NewZed

Paul Ruschman (aka BRAAP on this forum) of Rusch Motorsports in Sandy, OR, maybe?

They would but apparently they might not be such a good idea. The urethane is stiffer than the original rubber. Read this thread - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/100525-tep-bolt-in-camber-plates/ Here's another in the same vein - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/100574-factory-strut-top-insulators-without-the-rubber-pics-inside/page__pid__953187#entry953187 Your best option is to just replace it with a used stock insulator. They really shouldn't wear out unless they're abused. Check the local wrecking yards.

Have you "upgraded" to an internally regulated alternator recently? When I did my 76, I found that the common rewire procedure that I used left the "brake warning lamp check relay" activated all the time. It would drain the battery within a couple of days.

The red cable does not always mean positive on these old Zs. Have you confirmed that red is connected to the starter solenoid lug and that black is connected to a starter mounting bolt (the common positive and negative connection points)?

"how do i check it" is a worrisome phrase. The 280Z is actually a good car to learn on since it is very basic and everything is accessible and easy to see. But if you don't know how to check timing you should probably pick up a book about general auto repair and maintenance, along with downloading the FSM. You'll need a timing light to check timing and a fuel pressure gauge to check fuel pressure.

ztore is having a sale. I think that these would do the job for less money but might give a little rougher ride, with urethane versus stock rubber - http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/wes-02a/23-4189 They're selling springs also - http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/wes-02a You might consider the wrecking yard for a replacement stock insulator and the zstore Eibach springs to get some ride height back, but still lowered.

This might help - http://www.ozdat.com/ozdatonline/enginedesign/ - I can't vouch for accuracy but it seems right if you put the stock numbers in.

Will it start with starting fluid in the intake? Distinguish between spark (and timing) versus fuel problems. If it stumbles but won't catch, you might have fuel problems.

Did you see some sparks or smoke? There's no good reason for your fusible link to melt just by wiggling the wires. Maybe you have a bad connection. The general feeling on the internet sites is that the green fusible links are meant to melt at 40 amps (50 amps on the MSA site below). The gauge is shown in the FSM Body Electrical section, but good luck figuring out what exactly the auto parts stores are selling, and what you should replace the green link with. Here is one internet source for a stock style link - http://www.thezstore.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCHM - search "fusible link". Edit - one option, if you trust MSA's 50 amp spec. would be to get an in-line ATO or blade style fuse holder and install the fuse of your choice. That's what I would do if I ever needed to replace that link.

The guys at Motorsport Auto would probably help you out. They have all of the numbers and sell remanufactured ECUs and AFMs. They call the ECUs "brains" on their website. You'll probably get the best response by phone. http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/11-3031

You were on the right track with this comment. Apparently the ignition system is working and the coil is creating enough energy for a spark. But it's not being distributed by the distributor. It has to be going to ground somewhere. Make sure that the path from the coil wire through the distributor cap, to the rotor, from the rotor tip across the gap to the individual electrodes and down the wires to the plugs is there, and not shorted to ground along the way. A simple start would be with an ohm-meter, measuring from an electrode inside the cap to the tip of the spark plug, and from electrode to ground. There should only be continuity to the spark plug tip.

Your swap will be very similar to what's described here, except no turbo - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/38461-240z-260z-280z-turbo-swap-guide/ The 240Z small fuel line issue can probably be found with searching. The high volume/pressure EFI pumps will apparently develop enough back pressure on the return line to increase your fuel pressure, making it uncontrollable by the FPR, so that's a valid concern. Read through the L-Series forum in the FAQ/Powertrain section for more general EFI L6 information. - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/forum/90-l-series/

Not for this thread...

Y'all should read some of those threads about boost pressure versus air flow. The pressure measured (boost) is essentially back-pressure or resistance to flow. Flow allows power and pressure increases flow, but flow probably does not increase with pressure linearly, in most cases.

