Broken fitting, performance problems, trying to get her back on the road!

[Poindexter]

Greetings all. I tried to search for answers in the forums here- without a clear enough answer. I promise to read the "How to Restore Your Z" book, but for now I just noticed a broken fitting on the engine, as well as noting the apparent lack of several vacuum hoses, and I'm freaked that I might be damaging something by driving it- it is my EDD now, so I really could use some advice from that huge well of experience that all of you people possess.

It's a 2/71 vintage, HLS30-23788, under 70K miles, and always garage stored- totally dry and clean- for most of the past 15 years. California car with almost NO rust and totally clean floorboards!

It's all stock except for the 5-speed- with a very short first gear- so probably came from a turbo(?) I put it back on the road 2 weeks ago and did a LOT purely mechanical restoration work like all new clutch master & slave, brake master, ball joints, tie rods, etc...that kind of stuff. It was tuned then too, as well as having everything either cleaned out or replaced- like the gas tank, radiator, all filters and fluids, new braided s.s. brake lines, all new belts and hoses, new battery, etc. Trans oil was dirty but showed NO water or metal filings even on the magnet plug- and the trans gear oil was just replaced with RL MT-90. It only took 2 quarts- so I wonder first if that's a bit too little by a half a quart- or so I've read? Mechanic sure it was filled properly. It did have the carbs rebuilt 4 years ago, but it still sat from then, and wasn't driven at all until recently.

That being said it drives nicely, a bit clunky on bumps, and it shifts a bit rough until warm, but nothing else apparently glaring- except as described below. It will need all new bushings, no biggie, but nothing stands out except for the rough acceleration on partial throttle only, and long pedal travel until the brakes engage- but then they work ***perfectly*** ...and a heavy fuel smell from the exhaust, and a touch of oil smoke. NO loss of coolant at ALL. After thorough local slow-speed-driving-only trials, it drove perfectly on the highway, tracking perfectly with only a tiny 50MPH shake. I've still kept it well below 5000RPM, especially when shifting. I'm treating her very carefully.

Other symptoms- It has no pep from idle until apx. 2500RPM unless you really step on it, otherwise it stumbles badly if you don't give it a lot of gas. If you do give it enough throttle, it seems to run just fine, revving smoothly and pulling hard. It also does burble a lot on deceleration, and it does smell like it's running rich from the raw gas smell in the exhaust from outside the car. And the brake pedal travel is too much until it engages- like half-way.

Now for the pictures of the main problem area mentioned above. The broken fitting on the left, for a 1-inch hose, goes right into a "T" and the front half goes forward then drops under the A/C compressor. The other concern are the two unidentified parts- one of which I think is the throttle servo, the other I don't know- which have bare stubs that seem to be looking for hoses to attach to them.

I am primarily trying to find an experienced mechanic with significant experience in Z's near me in NJ, but with no luck. I know enough that I will need a good mechanic to diagnose these problems- just as I know it will take a lot of time and effort until I learn enough to diagnose and then do some of this work myself- as I don't always have to rely on others, not to mention the huge potential expenses involved.

Can anybody *please* help now with some suggestions on these problems? And maybe even come up with a referral to a good mechanic in the NJ area?

I imagine the responses here might include having the carbs rebalanced again, as well as having the mystery vacuum lines re-attached, but I'm hoping it's something I can do myself- and now! I do learn quickly, and I must say, modestly, that I know how to use most tools quite well, and have for many years. My Dad always had a huge tool bench, and taught me how to build, work on and repair almost anything- except for car repairs of course! I do have good hands, having built things like tube radios and audio amps in the past. It's just that I'm lacking the critical experience in this very specialized area.

I realize I'm asking a lot, but I'm in a bit of a pickle now, with this being my only driver- at least until I can find a newer car to use as a DD- like a 1980's vintage MB 300SDL!

link to my photobucket pictures of my car and the areas in question- under the name of Poindexter333-

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk60/Poindexter333/

THANKS!!!!!

[Arne]

The broken part is the check valve for the air injection. The two empty fittings should connect to each other. The vacuum line to the distributor needs to be relocated to a small nipple on the front carb. The two capped off fittings on the balance tube need to connect to the emissions devices as shown in my attached picture.

This will be a good first step, but I don't think it will cure all your problems.

[Poindexter]

The broken part is the check valve for the air injection. The two empty fittings should connect to each other. The vacuum line to the distributor needs to be relocated to a small nipple on the front carb. The two capped off fittings on the balance tube need to connect to the emissions devices as shown in my attached picture.

This will be a good first step, but I don't think it will cure all your problems.

THANKS!

My first question is can I do any damage driving her like this?

Next- does the check valve need to be immediately replaced for proper function- and is this a big issue? Is time or cost a major thing? I'm not sure how long it's been broken.

Some people apparently believe that some parts can be disabled for whatever cause...is there any reasonable purpose for those lines to be intentionally pulled off? Except for the well known fuse block issues and the horrible gas tank vent hose psychotic design, I assume that the engineers knew best when they designed the car- so I believe that everything should be connected as delivered- unless there is a tried & tested reason otherwise- do you agree?

You have a beautiful engine bay! Thanks again.

[Arne]

All of those items are strictly emissions items. I don't believe that any of the current issues could damage the car. Back in the '70s had I owned one, I'd probably have disconnected all that stuff right away. These days - being both a bit more realistic, and more environmentally aware - I see no good reason not to have it all connected and functioning. The air injection system used on the 240Z has virtually no effect on performance, other than the parasitic drag of the belt-driven air pump (mounted below the distributor).

That said, if your air pump is already disconnected, bad or missing, I see no reason to worry about this stuff. Assuming, of course, that the car is emissions-exempt in your state.

If it were me, I would move the vacuum line to the distributor to the proper port on the front carb, on the remote chance that the amount of vacuum coming from the balance tube (where it is now connected) is not the same as that from the front carb. If you do this, make sure to cap the nipple on the balance tube where you move the line from.