JimmyZ

Another thought, Did the bolts you were using have shoulders which may have come into interference with the threads? This area is the worst place to have stress on a bolt. (Notch) Missing washers could cause said interference if the bolt did have a special shoulder. Are the bolts hand screwing in alright? If the threads were not the same pitch etc then things would bind and possibly break. Try running a tap in the hole and compare to the threads on the bolt. The female threads could also be galled. (Fancy term for boogared/messed up) Just throwing another possibility out. Jim

Silly question but don't torque wrenches in Europe use the metric system? Just grasping at straws here. (ftlbs& kg are very diff of course) Try using a beam style torque wrench. If you have a "click" type it may be defective if you are snapping bolts at 3/4 yield. Beam types are very cheap and are fine for the type work you are doing. IMHO My 2c Jim

Very nice! I had a friend with a 280 whose hoses (yes plural) sprung fuel leaks. With the engine running he popped the hood and asked me "hey, what do you think is wrong here?" "Ahhhhh! Cut it OFF"! I said! We were/he was lucky not to have gone up in a ball of flames! At least you won't have to worry about that now. Looks very nice. Z running perfect=satisfaction Jim

According to Haynes manual all MT points are to be set at .018-.022". I don't think he has a dwell meter but he may get one someday. Not that it essential but it is nice. Fairlady in a pinch.. Just to get you home/back on the road you can use a piece of cereal box cardboard to set the gap. (If you don't have feeler guages.) Not having the points gapped right may result in rough running or no running and will shorten the life of the points. The cereal box method is just a temporary measure to bail one out until proper repair can be made. Did you get my PM? Jim

Mine are blocked off. I have noticedd that they leak a little. This may cause some exhaust fumes to reach the cabin FWIW. Someday I'll redo the plugs and get copper washers for a better seal. It is a funky metric thread if I remember right. Nothing in my bolt collection would match.

I once had gas tank had begun to shed rust into the fuel system. It got so bad that I had to change fuel filters every few miles.. sometimes every couple miles. Change the filter and see if it clears up. Your description sounds exactly like what happened to me with my tank. I tried a JY tank but it was rusted too. As a temp fix I cleaned the tank's insides and got a few more years out of it. Eventually I refurbished the tank properly and now all is well. Could be a fuel pump going bad. The pumps on mine always failed abruptly with little or no warning. (My 71 has only a mechanical pump) I doubt it would be the pump though. Check the plugs of course. If the fuel filter fixes it get a couple more spares for the road. (Until you resolve the tank issue)

Wait a minute... I thought you said earlier that there was spark at the coil!?? If the coil is new and isn't producing a spark then it is caused by points, condenser or a wire being unsecured/broken. There is a blade connector on the side of the distributor which may be unplugged or loose.(Near where cap and dizzy body meet) Check that it is plugged in. Also check that the points contact faces are free of pitting. Replace the condenser with an old one or new one that is know to work. Despite your light test run a wire from the battery + terminal to the coil + and crank to see if you can get spark. You may or may not know about burning points. If you leave the ignition on and the points are oriented a certain way their faces will burn. It does not matter if they are new they will become useless. This is one thing that may have happened which is why I'm suggesting that you pry the points apart and check their faces. I'll PM you with my number. Feel free to call bu not after 9PM Eastern time. Jim

Did you check the inside of the float bowls for water/crud? If they did get bad gas then some of the crap may still be in the bottom of the bowls. Best to drain and clean them anyway. Just thinking

Try using a dwell meter to dynamically check the points. (Adjust points first) Dwell is 35-41 degrees. (Stock 240) This will tell you where to look. It might be that the engine rpms are jumping so much that the timing is erratic. If the dwell meter wavers it tells you that it is a mechanical issue with the dizzy or it's drive. (As mentioned above) My distributor was so badly worn that the rotor began machining the inside of the cap... Metal posts and all! It was a miracle it ran. Turned some new bushings on the lathe and good as new. If there is little to no wiggle in the distributor shaft then it could be a worn front cover bore. (Where shaft from oil pump to distributor rides). 2c Good luck Jim

My "factory" A/C was mounted on the driver side above the smog pump. (York compressor) It had a single hot wire to the clutch.

