ShadyJ

Ok I am a new guy so lets test the waters. I am looking at an 82 280 (z or zx I havent a clue). The guy that has it woks in my shop and used to drive it everyday until... he smelt gas. The gas smell was from the exhaust (leaky injectors) so he went to Advanced Auto parts and bought 3 and replaced them. Now the car wont start. I have looked around the site, done a search in the threads for injectors, finding mostly comments about timing. I have had no time yet to mess with the car but it does turn over (and the batt is now dead) without firing up. Has this guy missed a step in replacing the 3 new injectors or should I look elsewhere for the gremlin? He wants 400 for her and its in good enouph shape for me. Help get me out of this Honda CRX and back into a Z!

I will be taking a charged batt with me soon to her to use the screwdiver listening trick on each injector, and I might have time to put it at TDC and check the timing. I just have to get a good manual.
BTW we are both jet engine mechanics and I have confidence in his mechanical ability, he is just giving up on her :-( Oh well my gain!

Any suggestions on what the problem is?

EatmyDust

all the injector plugs were put back in corect order I am asuming. How have you guys checked to see if it was getting fire, meaning what test did you do to find spark? which injectors were replaced? Do you still have the old injectors? if so compare the two if you can, there is probably a simple eror. I wonder if there was another problem on the rise along with the injectors, like ign. switch, or modual. who knows just things to check. these cars don't just jump timing. sounds electrical related my friend.

Carl's Z

My first thought was also the wiring being put back the in correct order, but I do know there's a way to ohm out the injector pigtails, I'm just not sure of what the correct reading is. It definately sounds electical in nature, if it ran when he changed out the injectors. I'm assuming also that he was given the correct injectors (turbo vs non-turbo, ect.) Check plugs as well. BTW, and '82 is a ZX...

Good luck! That's a good price regardless

WildmaN

Man that is a smokin' deal! $400 for a '82 ZX. Not bad my friend. And like Carl was saying it sounds like an electrical thing. Doublecheck the injector wires, and make sure they are hooked up right. Mine weren't before on my '81. And he was running on 5 instead of six! Because of that problem! Good luck to you, with the new ZX!

ShadyJ

thanks, seems like everyone agrees its electronic. I will get out to it soon with a battery (and an ohm meter ) and start checking it over. He said he bled the lines and it has spark, but he also thinks it could be the ?injector control box? Oh well he is putting the manual in the car so I can mess with it. I work mids so I am off to bed right now, hope to get out there tonight tho. I will keep this post updated as this gets worked out

ShadyJ

Ok so I went out and hooked up a fresh battery,
All 6 injectors passed the screwdriver check.
All 6 plugs had some smell of gas on them after some cranking
I began to mess with the connectors (move to diff injectors) with little results
I removed various plug wires to try to isolate the problem areas
Got it down to the 2 cyls closest to the firewall (?5 and 6?)
She turned over and trys to keep running with those 2 wires removed
So I try swapping those injector connectors around without sucess
Battery went dead trying... I had to stop.
Good news... it was running on the first 4 for around 20-30 seconds and wanted to keep running but no matter how I hook 5&6 up whenever I put the plug wires back on it just wont run.

Can someone tell me how to ensure that the injectors have the proper harness attached?
I am going to mark them and try all combinations avaliable if I cant figure it out.
(seeing how 3 are there I have 6 combinations)
There should be spark as hooking the wires back on stops it from running
Anyhow it seems like it will live again. I will do more teating tomorrow and try to get it running on all 6

It does seem to be just something simple, I appreciate your help.

lww

The injectors on the 280ZX ar batch fired so it doesn't matter in what order they are attached unlike the plug wires.

Just a thought, have you checked the plug wires to make sure they're connected in the proper order on the distributor?

By pulling 5 and 6 you may be eliminating enough of a crossfire to let it rough idle.

It definitely sounds like an electrical problem. I would replace the plug wires too.

lifegrddude

Just another thought too since I had this problem last night. Check the ecu harness that plug into it. And check the ecu pins themselves, one of them was slightly bent on my ecu so that it wouldn't completely plug in and made my Z idle rough and sputter. I straightened out the pin and cleaned the contacts and it fired on all 6 right after that.

ShadyJ

The injectors on the 280ZX ar batch fired so it doesn't matter in what order they are attached unlike the plug wires.
Thanks to my alien friend for that one, it will save me some time and a lot of battery power!
I have the plug wiring diagram in the manual and will check it all again.
Probably will unhook all the wires, crank it a couple of times, pull all plugs and recheck for fuel, clean plugs, and reinstall by the book.

Hey off topic but can the clear headlight covers be added? I just like the look.

crazytvrguy280

i had some then like that and i just gut i started with a can of starter fluide and it started and it ran fine after that rough for about 5 min

ShadyJ

Update
Wierd things happening
with #5 and 6 saprk plug wires off it barely runs
Ok so I remve the harness from 5+6 fuel injectors
no change... no suprise there
Now I hook up the 6 ignition wire and it wont run (on spark and no fuel)
This leads me to belive its an ignition problem, not fuel
We had a neighbor mention that it might be shorting out in the ignition because it wont run with the plugs hooked up on dry cylinders
The theory
Hook the 6 plug wire up and completes its circut... it shorts out to a different cylinder causing it to fire at the wrong time and keeping it from running
Next step
Buy a new cap, rotor, wires and plugs ASAP!
Man this thing is puzzling me!

