Z died 40km from home!

[Alfadog]

Hi guys

Was up a mountain yesterday when my engine decided to cough and splutter and generally just not run well at less than about 2500rpm.. I pulled over immediately to have a listen but after about 4 seconds of idling at around 500 (usually around 700) it conked out. Fiddled around for a while, but my bonnet cable broke again that same morning so it was a bit useless! Anyway, tow truck came along and got me back home for 60 bucks AUD (not bad I thought) and he also helped me get my bonnet open (gave it a good yank and pressed down on the bonnet at the same time).

The car was just in the shop last week (got it back Friday) getting $500 worth of stuff fixed up. I think this problem is something to do with the fuel line - the mechanic gave me a new fuel pump and the carbs were adjusted.

Do you think this is related? I drove it about 40-50 km on Friday and it ran well despite idling a little weirdly occasionally, but I thought I was just getting used to the new lower idle setting and other things which were changed. Up the mountain it was good all day until 3pm when it died. Before this the car was running very well, no smoke (I was told from the guy behind me) and I only revved it up to 4000/4500 maximum.

Any ideas?

[Bambikiller240]

Have you changed your fuel filter lately?

[Alfadog]

I looked at it yesterday and that's the first thing I will check tomorrow, just with all the bad stuff happening yesterday I felt it was best to leave it.

Thanks for your help. The filter container is full to the brim and very dark, whether this means anything or not I'm not sure... I'll take it out tomorrow and get all dirty :classic:

Edit: How often should your fuel filter be changed, anyway???

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by Alfadog

Thanks for your help. The filter container is full to the brim and very dark, whether this means anything or not I'm not sure... I'll take it out tomorrow and get all dirty :classic:

Edit: How often should your fuel filter be changed, anyway???

Alfadog:

I *think* the fuel filter is supposed to be replaced every 12,000 miles. It should not be "very dark". Usually if it is "very dark" that means there is "rust, crud, or crap" from the fuel tank in the filter. Possibly plugging it up. I would replace it and then cut the old one open (carefully, so you don't cut yourself) and examine the filter element inside.

[That Ozzy Guy]

Alfadog, if I own the car long enough I'd change my fuel filter with every second service so for me that ends up being 10,000 miles (16,000km)

Just on the topic, my friend who has a worked Torana has been having fuel starvation problems recently and he has checked everything and I mean everything to do with the fuel. After it all his mechanic found that his new fuel filter (?) had some rubber ring lodged somewhere preventing propper flow.

Bummer about your car but at least it's not a major problem.

[Alfadog]

Thanks guys, sounds like it needs a new fuel filter anyway, but I just can't stop thinking that it is a very large coincidence that this happened straight after the mechanic fiddled around with stuff...

[Z Kid]

The colour of fuel is an interesting thing, our LRP fuel varies much in colour, ranging from a light yellow throught to a brown colour. But in order for a fuel filter to clog up to that point, you would expect more and more gradual poor running. Could it be something like the new fuel pump being faulty?

[That Ozzy Guy]

Hey Lachlan, what was the mechanic doing to your car exactly? If it was there getting a service among other things and he missed the fuel filter then I'd start looking for another mechanic. Most good mechanics would do a quick check of general servicable condition, some out of good nature while others trying to charge you more.

Last time someone fixed my car (tuning my computer in my previous car) it ran ok for a day and then I got stuck with a further $1000 bill getting their work fixed. I fought it, lost and in the process made myself heard in the Skylines community. What they lost in potential customers after that incident was more than $1000. Should have just paid my bill in the first place.

edit: point is, don't take s**t if you know you got ripped off

[Z Kid]

I think from memory the guy was fitting alfa a new fuel pump, and a brake master cylinder amongst a few other little things.

[Alfadog]

That's it, I dont *know* for sure. Like I said in my original post the mechanic fitted a new fuel pump (or so he said), adjusted the carbs a bit (to get a lower idle for me, and sprayed WD40 or something similar on the bottom of the carbs where the little pin thing comes down when the choke is on (it was not coming back up). That was all he did to the fuel system.

He was not doing a service, but I had one of those done by a different mechanic a while ago. He's the one who put the chip in by bonnet so that's why I moved to this new guy, who has a rally 240Z which he takes to Targa Tasmania etc. and also a rally 1600 I think he uses at the moment for rallying in. He does work to all sorts of other rally cars (had a Mini Cooper S, Mk 1 Lotus Escort, Datsun 1600 in his garage when I picked mine up). You'd THINK he'd be good with my car. Again, I dont *know*...

The fuel pump was replaced because it was spurting oil everywhere. Could this be a tell-tale sign of something other than just a worn out pump?

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by Alfadog

Could this be a tell-tale sign of something other than just a worn out pump?

No, it is just an old pump that needed to be replaced. COULD be a bad pump, and as mentioned, color of fuel can vary, but if the filter hasn't been replaced, I do it, and cut the old one open just to see how it's been doing it's job.

You mechanic wouldn't be the first (nor last) to bugger something up, while fixing something else.

[Alfadog]

Just gave it a run and it started up ok, ran perfectly for 5 or 10 minutes so decided to take it for a drive.

Drove well, but going down a hill at 2000rpm started backfiring. Normally it backfires a bit if you're going down a steepish incline at about 3000, never like this.

Shortly after driving around nicely, it started running roughly and coughed a bit so I pulled over. Idled like it was yesterday, and conked out.

Started it up, and the idle went back to normal after about a minute or two. Drove again, now taking more notice of the engine sounds. It seems to backfire a little bit driving at a constant speed, as well as pretty bad when youre slowing down by the engine. Note : pretty bad means every second or two it burbles or splutters. No big bangs or anything.

Repeated the same thing a few times, and without fail the engine started to go rough after a minute or so of driving. Did the same with the air filter off. Both carbs sucking, the back carb possibly sucking a little less air than the right.

Still sounds like fuel starvation to me, but the fuel pump is bubbling away normally.

Dad wants to take the carbs off and spend hours investigating. I want to ring the mechanic.