NewZed

Some thought on PCV's - sometimes fresh air flows in to the valve covers to purge gases from the block vent, sometimes excess combustion gases are flowing out of the valve cover when the block vent is overwhelmed. At least on the L6 system, according to their diagram. GM might have changed things around on the LS. So if you have a drain back or oil mist carrying problem from the heads because of too much blowby at high RPM, it may be that the block vent needs to be enlarged, not the drain back ports, or the valve cover vents. The combustion gases start their travels from the piston skirt area, which is in the crankcase. Even if you run open breathers from the valve covers, all of those gases are hindering drain back or picking up valve train mist/droplets on their way up and out. You're actually just allowing more gases up into the valve covers. Seems like you'd want to find a quiet spot in the crankcase and put your extra vents their, leaving the valve area alone. Less convenient and more work, but it might be a better solution. Just a perspective from a guy with a stock EFI L6. The GM LSX system might be totally different.

The topic seems to have changed to PCV. On that, and its effect on performance, it doesn't get mentioned often that the gases carrying the oil in to the intake system are combustion gases. Depleted of oxygen, so reducing power output. Somebody out there has probably done the math or measurements on how much. An HP or two from an externally vented crankcase might be worth the effort. On the original topic of monitoring vitals, since low oil pressure has immediate effects, an audible warning based on pressure at the pump outlet would seem worthwhile. Kill the engine or let off the gas when the alarm goes off to save cash. Who can monitor all of their gauges second-by-second?

Banging through the gears has broken some stuff. You probably had a few bolts get loose then left them loose while doing more banging, causing breaking. Since a shop is doing the work it will probably be expensive.

On the off-topic problem of oily PCV air in the intake system - wouldn't an air-oil separator, in addition to, or replacing, the catch can, do the job? http://www.grimmspeed.com/air-oil-separator-wrx-sti-lgt-fxt/ http://www.dana.com/wps/wcm/connect/897e0128-2bb5-4371-b991-1c6678c06c25/DEXT2-Publ-MTZ__Oil_separation_e.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=897e0128-2bb5-4371-b991-1c6678c06c25 For the budget-minded - http://www.amazon.com/JEGS-Performance-Products-52205-Separator/dp/B007WWW6DI Edit 2 - I guess my direct point would be that if you run a catch-can and still get oil in the intake, you might just need a better design of catch-can.

Can't you get in to the club by just loading a bunch of weight in the back end? It's not exclusive, is it? https://www.flickr.com/photos/30565175@N03/3197824906/

Don't forget that the seals need to generate pressure. Moving fluid at zero pressure isn't the same. They make rebuild kits, if you're trying to save money.

Master and slave seals move the same distance and see the same fluid. Odds are they'll fail around the same time. Might as well do the hose also, it's probably cracking,

This guy seems to have a good reputation. I think that the owner's name is Eiji. Might be worth a phone call. https://datsunspirit.com/ https://www.facebook.com/datsunspiritinc

the clutch has no pressure I'm not sure why the masters full and there are no leaks in the slave - Has it been bled? The piston seal in the master could be bad and it's just moving back and forth, but not pushing fluid. There are two seals, a primary and a secondary. other than that the injectors are crusty and rusty plus I was wondering fuel system upgrades? What's not sufficient, that needs "upgrading"? How will you know if the upgrade is better? Good luck. Get the standard free downloads, from xenons30 and nicoclub. Maybe you should keep the console separate just for the plaque. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fleetwoods

Doesn't the "Click here for a typical rear kit install" link show what you need? The AZC site is a mess, maybe you missed it. I use Google to find things on his site. Rears are lower down the page. http://www.arizonazcar.com/brake.html

If the aluminum adapters aren't machined to fit the shoulder tightly it won't matter as much anyway. If they are, the shoulders would be nice insurance if the nuts get loose. Might be worth asking Wolf Creek what they think. There could be other considerations on the bolt, like squareness of the head to the shaft and area of the clamping surface. Many inexpensive bolts aren't square and aren't made well.

If you know where the wires go and what the parts they connect do then you wouldn't need a harness. You could make your own. You have a dilemma. You might be able to pick a few things up from the EFEC chapter of the 1983 FSM, and Engine Electrical of 1978. 1983 uses a CAS, the computer, and a power transistor, to control the coil. 1978 uses the variable reluctor in the distributor and an ignition module.

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.