I have an 83 NA 280ZX. Yes, I've done a search regarding this subject and wanted to see if anyone can give me more insight on my specific issue.

Symptoms: Always fires up cold. The idle seems to be stuck for a few seconds when I first start the car and then bounces between 500rmp and 1500rpm. On the start in the morning, the exhaust smokes a bit of white smoke.

Car has no issues while it is moving but if I'm at a red light or in stop-and-go traffic, the idle could start bouncing and then the car eventually dies. It will usually fire up again after a few tries. As a sidenote, the starter was replaced a year ago.

What I have changed 4,000 miles ago, spark plugs, wires, o2 sensor. At the time it did seem to improve the situation but after letting the car sit for a few months now, the problem is back.

Could any of these be causing my problem?
1. Very noisy fuel pump
2. Ignition Control Module
3. Incorrect fuel injectors (the previous owner had the fuel injectors changed and I'm not sure if they had the correct ones put in the car).

I'm not that mechanically inclined but I'm eager to learn. I would greatly appreciate it if someone can suggest a couple of things for me to try first.

 

4 - none of the above...

maybe... have to do some diagnostics. Have you checked for vacuum leaks? Gone through the wiring harness (esp the AFM connector) and measured the sensors (esp the CHTS)? Download the FSM for your year from XenonS130 and follow the instructions for testing then we'll go from there....

 

i had one zx come to me and the afm spring was far too loose and just needed to be tightened up. try adjusting the timing. had this happen once too on my car where the idle would sometimes stay high as i came to a stop. just a thought but unlikely that one. did you change the fuel filter with all the other parts in your tune up, i see its not listed. just shooting ideas out at this point.

 

My 82 turbo used to idle poorly and stall out a lot. I did all of the vacuum leak checking and a lot of other stuff. It turned out that the culprit was a faulty throttle position sensor. Might give that a look.

 

I also have an 82 Turbo that will stall after it cranks and if you feather the gas until the temp gage registers normal it will tend not to stall, so was the TPS replacement just a shotgun change, or was there any diagnosis leading up to it?

 

After messing around with it for several weeks and not being able to fix it, I finally broke down and took it to a highly recommended foreign car shop and they found it quickly. Had it back the next day, idling very nicely and not stalling out. What their diagnostic process entailed I couldn't say.

 

Bah....CALL THEM!

I have a similar problem.
Do you have any clue about the problem? How much did it cost?

 

Sounds more like the cold start injector. The CHTS also plays a significant role in your car running properly....