280zwitha383 Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 I bought this '81 280zx off of a guy and started cranking on it because he hasn't run it for a good while (years). First thing I notice is I can't hear the fuel pump when the car is in run but when I turn the key to start it whines for a second and then stops. I took it off and replaced it with one I had laying around and the other one did the same thing so eventually I put the original one back and manaully ran 12v to it while I was cranking it but nothing really happened. Sometimes the starter wouldn't even engage and after I manually ran 12v to the pump everyonce in a while, without my wiring, the fuel pump would come on and seemingly run like it was supposed to but then the starter wouldn't engage! I have not extensively checked the ignition switch which I will do shortly but other than that this thing is pretty finicky. I swapped around all of the relays in the box by the front passenger strut tower and checked the fuses and fusible links and everything seemed fine. Anyone ever had this happen or have any ideas? I have an ECU out of an '82 280zx but I'm not sure if they will fully interchange. I know that the ignition module on the '81 is different than the '82 but that's about the extent of my knowledge. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 I think your best bet is going to be cleaning all your electrical connections. My 77 did the same thing with the starter and it ended up just being old corroded connections. Take them all off and emory board them to bring out the original shine of brass (or whatever it was supposed to look like). This should help especially since you have checked a bunch of parts allready. And worse come to worse, if it doesn't fix the problem it cost nothing and now you will know the connections are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonsZ Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I think your best bet is going to be cleaning all your electrical connections. My 77 did the same thing with the starter and it ended up just being old corroded connections. Take them all off and emory board them to bring out the original shine of brass (or whatever it was supposed to look like). This should help especially since you have checked a bunch of parts allready. And worse come to worse, if it doesn't fix the problem it cost nothing and now you will know the connections are fine. Use 400 grit sandpaper, it's easier on the contacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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