I bought a 83 280zx turbo. sometime in may 2013. but the car was parked with engine problems summer 2012... it ran when i bought it but barely.. couldnt rev up at all and didnt fire on all cylinders.

since then i had a lousy performance shop slowly tinker on it for the remainder of the summer when they had slow days.. i got a new afm on it which helped slightly, fuel pressure and fuel quality checked out good. clean fuel filter. They got it firing on all 6 cylinders. compression i forget exact numbers but it was 20psi difference across the board. 120psi i think being the lowest in the mid section of engine.

Car starts up instantly and then just idles and runs abit funky.. but u can feel it firing on all 6. go to try and give it any gas and it will rev up to about 2-3000rpm max and spudders and makes a popping sound in the intake at times.
Exhaust is orignal and not very pretty.. muffler is junk.. maybe exhaust is plugged somewhere?

after running the car with these symptoms for along time the plugs eventually get very carboned up.

 

I would clean the connections on the TPS, and check it's adjustment. If the Throttle Position Switch is not working properly your ECU will be confused, not knowing if the car is at idle or wot.

 

the throttle position switch looks like a little black box with a wire connector going to it.. how do you check/adjust that? im going to check the car out tomorrow hopefully and tinker on it.

 

Check the head temp sensor. That will cause an over rich condition and foul up your plugs.

 

Here is a free download

XenonS130 - S130 Reference

We just can not do this for you, there are some simple trouble shooting steps to check the TPS and other parts of your Fuel injection.

 

tps leans out during idle to save gas. temp related issue just replace the chts which when you go to get one they will tell you it is the coolant temp sensor. if it is a two wire unit proably the correct one. much easier to replace then on a z31. between 5 and 6 cylinder. carboned plugs meaning running rich or wrong plug. did you use the recommended stock plug they run the best. just because the bozos you used changed the afm doesn't mean it is adjusted correctly. do a google search plenty information on getting it correct. Get your battery load tested. Be sure you have clean, tight corrosion free terminals on both ends of your battery cables. Be sure the ground (negative) cable goes to a bolt into the frame before going to the starter. grounding through the starter is not a reliable connection. Z's don't like low voltage. causes the electronics to act funny. it is possible to have enough amps to crank but not enough voltage to run the electronics. If you have one size fit all cheapo clamp on terminals they are a problem waiting to happen.

Clean the connectors for the maf or afm, ecu and tps. Deoxit by CAIG is probably the best connector cleaner on the market. spray with CorrosionX after cleaning and before putting together this will help prevent any further corrosion.

find out what the fuel pressure on the ring is. check the vacuum. check the boost pressure. check the ignition timing. replace dizzy cap and rotor. new plug wires always a bonus.

 

check the post from kevdog for the correct plug info. right under yours

 

update.. still tinkering..

tried playing around abit with it again.. i unplugged the chts and the car could run slightly better, but still sick as hell.. gurglin poppin and just hates it.

replugged it and its even worse, but helps to start the car when its warm.

tried plugging in a seperate tps when at idle to see if anything changed.. nope.

turbo i cant ever hear what its doing, figured its not doing much if the car cant run right.. my first ever turbo car so i dont know much about it yet..

i noticed that the boost gauge, even with playing with sensors and trying to rev it up.. even at 5k rpm didnt budge on the boost gauge.

exhaust i thought maybe plugged.. but it flows really well outve the original system at idle.. so i doubt its that.

going to buy a new chts asap like i should have along time ago.. but i feel like i will still be stuck with problems.. anyways.. we shall seee...

thanks for the replys guys.. it helps.

 

do z31 coolant temp sensors do the same/give the same readings as 280zx ones? because on thezstore they are about 10 bucks or so cheaper than there 280zx listed ones...i dont feel like the sensor is worth 47somethin bucks on thezstore.. seems like its a basic sensor that i should be able to buy locally.. or is it worth the zstore one cuz they are genuine nissan?.. basically just want to get my hands on a new chts asap to try it out.