Read the post above and do the tests. Just thought I'd add another 2c.. Coils for 240's can be bought for $25 (new) if you shop/call around. It might also be possible that you got a bad condenser. If I'm reading things right you have these new ignition parts on your car... Cap points condenser AND in replacing your battery alt and regulator you did nothing to touch the ignition.. It just died. I'm assuming that you have gas in the car, nothing electrical got fried, your fuses are ALL OK and anything else that would be obvious. I'm also assuming that you are getting multiple sparks when cranking and not a single spark from when the ignition is turned on and off. I'm also assuming that the rotor is turning when the engine is and that the distributor hasn't been turned. (Timing out of whack) If you did wash the engine with water take the distributor cap off and heat it's inside with a hair dryer. (try it) 2c Night Jim

If the coil is firing then the points have to be doing their job. Double check that the points are gapped to .018-.022. (About the thickness of cereal box cardboard) Verify that the coil is wired right. Next test the coil with an ohmmeter. Try another distributor cap and rotor. I usually keep the old one laying about for this reason. Here's a quick checklist for troubleshooting ignition probs on a stock 240Z. This assumes that failure is not a result of replacing parts incorrectly. This is the quickest approach to resolving probs IMHO. IF/THEN for a no start/ignition suspected situation... 1. Use new plug to check for spark at plug wire. (Lay test plug on ground. Look for hot blue spark when cranking. 1a.If there is spark then remove check the condition of plugs. Clean or replace if necessary. 2. Check for spark using new plug at the end of coil wire. Look for hot blue spark when cranking. 2a If coil has good spark then check/replace distributor cap and rotor. 3. Verify voltage going to coil when cranking. (Use voltmeter) Verify coil is wired correctly (+ to +) 4. Inspect breaker point faces for pitting and resurface or replace if any. (resurface with 220 grit buys a little time but the points will pit faster) 5 Set gap on points .018-.022. Verify that all wires connected to the points are in good condition and not frayed. 6 Replace condenser. 7. Check coil wire with ohmmeter. It's easier to try another wire if you have on handy. 8. If still no spark then check coil internal resistance. disconnect leads from coil. Set Ohmmeter at proper scale and it's test leads on + and - You should see 1.5-1.7 ohms Next stick one lead on the "-" post and one lead to the coil output terminal it should read 9.5 -11.6 ohms. These are figures for a STOCK coil. Other coils have different values. Replace the coil if it is outside it's values. 9 Check distributor shaft for play. Use a dwell meter to dynamically test the breaker points. If dwell varies outside the 35-41 degree specs and the points are gapped right then distrubutor bushings need to be replaced. (Or replace dizzy) I might have left something out having typed this up at 1:30AM. Hopefully it will help you or someone else in the future at least. Here's another tip.. If the engine is missing/misfiring and you think it's a fouled plug use a timing light's inductive pickup. With the engine running clamp/unclamp the pickup over each wire and observe which plug does not cause the light to flash. Note that if the engine starts ONLY when being cranked thatit is possible that the ignition switch or ballast resistor is bad. Test the resistor (1.6 ohms) and test for voltage on both side of it with ignition "ON" and car not running.

For testing spark I'd use a spark plug laid across the valve cover or other good ground. The results you'll get just using the wire can vary too much. Try using a plug. If you are absolutley sure there is on spark at the wires then I'd try replacing the cap.

is it your 280 or 240? If it's the 240 then it's a bad cap. if it's the 280 then it's a cap or possibly rotor. If the spark is not blue or very strong then it is a bad coil

I had the same thing happen to me years ago. A few years later the battery area and frame rail needed to be replaced. Which car is it? You have a few listed. If it is the 240 then things are pretty straightforward. Use a new or good plug at the coil wire to verify spark. If there is a nice blue spark then the points, condenser and coil are good. (Or at least functioning good enough) Next, plug the coil wire into the cap and test for spark at one of the plug wires. If no spark there then you probably have a wet or bad distributor cap. Did you wash the engine compartment with water? If you did then you simply need to take a cloth or some compressed air and get the cap's inside perfectly dry. As hd240z said taking the cap off and checking might be the first thing if you did use water. If there is spark at the plug wire's end and the plugs are not fouled then it is a fuel problem. In case it's a 280.. In the past, on newer cars (FI) I've had bad coils that would show a blue/orange spark but not run the engine. It takes more current to bridge the gap when the plug is experiencing compression. (Being used in the engine rather than laying outside) I've also had a few bad rotors because newer cars have a resistor built into the rotor which can fizzle out with age. I don't know if the 280's rotor has a noise supression resistor or if it's a solid plate of metal on the rotor. I've only looked but never worked on a 280. I'm betting you have a wet/bad dist cap. Jim

THAT is a beautiful car! 98K is a bit steep but I'm sure that this will be a classic:) I've always been fascinated by the real Tesla's inventions. Cars like this make for a future we can hope for. Fast, beautiful cars AND clean air. Don't get me wrong. I DO enjoy the smells of the Z and will miss them when that day comes. 2c Jim

Can you imagine how much space would be left and what the weight distribution would be like with an electric Z?! If it moved like the lexus hybrid that would be OK I guess. We could always hit up the restaurants for their cooking oil. (Ref the oil powered suburban) In keeping with the thread all I'm trying to say is that cars as we know them today are going to be more than nostalgic once newer technologies come along. Doesn't matter if it's still fossil fuel or alt fuel powered, we won't be driving them much in 15 -20 years.

