Bucking and then died and won't start again

[JakeWard]

I just bought my 240z with a 280z engine and 5 speed. I was driving the 3 hour drive home and started to feel some bucking when I tried to accelerate. I came to a stop on a BUSY two lane highway, and of course it died. Not a good experience.

My friend jumped out and started to push the car out of the way. I decided to get out and forgot the car was still in gear. I let off the clutch and it rumbles to life. I manage to baby it to the side of the road where it died again.

This time it wouldn't start. It just clicked when I turned the key. Decided to wait to see if I had flooded the engine. Waited 30 minutes and still nothing happened. I called the tow truck guy and had it towed the 75 miles home (costly). Curious thing was that the car left a gas puddle where it sat while I was waiting on the tow.

I read that gas leaks were common and it just needs to be drained and POR-15ed.

Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on?

Thanks,

Jake

[m4xwellmurd3r]

where was the gas leaking from. is it carbed of fuel injected?

[1 Bravo 6]

G'Day there Jake,

A lot depends on WHERE the puddle was. From what you say, was the puddle under the fuel tank?????. It sounds to me as though the car was starving for fuel. If it's not the tank, then I'd be inclined to check for a damaged fuel line.

Rick.

[BRE-240Z]

Could be the fuel pump, too. Are you using a mechanical pump? If so, have someone pull the line from the fuel rail while you're cranking and see if any fuel is coming out.

If not, either the line is blocked or the pump is bad.

[JakeWard]

Its carbed. The puddle seemed to be somewhere near the back of the car. The car isn't even turning over, isn't it supposed to be even without getting any fuel? It just clicks.

[JakeWard]

Charged the battery a little and now it turns over

[beandip]

OK it turns over, but will it run? Do you have a mechanical fuel pump? Not likely if you have a 280 engine, but could be if the head is setup for a mechanical pump. Check the fuel connections and rubber lines by the tank. There are two close together by where the gage sending unit is mounted in the tank. The larger of the two is the supply and this is the one the electric pump is connected . You appear to have a couple of things going on. One is obvious a leak, this should be easy to find. Second , there is possibility that the pump is failing causing the engine to starve for fuel. Before you go any farther with this , there should be a small filter in the fuel line before the pump. I would just replace it . If not now you will soon need to anyway. There is also a filter up front on the inner fender up by the Alternator , change that one as well. This could be the cause for the engine dieing even with a good pump. As for the battery going flat. The Alternator should not allow this to happen if it is working correctly , since you were driving especially. Have the Battery checked if it wont hold a charge. With the engine running ,check the voltage of the battery and it should be at or near 14 volts, if the Alternator is putting out properly. By the way , Congratulations on your ''new'' Z Gary If you have both mechanical and electric pumps the electric could not be working and if you have a small leak back by the tank , the mechanical will be drawing air through the small opening.

[JakeWard]

Alrighty, it runs. I charged up the battery and put some gas in it and it started. Unfortunately it didn't want to idle for crap so to keep it alive I had to keep revving it (I'm sure the neighbors appreciated it). I had the hood open so I didn't drive it, but when I got out there was gas on the ground.

What do you guys think is the problem?

Carb tuning?

Bad Alternator?

Leaky fuel lines?

Clogged Fuel filter?

Probably some combination of those.

Where is a good jack point on the car?

[76Datsun280z]

The altenator is not going to have any effect of the running nature of the engine, but it would be a good idea to have it tested since it sounds like it's functioning properly (battery discharge).

Other than that, between Gary's post and your list of things to check for I think you've got a good start!

[zbane]

For these repairs, I would suggest that you use jack stands or ramps. Between the rear edge of the doors and in front of the rear tires you should finds some indentations in the sheetmetal's bottom edge. These indentations notch right into your stock scissor jack, and if you have the stock jack, it should show you where to put it. I have seen people use a hydraulic floor jack on the rear differential, but I've never been to keen on this method.

Here's a poor quality photo that should at least help point you in the right direction.

[JakeWard]

I love this forum. This is the quickest and most informative replying I've ever had on any automotive forum. Very cool.

Im gonna check the underside of the car tomorrow because its dark already.

[JakeWard]

Okay new problem. She ran great today, but when I turned off the car the skinny hose hanging from the radiator went crazy. It started spewing hot coolant everywhere. I'm glad I was in front of my house.

Here I thought I could just take her to the shop tomorrow to get everything up to snuff. This is a stubborn car.

What the heck happened? Is it safe to drive if I replace the lost coolant?