OK gents - this should be an easy one I hope.

Today I degreased and cleaned my engine. That went quite well. Looks much better and started right up after. I dont think it's a factor in my question but just so you know in case it is relevant.

Being a novice mechanic I thought it would be a good idea to check and adjust the timing. I went and got a light, hooked it up, and decided the distributor needed some tweaking to dial in the timing. So far so good....

In the process of loosening the distributor I loosened it quite a bit - so much in fact that it moved completely off where it started. I didnt understand that the adjustments are minute so I was pivoting it all over the place to see how far it moved. Now I can't get the car to start. It ran like normal after the cleaning and when the light was connected it was fine.

My assistant has come out and cranked the starter, while I slowly pivot the distributor to find the magical location where it will start and run. Nothing seems to work after about 15 minutes of that. Any ideas?

When I start the car a fairly significant amount of black soot and water sprays out the tailpipe. Any words of wisdom? I think it's as simple as a rich mix and carb adjustment to fix.

Also - are there any products other than running the engine that can clear this stuff out?

Thanks

When I start the car a fairly significant amount of black soot and water sprays out the tailpipe. Any words of wisdom? I think it's as simple as a rich mix and carb adjustment to fix.

Also - are there any products other than running the engine that can clear this stuff out?

Thanks

This stuff is the bomb!!!

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUp.htm

Take the car out on the freeway and drive it for 30-40 minutes at speed. Then see if you still get the black soot and water when you start it. We used to call this the "little old lady" tune up!!

I've done plenty of that. Does fuel additive carb cleaner cause the engine to kick out the soot? I did use some of that and the soot level has increased. Anyway, it is running so rich that it might not matter. I have an appt to get the carbs tuned and balanced......

Sounds like you need ZTherapy's help! How about the water? Condensation or are you losing water from your rad? Maybe you have one lean plug? Could be a headgasket leaking water. See if you have one whitish plug. That is the sign of a water leak.

Interesting point. I've also noticed a bit of grayish watery liquid under the engine on my garage floor. Seems to come from the rear of the block - almost under the starter. Is the water leak you refer to water leaking inside the engine from the channels where radiator fluid cools the block? That is a serious problem right? I did just flush and refill the radiator with fresh coolant/distilled H2O.

The liquid on the garage floor was happening before and after that. When I changed plugs about 4 weeks ago they were all equally sooty but none of them appeared white.....

I did talk to a guy at the car show yesterday who has worked on Z's for 30 years and has a shop here in town. He's going to give it a once over quite soon, tune the carbs, and check it out...

If your plugs are all uniformly black, you probably do not have any fluid leaking into the combustion chambers. Do you have A/C? Are you losing any water/ coolant from your system? I think you just need to get it tuned up. Let us know what the Z guy says and did, OK?

Will do - thanks. No A/C on this one (good thing I live in Phoenix!) Keeps me from driving it CONSTANTLY