81s280zx

i have an 81 280zx stock recently my starter just slowly stoped working off and on it just spins i tried taping on it just doesnt want to engage i took it out and took it to the parts stock to have it checked watch it being check it engaged fine and the voltage was right etc this is a fairly new starter i also tried another starter both just spin and wont engage i have tested for power to the yelllow wire that connects to the starter anyone have a good picture of their starter just to make shure i have it hoked up right

sk8ur_9

hey man .. i had the exact same prob ICICE9 help me with that.. my starter was doing the same thing your was it was practically new too... i just rewired the starter like ICICE9 did to a push button, like the S2000 has it(maybe its not getting the volts it needs) after I did that it worked like new..and started up first try and hasnt failed me since..

lww

Most likely it's corrosion on a contact somewhere along the line preventing it from getting enough juice to engage.

Clean all the contacts, may have to replace some wires if the corrosion is all the way into the insulation.

Or, save yourself all the trouble and time and run new wires with a push-button start like Ice did! I would still spend the time to find the bad connection/wire and clean it up.

81s280zx

what wires do i need to run a push button i was wanting to put a button starter on it anyways

Captain caveman

sounds similar to the problem I had with my alternator not charging.

81s280zx

how did you fix your alternator my freinds has an 80 280zx and he cant keep his battery charged but he had his alternator tested etc

sk8ur_9

Hey sup on the push button I just ran small 14 gauge wire and did your basic wiriing: your ground wire, power wire(battery) and 12 volt power on/off remote wire.

jfairladyz

All these problems sound like excessive resistance to me. I'd take lww's advice and start checking those wires for both the starter and alternator problems. That starter requires a lot of amperage to crank that engine, so excessive resistance somewhere in the wiring would definitely cause your problem.

jfairladyz

PS, dont test for amp to the starter or else... You need a special ampmeter that can handle that much power. You can test for resistance with the battery disconnected or voltage to the starter while cranking.

Captain caveman

I'm running a second wire direct from the alternator to my battery. Working great right now. Just a little advice if you do this though. Make sure you have your battery cables disconnected while you're doing this. I made the mistake of not doing so startled me quite a bit

81s280zx

i fixed it come to find out i had 2 bad starters that tested good they engaged and everything but the clutch inside them was worn out or something you could turn it both ways easily i got a new starter and it works great but i have another problem my car wont fire up it just cranks over first time i cranked it it started and idled really ruff for about a min and slowly died like it ran out of gas well i had gas and now it wont even try to start just cranks over well i pulled the hose from the top of the fuel filter and cranked the key to see if i could get gas to pump out none came out so im thinking its my fuel pump i can here it come on for a few secs when i turn the key on but its very quiet when i first got the car it was kinda loud you could hear it good inside the car but now barely hear it inside the car is their any wiring for the fuel pump corrosion on the contacts or something maybe limiting its power or is it just the pump itself any help would be apreciated thanks

lww

Yes. Due to where the fuel pump is mounted, the connections are very susceptible to corrosion.

Check all the connections first. If they are clean, then you probably have a bad pump. You can test it by running temporary lines from the battery directly to the pump. I have a spare battery so I just make sure it's charged set it by the back of the car and run jumper wires to the pump.

If that works, then it's your wiring not the pump.

P.S. It's WAY cheaper to fix the wiring then buy a new pump that you'll end up running new wires too anyway.

sk8ur_9

Sounds like it is your fuel pump if it is turning on but slowly shuting off, check your fuel pump and you might want to change you fuel filter also if you havnt in a while that can help a lil, but thats not what will cause your engine die like how u say it is...and yea all 280zx pumps frm what ive heard are loud and mine is too

81s280zx

ok i got my fuel pump working it shoots fuel good now when the lines off i think it had bad connections but my car wont start stil it cranks over and every now and then you will hear a thoough sound like compression sound like its really off timming or something

ZedZilla

sounds like you're still not getting enough fuel pressure. does the pump sound the same as it did before the problem began? either way take the hose off the filter again. this time have a friend hold the fuel hose to a gas container for fuel spurting out. then crank it. if its more a trickle rather then a steady gushing flow then check the connections to the fuel pump again and this time take them off and examine for corrosion for both the wire connectors and the terminals on the pump, as well as the condition of the wires themselves, as a break in insulation etc may be restricting the proper flow of power to the pump. after a thorough cleaning, ensure you have connected them the right way and give her another try. make sure you put on a bit of di-electric grease on the terminals after connection to aid in future corrosion prevention. the chances that something else went wrong at the same time are slim although quite possible. atleast this way you can elimiate the pump as the fault once and for all.

81s280zx

i think its got enough fuel pressure man i hate getting shot in the face with gas lol it gushes out pretty good when trying to crank it over could it be the regulator or something else

jfairladyz

Check your fuel pressure. Either you've got a major restriction to the point where the car won't even start and die. OR it's not your fuel system??? If the pump is flowing and you got pressure and the injectors are opening, then start looking else where. You know the pump is flowin. So check pressure and then make sure the injectors are firing. Then worry about what part is malfunctioning. Good luck.

81s280zx

ok i got it running pretty good the temp head sensor was unpluged for some reason but my car still runs crappy untill it warms up it sputters alot but runs fine when it warms up my timming is still off a tad but i dont think thats the problem it doesnt blow black smoke like its running rich it just sounds like i got a hemi in it idles real low and cams real bad do any of you have this same problem this is my first z so i dont know if their all like this when their cold

jfairladyz

Does it idle normal once it's warm? If not, then your idle speed may need to be adjusted. Either way it sounds like you got a problem with your air regulator. I just finished posting in another thread about the air regulator and the problems you're describing are those that a bad air reg. will cause. Low, erratic cold idle, hesitation upon acceleration from idle while cold, sputtering and possibly backfiring. Those are all cold engine symptoms of a bad reg. With a good regulator your car should have a smooth high idle while cold that dies down to normal as the engine warms. Timing can play a big part in problems too, but usually isn't cold weather specific except for when you try to start the car. But I'd put a healthy chunk of change on the air regulator.