NewZed

The 73 FSM page BE-5 has a legible wiring diagram if you want one more to look at. Shows power to the coil (+) terminal as - Ignition switch > GW wire > Tach > BW wire > Coil (+) terminal So if you don't have power running through the tach on (GW in) and (BW out) you won't get any needle movement. Assuming the FSM represents what you have and is not in error. www.xenons30.com/reference

If it will run but won't idle, and the idle adjustment screw doesn't have any effect, I would look for vacuum leaks. That would lean out the mix, causing cold start problems that would diminish when warm. A hose might have split. Don't forget that the PVC system is connected to the intake.

Sounds like a part that is common to both setups. Fuel system - pump, filter, FPR - or ignition. Fuel pressure when it happens would tell you something.

So you did find signs of detonation or not? "Scoring" in the combustion chamber? Just curious about cause of the problem.

Since you're injecting simultaneously you could swap injector connections around to check injector vs. spark.

Maybe thinking of the one on this page, down under Other Reference Documents - http://www.xenons130.com/reference.html Edit - Or not. There's not much in those pages. I've seen similar though in a separate document, not the FSM. Maybe here - http://www.xenonz31.com/reference.html Z31 R200 Differential Service Manual under Other Guides Edit 2 - I guess that link is to a chapter from an FSM. Looks like 89.

That's a capacitor aka condenser, not a resistor. One end is hot (probably when the key is on), the other end goes to ground. No help on the female bullet. Floating in space like that it could connect to anything. Might be for the capacitor.

Aeromotive FPRs leak down very quickly once the fuel pump turns off, due to the design of the valve. It's a pain for a daily driver, you have to wait for the pressure to build up before the engine will start, after every shutoff. I had one at one time (it was cheap and I needed an FPR) but switched back to a good stock FPR.

Does brightness matter? A flash is a flash is a circuit made and a circuit broken.

Have you replaced the slave cylinder? You didn't say. If the car sat for 15 years then the wheel brake cylinders and the front calipers are ready to blow also, along with the brake master cylinder. In case you haven't already replaced them.

That's it? The whole problem was "bad gas". Might be the most effort for the easiest fix ever.

Looks like a fun puzzle/project. You realize, of course, that it's a mish-mash of engine parts. 79 ECU with STOCK 280Z turbo on an N42 block. None of those things go together. The body looks in great shape, with nice paint. I kind of like the gold engine bay. Edit 2 - Took some Fairlady comments out. Looks like they're just emblems, according to the other thread.

I live in the Portland area. Who's the shady shop? Seems like three things going on here - - maybe a shady or just incompetent shop. If it's the same owners why can't you deal with the Portland people now? - maybe a tuning issue. Will cast pistons automatically break above whatever boost you're running? Or is it an assumption. - maybe a cast vs. forged piston issue. Are you assuming the pistons are cast, not forged, because they broke or have you confirmed it by some other method? I'd like to learn something here, especially the local shop to avoid if you're positive they scammed you on the pistons. Since you have receipts, it should be easy to show. If the Portland shop is on the level,they should cover the mistakes of their Seattle shop. What's the rest of the story?

The 76es with two pickup coils in the distributor use a different ignition module than those with just one. It has an extra circuit to use the second pickup coil to adjust timing depending on coolant temperature. It's the one thing that you have to give up if you go with the HEI module. The main effect is a low idle until the engine warms up. I think the EGR engines might be when they went to one pickup coil. I had a 78 engine with EGR and a 76 without, one had a single pickup in the distributor, the other had two.

Maybe I've offended a moderator with my comments about Barbara Eden. I've never seen a post just disappeared with no comment and no trace. If my post from last night offended, please accept my apologies. I thought that your snap-in axles had a lot of movement also. You've described it before, but your video shows a lot more movement than any that I've seen, but I've only seen a few. I have a few spare diffs in the garage, and I've had the axles in and out and a couple of CV axles also. None had that much wiggle in them.

Have you tested the one you have? Pretty easy to do with a battery, some jumper wires and an ohm-meter. You can pry the tabs back on the case also, and take it apart if you want to check the guts out for rust and corrosion.

