NewZed

I know that many people have done the Z/ZX transmission bell-housing swap on to the C type transmission to allow its use on the L6. How do they compare after a few miles of driving? Are the gear ratios better? It looks like the 1st to 2nd jump is pretty big, bigger than any of the other 5 speeds available. After you get to 2nd it looks about like a ZX 5 speed. How about shifting performance in general, with the dual cone 2nd gear synchro and newer gear box design in general. I have an extra bell-housing and a line on a 300Zx transmission, and the overall cost and effort looks less than a 5 speed rebuild. I'm on the fence but have time to think about it. Any driving impressions appreciated. Thanks.

http://www.xenons130.com/reference.html Cam specs are in Engine Mechanical. Lots more good information also. Early Zs - http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html

The cam specs are in the FSMs, up to 1983, but not including. The 1981 specs match the F specs on the atlanticz page. The atlanticz F should probably be a K. Or K and F are the same.

Check the PCV line under the intake, pinch it closed and see what happens. Check the brake booster line and check valve. The EGR system lets exhaust gas in to the intake, maybe it's leaking fresh air in at idle. Engine speed is controlled by air allowed in. If you can't choke the engine speed down to nothing, you have uncontrolled air getting in. Intake leaks are hard to find sometimes.

Apparently, if the L28ET engine had an automatic, there's a spacer on the end of the crankshaft that you need to remove if you're going to use a flywheel. The 240Z flywheel should then bolt right on. The critical parts to keep together are the pressure plate (height) and the throwout collar (height), because they both come in a variety of heights. Keep those two together, or measure the total height of the two combined (from your working 240Z) and match it if you get new parts. People seem to run in to problems when they get a thick pressure plate and a thick collar or a thin plate and a thin collar. The slave cylinder has to be at the right starting point and can only move a certain distance.

Looks like a 280ZX of some kind, possibly stock, maybe not? Probably early since you have an idle screw on the throttle body. Have you checked the BCDD? They get stuck sometimes. On the bottom of the throttle body. I have found a leak there before by spraying carb cleaner around where it mounts to the intake. The idle speed will change. The idle speed is mainly controlled by how much air is allowed in to the intake manifold. If the air gets past the throttle body but still moves the AFM flapper, you'll get a high idle, more air plus more fuel. That's what the idle adjustment does. A small vacuum leak can raise your idle too, a big one leans everything out and the engine dies. If you get everything sealed up right, you should be able to kill the engine by closing the idle speed screw.

There ain't no K on that list. Maybe it's an F. mpresley, post a picture just for fun.

Are you asking for a free one or just looking to pay less for a used one? Might help your quest to clarify. Edit - also just realized that the early 240Zs used a different cylinder than the 72 and later 240-280Zs. More clarity. Maybe someone will loan you one if you give them your old drum gear when you go to discs.

Did you add any baffles at all or a surge tank? Where did the pump end up in the tank, it looks like it's in different spots in your pictures? Isn't running lean on a turbo motor a big no-no? You could be risking engine damage accelerating out of a high G turn, with your RB25DET. The stock tanks and plumbing uncover the inlet at ~1/3 tank on a hard left, and they have at least a simple baffle inside. Should be interesting.

The blue wire is for the capacitor (aka condenser, the silver tube in the picture) which absorbs electrical noise. The engine will run without it but it's a good idea to have it connected to protect the electronics. The charge light should light up when the key is on but engine not running, and go off when the engine starts.

A dry cam wouldn't have any effect on slowing the engine down due to drag on the cam. The engine would just destroy the surface of the dry metal parts if it had run with no oil. Oil the cam up, put your fingers on it and feel the lobes for rough spots. Every lobe should feel nice and smooth. The yellow/brown material is just a buildup on the cam base that doesn't have any pressure on it in use, due to valve lash. If lash is set correctly, the base circle doesn't actually rub on anything. You can see that the lobes themselves are actually shiny from pushing on the rocker arms. That's the part that needs to be smooth and slick.

Ask your Z guy if he has checked the TPS. It might be shorting to the "wide open" full fuel enrichment position. That would dump a lot of fuel.

When does it "start to skip and pop"? Describe a typical scenario, from starting cold to driving (how long before the problem occurs, is the engine warm, etc.), then what you were typically doing (accelerating, high RPM, ???) just before it started skipping and popping. Details are good.

