Heathhh

Currently, i got the car running. Confirmed it was the oil pump/dizzy shaft that was misaligned. In the process of fixing this, i had broken 2 oil pump bolts in half while screwing them in...Over torquing them i believe, or they were just weak... As of now though, the car runs fair. The good news is while driving it there seems to be a bit more torque through each gear and the car is seemingly a lot faster than before. The bad news; Soon after i bought the car, i had troubles with the idling. I am experiencing the same idle problems right now...That is when the car starts up, the rpm goes up accordingly, but then drops back down to about 300rpms, eagerly about to die, but VERY SLOWLY works it's way up to a good idle. I just wait till it gets to temp, and then if i just tap the gas pedal, the idle goes down to 300rpms again. REPEAT. Anyone have ideas? I assume it's vacuum, but then again, i installed quite a few new hoses and tightened many bolts to make sure it wasn't gasket surfaces etc. I'm beginning to think it could be injector problems, the Throttle position sensor that a friend suggested, or anything else. Possibly slightly clogged exhaust? How do i check the Throttle position sensor / switch btw? Can anybody tell me, or at least tell me the page in the FSM cause i was not having good luck as usual...trying to find it.

Lets start with the initial story before any problems had occurred. -Bought the car, ran considerably well. -Had some issues with performance and erratic idle eventually. Began using troubleshooting tools. Everything was checking out good (fuel pressure test, compression test, etc) But the vacuum did not check out, it was terribly low. The search for a vacuum leak began. In time, i believe i had found the leak, but the next time i had started the car up to see if i did, smoke arose from the engine bay. Head gasket failed. -Got the head checked at the machine shop, cleaned up and ready to go. -New head gasket installed, and engine put back together. Looking very good so far. (A friend put the engine back together for me, that was a mistake i see now...read on) Possible useful information- In addition to that, before everything was put back together, i had blocked off the EGR. It felt like it was a pain in the butt and was causing some problems. In the process, nozzles on the TVV (thermal vacuum valve/switch) near the thermostat housing, had been broken off due to their fragility. The first and second nozzle of the 3 that are on the TVV. The frontal one connects to the AFM boot, and middle nozzle connects to the EGR and the 3rd nozzle i am not aware of where it connects. I blocked off the middle nozzle where the it had broken off (EGR nozzle, not needed), but the first front nozzle, i had reconnected with tape, some super glue etc so it would be able to at least pull with the vacuum...The TVV is not much to worry about i hear though...But this is information that may be helpful for the following below. The newest problem. -The car starts up fine, but just for a second, and then shuts off immediately IF the gas pedal is not pressed to keep the rpm's up. So, if the car is started and the rpm's are kept up with the pedal depressed, the car runs, but very nasty. If the car is started and not helped, it will immediately cut out. (much of this is probably due to the poor workmanship of my supposedly "very reputable" friend...POS work, again a mistake to have him help me...) All of these pictures that were taken was when the engine was at TDC and at 0 degrees on the timing plate. I took off the valve cover. -Found a improperly fit gasket where the timing chain is. Here's a picture. As you can see, it is not properly seated and could be the vacuum leak i am experiencing causing the engine to cut out if not helped. Yesterday i had applied RTV silicone to the outside of the head around the seam to seal it off. (Wont be able to see if it helped until today) -The timing appears to be off. The bright chain link is circled in white, and the #1 is circled in red. Haynes manual says it is supposed to be line up... -Though cam timing is off, the 2 frontal cam lobes are in correct position it appears, both equally outward and upright. And with the engine at 0 degrees TDC...I am having trouble putting this together in my head. This is a question of mine-Is there any way to check if the crankshaft is lined up with the bright chain link of its own without taking the front apart-to determine if the cam timing is just a tooth off and not both the cam and crankshaft are any number of tooths off? If i remember correctly, these are what the Haynes manual says for when the engine starts but immediately shuts off. -Fuel not getting to the injectors -Intake manifold gasket leak -Distributor wires are loose/corroded -Improper valve clearances( that might have been if it doesn't start at all ) -Ignition timing ( i think that was one of the possible problems ) -( maybe some other possibility i cannot think of ) Things i have done so far since i discovered the problems -Fuel pressure-GOOD -Checked timing-(had my brother keep the rpms as steady as possible when checking timing) the white mark i made on the notch was either all over the place, or not even in view when the timing gun was being used. (this was before head was sealed with RTV) -Sealed off head with RTV silicone Stuff i will be doing today -Compression test -Checking with hybridz to see what others have to say before i move forward anymore. Ask me anything to help you help me. Thanks, Heath

