240Z Noob With A Bunch of Questions!

[CaptHamster]

Hey guys, my friend and I are working on his original 1972 240Z. So far so good, after 12 years of sitting it runs and there don't seem to be any terribly serious problems. Just a couple questions though:

1.) In the cooling system, there appears to be a non-stock pipe that runs through the intake manifolds, and at the left-most point of that pipe (the end towards the front of the car) it appears to be leaking, albeit at a very slow rate. We tried some aluma-seal stuff in the cooling and it seemed to help, and it doesn't seem to be causing a problem, but I'm wondering what its purpose is since I can't seem to find anything about it in the FSM. Is there a way to maybe seal/replace it? 1st pic shows what I'm talking about.

2.) The emissions system on this car, to be honest, is total crap. The air pump is toast and most of the emissions parts aren't even connected that well, if at all. One thing we did find though was what appears to be the air gallery pipe (?) is almost completely rusted through. I looked through the FSM but couldn't quite make out what its function is, despite having fresh air flow through it. How much is a new one of these, along with the air pump and all the emissions junk that goes with it? Unfortunately we live in California and while constant smog inspections aren't really necessary here, smog equipment is still technically required, so it may be easier to just keep all that in place and working. Pics of the air gallery (or what's left of it) are there too.

Also, just ordered one of the tuneup videos from ZTherapy, so hopefully soon we'll begin working on timing and carbs and all that. To be honest, I'm amazed this car even runs. Well, that's really all I can think of for now, but I know I'll be back for more in no time. Thanks in advance everyone, I really appreciate the help.

[Decoy12]

Hello and welcome to the club! I can not help you with your first question, but I can tell you that in California all cars 1975 and earlier don't have to be tested for emissions anymore, thats why people buy these early cars and drop carbureted V-8s and other not so environmentally friendly things. So you can actually take it off unless you want to replace your smog equipment just to have it functional and keep the Z original, you can try the classifieds here or maybe even craigslist. I hope that is of some help to you!

[Reverend]

Remove all the smog crap, i did and engine bay looks cleaner. BUT i couldnt get rid of that air galley because its rusted stuck. I will cut it off and weld it shut when i got time/money.

If you follow the hoses and pipes, you'll soon figure out what it's for

[mayitin]

For your question #1. the pipe is to warm the SUs and intake manifold. Here in MS we have about 2 cold months so I removed the pipe. For the other questions the other members have answer. Perhaps you can get another exhaust manifold from another state that does not have the emissions pipes. I have a couple Z cars S30 for parts if I can be of any help let me know.

Edited April 28, 2011 by mayitin
did not finish

[ezzzzzzz]

That pipe aids getting warmed coolant to the thermostat. This keeps the engine from getting overly hot before the thermostat actually opens. You can bypass it or properly repair it. It does help with warming the SU's up quickly to improve atomization of fuel.

[CaptHamster]

Thanks for the help everyone. So, I'll look into getting that coolant line repaired, and, if it's not worth it, I'll just remove and block it up.

As for the emissions crap...I know the old Z's don't have to be inspected but there's still some hesitance on my part to actually remove all that stuff, since actually having that stuff out is sort of a gray area, so I might as well just keep it on there. I did find a used but good condition exhaust manifold with the air pipe attached in the classifieds. Is it worth springing for that? If so, how hard is it to remove the old exhaust manifold? Would I have to remove the intakes/carbs first or could I just weasel my way under there and get it out? Also, does anyone know of a good quality air pump I could buy as well? Used, reman, I don't particularly care...as long as it works and it's cheap! We're college students on a budget and it's my friend's only car so we're trying to spend as little as we can. Thanks for all the help guys!

[JLPurcell]

Welcom to this site! You can always count on a wealth of collective information from the members.

JLP