Time will tell. The cost of not advancing may be too high though. I'm not a tree hugger but believe that anyone can see this writing on the wall. Iceland seems to be giving it a try. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/archive/2208013.stm Here in my backyard NASA is giving hydrogen a try as are some CA city buses etc. You are right that we'll never drop petroleum due to it's many uses in modern life. We can curb or stabilize it's consumption though. Believe I read somewhere that the world's population will max out in 2017 roughly. I did find a neat article on recycling nuclear waste. seems that politicians and scientists are against it for economic reasons. Perhaps this is just a bunch of bull. http://www.nuclearwasterecycling.com/ I agree that there are certain means of transport that are unlikely to use another means. Planes trains semis etc. The average person's transportation will see great change in the next 15 years though. Europe's diesel version of the Smartcar is one example. Too bad we can't get them here...yet:)

Too bad they won't take .dwg (From a glance it looks like you have to use their software to create. One of us could easily scan our Z's using a sonic digitzer and ACAD. http://www.gtcocalcomp.de/productfreepoint3d.htm This would be the "easy way" to get a 3d object into CAD. Unfortunately it would prob only make a 3d face and not a solid. My cousin would like the VR world. I've got too much reality in mine though. I've heard stories of people paying lots of money to develop/obtain virtual objects. Jim

When gas goes for $6+/gal people will get motivated. Like the bionic man opening line... "We have the technology" There has alos been a discovery of how to get electricty from nuclear waste which has some promise. Eventually someone will make the next leap. Steam>gas>??? We live in exciting times.

I'm just going with cars I've seen raced over the years. Basing things on the principle of "well if this car beat that one but was beat by that other... etc etc. I've known people with these models. Whether or not they knew how to drive them competitively is another story.

IMHO Cars as we know them today won't be in use in another 20 or thirty years. The push for developing hydrogen or other means of energy for use in cars will make even our Z's showpieces for your living room, garage, or shrine like the Ferrari's in Ferris Beuler's Day Off. In time we'll view fossil fuels much as we'd view using gas lamps for lighting. 2c

Restating ta240 and nissanman... I think the Amp guage reads the amount of current not the force of it's flow. (Amps=current Volts=pressure of said current) Diverting the alt hot line would result in an inaccurate reading on the guage since it is not a volt guage on the 240. A volt guage would be better and not need the thick wire/lengthening of charging circuit. N-man you are right though. As long as it's charging who cares. Don't know who's brilliant idea it was to run the wires as they did in this fashion. Think the 280's have volt meters so they must have figured it out by then. The scary thing is that thick White with Red stripe running through the guage. It's handling all of the current. (From what I've seen) There is already enough going through it. My regulator malfunctioned and kept the field on (alt charging) which brought my charging volts to 16-17 volts. I caught a whiff of some wires getting hot and shut it down. Replaced the reg and no more fumes. Thank God. I did have bright lights while the alt was going nuts though:) It would have been nice if the fusible link were still upstream. Might have averted the excitement if a proper fuse was used. I'll get around to replacing it someday. Question for stock 240 fuse/link location.. (For authenticity/appearance sake) The fusible link in question goes near the starter where the harness plugs into the White wire right?

I remember a time when you could get rebuild kits easily. This sucks! Somewhere out there is a booster or kit on a shelf. I'm sure you've seen pics of other boosters used in various Z's. I was once misinformed that a 280Z booster was a direct bolt in. This is desirable because it is a larger, more powerful booster than what the 240's came with. The fellow got it to work with a few mods. There are a few links on the HybridZ site for swapping etc. I know you'd rather stick with the same setup though.

As I mentioned earlier the test was poorly done and all for the fellows personal gain. There was no interest in doing a true performance comparison. A range of 0-xxx speeds and braking performance, handling, etc would have been the right thing to do. Off the top of my head here is what I think the outcome would be given an average of total performance. This is PURE opinion 1st place 300zTT 2nd 350Z followed by 240 (handling isn't so hot w/o rear sway B.) 260 280 280zx I did a quick look at the 0-60 of the 350Z and it's much faster than the 240. Norm Simpers old, slightly modified 240 (way before his 12sec car) would do about 145 tops. My '71 struggles to get to 130 and is close to stock. Fuel for the fire:)