NewZed

Picture of the long "power transfer" axle.

Not really sure what you're trying to do but without the very long VLSD axle, the VLSD "can" won't be engaged. You can fit the 28 spline ZX axles in the 28 spline Infiniti units but they will work like open diffs.

If I recall right you can see through the dowel hole to line up the dowel, if the big washer isn't in place. You might get it started that way, then install the washer and bolt. I think that I may have used just the bolt to hold things in place while making the final adjustment. Just a vague memory.

I think the VLSD axle is machined for the wire diameter of the VLSD clip. I wouldn't use the old style clip in a VLSD. The spline and shaft tolerances in mine were so tight it was difficult to get the shaft in even without the clip. Probably makes for much less clunky operation than the older design.

Are you working with a VLSD? You said 280zx turbo axle in the first post. An assumption was made.. The VLSD's do use a clip on the axle itself. It's not the same clip either, it's round wire material, not square stock, I believe (I only have one VLSD so that's all I know). Did you push an old style clip in to a VLSD diff?

What does this mean? Sounds like you're just having trouble getting the sprocket and chain lifted up and "square" on the end of the cam. It can be difficult since it's a close tolerance and the dowel has to fit in the sprocket hole.

There's a sender and a sensor for coolant temperature. One's necessary, one's not. But your research conclusion isn't right, either way. You can get a new sensor at Motor Sport Auto. Maybe even your local Nissan dealer. Do the coolant sensor test shown in the Guidebook first. You might have a ZX AFM on your Z. They have different resistance specs. Find the part number and post it. Not clear if you actually did get the pump to run with the AFM vane or just repeated something that you read. ZX AFM's don't have the switch, so if you have a Z AFM, then those resistance numbers are a problem. The fuel pump should run all of the time that the engine is running. 99% of the air must pass through the AFM. Any leaks after the AFM will cause problems. You might try flexible tape or shoe goo to fix that rip. No holes. Sounds like you have a typical set of 280Z problems. Try using the FSM in addition to the "Bible".

No problem. Study the diagrams that show what the different control settings do. The magnet valve (solenoid) just allows vacuum to be applied to the selector valve. The selector valve controls many devices. So you could run a vacuum line directly to the selector valve but the various devices would open and close with engine vacuum if you don't have the vacuum bottle (vacuum reservoir). Wwithout the FICD (fast idle control device) the compressor load will drop your engine RPM when the AC is on. You could work around it with the idle screw but it's convenient to have. Does the system even produce cold air? You might be getting ahead of yourself. The old systems use R12 which can be hard to find. Might be why the PO ripped all of the control system out. Check the parts inside also, like the vacuum cock, and the hoses to the doors. People tend to go crazy when they decide they hate something. If they're not there you might have a big project ahead. And you should check the fusible link connections just to save your car, in general. If they've been bypassed and you get a short you'll melt a bunch of wiring and life will suck.

I used to make these kinds of list. Class was too boring. Read, don't browse, through that head-cooling thread. You don't have "drilling the head for balanced coolant flow" on the list. Seems like it fits in there. Be careful with those California Datsun purchases. Used to be Datsun Parts LLC.

Use the Factory manual. AC. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/

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.