cardana24 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Hey guys, I just picked up an 82 zxt, automatic. I bought this car with the intention of putting the engine in my 1984 maxima, but I would like to see the engine run before I pull it out of the 280zx. I was told the engine was in running shape but it was not getting spark...at this point there are a few things pulled apart so I cannot even be sure that is correct. The guy that I bought it from said the previous owner was having trouble with the car cutting out of on him every once in a swhil until one day it would just not start. Anyway here is the car I looked around and saw that the tps connector is not in good shape It looks like they were trying to do an HEI conversion on the car but things are unplugged, is there a guide here on how to do this properly so I can see if this is a problem? Why would one of the distributor holes be reamed out? Then over on the right/passenger side inner fender are there is this, what does this control and how can I put it back together? This should get things going. Like I posted earlier I have an 84 maxima so I have a running fuel injected L series that I can use a reference I am just not familiar enough with these cars yet to know what is different and what would be the same between the two. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FricFrac Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 No reason for the dizzy to be reamed out. You'll need to use a screw and a nut for your cap or put a nutcert in it. You're also missing the cover for the optical wheel. You'll want that to keep the dirt from potentially getting into the slots on the wheel. The box on the right are your fuseable links. Might be a good time to think about running an aftermarket ECU instead of spending time and money getting this electrical disaster working..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardana24 Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 No reason for the dizzy to be reamed out. You'll need to use a screw and a nut for your cap or put a nutcert in it. You're also missing the cover for the optical wheel. You'll want that to keep the dirt from potentially getting into the slots on the wheel. The box on the right are your fuseable links. Might be a good time to think about running an aftermarket ECU instead of spending time and money getting this electrical disaster working..... Yeah, I have thought of that too. I just wanted to hear it run before I took it out. It seems that mega squirt is the most popular aftermarket option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgsheen Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Looks like one of the fusable links blew and they wired in another type of fuse. There are a bunch of threads on how to wire up the HEI, just search here or Google it... Get the '82 FSM from http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/1982/ or at xenons130.com - it might help you understand what this engine needs in order to run properly. I'm with FricFrac though - your time (money, education) would probably be better spent on a different engine management system. I do understand the desire to know how it runs before you swap, but getting it started and running with the stock ECCS may not actually tell you. Normally we spend an inordinate amount of time getting the stock engine management (ECCS) to work like it's supposed to (so the engine will run like it's suposed to...). These L-series engines are pretty hardy though and if they're maintained even half decently, they run for a long time. How does the top of the engine look with the valve cover off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardana24 Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Looks like one of the fusable links blew and they wired in another type of fuse. There are a bunch of threads on how to wire up the HEI, just search here or Google it... Get the '82 FSM from http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/280z/1982/ or at xenons130.com - it might help you understand what this engine needs in order to run properly. I'm with FricFrac though - your time (money, education) would probably be better spent on a different engine management system. I do understand the desire to know how it runs before you swap, but getting it started and running with the stock ECCS may not actually tell you. Normally we spend an inordinate amount of time getting the stock engine management (ECCS) to work like it's supposed to (so the engine will run like it's suposed to...). These L-series engines are pretty hardy though and if they're maintained even half decently, they run for a long time. How does the top of the engine look with the valve cover off? Yeah, the guy had alligator clips jumping around in the fuseable link area. What links are over there? Anything that would keep the car from cranking? I would at least like to do a compression test before I yank the engine so I will have some sort of data to go on. I found some info on the HEI mod. That looks like something I can hook up pretty easy if I need to. Where can I get a replacement TPS plug/harness other than at the junk yard? Does anyone sell a repair harness or some aftermarket plug that would work? I have not pulled the valve cover off of the car yet. I plan on going through the engine once I take it out of the car. Eventually I would like the engine to be able to make over 300hp, so I will build it accordingly. But for my initial set up once in the car I will probably just see what I can do with the stock turbo/intercooled/3" exhaust, it seems that ~250whp should be a decent goal once the car is up and running well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgsheen Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 To crank the engine and check compression just unplug the start signal wire from the solenoid and use a remote start switch. Search for Bosch and/or L-Jetronic connectors and you'll find more of what you're looking for: http://www.ebay.com/itm/B1-Rectangle-Bosch-Style-3-wire-TPS-Sensor-Connector-Pigtail-With-Rubber-Boot-/331015323139?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d120cfe03&vxp=mtr 90+ percent of the L28E & L28ET problems can probably be traced to wiring and connectors in the ECCS harness. There's a very good troubleshooting guide in the FSM. You can test every (well, nearly) component and sensor with simple tools PLUS their connection back to the ECU. Look for AFM tampering - if someone has opened it up and "adjusted" it you may be fighting an uphill battle... The AFM is the LAST thing that should ever be screwed with and it seems to be the FIRST thing noobs go to. The TPS on an L28ET is nothing close to what we think of as TPS in modern cars. It actually only uses one of the two switches - the "idle" switch - and it merely signals "throttle open" or "throttle closed". It cannot signal actual position otherwise and does not use the WOT switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardana24 Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 To crank the engine and check compression just unplug the start signal wire from the solenoid and use a remote start switch. Search for Bosch and/or L-Jetronic connectors and you'll find more of what you're looking for: http://www.ebay.com/itm/B1-Rectangle-Bosch-Style-3-wire-TPS-Sensor-Connector-Pigtail-With-Rubber-Boot-/331015323139?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d120cfe03&vxp=mtr 90+ percent of the L28E & L28ET problems can probably be traced to wiring and connectors in the ECCS harness. There's a very good troubleshooting guide in the FSM. You can test every (well, nearly) component and sensor with simple tools PLUS their connection back to the ECU. Look for AFM tampering - if someone has opened it up and "adjusted" it you may be fighting an uphill battle... The AFM is the LAST thing that should ever be screwed with and it seems to be the FIRST thing noobs go to. The TPS on an L28ET is nothing close to what we think of as TPS in modern cars. It actually only uses one of the two switches - the "idle" switch - and it merely signals "throttle open" or "throttle closed". It cannot signal actual position otherwise and does not use the WOT switch. I went ahead and ordered the connector that you linked. Thanks for that. I also went ahead and ordered a remote start switch since that is something I should have anyway. I have not dug into the car at all so I have not looked at the AFM but the car did come with a second AFM. I have not a chance to check the part number but I assume it is the correct one for the car. Thanks for the advice/info so far, I have not even seen the car crank over at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardana24 Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 (edited) It seems that megasquirt is really the way to go on this. So I swapped a batter into the z and did a compression test just to make sure I am not dealing with something that already has a big problem. I'm not sure what these cars read when they have a warm engine, but my car has not been started in over a year so I am pretty happy with the results. The engine was cold and I was holding the throttle wide open. http://s176.photobucket.com/user/cardana24/media/image_zps6d252e25.jpg.html'> Firewall 6-125 5-130 4-125 3-130 2-120 1-118 Radiator Edited December 22, 2014 by cardana24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.