NewZed

As I had wondered - your post is really a complaint about how you were treated on the telephone, not a technical question. Should probably be in the Non-Tech forum, if allowed at all. Why don't you call back and try to talk to someone else before you trash the whole organization and their products? Maybe you got a bad apple.

Where did you get the dyno work done? Might as well put both parties' names out there, just to make things even. Maybe the dyno shop isn't that good, and the Wolf tech is right?...

Here's a couple of informative threads - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/38461-240z-260z-280z-turbo-swap-guide/ http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/50208-the-ultimate-l28et-guidewhat-you-need-for-350whp/

Everyone up to palmetto's post gave a suggestion. johnc gave a link with good information. Miles even gave the words to put in the search box. ROTW said thank you. You should let him complain if he wants to, it's his thread.

By "maximize timing" I was referring to advancing for maximum power. The typical dyno tune procedure, from my understanding. The knock on high CR has been that knocking occurs before you can advance your timing enough to get maximum power. But some say that they don't have the problem. It would be interesting to ask what their cylinder pressures are when checked with a standard compression tester. Even with the variability in gauges, a trend might show. A true measurement instead of a calculated guess. Again, just looking for something new besides the "I did it, don't know why you can't" response that seems to pop up in every detonation/flat tops with N42/Maxima N47 head conversation. Doing something without understanding how it happened isn't very satisfying.

It's just a perspective that goes beyond "I run flat tops at 10:1 CR and don't have any problems". It's a starting point that gets past just the assembly of parts and gets in to what's happening in the engine. For example, cylinder pressure at TDC should mean more than the mathematically derived CR, calculated from stroke and chamber volume. CR is a vague, fairly meaningless number, as is the term "dynamic CR". The cam numbers and the mathematical CR determine cylinder pressure, along with VE factors. The discussions would be more enlightening if they went along those lines.

Something has always bothered me about the flat top/ high CR/ detonation discussions. If someone can run a high CR and maximized timing, when other people can't, assuming no combustion chamber modification (quench factors), it seems reasonable that it might be because the setup has low volumetric efficiency and/or exhaust gas scavenging. The similar engine that detonates must be packing more active fuel molecules in to the combustion chamber than the other, without the dilution of inert exhaust gases. For example, if I install a Maxima N47 head on a flat-top F54 block and run 38 degrees total timing on 92 octane, and don't get knocking, I should start looking for obstructions in the intake and exhaust systems, or poor cam design. It knocks for other people, why not me? Detonation is just the result, chemistry and physics, of packing a certain quantity, of the right concentration of fuel and oxygen, in to a confined space at a certain temperature and pressure. When pressure, temperature and concentration are all correct, the mixture that that hasn't been burned from the spark initiation blows up, all at once. VE determines how much gets shoved in, which determines cylinder pressure, and the scavenging of exhaust gases determines how diluted the mixture will be. You could say that if you build a high CR L engine and it doesn't detonate on pump gas before you get the timing advance maximized, you must have done something wrong. Just an alternative perspective on an old topic. It should be a point of pride to get a relatively low CR engine to knock, it means your skill at maximizing the active charge in the combustion chamber is high.

You're saying that low HP detonation is different than high HP detonation?

You're saying two different things, from your first post to your last. Based on your last post, things are working correctly. The Engine Fuel section in the 280Z FSMs does a good job of describing the FPR's purpose. Better than the later ZX FSMs which just describe tests, but don't describe the purpose. The early FSM is worth downloading and reading the Engine Fuel section.

Is the JWT EMS controlling the fuel pump voltage, like the ZX ECU does? ? Even with the vacuum line disconnected, you shouldn't get a pressure drop, unless the pump is getting a lower voltage. Maybe your EMS is dropping voltage or it's not raising voltage when it should.

Your best plan of attack is to fix the fuse box first, then work on the tail lights. You must have created some new gremlins, not uncovered them.

Are you sure the carbs aren't getting fuel? Have you confirmed no/low fuel flow? 74 is the first year of the electronic ignition in the domestic Zs. You might look there also. They tend to sputter and die when they get old and hot, then rejuvenate when they cool off.

