Hum... you sure it was backfiring from running too lean, and not too rich? Kinda sounds like the MAF is toast. I had to take off my air filter & forgot to connect up the MAF when I started it... it idled a bit rough & backfired like mad when I stepped on the throttle till I reconnected it.

 

hmm I'd hope not... one thing is that when Dan and his wife were over last week we were looking at it and she went to start it and the thing popped and smoke came out of the wastegate and the air filter. I have no idea why and then after that it wouldn't start at all until I hardwired the FP today...

 

actually it might be running too rich... during the backfiring and everything it was blowing some light white smoke out of the tailpipe...

 

The car ran fine before the swap? Can you swap in another Z31 MAF or ECU? Did you make sure the chopper wheel was installed right side up in the distrib?

 

I sure hope he put the chopper wheel in right, then again that would be a cheaper fix then grabbing another maf/ecu

 

yes I made sure. Before I ever took it out I put a little dot on the top with a sharpie marker...

 

Double check for vacuum leaks. If you have to keep your foot on the gas to keep it running, I'm guessing you have a leak somewhere. My Z was doing the same thing the first time I installed an intercooler.

 

Speaking of intercooler, i bought that one off of DGriffin's Z. https://www.zdriver.com/forums/fs-240z-260z-280z-280zx-70-83-242/1981-280zx-turbo-%242500-21862/

Anything I should be concerned with? And how did you get a vac leak from putting in an intercooler?

 

nothing from the vacuum system has been tampered with aside from the MAF, and when the swap was first done it ran perfectly fine until running out of fuel... then after installing an AFPR and hardwiring the fuel pump, it requires pedal pressure to keep running...

 

well, a vac leak can go along with a boost leak.... time to go over all that stuff...

 

Since nothing was touched or changed during the swap that entailed boost or vac, I highly doubt that is the prob.

The prob is the connections for the fuel pump or a prob w/ the fuel pressure reg.

Xtreme... why did you install a diff fpr? Was the stock one not holding pressure?

 

since the car was not getting fuel we had a suggestion from another forum that the FPR was bad. I have another project car that I am in the process of parting out, and it had an Aeromotive FPR on it so I took it off and installed it on the Z just to see... but then determined that the feed line wasn't getting any fuel either so it was a pump issue, not an FPR issue...

 

That's pretty crappy advice. It could be PART of the prob, but not the reason for the fuel pump not working.

Does the Aeromotive fpr have a pressure gauge on it? Since you hard wired the fuel pump, what is the fuel pressure?

 

yes it has a gauge, but I haven't checked it yet... will check that in a bit and get back to you...

 

I forget, How do you check the fuel pressure without the car being on?

 

Do whatever you do to make the fuel pump come on. If the car is running correctly, turn the key to ON (level just before start). If you have it hard wired... flip the switch.

Then get out & check the gauge.

 

with the fuel pump running the gauge is showing 36 psi...

 

Right where it should be.... now start it.

 

it won't start now... just choking on start-up then shooting a small backfire...

 

So it's either flooded, or not getting enough fuel. Pull one of the spark plugs & look at the tip...

 

the only thing I can think of it that it may relate back to the popping that the wastegate and intake made when they were cranking it the other day. What would cause the wastegate to pop and smoke like that? obviously a ton of pressure but why?

 

The wastegate was popping? This was popping (referring to the upper right part of the turbo in this pic)?

 

i think that the Z is trying to tell us something... like to do a V8 swap

 

< shiver ... shiver > Please, you already have a turbo motor... and you want to bastardize it?

 

agree^^^ and thats an uber clean turbo nismo... is it yours??? lol im gonna make my car run im gonna make my car run!!! TODAY! if i can get my dad to solder for me cause i am the sloppiest solder'er ever. lol