Not getting any fuel to the fuel rail...

[Guest ProjectZ]

I just purchased a 280Z, and I'm trying to get it running. It still has the original L28 in it. The engine turns over, and that's pretty much it. I removed the fuel line from the fuel rail, and curved it into a clear plastic bottle, then tried starting it again to see if any fuel came out. No fuel came out. So I went looking for the fuel pump. The fuel pump is in the rear passenger side corner of the car right? I don't have the Haynes manual yet, the guy I bought the car from has one, but hasn't gotten it to me yet. If that is the fuel pump, it wasn't plugged in. I pluged it in, and still didn't get any fuel out. I only put about a gallon, maybe a little less, in the tank, which was completely empty.

 

I don't have a voltage meter (need to pick one up) to see if any current is reaching the pump. I was trying to remove the pump to take a look at it, but couldn't figure out how to get it out (it seems to be stuck). Any tips for removing the pump? It looks like you just have to get it to turn until the clips holding it in place line up with the holes, and pop it out. I can't get it to turn there, there's not really anything to grab onto. I tried sticking a screw driver into one of the holes and pushing it, even gave it a couple whacks with a hammer to try and knock it loose, but couldn't get it to budge.

 

What other things could be causing no fuel to get to the fuel rail, besides no voltage to the pump? Is there a fuse for the pump somewhere? If I do end up replacing the fuel pump, is there a good aftermarket fuel pump that drops in, like a walbro? I want to do a turbo conversion here eventually, I found the fuel pumps from the turbo 81-83 ZX's on the Z store, but they're almost $400, which seems kind of high to me.

 

I searched around, I may be searching for the wrong things, 'cause all I seem to be able to find is info on replacing fuel injectors and filters.

[slownrusty]

Bro - No disrespect...but you really need to get aquainted with your car. The 280Z fuel pump is external and is held in place with 4-12mm bolts and sits strapped to a plate bracket. Remove the two electric lines (one is +ve the other -ve) and the inlet and outlet rubber hoses plus those 4 bolts and out it comes. Should take 15-20minutes tops.

 

To bench test it...connect the pump direct to a battery do not mix-up the +ve and -ve and see if it wil pump water from one full bowl to another empty. You can do this on a bench outside of the car. It should pump like crazy. If it does not or its driblling, your pump is dead!

 

A rebuilt pump (1yr warranty) is $75-$100 all day long from any good parts store.

 

And please whacking it with a hammer is NOT a solution!

 

Yasin

[Guest ProjectZ]

Bro - No disrespect...but you really need to get aquainted with your car. The 280Z fuel pump is external and is held in place with 4-12mm bolts and sits strapped to a plate bracket. Remove the two electric lines (one is +ve the other -ve) and the inlet and outlet rubber hoses plus those 4 bolts and out it comes. Should take 15-20minutes tops.

 

To bench test it...connect the pump direct to a battery do not mix-up the +ve and -ve and see if it wil pump water from one full bowl to another

 

empty. You can do this on a bench outside of the car. It should pump like crazy. If it does not or its driblling, your pump is dead!

 

A rebuilt pump (1yr warranty) is $75-$100 all day long from any good parts store.

 

And please whacking it with a hammer is NOT a solution!

 

Yasin

Thanks, that's what I'm trying to do, get aquainted with it. I just got it yesterday! I'm only familiar with my Chrysler, which is almost 30 years newer, it's fuel pump is in the tank and accessible through the trunk, so that's what I was looking for.

 

By "whacking on it with a hammer", I meant the end of the screw driver I had in the hole of the part I was trying to turn to get out, I wasn't just hitting things with a hammer. Now that I know that part isn't the fuel pump, I'll have to figure out what it is... whatever it was, it was disconnected. I have a couple mystery switches that seem out of place to me too. There's a white plastic button that was kind of hidden under the e-brake that doesn't quite look like it belonds there... and a toggle switch with left and right arrows that was hanging out between a gap in the dash (between the vent controls and radio).

 

Now that I know I'm looking for an external pump (I really need to get the Haynes manual from this guy soon), it should be easier for me.

 

Thanks agian.

[Guest TeamNissan]

that white wich under the ebrake is actualt the ebrake light switch, tells you when the ebrake is on.

[Guest ProjectZ]

that white wich under the ebrake is actualt the ebrake light switch, tells you when the ebrake is on.

Ahh, makes sense now that I think about it. Lots for me to learn on these older vehicles... my other 3 vehicles are all an '02 or newer, and the oldest one I ever owned was a '96, until now.

[spotfitz]

Ahh, makes sense now that I think about it. Lots for me to learn on these older vehicles... my other 3 vehicles are all an '02 or newer, and the oldest one I ever owned was a '96, until now.

 

Thanks for editing that last reply. I actually saw a flaming coming your way from your first response.

 

Try this link. It is basically the repair manual you are waiting on.

 

 

http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/1d/4d/0900823d801d1d4d.jsp

[Guest ProjectZ]

Thanks for editing that last reply. I actually saw a flaming coming your way from your first response.

 

Try this link. It is basically the repair manual you are waiting on.

 

 

http://autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1d/1d/4d/0900823d801d1d4d.jsp

Shhh, I just woke up and was in a hurry to get to work on that one.

