cgsheen

Is your engine missing as well? (as badly as the Tach is jumping around?) The blue wire from the electronic ignition module is the "signal to fire" to the coil. If the electronic ignition module was faulty in that way, I'd expect the spark from the coil to be erratic as well. If the Tach is known to be good and the engine runs smoothly, I'd suspect the wiring / connections between the electronic ignition and the tach. It wouldn't be that difficult to run entirely new wiring from the electronic ignition module to both the coil and the Tach - it's a simple circuit.

?? A glass shop should be able to get you a new windshield. Any glass guy here in Phoenix can get one next day ("from the warehouse"). Same should be true in the Bay Area. Sometimes the sticking point is the gasket - and the young guys at the shop don't know anything except how to glue a windshield in. But, even if you don't want them to install the windshield, they still should be able to get the glass...

Oh my... I haven't bumped this in over a year. Yes Dorothy, Sakura Garage still sells Stance USA coilovers for the S30!

Eventually it will be important that those sensors are working properly. You'll be able to buy a new CHTS and replace if necessary. The intake air temp sensor in the AFM might be a different story... It's sounding more like timing.

If you're getting spark, the ECU is getting RPM information from the CAS. DON'T touch the AFM internals (although in reality, it would be unusual if someone hasn't already...) Do make sure the AFM electrical connections are clean and have continuity back to the ECU. However, I'd say if you have spark and fuel - better check timing... The 310's are going to make that engine run rich. Make sure your spark plugs are clean (new preferably). Start from the beginning and check the mechanical timing. You can't make any assumptions with these old engines - you don't know whose hands have been on them. Having said that, 90% of the problems with these early EFI (ECCS) engines are ELECTRICAL in nature. Make sure your sensors and associated wiring are working properly, have CLEAN and deoxidized connections, and that their wiring has continuity back to the ECU. Be sure you have the Factory Service Manual for 1981 with the Turbo Supplement (not a mistake, the L28ET with crank mounted CAS came in the 1981 280ZX Turbo model) and follow the trouble-shooting steps. There's a section that shows how to do all that without the "Analyzer". You just need a multimeter.

Stock, the Tach is receiving it's signal from the electronic ignition module - under the glove box area. The electronic ignition runs a blue wire to the "-" post of the coil (to fire the coil) AND to the Tach through a resistor. The blue wire tees off under the dash. You'll find the resistor (a small rectangular plastic thing) coming out of the dash harness near the glove box. The stock electronic ignition module should be removed if you're not using it - at a minimum, the blue wire should be disconnected from it if you're using the blue to drive the Tach.

Well, you probably know by now my suggestion: Don't waste any more time or money on the stock ECCS... Having said that: you can plug an '83 ECU in to test and it'll work. If you're going to run it long-term, remove the dropping resistors and jumper them out. They're arranged 4 resistors in one pack, 2 in the other. Each pack has a +12V "in" wire and then "outs" to the injectors. All the injectors are powered from the same source - all that matters is that you get all the 6 "out to injector" wires tied back to the voltage source wire(s). Whatever problem you're having, is likely NOT the ECU. It's likely wiring/connectors/harness/someonescrewedwiththeafmwhentheyshouldn'thave/and etc... There is also no "advantage" to using an '82-'83 ECU on that engine that would justify the change - or cost. Put your time and money into a new harness and a better engine management system - at very least a new harness (with a better engine management system). That L28ET deserves it...

Nice camber plates. Dang, mines not going to be the only gold Z in the SW... If you ever have that thing in Phoenix, be sure to stop by.

If the CAS was dead, you'd have no tach input (engine RPM information) into the ECU - so, no RPM information in the software. If it was sporadic, you'd have a sporadic RPM reading (and (should have) sporadic spark). Those optical modules were found in every Nissan of the period - don't need to search for a Z31 Turbo CAS... But I doubt that's your problem.

The stock FPR should maintain an approximately 36 PSI pressure differential between fuel pressure and manifold pressure. So, higher pressure with vacuum is wrong - fuel pressure at the rail should drop corresponding to the amount of vacuum (10 PSI vacuum (-10 PSI) should equal ~26 PSI fuel). Higher fuel pressure with boost is correct - add the boost amount to 36.

Very interested to see how well this holds up. Let us know how it fares over the summer and if any cracks re-appear. The sun is really tough on dashes here in Arizona...

A. I can't believe you welded the striker to the frame... B. I can't believe that you didn't take the entire latch mechanism out of the door and completely clean and lubricate it. (Well, I can believe that... It's a pain...) IMO you're looking in the wrong place for the solution to your problem. Do what Miles said above and make sure all the parts inside the door are adjusted and working properly. But, my bet is that the entire rotating latch assembly needs to be thoroughly cleaned, lubricated, checked for wear and proper operation.