I got a friend to help me. But with a charge. He's a good mechanic and i was just having too many problems on my own unfortunately, that i gave the car to him to "help me" put it back together. Well, he's a bit of a loner and likes to get the full extent of a check (I didn't get to help, even though that was kind of the plan) he's put it all back together for a total charge of 300$. The thing is, he told me the chain tensioner had popped out so he had to take the entire front end apart of course to correct it. That was unfortunate as i knew that would raise the cost. Right now though, he's stuck on a gasket that belongs to the coolant outlet/inlet on the left side of the engine (looking from front), just a bit down from the head. It's a 2 bolt hole gasket that's needed. The OEM Ishino head gasket set i had bought-had the gasket for that part, but the thing is, it did not fit correctly as the gasket was just a bit too big. The holes did not line up, and the gasket did not cover the surface area very well at all. I find that odd that since it is the OEM gasket set, how come that gasket didn't fit? Oh well, i ordered a Fel Pro one at AutoZone yesterday, and it looks to be the same thing just possibly it is smaller and better fitting. At least i hope so because that is pretty much the only thing that is holding me back from getting my car back running. Anyways, sad to see that it had come to additional money but i needed it done right and with the problems i was getting and lack of experience i couldn't afford to get it wrong. I just wish i was there to learn the correct way with the mechanic as i was planning. I just couldn't find time to go over there though, thats on me. So what do you guys think? Everything was taken apart, labeled and ready to be put back in place except for those minor things such as that elusive gasket as of right now. And i had all the materials ready to be installed. But outside of that, he had to correct the timing chain by taking the front end off. Combining those, do you guys feel that 300$ is the correct price to be charged? Am i lucky it cost that low? Was he just a bit too expensive? I have thought about it overnight and i feel that it is a fair price to be charged, but i was just curious of what others think of it too. Anyways, thats the point at which i currently am at. Will be picking up that gasket from AutoZone today and seeing if it is really the right size. Otherwise i suppose he may just have to make his own gasket... Just trying to be positive-it was meant to happen, although unfortunate for me it still has been a learning experience that i can put towards later in my life. I will of course continue to grow with that, and one day be able to do everything by myself even dealing with problems that occur that i wasn't so luckily able to deal with before. I'll get back on the time everything is finished.

Picked the head up from the shop not too long ago, today. I just need to clean up a little more on the block, and a little bit on the head still, by the intake and exhaust ports. In addition to cleaning out the block bolt holes, and the head bolt threads too. A buddy says he will help me put it together (make things go a lot faster) but so far he's ditched the appointment today (for bowling, honestly) and says Sunday possibly...As much as i want help, i'll do it myself if he doesn't come through for me. I haven't even been able to start the car up for over a month, and haven't driven it for 6 months. It's really gettin to me now Soon. Hope all goes well, continue to wish me the best guys. I need it. Anyways, here's some lovely pictures. And some glamour shots.

It is actually called the Auxiliary Air Regulator. At least for my 82' 280zx. I'm sure the name for it has stayed the same throughout each model year though. I'm surprised that the guys at the store couldn't figure it out what you were saying...how sad.

Looks like an excellent find! Great job, and luck. You can begin looking on the Buy/Sell/Trade forum section. It is right below the GENERAL forums tab underneath motorsports/events. You can post a wanted thread in the appropriate place too. Someone is bound to have one to sell you; i would not doubt it. So give that a try first, and then seek elsewhere such as other online forums (Z's) and/or call around town. You will find more than you have thought ever "still existed". Also, make sure to click around the site and get yourself situated so you know where things are. You will make mistakes posting in the wrong section most likely, just as i have even though i have been on the site a while... Read up, use the partially-talented search bar (I get mad at it sometimes..) and you will be rewarded with a heightened learning curve so to speak. Hope things work out for you, that 280ZX looks to be a good one. Again, congrats.

computer froze=double post.

Great news! Guy at the shop called and let me know that the head is in great shape, and the valves are also in great shape too! He said it wouldn't be necessary to get the valves done at all they are in such good shape, something along those lines. Total paid is about 70$ to get the head cleaned, inspected, and replaced valve seals (i will be getting the head back in the near future). Very credible shop is all i have heard about them, so i was confident about sending it to them in addition to the talk with the guy. Anyways, thats the news as of now. I've given all my praise to Him! I am so happy/thankful

Beautiful. Godly green "neonic" color. Truly a blessed man. Congratulations. Give all the praise and glory to Him. You have become an inspiration to me by the way, can you tell? Reminds me of the old Datsun commercial where the kid looks at the Datsun for the first time and says, "Someday..." I am sure that is something all the fellas on here are saying to themselves either optimistically, or just out of good heart. Watch it here, It is of the 280ZX but it is the Z nonetheless.

