Jason C.

after 2 months of troubleshooting i found out the reason my motor was not running was because my computer (control unit) is not woking. i have been looking everywhere for a computer and i can't find one with mathing part #'s
does anyone know where to find a computer for a 83 280zx turbo with an auto trans. part # A18-606 048

s/cL3.0

Victoria British I think has reman. ones for 300.00 alot to spend but if you need it.. check www.zcar.com classified section..

jfairladyz

Did you try MSA? You give them your part number and they'll send you an ecu. Oh yeah, you got send em $350 bills too. That's a whole lot of change, but if you can't source a used one, that may be your only option. I posted a link called in the regular forum just yesterday. Check it out, they may be able to source a control unit for you. It's a network of salvage yards throughout the US, and they have an inventory listing of all the parts and yards on the network. You might get lucky if nobody here can help you. Good luck in your search.

Jason C.

the problem is im on a 17 year olds budget, i don't have $350.00
i don't even think the car is worth that much, it's in pretty bad shape

jfairladyz

Check out that link then, that'll save you alot of money over trying to buy a new one. And if you can, find one with a warrant. Alot of yards will sell you a warranty for a few bucks and if it doesn't work or is the wrong one, you can bring it back and they'll replace it if they got another one or refund you if they don't. And as far as what the cars worth, whats it worth to you? Not what's it worth to Kelley Blue Book.

And are you absolutely sure it's the ECU? How did you come to that conclusion? Not saying it's not, but you're right about that being a lot of money. Especially if you're replacing the wrong part.

Jason C.

i am not 100% sure it is the ecu, i have a haynes book on 79-83zx's and it says if the ecu is working correctly the little light on the back will blink every few seconds,mine does not blink. it will light up but it does not blink. i did not know if the blinking mattered but i found an ecu at a junkyard out of a similar car for cheap so i got it anyway. when i got back home i checked the part #'s and they did not match but i tryed it in the car anyway and the car sounded better it still
did not crank but it sounded different, so i think its the computer

jfairladyz

You can a noid light on loan frorm most autoparts store for free or a refundable deposit. You just hook it up to your injector wires one at a time and see if it flashes rapidly. If it does than you know the ecu is sending a good signal to the injectors. If it doesn't then you know for sure your ecu is bad. (That's as long as the wiring is all good. A bad or disconnected wire can make a world of difference). As long as the ecu you got/get is for the turbo car, it should work. Check the wiring diagram in the manual to make sure all the pins on the ecu are for the same thing as your particular year. You may need to switch some wires around to get it to work properly if thats the case. If the one you grabbed was for an NA model, then it definitely wont work regardless of year. The important part is the ignition (timing is controlled by the ecu on turbo cars) and the major sensors for the fuel injection like O2, head temp, and injectors. Most of the other stuff is just for emissions and certain driveability conditions, but shouldn't cause a no start condition. So if you grabbed a turbo ecu, spend some time with the wiring diagrams and make sure everything is in order, and go get one of those noid lights, it wont cost you anything. Good luck.

alphy280z

fairlady sounds like hes got a bad connection at one of the sensorsplug corrsion.all the old zs ive had have had the same probs green corrsion in the inj,or temp , or head sensors plugs.first thing i usally do is replace all the sensor ends and use dielectric grease,then check and clean all the gronund coming from the eng harness to the intake.next if that doesnt do that remove the ecu and chek the plugs or plug for corrsion.just seen and worked on to many zs where the owner goes and buys hundo in parts to find out all it was was a bad connection

jfairladyz

Yep, I seen the same thing. On my Z I've replaced every connector that used the bosch one with some newer ones(not all brand new, but no corrosion) and any other connectors with whatever I could. I made my own connector for my IM because it wouldn't stay snug. So I cut the old one off, and made a new one. I don't have a single electrical problem since I did that. I also replaced the battery cables(had to use two for the negative) and everything works better, especially the headlights, and it starts alot quicker too. I havent seen too many Z's that had original wiring and weren't haunted by corrosion. When it comes to my Z, my Ohmmeter has been my best friend