S30Turbo Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm almost done with my l28et swap into my 75 280z but I'm stuck on the distributor. My donor engine didn't come with a distributor so I got a 82-83 one from a member here. Will the 82-83 dizzy bolt in into the 81 harness? What do I need to make It work? Or should I just get a 81 dizzy for it? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctc Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 Does your 81 harness have the CAS sensor on the crank pulley? Which Ecu are you using? With the 81 crank angle sensor, you can use an Non-turbo distributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan95i4 Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 81 has the CAS on the crank pulley, 82/83 has the CAS in the dizzy, so which dizzy to use will depend on which harness/ecu you're using I believe. If you do end up not using the 82-83 turbo dizzy, shoot me a PM with a pic or two and what you would like for it, I might be interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 So your saying that I can use the stock 280z l28 distributor I had on my car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 I have the stock ecu off the 81 car.And yes I have the stock CAS sensor on my harness . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'll sell you my distributor I probably won't use it ryan95i4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akira Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I'm almost done with my l28et swap into my 75 280z but I'm stuck on the distributor. My donor engine didn't come with a distributor so I got a 82-83 one from a member here. Will the 82-83 dizzy bolt in into the 81 harness? What do I need to make It work? Or should I just get a 81 dizzy for it? Thank you The 82-83 280zxt dizzy will directly connect to the 81 zxt engine harness. In order to make it work on the 81zxt engine, you need the matching 82-83 oil pump shaft. The main difference between the 81 and 82-83 distributor is the location of the CAS, however, both distributors still have the same wiring connection ends. Honestly, this information is all over the site. Search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctc Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) So your saying that I can use the stock 280z l28 distributor I had on my car? Yes, as long as the ECU gets the CAS signal from the crank. Please re-read and understand the L28ET swap sticky. Sounds like your shot gunning parts and not understanding why you need certain parts and what they do. With the '81 harness and ECU, I would just run your exsisting L28 distributor and the CAS on the pully. or, I found this post from Tony D on zcar.com Tony D Emperor Posts: 38793 I'm BAA AAA AAAD! 81CAS « Reply #12 on: July 11, 2005, 02:06:40 AM »81 CAS is totally interchangeable with the 82/83 unit. The 81 CAS has a signal shaping circuit that gives the EXACT same waveform as the later distributor. The 81CAS is magnetic, with waveforem shaping circuitry, the 82/83 is Optical---absolutely correct assumption. Edited July 19, 2012 by ctc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 I think I will just run my l28 distributor and swap out the 82-83 one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) so i can run the l28e distributor in my l28et correct? Edited July 19, 2012 by Francisco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctc Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 (edited) so i can run the l28e distributor in my l28et correct? Shake magic 8 ball..... Signs point to Yes! If you lock out the Ignition advance. Edited July 22, 2012 by ctc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgsheen Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 But, straighten this out first: - You have a 1981 L28ET? (1981 280ZX Turbo engine) - Is has the EXTERNAL Crank Angle Sensor bolted to the front drivers side of the engine and wiring that goes up between the dizzy and t-stat housing (round 4-prong connector)? - Your ECCS (ECU-to-engine) harness is from a 1981 280ZXT and it has a dropping resistor pack? - Your ECU is from a 1981 280ZXT? - Are you sure the oil pump is stock 1981? (since the dizzy isn't there, post a picture of the "hole" it goes in - to make sure someone else hasn't already modded the engine to accept an '82-'83 distributor) If it's ALL stock 1981, then you need an '81 dizzy (which is essentially a body, cap and rotor - it doesn't do anything except distribute spark. Doesn't have any other electronics as the CAS is external and the ECU controls the Ignitor/Coil) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 None are as blind as those who will not see. None as deaf as those who will not hear. He asked the question, and if he didn't get the answer he was looking for, he asks the same question again. I'm going to go by what is posted in this thread: "I'm almost done with my l28et swap into my 75 280z but I'm stuck on the distributor. My donor engine didn't come with a distributor so I got a 82-83 one from a member here. Will the 82-83 dizzy bolt in into the 81 harness? What do I need to make It work? Or should I just get a 81 dizzy for it?" DIZZY? No, it won't work if you are using the 81 Harness. You need a CRANK ANGLE SENSOR. Do you have an 82/83 CAS? That will plug right in, but you need the proper drive spindle. "I have the stock ecu off the 81 car.And yes I have the stock CAS sensor on my harness . " Good, put that harness on the front of the engine, Now you just need a distributor. "I think I will just run my l28 distributor and swap out the 82-83 one. " Bad Idea "so i can run the l28e distributor in my l28et correct? " NO. WHAT YOU NEED IS A LOCKED DISTRIBUTOR TO DISTRIBUTE THE SPARK SINCE THE CAS ON THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE WILL INTERACT WITH THE ECU TO GIVE THE COIL THE SPARK SIGNAL. IF YOU USE THE STOCK DISTRIBUTOR FROM ANY YEAR IT WILL HAVE AN ADVANCE FUNCTION WHICH HAS TO BE DISABLED OR YOU WILL JUMP TERMINALS AT MAX RPMS AND BOOM. You REALLY need to work on answering the questions people pose to you instead of just asking the same question over and over again hoping you will get the answer you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Thank you for answering me Tony. I ending up buying a 81 distributor I have all the cas . An I talked to a member here and he told me to go with a gm hei. I did research and I think my car should start this coming week . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Good Luck on the startup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 (edited) I could swear he said he got a 82/83 L28et distributor at the beginning of the thread. Edited July 22, 2012 by HowlerMonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S30Turbo Posted July 22, 2012 Author Share Posted July 22, 2012 I do have one but Im going to put a 81 turbo distributor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I could swear he said he got a 82/83 L28et distributor at the beginning of the thread. <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">FROM THE FIRST POST: " My donor engine didn't come with a distributor so I got a 82-83 one from a member here." Nothing in there AT ALL about "ET"..... And an 82/83 L28ET has a CAS, not a "Distributor" If people would stick to standard, proper terminology instead of slang and other bits, the posts would be much easier to decipher and stop this kind of guessing and after-the-fact rumination. Even if you DID have an 82/83 CAS assembly (which looks just like the 81 "Distributor") you STILL need the drive spindle as stated: "It don't drop right in, it's useless without the drive spindle." If we look at the continuation of improper terminology, Francisco replies in his last that "HE DOES" in response to the incorrect statement above by HM that "I could swear he said he got a 82/83 L28et distributor at the beginning of the thread." You can swear all you want, but that is NOT what was said, and now it's just muddied further by one who didn't read, and another who doesn't understand what he has or doesn't have. The posts leading up to this are correct, this after-thought rumination takes the thread down a more confusing path is needn't wander down. Disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowlerMonkey Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) He has a 1981 280zx turbo engine, harness, cas, and a way to distribute spark. He already has what he needs to run the car and he's had it since before authoring this thread. Edited July 24, 2012 by HowlerMonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 The 81 CAS and the 82-83 Dizzy have the same plug configuration. The '81 CAS is a reluctor pickup that translates the signal to a square wave. The '82-83 is an optical encoder that outputs a square wave. As far as I can tell you can use either or. If that's not the case I'd like to know what the differences are that would prohbit them from being interchangable. It's not a wiring issue - is there an ECU issue? If the two are interchangeable the '81 CAS tends to have a less than steller track record compared to the '82-83 dizzy/optical encoder. I would recomend using the '82-83 but as ppl have mentioned you need the oil pump shaft to match up. The L series turbo had a splined shaft to make timing more precise/less slop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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