Zed Head

Edit - I see ZX in the title now so I'd guess it's one of the ZX's. Does it run now? Is it EFI? Have you had an engine apart before? The carburetors are a bolt on but the cam and the heads and the pistons will require complete disassembly, spending lots of money, and reassembly. What kind of Z are you working with?

Let's see if we can a start a fire and burn it down. Have you confirmed that you still have spark? The other half of the coil circuit is the ground side. The points are grounded through the distributor body. Maybe you knocked a wire loose or broke that ground circuit. If you get the rotor in the right place you can twist it to open and close the points, to see if you have spark. You'll see a spark between the points and one from the coil each time they open, with the key on.

Edit: short version - I think a roll pin fell out. The video is informative. If a person just accepts that something could break inside the transmission at first start after sitting for a short while it opens up possibilities. My best guess is that the transmission is stuck in a gear, probably 3rd or 4th, and that's why you get movement when the shift lever is in the neutral position, and why you don't get movement when you actually shift in to 1st or 2nd. Because then the transmission is in two gears at the same time. It feels like you're shifting in to different gears with the lever on 3,4, and 5, but it's probably all the same gear. The driveshaft speed seems the same for all "gears" that move. One thing that's known to happen is a retaining pin (roll pin) in a clutch fork can come out or break. So the fork becomes loose on the shift rod and doesn't move the sleeve. It's an easy fix once you get the transmission apart, just put a new pin in. Just a guess but it looks like you'll need to pull the transmission and take it apart. You might find the roll pin in the oil or near the drain hole, before pulling it, just to confirm. Or it might be stuck in the side of the fork. Part #7. Not sure where you'd get one but roll pins are pretty basic things. Probably take one to a hardware store and find a match. Datsun Z Transmission Control Lever & Fork (5 Speed-FS5W7...

10 bids. No sale. Many watchers. The comments are entertaining.

Here's one ending today. #633, being sold by a consignment guy apparently. Doesn't seem to know what people look for, several fill-ins in the comments. All of the undercarriage pictures are with the car on the ground. And all of the grime and oil collected over the years remains. Always surprising to see people pick someone who doesn't know the market to sell their car. Not just Z's, other brands too. Seems like they don't even browse past listings, they just toss it on BaT, get it sold, and get paid. Kind of a shame, seems like money left on the table. But, maybe a good buy for somebody. Some odd comments about the engine number even though it matches the ID plate. Still interesting. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-datsun-240z-143/

Probably have to contact them to be sure. I put one in the cart and went to checkout. Says it's shipped from Europe. If it was here it seems like it would show that. And, if it's in Europe I'd guess that tariffs will apply to get it in to the States. Also, sales tax in certain states. Not sure where CIC is. 6.5% in WA. Just researching to get a full picture. Cart totals Subtotal US$665 Shipment Flat rate: US$165 Shipping to United States (US). Change address Total US$830

I wonder what the bigger swirl pot looks like. They talk about it but didn't include the pictures. Apparently they deleted the filter sock also. https://shop.s30.world/product/07-77-till-12-78-datsun-280z-fairlady-z-fuel-tank-vapor "As seen in the pictures we deleted the internal filter and made a bigger swirl pot with a big baffle. The tank need to be operated with an external fuel filter." Total cost $830.

It was just an observation. He says that he thinks that he has a pin hole in the supply tube. Not the same as pin holes in the tank itself.

A link for the visuals. https://atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/fuel/gastank/index.htm I see the top that you might be referring to. Not sure you could fit normal size hands in there but some tiny ones might fit. 1977

People are pretty free with your money. 😄 If you had the tank out with the top open sitting in front of you then I'd suggest confirming that you have a leak in the intake tube. What do you mean by "pop the top open", anyway? Has it been cut open and rewelded in the past? Don't remember your history. If you have the time and want to save money then pull the tank and take it apart to confirm the pinhole. If it was mine I'd cut the leaking tube off with a tubing cutter and use a compression fitting to put a new piece in. But I'm cheap and like to improvise. Don't forget that everything before the pump is under suction when the pump is on. There are other places to suck in air. You need to confirm the source of your problem before deciding on a solution. You might be able to figure it out with a bore scope down the filler hole. Basics of Compression FittingsCompression fittings are a type of coupling used to connect two pipes or a pipe to a fixture or valve. Read on to learn more!

I modified my post above. I didn't put much work in to it besides writing many words. My reasoning was wrong. Need more details on what, exactly, is happening.