The L Series engine forum is difficult to find for some reason but here's a link - http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/forum/90-l-series/

Swap the VR wires? Maybe your VR voltage pulse is backward.

You mentioned lots of blue smoke with a fuel rich smell, in the first post. Have you pulled a plug or two right after it won't start? It sounds like it's flooding, and it takes a day to dry out. Check your CHTS, if it's not working or disconnected, you'll end up with too much fuel.

Since it's okay to muddy this thread up I might as well throw in two plugs worth. On a completely stock 1976 280Z EFI engine I found that having plugs 3 - 6 all indexed between 10 and 2, and plugs 1 and 2 at 7 o'clock and 5 o'clock, respectively, gave a poor and rough idle. Getting 1 and 2 indexed between 10 and 2 also, smoothed the idle out dramatically. This is with NGK BPR6ES-11 plugs. I was surprised that indexing had a big effect, but it was real and noticeable. I only put the effort in because my engine's idle just doesn't seem as smooth as it should be, even with essentially identical cylinder pressure numbers and all new tuneup parts. And a couple of side notes - projected tip plugs really do increase the tendency to ping/knock/detonate, requiring retarding the time a few degrees. And the batch firing seems to give a different idle depending on which sets of two cylinders each start the injection cycle. Stopping and restarting the engine can clear up a bumpy idle. Just wanted get that out there while the details were fresh...

Do you mean the shock absorber inserts themselves? Are you just looking for the travel or a point to point dimension? Which points? I have a couple of old rear replacement inserts and the original style (oil bathed) fronts out in the garage from a 76 and 78.

The diagrams are in the FSMs and the FSMs are available for free download at the xenons30 and xenons130 web sites.

These old ECUs don't have the "limp home" mode that the newer computers do. They're primitive. Have you measured fuel pressure with the engine running? Fuel flow doesn't tell you much. Your problem sounds more like it's fuel related, with the lack of high RPM power, the dying and the backfiring. By the way, I think that your 1977 280Z is supposed to have 188 cc injectors. Are you running non-stock injectors or is that a typo?

I'm curious about what you heard about the MSA rebuilt AFMs. What did you hear and who did you hear it from? There aren't that many sources for rebuilt AFMs. MSA'a are actually rebuilt by Fuel Injection corporation, whoever that is.

The AFM, in general,is supposed to match the ECU. The ECU takes the voltage returned from the AFM to determine injector open time. I don't know if the Nissan engineers actually changed the potentiometer circuit or the spring tension or the shape of the air flow channel between the various AFM numbers, so couldn't say what the difference is between those two AFMs. Some AFM numbers appear to be the same AFM in function, except for small differences like the fuel pump contact switch. But there might be bigger changes that cause problems like you're having. The ECU and AFM inputs and outputs are kind of mysterious. You might get more ideas if you gave some history on the car. Did it run with the "wrecked" AFM? Has it ever run? Can you put the old one back on and get it to run? Things like that.

What year car? Why did you buy A31-625-000 if yours was A31-601-000 (or vice-versa, can't tell which is old and which is new from your description)? The backfiring sounds like what mine was doing when I had a bad AFM.

1978 used the same ECU so the AFMs are probably not that different. Maybe Nissan tuned the spring tension differently for emissions or use with EGR. I had a 1978 with AFM # A31-604-000 and the same A11-600-000 ECU that my 1976 had. There are only a few circuits in the AFM, the potentiometer circuit that tells the ECU how much air is passing through, the air temperature sensor and the fuel pump contact switch. Getting the right parts together is a worthy goal but "running rich" is a common problem and has many causes. You might check the other reasons for running rich before you go too far though. Fuel pressure control, temperature sensors, TPS adjustment, etc. Here is a thread from classiczcar that tells a story - http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?42574-MPG-timing-fuel-and . He had a similar dilemma. 1975-1977 are your best candidates for finding the right AFM part number. Check the glue blob under the cover to see if it's been tampered with. It's very common for people to get inside and muck around with the spring tension for "tuning" purposes.