carfanatic

Is everyone sure that a 1979, irrelevant if it's USDM or JDM spec, uses unleaded fuel?


The sole reason that I am asking is because the previous owner used to give it leaded fuel and assured me that it uses leaded fuel only. I used to put leaded fuel in it for 1 month of purchase, but many on this site said it does in fact take unleaded.


Now that i'm giving it unleaded fuel, I tend to smell smoke in the cabin whenever I press it hard. (But maybe that smoke was there in the first place).


I'm unsure if the car has a catalytic convertor, but i'm sure somebody of you can enlighten me on this situation.



Thank you!

WanganDevilZ

My 1982 280zxt has a little sticker underneath the fuel gauge that says "Unleaded Fuel Only".

I'm no expert, but heh, someone will be able to tell you weather leaded is good for the car or not.

And as for the catalytic converter, if you follow the pipe from your headers, down, out of the engine bay, back towards the muffler, you should see something like this, about midway through your chassis:



I had the same smoke problem you said you did, except i got tons of smoke in my cabin. Which was due to a straight pipe that ended halfway to the back of my car, and i didnt have any flooring so all the smoke that came from the oil the turbo was burning got in my car. First day i bought her, on my way home from paying for her, it started raining xD

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ftl.

lilt304

When I first got mine it had the smike problem to so I took off the cat and put on a test pipe and it still did it. Then I put a new cat on there and it went away. And mine has a sticker that says unleaded as well but its a 82 also. If you want a new cat let me know I have the one off my car I will sell cheap. Hell I have the whole pacesetter exhuast I will sell cheap. Just pm me.

carfanatic

Well I need to know if a 1979 JDM spec 280zx can take unleaded fuel. Mine does not have any stickers. And i'm sure it does not have a catalytic converter neither. But I will check very soon.

lilt304

I am sure unleaded fuel is fine. But Im with the dude above me and not 100% sure.

skittle

First off where are you located? US spec cars can and should use unleaded fuel. We have not used leaded fuel since the mid 70's. Now if in Japan or austraila then perhaps you can still use leaded. Should not hurt to go back to unleaded though.

carfanatic

I'm located in the mediterranean. My car is a JDM Spec.

ZXR616

When I bought my 280zx 2+2 in 1979, it used leaded gas. When that was no longer available, I used unleaded and an additive to make up for the lack of lead. Later I just used the unleaded with no additive...no problem. The only problem (over time) will be wear on the valve seats...the lead was a "lubricant" as I understand it.

bojo68

I have a us spec 79, and it can run unleaded. I believe they were available both ways in 79. Mine is a strippo, weighs 2596#(without me in it, with me in it over 50% of the weight is on the rear) I bought a new 79 VW Scirocco and it too burned unleaded fuel. There WERE cars available in the US new in 79 that burned regular, but you had to look for them.
The biggest difference in leaded/unleaded cars is whether or not it has cataclysmic perverter, and the valve seats, which these being aluminum headed already have seats in the head.

Niku-Sama

i dont think japan still used leaded fuel in the mid 70's.

mines a 79 and theres a sticker above the fuel fill that says "unleaded only" its also not a california spec car either

ZXR616

'79 had several versions, but most notably the California version and the rest of the world. My '79 is the non-California... no cat and a large mouthed gas fill neck...and I did run lead until it disappeared.