zKars

Somewhere around this time, I glanced at the fuel pressure gauge .. WTF???? It's reading 0!. The engine is still running (if you call this running....).. Zero ???. Turn the car off, turn the pump on. Gauge reads a touch off 0, but not much. Dang the pump has died. Or is the gauge fried. The car is running, and long enough to empty the bowls too, so the pump MUST be supplying enough gas. Pressure can't be zero.. We stop and take the hose off the gauge and try to pump fuel into a pail to test it. Turn on the pump, yup, nice steady stream into the pail. It's not the pump, it's just fine. Stupid pressure guage.... Put the fuel line back on. Back to scratching my head about what the real problem might be. We cleaned the plugs, tried a different coil, drank beer, nothing helped. Okay enough torture. The fuel pump pressure being suspiciously low is bugging me. Never had a problem with this gauge before. Could it be the pump after all? Let's swap it out and see what happens. Changed the pump and like magic, the car runs like it's new. Smooth, powerful, no lag, torque out of the hole is amazing, this dang little Roadster is actually fun to drive!

Hey gang, thought I'd share an interesting Mikuni troubleshooting session that occured this past weekend. A good friend from Edmonton has a Datsun roadster 2000 with a pair of Mikuni 44's. After converting to them a few years ago, he's had nothing but trouble trying to get them run properly. Bought them fresh from Wolf Creek, so had no reason to think the carbs themselves were the problem. He's had several local "experts" try to get them working properly with no luck. In what can only be called a final desperate act, he asked me if I'd give this a shot. Being a sucker for punishment, I agreed. Now I did find the problem, but it was not anything that I'v encountered before, so I felt I had to pass on the details, as I think this type of problem may be more common than we might want to believe. I won't bore you with the all the details, but I checked ALL the common issues such as fuel pressure, pump flow into a pail, float levels, jettings, balance, as well as "related" items like spark strength, timing and plug condition. Even checked idle vacuum. Decent 15 inHg, no big vacuum leaks at least. To jump to the answer a bit, the problem was with "fuel delivery" so I'll concentrate on the specific steps we took to track down the actual problem. First thing "Dave" said was that he has an electric pump but no regulator. "Aha" I'm thinking. So we stick a fuel pressure guage in line and turn on the pump, car not running. Solid 4psi. This should be no problem. MAYBE is the needle seats are ancient, they might have a problem sealing 4, but these are virtually new. We then proceeded to go through a carb balancing act, and turns out they were SO out of balance at idle it was laughable. front carb was OFF while back carb was so far open to get the thing to idle it was sad. It did require that we remove the air horns to get a good seal on the throats to get a good flow reading, I couldn't get the same reading from both barrels on a single carb using the snyc plate on air horns. Maybe previous troubleshooters were fooled by this. After much idle screw adjusting and idle tweaking and balancing games it still ran like crap. No throttle response, massive misfire, no power. Lean lean lean. Jetting? 140 main, 200 airs, 60 pilots, idle screws out 1.25 turns, visual confirmation all barrels can squirt accel pump jets, nothing crazy here.

Not even my friends at clips and fasterners have them... There are lots items that might be made to work though. http://www.clipsandfasteners.com/Headlight_Adjusting_Screw_Assemblies_s/106.htm

Tough one, never seen a thread about that. Seeing how tightly they are snapped in the bucket flange, I'm wondering if they only come as part of a entire new bucket. Easy enough to just use an insert nut to make threads, but you totally lose the tension that the nylon threaded thingy provides. Which you need!

This is BMW locking gas cap. Unlocked. Tab at 2 oclock is retracted. Locked. Tab at 2 oclock is extended. Some fuel filler rings with color choices The back side with the welded on blob at the right spot to give the locking cap tab a place to lock behind The rubber flaps that I can supply. 1/32" thick new rubber.

