bogged out while driving and cut dead

[xplosiveg06]

hey guys, i was wondering if you could help me possibly point out what happened to my 240z the other night as it would not start back up and i had to get it towed. heres some details on the car:

73 240z 4spd

running round top su carbs have not done final tune, running a little rich,

fairly new plugs, distributor, wires

petronix ignitor electronic ignition

current minor issues :

plugged in blower control, never tested out

slight coolant leak from heater control valve hose (only leaks and makes hissing sounds sometimes)

running rich, strong exhaust smell when at stoplight and shoots flames on upshifts

tach never worked, just goes straight to 8k rpm when ignition is switched on

speedometer recently stopped working

water temp sensor does not work

I have maybe driven the car a total of 10 times on short trips i would say 20 min tops and the car always ran fine (a little rich as it shoots flames every now and then. however, saturday night 60 degrees out i decided to test it out and drove it for over an hour straight (normal driving not racing) around town never went over 60 mph and the car ran fine. After about an hour of driving, i went to a store and parked it maybe 3 minutes. after i was done, car fired right up and off we went. 2 stop lights later the car starts bogging and showing a loss of 50% power as i was going up a very slight incline. The car then cuts power. I tried restarting it maybe 4 times and it fired up for a good 5 seconds before bogging and cutting again. it wouldnt start again after that so i had to have it towed home. I didnt have time to work on it that night, so i let it sit until today. Today, i checked to see if it has gas in the tank, looks around half tank, also checked to see if any hoses or electrical wires got disconnected and they all look fine. looked where the fuel filter is, and it looks like its flowing fine. Checked under the distributor and it looks okay. after trying to start it 4 times today, it cranked over and is running fine. I just drove it down the street and back today, and its running as if it never had a problem. any ideas would could have caused it to die on the the other night?

Edited March 14, 2011 by xplosiveg06

[SteveJ]

First two guesses:

1. Rust flakes in the tank blocking the fuel line

2. Ignition coil telling you it's about to head for that big spark in the sky...

[Walter Moore]

Check your spark plugs.

I had a similar issue with my car when I first got it running. I had the choke cables installed wrong and the car was running on constant choke. After about a week it fouled the plugs so bad the car wouldn't run.

If the plugs still look new, and aren't coated with excess fuel residue, then move on to the coil.

[5thhorsemann]

May be off the wall here but I'll say it anyway. The pickup tube in the tank might be the problem, broken half way down in the tank and sucking wind when you go up hill and running out of gas at half a tank. Easy test, if the car is running fine on flat ground drive up a long hill or just jack the front end up and run the motor at like 3000 RPM. This assumes you have not filled the tank yet. Just a thought.

[Unkle]

How about : Trying to diagnose this ONLINE is like diagnosing cancer online.

Take it to a shop you trust - you won't save any money here by asking for a

quick fix . I'm not trying to flame you , just saying ....... :bulb:

[SteveJ]

Actually, I've helped people on here and Dave has helped a lot more with their electrical problems. Of course, the people helped usually provide enough data, either in the original post or in follow on posts. Since there isn't enough data in the first post, I think the OP will get guesses unless he has the problem again and gathers more information. It's not impossible, just difficult.

[xplosiveg06]

Thanks for the help everyone, esp stevej i appreciate the help i am getting from you guys.

unkle, this is my first carborated project car which i have built. I would like the experience with the help of more knowledgeable z members to possibly find out what happened to my car. Its not only to save money. I used to have a E36 M3 and was always on bimmerforums and helped alot of other members solve their problems as well as me finding out solutions to problems on the m3 i had in the past. I know almost all the fixes and problems the e36 has, and was hoping to one day be as knowledgeable about the 240z as well.

*steve, rust in the tank is a possibility, before i put the tank up, it had a lot of rust in it. I clred it and took out i would say 95% of the rust chunks, but there is a possibility there is still some left in there.

*walter, i will take a pic of the spark plugs tomorrow

*5thhorseman, great suggestion, but i dont think it could be the problem in my case. i live in a very hilly area and was going up and down even steeper hills than the one it bogged on with no problems.

*steve, the coil is a month old purchased brand new, possibly faulty?

is that the power transistor under the coil? i asked on hybridz and a member there suggested that it could be a faulty power transistor that goes out when it gets hot

Edited March 16, 2011 by xplosiveg06

[SteveJ]

Below the coil is the ballast resistor. It looks pretty old, too. You might want to take the wires off and measure the resistance to make sure it is not shorted out.

From the details you added, your tach is shot or badly miswired.

Also, download the FSM for your car. See my signature for the link. Look carefully at the wiring diagrams in the BE and EE sections and compare them to your car. We know that there will be some differences owing to the pertronix. However, I wouldn't be surprised if you found some wiring hacks in it.

[Travel'n Man]

Possible trash in your float bowls blocking fuel flow. If you open your float bowls be ready to replace your float bowl gaskets (always a great idea to keep a few extra on hand - once you take a float bowl gasket off it will curl up like a pringle potato chip). Be careful not to edit the setting of your float - inspect your fuel and drain - wipe clean - inspect your float to make sure it is opening and closing with ease. With trash in your float bowl moving around in that fuel it could be cutting fuel supply and causing your problem. With all that rust that was in your fuel tank if you have not replaced your fuel filter it would be a fine time to knock that out as well.

All these parts are available at your local Nissan dealer or one of our fine sponsors.

[5thhorsemann]

That condensor above the tach dosen't look so hot either, get it, hot, his problem comes in with heat.

ANYWAY...........

These ghost in the machine problems are killers. I will buy an electrical problem, but I don't think fuel or dirty carbs can do this. The car wants more gas when cold than when hot. Vapor lock perhaps. Also check that the electric fuel pump in the rear is ok, some have a filter inside. note that the mechanical pump won't draw through that pump if it is intermittant, that could cause this. 73 car vaporlock recall. If you swapped over to round tops you no longer need the electric pusher pump, if this is the case, jump it out with a piece of hose and unplug it.

[xplosiveg06]

sorry guys, i have been busy the past few days and have not had the chance to touch the z. i fixed the leaking heater core so there is no more leak. well, the car cut on me again today when driving down to the post office. it made it there fine, but on the way back, it bogged to half power to where it sounds like its running on 3 cylinders then eventually died 10 house down from my house. i got it started up a few times but it would be running rough for a few seconds before dying again. when i got it home (pushed), it still would not start. i tried spraying the carbs with starter fluid. the car instantly fired up with no bogging for a few seconds then instantly died. i would say the gas tank has 1/4 tank in it. also, my car had the electric fuel pump in the rear removed. my mechanic said the su setup only needs the mechanical fuel pump.

also, can that ballast resistor affect my car since im not running points? i might as well replace it if there is a possibility it will.

Edited March 25, 2011 by xplosiveg06

[Darrel]

Was it doing the same thing with the electric pump installed?