Motivation - or the lack thereof...

[bartsscooterservice]

First of all, the new relationship nr1.

The Z: A plan, and motivation !

[Virto]

Out with the old (plugs) and in with the new.

New plugs should make quite a difference, but I'm still using the old HT leads - I'll have to buy new wires down the road if I get it running this weekend. I did check the oil level and it seems to be on the low side; square in the middle of the hashmarks while cold. So...that's all the oil in the engine, since it's been sitting plenty long enough to drain back into the pan.

That also means the radiator coolant *probably* isn't in the pan with it, as there's no odd color or quality to the oil, other than being quite dark. Should know for sure on Saturday, if I'm successful at getting it up in the air and popping the drain plug.

Little by little. Baby steps for all you healthy and experienced people. Been a long time for me - it's almost like virgin territory.

[Virto]

Oh, capital F!

First potential setback - I ordered a new set of fusible links from MSA since my existing links are in really poor shape. I received the correct black links, but instead of red links, I received green ones, which are called for on the 260 and early 280 (yes, my invoice says red).

Does anyone know the capacity of the different links? I can't make out anything on the plastic sheathing. I've sent an email to MSA service, but I doubt I'll hear back by tomorrow afternoon, when I planned to try and start the car. Worst case, I can probably leave the existing links in and postpone the replacement, but that's still irritating.

[Virto]

Sitrep: She's alive!

New battery, new plugs, fresh oil and she had no trouble turning over. I know the gas in the tank is old, but it didn't have any issue starting on it. As long as I've owned it, it's never started on the first crank, so I'm not surprised that it started and died 4 times before catching and running fine on the 5th turn of the key.

Brakes might be dragging a little in the back - I didn't lift the rear to try spinning the wheels. Car moves under its own power and stops fine, given enough distance - so I might just need to fill the MC and bleed it out and then try to figure out why the front reservoir emptied. Refilled the radiator and it maintained a good temp while idling and when I took it around the block. Oil pressure is a little low on the factory gauge when warm and idling, but fine while underway. Might benefit from a switch to 20w-30 versus the 10w-30 in it now.

Now for the new issues, and they're reasonably significant, in terms of my mechanical knowledge:

1) The fan and or fan clutch are either loose or broken. There was a noticeable wobble to the fan and some clanky-clunk noises to go with it.

2) The fuel pump sounds like a vacuum cleaner from inside the cabin. It's incredibly loud.

3) I noticed that the fan was throwing some oil up and out of the engine bay - it ended up on the fender and my glasses. No idea where that's coming from. I need a new work light or better flashlight to get a look. I didn't notice anything coming from the sides of the engine (although I can't see around the manifold) and the plugs aren't weeping. Plus, I'd assume it needs to be in an area where the fan could suck or fling it.

4) The coolant didn't wind up in the oil pan, thank goodness. However, it clearly ended up on the ground. After my trip around the block it was evident that I was leaving a trail, and once parked it continued to leak. It's too far back to be coming from the radiator, I think - more like the front of the engine, which forces me to think "water pump" but I'll have to do some searching before I commit to that.

5) It will NOT rev past 3k. Or somewhere around 3200 or so. Idle to 3k is just fine, but it'll stumble and buck and then the RPM will drop back to 2k or so if you try to get past 3000. It does this in neutral or in gear - the car went around the block in 1st, because it never got up fast enough to shift itself into 2nd. This could be a combo of things from old wires to the old gas.

Progress? Kind of. One step forward, two back, perhaps? Still...great to hear it again.

[Hardway]

Glad to hear you are making some great progress Kelly. Getting it back on the road is always a great feeling and will provide more motivation to move forward. The coolant leak you have combined with the noise and wobbly fan makes it sound like you water pump is shot. Replacing it should kill 2 birds off the bat. Your carbs sound like they need some attention but its possible you make have an issue with your fuel delivery system. Your brakes sound like they may need to bled or at the very least adjusted some more. If your special someone will lend you a foot bleeding them should not be hard. Keep up the great work as we look forward to more updates.

[Willoughby Z]

If it's a '78 ?- it's EFI.

Fan clutch has a viscous coupling (oil). When the clutch oil dries up or leak out, it seizes. Fan clutches are pretty inexpensive. When the fan blade assembly and clutch are off, you can check the play in the water pump flange/shaft. With that stuff out, it's easy to pop the hoses, which are probably toast, and send the radiator out for cleaning, rodding and repair. In my area, it was more cost effective to replace the radiator. So I did it all- water pump, hoses, thermo, belts, radiator and fan clutch. All the parts had one or more issues.

[Virto]

Yep, it's stock so it's EFI.

Not sure about replacing the radiator quite yet - it was replaced the year I bought the car from the PO. The hoses could probably all stand to be replaced, though, that's for sure. I'll have to to an engine survey and see how many we're talking about.

I need to do some poking around for water pump replacement info. The EFI engine bay is a little cramped, so it should be interesting to say the least. The wobbling of the fan (and the clutch, the whole thing visibly rocks) seems to be a good indicator that the whole shebang needs to be replaced.

After that, it's probably the fuel pump. Man, the issues are piling up, . With the pump sounding the way it does - and I swear, it's like a banshee - I can't be all that surprised that the car doesn't want to rev.

[Virto]

MSA got back to me on the fuse links - they did incorrectly send green vs red, so they're shipping out the new red links without charge. I like that kind of business practice.

Ordered a new water pump and fan clutch, and a new set of water pump bolts from MSA. Can't hurt to use new over the old. Looks like the long bolts are very prone to breaking off, which should be exciting.

Anyone think there's a type of penetrating oil that can get all the way to the threads of one of those bolts? I'd be happy to soak it for a week before I try to pull them out. Any other tips for the pump removal?

[az240z]

Mix 50% acetone and 50% auto tranny fluid, in a spray bottle, and then spray on the bolts. Bang them a couple of times with something and spray them again. Let it sit overnight and then try to take em out.

[Hardway]

Taking AZ's suggestion one step further. Go to your local hardware store and buy a squeeze bottle with a syringe on the end. That is what I put my 50/50 Acetone ATF mix in so I can pinpoint exactly where I need it. It has been a life saver and I find myself using it more than I ever thought I would. Just have to shake it a little before using it as the mix does separate over time.

[Virto]

Now that's a good idea. I'll have to make a little shopping list.

[Virto]

Pump and fan clutch came today, thanks to ZC Source - plus, I've got a Z car magnet stuck to my PC now. That's just plain nice of them.

Looks like I'll need to mix up some of that homebrew lube. Not sure if I'll get to the point where I can try the install this weekend of it it'll have to wait a few weeks while I'm out of town. Providing this goes well, I'll replace the hoses and belts and then look into bleeding the brakes and seeing what needs to be dealt with on that front.