I took my z to a transmission shop last fall to get the clutch replaced (Sept 2006I. It started when I took it in. When I picked it up this spring, it wouldn't start. If you sprayed ether directly into the front carb, it would run as long as you sprayed ether into it, then die.

- so far I have drained the fuel out and replaced with fresh fuel.

- Sprayed a ton of carb cleaner into it.

- replaced the fuel filter

- pulled off the fuel hose at the carb and checked to see if fuel was coming through, there is. I got an inch of fuel in the bottom of a cup after turning over a few times.

- adjusted the points. They weren't closed but were very narrow. It is now set at about .019" as per the manual I have.

- I took out the spark plug closest to the engine. It is black, but not wet. Thre is a slight smell of gas around the threads of the sparkplug but nothing on the electrode. the gap seems ok and its not overly corroded.

I did stick a screwdriver in one of the carbs and sprayed a bunch of carb cleaner into it and it sputtered a bit more than if I didnt have the screw driver in and just used ether.

what next????

help?

did you check the filter at the banjo fittings? those could be clogged. dod you sync the carbs and adjust the nozzles? did you try starting it with the choke on?

filter at the Banjo fittings? you lost me, sorry. Where are those?

No I didnt sync the carbs or adjust the nozzles. I don't want to touch those I I don't have to. That is a last resort. should I start taking the carbs apart?

Choke on? Yes. Several times with choke on and choke off.

banjo fittings are the fuel inlets for the carbs. they are the brass things on the top of this pic of the fuel bowl cover:

speaking of ztherapy, order the SU videos from them. it will help you A LOT with your carbs. if you haven't dealt with SUs before, this is pretty much mandatory.

EDIT - also, did you make sure you're getting reliable spark?

While you have the fuel bowl covers off check your needle valves. Both carbs needle valves were stuck after after prolonged storage. (Not to be confused with fuel metering needle)

Unplug the return line at the fuel rail and verify that it's not plugged. Careful with the spilt gas! Having a fire extinguisher nearby would be a good idea since you will be cranking.

You did try using the choke right??

OK , you said it was running when you dropped the car off. So the carbs couldn't be out of the adjustment now. I say don't mess with all the stuff adjusting this and that you will have everything out of whack and you wont know where to turn. Start with the spark . Remove a spark plug wire and have someone turn the engine over and see if you have any good hot spark coming from the plug wire when you put it close to grounded metal. If nothing there then go to the coil wire and do the same and see if you are getting power from the main coil wire. If that is also dead then look to see if the wires going to the coil are connected and or have power . You should get 8 to 12 volts on the plus wire at the coil with the key on. You said the float bowls have fuel in them so the filter screens in the ''banjo'' fittings must be allowing fuel to flow. Even if they are partially blocked the engine has enough fuel to start and run. If your fuel line was blocked there would not be gas in the carbs . So the fuel rail is not at fault. Sounds to me like a ignition problem . Either there is a wire disconnected to the coil or ground off some where a loose wire to the compasiter in the dist. You did say you still have the old points dist. Right? . Gary

Running while ether is sprayed in shows you have a spark.

Could be one or both nozzles sticking, not dropping as they should when the choke in on, or the choke cable to carb linkage connection could have slipped out of adjustment (it's a weak connection, notorious for doing that). You should have about 8 mm of nozzle barrel exposed below the mixture adjusting nut at full choke (lever all the way back). If it's much less that carb is not getting full choke.

Another possibility is a gum deposit blocking fuel flow. It could be anywhere from the banjo fitting & strainer to the tip of the nozzle, all places sprayed on carb cleaner can't reach. It's time to open up the SU's for a thorough cleaning & inspection, something you can do without disturbing any of the adjustments.

This doesn't make sense to me....if the car was running when delivered to the transmission shop for a clutch replacement, how do the carbs get out of adjustment, and the fuel delivery system affected? R&R of the transmission involves removing the console to access the shifter and dropping the exhaust, driveshaft etc.

Is there any chance the secondary coil wires might have been knocked off and reversed when reaching in to reconnect the exhaust pipe to the manifold?? Is there a ground wire that was previously bolted to the transmission that was not reconnected?? (i.e. is the spark weakened because of a bad ground?)

I'm baffled....

GWGarrard

Is the choke operating properly? In other words, when you pull the handle, are the levers moving at the carb?

Did you check for any water in the gas? If it sat at the shop all winter it probably spent some time out in the rain.

Steve

Thanks guys, no water in the gas. Will look at those Banjo fittings. and the choke. I suspected the choke already next thing to look at...

I suggest changing, or at least cleaning all spark plugs. When I have trouble getting my car to start, the plugs foul extremly easily, causing more grief. Even if they don't LOOK wet, they may have a carbon layer affecting spark transfer.

What does this mean, anyway?

...snip...

- I took out the spark plug closest to the engine. ...snip...

My 72 had the same problem a few years ago. It had sat in the garage for about 6 months, had not been started, and no one had touched the car. I tried some of the things you did and it still did not start. My carbs have never been apart and I knew they were not out of adjustment. I do not consider myself a mechanic, so if I want to do the job myself, I have to keep it simple. Finally I tried something that is fairly easy and it worked. Disconnect the fuel lines going into each carb, not at the carbs, but up near the metal fuel lines. Get as much gas as possible out of the lines. I held a jar under each line. Very carelfully fill the lines back up with Gum Out or other carb cleaner. I used a spray can with the straw and pushed the button very gently. It will squirt out quickly so be careful of your eyes and your paint job. Put the lines back together without spilling the Gum Out out of the lines and then try to start. You may want to have a buddy spray some directly in the carb to get it started like you did before. My car ran after about 3 tries. The carb cleaner worked better when fed directly into the carb though the fuel line. Also, check your oil in your carbs. It tends to dry out when the car is not used.