I am just astonished by the work you have done. Incredible self sufficient work.

Real good looking 1974 Datsun 260z. Only $1,600. I think somebody should look this up QUICKKK. (Michigan area. At least click the link to see the car people!) http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/1702198962.html

Lets just hope it was the gasket, so that i can sleep. Actually, thats about all i can do is hope now, thanks woldson lol Does anybody have any estimate of a minor crack repair in the head? Just so i can get an idea if the head lets me down with cracks? Just throw out some good numbers, past work done and cost, anything to give me an idea.

Head is at the shop as of today! Plans- They will call me on/by Friday or sooner to let me know if the head is cracked at all or anything else that needs to be addressed. I don't want to get my hopes up, so i'll just keep praying that the head is in good shape and not cracked at all. Finally, some decent progress. The plan is though, valve job, resurface if needed and anything in between i suppose. I remember i had said that i don't plan on doing that because of money issues, but i solved those and now i figure that it is of more critical value to do this to the head while it is off. Updates as they come. Wish me well guys, please and thank you.

Have not found any cracks in the block, will look at the head later tonight. Planning on sending the head out to the shop this coming weekend if it looks good. So far i have gathered this amount of information. Common used gaskets include the OEM Ishino and Fel Pro. A lot of people complain about their gasket failing and thus blame it on the brand which usually is the Fel Pro. And then a corresponding argument arises saying, "You must have not installed the gasket correctly." I am not saying either brand is better than the other, I'm just stating what i have read multiple times. I myself chose to go with the OEM Ishino head gasket because if the original gasket in the engine lasted for over 30 years and 100,000 miles, then I'd like to stick with that brand. In addition to that, about half and half suggest using the Copper Spray applied to the gasket before installing the gasket, others say they didn't have luck with it or don't need to use it. The "stains" that appear on my block surface from what i have searched upon seems to be a normal thing. It may look like there is gasket material still on there, but if it is truly flat, the "stains" are okay is what i have learned. There is one thing i would like to further discuss though, if people can honestly install a gasket incorrectly if it seems like such an easy task, what is the honest to God correct way to install the gasket? There are 2 small bolt guides that protrude from the engine block surface that help guide the gasket and can actually hold it in place very well i assume. When taking the previous gasket off, those suckers were stuck on pretty tight. So, with the block being smooth and clean, and the head as well, how hard can it be placing the head gasket on correctly and carefully making sure it is in exact position and then carefully placing the head on top and inserting bolts/torquing down accordingly and accurately? Thanks guys.

Well i still hope someone out there sees this and has great knowledge that can help me. Possibly any site administrators that have the wealth of knowledge? Aside from that, here is 2 new pictures of the engine block surface that i have best cleaned for over 2 hours carefully. As you can see, there still seems to be dyed marks still left behind. What i have found is that there are very small pin-dents around some of the oil and coolant holes as well. I would like to know if this is clean enough or should i really try to get this looking like new and nothing else? Also, in addition to that question i would like to know what are the proper gasket applying techniques i should be using with each according gasket. Do i need any sealer, copper spray, or anything in between to better seal the gaskets to the surfaces, or just clean and apply without anything extra but the gaskets themselves to the head, manifolds etc? Help!

I called these guys here who i got referenced to for machining services. North Western Auto Machine. They seem to be very knowledgeable from site appearance, also the fact they have been in business since the 1930's, and that when i called the guy at the shop, he just asked what car, i told him 82' Datsun 280zx, and he said, "About $$ for resurfacing and $$ for checking." He didn't seem to hesitate so i feel that he at least knows the engine and has likely worked on some before. Other than that, can anyone give me advice on what to ask them about anything or tell them so that i can assure that this is some place that i will want to send the head to be done? The WMZ club around here seems to have died off...Their site has not been updated i want to say in 2 years, and i've contacted them with no replys back. Apart from that, im asking a couple other HBzR's at the moment as well for shop suggestions if they have any.

I would like that as well. I appreciate it guys.

Yes the coolant was drained and that is what was already in there. The gasket looks to have a VERY SLIGHT oval, but that could be from the camera angle in addition to different shades of dark colors around the gasket as well. It looked "straight" in person, but the timing had been off awhile until i had corrected it mid winter too. I called a shop just the other day and they told me to resurface it is in the neighborhood of 50-70 i believe he said, and to inspect for cracks that is an additional 35? Im fairly sure that is what he said because when he said so, i thought about 100$ to do this is good and i wont have a problem getting the head machined then. Do shops usually disassemble and assemble heads possibly for an extra fee and also clean the entire head, or do i myself have to take the head completely apart and then send it to them?