What did the temperature gauge show before the plugs popped and how long did the engine run after? One will give an indication of if there was overheating and the other will give some detail on probability of damage.

I didn't see any sure signs of over-heating in your description. Signs of improperly installed core plugs maybe. You have a 13 psi radiator cap, did it let go? Or did the core plugs just pop out when the engine started to get warm? Looks like you have a 13 psi cap and 5 psi core plugs.

Exactly the same spot? If the timing mark was at zero, it would turn over once and the timing mark would again be at zero? How do you get it past that "same spot"? You don't back it up and start over, do you? How does it "crank over" if you're turning it by hand? You probably have a good description in your head, it's just not making it in to your thread.

If the car ran from the module inside the cabin, then it's not an E12-80 style distributor (unless someone modified some wiring). You can make the E12-80 work by connecting the two prongs on the outside to power and coil negative and the two internal contacts to the red and green wire. It might be easier to use a GM HEI module, which has the same four connections, and performs the same functions, but is easier to mount and use, external to the distributor.

Page EE-12, 1973 FSM. I think you just gave the critical clue to your problem. The light is there, it's just not connected. Go to the light - and make it shine.

I got curious so went out and rechecked mine. I just put the positive probe in the back of the T plug, still plugged in to the alternator, and grounded the negative. But the rubber on my T plug is rotted away. Yours might be covered. I got 1.7 volts, key On, engine not running. It's not the usual Z car measurement though, I just found the information while working on my own car. You might first just check with the T plug disconnected, with the key On. You should see battery voltage on each terminal individually, positive in the terminal, negative to the case. Back to the the charge light - the charge light can't glow unless current is flowing through the L wire, to and through the alternator. If your charge light doesn't glow when the key is on,the L wire is probably not connected. Also, I found that some alternator winding cores have enough residual magnetism to self-energize. That might be why your old alt charged and the new one doesn't.

Found the link I was thinking of. It was for the CS130D GM alternator but I took the measurements on my 76 with a ZX alternator and L voltage was in the range described. The CS130D might be more sensitive than the ZX alternator though. http://www.hotrodlane.cc/ONLINETECH/CS130DREG.html Good luck. Take some measurements.

Your first one might have been self-energizing from stray or leaking voltage. I think that the voltage on L should actually be around 2-3 volts, not 12. More will damage the internal regulator. It might be described in the FSM for 78 and on. I'll post it if I find it. I always take electrical measurements after I do wiring mods, so that I know they work correctly. Take a measurement right at the T plug. Edit 2 - Does your charge light go on when the key is On, but before the engine starts? Does it stay on when the alt's not charging?

Pretty sure, if I remember right, that the "L" wire needs power to magnetize the windings in the alternator so it can start producing electricity right away. Yours is probably not connected to power. It's one of the two wires in the T plug at the back of the alt. It would run through the red charge lamp in a 280Z, not sure where it goes in a 240. Search for information on the L or Lamp wire. It might need a resistor or a lamp to avoid damaging the internal regulator. I think it needs a diode also to get the engine to shut off when you turn the key off. Edit - maybe you've already done this, but if you search "240z alternator upgrade" on this forum you'll find links to some good write-ups. Either way, it sounds like you should check L for 12 volts, with the key at On and go from there.

You asked about the best manifold at the end of your post also, not just in the title. Don't dig your self a deeper hole, your post could be locked and in the Tool Shed already. The "quote" is directly from the Rules post, which all new people are supposed to read (but many don't) - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules Post #3 in the following thread is along the lines of what you're asking - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/95316-braaps-l6-efi-induction-advice-and-tips/

What brand of ATF did you use? Might as well finish the experiment and try to get a little more, the SWEPCO 201 alone was a benefit.

Type the words "buying a 280z what should I look for" in to Google and you won't be disappointed. Not kidding.

Here's another one from classiczcars - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/content.php?156-S30-Door-Window-Problems-and-Troubleshooting-Procedures Also, if you can't get your fingers up in there to insert some washers, you can make a shim out of some stiff wire instead. Bend it in to a hook shape, loosen the screw, fish the wire in behind the guide and tighten it back up. It worked for me.