BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Alright I'm totally lost on this one. 78 280z idles beautifully but has no power in gear (5-10 horsepower tops). New distributor, fuel filter, fuel pump, and injectors. Also it puffs smoke in high rpm. Any ideas?? Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Engine's good, the car only has 82,000 miles Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Another idea is stuck brakes. Jack the car and see if you can turn the wheels. Quote Link to comment
HRH Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Ignition module dead on high side. Have it tested. It only tests for low and high on the matchbox modules. You can idle just fine if low is good. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Transmission is low on fluid Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 MAF flap door stuck. Quote Link to comment
dr.feltersnatch Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Was it having problems before you changed parts or did it start after? Quote Link to comment
dr.feltersnatch Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 What color smoke? Blue black or white? Quote Link to comment
RatVonDude Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Alright I'm totally lost on this one. 78 280z idles beautifully but has no power in gear (5-10 horsepower tops). New distributor, fuel filter, fuel pump, and injectors. Also it puffs smoke in high rpm. Any ideas?? rebuild...... leaks everywhere, my guess or hopefully just the carb Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted June 5, 2014 Report Share Posted June 5, 2014 Yes, the factory EFI will bog down if the flap is frozen. Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Sorry for the delayed response! The MAF opens and is functional, the problems started when I purchased the car and persisted after buying the new parts, It's fuel injected so I'm assuming it's not the carb, the smoke is white-ish, the wheels roll freely and the transmission isn't low. However, I removed the MAF and the throttle body to check and clean them up and found a hose under the intake running from the block to the intake manifold that held together with electrical tape and full of holes. upon inspection I found that the hose was also blocked up with solidified oil. Might this thing be the problem?? Quote Link to comment
PrimeLuxeZ Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Picture would help a bit. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Sounds like the block vent to the PCV valve. Clean it out or replace it but not the problem. Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Not the problem... wonderful. I've replaced the PCV hose and cleaned out the entire intake manifold, it was filthy but not to the extent that I thought and definitely not enough to cut airflow to the cylinders like I originally theorized. Yikes this car Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Also something I forgot tho mention in my original post, the engine would occasionally stall out under load Quote Link to comment
dr.feltersnatch Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 White smoke means water. Have you ever used a block tester? Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Nope, In fact I don't know what that is. Please continue Quote Link to comment
dr.feltersnatch Posted June 17, 2014 Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 A block tester checks your coolant for hydrocarbon. That would indicate a (most likely) head gasket failure. Autozone remts them for free. There are youtube videos explaining more and how to use them. Its very easy Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted June 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2014 Fantastic! Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment
sicripp83 Posted August 23, 2014 Report Share Posted August 23, 2014 did you ever find out what was wrong with your Z I have a similar problem my car will idle great and rev in neutral but under a load will spit and spudder Quote Link to comment
gus280z Posted August 24, 2014 Report Share Posted August 24, 2014 check your plugs and see what color they are ...that will give you a clue Quote Link to comment
BeastlyJoeBro Posted November 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 I found that it was a combination of a bad afm, bpt, and auxiliary air regulator causing excessive air in the system. Now all i need to do is find a functioning bpt and Air regulator and I should be back in business. Hope it helps Sicripp83 Quote Link to comment
afbrian13 Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Hopefully you guy got your ride fixed by now but for future reference... Mine was doing the same things. Smooth idle rev'd ok, no power under load. Breaks-ck, fuel filter-ck, fuel pressure-ck, do you really have fuel-ck. Wtf????? The battery had a dead cell. Wasn't giveing the ignition system enough power under load but enough to idle great. Never thought of it before. The z needs a good battery in the system to run well even with a good alt. Hope it saves some future headaches. -Brian Quote Link to comment
C.RyanStephens Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 also, for others who might come across this post looking for answers, i had a similar problem.and im surprised im the first to post this, but clean out that gas tank!, i looked down in mine and it looked like just a small amount of rust, but after sticking a rod down in the tank it went into what i thought was the bottom about 3/4 of an inch!nothing but decomposed rust and debris, sludge and all kinds of other good stuff.Cleaned it out, replaced the pump, filter, and threw and extra filter in front of the pump for safety measures. Havnt had an issue since. Quote Link to comment
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