NewZed

You could be done by now if you learned how to use that meter. With a meter you don't look at the parts you look at what they're doing. Shiny new cables don't matter if the battery post is covered with a thin layer of insulating corrosion. Test resistance from the positive post to the fitting, from the post to the starter lug, from the negative post to various ground points (block, body, starter body, etc.). Just look at the numbers on the meter and fix the things that are wrong. It's very fast. If you look at old wires, and crusty old parts without testing them you'll just end up replacing a bunch of stuff that was fine and probably creating new problems. "using multimeter" will get you a bunch of tutorials on the Google.

I only watched from :30 to 1:30 but noticed that both stumbles were after you had just turned left. Typical of fuel sloshing away from the pickup tube in the poorly baffled 280Z tanks and happens to everyone below about a quarter tank. Probably worse in a 260Z tank designed for carbs. If you have a hole in the pickup tube it can happen with even more fuel in the tank . And the fuel pump noise rising and falling with the turn signals is just a voltage issue, with the low output of the alternator at idle. Mine does the same and I have pretty good output. You can make the same noise by turning your lights on and off or flicking the fan on and off.

What you wanted to do was check for power to the coil with the key on. You're not getting much value from the meter if you only checked resistance on two coils. Looking back on the complete saga, it wouldn't be a surprise to find that you just have dirty/corroded battery cable connections.

There's good stuff here - http://www.wolfems.com/downloads.html It looks like the 3D has its own ignition drivers (ignitors). There are instructions on using a locked distributor also, as input for the ECU, but they're not the clearest. There might be more details, I only looked at page 14. http://www.wolfems.com/downloads/installation-manuals.html Ron Tyler used to be a distributor for Wolf I believe. You might send him a PM. But I'd read through the 3D instruction manual first, just for a solid point of reference. Doesn't seem like you've been in there yet. The Megasquirt stuff will probably help with understanding the concepts but the details for Wolf will be different. I get the impression that Wolf products are not really user-friendly.

Looks early to be having any real discussion. There's potential. The wheels seem a bit big.

Pretty sure everything is short-nose by 1991. Your 260Z has a long-nose. You'd need to fabricate mounts or buy a kit. It's not a bolt-in.

Post some pictures here so people don't have to sign up for another forum they'll only visit once.

What you described initially is also somewhat typical of having ignition timing too advanced. Have you checked timing? Could be that your breaker plate is stuck advanced, or sticking occasionally. It starts when it frees up, doesn't when it's stuck. The breaker plate moves for vacuum advance. On the dead engine after the coil swap - where's the meter? Super simple to check for coil power, solenoid power, starter cable power, etc. You're not doing the basics of problem solving. You can even do the meter checks with a beer in hand.

Indeed, it looks like someone is getting their words and procedures mixed up.

Not a Wolf expert, or even Magasquirt but the concepts shown in your diagram from mobythevan look right. The bottom HEI unit would be the "ignitor" controlling the ground circuit for the coil, and the top HEI unit would be for "processing" the signal from the variable reluctor in to a from that the ECU can use. Note though, that the 280ZX distributor's "match box" has essentially the same function as the GM HEI module. So if your distributor has the match box intact, it already has what you need. It's possible also the Wolf ecu can handle a variable reluctor signal directly so you may not even need that HEI module to process the reluctor signal. The Wolf products are pretty high end. It might even have its own internal ignitor. Who told you that you need an ignitor?

This wiring diagram is pretty good. http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/wiringdiagrams/F77ZCAR-WIRING1.pdf Shift your focus to the module under the dash, by the fusebox, and things will make more sense. You could even mount the Crane box there, since the wires you need are all in place. Replace the 77 module with the Crane box, and the single pickup with the optical unit. Use the meter to confirm connections. Use the red and green wires to connect the optical pickup to the Crane box. Leave the blue wire attached to the coil negative, it branches on the way to the ECU and tach so it needs to be there.

