NewZed

That's too easy. Almost not fair. I think that you should take it off and put it back on just to feel like you earned it.

What engine? "Idle adjust" implies an EFI motor. Your fuel pressure regulator might be bad. The original fuel pump has a bypass that kicks in at about 43 psi, which is close to the regulator target of 36 +/-. I think that the Airtex will pump up to 90 or 100 psi. Your new pump might be exposing a bad regulator.

Love this site. Hate the 60 second Flood Control. If you get no hits on a query you have to wait 60 seconds to try another. 60 seconds is eternity in today's internet world. Any way to shorten it 15 or even 10 seconds? I don't have the patience to even do a search to help someone else out.

For the record - most people use the burn and cut method. I hope I'm not leading you down a messy, more complex path. I have lots of odds and ends to use for fixturing in the vise, which helps avoid (or solve) problems. The socket was a Truecraft 27 mm, but it's the outer diameter that matters. You might take the new urethane bushing to the hardware store and pick the appropriate socket or whatever to match it's outer diameter. Don't get it too close or you may get the bushing out and have the socket stuck in its place. The socket I used actually had to be pressed back out from the other side, but it was easy to do with a bolt because it had a solid center to push on, unlike the bushing shell. Better yet, just take the whole control arm to the hardware store and see what looks right. It's not that big.

I used a vice, a socket the same diameter as the bushing's outer shell, some liquid wrench, and a torch to push mine out. It wouldn't budge without the heat of the torch but once I got the control arm warm it slid out pretty easily. Just another option...

If things are that loose you should check your moustache bar bushings and the nuts holding the housing to the bar also. To get that much movement from just a bad front diff mount would be unusual, I believe. I have an essentially stock 76 and with a pretty bad diff mount all I got was a bad clunk. Not even a hint of grinding under hard acceleration. And you should consider the RTz style diff mount. It is an improvement over stock, for about the same or less money.

I am not a transmission expert but there are a few things you could do to separate whether it's transmission or clutch. If you can start the car while in neutral, pressing the clutch pedal in will push the throwout bearing against the diaphragm spring on the pressure plate. If the throwout bearing is bad it will grind then, whether you are in gear or not (assuming the clutch linkage and hydraulics are working correctly). If it stays quiet then try to put it in to gear. If it goes in to gear, especially reverse, without grinding then the clutch is disengaging sufficiently to take the load off of the transmission main shaft. You should be able to sit there with the clutch pedal in, car in gear, and hear no strange noises. If so then clutch is disengaging correctly. Put it in first gear and slowly release the clutch pedal. This will engage the clutch and put engine load on the mainshaft. If the problems are in the transmission or differential, this is (most likely) when you will start to hear the bad noises, as you start moving. Just putt around in first gear and listen. Just a few ideas on isolating the noise to one component. Before you start changing parts out.

Poor clutch action should only cause grinding during shifting. One grind per shift, then no abnormal sounds. You described constant grinding while in gear which sounds more like a bad bearing or something rubbing somewhere.

I had something but changed my mind and edited it out. Can't just delete. Good luck with your project.

I don't know how different 77 is from 76, but this link might help. I would skip down to Post #4. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36480

I also had this happen, just this weekend. All of the leaking fluid, quite a bit, from the slave was contained in the rubber boot, just a light film on the outside to give a clue that there was a leak. Mine had the same symptoms, the clutch engaged right off the floor, but the clutch fork moved as soon as the pedal was moved, making it hard to figure out what was wrong. My cylinder was only 9 months old though. But I put it on a car that had sat for a while and there was, apparently, lots of old crud in the lines (the fluid had turned almost black since I put it on). I think that after a few fast runs through the gears in the days before, some of the debris had lodged under the rubber seal, letting it leak. It had been working fine up until then. I took mine apart, buffed the inside of the cylinder with some Scothbrite (the rubber seal on the piston looked in good shape but there were some corrosion marks in the cylinder), put it back together and it worked fine again. Took it for a long drive Sunday and it still works. It may leak out again, but I know the symptoms now. Pop the rubber boot off and see what's in there. Watch your eyes though, it will spray.

