ok well i need some suggestions on how to conserve money. here's the problem i wast close to 124 a month on gas i know some of it is from the high gas prices but is there any way to tone to cost of money down a few bucks. Can changing the fule injectors help much and also a new fuel pump? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
-chuck

 

Track your gas milage. Let us know what you're getting. Do this for more than just 1 tank if you can. 3-4 consecutive tanks of gas will be good.

Also, new injectors and a new fuel pump can cost you $200-500. That's not gonna put you on the road to saving money... unless you're getting REALLY bad gas milage like less than 19mpg.

I get 22-24 mpg on a regular basis with my 280ZX non-turbo 5-speed. I don't think that's too bad. My 4-cyl Datsun truck gets 25-26mpg and has a LOT less power.

If your car is running really good like factory specs you should get the same gas milage as me or better. Increase your rear gear ratio and that's about all you can do for better milage. The factory setup on the L28 has pretty good torque and runs on the lean side. Maybe advance the cam to #2 or #3 position for max torque...

 

Actually if you havent done it in the past 3000 miles go to autozone or whereever and buy fuel injector cleaner, its like a $3 bottle and helps a TON!!! Also if you are using any gass besides Sunoco SHell or Marathon that could alos be a reason. Sometings they cost a few mmore cents per gallon at the pump, but in the long run its ALWAYS worth. Not only are those the best gases for your car but also I have found I get better mpg's when I use Marathon...
thats all, hope this helped
Cuddy

 

you could always drive more conservativly....i find that if you let your car warm up a bit before you take it out for a spin it runs a lot better on the road. try to coast more and use the brakes less. thats what i do i get about 2 mor mpg that way.

 

Cut a piece of 2X4 and put it under the Gas pedal!

 

I have all the new tuneup hardware and I only get around 17 mpg. I think my motor may be running too cool. The plugs show a slightly rich mixture and I am wondering how to go about adjusting that.

 

When is the last time the oxygen sensor was replaced? That can help a lot.

 

I wasn't even aware these cars had oxygen senors. are they easy to replace?

 

ya, they're not too bad. You need a proper size wrench or socket to fit around them. That's sometimes tricky. Pliers won't work due to how hard it will be to snap them loose. Note that you should remove the heat shield off the manifold to make the change easier. There is a large base nut that unscrews if you want. The oxygen sensor screws into that base nut so you can choose to just remove the sensor. That's what I would suggest.

The sensor is on the exhaust manifold, right in the middle where all the tubes come together. I believe all Z's from 1977 on had oxygen sensors.

 

I checked for a sensor on my car, its a 79. I can't find an o2 sensor anywhere on the exhaust manifold, or even a wire leading off it for that matter. The Hayes manual also says that only 80-81 california models had them, and in 82 they were on all models. Don't mean to bash, but is your information accurate bleachzee?

 

My '81 2+2 non-turbo has an O2 sensor, right on the manifold. So did my brother's '79. And his '78. That's as early as our Zs go with fuel injection ... however, he's got a '74 with an O2 sensor, but it was installed aftermarket simply for an air/fuel ratio gauge.

 

i just changed my o2 sensor and its right on the manifold, ive got an 83

 

fuel injection started in 1975

I'm not totally sure on which year the oxygen sensors started. But, there's always the chance your car's exhaust manifold was swapped from an older car. These Z cars have been around...