dosquattro Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 My 280z has been good to me ever since I've owned it. One day driving to work it just started sputtering and acting like it wasn't getting gas. No matter if I floored it it wouldn't accelerate. I tried downshifting and just made it worse. I've never had any previous mechanical problems with it. When I got it back home from being trailered back home it started right back up but didn't sound right and the idle was really rough. At first I could put the pedal to the floor and it wouldn't rev but slowly it would start to climb and finally like something was plugged it would just pop back to normal and would rev freely but then would slowly start dying down if I didn't give it gas and then just eventually die out after about a minute. I installed a new fuel filter and it didn't do a thing. This sound fuel related or maybe a bad tps or afm or maybe just a bad contact of one of the two? I'm baffled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Unplug the afm connectors and the connectors to the ecu and spray contact cleaner in them and try again. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosquattro Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 I'll try that in the morning. Is this a usual thing? I was super close to buying a new fuel pump cause one local guy I talked to said S30's have shady fuel systems. Plus with it directly in the open like it is I was thinking that might be the issue. Who knows I may still pick up a walbro cause who knows how old this pump is. But I'll pull the connectors on the AFM ,TPS and the ECU and clean both just to be on the safe side. I'll report back with the results. Hopefully all goes well cause having two older imports really drains the wallet faster then I can fill it. Maybe the Z just felt left out after I got the AE86 this was it's way of getting me to notice it again and show it some love. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 cars are very sensitive. Especially when you buy another make... ok but in all reality, check the connectors on the thermostat housing. There is one connecter there, that if it is disconnected, the engine will shut off. It will cause similarly bad performance if it is loose. Thats where I would start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosquattro Posted August 20, 2006 Author Share Posted August 20, 2006 Well I cleaned the terminals on the tps and afm and inside the afm since when I bought the car it was left wideopen and I just recently put the cover back on. I cleaned the terminals on alternator and cleaned up the ground on it and it ran alittle better and started up awhole lot easier and stayed running until I would shut it off but still kinda had a off idle sputter like every other minute but it still smoked. I don't remember if I stated that in the first part. The car only smoked before just once started and gave a slight little puff and that was it. Now it isn't like a smoke stack but there is noticable smoking. No coolant I see in the oil or vise versa with the oil in the coolant. But would a bad headgasket act like this? I may pick up a new afm on ebay just to be on the safe side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COZY Z COLE Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Take a read of this link...... http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/airleaks/index.html LARRY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosquattro Posted August 22, 2006 Author Share Posted August 22, 2006 Installed some new wires since one broke when I gonna check them for cont. It starts up on the first crank but sounds like it has trouble breathing. I'm pretty sure out local pick and pull has a 280 with a good AFM and then if thats not it then I don't know what to do. It doesn't smoke anymore though so I was thinking one wire was bad and it wasn't firing on all cylinders. It'll revs fine when I give it gas and everything and sounds like normal. Just can't hold an idle. It's not a hiccuping like a vacuum leak would usually do. When you install a KA24 throttle body do you need to adj the tps or just leave it? I'm pretty sure there's a s13 out there too and maybe the tps sensor is bad. I mean the tps and afm didn't have either of the plastic covers on them since I've owned it. I don't know why the previous owner never covered them up. He had the cover for the AFM and the tps sensors. ??? So different AFM and hell just a new TPS and if not that then I'm baffled.... and yes I read the vacuum leak link you gave me but I'm pretty sure it's not a air leak though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleaf Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 Don't go throwing parts at it. First put on a fuel pressure gauge. see what it reads at idle/under load. If all is good then start diagnosing the electrical components. Instead of replacing. Test the AFM and TPS. Also check the temp sensor. and injectors. etc. Search this site. This has been gone over many times. Sometimes you get lucky just replacing parts but most of the time you'll kick youself in the ass. When you spent money on parts you didn't need and it was just a 2 cent hose or whatever. Goodluck, and if the basics don't work come back and ask more questions, make sure to post what you have already diagnosed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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