 

UPDATE!!

sorry it took so long to get back to this.. car is parked in storage a hour away and time is hard for me to spare to tinker on this particular car.

anyways, im pretty sure ive narrowed it down to turbo being malfunctioning or broken.

cut exhaust near the j pipe from the turbo back.. no turbo sound at any engine rev point. max rpm being 5000.

afm, plugs, chts, distributor, wires, tps, vaccum, all checked out okay thus far.

dug around in glove box and found reciept of some garage in mass. that removed and replaced turbo, who knows what they did.. new cotterpin on wastegate rod was another indicator someone got in there and messed with stuff..

want to pull turbo and rebuild or replace with something better, and upgrade exhaust turbo back..

whats the best/fastest way to get this thing going?

thoughts/opinions would greatly be apprieciated. thankyou

 

There's an easier way to check the turbo rather than chopping up the exhaust. Pull the AFM to turbocharger accordion boot, reach in to the turbo intake and spin / wiggle the turbine. There should be almost no play, and should spin freely.

If you indeed need a new turbocharger, get it rebuilt (~$300), or go T3/T4 hybrid as an upgrade. DO NOT BUY FROM EBAY! They are cheap Chinese parts that will 'aspode and then you will be buying another.

 

I don't think you will get turbo boost with car in park. At least it doesn't boost on my Grand National. Plus, according to my Haynes book, it is bad to race the motor in park as that causes the turbo to spin without proper oiling.

 

Turbo engines need a load to build boost. Just a quick rev to 5k in neutral doesn't give the turbocharger time to spool up.

You have a GN? Jealous!!!

I've never read this part in the Haynes... what page?

 

I just looked in Haynes and couldn't find it. Must have been in the owner's manual. I know I just read it a couple days ago.

 

A turbo charger is operated by the exhaust...The exhaust spins the vanes. the vanes compress the air, to force more air into the cylinder, to produce more power...It don't care if it's just idling or going full bore...It's working all the time a engine is running. Having a load on it has nothing to do with it....

A diesel truck has a turbo charger, and they idle all night at the truck stop in the winter, and they don't burn up do they?

Anytime the engine is running, oil is being forced to the bearings..Just like a standard engine...even though you idle, there is still oil pressure. You speed up and the oil pressure increases. Oil to a turbo does not stop with speed. If it did, then you'd burn up a turbo charger at a stop light, or waiting in traffic.

You push the throttle down and the engine speeds up...The more the engine speeds up, ..The more exhaust, the more it spins the turbine blades. The turbine lags behind. That's why to get full benefit of a turbo charger you drive at higher rpms to get more horse power.


Another time, we'll talk about a ROOTs type of blower to get more air into the cylinders....


Old Codger

 

Maybe this will help explain it......Boost When in Park? - Dodge Diesel - Diesel Truck Resource Forums

 

Well then, that must be true...I read it on the Internet.......Bonjour!


I sure do wish one of those smart fellers over on the forum could explain to me then, how is it if a turbo charged engine is running at any given speed, and that engine has a mixture control to control the amount of fuel the engine burns, yet the RPMs remain constant no matter how much fuel (GAS) is injected in...A turbo charger is governed by exhaust, not how much gas is burned......I think, they are trying to say, if a person pushes their foot down on the GAS pedal, and give it more gas, then that speeds up the turbo charger....Well duh...even on a normally aspirated engine, it's going to speed up if you push down on the gas pedal and give it more gas...


Think about it, does a engine take more fuel at say 10,000 feet, than it does at 1000 feet.....No because a engine wants around a 17 to 1 fuel/air ratio. At higher altitudes, the air is less dense, so it's going to take less fuel to keep it at the same 17 to 1 ratio....Can you get the same rpms at 10,000 feet as you can at 1000 feet...Sure you can, it just takes less fuel to do it...a person has to "Lean" out their engine..If it's a carbureted engine, change the metering jets. If it's fuel injected, you change the injectors, Some you change the "Pill" to run leaner..........And while we're at it...at the higher altitude, on the older engine, then the distributor must be advanced, same thing on these Z's, then the spark control takes over., you know, that little box on the side of the distributor.

Most all of the newer cars have the electronic control to control the amount of fuel (gas) is required at any given altitude, do they not? Meaning if you're from Kansas and driving around the fuel sensor tells the fuel controller how much fuel the engine needs/wants. Drive the same car out to Pikes Peak in Colorado, then the controller automatically leans out the engine...Duh...less fuel/gas to the engine to burn.