Reference point. $30,250 for a running driving 1971 project. Dirty, dusty, and in the middle of a densely populated metro area. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-354/

Appologies extended to anyone who read the below. Some of it is nonsense. I didn't think through the striking rod action, it can't act on two shift rods at once unless something is messed up at the other end, not the shift lever end. Illustration below. Plus there are check balls and interlock balls designed to keep the rods from moving at the same time. Really, your description just doesn't seem cohesive. The pieces don't fit together. Not sure what would break so suddenly to cause your symptoms. It was kind of hard to make sense of the description. When I read it I just assumed that the part above was a writing mistake since it didn't really fit the rest. But, if it's correct it implies, with the other observations, that there is internal damage to the transmission (edit - maybe as simple as bad shift lever bushings, see below. Don't know, just guessing). Tires up, brake off, there is a gear shift lever position which completely locks up the transmission. The fact that other gear shift positions allow the output shaft to spin or not spin with the engine continuing to run implies that other gear shift positions don't lock things up or do allow output shaft spinning. There's either something wrong with the observations or the writing or the transmission. I do know that it is possible to get the transmission in to two gears at the same time, locking it up. I don't know if that's possible using just the gear shift lever though, in an assembled transmission. It can happen if the shift fork rods are exposed but hard to see how the striker rod alone could do it since it is designed to work on one shift rod at a time. Maybe it's possible if something gets jammed in at the base of the shift lever causing the two rods to move at the same time. Spitballing based on the first post words. First thing I'd do is take the shift lever out and look in the hole.

The full double album's out there.

Z Car Depot IncSearch: 103 results found for "bushing"New, used, and OEM repair and replacement parts for Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX, and 510.

You might have bad shifter bushings. They are known to get brittle and fall apart. There are three of them, made of nylon or a similar plastic. Seems like the transmission is not actually in the gear you think it is. The dry clutch reservoir might have been a distraction. 31 and 32- https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/power-train/transmission-control/5-speed They are available from various sources, seach the part number. You can reach them from inside the car. Buy some extra clips/snap rings. You'll probably lose a few. Part # 29.

Yes, thanks Mitchel. I'm no expert but considering that he made it to the hospital and was under their care it would be a surprise if things went wrong. I hope he has family and/or friends around, besides us here on the internet.

Here's a similar car, linked below. Read the comments and the description and you'll see what people are looking for. A 1972 240Z is not super special so you might be disappointed in the offers if you're thinking of the 70 and 71 240Z prices. Beside that fact that the condition of the drivetrain is unknown, and it's an automatic. Maybe it was parked because the engine or transmission failed. Who knows. If you have the time and know some people it might be worthwhile to get it running and driving if you want maximum value. But, considering the 1996 tag and where it's been sitting, I'd expect all of the hydraulics to be shot, and the rear brakes stuck, and probably the engine also. And it probably has mice living in it. So, lots of work involved. Hate to be a buzzkill but that's just the reality of all old cars that sit for years. If you can haul it over to close to I-5 you might get more people to come take a look. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-datsun-240z-354/

Are you taking offers up to a certain time? How will you be deciding who to sell it to? What's your process? Looks like some work to get it to a populated area. Could be a fun adventure though. Good luck.

Side note for discussion - once the throttle blades are cracked the engine is on manifold vacuum. Ported vacuum timing is an idle-only/throttle-closed condition. Any driving performance changes would result only from other timing changes. Here's a good old paper. Unfortunately, the SAE controls many of the publications and they're behind a paywall. Interesting titles and abstracts, can't afford to read them. Side note 2 - many states only check emissions at idle. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8798

Does it run better than with ported vacuum? You've described what you do but not why you do it. Edit - there's a ton of discussion about it out there but most (all so far) of the reasons given by the various internet participants are opinion, many based on peronal theories about how engines work. Haven't found a solid explanation for why it was developed in the first place. I'll keep looking...

People fill tanks with water then empty them to be sure there are no fumes inisde or use dry ice to get rid of oxygen and fumes. But, really, if you empty the tank and let it dry until you can't smell gasoline you're safe. If your nose works. I've had a chemistry class and have a good nose though so feel a bit more confident than some might. Stick a fan on the fill hole and let some air pump through it to dry it out and see how you feel about it. Then throw some lit matches at it to be sure.

It can be if you jump certain pins on the EFI harness. 1977 has the combined EFI and fuel pump relay that controls the pump and the injection EFI system. I ran an engine on a stand by doing that. There are probably instructions out there but it's probably simplest to just look at the wiring diagrams. Or, you could remove the combined relay from the dashboard and plug it in separately. Let it hang. Probably easiest. I've mentioned this in the past also but I had found that my EFI engines would not start if the tachometer was disconnected. That problem went away after I switched to a GM HEI module ignition system. In short - remove the combined pump and EFI relay, separate the harness from the dash, plug it in and see what happens. Then unplug the tachometer and see if it starts. If it does, you should be good to go. Worst case, the shop has to push.

Find a local racer's forum. Maybe PIR has one.