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1983 Datsun 280zx Turbo manual 5 speed Engine code : L28ET Replaced... Throttle Positioning Sensor Idle Air Control Valve Head Temp Sensor Battery Ignition Coil Distributor Cap and rotor Spark plug Wires Spark Plugs Fuel Pump Fuel Filter Oil Filter Oil Timing Chain and all timing related parts All new Vacuum hoses plus other parts that wont really effect my problem... I checked ignition system and definitely have spark on all 6 plugs timing is right and firing order is at 153624 Compression test was at 135-140 all 6 cylinders Timing was set at 24 plus or minus 2 Problem... Exhaust lets out VERY rich fuel smoke... NO blue tint at all from oil, and not white from water.. it seems its just fuel related. Engine idles VERY roughly (rpm jumps up and down from 700 to 1000 rpm) Possible Solutions i'm gathering Check Injectors incase any are stuck open Adjust MAF sensor Run a Vacuum test on Fuel Pressure Regulator give me more ideas? those are the only problems left.

You gave me tons of hope I've been feeling very de-motivated about this project.. but im feeling refreshed thanks to your ideas. EXTREMELY appreciated.. the oil thing was what scared me the most, but hopefully its just the turbo and nothing inside the block... THANKS!!!! if i can reschedule another event i have planned on the 16th, i will definitely have to show up and shake your hand.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1626147250498 the car is a 1983 280zx turbo with digital dash and 5 speed manual... im still trying to defeat the smoking issue... and as i was reading through the fsm... isn't the "sensor bewtween the 5-6 spark plug" the thermotime sensor...? or is it the same thing as the head temp sensor? i figure the head temp sensor is the coolant temp sensor listed on rock auto as temp sensor (cooling system). but i think this is supposed to be located in the front of the engine next to the distributor? Sombody please correct me as the manual is kind of unclear as to where each sensor is located... i see 3 holes (2 filled with sensors) at the front of the engine and i can locate the sensor that is between the 5-6 sparkplug. which is which? i read that the one at the 5-6 spark plug position is the thermotime, and i dont know which is which at the front of the engine... possibilities for oil leaking out the exaust... maybe a worn turbo? i dont know what else it can be. someone please enlighten me... i have compression on all cylinders possiblities for smoke? it is ALOT of smoke sooo i dont know how much a sensor can effect it. but i will be ordering a new 02 sensor and unless someone clears up this thermotime sensor stuff ill get one too if needed? ALSO if anyone has a 280zx that i can maybe look at in SOCAL near long beach... please let me know... i really want to take a look under the hood to see if i am doing everything right... and if anybody would like to assist me in getting this car running correctly. please let me know! P.S. the video is on facebook (appoligies to those who dont have one) and was to show my siblings that i too can work on cars. (brothers are mechanics but live in texas while im in california). the privacy setting is set to everyone sooo even if your not "friends" with me u should still be able to see the video.

Update! replaced TPS, IACV, and Head Temp Sensor. and the car starts at the turn of the key!!!!!! Going to adjust the timing to be precise. Thanks for all the replies. and help! But one problem still exist! the SMOKE! i will post a video of the car soon. I still have yet to check the oil in the car too for signs of gas. Like i stated before.. there is LOTS of smoke that comes out of the exhaust. i cant determine color wise what it can be... but it has a very rich smell of gas and also its spitting out a mixture that contains oil onto the floor right after the exhaust. WHAT CAN THIS BE!? compression test is solid all cylinders. 120 dry and 140 with oil last time i checked and it held at all cylinders... soo what can it be? If you have any other suggestions on what i should inspect for what ever reasons that could lead me to the problem.. please reply. i am learning a great deal from this car and i am glad that this forum is filled with sooo many knowledgeable peers! thanks in advance again!

read it the first time =] but thanks for drilling it further in my head and paying attention to my problem. seriously big thanks going home from school in like 30 minutes and will describe what happens!

I have temp sensor, and sender... tps and iacv. will get the stuff done sumtime this week

the first thing i would do is check the obvious, battery at full charge, terminals are clean, connections are connected. after of course check for spark by removing plug while its connected to a wire and crank. but i assume you did all that already soooo what i would do is... remove the dizzy cap, crank and see if rotor spins (should rotate), if it doesnt then diagnose from there (timing related parts, oil pump and so on). if it does, then you CAN replace the rotor and cap (cheap and easy). if that doesnt work and your coil is absolutely new, then wires.... all this is being said assuming your plugs are even properly gapped... if all that is fine.. then i guess you better start following the connection from the coil back.. i just redid most of my ignition system (coil, plugs, spark plug wires, cap, and rotor) theres also stuff like the ignition control module but im not sure if that will effect it.. i didnt have to replace it. but what i did is pretty much the main parts to replace if your having ignition problems.

I will be redoing all the wiring for the fun of it and will follow that guide to the fullest. i adjusted the tps using what u told me and voila! still nothing happened =[... BUT i tried starting it again with a bit of throttle input then my friend tapped the MAF and i let go the throttle and it held =]. soo hopefully that may clear things up as im waiting for parts to arrive. going to replace the tps, and iacv to eliminate future/potential problems. then going to empty the oil hoping its JUST oil... ill keep posting as i run into more problems... atleast i learned how the tps is adjusted =] and that the car is i suppose having an idling problem.

POST REVIVED! the car cranks, but has trouble starting. i can hold the throttle down and get the car to run, but once i let go, it will die after a couple seconds. ALSO smoke comes out of the exhaust and smells very rich of gas. ill also add that the piping is not fully installed for the exhaust (stops at about where the shifter is located, no cat, nothing). i just redid all the timing stuff, and slapped everything back together. didn't seem to have helped much but all in all at least i know its new... so can i ask hybridz for more help? thank you in advance.. if anyone has skype i can even show you LIVE what is going on. a possible idea to fix the starting part is replacing the idle control valve? i tried starting the car again and pressed down on the throttle a little bit and it ran. smoke still came out the exhaust but im sure thats a whole problem on its own. soo anything else it can be besides the idle control valve? i came to this conclusion since... i was reading about idle adjustment screws found on the N/A model and logistically it seemed that my car may not be high enough in the RPM range to keep itself on. Also im not sure if 83' turbo models came with a throttle position sensor adjusting bolt? my brother told me to adjust it but i have no clue where this is located (obviously around the throttle but where?). i see the box like item that is called the tps according to rock auto. but i dont see how that can be adjusted. AND for the smoke.. when i ran the car. the car spat out and oil mix from the exhaust onto the floor.... soo im assuming this is an internal engine problem... possible worn valve stems? or something among that nature.. give me some insight hybridz. im doing tons of reading and only ask for information i may have over looked. thank you again. ALSO if anyone lives in the socal area near me (Long Beach California), i would be GLAD if you wanted to come by and help me diagnose this problem.. i may even be willing to pay depending on what may need to be done. i had this car sitting for tooo long now and reallly need to get it running.

yea there are threads here.. i started one myself 4 ish months ago? lols interior wise it seems the dash and forward fits, possibly the center council. i had to actually go sit in a 2 by 2 to actually see how huge the difference is.

check fuses, check ground points, clean contacts, wireing. use a voltmeter/multimeter to check if there is a current between connector and some point on the wire. just because the wires are together doesnt mean if there is a current going through them. if that fails, then i dont know what to tell you >_>. in your case a multimeter or volt meter would be your best friend

check your wiring, cables, the electrical stuff. clean battery terminals with a solution of baking soda and water, or scrub the terminals, also clean connectors. the spark plug should be grounded when trying to test for spark, do you know the difference between a good spark and a bad spark? just wondering because i didn't really know till experiencing both. if your spark is weak, check gapping on plugs, then spark plug wires, then distributor cap and rotor, then coil. if all fails perform a compression check and start from bottom up using the beginner guide.

yea i for sure set it to the compression stroke and not the exhaust stroke and i do understand the 4 cycle concept. and to make sure i was at tdc, i then adjusted to set at 0 on the pulley for more precision. i only purchase from more reliable sources, NEVER walmart (kind of an insult but its fine since it is to just be sure). most of my purchases are off rock auto or other places like summit and msa. anywho! ill be replacing all the wires like you suggested, also going to replace timing chains, guides, tensioner and what ever else i have purchased, and will go on the market to find some other kind of connection besides the clamp types i have purchased on Tuesday (im a college student who doesn't have his priorities straight :lol: ).

funny thing is im doing the exact same thing ryte now!!! what did you use to remove old sound dampener? im trying the dry ice technique. one side was good other side left LOTS of tar behind... but im EXTREMELY glad you are doing the exact same thing im doing. im working on a s130. i scrubbed everything using simple green, and now im onto removing the sound dampening.

