Just about to start up the engine after 4 yrs

[grannyknot]

4 yrs ago I pulled the original 2.4l engine, filled it with oil and tucked into the corner of the shop thinking it would never be started again.

Well, it's back in it's numbers matching car and I'm getting close to start up and I thought I would check with you guys on a few things before I start cranking. The compression was good when I put it away so last fall I got it on the engine stand, cleaned and painted it, all new seals and gaskets, the head was skimmed. So everything is pretty and lubed, the SU's were rebuilt by ZTherapy, a new Pertronix unit was installed in the original distributor that I gave a bit of an overhaul to, all hoses are new and tight. The engine is at TDC. The coil is a 3 ohm so the ballast resister has been bypassed

The dizzy has 2 adjustments, one for the advance/retard,

and the 2nd adjustment I'm not sure where it should be before locking it down?   

       

  Also, Pertronix says put the black lead on the neg side of the coil and the red lead on the pos side but I found this diagram on Zhome.com.

so I made up this connector to join the short Blk/w lead, Grn/w lead and the pertronix red lead.

Any advice would be appreciated

 

[grannyknot]

Cleaned this up so it makes more sense hopefully.

Chris

[Zed Head]

I think that the Pertronix electronic module just needs battery voltage on the red, doesn't really mater where it comes from.  The black is the grounding circuit, through the module, for the coil negative.  I'd just run a tap or extra wire from coil positive.  The coil's powered as it was stock, the Pertronix has its voltage and the ground is through the module in to the distributor body.  Make sure the distributor has a good ground.  You didn't really say why you're changing the wiring you had,  It worked before, didn't it?  Or never connected?

That second screw is a fine tune for where the spark hits the rotor contact, I believe. Orientation of rotor to cap,  You could probably look around Google images to see where it usually ends up from the factory.  

I don't have aPertronix and never have.  Just giving your thread a kick.

[Captain Obvious]

I don't know how you're "really" supposed to handle those two timing adjustments, but what I did with mine was a little "backwards". I locked the R/A indicator just like you have in your pic with the indicator line centered at zero (between R and A). Then I hooked up a timing light and timed the motor using the underneath adjustment such that it was spot on and then locked down the underneath adjustment.

 

And from that point forward, if I'm going to make any adjustments, I'll use the top adjustment. My thought process is that now that I've got it set like that, I can pull the distributor and put it back on and just use the scribe line indicator marks to get it very close to correct. And if for some reason that I want to retard or advance it a little, I can use the guide scale to gauge the relative magnitude of the adjustment.

 

Also... Is your upper tip of the distributor shaft really off center in the hole or is that an optical illusion caused by camera angle? If it really is off center as it appears, you might want to look into that.

[rcb280z]

That is exactly the process, CO described above, for adjusting timing. Lock down top adjusting bolt "centered" and use the "underside" bolt to dial in stock timing and then use the R/A to fine tune timing.

[Zed Head]

Is this process documented somewhere, Nissan-wise?  Just curious.  It looks like a manufacturing adjustment to me.  Set once, never touch again. 

[grannyknot]

1 hour ago, Zed Head said:

  You didn't really say why you're changing the wiring you had,  It worked before, didn't it?  Or never connected?

 

 

Zed, It's been 4 yrs and I simply don't remember, I wasn't in the habit of photographing everything then like I do now. Also, when I tried to get the L28 going with this distributor I had nothing but problems and chased my tail for 2 months and pissed off a lot people on this forum, so I want to avoid that this time by running things by you guys who know this stuff like second nature.

So, I'll forget that diagram and just do what Pertronix says.

1 hour ago, Captain Obvious said:

I don't know how you're "really" supposed to handle those two timing adjustments, but what I did with mine was a little "backwards". I locked the R/A indicator just like you have in your pic with the indicator line centered at zero (between R and A). Then I hooked up a timing light and timed the motor using the underneath adjustment such that it was spot on and then locked down the underneath adjustment.

 

And from that point forward, if I'm going to make any adjustments, I'll use the top adjustment. My thought process is that now that I've got it set like that, I can pull the distributor and put it back on and just use the scribe line indicator marks to get it very close to correct. And if for some reason that I want to retard or advance it a little, I can use the guide scale to gauge the relative magnitude of the adjustment.

 

Also... Is your upper tip of the distributor shaft really off center in the hole or is that an optical illusion caused by camera angle? If it really is off center as it appears, you might want to look into that.

Bruce, that make perfect sense, I'll do it that way.

The shaft does lean a bit to the lower right but re-locates to the center when the distributor is lowered onto it. But now that I think about it maybe I should spin the crank by hand while watching that oil pump shaft to make sure it isn't bent.

1 hour ago, rcb280z said:

That is exactly the process, CO described above, for adjusting timing. Lock down top adjusting bolt "centered" and use the "underside" bolt to dial in stock timing and then use the R/A to fine tune timing.

Thank you, the 2nd confirmation is nice.

With any luck I'll have this running by tomorrow.

Thanks,

Chris

[rcb280z]

5 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Is this process documented somewhere, Nissan-wise?  Just curious.  It looks like a manufacturing adjustment to me.  Set once, never touch again. 

Usually you dont have to adjust it but if you buy a remand dizzy you'll have to adjust it. I had to.

Not sure if its documented but, a Nissan mechanic told me this was the correct way and it has worked for me twice. 

Edited February 27, 2016 by rcb280z

[rcb280z]

I should also add that the conversation I had with this Nissan Mechanic was over 20 years ago. We talked for quite sometime about the Z car. He loved working on them.

[grannyknot]

rcb280z, that yellow and black striped house in the back ground of your picture, is that one of those termite house covers so they can vapour the whole place with insecticide?

[rcb280z]

Haha! Yep. Those termites can really cause some damage. We are about to get it done again at our house. Twice in the past 20 years for this house. There are 2 types, Subterranean and dry wood termites. Drywood eat wood products from the soil up (your house) and the subs eat everything below the soil line. Lost a 17 year old peach tree to these. There are a lot of so called "termite terminators" out here and so far the only thing that, and only kinda, works is the tenting/gassing process. 2500 sq ft house will cost $2000 on average to treat. PITA!

Outside of termites RUST is a big issue too. I'm walking distance from the beach and my Z has rust!

[Captain Obvious]

I just took a fresh look some of the FSM's and I didn't see that plate adjustment procedure documented anywhere. I didn't know what to do with them either, and it just seemed to make sense. It's nice when you guess right!

Chris, Yeah, that distributor drive shaft looks funky to me... Isn't there some kind of bearing boss feature on the top of that shaft that is supposed to locate in a hole in the front cover? It's been to long since I had mine out, so I don't remember the details, but I can't believe they let the top of that thing flail around. There's got to be some kind of bearing surface. Maybe the oil pump drive shaft is too far down? Is that even possible?