 

Thanks for the link!

[dj paul]

and if you are going to remove the pump definately make sure to have a pair of vicegrips ready to clamp off the line from the tank because the fuel just keeps comin! (might not be an issue with less than a gallon). also first, like you were saying, test the voltage and see if its getting any. Always test the simple stuff first before you go dropping a bunch of money. put a couple gallons in the tank and turn the key off, then on a few times and see if your getting any gas up there. if not, before taking the pump out disconnect the fuel lines and from the pump and from right before your fuel filter. if gas comes out of the line at the pump (between pump and engine) but none comes out around fuel filter, then you might have a clog. Blow on the lines and see if a friend can feel air coming out. or if a friend isnt handy. pour a little gas down where the fuel filter is and tape a little water bottle on the other end by the pump. see if gas gets in it. Another thing it could be is on the inlet of the pump itself is a little screen that tends to have gunk on it. occasionally it gets clogged. be careful and you can just pull it out with a small pair of tweezers or needle nose and use air of a compressor and blow it out. before replacing the pump though (if you did all that to no avail) replace the regulator. i know i have at least 3 known working ones lying around and you could get them for cheap. but even if the regulator is bad, it would seem to me that the rail would be getting even some fuel. so check for clogs.

[Guest ProjectZ]

Thanks for the tips. I haven't had much of a chance to work on it, been in the 20's and snowing out here. I did however find that the guy I bought it from had started doing stuff to the fuel system and never put it all back together. It looked like the fuel pump was either cleaned, or replaced (it was shiny where everything else around it was dirty). It wasn't connected electrically, and only the return line was connected to the tank. There was some brand new fuel line hanging off of it on the sending side, but it wasn't connected to the tank. It wasn't even long enough to reach the tank. The fuel filter looked to be brand new too. Once it warms back up enough for me to feel like being out in my garage working on this, I should be able to get somewhere with it.

[Teekass]

An easy way to check the fuel pump is to pull the small wire off the starter solenoid (the one that clips on) so the starter won't engage, then hold the ignition key all the way in the start postition. You should be able to hear the fuel pump running (although it's pretty quiet), and if you still have the fuel line disconnected from the fuel rail, you should see fuel coming from it.

 

I'm not sure what year your Z is, but in my 77, the fuel pump will not come on unless the engine is running, or the ignition key switch is in the start position.......safety feature.

 

The link below is for downloadable Factory Service Manuals. If they're available for download, it will say "download" in the far right column.....if it says "Tna" (temporarily not availabe) check back in an hour. They rotate which ones are availabe every hour. Oh yeah, you'll need Adobe or some other pdf viewer. It sounds cumbersome, but this manual is WAY better than any Chilton Haynes, etc.

 

Once you get it, there's a great depiction of the fuel system on page EF-5.

 

http://carfiche.com/manuals021/cars/

 

 

One more thing, when I got my Z I had no fuel pressure but my problem ended up being trash in the gas tank. If you suspect that, there's a drain plug on the bottom right of the tank. My tank had so much crud in it that when I removed the drain plug, NO fuel came out. I removed the tank, cleaned it out, and put a clear Fram fuel filter (G2 G4 or something like that, can't exacly remember) between the tank and the fuel pump so I can see if theres any more junk in there.

 

Hope this helps

[Guest ProjectZ]

An easy way to check the fuel pump is to pull the small wire off the starter solenoid (the one that clips on) so the starter won't engage, then hold the ignition key all the way in the start postition. You should be able to hear the fuel pump running (although it's pretty quiet), and if you still have the fuel line disconnected from the fuel rail, you should see fuel coming from it.

 

I'm not sure what year your Z is, but in my 77, the fuel pump will not come on unless the engine is running, or the ignition key switch is in the start position.......safety feature.

 

The link below is for downloadable Factory Service Manuals. If they're available for download, it will say "download" in the far right column.....if it says "Tna" (temporarily not availabe) check back in an hour. They rotate which ones are availabe every hour. Oh yeah, you'll need Adobe or some other pdf viewer. It sounds cumbersome, but this manual is WAY better than any Chilton Haynes, etc.

 

Once you get it, there's a great depiction of the fuel system on page EF-5.

 

http://carfiche.com/manuals021/cars/

 

 

One more thing, when I got my Z I had no fuel pressure but my problem ended up being trash in the gas tank. If you suspect that, there's a drain plug on the bottom right of the tank. My tank had so much crud in it that when I removed the drain plug, NO fuel came out. I removed the tank, cleaned it out, and put a clear Fram fuel filter (G2 G4 or something like that, can't exacly remember) between the tank and the fuel pump so I can see if theres any more junk in there.

 

Hope this helps

 

Thanks, I still haven't had any time to work on it. The guy I bought it from, finally dropped off the Haynes manual for it, and he also gave me "How to rebuild your Nissan & Datsun OHC Engine". I'll check out the manuals on that link you gave me.

My Z is also a '77, it's the coupe though, not the 2+2 like yours (not that it's a huge difference). The tank was already drained, so I don't know if there's lots of crud it in ir not. I'll have to put a little more gas in it, and drain it back out to see how it looks. I'm hoping I won't have to take the tank off and clean it out.