I have to ask - do you mean the horsepower guess is based on a previous guess, or based on a previous measurement? 600 to 700 HP measured? And I only see one RB comment, from the one guy who seems to know more about making power than 99% of people who post on the internet. Who are the other "so many misinformed people"? Just stirring the pot, but they're valid questions, I think.

If you don't want to dig in to figuring out which wire is which, to and from the ignition module up by the fuse box, you could use the GM HEI module with either the 76 or 78 distributor (actually any 74 to 83 distributor). It has its own current-limiting circuitry. Four wires - switched and Start power from the coil positive, the coil negative and two wires from the distributor - and a good ground through the mounting hole. The 76 distributor might have three wires if it has two pickup coils, but you only need two. The old stock ignition modules are all close to death anyway since they're so old. And the HEI modules are cheap. You should consider though, if she'll be using you as her future mechanic, or someone else. If you get too far from stock and something goes wrong, the future guy might be clueless.

The 78 and 76 ECUs are interchangeable in some cases. I have a 78 ECU on my 76, the part numbers are the same. The voltage regulation is external to the alternator for 76 and internal for 78. So you'll need to decide which way to go on that. The AFM and its wiring is another difference. The 76 has the fuel pump relay contacts in the AFM, the 78 uses an oil pressure switch and alternator voltage to a dedicated relay for fuel pump control. The 78 AFM might still have the contacts, but the 78 harness won't. The 76 coil and ignition module uses a ballast resistor, the 78 doesn't. All three things can be figured out and worked around pretty easily.

This is interesting stuff, but far from "classic" Z car. Have you been on Hybridz yet? www.hybridz.org Edit - Thought I was on a different forum. Leaving it here for entertainment...

No need to get smart. Your first post says "stock" and describes a bunch of very basic mistakes from your professionals in getting a stock engine running. Your money... And 30 psi is not right. You can't fake this stuff. There's too much easy information out there.

I was just pointing out some flaws in the picture. "He knows his ****. Hes not very familiar with Z cars" seems like a contradiction though. It looks like the shop and the tuner are learning on your engine. Reading the chapter in the FSM about the L28ET engine control system would have told them all about the timing and the other things that can cause a rich AFR. Is the aftermarket FPR adustable and is the fuel pressure set to the factory spec.? If they didn't know how to set timing, they probably are guessing high on the fuel pressure. Hondas probably run 45 psi or higher. If they couldn't get the timing to spec., there's no need to do more tuning, since the ECCS needs the right timing. It was off by 16 degrees. Another odd thing - "The shop says they set the timing that way to avoid pinging when I turn the boost up to 10 Lbs." Is the stock L28ET boost adjustable? How are you going to turn up the boost? Why is this experienced Z shop thinking this way? Anyway, good luck with it. I just hate to see a wallet being abused.

I would be nervous about the shop if they got the timing wrong the first time, on a stock engine. Are they the premier Datsun shop, like expert in old Nissans, or the premier Nissan shop, like don't know much about old Nissans. I would be nervous about the "tuner" guy. If he knew that you had a stock engine and you couldn't get the timing advanced, modifying the disc in the distributor is not the obvious first solution attempt. I would also be nervous about his AFM adjustments, also not the first thing to do for a rich mixture. If it's all stock - "stock L28ET swap( stock injectors, fuel pump, etc) - with a stock ECCS, there's really no tuning to do on a dyno either, as I understand the stock system. What non-stock part have you added that can be tuned?

This thread is informative - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/95316-braaps-l6-efi-induction-advice-and-tips/ Post #3 is intake, but the rest is definitely worth reading also.

No problem, just adding some clarity. But.... - the late model ZX style "close ratio" transmissions have the single exhaust mounting ear, and the speedo gear hold-down screw on the bottom, as in Post #1's picture. So rejracer got that part. The early ones have the double mounts and the screw on the top. I have both styles sitting in my garage and just went out to look and be be clear - crystal. For 240devilz any transmission from late 1971 to 1983, 4 or 5 speed should swap in directly, or with the bellhousing swap a 5 speed from an NA 300ZX, or 240SX (not sure on years, the info is out there). Where are you located that you can't find one? It's all good. Can't have too much information. It should all be verified though.