JimmyZ

Meant to type "dead seriousness" as a screwy pun. BTW laquer thinner is one of the BEST solvents for removing varnish from your tank. It will help get the lines squeaky clean too. Pour in half a gallon and let it set for a few hours to a few days in various positions. If you have any rust (I suspect you will) then Hirsh's tank etch is great. Once again, you have to let things set to work. Definitely use the laquer thinner first. All of this is assuming that you don't want to spend the $100-$200 for the radiator shop to tackle this... That you're going to do the JB weld route.

I used JB weld as a temporary fix for one of my vent tubes. You have to sand and make the metal perfectly clean or the JB won't stick. Remember this is temporary. You will be much better off having a radiator shop boil and solder the tank. Gas is something to be taken with deadly seriousness. You've no idea what kind of fire/possible explosion you'll be looking at if your tank catches fire. Death is fairly certain and actually to be hoped for if the tank goes up. No kidding. I wouldn't screw with it and I have sweated copper, done TIG, MIG,Stick and Oxyfuel welding/brazing. Someone who does this day in and out is the person you want to do it. They will have the right lead alloy, flux, etc. Here's my gas tank page if you're interested... http://warbuddies.homestead.com/gastank.html Jim

My speedo was reading accurately (per GPS) at one point. One day it started bouncing and then it would stay stuck on occasion. It also began reading wilder (higher) speeds and was eventually doubling my indicated speed. When I took it apart I found that a very small "counterweight" under the needle's hub had dislodged and was keeping it stuck. After glueing the CW back in place and teflon lubing everything it showed the correct speed for about a week. Now it's back to where it started except that it's not sticking. I'm thinking bearings/bushings being replaced will fix it. There's a speedo repair shop in town which I might give a try or at least consult with. Hopefully your problem is a simple speedo gear issue.

Are you reffering to the water drain? There is usually a hole in the water pump to bypass any water that gets by the seal. This lets you know when the pump is going bad.

I have recently had the same problem. Took apart the speedo and sprayed/soaked teflon lube in everything. It reported actual speed for about a week then went back to what it was doing. (Used my GPS to check speed) I suspect it's slop in the bearing assembly where the drive goes into. It's a very simple arrangement which uses two drums. On drum on the driven side has a magnet and the other drum is spring loaded and is attached to the speedo needle. What I think it is is that the drums are not in close enough proximity to each other causing the spinning magnetized drum to have less of an effect. The good thing is that odometer numbers are not affected since they are "upstream" of the rotating drum thingys. Someday I'll take apart the speedo bearing assembly and see what it takes to replace/rebush the bearing hub. There is a calibration statement on the face of the speedo which says something like 1024rpm= 60 mph. 2c Jim

If you smell the plugs and they smell like gas then something is wildly wrong with your fuel system.(Running rich) Normally a fuel fouled plug or it's neighbors will have fluffy black soot deposits before failing. Oil fouling feels and smell like oil. Might be severe leakage from cracked rings?? Regardless if a plug gets fouled and the engine is allowed to run it will get wet with unburnt fuel. Try using a new plug for a minute then remove it and see if it's powdery/fluffy (rich fuel) or slick (oil fouling). 2c

Oh yeah! You too! Glad to hear I'm not the only club member! A few years ago I owned an '84 Nissan pickup which needed a new water pump. I thought it would be the same as the Z pump but was wrong. Sure, it's the same pump (from the back) but the pickup pump has the fan clutch integral with the pump's shaft. Of course the pump/clutch combo was more expensive. In my memory it was a much lower profile part than the Z WP/clutch combo. Having the fan closer to the pump's bearings may result in a longer life for the pump. IMO the Z/L-series pumps are too short lived. 2c Jim

I'd start by inspecting the faces of the points and point gap. As a temporary test you could run a wire from the battery "+" to the coil + terminal. Be careful you don't short your jumper wire. It gets hot and if over a fuel line... Use your imagination. If the engine isn't turning and you have the coil on you will burn your points. At that "point" you'll need to sand the point faces or better yet replace the points. A set of sanded points will decline in performance quicker than new ones especially if they are the common/cheap plated kind. (Will get you through 'til next paycheck ) Restating above->When using the key or a bypass wire you should never have the ignition (coil) on unless the motor is cranking. You will burn the points. You can burn up a points rated coil by operating it at 12 volts. The time it takes to kill a coil depends. It could take a few minutes to a few weeks. A bad vacuum advance won't keep it from running. There is a way to bypass the tach with a jumper wire but it's kind of a PITA. Tach has to come out to see/work with wires. When I bought my Z it had this done until I could get a JY tach.

