Mikez31ss

Hey Adrian I just stopped in to post the latest results and saw your reply. I wired the e1280 up and the car still won't fire up. Could be the pickup. The distributor is new (rebuilt) but we all know that sometimes new parts are defective. I'll test the pickup with my meter...got no scope. I almost hope it is the pickup. It's a cheap part and I can't think of anything else it could be. Where does the pickup get it's ground? I kept the new dizzy lined up pretty well where the old one was so the timing should be close enough to at least start. I really appreciate your help.

And I appreciate that Using the info from your posts the module is good and the wiring is correct. But it still doesn't run /shrugs. Obviously I did something wrong. Maybe I need to test the distributor.

There are 3 part numbers for the z31. The 84/85 sensors were white. I believe the 86 was purple and the later models were black. I don't think they are interchangeable.

Thanks Adrian, that was helpful. The only reason I mentioned the ballast resistor was because a PO had already removed it and modified the wiring and used a stock coil replacement and the tach isn't working. I must have worded the original post badly because I had no plans to install a resistor. Getting rid of the points and resistor was the motivation for doing this. I guess I was wondering out loud if the wiring the PO did might have prevented the tach from getting a signal. There is 1 volt on the distributor side of the module. I tried a ground wire to the module but it still won't fire. The module is high quality bought from Summit. I'm going to wire the e1280 module back in just to try to get the car running. I'll probably try the HEI module again some other time.

Appreciate the input. If I can't get this to work I may have to use the e1280. I'm not giving up on this yet though. I think it may be a ground problem. I'm going to check tomorrow to make sure the HEI module has a good ground.

I'm trying to convert my 240z from points and condenser to electronic ignition. I bought a new '79 280zx distributor, cap, and rotor. Also an MSD 12 volt coil and an HEI module. I used info from different writeups to determine the wiring. A previous owner had removed the ballast resistor and noise-suppressing capacitor. I tried to start it up today but it won't start. I have 11 volts at the coil + terminal. I modified a diagram from a writeup to show how I wired the new parts in. If anyone sees anything obvious I missed I'd appreciate some input. Maybe a ground for the module C terminal?

That is a 1884 Federal turbo 5 speed ECU. Just a friendly FYI: you can also use 1984 23710-02P02/A18-617370 1984 23710-02P03/A18-635374 1985 23710-02P60/A18-635650 1985 23710-02P61/A18-636654

Exactly, that's why I was surprised that it had been removed. The distributor and coil were stock 240z parts...only the resistor had been removed. Two reasons why I asked. I don't have much faith in my understanding of electrical circuits so I made up that diagram to show my wiring. And since the tach has never worked, I was wondering if the tach function was lost because of the way the ballast resistor was removed and if there was some way to get it back. On the vacuum advance... I feel like a dunce for not thinking of the brake booster. That looks to be the only vacuum operated part on the car. Thanks for the help.

Ok now I'm still not offering an apology. The base was from a 280z so the part was wrong but I'm not here to rehash that. There was a part attached to the base that came in handy today...the timing adjusting plate thing. That part I could use. Thank you very much blackice280zxt.

Ok I'll ask another question. Is there a particular source I should use for the vacuum advance? There are no vac ports on the Webers. Would I need a check valve?

I bought a new '79 280zx distributor to replace my 240z dizzy. I also bought a GM HEI ignition module. When I went out to install the new dizzy yesterday I discovered that a previous owner had removed the ballast resistor. That complicates the conversion a little since all the writeups I've saved included the ballast wiring as part of the conversion. And my conversion is a little different from those writeups because I'm planning on removing the E12-80 ignition "matchbox" and using the HEI module. I'm not sure exactly how crucial the ballast resistor wiring is in the conversion or how the PO bypassed it and what he did with the wiring. I've modified a diagram from John Hull to show the way I think it should go but I want someone who understands the 240z ignition and electicals to look at the diagram and see if it looks right.

Chaparral2f is correct, that part is called a water cock. If you want your a/c system to work it's an essential part. You can look at a blowup of Jason's pic to see how the hoses are routed. The water cock side is the inlet.

I don't know if these will help but they're all I could find.

Yes it is and your motor requires it to be able to run. I'll look through my shiro and 85t pics to see if I can find a good shot of one. Oops forgot I had coil packs on the shiro but you can just see it in this pic. And you can dl just about any Z FSM here: http://www.xenonz31.com/reference.html

Great job. That's a lot of time and work and it shows in the result. Need more and bigger pics!

Damn...I saw the title and clicked on this hoping to find a job myself lol. Well...good luck though.

What? What?!??

I don't even know what that is but it's impressive. Clicking on tfreer's name in 5-4-3-2-

First suggestion is DL a factory service manual. Second is check the power transistor circuit.

Finally got around to doing something to the car today. Replaced the shift lever bushings. Really I just installed new brass bushings. There weren't any old bushings in it. I'm hoping the weather will warm up a little and I can adjust the valves and get started on my distributor replacement. It's going to be a combo of installing a new E12-80 280zx dizzy and then converting that to using an HEI ignition module. I have a spare z31 alt that I might try out too. I'm thinking about selling the car too. I'm getting some good offers on it and if I can get enough to buy a 280z and an L28et I might do it. All things considered I think I'd rather have a turbo 280z that's not quite as nice.

That's the only thing I can think of too. I'll have to look under the dash to see if the original cable was kept or if it was cut at the firewall. I don't but the transport driver did. No ill effects as far as I can tell. One of the screws was missing though I had a spare screw that fit though. Sometime in the future I plan to replace those with studs and wingnuts or wing screws anyway. Getting a screwdriver in there is a pain.

Ok first off I appreciate the help. I don't know jack about carbs and dealing with three seems like more trouble than it's worth. I know...I need to get the Weber book and learn about these things and how to use the syncrometer too. ...Tony, what activates the starter circuit when it's installed and working properly? Or maybe the question should be what makes the system engage? And disengage? And if I understand correctly the gas pedal should not be depressed before starting the car. One more thing. You said As soon as the motor starts the levers go back or after the motor starts getting warmed up? Matt...that is starter fluid I'm pretty sure. I've still got the can but I haven't used it myself. The stuff has a peculiar odor. The PO used it on a regular basis. And he instructed the transport truck driver to use it whenever he needed to start the car. I can look at the plate and see baked on stains directly under each carb where they meet the intake manifold. The front carb has a lot more staining than the other two have. I've never heard any backfire through the intake. The car runs great once it's warm.

Thanks all. Matt...do you have a closer shot of that setup? Also more questions: You notice that plate under the carbs? Heat shield maybe? And in that pic you can see leakage. That pic was taken just after the car was delivered. I wasn't there when the trucker unloaded my car but the PO had given him a can of starter fluid which he apparently used liberally. I wiped the plate down later and noticed staining under the area where the carbs mount. Should the gaskets be replaced or maybe just torque the nuts down a little more?

I got my car the last part of November and I've only got to drive it maybe 5 times so it's still new to me. The PO owned the car for 15 years but he was pretty much clueless about the car. It has Weber DCOE 18 carbs. It's a bitch to start and takes a long time to warm up. Once it's warm it runs great. Throttle response is smooth. No stumbles or bog anywhere in the RPM range. The chokes don't appear to be hooked up to anything. I'm posting a pic below with red squares around what I think are levers for the choke plates. It looks like there little clamps that would be used for a cable to each lever... kind of like a bicycle brake or shifter cable. How is the choke mechanism usually set up on Webers?