81s280zx

ok i set the timing top dead with a timing light etc still acting the same real sluggish wont rev past 5500 rpms i also checked my catalyst converter to see if it was clogged it looked fine i cut off my muffler to see if it was clogged nothing i dont know what else it could be i got beat badly from my freinds bone stock cutlass like 3 or 4 car lengts pissed me off bad ill never hear the end of it my car should have took it easily please someone help me out a.s.a.p so i can prove him wrong lol and get my car running how it should i was thinking the timing gear is off somehow would it still read tdc when i use the timing light maybe the person that had the car before me changed the timing chain and didnt align it right or something im running out of options here please someone help!!

whyfeel

Please try and use some punctuation so we can understand your posts better.

You have to get your Z up to proper running order (ie timed properly, good working fuel injectors, good ignition) if you expect to race and beat anything, even a honda civic or Cutlass.

Also, have you gotten a Haynes manual like previously recommended yet? It has detailed pictorial and textual instructions on how to do all of this stuff; it is much more clear than an internet text post.

assimilated420

refer to my last post to check the timing gear... also make sure your cap rotor wires plugs and injectors are all in good working order..

jfairladyz

Make sure the wiring on your coil is right too. If you connect the primaries(small) wires backwards, you're coil will only put out half the volts its supposed to. That makes your car sluggish, and it won't have enough spark to rev all the way through the power band.

It sounds like a bone head kind of thing to do, but trust me, this happens all the time. I've seen a guy do this, put a new coil because the spark was really weak, and then hook the damn wires up backwards again! And he was a mechanic. Reversing polarity on your coil wont cause any damage except eventually some fouled sparkplugs.

jfairladyz

Make sure those fuel injectors are firing too, get noid light and make sure the ECU is firing them, and use an ohmmeter to make sure the injectors are good.

If anything just grab a screwdriver and put it to each injector and check it the old fashioned way. One injector not firing will make your car slower, two, well now your driving an overweight civic.

81s280zx

ok i will check the coil and the injectors to see if their working properly i cleaned them before but didnt check to see if they were all working properly my distributor cap is brand new also the wires,plugs and rotor are new the haynes manual is pretty much a joke yeah it tells you what everything is but it doent have very good troubleshooting it just tells you how to remove the parts and replace them not much on how to test them i been threw the manual a hundread times i find these post better than any manual because people have similar problems and have fixed them and know how to resolve problems the manuals are very limited and wrong sometimes like the one i had for my mazda it had a totaly different firing order than what was supposed to be on the car i had to go online to a forum and find the right firing order i will try these small things before i tear apart the front of the motor to set my cam timing any other suggestions would be helpful is their another way to set my cam timing without taking apart the front of my engine please let me know would be really helpful thanks

jfairladyz

Don't sweat it man. Those manuals really are only good for finding parts and how to remove them. You can find some useful specs, but those cheapo manuals won't help anyone with knowledge of cars diagnose a problem anymore than what one probably already knows.

A good factory service manual has no substitute. They aren't cheap though. Thats why these forums are here, to help people who need help. It's not always convenient to search through thousands of previous posts either.

280ZXCruiser

Are you sure that your bottom end is ok? 1 of my previous vehicle's sounded like a diesel and then it did the bottom end bearing.... no trying to frighten you dude juss warning you... BTW I just bought myself a black 1980 280zx t top a week ago with 202000 k's on it still going hard as! coolest car i have owned!

WildmaN

Congrats on your finding your Z car! I don't know if it is your first. But if so welcome to the Z family! And great find on a Z that runs that nice with high mileage!

280ZXCruiser

cheers mate. It is my first z car i have had a lot of cars and am so happy to finally have one i like.

81s280zx

i really dont think its my bottom end the car runs clean doesnt use oil or coolant or gas lol doesnt smoke at all only has 160k miles on it im thinking its my cam timming ill find out this weekend hopefully

turbot5

27865 ORIGINAL miles . Plus the guy that sold it to him just dropped a nissan "remanufactured"

Is a lot of mythology in the naked city.. a mid 20's swapped with a redone (?), is like Roswell