NewZed

The 78 280Z had a totally different distributor and engine management system. You shouldn't use the 78 wiring as a reference for anything on the 83 turbo engine wiring. If you don't know where that single black wire connects you should do some more reading. And if you're using that guide, it's all about swapping the complete harness so yes you do need the ignition harness and ignitor. You must have missed that part (see below). The 78 engine did not have an "ignitor". "To get started you are going to need these parts off a S130 zxt; Complete turbo engine (81-83) Turbo Turbo exhaust manifold Turbo ECU Turbo FI harness Turbo Ignition harness ..."

The OP's not giving much information. It could be stock, it could be a race car with adjustable control arms. To the OP - describe what you;re working with. "1976 280Z passenger side axle pops out of diff when car is driven" is pretty sparse. You can tell if the axle is seated by sight, just look at the dust shield area and see if anything is exposed. The Betamotorsports site had a good description of how the u-joint half-shafts are not of different length side-to-side, they're the same. But Nissan did remove an internal part for the late 70's Z's and ZX's to allow them to extend further, making them effectively longer. But a stock 1976 car wouldn't need that extra length. Take both half-shafts out and see if they both extend easily to the same length. I had one that either dried up and screwed up the bearing races or had been in an accident. The bearings wouldn't roll freely in their channels anymore. It didn't pull the stub out but it might have got there eventually.

Could also be a binding half-shaft. Since it's not on the road, the shaft is probably popping out when you put the car on the ground? Best guess based on limited info.

To Miles's point, also mentioned by RebekahsZ:

No AC to work in? Here's another option then - http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/115895-replacing-hvac-system-1976-280z/ Seems to put more heat everywhere, compared to stock.

Here's another option. The one big weakness of the Z system is that it doesn't have the option to blow de-moisturized and reheated air across the windshield like more modern cars. If you have an AC compressor something like this might be an upgrade. It looks difficult though, considering the thread ended with no firm signs of success. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/88182-alternate-heater-ac-controls-in-a-280/?&pid=836998&do=findComment&comment=836998

FSM...sqwawk....FSM...

82 and 83 use the E12-92 ignition module which has a circuit to advance the timing using a thermal switch. You'd need to jump that or leave it open, I'm not sure which. Not a big deal but might need consideration. Don't forget to get the mounting plate also, Nissan changed them when they designed the ZX distributor. And you might look through the electrical chapters of the FSM's to see how the timing advance curves compare to your 240Z curves. They'll be different and will affect the way the engine performs. There's more to a distributor swap than just bolting it in and connecting wires. If you can't find a ZX distributor, you might consider a 260Z or 280Z distributor with a GM HEI module. How did the old one fail? Can't you fix it by changing the points? Edit - here's some stuff on the E12-92 module. http://community.ratsun.net/topic/56630-e12-92-retard-or-no-retard/

Don't forget the diode. 240Z's can backfeed through the Lamp wire and keep the engine running when the key is turned off. This web site gives a fair description of the situation with the 240Z and 260Z's and how to fix it. Search it for the word "diode". http://www.zcarcreations.com/howto/voltreg.htm Edit - actually, with the Painless harness it probably doesn't matter. I think that problem with the 240Z and 260Z is that the wire used for L in the conversion is also T'ed in to the coil power. Painless most likely considered that. You'll know when you try it.

There's a lot of good stuff about rods in the Honsowetz "How to Modify.." book. Stock, sports-option, race-prep, oiling holes, rod bolts, etc.

I thought the issue with rods was RPM, not power output. Inertia at the top of the stroke. So it would depend on how fast you intend to spin the crankshaft, mainly.

3. I would bet an R200 that the car already has an R200. The blocks are all pretty similar. People run turbos on all of them. It's the pistons and head combinations that need to be planned. Since you're starting from scratch, you might as well put together the engine you want to get the power you want and start with aftermarket engine management. http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/50208-the-ultimate-l28et-guidewhat-you-need-for-350whp/ www.blackdragonauto.com apparently has 204Z bumpers. That's the most popular swap for the big bumpers.

