this problem the first thing I did was disconnect it and clean everything. I even added a second 1 guage ground from the block to the firewall. There was already one there at the battery side. I added this one closer toward the driver's side. It really seemed that all the cranking amps are trying pass through that 14 guage ground wire under the dash. In fact, if that ground wire isn't hooked up the starter won't spin when the main harness was connected to the battery. The car cranks fine with the battery powering only the starter.

I'll check this out. Because whatever I did it happened after I swapped coils and messed with the wiring to the bracket. I can't test anything "at a run" because this car isn't close to running at all.

I am attempting to swap a L28ET from an 81 280ZX to my 75 280Z. Not going well. I won't attempt to explain everything because it's too much. My first priority is to get the car to crank. As in, starter spin the motor from the ignition switch. However I am burning ground wires at my Ignition system plug. Pics are below and hopefully you'll understand. You can certainly see the ground wire that burned completely into. At first I just got a slow crank and I noticed the smoking hot ground. This ONLY happens while cranking. Not with the key in the ON position. Now the day before the car cranked fine. But I hadn't swapped over the turbo coil/ignitor. I had to completely remove the coil bracket to make the swap. I didn't know how much of the original wiring I needed so I just swapped the coil and ignitor onto the original bracket with the original wiring. Only the ignitor was actually added. I made sure the coil bracket was grounding but I could remove it all again and clean off all paint to be sure there's good contact. I managed to comletely burn through the ground wire when I attempted to troubleshoot the slow cranking by jumping the +post to the solenoid. I had the start sensing wire disconnected. Only the ground at the starter mount bolt and the main +wire from battery were hooked up. However there was the main W/R wire tied to the +post on the battery so that's how the rest of the car got power. It cranked a little faster then slowed again. That's when I smelled the smoke. BTW I disconnected the rest of the harness from the battery and ONLY powered the starter. Motor spins fine when jumping the solenoid. So as you can see I am totally screwing this up. The schematics don't do me any good. I look at the 81 and 75 stuff and wires colors don't always match what either says. Which just leaves me futher confused and frustrated. Anyways here's the pics of my coil as it's currently set up and a pic of the ignition plug with the toasted ground. I'd appreciate any help.

Sigh... I'm still trying. Still frying wires too. Going to try to take it one step at a time. First get it cranking. Right now it attempts to crank and grounds start smoking. Posting a question in the electrical section about it. Then I'll try to get fuel working. And finally spark. First the cranking tho and wiring repairs to the fried ground wires.

I have a 1975 280Z that I've installed a 1981 L28ET motor, stock turbo, harness, AFR, ECU...etc into. I can't get it to work. The EFI harness to body harness wiring is frying my brain when it isn't frying itself (it was just a ground wire... ). I'm most likely going to just sell and look for a carb'd 240 in simular condition. I wanted a 240Z for the simple old school car it is. EFI is too much hassle for me. I really bit off more than I could handle. But I was impatient and bought the first S30 I found in my price range. Anyways the point of my thread is too ask.... The car has a few dents and some rust. The framerails, rockers, quarters, and cowl are all solid. Even the doglegs and lower fenders. But there is some significant rust in the passenger floor, rear hatch ledge, spare tire well, and lower door skins. A few other small areas including a rust hole in the top of the passenger fender. I have the tools and skills to do the body and mechanicals. It's the friggin wiring that kills me. Let's say I was asking $800 for the car as it sits. Assembled but not running (wiring) with the rust and dents. If I repaired the rusty doors could I then ask $1000 and be reasonable? Or say the doors and floor and go to $1200? What is a solid body worth if I did it all? Or would I just be throwing my time and money away? Oppinions please. Also please keep in mind the numbers I threw out are just examples. Thanks

The smoking wire was a ground when trying to turn it over. Not a real issue but certainly shows I have it all wrong. I'm going to clean it up and reassemble everything not put together (driveshaft, hood...etc) and sell it. Hopefully I'll get most of my money back. Expect to see it in the For Sale section in a few days. 1975 280z L28ET 5 speed (not T5). Does not run. Needs wiring. Solid Frame rails, quarters and rockers, but rusty fenders, spare tire well, rear hatch ledge, and passenger floor. New clutch and slave cylinder. Clean title. Lesson learned, stay away from EFI. This is a real heartbreaker. S30 is a dreamcar for me and I failed to make it work. Thanks for your support guys. I'm sure I'll be back if and when I find a 240.

No progress. Unless you count smoking wires. I'm gonna start looking for a 240z tommorrow.

Earlier I posted a pic of the EFI relay calling it the fuel pump relay. Here's a pic of the fuel relay from the ZX. Not sure at all how to tie this into the system. Without it though I have no fuel pump.