NewZed

It was the typical condenser used up by the coil. I think that it was 0.5 microfarads, if I remember and read my meter right (500 nanofarads). An alternator condenser would probably serve the same function (I just measured one recently and it was 0.7 mF), available at most auto parts stores. It's backyard electronics engineering though, I don't really know what I was doing. But I don't think it can hurt.

The S130s came with R180's or long-nose R200's.

Maybe you just paid $650 for a front cover. They should swap. If the only thing wrong with the 82 engine is a head gasket, then it's labor and gaskets to get back on the road. There's always small claims court, as far as trying to get some money back. Might be worthwhile, if you think you can build a case.

I wonder if you could have the metal sealing surface plated and/or polished so that the seal would work better. The dust must be sitting in some porosity or machining marks that the seal doesn't wipe clean, and getting picked up by the fluid once it gets past the seal. If the seals on a gas-filled shock absorber shaft can stay clean and maintain a gas charge while wiping dust, grime and water away, it seems like a good seal should be possible there. GM might have cut a corner and produced a product for the average user, not the abuser.

When the piston is at TC, the crack would be on the crankcase side of the rings. If there was a crack couldn't you see it with the piston down the bore? Or are you holding the timing chain in place and can't rotate the crank? Sounds interesting. Weird problem.

Changing the rear bearings is a big job. I've noticed that I can hear the bearings on my car also, but I've put 25,000 miles on them since I noticed. They weren't loose then and aren't now. They're not tapered roller bearings like in the front, they're ball bearings, which tend to be looser and noisier in general, in my limited experience. You might think twice before replacing. But if you do, here's a good reference - http://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/rearwheelbearings/index.html

There are better ways to figure out if you have a diesel. Those are the only things I've seen on an engine with a household-type plug. Could still be handy in certain parts of Texas, I assume. Have fun with the new Z. Read up on the EFI before it has problems, not after.

Just a neophyte, but wouldn't the Schneider guys have some notes on the grind - http://schneidercams.com/270-60F-14_LET6.aspx Still in business and they have a phone number. Just a thought.

I think that the 240SX's came with short-nose differentials. There are adapters available but they're expensive. Take a look under the car, they are obviously shorter than the long-nose. If it's a viscous LSD unit it should have a sticker on it also. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/49194-differential-cv-lsd-hp-torque-r160-r180-r200-r230-diff-mount/ http://www.modern-motorsports.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=74&PHPSESSID=913b505897594e5aaabe6608cdf597e9

Sounds like a block heater. Did the car come from up north?

I see a weight on the left and a part description, under a year-of-car heading. What's the issue? Hard to complain about free.

This whole page of posts (and more) is about ignition but the statement above suggests that you have a fuel problem. Have you tried starter fluid (Edit - it worked here - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/108541-l28et-240z-swap-wiring-help/page__pid__1015062#entry1015062)? If you do and it starts and revs, then dies, forget about ignition and focus on injector firing.

Maybe your timing light is triggering off of a different plug wire. You might line up the light and sensor on the Unilite for sparking cylinder #1 and see where the timing mark is, engine not turning, just to feel comfortable that the engine is not really firing the #1 plug 50 degrees before TDC. You should be able to get within a few degrees I would think, if you know when the Unilite breaks the coil circuit (trailing or leading, etc.). If you do that and things are close, then you can focus on getting the timing light to read the right wire. If you do that and things are still way off then you can continue being confused.

It took 5 seconds for the first enormous picture to load and it was fuzzy and out of focus. Could be a factor for the low response rate. Plus the fact that those connectors are probably common to numerous years. And you've offered no clues that it's even a Nissan harness. Poor capitalization and formatting doesn't help either. Effort returned is generally proportional to effort put in. Add a little more and you'll probably get a few guesses.

Which one and what does "burned joint" mean? Did you have a short between two components in the ECU or an open circuit? Pass on a little good information for the next guy.

I'm no expert but I don't think that you have a good blend of parts for a well-functioning turbo engine. The stock EFI won't handle a turbo very well, and the Stage 3 cam is an NA cam, for example. The stock injectors won't supply enough fuel unless you crank up the fuel pressure, which will make everything rich off-boost. It would probably never run right. This thread is worth reading - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/50208-the-ultimate-l28et-guidewhat-you-need-for-350whp/

It's just a guessing game without a timing light. The timing of the spark is determined by the orientation of the reluctor (six-pointed piece on the top of the shaft) to the pickup coil. The orientation of the rotor just determines which plug gets the spark.

I have some Tokicos (but they're red) and the part number stamped on the spring has an F and an R at the end to signify front and back. 5022-F and 5022-R. I think that MSA sells blue springs like those. They might be MSA. That doesn't really help you though, does it? Still, I would expect some ID numbers on them.