I saw an article in one of the hot rod mags a few months or more ago where they blocked the ends of a dented header with a wood plate, heated the dented area up red hot, then pressurized the tubes to push out the dent. As I recall, it worked fairly well. It took a little bit of fabrication for the air supply and the blocking plates. They had to closely control pressure and heat of course, but it didn't sound too difficult. The idea might work on your dent. I was just browsing the racks so don't remember which magazine it was.

Are the bleed valves on the top of the calipers, where they should be? On the front discs, it is possible to switch the calipers from side to side and end up with the bleed valves on the bottom. If the bleed valves are on the bottom you can never get all of the air out, there will be an air pocket above the bleed valve. A big one. I know this because my car came this way, and had your symptoms, and it took me quite a while to figure out. I don't know how the back calipers fit but it would be worth your while to make sure you got them on the proper sides.

What car and engine are you working with? AFMs control fuel pump power only in certain years. Your pump-tapping solution suggests that is not the problem though. Plus the fact that it turns over but doesn't fire now. When you hit Start, the fuel pump cutoff is bypassed, whether it is AFM or oil pressure controlled. If it was the AFM switch it would start, run for a few seconds, then die.

That is the half-shaft and what remains of a u-joint. Yes, there is a clip on the inside that holds the bearing cup in. Hard to see, it's probably covered in grease and grime. Yours must have popped off probably because someone previous did not get it all the way on. They can be tough to get in the groove. The bearing cup can't come out if the clip is in. Here is a link I found in the past with pictures, and more advice on changing them. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27855&highlight=u-joint

You are trying to sell parts in the Parts Wanted area....

Sounds like you don't have the boot hooked up yet, re ComicArtists' suggestion. So you're running the motor's exhaust through the turbo but without the inlet hooked up so no boost, just spinning things to see if everything works? If the AFM boot is not connected to the turbo inlet, what is it connected to? And what is the turbo intake connected to, both sides? Is it just blowing air? Are you basically running an N/A motor through a turbo exhaust? I'm not a turbo guy (could be eventually) but this sounds interesting...

No offense intended, but you should really browse through the Engine Fuel section of the Service Manual. It is easy reading and very informative. The AFM is just one input of many to the ECU that determines how long to leave the injectors open, to supply the proper amount of fuel to the engine. The AFM flap is suppoed to be "moved" by the air that flows by it, not vice versa. When you moved the AFM flap by hand, the ECU supplied more fuel to the motor, because the AFM signal was showing that the throttle was opening.

5 years is a long time. You didn't mention anything about using new gas or cleaning out the old in your first post. Old gas does not burn like new gas, plus old gas in the carbs can cause problems, gumming things up over time and as it evaporates away.

A new puzzle...When was the last time the car ran? 74 with a 5 speed. So the transmission is not original. Is the motor? Is it still carbs or EFI now? The 74s have an electric fuel pump and a mechanical one, I believe. You should check them. This might help with your electrical problems - There is a contact cleaner called Deoxit DN5 that you can get from Guitar Center or on-line. It will help you diagnose electrical problems before you take things apart, plus it is a really good cleaner to use if you do take things apart. I have had a light stalk switch that did not give any lights at all, fixed just by applying Deoxit. It seems too easy but it works, quite often.

Don't forget to tell what car and motor you're talking about while you're editing.

If you're just cutting the springs, you're probably better off not removing the spindle pin. It will cost you time for sure, and probably some extra money.

Now I'm confused. What is the Idle Air Control Valve on a 280Z engine? I can't find any reference to it in the FSM or elsewhere. I'm here to learn. Thanks. Thread moved to Parts Wanted.

Your ad is in "Cars Wanted". Maybe it should be in "Parts Wanted". Ball joints and gaskets are usually bought new from a parts supplier. You can't want used? Right? And 280s don't have an Idle Air Control Valve. Maybe you mean Air Regulator, the device that controls idle air supply when the engine is cold. Just trying to help...

I do most of my easy driving at 1800 - 2200 rpm myself. Motor just likes it there and that's where the speed limits and gearing seem to match up. Here is some good info from classiczcar, different problem, but pertinent to your situation. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?p=325461#post325461 Post #7.