Ok the replaced injectors are the 2 3and 5, they run quieter (screwdriver stethescope) than the old ones but that may be because they are new and a different manufacturer, all do get the plugs to smell of fuel so I belive they work just fine.

I have bought her, just in case you were wondering. Now to find a friend to bring her home

ShadyJ

Its Alive!!!!
Diagnosis
Plug wires one off on the distribuitor
Bought a new dist and it had #1 marked on it which was 1 off where it was currently installed, the sequence was right but the whole set was one off.
Installed a new cap and button and it fired right up
Thanks from the new guy to all of you who took time to reply.

Dorifto

Most excellence. Good to see another Zed back in good running order. Makes me want to spend more money I don't have on mine!

I can honestly say from experience, electrical gremlins are the major crux of the Z-cars ... at least mine anyway. I'll get around to rewiring my entire car by next summer, that should eliminate a lot of problems, and add another circuit for the neons!

Really, I was just joking on that last one.

DoTheDrew888

Rewiring the whole car huh? Sounds scary to me, might cause more problems than it fixes. Thats coming from a guy that doesn't know crap about electrical stuff though. Anyway, im glad you are joking about the neon comment. I know a guy that has blue underglows on his 300ZX and I can't help but laugh everytime I see him.

assimilated420

i could only see underglows looking good if the whole car was decked out and made to shine but id rather put my money into modifying ym engine.... it doesnt matter how your car looks...it how it drives... besides having a clunker car puts the attention from you not-so-hot looking Z (with some serious power under the hood) to the nice and shiny Civic etc.. next to it thats prolly just another rice burner...

EatmyDust

well I see the problem is solved, but what are you guys talking about bach fired it dosn't matter what order you put the injector plugs in? bach fired is were they fire companion cylenders at the same time not all at the same time. if they were all fired at the same time you would run into hydrostatic lock up.

EZDUZIT

Hydrostatic lock up/ Meaning filling up cylinders with fuel before it fires. Right? Hydrolocking an engine.

That's what valves are for, untill the intake valve opens there will be no fuel entering the cylinder. The new cars use sequiential injection witch only fires right before the intake valve opens. This creates alittle better gas mileage, but after a set RPM they become batch fire also. On my 84 300ZX Turbo they did the injector recall and when they replace the injector wires they connect them all to the same wire instead of individule ones.

EatmyDust

Exactly, but the valves arn't going to save your *** from hydrostatic lock up if you keep cranking and no start is happening. you fill the cylenders up with just enough gass and bam you bend a rod on hydrostatic lock up. don't say it can't happen either, cause I garontee it dose happen. in a shop I was working at some stupid **** head mesed grounded out an injector, wich I am asuming you know that an injector is just a ground controled solenoid, any way he grounded an injector on a ford ranger, on one cylender, and blew the damn head gasket. talk about a bad day his *** was grass. havn't seen em sence.

ALberto perez

In reading about your Nissan 280zx problem, it sounds like you need to check if each injector is connecting to it injector plug. Once you confirm there are connected, then follow the firing order and make sure the wire plugs have been connected properly. Make sure that the ECU harness wiring has not been previously fried from improper electrical handling. Try a process of elimination. Oh, the very first thing you need to do is make sure that your battery is fully charged prior to doing all this. If the installer of the injectors did a correct job (installing the injectors) then I would suspect that your fuel pump is disconnected or is a faulty component needing replacement. Last but not least, take precautions to do work safely. Wear safety goggles, gloves, and have a fire extingusiher within reach. Should an emergency occur. Good luck. Let me know, how it goes. By the way I owned a 83 280 zx for 22 years, and succeeding in doing many professional automotive repairs. I insist that you pick up a Haynes automotive repair manuel for this car. If you need one, I sell it to you for seven dollars.




Alberto

ShadyJ

Alberto
P.S. I already fixed it, check the previous posts. But thank you for putting a well thought out reply. The plug wires were one off on the cap.
Again thanks for the help.

I am buying it today and should have it home this weekend (no tags so have to be careful) I am going to send the paperwork off to TN to have it registered and tagged there instead of NC, no inspection

ShadyJ

Got the rear axles rebuilt (eliminated the grinding noise from the drive home), oil changed, rear end oil changed, new plugs/wires/cap/button, trans fluid changed, urethane sway bushings (dry rot from what looked factory original rubber took a huge toll) new battery on the way. Oh and I finally found the fuel leak that started the previous owners woes, it was a $1 pice of 5/16 fuel hose that goes under the fuel filter! Oh well I am getting her on the road with new tags next payday. Now to focus on a new radio... gotta get more than one speaker working

WildmaN

Glad to hear it man, good luck on your fixed Z. I am getting there I think. Go ahead and check out my link in my signature for my cardomain page. Let me know what you think.