I still have the L26 that was in my 260Z frame when I bought it. A mechanic at the other end of the building ends up needing a head for a 260Z he has in his shop. I took him my head, he had it thoroughly checked out by our local machinist. The head is good, so he wants to use it for his customer. He doesn't know what it's worth - I don't know what it's worth... I want to be fair with this guy and his customer. I've looked on the interweb - eBay mostly - and there's not a whole lot of info... Help a brother out? What do you think I should be getting for a used E88 head?

NewZed is also right about the 280ZX community at Zcar.com. And about the fact that many here (including me) will just look at your car as a carrier for that L28ET...

The harness runs down to the floor on the right side, over the seat mount, then into the quarter through a big hole just behind the door. That hole has a grommet. It goes back into the abyss - over the wheel well then down in front of the evap canister and to the floor. (it can be difficult to fish the harness through this space...) Somewhere around there (before there) the dome light and rear window defrost take off. The rear-end wiring goes down to the deck in the quarter and back to the rear. It comes through a smallish hole to the right of the tails and across the back of the car to the left for the lights and then continues on to the speaker and antenna. Near the evap canister, the wiring to the fuel tank goes down through a hole with a grommet. Everywhere the harness passes through sheet metal there should be a grommet...

Still using a single coil for spark? No one is going to know the answer to your question without knowing the particulars of your "standalone". The 260Z Tach works off the "pulse" that causes the coil to fire (you'll notice that the blue "tach signal" wire is connected to the "-" coil post and the output of the electronic ignition module through an inline resistor in the stock configuration).

Well, the spare tire well is sprayed blue metallic... If you're after the original factory color, look under the weatherstrip, or at the overspray under the dash, carpet, vinyl... Then, the factory colors for various years are fairly well documented on the interweb.

In my 260Z FSM that frame dimension drawing shows the datum line you're referencing to be the center of the hole in the compression rod mount - not the "back" of the mount. That may mean you're farther away from stock than you think.

Usually when they're buggered, it's because the protective coating on the circuit board has turned to jelly and run down into the bearing underneath the optical disc. The bearing is common and can be replaced. The coating is gooey and can be cleaned with solvent. But you don't need an entire distributor if you're just looking for the optical module. You can replace the stock module with one from any VG30E distributor type engine (early Maxima, Z31, Infiniti M30). You'll need to bolt it in, but the mounting holes are the same as the 280ZXT and the module itself is the same, just packaged differently - it'll slip right in to replace the original.

Correct about placement and gluing to the quarter window frame. Don't glue it to the body of the car. When I'm reinstalling the quarter windows I set them in slightly forward and 1/2' - 3/4" outboard. Then I press them aft and finally inward to the screw positions. You'll find that the gasket will scrub outward slightly all around the quarter window frame. Then just pull it all the way in with the screws. It's usually easier to have some help while you're reinstalling - sometimes difficult to push in place and get a screw in at the same time. American Fark, huh?

http://www.nicoclub.com/datsun-service-manuals You need the Factory Service Manuals and wiring diagrams for both of your cars - 280Z and 1982-1983 280ZX. Then make sure you understand that turbo swap wiring diagram.

My advice is - don't fuss with the stock harness. You'll spend hours of your life that you'll wish you had back at some point and eventually move on to a better engine management system anyway. My advice has been to do that from the beginning - put your time and effort into a system that will grow with you. MS is not a bad choice.

All the receiver/dryer needs is a 1/4" NPT female thread port to screw the switch into. (This port also can be anywhere after the condenser in the liquid line - it doesn't have to be in the receiver, it's just more convenient. (that means a fitting could be silver-soldered into the 3/8 copper tubing)) I've bought a few dryers in the past that have 2 extra threaded ports which could stay capped off or have the cap (plug) removed for a switch installation.

Firstly, it's not actually a low pressure switch. It's on the liquid (high pressure) line of the A/C system and it is in fact a high-pressure switch. It breaks the electrical circuit to the compressor if the liquid line pressure is too high. There is no "low pressure" protection in these early Z factory systems. Secondly, I know you'd love to just put in a stock replacement that won't require any modification - after all, then it's just "un-bolt one and bolt another one in" - but you're not likely to find a stock replacement. I've been that route... You're probably going to need to find a replacement that will still be available years from now and re-do at least part of the liquid line routing to fit the new one. There are multiple products available that you could substitute that also have provisions (ports) for your threaded pressure switch. The liquid lines are made from standard refrigeration tubing and use standard flare fittings. Coming from a plumbing and HVAC background, this is pretty simple stuff for me. I can understand that it can be daunting for some though. Still, any refrigeration shop worth their salt (or HVAC tech as a side job) should be able to handle the liquid line modification. Completely new copper refrigeration tubing can be easily formed and flared to fit the new part... And possibly re-forming (bending) the existing tubing could be all that's required.