Redwing's Car - An Update

[SteveJ]

I agree with you Pmg. There are other sites that bash people for asking simple questions. There are very knowledgeable people on this site. They have helped me as well. I have seen feathers getting ruffled once and while but not too often. Its hard to put into words what you want to say sometimes especially typing it in a forum. You only hope that someone understands what you are trying to say, like now, . Great group of people here!  

I assume one of the sites the two of you refer to is Zcar.com. That site probably bubbles up toward the top of searches for "z car forum". Tony D once observed an influx of new posters with "gimme, gimme, gimme" type questions seemed to correspond with high school kids going on spring/summer/fall/Christmas break. There are also a lot of threads on that site where someone asks a vague question and never responds to requests to provide more information. Many of the regulars tired of that, and their responses reflect that.

 

It takes more effort to find this site. That reduces the volume of school break kiddies. Most of the younger crowd that do show up here tend to be more respectful. When someone is just here for gimmes, the ignore button is a click or two away. 

 

I am not that much different from the regulars over at Zcar.com. I will go out of my way to help someone who is willing to make an effort to learn. For the lazy, like I said, the ignore feature is handy.

[rcb280z]

I assume one of the sites the two of you refer to is Zcar.com. That site probably bubbles up toward the top of searches for "z car forum". Tony D once observed an influx of new posters with "gimme, gimme, gimme" type questions seemed to correspond with high school kids going on spring/summer/fall/Christmas break. There are also a lot of threads on that site where someone asks a vague question and never responds to requests to provide more information. Many of the regulars tired of that, and their responses reflect that.

 

It takes more effort to find this site. That reduces the volume of school break kiddies. Most of the younger crowd that do show up here tend to be more respectful. When someone is just here for gimmes, the ignore button is a click or two away. 

 

I am not that much different from the regulars over at Zcar.com. I will go out of my way to help someone who is willing to make an effort to learn. For the lazy, like I said, the ignore feature is handy.

Actually Steve I am not referring to the site you mention. It isn't even a "Z" website. I rarely visit zcar.com so I can't say anything negative about the site, just positive. Sorry if I made it seem that way. 

[gundee]

Its just that the site you refer to showed how classy a lot of the members are when another

member went to the dark side. Kept the money from all who purchased items he had 

advertised and never shipped. Lots of excuses offered. Most members thought it was

funny as heck that some got ripped off. The Owner of that site is really spineless and pathetic IMO.

[SteveJ]

Believe it or not, Rory briefly surfaced a while back. He then went back into hiding. I almost went to look at the 74 when he was selling it. With what he did to others, I'm glad I didn't.

[Redwing]

Hi folks,

I am so sorry to report RedBird is still having problems. I am crushed. I have only the highest regards for those who took their time, parts and efforts to work on her. They are tops in my eyes, and I thank you gentlemen with all my heart. I wish that this post could never have been written. I'm sure that you all are discouraged too, the best was done to make sure it didn't. That darned Gremlin!

On Tuesday I was going to drive to the mailbox. Got her warmed up, then proceeded forward. The Gremlin surfaced, causing huge billows of white smoke coming from the exhaust, missing and trying to stall making a chugging ride. Had to stay on the gas so that she did not die. Made the trip there and back. Was supposed to go to town later, and was afraid I wouldn't get there. But she started like a Lady, and just purred taking me to town and back perfectly.

I had driven her to town 3 times over the prior weekend with no problems.

Then on Wednesday, I drove to town, not a single miss-step. But when I was coming home, after dark, when starting her she started missing, chugging again, and was not responding good to the gas. Went less than 100 ft., and she stopped. No amount of effort would start her again. Even waiting for 25 min before trying again, no response. Just the starter turning over and over without catching. So, nothing to do but have her towed home.

Now I am afraid to drive anywhere, for if she stops and won't start again, I will not be able to have her towed again. My road service will tow me for free once a week. I cannot pay for it.

Well folks, my question of course is.... any ideas??? I am so sad, when she ran it was wonderful! Love driving Z cars!

Thank you all for everything.

Jai

Edited October 30, 2015 by Redwing

[psdenno]

White smoke from the exhaust pipe can be caused by things such as a blown head gasket, damaged cylinder head, or a cracked block.  Any of those would allow coolant to enter the combustion chamber and turn to steam.  Repair cost could range from "not too much" to "prohibitive"

 

Determine the cause and evaluate if it may be time to move on to another, more reliable, car.  Big decision in light of what you've gone through in the most recent repair process and the enjoyment you get from driving a Z.  Others may have  additional ideas about the cause of the smoke.

Good luck!

Dennis

[Redwing]

White smoke from the exhaust pipe can be caused by things such as a blown head gasket, damaged cylinder head, or a cracked block.  Any of those would allow coolant to enter the combustion chamber and turn to steam.  Repair cost could range from "not too much" to "prohibitive"

 

Determine the cause and evaluate if it may be time to move on to another, more reliable, car.  Big decision in light of what you've gone through in the most recent repair process and the enjoyment you get from driving a Z.  Others may have  additional ideas about the cause of the smoke.

