Fault Diagnosis Datsun 280ZX Bosch LE2 1983-Style
Discussion
During my apprenticeship at a Datsun main dealership, this story's 280ZX arrived on the back of an AA truck. The lady owner saw the temp gauge rise into the red, but as it was dark, carried on as far as the metallurgy and physics would permit.
The engine overheated so much that even the plastic fuel injector bodies melted. The young mechanic - his first big engine job - rebuilt the engine, which needed a rebore and crankshaft regrind. From memory, it even needed a new cylinder head assy too.
When the moment came to start the engine, it was clear that all wasn't well. Starting was easy, yet the engine just wouldn't rev. It would pop & bang, however idle was okay.
As a boy, my dad often read 'Practical Boat Owner' and there was a regular cartoon 'Laugh but Learn' which had various scenarios of comical boating mishaps. This story is along those lines and its lesson served me well, saving hundreds' of hours in otherwise wasted time.
Laugh, but Learn:
So, four excellent factory-trained mechanics who'd refer to themselves as 'Technicians' nowadays and our very brainy service manager engaged their minds to solve this car and return it, as it had already spent two month sitting waiting for parts from Japan.
The Datsun service-tool was plugged in and every single check, well, checked-out as copacetic.
Bits were taken from the manager's 280ZX and new 240KGT sitting unsold in the showroom. The freelance auto-electrician spent some hours. Every posible part was substituted, all to no avail. By now, expert after expert had had a go. Total hours spent was easily 100 hrs.
You see, in early 1980s' only a handful of cars; BMWs, the odd supercar, one Kawasaki and two Datsuns, even had EFi.
Even Porsche & Mercedes cautiously retained the earlier K-Jetronic fuel-injection. IT SIMPLY HAD to be the EFi which was at fault.
As an apprentice, I started helping the foreman. He was ex-Ford mechanic and a Bonus King Speed Merchant. He taught me the philosophy of doing the job just well enough to ensure the car would not be a 'Comeback' 98% of the time.
Then I worked with the best mechanic in the world: 'Dave' who is the one you'd want rebuilding your veteran 1904 200hp Darracq family heirloom. He would drive you insane after he'd kept it in his garage for eight years, but what you'd get back was, well, as if the best mechanic ever had worked on it...
The garage hated him. He would get a Datsun Urvan (I think their light commercial was called) in for a full service and would promptly stip it. Bits everywhere. All day long he'd spend. His previous job was at a British Leyland dealer and he worked on the Jaguar & Daimlers as well as some very specialist posh marques. I learned a lot from him too.
He continually quipped that the 280ZX was running so badly was: 'It's an air leak' check the brake servo, emission hoses etc.
They ignored him.
Three weeks' onwards and the decision was made to remove the engine and take it apart. As I was on £40/wk and the business didn't want to waste any more money on wages, I was assigned to help remove and strip the engine. One each side of the RWD engine.
Five minutes into the job: 'Tony, all of the inlet & exhaust manifold bolts are loose.'
'Are you sure?' Tony swapping sides of under the bonnet, he came to check.
Fifteen minutes later and the 280ZX was purring away. The original mechanic had gone for lunch to meet up with his new girlfriend after loosely fitting the manifolds and forgotten to tighten them on his return to the job...
The 280ZX was in 1981 a very complex bit of kit and they were completely blinded by the science.
Remember to always start with the BASICS. It's immensely satisfying to solve something without wasting cash on hunches and blindly swapping parts.
Laugh but Learn as it said in my ace late father's 70s' magazines. Speaking of whom, he was one of the two most intelligent men and women I have ever known.
The engine overheated so much that even the plastic fuel injector bodies melted. The young mechanic - his first big engine job - rebuilt the engine, which needed a rebore and crankshaft regrind. From memory, it even needed a new cylinder head assy too.
When the moment came to start the engine, it was clear that all wasn't well. Starting was easy, yet the engine just wouldn't rev. It would pop & bang, however idle was okay.
As a boy, my dad often read 'Practical Boat Owner' and there was a regular cartoon 'Laugh but Learn' which had various scenarios of comical boating mishaps. This story is along those lines and its lesson served me well, saving hundreds' of hours in otherwise wasted time.
Laugh, but Learn:
So, four excellent factory-trained mechanics who'd refer to themselves as 'Technicians' nowadays and our very brainy service manager engaged their minds to solve this car and return it, as it had already spent two month sitting waiting for parts from Japan.
The Datsun service-tool was plugged in and every single check, well, checked-out as copacetic.
Bits were taken from the manager's 280ZX and new 240KGT sitting unsold in the showroom. The freelance auto-electrician spent some hours. Every posible part was substituted, all to no avail. By now, expert after expert had had a go. Total hours spent was easily 100 hrs.
You see, in early 1980s' only a handful of cars; BMWs, the odd supercar, one Kawasaki and two Datsuns, even had EFi.
Even Porsche & Mercedes cautiously retained the earlier K-Jetronic fuel-injection. IT SIMPLY HAD to be the EFi which was at fault.
As an apprentice, I started helping the foreman. He was ex-Ford mechanic and a Bonus King Speed Merchant. He taught me the philosophy of doing the job just well enough to ensure the car would not be a 'Comeback' 98% of the time.
Then I worked with the best mechanic in the world: 'Dave' who is the one you'd want rebuilding your veteran 1904 200hp Darracq family heirloom. He would drive you insane after he'd kept it in his garage for eight years, but what you'd get back was, well, as if the best mechanic ever had worked on it...
The garage hated him. He would get a Datsun Urvan (I think their light commercial was called) in for a full service and would promptly stip it. Bits everywhere. All day long he'd spend. His previous job was at a British Leyland dealer and he worked on the Jaguar & Daimlers as well as some very specialist posh marques. I learned a lot from him too.
He continually quipped that the 280ZX was running so badly was: 'It's an air leak' check the brake servo, emission hoses etc.
They ignored him.
Three weeks' onwards and the decision was made to remove the engine and take it apart. As I was on £40/wk and the business didn't want to waste any more money on wages, I was assigned to help remove and strip the engine. One each side of the RWD engine.
Five minutes into the job: 'Tony, all of the inlet & exhaust manifold bolts are loose.'
'Are you sure?' Tony swapping sides of under the bonnet, he came to check.
Fifteen minutes later and the 280ZX was purring away. The original mechanic had gone for lunch to meet up with his new girlfriend after loosely fitting the manifolds and forgotten to tighten them on his return to the job...
The 280ZX was in 1981 a very complex bit of kit and they were completely blinded by the science.
Remember to always start with the BASICS. It's immensely satisfying to solve something without wasting cash on hunches and blindly swapping parts.
Laugh but Learn as it said in my ace late father's 70s' magazines. Speaking of whom, he was one of the two most intelligent men and women I have ever known.
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