Recently a thread appeared that discussed locking gas caps, or more specifically the lack of a solution. The only known cap (from 70's BMW 2002) fits and appears to lock, but doesn't actually lock to the car. I was able to come up with a solution that modifies the fuel filler ring to allow the locking tab on the BMW cap to have a place to lock against. My locking gas cap solution works for the Z's up to the 74 260. The key is to look and see how many screws hold the filler ring to the body. If it has three screws, the solution is simple. If it has four, then the solution still works but is more difficult to implement. Note this solution does not work on the smaller caps found on 77-78 280's. I have a small collection of fuel filler rings that I have modified to work with the BMW locking caps that can offer for sale. I can paint, powder coat or have them CAD plated. I also made a pretty good deal on some of these locking gas caps. This allows me to offer a complete solution at a pretty good price. I'm asking $99 USD for a modified powder coated filler neck ring + new locking BMW cap with 2 keys AND a new hand made rubber gas cap protection flap. Shipping is on you. While supplies last. Here is what I am doing so can understand the value of what I'm offering for the $$. Sandblast the filler ring, weld on the lock stop blob in "just" the right spot. Do a little hammer work around the inside ID to open it slightly so the cap fits better. Powder coat. The new locking caps I just bought need a little shining up to look good, so a quick trip past the buffing wheel. The two locator tabs on these new caps are slightly long and don't fit into our filler ring as is, so grind off a tad of their length and dress them up. Test fit. Slice up a new rubber flap. Package and ship. You will have to use the flat rubber sealing ring from your old stock cap in place of the BMW sealing ring. It's too thin. One interesting note. There are two different outer diameters of the filler neck rings. Same bolt circle and same size where the cap fits, just the outer diameter of the mounting flange is different by about 1/8". Early and Late? The caps with the pie crust edge (early non-vented) verses the caps with the angle iron handle (late)? Anybody know for sure? If you care, let me know which one you want. If you have a 280 and have a four screw filler neck, you have to remove the entire neck and its one-piece upper hose tubing (see above pics) to do the "mod" to get the cap to fit. If you want to know what to do, let me know, I'll share a solution to add the "stop" to make the BMW cap work. If you're really desparate send me your neck I'll do it. I can supply the BMW locking cap or tell you where to get one. You can contact best by dropping me an email to z240@shaw.ca. Let me know if you have any questions. Pictures of the items in question follow.

Well let's get this thread back on track. My locking gas cap solution works for the Z's up to 74. The key is to look and see how many screws hold the filler ring to the body. Three is good, four is bad. I want to offer a few of my modified 3-screw rings for sale. I also made a pretty good deal on some of these locking gas caps. I'm asking $99 USD for a modified powder coated filler neck ring + new locking BMW cap AND a new hand made rubber flap. Shipping is on you. Here is what I am doing so can understand the value of I'm offering for the $$. Sandblast the filler ring, weld on the blob in "just" the right spot. Do a little hammer work around the inside ID to open it slightly so the cap fits better. Powder coat. The new locking caps I just bought need a little shining up to look good, so a quick trip past the buffing wheel. The two locator tabs on these new caps are slightly long and don't fit into our filler ring as is, so grind off a tad of their length and dress them up. Test fit. Slice up a new rubber flap. You will have to use the flat rubber sealing ring from your old stock cap in place of the BMW sealing ring. It's too thin. One interesting note. There are two different outer diameters of the filler neck rings. Same bolt circle and same size where the cap fits, just the outer diameter of the mounting flange is different by about 1/8". Early and Late? The caps with the pie crust edge (early non-vented) verses the caps with the angle iron handle (late)? Anybody know for sure? If you care, let me know which one you want. If you have a 280 and have a four screw filler neck, you have to remove the entire neck and its one-piece upper hose tubing (see above pics) to do the "mod" to get the cap to fit. If you want to know what to do, let me know, I'll share a solution to add the "stop" to make the BMW cap work. If you're really desparate send me your neck I'll do it. Let me know if you have any questions.

Holes too small, enlarge hole. Who would have thunk it. I was also wondering why they didn't punch those holes from the inside, then, oh yeah, right.....

well lookie what facebook found! Actually Bill Morgan. http://www.yoesheadporting.com/#!product-page/fuhi2/687b6dfd-1bc5-8b50-6674-2e4f8b055f90

So I finished up all the cleaning, caulking and coating application (bed liner) up behind the tank yesterday and went out this morning to put the tank back in. Got it jacked up in place, back on the fill hose (thank you heat and vaseline for another helpful service!) and started thinking about putting the straps on, then WHAM it hit me.. Forgot to put the ground lug and new bolt back in place...... Take it back down, clean the coating off the lug that got sprayed, ran a tap into the threads to clean it out, and put in a new pretty bolt.. THEN put the tank back in.. Sheesh....

I absolutely agree its worth fixing. I haven't removed all the old epoxy to see just how bad the situation is, but even if I have to weld in a new plate that holds the two tubes, no biggy. We have the technology. I'm just lucky I have spare tanks to use instead. Had to strip this one and put a deleted return line back in (which is a breeze to solder as noted above BTW) and do a wee bit of dent repair, but other wise lovely. Here she is with a fresh coat of Chassis Saver.

I was hemming and hawing and about taking the tank out of the 71 I'm working on to see what's going on underneath it mostly. This car is so nice and rust free I didn't expect much problem but I needed to deal with plugging off the far left vent line anyway (evap tank delete) so out it comes. Chance to clean up all the bits and pieces back there and make it look all pretty. So I'm undoing the fuel lines and notice something. Is this a bad thing? Did something throw up on my gas tank? how about this? Or even this? That line that's blobbed in with silly putty is a replacement pickup. Check out what's in the end Time to get a another tank and try again. Too bad, the inside is nice is clean, other than the varnish crystals....

