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Stock 77 280Z dies randomly while driving


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So today my Z died going down the road around 60mph. No sputtering, just cut out. I pulled over and checked under the hood for any wires that might have fallen off or come loose but everything looked good. Tried to start it and it fired right up. Then it just kept happening more and more frequently. It always starts back up if I let the engine stop and I crank it with the starter, but it will not start if I'm coasting and pop the clutch. I tried jiggling the key thinking maybe it's a loose wire in there, but it didn't help. I saw a similar problem on here and someone said to watch the RPMs to see if it is a spark problem. The problem is, my tach decided it wants to live at 2000 all the time. So any ideas on how to check spark while driving? Timing light strung through the window is all I can think of. Also, any ideas why my tach is stuck?

Thanks,

Jake

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The tachs get old and go bad.

 

Your symptoms are like those of a bad ignition module.  Also an overheating relay or electrical connection.  It's a tough one.  Timing light sticking out the hood might work, you could see the flashes.  Or an aftermarket tach, if you have an old one laying around.

 

Or you could do the GM HEI conversion, for a cheap effective fix.  Worst case you still have the problem, but end up with a newer better-shape ignition module..  You're probably running on the 37 year old original ignition module and they definitely wear out eventually.

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  • 10 months later...

Hey jakez my car has done the same exact thing your car did. Did you figure out the problem if so can you tell me how you fixed it

I wish I could help you. I tried driving it one day and it barely ran. It was only getting fuel to a few cylinders. I would touch the injector connector and it would run better or worse depending on which one. So it had bad connections. There was also a bunch of stuff on the manifold that squirrels hid in there.

Anyway, I sprayed all the squirrel treasure out and it has been running perfectly ever since. All cylinders firing and not dying.

I would recomend investing in some squirrels.

Edited by jakez
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