1983 ZX from 'crank no start' to 'whats cooking?'
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 1
1983 ZX from 'crank no start' to 'whats cooking?'
Alright, a little back story.. I just got the car a couple weeks ago as payment for delivering another car. 1983 n/a 5spd. The vehicle has been driven into its spot a year and a half prior. I towed it about 1400 miles home, put fresh gas in and tried to start it. Cranked, wouldn't start. My neighbor walked over, must've had blessed hands or something because it started up within a minute of him leaning on the fender. Drove it out of the garage and let it run for a little bit to clean itself out a little. Idles great, sounded amazing.
The following day we try to start it and... no luck. It would crank strong, and you could hear the fuel pump priming when you turn the key. First thing we check is if there's any spark from the coil to the distributor, which there was not. The coil was pretty well worse for wear so a new one was purchased. Installed the new one, same issue. Cranked strong, wouldn't start. Pulled the wire from the coil to the cap, and again no spark at the end of that wire.
Full disclosure: The hood was removed for ease of access while working on the car in the garage, and was then parked outside after it wouldn't start again. It did rain, which I realize especially with an older car is a no-no to let the engine bay get the brunt of a thunder storm. I wasn't home to cover it. Anyway, a friend found on a forum that the RF condenser above the coil was not vital, and could be removed, figured it was worth a shot. Pulled the condenser, plugged the two ends together and went to turn the key. As soon as the key hit the "on" position, I saw smoke. Jumped out and disconnected the battery pack real quick. The thin black fusible link started cooking, I believe it's to the ignition. Not entirely sure as there's no marking on my fuse cover, but that's what I found on an eBay cover. I also should mention there's some questionable wiring from the PO, but that's a headache for another day as it had started prior with said wiring, and being on the work computer I cant upload pictures.
So that's the gist of it, I tried to keep it detailed but concise.
The following day we try to start it and... no luck. It would crank strong, and you could hear the fuel pump priming when you turn the key. First thing we check is if there's any spark from the coil to the distributor, which there was not. The coil was pretty well worse for wear so a new one was purchased. Installed the new one, same issue. Cranked strong, wouldn't start. Pulled the wire from the coil to the cap, and again no spark at the end of that wire.
Full disclosure: The hood was removed for ease of access while working on the car in the garage, and was then parked outside after it wouldn't start again. It did rain, which I realize especially with an older car is a no-no to let the engine bay get the brunt of a thunder storm. I wasn't home to cover it. Anyway, a friend found on a forum that the RF condenser above the coil was not vital, and could be removed, figured it was worth a shot. Pulled the condenser, plugged the two ends together and went to turn the key. As soon as the key hit the "on" position, I saw smoke. Jumped out and disconnected the battery pack real quick. The thin black fusible link started cooking, I believe it's to the ignition. Not entirely sure as there's no marking on my fuse cover, but that's what I found on an eBay cover. I also should mention there's some questionable wiring from the PO, but that's a headache for another day as it had started prior with said wiring, and being on the work computer I cant upload pictures.
So that's the gist of it, I tried to keep it detailed but concise.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
SletzerWater
280ZX Performance / Technical
0
Oct 27, 2018 05:09 PM
ColeParker
280ZX (S130) Forums
20
Oct 9, 2014 11:56 AM
Bookmarks
