steady88 Posted November 13, 2012 Posted November 13, 2012 Hello! After weeks of searching and reading posts on here, I decided I should register and introduce myself. I'm new to the Z world and new to restoring and working on my own cars. I just got my first Z, a close to stock standard 79 280ZX and I'm very keen to get her up and running. I have had the 280 for less than a week and this forum has been a great help in my research and I look forward to joining in! I'm hoping to slowly restore my Z close to it's original condition and learn a lot about mechanics and cars at the same time. And have some fun! She is in reasonably good condition (even though I can't get her to start! haha) with very straight panels and a good interior with seats in near new condition! The vehicle has been in the family for the last 10 years and parked in a garage for the last 6 years without being run. After discovering my Uncle had this car sitting in his garage, going to waste, I knew I had to do something about it. I have taken her and wan't to bring her back to life! Thanks and I'm sure you will see me around here in the future! Steady88 Quote
ozzy 79 Posted November 13, 2012 Posted November 13, 2012 Congrats on the liberation! Can't say I know much about getting a car that's been that idle to start again, but I'd be wary of stale petrol... maybe dirty plugs... I presume you've got a new battery installed? (Cos, that'll definitely be dead! Check the volt meter in the dash - if it's working). Was the car starting ok when it was stored? How much fuel in the tank? Spark getting to the plugs? When I purchased my 81 280zx in 1999, at the old age of 22, I couldn't have pointed out the spark plugs from the injectors... Over the following few years, I replaced the power steering pump, the alternator, speedo cable, condenser (with professional help, inc a R12 gas recharge), did plug and filter services, gutted one car to rebuild another, took the dash out numerous times, rewired the 81 wiper amplifier to fit a 79, even fixed the rear washer jet because of a stupid QLD Rego Inspector who insisted it had to work... It's a great way to learn about cars. I wouldn't say I'm a genius, but I at least have a good understanding... Your first purchase... should be the Haynes manual. It's a 99% rip off directly from the Nissan Factory Workshop S130 manual, which is a lot harder to come by, and more expensive... There are online versions, but if you're covered in grease and shit in the middle of performing some operation, you don't wanna mess up your iPad to find out what to do next. Better to get a real book a lil messy instead. So where are the pics?! cheers Ozzy Quote
luvemfast Posted November 13, 2012 Posted November 13, 2012 Welcome to the growing world of ZX domination! Usually don't need much to get going. All you need is air, fuel and spark. make sure you've got all 3 and you should be right You may also want to check out other places for info, such as- http://www.xenons130.com/ and http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/ And what Ozzy said........... So where are the pics?! Quote
steady88 Posted November 13, 2012 Author Posted November 13, 2012 Thanks! I have downloaded the service manuals from XENONS130 which have been a great help! I have spark, I have changed the fuel filter, I have put some fresh fuel into the tank (appeared to be empty), I have fuel going to the injectors with lots of pressure. The motor cranks and will actually start and run while trickling fuel into the air intake. As soon as I stop dripping fuel into the intake, it stops. It just seems that the injectors are not firing for some reason. Ozzy, I will post some pics up very soon! I'm hoping to do exactly what you have done to yours! Yeah, I think the book will be better than the iPad! Quote
ozzy 79 Posted November 14, 2012 Posted November 14, 2012 I guess the injectors could be clogged... At one point early on in my Zed days I had 2 of my injectors clog up... sounded awful running on 4 cylinders... Remove the fuel rail, pull out the injectors and soak in a cleaning agent... (Ok, might be more complex than that - I left it to a shop to fix, though I did replace a leaky injector in '06). Hopefully wont be too much of an issue... and if the car is in such good condition, you'll have a great ride soon! Quote
steady88 Posted November 15, 2012 Author Posted November 15, 2012 I guess the injectors could be clogged... At one point early on in my Zed days I had 2 of my injectors clog up... sounded awful running on 4 cylinders... Remove the fuel rail, pull out the injectors and soak in a cleaning agent... (Ok, might be more complex than that - I left it to a shop to fix, though I did replace a leaky injector in '06). Hopefully wont be too much of an issue... and if the car is in such good condition, you'll have a great ride soon! That was my initial thought. But I believe it could be the EFI relay playing up. When I crank the car I notice that the EFI relay located behind the black cover on the drivers side under the bonnet does not click. From what I understand, it should click to engage the computer so the injectors can fire. Quote
ozzy 79 Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 Shame it's not about a year ago - I could have given you a relay... I understand they can be pricey, unless you find a wrecker who doesn't want to charge the earth, and has one... Quote
. Posted November 15, 2012 Posted November 15, 2012 The EFI relay will only click once when you turn the ignition on. If you are getting fuel pressure I don't think the relay is your issue. Try attaching two wires to a 9v battery then disconnect the plugs from each injector one at a time. Place the wires from the 9v on the terminals of each injector in turn. If the injector clicks when the wires touch it is at least trying to work. If they don't click they are stuffed. Quote
steady88 Posted November 15, 2012 Author Posted November 15, 2012 The EFI relay will only click once when you turn the ignition on. If you are getting fuel pressure I don't think the relay is your issue. Try attaching two wires to a 9v battery then disconnect the plugs from each injector one at a time. Place the wires from the 9v on the terminals of each injector in turn. If the injector clicks when the wires touch it is at least trying to work. If they don't click they are stuffed. You're right. It's not the relay. I connected a 12v LED to one of the injector plugs coming from the ECU and the light was flashing as I was cranking. I'm wondering if I have bad fuel in the injector rails as there is a pretty bad smell that comes from the car when I crank. I think I might need to drain all of the fuel and flush out the injector rails. Quote
. Posted November 16, 2012 Posted November 16, 2012 What part of Brisbane are you in? I have all sorts of spares including rails if it turns out to be that. Quote
steady88 Posted November 16, 2012 Author Posted November 16, 2012 What part of Brisbane are you in? I have all sorts of spares including rails if it turns out to be that. Excellent thanks! I'm on the northside. I'll keep you updated with my progress. Quote
steady88 Posted November 19, 2012 Author Posted November 19, 2012 Well, I bled fuel through the rail and out of the injector hoses. And still no luck getting her to start. I have removed the fuel rail and injectors and looking at my options in regards to replacing or cleaning the injectors. Quote
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