ill post some pictures of the pulley thingy (as my friend referenced to it when timing the distributor and setting to tdc) but maybe it is the oil pump gear? but its where you determine if your too many degrees one way or the other from tdc as you rotate the crankshaft, (im thinking maybe this can be my issue as maybe my timing is wrong) so ill try to just instead set the rotar at 0 and not worry about the marking, another funny thing is again one of those things i didn't mention... i did purchase new connectors too which are those exact clamp types im guessing those are really bad connectors? care to explain why and which i should go with?, but ill also try cleaning the wires and checking the ground. i also read your post about fuel being in the manifold, so ill be clearing that aswell since i did try to start the car enough times to completely kill the battery twice , thanks roger since it seems you tend to wake up on the good side of the bed and are willing to help your fellow z mates as i id more research I'm guessing maybe setting the timing to 0 degrees was not a good idea? possibly because the timing chain may have never been changed and prob stretched? so i will try setting it a few degrees off. maybe this would work? now to look into how to change out timing chain...

That is one of the things i didn't mention, i purchased a new battery already. i am timing by setting at top dead center and moving it as close to far right tooth as possible on the pulley will provide pics if needed. i will read more on the oil pump idea. holding the accelerator is what i did but instead from the engine bay by holding the throttle open while friend starts the car. thanks for your suggestions. ill read more on oil pump but i'm still looking for more possibilities!

Car is a 1983 280zx turbo bought from i believe sticky280zx? Any who hopefully he sees this and can assist because i lost his emails and number so other then that... the starter cranks and you can sometimes hear the fumes ignite but then it wont continue. i figured this may be a timing issue. i set the timing to top dead center and tried to get it to run but still wont. i have spark, compression, air, and I'm pretty sure i have fuel as i can smell fuel from the car and as i try to start it MANY times, the engine becomes more and more flooded. i left the spark plugs off to let the fumes out then tried again and no luck. i was able to keep the car running by holding in the throttle before it died and that would leave a giant cloud of gas behind the car. i so far replaced, fuel pump, fuel filter, starter(it went out), ignition coil, distributor cap and rotor, battery, battery connectors, spark plugs, and spark plug wires. maybe i replaced more but thats what i can think of at the moment. the beginners guide mentioned that the injectors are likely not the cause, but i was thinking maybe its not spraying a mist? instead dropping droplets of fuel? or maybe the fuel rail is bad? i doubt ALL injectors are bad so that left me with fuel rail conclusion. also am considering a bad distributor? i checked to see if the rotor spins while its cap was off and it does when i try starting the car. is there anything i am overlooking? maybe some electrical stuff? or maybe something totally different? i am in need of assistance! thank you and sorry in advance if this has been covered but i would like to add i did extensive research (firring order, how to time, reading other people starting issues, etc) And just in case anyone questions my methods of testing for fuel spark or w/e Spark (removed plug and connected to spark plug wire grounded and tried to start the car) compression (compression tester consistent at 140 dry no leaks) fuel (can hear the fuel pump pumping, can smell it, comes out from exhaust in rich quantities) air (removed filter and watched the mass air flow sensor? the throttle body like unit right after the air filter) this doesn't sound like a great way to check so any recommendations? car wont start holding the throttle body open as-well might i add

Are you actually from Dallas or from a small county near it like Frisco or something? I am interested in the part out so let me know if your willing to part out some small stuff now since my car is located in Little Elm and will be shipped to Cali soon. It would be nice to save me some shipping cost and just throw it into the car as it is shipped here. P.M. me if you are ready to part stuff like (Z center caps on swastikas, shift knob, maybe some other stuff but nothing major.) p.s. dont feel rushed... if your not ready to part i don't want to be a bother haha.

this is for a friend, so please email him your responses. Looking for a 240z, or 260z under the years 75 and below. no rust buckets please. contact him by email at skankz101@yahoo.com. he will also regularly check this post but i (the user) wont. so leaving either a contact email or email him will be better.

email sent

thank you for covering my location <3 lols ill update that one now.

the 82 sale was not a good one. still looking again. found a few but shipping is a prwety hard hitter... any 83 zxt manual coupes in so cal?

will consider after other parts are found, on a budget so priorities first. common i know sumone has a turbo hood laying around T_T

yea i finally got to look at it yesterday, very different >_> i thought it was just extended but it was more like stretched then extended... but yea thanks for letting me know guys, not buying it cuhz it didnt have a cat which was what i was looking for mainly......

sry, i tried, found some forums with minor stuff but nuthing specificly about it. thank you though that does clear up alot. a link to one if you know off the top of ur head would be awsum though if there is a dedicated topic.