It seems to follow then that bracing the core support would make the car more rigid. Does the core support flexing come from overall chassis flexing or just the weight of the front end hanging on it? And I assume/guess the flexing is seen mostly at driving extremes since the stock radiator is solidly mounted. Does the flexing contribute to early failure of stock radiators? I just replaced mine and wondered as I installed it. Collecting ideas on simple ways to get a stiffer chassis.

People were probably waiting to see if it was the four cocktails talking or something more. If you put your Trailblazer shoes on don't be an Oden and fall apart before you really get started (it's a Portland reference).

I don't know exactly what "does not work" means in your case, but I had a tach that stopped working after I did some ignition work (swapped my 1978 Z coil for a Z31 coil). The needle would just dance around at ~1000 RPM, obviously getting some impulses from the coil but not able to use them. I attached a condenser/capacitor to the negative post of the coil on the theory that I had some electrical noise on the blue wire to the tach. It fixed the problem, tach works perfectly and has for ~6-8 months, but I couldn't go very deep in to why.

I think I see the disconnect here. I've been focused on the CAS and how to test that it's sending the proper signal to the ECU/ECCS. That's where I would be if I had Francisco's problem, make sure that the individual components are sending the proper signals or have the proper functions for the ECU to do its "job". You are right, there is a list of tests for a variety of components. But there is none for testing the function of the CAS alone (that I can find). For the 280Z's for example, there is a procedure to measure the resistance of the pickup coil in the distributor to at least confirm that it's not shorted or broken. But for the 1981 turbo system, there seems to be an assumption that the CAS always works, or they just overlooked the fact that it might break at some time. Even the ECCS Analyzer says to have the engine running, to test the CAS. But nothing is mentioned about confirming that the CAS actually works correctly. Adjusting the position is important but only if you know that the CAS works. Anyway, we're kind of in to the philosophy of problem solving now. Personally, I'd like to be able to test every circuit in the ECU individually,pin by pin along with all of the individual components. I love the 280Z FSMs. The ZX FSMs seem to the start of the trend toward the "replace components until engine runs" philosophy that a lot of today's cars use.

You're right CG, the ECCS wiring diagram is there. I missed it, got stuck in the first half of the chapter. Although, I see it's not the typical VR pickup like a Z's electronic distributor. There's power supplied to certain pins, like Pin 40, and two to the ECU alone, maybe powered, maybe not. I still don't see a troubleshooting method, or a way to verify correct function of the components, without the ECCS Analyzer, or more inside knowledge. Good luck Francisco! Would still like to see the EL section.

Edit - Now I feel kind of bad. After referring Francisco to the xenons130 site for the FSM and the Turbo Supplement, I realize that the site download for the Turbo Supplement doesn't contain the most critical document, the EL chapter. Without that chapter, troubleshooting an 81 turbo is very difficult. If someone knows another source for the EL chapter, I'd like to have it myself, for future reference. I have to admit, the 1981 instructions are difficult to decipher. Nissan designed a magic ECCS analyzer and if you don't have it, you have to put your engineer hat on and try to figure things out. And I looked and can't find the wiring for the ECCS or CECU system anywhere. Isn't the 81 CAS a VR type? The basic test is resistance of the pickup coil. More involved would be watching for voltage while running a tooth past the CAS, or spinning the engine. You could at least do some simple tests. You should do them before you install the new parts anyway, otherwise you'll do a lot of parts replacement and probably end up in the same situation. Look at page EF-32 to get some ideas. Find the wiring diagram for the CAS, if you can, and measure resistance across the pickup coils. Make sure that clearances described on EF-32 and -33 for CAS adjustment are correct. Looks like a pain in the butt.

Your pictures seem to show everything except the rust you mentioned, through the door skin and the rotten rails under the car. Maybe I'm not good at looking at internet pictures but I don't see a lot of deep rust damage. Lots of surface rust, but no major holes. My 76 has a row of rust holes along the bottom third of the both doors but the rest of the car is solid. I think that Nissan's design for keeping water out of the doors was poor. The car might be fine except for the doors, and might be a good buy. I don't see where it's "toast" at all. Floor pans and under the battery are common rust spots, that can rust completely away. Check those out. Take a picture of the rusted out frame rails. Look in the spare tire well for rust. Check the fuse box area for rust and corrosion that would indicate water got in that could affect the wiring. You said it runs but does it drive? Things like brake cylinders, calipers, clutch and brake master cylinders, clutch slave cylinder, etc. will nickel and dime you in to the hundreds for sure, maybe thousands more.