So what does that have to do with a turbo charger at a higher altitude? I'm glad you asked that.

The higher you go, the less boost your turbo can produce...Why?. Because the normal aspirated engine is going to put out less umph, which in turn, produces less exhaust, which drives the turbine blades at a slower speed.

How to over come this? By having a compound or two stage blower...Turbo charger if you will. Say the turbo is spinning at 30,000 RPMs, but the higher you go, then the slower those turbine blades are going to turn...So you shift it into high gear. You go from low gear to high gear...Actually it's in reverse...just like down shifting your car to a lower gear to keep the rpms up, to produce more power.

I'm trying to find the photo or two of me behind a compound, or two stage blower engine...When I do, I'll post it.


Old Codger




I think they want to say, the more gas you give a engine, then the more exhaust is produced, which in turn, the more exhaust, then the turbine wheels speed up more.


Now if I'm wrong, then I guess I was all wrong for sitting behind turbo charged engines, and turbo jet engines for 20 some years.


Old Codger

 

Well I guess the only way we can settle this is for me to go out and rev up my Z car in park....which I just did....got up to 3k rpm and maintained it there for a few seconds. Boost gauge barely moved from the lowest (or is that highest?) vacuum setting. Yes the tach works. Yes the boost gauge works. Yes the turbo works. No I don't have a massive header leak. So there you have it. No boost in park.

 

Ok..what does it rev up to in gear? Say..leave it in low gear, and put you foot into the gas pedal, how much can you rev it up to, and what does your boost gauge say.

Also, at what sea level are you?

Old Codger

 

748 feet above sea level. Do I really have to brake torque it? I just got the car and the brakes don't work too good (at least not as good as my Sebring or Grand National). I'm also pretty sure I have a brake fluid leak at the rear brake cylinders. Now if you invite me over for a beer, I'll brake torque it and race you on that bar stool to the nearest bar! Oh wait, you just want to know how much boost I see in low gear? I know I get 6.5 lbs on the gauge in drive through the gears. Hey how do you install an intercooler on this car and turn in the wastegate for a few extra pounds?

 

thankyou for all the input around turbo stuff..

WHO wants to come to maine and fix this thing? im too busy/stupid to do so... il give you a s30 or two for helping me


i thought the 280zx turbos dont have oil cooling?

as far as upgrades for this, I was thinking the turbo back exhaust system from msa, intercooler, and t3/t4 upgraded turbo..maybe a oil cooler too? or is all that just silly unecessary stuff?

as of now the car is still barely running because im not smart enough about it, and i dont trust anyone in maine to work on it because datsuns are nearly extinct here. people ask if they are porches and I just shake my head and explain its much better than that.. haha

 

I couldn't find a z club in Maine but I found this one. I would contact them.
Z Car Parts.com -- Motorsport Auto -- Clubs -- New Hampshire

 

facebook has several zparts groups, I have a link to my facebook here and you can look at my links on my home page if you have it, I just recently rejoined, mostly to connect with Datsun folks and to maybe venture out and do some video submissions.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheZGang/

this group is all ZX parts guys mostly https://www.facebook.com/groups/557424637619780/

 

280zx turbochargers aren't water cooled. If they didn't have oil, they wouldn't last more than a few hundred miles.

You can have a local exhaust shop fab you up something quality for less than the MSA kit. Intercooler, yes. T3/T4 upgrade, if you wish. Oil cooler, yes.

This is your car, do what you want to it. FYI, all your questions have been discussed in deal many times before.

 

thankyou for all the advice..

as it turns out i have a bad turbo.. doesnt even spin. also the ecu had a bad readout and didnt have good reading on a certain terminal for continuity.

unfortunatly i have to put this car project on hold as im outve state until spring.

but i do want to collect alot of goodies while im working/living in eugene oregon.

My wish list is as follows:

- rebuilt or upgraded turbo
- bigger better intercooler
- bov
- new ecu or go with 300zx turbo harness and ecu so i have light codes
- 60mm tb and spacer
- and some sort of higher flow exhaust

first approach would be having the ecu and electrical test ok in good working order and put new turbo on and see if it runs the way it should.. cant wait to do this someday