looking to buy this 280zxt with some problems
 

1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo

this person near me just posted his 2800zxt but says it has issues running for extended periods of time. anything i should consider?

It actually seems like a solid car at a decent price. I mean, it's going to have issues but it looks like a solid body and it does run apparently. I would just be sure to have a good bit of backup cash after buying it opfor anything that needs to be done.

Try getting him to accept a lower price.
Check:
Vacuum lines
Seals
Plugs
Wires

ok, so when checking vacuum lines, do i just look for cracks, and where would be some not so obvious places?

thank you

The way I did it was first look for cracks in the lines. As you are doing that give each line a light tug where it connects to see if the hose comes off. It should have some resistance to it. Also, there are a few hoses hooked up in the front of the motor under the throttle body and thermostat. I will try to include a picture tonight, I know how hard it can be to find a good pic of these.

pics of vacuum lines
 

These should help you find the ones on the front of the motor.

update on the 280zx
 

so i went and saw the car this morning and talked to the guy, he started it up, it idled normally, he spooled it up in the driveway but and i didnt notice any irregularities. i asked about the stalling issue and he said that the ECU might have cracked circuitry and id have to get a new one. what are the chances of this happening?

More likely a harness wiring issue or sensor issue. When the ecu is toast, it usually doesn't start.

what if the cracks were only minor and only opened up when overheating?
when the car idled i didnt see a check egine light which should've gone off if a sensor is bad.

I agree, most likely electrical in nature. I have had similar problems before with different cars where I had to let it "cool down" then it ran fine. One was the starter relay on the other the fuel pump relay. When they got hot they would not make the contacts anymore, but once cooled they would work. Could see this happening with a harness connector or sensor as well....

ok, theres a red dash in the light thats unlabeled because he swapped out the speedometer. but im thinking its the airbag light bacause the steering wheel is non factory as well. so if im going to have to check the continuity for these relays wheres a good place to get a decent multimeter?

it has now come to my attention that there are no airbags.

These cars didn't come with airbags. On the bright side, there are seat belts...

I bought an Actron meter from Advance Auto along time ago and have not had any problems with it... The local Walmart may have a decent one...

so I asked if he could hold the car over the winter for me if I put some money down. If no one else gives him a decent offer for the car, I'll have a new Datsun come late february

We need to add this to our 280ZX reference web page we haven't made yet :)

Not a bad idea... it can go next to the list of every bolt in/on the motor...:101: