Guest datsun 280zx turbo Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Ahhhhh, success.........eventually, ive owned my 83 turbo (5spd) since 2000. great car, 60k miles, one owner car from washington st. i paid $2000 for her. i was happy as hell. i had an 80 zx then too (100k), both really sharp original cars. my turbo though, never ran right. i remember the biggest problem initially was that it often, and at the worst times, was very hard to start. much trial and error led me to a faulty fpr as the cause- it was allowing fuel into its vacum line which then flooded the intake manifold. i was pretty sure this repair would also fix the cars occasional chugging, bucking, and sometimes just lacking power, that had also plauged this z, it just never ran quite right. but it didnt. over the years ive replaced endless parts, afm, o2 sensor, tps, knock, coolant temp, ecu, and on and on with plugs and caps and wires and rotors and more. very frustrating. then, recently, one day i found that when the car was really running bad, if i reached down and checked (wiggled) the wiring harness connectors at the computer, that it would straighten out somewhat. ive since read alot about simillar experiances here. but it still wasnt right. it some times accelerated very poorly and never seemed to have the power it should. so moving on, i started driving it to work, about 35 miles one way. so now it starts over heating and pushing foam out the coolant overflow. blown head gasket. i get to work pulling the head, then decide while its out to drop in a`stage one turbo cam and rockers from msa. i also installed a manual boost controler. just got everything back together and expected to still have to straighten out the cars lingering "issues". but, wow. i guess i dont really know how i did it but this car runs perfectly. not a stumble in sight, and strong. with the boost controler im running 7 psi, stock was about 6. i gotta get some pics on here for u guys, im so proud of this car now. its amazing, 8 long years i worked on and sweated and drove a less than enjoyable car, except its looks, and now im finnaly enjoying this machine as it was meant to perform. im still giddy. im guessing in retrospect that a long slow head gasket failure coupled with the fuel injection harness needing to be pulled and replaced (possibly restoring bad connections?) were the cause of those years of running like crap. well i reckon its just a datsun miracle. ill take that, it runs AWESOME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trippintl0 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 "...coupled with the fuel injection harness needing to be pulled and replaced (possibly restoring bad connections?)" I'd bet that was 99% of your problem. First thing I like to do is replace all the connectors with the quick-release ones from Volvo's or similar Bosch fuel-injected vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun 280zx turbo Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 "...coupled with the fuel injection harness needing to be pulled and replaced (possibly restoring bad connections?)" I'd bet that was 99% of your problem. First thing I like to do is replace all the connectors with the quick-release ones from Volvo's or similar Bosch fuel-injected vehicles. thanks ill definately keep that in mind if the problem resurfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinhZXT Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Where are you in Pa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun 280zx turbo Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 hey vinh, im in newport pa, a little west of harrisburg. nice collection of z's u got! awesome fab. work too. every thing really looks good man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayolives Posted July 19, 2008 Share Posted July 19, 2008 I like your story and perhaps it will encourage someone here. Apparently you have recently joined the forum, but man..............you need to work on spelling and punctuation. Reading your post was annoying as hell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest datsun 280zx turbo Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 yeah, sorry man. writing is an art i've never excelled at, but i did enjoy writing about my datsun and will make an attempt at better grammar. I'll even try using CAPS. Later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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