asilver Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 I bought a mildly restored 1975 280z a couple of weeks ago, from a dealer who had acquired it in a storage locker sale... The car appears to have been loved, and partially restored, but I have no real history on it. It had initially run great, and made the hour and a half drive home without any issues. I was able to drive it daily and it ran fine for about a week. The battery which looked relatively new, began to die frequently and required jumps to start the car. After jumping the car I noticed a fuel leak from an old hose on the fuel rail, and decided to replace the hose and the battery at the same time. After replacing it, the car started right up, but as I drove a couple blocks away, the engine cut out and the car would no longer start. It would turn over, but it sounded like it would not get fuel. Now I have a few questions for you experienced Z-experts. 1. Is there something I should have done before changing the line on the fuel rail? Is it possible that changing the line effected the fuel delivery? 2. The car only seems to have two fusible links, while all of the images of the I have seen, show there to be 4. I only have one "box", and both links are blue, versus the typical red, black or green. While inspecting one I cracked it as it was clearly corroded. Now I am not sure how to go about replacing. Any insight as to why there would only be 2? I believe the one I cracked may be related to the EFI. Could this have something to do with my issue? 3. Any other ideas as to why the engine might cut out during driving? I appreciate any thoughts or insights you guys might have. Excited to join the community and more excited to get this Z running again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 Nice looking car. 1975 only has two fusible links, plus the one in the power line to the EFI system. So your car is normal. Do you know if the alternator is working? You didn't mention the ammeter or voltage measurements. Just that you replaced the battery because it died. The way that it started, drove, then died and won't restart could be the ignition module or the ECU, among other things. Do you have a meter? You really need one to make any progress on the EFI system, or just for working on a car, in general. See if you have power to the coil, power on each side of the fusible link, etc. You can waste a lot of time and money replacing parts, when a few measurements will usually identify a problem. Electrical parts that can crap out after 40+ years, if original - ECU Ignition module Pickup coil in distributor Fusible links Fuel pump EFI/fuel pump relay Several sites out there have service manuals that you can download for free. I'd get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asilver Posted May 8, 2020 Author Share Posted May 8, 2020 10 hours ago, NewZed said: Nice looking car. 1975 only has two fusible links, plus the one in the power line to the EFI system. So your car is normal. Do you know if the alternator is working? You didn't mention the ammeter or voltage measurements. Just that you replaced the battery because it died. The way that it started, drove, then died and won't restart could be the ignition module or the ECU, among other things. Do you have a meter? You really need one to make any progress on the EFI system, or just for working on a car, in general. See if you have power to the coil, power on each side of the fusible link, etc. You can waste a lot of time and money replacing parts, when a few measurements will usually identify a problem. Electrical parts that can crap out after 40+ years, if original - ECU Ignition module Pickup coil in distributor Fusible links Fuel pump EFI/fuel pump relay Several sites out there have service manuals that you can download for free. I'd get one. Hey NewZed! Thank you for the quick reply and feedback. It seems like the Fusible Link was definitely one of the culprits and I picked up a voltmeter to double check everything else. Hoping to get it isolate and back up and running. The battery also had side terminals and no restraint bracket. I am thinking that the battery may have been shifting during the turn and positive terminal made contact with the engine bay wall. Getting that properly secure now as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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