Good luck!

Dennis

Dennis,

Would that be the case if she runs great, then the smoke, then runs great, then dies...? I have started her two days in a row now after the stopping incident, with no sign of any problem. I mean, will that show up intermittent between driving perfect?

Thank you input.

Jai

[psdenno]

White smoke generally means a coolant leak.  It may be a small slow leak.  If the car sat for a while there could be a build up of fluid and more smoke.  The possible consequence of a coolant leak is that the engine overheats and results in multiple costly issues.  

 

Bottom line is that the white smoke came from some cause and you'll want to isolate that cause before it becomes a bigger and more costly problem.  From following the chain of events in getting your Z to where it is mechanically today, it seems  it may be time to make a big decision about pouring more money into keeping the car on the road or cutting your losses and moving on to a more reliable, albeit less fun to drive, car.  Tough emotional decision.  I say that as someone who has spent way too much money on maintaining cars, including my Z, over the years and have a hard time parting with any car I've owned.

Dennis

[Redwing]

Dennis,

I hear you and appreciate your being candid with me. Steve told me the same on a PM. Neither of which was easy to hear. I had my hopes set on driving RedBird on into my demise. Oh, how I don't want that to change.

I am trying to find out how to check the compression. Who does that kind of work? I sincerely want to be able to get beyond this problem, and able to keep her. I'm sure you understand.

I am blinded by the repairs that I had with my 1971 240, Redwing. When I first got her, there were transmission problems on many of them, taken care of by Nissan at no charge. That happened twice, and then never again. The ONLY repairs I had to do for her was brake pads, and rear u-joints. I suppose in the years I had her, perhaps I had to have 8 replaced. After that, Nothing! She went the 259,000 miles with no other repairs. I kept after the regular maintenance, as my Father taught me, I'm sure that helped alot.

So in comparing my 1971 Z Redwing, to my 1976 Z RedBird, I expected the same quality of car. Maybe that is my big mistake. Blinding me to the possibility that my 1976 Z would not hold up and wear as well as my 1971 Z had.

I am a novice, except for owning Redwing for 44 years, so I do not have the information that all you have gotten by years of hands on working on your Z's. She was a dream car, never let me down, shared with me the best part of my adult life, while flying me where ever I needed to go. Hence my Redwings... except the tag only had 7 letters.

Thank you all, everyone. I am open to your thoughts.

Jai

PS... Who is to say that if I sell my 1976 Z for something else, that I won't be buying into the same or other big problems with it?

Edited October 30, 2015 by Redwing

[Zed Head]

People get screwed up on smoke "color" often.  If you haven't seen most of the possible colors and known what causes them you can be mislead.  Better to use other clues, like smell.

 

Coolant leaks smell sweet if you're running antifreeze.

Too much fuel smells gassy, of course.

Oil leaks smell like oil, again, of course.

 

If the engine dies and won't restart, checking the plugs is a good idea.  A coolant leak will look different than over-fueling.  And, typically, a coolant leak due to a head gasket will only affect one or two cylinders.  Usually the engine will start but it will run poorly.  So blown head gasket seems like stretch. 

 

The fact that yours won't start at all leads more to the fueling/flooding problem.  Which is common when the ECU goes bad.  Checking the plugs will tell a lot though.  I wouldn't give up on it yet.

 

Pull all six spark plugs and examine.

[psdenno]

Jai, I think you need to look at the balance between the pleasure you get from owning your Z and the stress it adds to your life.  It appears that the stress far outweighs the pleasure.  Consider hanging Redwing's steering wheel on the wall as a fond reminder of the good times you had with your '71 Z and cut your losses by selling, or donating, Redbird.  At this point in your life, you really don't need an unreliable, costly to maintain, car as your main mode of transportation.  Hard as that decision is to make, it's probably time to move on.

 

We're about the same age, I bought my '71 Z new off the showroom floor, and I've spent many times the original sticker price to keep it going over the years.  However, it's not my daily driver.  So, I can let it sit for a week, a month, a year, or even a decade, without it adding too much stress to my life.  I once had a Porsche that let me down so often that I knew the local tow truck drivers by their first names.  I never drove it farther from home than I cared to walk back.  Loved the car, poured lots of money into trying to fix it, and finally realized I was fighting a losing battle.  I sold  it and felt like a weight had been lifted off of me.  Good luck in making a difficult decision.

Dennis

[Mark Maras]

Get rid of it? NO, NO, NO, Not yet.

 IMO I haven't seen one solid reason to give up on Redbird yet. Let's back the tow truck up for a little while. First is the cooling system losing coolant?

 Jai, A compression tester is avail. at Harbor Freight for $22.99. If you are able to remove spark plugs, you can use this tester by yourself. If $s are short, I'll send you mine. PM me.

 I'm a bit perplexed at the intermittent nature of this problem but I'm with Zedhead. Head gasket seems like a stretch & is easy to verify.

  I'd want to know what the problem is before I parted ways with her because I'd know in my heart that I hadn't given it my best shot. Regret is a bitter pill.