Starting issue
 

recently started to bring back to life a 280zx that has been sitting for a while. After getting it the only issue seemed to be that the fuel pump was bad. The car would crank over and over and not start unless starter fluid had been used in intake. After replacing fuel pump the car cranked one time now struggles to crank at all. Thought it was battery issue but it's not the battery. after removing the spark plugs it will crank over like it did before, just need a little advice on what it would or could be. It's a 1983 280zx automatic.

Welcome to ZDriver!

There are two basic kinds of starting issues:
#1: Electrical problem with battery / starter
a) Clicking sound, engine doesn't rotate = dead starter, dying battery or corroded battery terminals

b) Engine slowly rotates, not enough power to start = dying battery, corroded battery terminals, flooded cylinders, improper timing, engine mechanical damage.


#2: EFI Problems
-Engine rotates but won't start:
a) No fuel: Injectors aren't firing = no fuel pressure, or no power to injectors. Check fuel pump, fusible links, grounds, battery.

b) No spark at plugs: Check fusible links, check distributor & wiring, check grounds, battery.

c) Improper timing: If timing is off more than ~50*, engine will backfire and struggle to start. Set engine to TDC and check rotor position (should be pointed just down from straight forward to front of car).

Make sure you've downloaded the FSM. It contains all these trouble shooting steps + many helpful diagrams: XenonZcar.com S130 Factory Service manuals

Side note: If car has been sitting for more than 2years, fuel tank and lines must be flushed... car won't start on old gas.

ok so after messing with it we still dont know what is going on but it starts when we unplug the fuel pump and some of the fuel is cleared out. We removed all the spark plugs and could see that gas was flooding 2 of them and also spilling out (cylinders 5 and 4). I just wonder if the other fuel injectors are bad or if the CHTS could cause flooding. We started the car while spark plugs were out of 5 and 4 and it started fine, just shot alot of gas out.