Took it all off, wedged the chain etc. Here is a direct link to all the pictures i took (23 pictures, too many for here) of the block deck with the gasket on, then the block deck with the gasket off, then the head on the manifold side, then the head on the underside etc. Engine Tear Down Pictures Make sure that you read the title on the pictures, and the description below the picture to best know what your looking at if you are not sure. I did try to organize them as best as possible, click to enlarge them. One thing i want to mention is the most coolant found was in the center of the head and block. It is where coolant was found puddled on top of the pistons and most on top of the gasket surface both on the engine block and on the head. (Do i want to dry that out right now with a paper towel, and then apply some oil to the cylinder walls after wards?) I am unsure of how to clean each different surface accordingly. Look at the pictures if you would and then give me some comments on how they look please.

The rust on the cam lobes wiped off kinda easily. Did not wipe it but once or twice and some rust came off. Should be getting everything else off this weekend.

Well here is the thing, i have posted a thread awhile ago asking for some guidance on how to get the engine to good shape because the idle became in my opinion, became severely "wacky" in other terms very erratic. This is what brought me to the point to fix it. When i had bought the car, the car ran fairly good i thought in my opinion. At the guys place, he just said to warm it up, he started it in front of me and the idle acted like it wanted to die. He just gave it some gas to keep the idle up, and in no time the car began to idle properly and sounded decently well. To me, it was just like an older car where it had some issues yeah, but nothing too major that it was surly fixable the minor issues it had. So, after purchase i had used it as a daily for a couple months. It ran good within its operational state and had some good kick to it. Felt like the engine had a lot of potential although it being so old it needed a few things so until then i wont experience what it is lacking in power. Well about 1-2 months after purchase is when the car felt like it needing some TLC but i couldn't quite put my hand on what it needed because i am new to wrenching and especially this type of engine. Soon after that, the idle became worse and i had this problem where the engine would start up fine, but if i were to press the gas any time during idle or at operating temperature, the idle would suddenly drop down low to near 400-500rpms and it would be struggling to stay alive. Any time on the highway though, the car ran good but lacked that power and kick. I assume that is because vacuum is better maintained at higher speeds which made it feel fine when driven at higher speeds. I still ran the car for about another month, and it did not change from that state of poor operation meaning it did not get better nor worse. I put it up for the winter and with the help on HbZ i got to work learning my way. Bought many tools and testing equipment. That is when i tested everything i have listed in the top of this thread. It is when i deemed my engine as having a vacuum leak as that fit the problem description i was having. Fast forwarding, i replaced many vacuum hoses/lines and cleaned all connections etc. I then started the engine up about a week ago and i was hoping with my confidence that all my hard work was about to pay off. The engine started up fair, and then when it got to idling for the cold temperature it seemed that it was "alive" that it was now in good shape. Suddenly the rpm's drop, my jaw opens, and smoke starts coming from the engine bay, underneath the intake/exhaust manifolds. And hence the start of the tear down. That is currently where i am at. So technically, i was not running the car since then but trying to fix it instead, of the vacuum leak it did have. Occasionally i did start the car up in the garage during the winter, got it to operating temp and tested to see if various things i corrected had fixed the vacuum leak, which none of the fixes had done. Murphy part To hate Murphy is a bad thing? Maybe you had misunderstood, i agree with Murphy's law, but am cursing it because it sucks. I know that i should use the money to do it now, instead of facing problems later, that is what i do agree with but Murphy itself just isn't fun. Sorry i did not make that clear, honestly.

Wow you just took the wind out of me. How long do i have before its no longer good? Gaskets wont come for about a week. Is that too long? I have yet to take the head bolts out let alone came and wedge the chain. Is surface rust on a few cam lobes really that bad? It sat in a garage i was told for 10 years. Oil change immediately the guy told me, and then i got to see it about a couple hundred miles after the change he claimed. I do not know how much water was in the oil, but i can get a picture if that will help any of the oil in the bucket where it is still sitting. I know that before i ran the engine, the engine oil looked suspicious but it looked like it was okay. Then i turned it on and the smoke etc, milky oil. Anyways, what are the key factors in going to a machine shop and asking about the lobes, head etc and clearances and what to avoid. I remember seeing a post where someone said make sure they give you clearances before and what it would be after. But could someone run me through that again, what i should do and say to the machine shop? #@!$ you murphy. Does the rust on the cam look as bad as you made it sound? Ive read that some guys have some surface rust and they sand it off with high grit paper or steel wool...if the rust is badd and the cam should be junked, anyone have a good one to sell me at a VERY good price Anyways, i gotta sleep somewhat good, so i pray that everything turns out well and for the better and my engine will be blessed man, that it will survive and live a ton longer!