NewZed

Here's a good thread on the issue. There's a lot out there on the topic if you're a good Googler. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/59029-head-cooling-on-cylinder-5-solutions/

The 280Z's is buried up in there. He didn't say what he's working on. Should be easy to check at the plug though. Can't remember if I ever checked mine or not. I probably did and was disappointed that it wasn't bad. So I had to replace a bunch of bulbs to get some brightness.

Not enough information to work with. Maybe the throttle linkage is not actually connected to the gas pedal. lol. You didn't even say if engine RPM increased when the car was barely moving.

You should do more reading, thinking, and calculating. Spending big money on some parts then using cheap parts to run them is bad logic.

Flat tops with the stock N42 head gets you around 10:1 CR I think. With a shave, even higher, Welded chambers, way up there, need race fuel. We don't use kings in America. But, at least, you'll need a distributor to distribute spark. Core.

One thought that crosses my mind whenever I see these problems is to just run a separate coil and ignition module, with the coil just dumping to ground. Use the coil negative to run the EFI and tach, and let the MSD box do its thing on its own circuit. The 280Z VR signal should be strong enough to run two modules, I'd think. If you have a dual pickup distributor you could even use one pickup for the MSD and one for the EFI. That should definitely work, they wouldn't even see each other.

I think that I got my magnets mixed up. Apparently, the MSD magnetic trigger is not a variable reluctor setup, it's different, backward, with magnets moving past metal sensors instead of metal moving past a magnetic sensor. Designed to be used with an MSD trigger wheel. I'm not sure what the output looks like or how the MSD box uses it. My mistake. There seems to be a ton of confusion around the internet and even from MSD on which wires are triggering what. People seem to confuse triggering the MSD box to give spark, with triggering the ECU to cause injection, and also triggering the tachometer to move the gauge needle. Frankly, I don't know why people use the MSD boxes. Multi spark benefit only at low RPM, with a lot of problems and effort to get things working. Seems like there are better ways out there to get strong spark with or without the extra spark timing controls or rev-limiting. Sorry, and good luck.

That's the lower right. Condensers are typically only problems if they short to ground. Meter it.

Apparently, light bulbs go dim over time, before the filament breaks and they quit working. Plus, some of the instruments have more than one bulb. If one goes, the gauge will be very dim. Proper bulbs are hard to find but probably your best bet. If you want to check the potentiometer you could just measure resistance through the circuit. If you can get the connector off.

Sometimes it's best to stop thinking/guessing and just take a measurement, so you know something. Measure voltage at the alternator T plug with the key on. S and L terminals at the wire harness ends. No voltage, no function.

Give a better description of what you have connected to what. The internally regulated alternators are pretty simple, they just need battery power to the :"L" wire, usually supplied by the charge "L"amp, and the S wire needs to be connected to the battery and/or other loads to sense voltage. No L and the alternator won't charge, no S and it won't regulate. There are other issues to deal with related to the car wiring, but that's all that the alternator needs. The atlanticz diagram works well. You might be looking at too many things. The atlanticz doesn't have white/red and white/black joined. Try it, then use a meter or test light to verify power at the alternator plug.

Which damper? Where's the post?

If I recall right, the problem with using MSD on the 280Z EFI is that the ECU doesn't handle the multiple sparks. So you might get spark, but no injection. There's probably a way around it but I don't know what it is. When you say it won't ignite, do you mean there's no spark, or just the engine won't start? And are you using the stock 77 EFI control system? According to the instructions you should connect the red wire from the 280Z distributor to the violet 6AL wire and the green 280Z wire to green 6AL, for a magnetic pickup, to get spark. but this may not give injection if the ECU doesn't get its signal. If I was trying what you are I'd connect the tach output wire on the side of the MSD to the blue wire that runs to Pin 1, and the tachometer (copied the relevant text below). That should/might give the right single trigger to the ECU, if not the tach also. You might find that you need to split the blue wire apart from the ECU the tach to get them to work. Just guessing. http://www.msdignition.com/uploadedFiles/MSDIgnitioncom/Products/Ignitions/6420_instructions.pdf

Are you getting the rest of the parts too?

The one that people tend to miss is the vinyl covered cardboard panel on the inside/ The latch hole isn't sealed so fumes can enter the hatch frame and get in through the panel opening.

I don't know this person, and he might be jingoistic, and it's Arizona ZCar, not Clifford, and it's a 450 Carter, not the recommended 390 Holley. But, might be worth an e-mail. http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pts/5367761434.html

Pretty vague. Receipts would be nice. An amateur installing new parts might be worse than nobody installing no parts. Fixing the interior will cost a lot. Make a list of the parts you'll need to get it like you want it and see how much those parts cost. It's a worn Z car with bad paint, no bumpers, no carpet, and trashed interior. You'll spend a ton on numerous small parts to make it decent. On he other hand, if you're looking for something to work on, there's lots of work there.

A few basics seem off here. Looks like your dial indicator probe is sitting on the threads, and the shaft itself, alone, may not be what determines if the flanges run true. When the axles and companion are bolted together things may be different. Along with the bearing play. Probably best to measure an assembled set. 100 mph doesn't really have anything to do with 512 whp. You can get there with 150 probably. Just saying, traction and torque cause different problems from high speed spinning. Is the adaptor plate the same one that Miles shows in his link. The Modern Motorsport 280ZXT adapter? (Note to mods - I thought that I had posted on this earlier with a comment about quality. If I did, and offended, please let me know. I thought it was innocuous and relevant. But maybe there's some sensitivity. Or maybe I never hit Add Reply. Not sure).

Should have said so. Why leave this question if you already know? Trust the information and move on, eventually you'll find something that's not right.

Should have taken pictures before you installed it. Did a piece of paper come with it, in the box, with information on it? The blue wire is probably the P terminal, not used for most applications. The rebuilders just put the extra stuff on to reduce SKU's. The condenser is just for electrical noise. Probably shown in the 240Z wiring diagrams. You should keep it. It was probably attached to the back of the alternator.

I still get lost in the MS1, MS2, MS3, MS3X, MSPNP, Microsquirt, V2.2, V3.0, V3.57, daughter card, stuff. But, it seems like, maybe, this link has some useful information for you. Found it with Google. http://www.diyautotune.com/tech_articles/megasquirt_injector_driver_troubleshooting.htm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-280ZX-Turbo-Valve-cover-/221979658773?hash=item33af04ca15:g:1a0AAOSwJcZWgN-u&vxp=mtr

Make a fixture. A flat piece of metal, some holes, a tap. You'll either find that it pulls down easily or there's no freaking way. Or just stick it on the head, torque the bolts lightly and see what happens. I tried this technique on a cylinder head and was surprised at how easily the warpage pulled down. Made me wonder about all of the effort spent making heads flat. You're just trying to stop some oil from leaking out and air from leaking in.

You've kind of killed your own thread before it could start - "(not a debate guys)" debate: a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward.

Never mind. Thought you were using the ECCS. You should post in a Megasquirt forum. http://forums.hybridz.org/forum/34-megasquirt/