Series 1 exhaust gasses part VIII

[Unkle]

Ok , here we (I) go again ... I'm needing pictures of which areas to fill in

to stop the cabin leak . I know some members here have it nailed as to

exactly where these inner panels are that leak the smell in ! I'm tired of

getting the looks at the grocery store line up. They must think I tried to

off myself without success in the garage with a tube ! My eyes literally

it's so thick . My wife refuses to come with me on weekend cruises.

We burn my clothes after I come home . I need to shower right away .

The cats won't come near me . Please help . Pics ? :embarrass:

[MikeW]

Obviously there have been many posts on this subject due to the widespread problem of fumes. It seems like there are many possible places that the fumes can enter. A few months ago there was a thread with what seems like a very good way to track this down:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31739

[Unkle]

Yep I read em all . What I would like are actual pictures of the areas,

maybe before + after the repair ?

[AZ-240z]

Yep I read em all . What I would like are actual pictures of the areas,

maybe before + after the repair ?

Unkle,

I feel your pain and am going to outline my recommendations in finding probable sources of exhaust leaks.

I am assuming we are talking about hls30-00538. This will take some time and effort but should pay dividends.

You need to expose all the manufactured holes in the rear of your car. To do this, roll the carpet and any padding forward of the strut towers. Next , remove the plastic interior quarter panels, the plastic tail light panel, and the louvered interior rear deck hatch trim panel.

Around the edge of the metal rear deck floor from the back of one wheel well, across the rear edge, and up to the other wheel well, you will see a verticle lip spot welded to the associated quarters and rear tail light housings.

Check these mated surfaces for any gaps, either from looking inside or crawling under the car with a flashlight. Use a calk of your choice ( rope calk, or various tube calks) to fill any gaps.

Next, starting inside the left quarter panel area, the antenna drain mast needs to have a good grommet in the floor.

The spare tire well needs good plugs in any drain holes.

The rear deck has two drain holes in the aft corners which need good plugs.

Along the aft edge of the rear deck, there are three grommets, two for fuel hoses and one for a harness wire that need good grommets.

The tail lights are sealed to the tail light panel with rubber weatherstripping which rots after time and needs to be replaced. You will, also, notice a small wire for the license plate light passing through the tail light panel and needing a good little grommet.

Moving to the right interior quarter panel area, under the fuel vapor tank there are two fuel lines that exit through the floor that need good grommets, as well as the fuel filler tube passing through the floor to the fuel tank.

The biggest, and most obvious hole, is the rear deck hatch. This weatherstrip

material needs to be undamaged and with a good, tight seal. With the help of a friend, since you already have the spare tire out, climb into the back end, have your friend close the hatch, and using piece of thin material such as cardboard, slip it into the seal and run it around the hatch checking for gaps.

The rear hatch louvered trim panel that you removed from the inside of the hatch lid has two rubber flaps that allows air to leave the cabin. These rubber flaps should be checked for condition and integrity so air cannot re-enter through rotted or damaged flaps. The rubber flaps on this panel were only found on the series 1 cars with the hatch vents.

The fuel hose grommets mentioned in this explanation are often cracked and rotted or missing entirely. A source for reproduction fuel line grommets ( and I have no business interest in this source) is Banzai Motorworks , www.zzxdatsun.com. I have used these grommets and they are of the highest quality as is everything that Banzai sells.

If you check all of these possible potential sights for exhaust leaks, I think you may be surprised at how vulnerable your car is.

To remove the rear interior plastic finisher panels you will need a small diameter finishing nail, or similar tool,to punch out the center pins from the plastic rivets that secure these panels, but you probably already know how that works.

This has been kind of quick and dirty, so let me know if there is anything that I can clear up in this explanation, and best of luck.

Dan

[Unkle]

Thanks Dan ! I'll do this and post any results . The weather looks good here for a week at least, so I'll get on it.