The coil is charging, but the circuit is not breaking to cause the coil to discharge. When you turn the key off, the circuit is broken and you get one spark. Looked at your other post and it says that you tried a new ignitor. Looks like either your ECCS is not getting the signal from the CAS or the ECCS is not sending the signal to the ignitor or HEI module, to break the circuit. Since you have all stock parts now, you should probably go to an 82 or 83 FSM and look for the diagnostics for what you have. From skittle over on zcars.com - http://www.zcar.com/70-83_tech_discussion_forum/hei_ignition_control_module_swap_info_%20turbos_only%20_876981.0.html . I think that he posts over here occasionally also It might help you with the HEI module but it seems like your problem is in front of it.

You should take an actual measurement of the fuel pressure to see if it's really abnormally high or if you just have leaking lines. Edit - I see that you put new lines on 4 years ago. Maybe you got a bad mechanic and they put the wrong lines on (regular fuel line instead of fuel injection line - the lines should not swell like that). Plus those aren't the best hose clamps for fuel injection line. p.s. Your pictures are way too big.

Pretty sure the covers are the same, except for the ID tag, for all of the AFMs of that general shape. Other car brands will probably fit also, BMW, Alfa Romeo, any of the early Bosch EFI engines. A walk through the local wrecking yard will probably find you one. They snap on, but usually have some sealant that needs to be broken free.

Are you saying that you saw sand in the pan but sealed it up anyway? Or that you got sand on the bottom end when you sand-blasted? How did it "dust" the bottom end? On most (all?) engines, the oil travels from the pickup tube to the pump to the oil filter then to the bearings. So the oil will be filtered but fine sand grit is not normally in the oil to be filtered. If you're question is about alleviating the lump in your throat, I suggest a beer or two before starting the engine.

If the plug wires are all in the right spots on the cap (check firing order and correct rotation), and you have verified spark on all six cylinders (which means the distributor is turning), then starting fluid should definitely get a pop or two, or a few seconds of running. If you can't get it to run for a few seconds with starting fluid, a carburetor won't make any difference. It's either electrical, or your valves aren't opening and closing correctly. I'm pretty sure that the stock L28 will bend some valves though if your timing chain broke so you would have heard some noise when it died. Good luck, don't forget the basics - fuel, compression, spark, fire.

You said you had good spark in Post #1. Did you check it at the plugs or plug wires, or at the main coil wire? If it won't start, or even pop once or twice, with starting fluid you probably don't have spark at the plugs, or your timing is way off. Or your plugs are very fouled.

The Engine Fuel section has good diagnostic procedures and describes how everything works - http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html Try starting fluid through one of the intake vacuum lines or at the AFM mouth to see if timing is right and you have sufficient spark. If you can get it to run with starting fluid, then focus on fuel and injector opening. The injectors open based off of the signal from the coil to the ECU.

It's not an L28ET from a 1983 ZX, it's an L28 custom built to a set of mystery specifications. If you're not an expert on the L28 (I'm not) and proficient in engine work in general, it will probably be a one long headache, unless you're looking for a project to learn on. You could probably find something that will run better and last longer than that setup, for less than $1200. It looks like someone tried an engine-building experiment, it didn't work and they're cutting their losses.

The bottom ring scrape the oil, the top rings seal the cylinder. You can have bad oil rings with good compression rings. When the engine stops, typically two cylinders have valves pretty far open, one the exhaust and one the intake. I think a couple more could be cracked open also, depending on where it stops. So at least two cylinders are exposed to the atmosphere and will get some rust, from what I've seen. You might have rust damage in #2. Maybe some oxidation of the aluminum piston also. No advice, just a comment. Did you see any rust in the bores when you had the head off?

They're from the internet, that's the best I've found for the Z and ZX 5 speeds. Synchros alone seem to be $50 per piece everywhere. Thanks for the name, how is the quality, how did the rebuild turn out? I've also seen varying opinions on the synchro gear quality. Thanks.

You could leave the rail connected, disconnect the electrical and attach Christmas lights. They'll flash off the same pulse, from what I've heard. Tis the season... Separate mechanical from electrical.

Pull the intake? Why not apply voltage to an injector, see if it clicks? Connect a fuel pressure gauge, see if the pressure drops.