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Just got myself a 1981 280zx turbo.. have some questions


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So i picked this zx for 350 dlls.. the car don't start. seems like it has been sitting like 4 years without running and it is missing the ecu and air box.... First of all i wanted to know if it was worth keeping it or just use the engine and put it on my 280z. The engine does turn over but i got no spark i don't know if this is due the missing ecu... i don't even know where to start so i'm looking for any input you guys can give me

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What you could do, is scrap that car for 200 bucks and sell me that engine! Hahaha. =]

 

mmmm lol that is the main reason why i bought the car for the engine, but when i started cleaning i started liking it so that is why i wll probably keep it but i dont know if it is woth it.

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I have an ECU and airbox if interested.

 

is it the same as the 280zx n/a or is it different... another thing that i notice is that the afm says that it is for a l28 and not an l28et. does it make a difference????

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Weeeeell, depending on your goals, you could save yourself all the trouble and get a standalone system like Megasquirt, its an aftermarket computer system. You get a new wiring harness and can also eliminate the AFM.. Theres tons of info about it, but thats if you want to go with engine management like that.

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Weeeeell, depending on your goals, you could save yourself all the trouble and get a standalone system like Megasquirt, its an aftermarket computer system. You get a new wiring harness and can also eliminate the AFM.. Theres tons of info about it, but thats if you want to go with engine management like that.

 

 

ohh, would it be more cost effective to run megasquirt than buy the afm.... another thing is that today i made the engine run but i used a different distribuitor with the ignition module that i used on my 280z, and put gasoline direct on the intake manifold. If i use a differente distribuitor would it cause any problems. I will appreciate any input since finding parts for a turbo its really difficult over here.... thanks

 

My goals with this 280zx is, like many people here, to have a fast car that can be used every day and be streetable. We dont have emission laws here so that not an issue...

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the 81 distributor is different in that the fire signal is sent by a crank angle sensor where the flywheel pulley comes out of the engine. the head is different than the n/a models. should be a p90 with solid lifters. the 82,83 had hydraulic lifters and a p90a designation. Inlet air size is different for the turbos so yes afm for an n/a engine is like 2.5 inches and the turbo is 3". be something like 65mm vs 75mm. I'd check the turbo closely they start to get delicate after 100K miles. My 83 sheared the shaft at like 150 K. If you can't get stock units to fit then the megasquirt is probably your best bet to get it running. Are you sure it is a turbo that is an n/a hood on it.

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the 81 distributor is different in that the fire signal is sent by a crank angle sensor where the flywheel pulley comes out of the engine. the head is different than the n/a models. should be a p90 with solid lifters. the 82,83 had hydraulic lifters and a p90a designation. Inlet air size is different for the turbos so yes afm for an n/a engine is like 2.5 inches and the turbo is 3". be something like 65mm vs 75mm. I'd check the turbo closely they start to get delicate after 100K miles. My 83 sheared the shaft at like 150 K. If you can't get stock units to fit then the megasquirt is probably your best bet to get it running. Are you sure it is a turbo that is an n/a hood on it.

 

lol, yes im pretty sure it is a turbo if you notice the hood is different color thats why it is different... so where is a good place to learn of to use megasquirt and places where you can buy it... thanks for your input

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Are you sure you weren't getting spark?

 

It won't run because without the ECU the injectors won't fire, so there's no fuel.

 

Looks like you don't have the power steering hooked up btw. No belt on it.

 

As far as the megasquirt goes, there's some great info here on hybridZ, and we have a whole section just for megasquirt. As far as buying it, online is the best bet, and as for tuning it you'll most likely be on your own. Good luck though.

 

They're great cars, I hope you bring it back to life.

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It's deinfately an 81' turbo. But it seems to have been converted to manual.

 

The hood insn't stock. Hence the black paint and the wrong scoops.

 

The rear left rim is the 81' turbo rim, good indication that it's a turbo car.

The side emblem is turbo

The center console as the turbo emblem

It has the oil pressure AND temp combinted guage, that's a turbo only guage

It has the factory boost guage, obviously turbo only.

 

But it has the 79-81' bumpers, B pillar covers, lower valance etc. Definately a 79'-81' car.

 

Thus, I'd put money on the fact it's a genuine 81' turbo. But it's not an auto, so it must have been converted.

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Lets keep the misinformation down. All 82+83 Turbos were NOT P90a and not all P90A heads are hydraulic.

 

 

I'd noticed that too. I wasn't up to correcting it. I wish we actually had hard fact numbers of how many P90A heads had solid lifters.

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Mopar69, I think what sweetleaf was saying is that '82 turbos came with either a P90 or P90A head, both of which had mechanical lifters. For example, my '82 turbo made in 8/82 has a P90A head, yet it has mechanical lifters.

 

All '83 Turbos were P90A and hydraulic lifters.

 

I hope I'm not posting more mis-information or else I'll get my fingers chopped off! :cuss::icon52:

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