This has come up before. I actually called the company and talked to a guy who explained that they assumed all Z cars used the CV. Said they were going to fix the database but looks like they didn't. Or maybe they got halfway, I think it listed all the way back to 70 before. Or maybe they fixed their side, but the database is still wrong. Pretty sure I talked to GSP but it could have been a different supplier, working from the same bad database. These bad databases seem to live on forever, like the ones that show 71C transmissions for the 240Z's and 280Z's. Anyway, the fact that the ZX's use 6 bolt wheel flanges, and the Z's use 4 should be enough to see it won't work. Same part number, different flanges.

You might have one of the two pickup models of distributor and ignition module. What's under the distributor cap? If you have two pickups, try the 1976 wiring diagrams. Don't forget to disconnect the original ignition module under the dash. And the blue wire also feeds the ECU and the tach, it's not just the coil ground. Did the engine ever run with what you have? Adding new parts to non-running parts can make an undecipherable mess. This won't make you feel better, but it's not sticky-worthy because it's not really that hard. You're just replacing one electronic ignition module and trigger system with another. You could do the same with a GM HEI module. The GM module might actually be more robust than the optical pickup of the Crane. These links might help - http://www.cranecams.com/uploads/instructions/9000-0700_.pdf http://www.triumphspitfire.com/images/cranemanual.pdf

It's been over six years since the post you're replying to was posted. Truth be told...the source of your "bog" was an almost empty tank? The weak baffling of the 280Z tanks is known. Most recommend refilling at 1/4 tank or higher if any hard cornering or acceleration is planned.

Similar to this "My car was slowly running worse and worse,.... it idled fine... when I tried to drive the thing, it still felt like crap." That's almost too much detail.

How far not? That would be a clue about where it's hanging. Where's the picture of the inside of the diff? Through the hole where the circlip is.

Don't roller rocker arms use a different cam profile formula? Since the contact point between cam and roller moves up and down as well as back and forth. So you need a cam grinder that does roller cams also. Maybe it's common and there's a simple conversion formula.

Cut your stock springs and get some KYB's. KYB's have worked for many people with lowered cars.

The 1974 manual is pretty poorly done. Lots left out and what's there is hard to grasp. Open the Body Electrical chapter and read about the Starter Interlock system. Find the red emergency button in the engine bay and give it a push. Your starting system may be locked out. Probably why the PO added all of those wires. You can't go on though, just connecting wires and listening for clicks. Eventually your misery will be ended when the car catches on fire if you keep working that way. If you take the time to learn what the engine needs to start and run you could wire up your own ignition system. The "custom wire" was a start but it needs a switch, as you've found.

Never mind. Got my b(e)ar(e)s backwards. Edit 2 - Now I realized I actually had it right the first time. Bare (minimum), not bear. Unless he's trying reach the standards of an actual bear. Anyway... What people are trying to tell you is that they've worked hard to know what they know and and that you, apparently, know absolutely nothing, like you grew up in the middle of a city and have only used mass transit. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but you are totally clueless and talking about doing things that require orders of magnitude more knowledge than you have! The transition from shiny magazine pages to reality takes lots of effort, sweat, and frustration! It's not easy! So, no matter how enthusiastic you are, you're going to waste time and money. The only question is how much!

Put a meter on the wire to the starter solenoid and see what voltage does. If it goes to zero, you've lost power to the solenoid probably back at the switch, If it drops to around 11 and stays there after the engine stops, something locked up. The starter's still pushing, just can't get it done. If it starts at 11 then drops to 6 or some other very low number, you have a bad battery. They can show good voltage but fail when they are loaded. I just went through that, even swapped in a spare starter I had. Then I put a meter on the battery and saw it drop to 6 volts after a few cranks.

The engineer in you should take some measurements and post them. Maybe somebody out there will do the same. Be more precise than "about 1/8 of an inch". Look back at your posts and you'll see that there is nothing there that can help anybody help you. No numbers. The brackets all look similar. Your measurement tool and technique in the last picture is terrible.

This is why the engine won't shut off.

This is not a plan. But, since you're just looking for a project, it doesn't matter much. Get that V6, tear out whatever's in the car you buy, drop that V6 in, and see what happens. There are a bunch of V6 options out there. You could call around first and see what the local shops charge for a rebuild. You might be over-budget pretty quick.

Recommend an engine. That's what he's looking for. "Modern engine" can barely be more undefined.