Sounds a whole lot like a bad battery cable connection. One of the big wire connections. Loose/dirty/corroded, the resistance from the current pulled to turn the starter motor heats up the connection and it opens. Cool down and the connection comes back. It's actually pretty common, it almost got me a year ago. If you have the bolt-on on cable ends, check those, also the typical post/connector interface. The clicking relay is probably coincidental to the power loss when the connection opens.

1987 has self-diagnostics with trouble codes. Pretty easy and might hep. EFEC. http://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals

Give some history on the car. It could be an old turd that's been sitting for 12 years, or a daily driver that ran perfectly until you started having problems. Vacuum leaks fit the second symptom. FPR or fuel pump leaking down, the first.

http://www.wolfcreekracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22:tranny-a-rear-diff-parts&catid=16:tranny-a-rear-diff-parts&Itemid=31

Some of those look like Standard brand aftermarket injectors. If you don't know how old they are or what condition they're in you should probably get them checked or check them yourself. Fill some Coke bottles while they sit on top of the engine. You'll see how it sprays then.

Does your camera have a close-up function? Can't really see in there. It does look odd, but it might just be designed for shooting stream instead of a cloud. You could have posted pictures of the other injectors for reference. Or a shot of the injector body since that's about the only way to tell the Z and Zx injectors apart, by color. Aftermarket has number/letter codes though, so those would tell something. Really, you haven't given much of a clue. Basically, a picture of a metal tube and some seals. The one that doesn't matter, #3, looks like a Standard brand FJ series, If it was NA for a 280Z it would be an FJ707T.

So DIY got back to you and told you that you had the wrong injector setup? Narrow your thought process down from "exploding computer" to "overloaded injector control transistor" if you want to get back on the road. You'll need a soldering iron.

I kind of jumped ahead and back and forth in the story but I got the impression that you did not have the spark plug properly grounded. That would be one reason for no spark when testing. Normally the ground strap of the plug grounds through the threads of the plug, which are in contact with the head. Yours are hanging in mid-air. When you hold them in your hands they are also ungrounded unless you are touching the block or the body. Even then, if your hands are dry and calloused, you'll get a poor ground. It's a bad idea anyway since they'll give a good shock. Set the plug on the valve cover with the threads making good contact with the metal. Or run a jumper wire fromthe ground strap to the body or block. Then look for spark.

If you mean the thing I circled in red, that's a capacitor, aka condenser. They do go bad occasionally. I see no ceramic pieces. The miss on the condenser makes one wonder what you meant by ignition control module. The coil looks stock. Might be worthwhile to browse through the FSM, Engine Electrical, and make sure you're getting the names right, at least. There are some parts on the ZX type distributors that can break after many miles.

1979 didn't have a ballast resistor. Not clear what you're really working with.

Learn how the engine management works. Take some measurements. There is no easy path back to 100 mph speed runs. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/

https://www.fairchildsemi.com/datasheets/TI/TIP42.pdf I took a quick look around the internet but couldn't find an MS board that looks like yours. It could be your injector driver/transistor, based on specs. and what injectors need. BUT, the white stuff might just be heat transfer paste. Not really a sign that it's no good. Did the guy just stick his nose down on the part and proclaim it as bad? It's easily replaced, if it is. Could also just be that the paste shorted the connections. Maybe. You should at least find out what kind of Megasquirt you have. There are several varieties.

Sounds like your injector drivers might have failed open. Probably flooding the engine until the fuse blows. Or you have a short at the power supply to the injectors. Just guessing. You could disconnect the injectors from board to check for a short. The drivers themselves will take more work. Some random links... http://www.diyautotune.com/tech_articles/megasquirt_injector_driver_troubleshooting.htm http://www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=131&t=51994