I'm pretty sure the L series motors all used the same pump. (Could be wrong) There may be some minor differences in aftermarket vs oem as far as appearance goes. Maybe the "thread in" pump is missing the metric studs?? The fans on early cars really sucked. I stopped using the heavy all metal horsepower robbing thing and went for the later plastic fan. It would be good to compare the distance that the old fan/clutch combo rides from the radiator. I used a fan clutch from another model which was too close to the radiator and chewed it when I stomped the gas too hard. This was a one time expensive lesson. 2c Jim

Nuts Bolts and Fasteners by Carrol Smith is a great read for this kind of thing. Did the new nut have any sort of locking design added to it? Was it an elastic stop nut? If it was then you can use it a few times. The male thread is the leak link in the equation. I'm assuming your replacement nuts aren't the peen-over type. A little red loctite is great insurance for something like this. (along with proper torque)

Shouldn't there be a national DMV database which some FBI or law enforcement person could use? Are there any members who work for law enforcement in our ranks? One would think it could be as easy as that.

The stock 280Z clutch is fine by me. I get nice barks when moving to second and chirps going to third. (On the rare occasion that I feel the need to move) I was amazed at how crappy the 240Z's original clutch performed. Never used a centerforce or other fancy clutch. (Have wanted to try them though)

I own a 240 and know very little about Bosch injection but I'll take a swing. First try spraying some starting fluid to see if it will run. Have someone crank while you spray since the path from the AFM is long. This will help you figure out whether it's ignition or fuel quickly. Use minimal amounts of starting fluid as it can cause a fire or backfire and cause a fire. I've been synged once by the stuff. Just go easy with it! If starting fluid doesn't get it to run the there's an ignition problem. When you say you cleaned the plugs this should mean bead or sandblasted them? Simply sanding the faces doesn't count. Wire brushing them leaves metal tracks/conduction paths = no good. If you can't "properly" clean them then purchase at least three new plugs install and crank. I recently helped a 280Z owner whose plugs were fouled due to EFI probs. His new plugs had seen a few hours service and were fouled to the point that they wouldn't work. (Covered in black soot from rich mixture) He could not properly clean them but thought he had. :)The car wouldn't start until he replaced the plugs. Does the 280Z rotor have a resistor built in? If so I'd replace the rotor. Newer cars have resistors in the rotor for noise suppression. When the resistor goes bad they stop carrying the spark but will still pass a continuity check. (Go figure!) A bad pickup in the dizzy is also a possibility. I'm told that there are extra precautions to take when doing spark testing on 280's. (To avoid damaging electronics) Check for vacuum leaks next. You're looking for a big one of course. It could be as simple as that. Once you've completely ruled out the ignition aspect then I'd look at the fuel system. An excellent book is How to Tune and Modify Bosch Fuel injection by Ben Watson. It explains the system in very simple terms and has excellent fault diagnosis content. Jim

Just curious how closely the vinyl matches compared to the old. (Reffering to Les' stuff) Are the diamond patterns exactly the same size? Does the headliner have the tiny perforations like the old one? Is the rocker panel vinyl included and if so how closely does it match the original in grain pattern. Curious, Jim

Sorry about Daisy Luke. She was a beautiful dog. Looks like she had a great disposition and was a great friend. I wouldn't be too concerned with any payback or pursuit of those that hit her. (Unless it was done intentionally in which case I'd make them pay dearly) Revenge can't bring Daisy back or make you feel any better. It could make your problems worse and land you in jail. I've had my dog for ten years and can't imagine him not being there. Dogs are truly a gift to man. Some people just don't get this. (People that could care less when they hurt dogs) While doing the speed limit through a residential neighborhood I just about nailed a kid on a bicycle the other day. He was flying through an intersection and had no brakes. It was almost as if he was a guided missile! I braked and swerved and ended up about 2ft shy of an oak tree when the dust settled. If I had been distracted or speeding or if things had been just a little different I'd be in a cell. The kid swerved at the last and I mean LAST second and got to live another day. He did stop and say he was sorry at least. My point is that I could have very easily killed or severely injured the kid even though I was "in the right" I'm hoping that these people that killed Daisy weren't trying to hit her much as some people try to hit cats, etc. I'd be willing to bet that it was an unfortunate accident for them. Jim