So I happen to have the gas tank out of the 71 I'm working on (a whole nother post on its own....) and remembered to clean the ground point in the wiring harness that is only accessible when the tank is out. Perhaps some of you don't even know it's there. Thought I'd show it's location and how to service it. The wiring harness that runs from the hatch through the floor to the fuel level sending unit and fuel pump is the one we are talking about. After it goes through the floor, the ground wires terminate at a 5mm ring terminal that attaches to a threaded hole on the side of a frame member on the right side. The bolt is a 5mm hex head. Remove it, clean the face of the ring terminal with a wire brush until it shines. My suggestion is to use a new clean bolt and lock washer, stainless if possible, but you can clean and re-use the stock one. Paint it or smear seam sealer over it once you get it backtogether and tight. No more bad ground. Now on to the "while you're at it...." department Exhaust leaks. You have a chance with the tank out to take car of some exhaust leak areas. Notice the state of the rubber grommet where the harness passes through. Repair or replace as needed. Clearly I need to do some maintenance on mine. Run a bead of seam sealer along the seam where the horizontal hatch floor meets the vertical rear valence at the very back. There may be some there now, but on my 73, and on this 71, the factory bead does not run far enough to each side. Others have reported exhaust leaks through this seem in the past, maybe you remember the thread about the smoke machine. I think you can add sealer from the top too, but's real hard to get into the two side pockets from the top. Piece of pie (I prefer pie over cake) from the bottom.

I've had the same issues. I even have seen a pair with 5/16 - 18 threads on the two welded nuts instead of M8x1.25... Lovely stuff you get now-a-days.

Need one Steve'O? Now that Chief Doc has his fixed, I can spare ya one.

Fantastic! Way happier to hear it's fixed then you have to spend thousands to buy mine! (that's a joke son, relax....) I'd pull that shaft real carefull from now on.. Wait, maybe I should rephase that....

Yeah, at least one. Maybe two.....

The shaft does not normally come out of the switch body. Since you have it out, pry open the case tabs and have a look see inside. Chances are you will need a new switch but you never know. I'm not close, but I can send you a switch if you get to that point.

Dwell is set by changing the points gap. Go with 15-17 initial, make sure your vacuum advance is hooked up and that hose is in good condition. And set that 17 with the vac advance hose removed and plugged don't forget. And maybe its time for an electronic ignition rather than points. If your dizzy is in good shape (bushings and mech and vac advance works correctly) then just stuff in a pertronix kit. Will look totally stock. And Welcome to the club. There are just about a billion bits of information here for you to read and learn from.

Windshields are available. Both Asian copies and PPG (I guess PGW now) american glass. I've found the asian stuff in Alberta for the ungodly prices under $100 CDN.. Just keep calling around to different suppliers. Start with the big boys. Also ask them to look under Nissan instead of Datsun. I had that problem with Crystal glass here in Calgary recently. Conversation went like. "Datsun? 71 240Z? nope, just seeing 510, 610.... Sorry can't get it". Whoa whoa whoa...

These look great Randy! I've cobbled up my own but nothing this slick! Ok fellow innovators, to me the real holy grail is to contrive a method to adjust the float levels without the trial and error madness of removing the lid and bending little miserable tabs. That together with an external indicator of the fuel level (see post #1) would be pure nirvana.....

The keyed door locks need a place on the body for the key thing to lock behind. Only the early "series1" cars had the door knobs and a matching loop welded to the body for the latch to get behind. Jai would have to add something like that inside the door opening for a keyed door to be effective.

It makes sense that the fuel filler components didn't change until the larger tank showed up, which I'm fairly sure is a 280 thing. early 260 should be the same as 240.. The fiche showed the 260 being same as 280, but the change is likely late 260. Anything. bolt count is the easy visual check. three early (easy), four late (harder, but do-able)

Steve, after three statements of fact, I'm inclinded to believe you, but take a closer look. Are there three or four bolts holding the filler neck to the body? Four is the larger from the backside later filler neck style. The bolts thread through the body and thread into the flange in the filler neck. Yes the fill cap and opening in the filler neck are the same up to end of 76, and look very similar. Can you post a picture of your filler area? I gotta see this. Here is a pair of 2+2 and coupe 260/280 filler necks for later reference. the longer below the body 2+2 one is even marked "2/2"

I've just realized there is a considerable fly in the ointment about my little locking cap solution. Only the 240's have that external filler neck ring that is so easy to remove and apply a weld bead to.. 260 and up has a much larger filler neck like this. There is a unique filler neck for the 2+2 according to the fiche, and the 77-78 models are different again, with the smaller cap and no chance at all of a locking cap. Dang. No way to get in from the end and place that weld bead. However there is a way to make this work, I think a screw/bolt in from the side at the right spot at just the right length would accomplish the same task of providing a stopper for the locking caps tang to hit, just like the weld bead. You'd have to seal that bolt in that hole as well to prevent leaks. Little welding for that, or JB weld.... Getting this sucker out of your car is perhaps the most challenging thing. So long story short, if you have a 260/280 and want me to do the mod, you're going to have to send me the whole filler neck. I only have a couple of these, so cores will be required. You lucky 240 folks can just get a modded filler ring off me. Questions?