Z won't turn over

[slo929]

Well work has been getting in the way so I have been taking it slow on my project. A brief overview of where the Z stands today. after sitting for 15 years, I pulled my families Z from the dirt grave it sat in and started looking at it. She has had the gas tank dropped, boiled out, the supply line in the tank replaced and then stripped and repainted. I have eliminated the evap tank following the great posts I found on this site and everything looks great.

I cleared and cleaned all of the metal fuel lines leading to the front of the car and replaced all of the rubber lines as well. the car has new coolent, fresh oil, new oil filter, new fuel filter, new spark plugs and a new battery. The engine is not frozen as I can turn it over by hand. I tried turning her over yesterday (with the key) but got no response from her.my initial reaction was thinking I need to replace the starter right away but are there any other areas i should look into first? (wiring, fuses, ect.)

I am getting a very faint click when I turn the key. Also it would probably be good to mention that as far as electrical systems go, the only thing that seems to work is the Hazard lights maybe the car is trying to tell me somethingLOL

any input would be great. I am trying to get the car running well enough to move it to my new house before I close on selling the house it is in right now.

thanks again

[justinr54321]

First thing I would check is all the fuses, fusable links and lights, then all the connections going to the starter, making sure there is no corrosion. Then check all relays and switches.

Also what year and model Z car do you own?

Justin

[e_racer1999]

I'm assuming you put in a reasonable fresh battery in there and are jump starting it. I agree with Justin in thinking that corroded connectors are to blame. Otherwise, yeah, a starter would be your next stop.

[slo929]

the Z is a 72 240... the battery is brand new, but should i be jumping it as well? I am very new to Datsuns so where would I find the fuses or corroded connections?

[Bruce Palmer]

I'll share a little secret we use in the 510 side of the sport, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else......

Electrical gremlins often times can be laid to rest by stripping the fuse box of all fuses, removing it from the chassis and giving it a submersion bath in a bowl of vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Rinse, dry, install new fuses and see what you have. I have done this numerous times on many vehicles and it cleans oxidation and corrosion off copper contacts very well.

While you have the bowl loaded with vinegar you might might run around the engine compartment dipping other single connectors you can see....

Like I said this'll just be our little secret.......:tapemouth

[slo929]

right on, thanks for the secret bruce. my lips are sealed:tapemouth I will check all of the above out when I get a minute this afternoon.

[e_racer1999]

The fuse box is located in the center console under where the defroster switch and choke/seatbelt lights are.

[sblake01]

Bruce, that can't be too much of a secret. My dad showed me that one when I was about 13. (Many years ago!)

[beandip]

right on, thanks for the secret bruce. my lips are sealed:tapemouth I will check all of the above out when I get a minute this afternoon.

When you ever pull or check fuses , check them for continuity. Don't just rely on what you see in the glass tube. They can be bad but look good. This could save you hours of time and frustration. First place to check is both the plus and neg connections on the main battery connections on the starter. Then go from there . If the battery cables are at all suspect , replace them. They can fail inside the insulation you cannot see the corrosion, and they can be unable to carry the load to start the engine. Keep us in loop . Gary

[slo929]

more noob questions... what is the small relay box under the dash on the passenger side. It is mounted on the right wall of the footwell and it is where the click comes from when i turn the key in the ignition. all of my other connections look good so my next step is to take off the starter and test it. but i was wondering if it could have something to do with that small relay box in the footwell.

[slo929]

well.... i got the starter to start turning the engine over the problem ended up being the dirty/corroded connections (not really sure which one) now on to the next problem. no spark:ermm:

when i got the starter to engage, i made sure that i was getting fuel to the front of the car. next, i made sure that fuel was getting to the carbs. but still no luck getting her to start. I pulled a few of the plug wires to try to get them to arc to the block but no luck. i pulled the cap off the distributer and the rotor is moving as it should so now I am stuck again.

so... is there an easy way to determine if it is the wires or the distributor, or is there something else i am missing. the wires seem to be in pretty good shape and i hooked up an 8mm magnecor wire that i had from my rover and it did not spark either. as far as i can tell the distributor seems to be newer than the rest of the engine so could there be another culpret? :bandit:

Thanks in advance

[beandip]

Are you getting power to the coil? By the way , What ignition are we talking about here. Stock with points?