Thought it was intersting that the 350Z's track times were about 8 seconds faster. Not much and I'd expect better. That's a beautiful part of the world you have. As for the street driving with traffic it can't be helped that when you have that many Z's together there HAS to be some friendly competition. Nice vid Jim

http://www.centralfloridazclub.com/

Try running a fused jumper to the big white wire mentioned in my last post. Geezer is onto something.

My '71 240 should be similar. There is one fat white wire in the vicinity of the starter. It comes out of the harness parallel with the starter hookups. This wire supplies all of the power to the car. The White/red stripe is a continuance of the supply.(W/R is power INSIDE the passenger compartment) Check your connections and voltage of the white wire under the hood. This is where you should start. Get voltage to the white and then the white/red stripe and any further troubleshooting will be "easy". Jim

Try checking the voltage of the white wire with red stripe at several places. Look on the backside of the ammeter guage to make sure that nothing is fried. Check W/R wire at fuse box, and several spots on column. Rotate your fuses a bit to ensure that any corrosion is not an issue. Try tapping the top of the light switch. (If there's voltage there) Sometimes the contacts inside need to be cleaned. 2c Jim

oops missed a detail

You're positive it's not just a loose line or bad fuel hose right? Oftentimes people use the wrong sized hose and just clamp it a little tighter. (Reffering to previous owner) Doing this can result in a leak. The pump is a simple diaphragm with two one way valves. When it gets old the diaphragm tears and you have no flow. If this is the case you can expect the pump to fail soon... very soon. Some pumps have a small hole which allows the fuel to drip out. Sometimes the bypassed fuel drains into the crankcase and fills the oil pan a bit. Check your oil. Don't overtorque the new pump. You can crack the spacer.

It's probably not warped but... An engine machine shop will check flatness for free if you're nice. It takes a minute with a proper straightedge and feeler blades. While you're there ask them about the mating face. If it needs milling then the valves, cam towers etc willl have to come off. It will be cheaper for you to do the disassembly/reassembly. Just keep all parts labeled to the right # port. (Dixie cups are good) The price my shop used to charge for disassembly was around $150. Here's a link which might help you in understanding how to help your head gasket seal. http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/2434/gaskets_sealing_todayx2019s_engines.aspx More than likely it's just some corrosion in the aluminum. (Mating face of head)Probably some pitting near the water passage letting things get by. It could also be internal corrosion which has eaten through to one of the ports. (Zyglo or good visual inspection would detect this) If it is corrosion in the face of the head a new head gasket may not/probably won't cure it. (not for very long anyway ) The face of the head will need to be milled in this case. It's interesting when you start reading about heads and the surface finishes required on the mating surfaces. Today's standards of finish are greater than those in the past and modern car's head gaskets are designed for said finishes. As the head heats up it expands more than the iron block does so things slide. This is why it's good to have flat/smooth mating surfaces. "Smooth" is reffering to the "ra" or microfinish imparted during machining. Using sandpaper or other abrasives will damage the flatness. 2c Jim

BBB and ripoff report are two good places to check before ordering. Use a REAL credit card and not a bank card if you want a decent chance of getting your money back should things go wrong. The autoparts warehouse site reminds me of an I-net business I got burned at some time ago. Upon doing a BBB search they are also called "Parts Train"?? Seems like it might be good to steer clear of them. Rockauto seems to have good reviews. Before any online ordering I would call and verify that they actually have the part. I went to order a part for my Z which they seemed to have according to the 'net. Upon calling and asking for them to check and see if they had it they found they didn't. 2c Jim

As you might know a most points systems start on 12V and when IGN is switched to "run" they use 6V. Sometimes the black wires to the ballast are reversed which gives 6V for start and 12V for run. Running on 12V will burn points and quickly bake/kill a "normal" points coil. When I put my car back together I had said wires reversed and couldn't figure out why I was killing points/coils. A quick search on the board explained this simple mistake. 2c Jim