Zed Head

Figgers. Since you've confirmed spark (it stays running at 4000 RPM), you might draw more attention with a new title containing the word carburetor. The carb guys and the wiring guys tend to be two different groups. Good luck.

Are you using carbs or EFI? The problem sounds typical of the fuel pump contact in the AFM switch not completing the circuit, due to low air flow or being out of adjustment. Or, if it's a 78 or later system, the oil pump switch or alternator are not feeding the right fuel pump control relays.

In theory, you should be able to make a VR from another car work on the Z. The one in your picture looks a little like the 1974 VR I replaced after it boiled my battery, back in 1980. It was "solid state" but it was one of the first solid state VR's Mopar (not Nissan) used. Not modern today, but modern then (of course). Looking at your picture, it looks like you might have the charging wire connected to ground. If so, you might have melted a fusible link. Take a better picture from the back of the battery and describe the color of the wires that connect to each are. Your pictures are hard to see.

Your local Nissan dealer might have them. They probably have a better microfiche image also. #4 shows as highly available and cheap. Datsun 240Z/260Z Cylinder Block & Fitting L24, L26 (To Nov.-'74) DOWEL :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

One is probably a "top gear" switch. I think that all of the switches are normally open and close when activated. A multimeter, or battery and test light, will tell you which is which if you move the shift lever.

Did they work before you installed the lights? Here's a link to a diagram - http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/wiringdiagrams/240z/1971_240z.gif

"Grind" - I should have put 1 and 1 together. I'm having a slow day. Keep an eye out for complete engines and complete cars. Sometimes you can get them for the cost of the part you're looking for.

Just for fun and to get some camera practice, here's my F stamp. I notice that Miller Time said "grind mark" where mine is obviously a stamp. Either made with straight line three stamps or one F stamp. I'm still thinking that the Canada factor might apply. Nissan would likely put another letter on a cam with different specs.

Strike two for me for the day. I went out and checked and I have an "F" cam in my P79 head, not a "K". There are two cam specs. though, still, for the 1981-83 cams - Canada and USA. Maybe "K" is Canada and the Maxima N47. I've seen at least one post on Hybridz from a guy who had a "K" cam in a head that should have been "F". The"K"'s are out there, but not clear where they belong.

I oversimplified, neglected the booster in between the pedal and MC. These guys are right. You might consider loosening the nuts holding the MC to the booster and inserting some slotted shims, if you'd like to know before you take it apart again, to shorten the rod. You can get shims at most hardware stores, I know that Ace has them. You might also be able to feel if the rod is pressing the pistons in the MC when you have the nuts loose. I've also found that there's enough flex in the lines to remove the MC from the booster without breaking the fluid lines open, if you remove the line mounting brackets and the brake check switch. Can't remember why I did it but I didn't want to lose a good bleed.

Sounds like the rod from the pedal to the MC is adjusted too long. The hole that allows the fluid to return to the reservoir is covered, the fluid heats up and expands, causing the brakes to apply. One possibility. It's possible to adjust the rod from under the dash without removing the MC. A wrench, a pair of pliers and some contortions.

The "K" cam is common. I have one in my 1981 P79 head. The charts that float around the internet are not always 100% accurate and/or may be missing information. Canada specs were introduced in 1981, apparently, by the FSM data. That could be where the other letter comes from. BUT, the Canada specs. match the previous "A" cam specs. So really they introduced a new USA cam and kept the old specs in Canada, and went to internal lubrication. Each FSM has the specs. charted at the end of the Engine Mechanical chapter. The N47 heads all seem to come with an "A" cam.

They're purty cheap if you want to go back - http://www.courtesyparts.com/bushing-p-345116.html

Is Part #31 installed? Without it the lever will bounce around and buzz and you'll have loose-feeling shifting. Available through the dealer or courtesyparts.com. Datsun 280Z Transmission Control Lever & Fork (5 Speed-FS5W71B) (From Aug.-'76)

Your voltage measurements are right. The making and breaking of the primary circuit, to make the spark, only happens when the distributor is turning and the pickup coil is producing voltage changes (positive and negative current). The module breaks the ground circuit to protect the coil and module itself if the distributor's not turning. Ignition modules are hard to diagnose with just a meter. Your best bet is to pull a spark plug wire and stick a spark plug in. Ground the plug threads, spin the engine and watch for spark across the gap. The reluctor magnets on the ZX distributors are quite often broken, from the ones I've seen. If you have a used one and have never run it.

Thanks John. This whole conversation is about the difference between routing the heater outlet to the pump inlet or routing it to the radiator or thermostat housing. Started when I said in another thread that sending the coolant back to the radiator has been shown to be worse than blocking the port, when the typical bypass is done by sending it back to the pump inlet, not the radiator, so I had no basis for my statement, which I acknowledged later. It was a mental typo, radiator instead of pump inlet. My ending thesis after the word battle is that the Electromotive method of drilling the holes in the head indicate that there's more to the situation than just where the coolant ends up, in the inlet or at the T-stat housing. It's where you pull the coolant from that matters. Otherwise the guys that know, like Electromotive, would just run a hose from the heater supply port at the back of the head to the thermostat housing and get the same results. If we could get past the butting of heads, it's probably easy to answer. Maybe someone has even tried it and knows.

The distance from the flywheel to the surface on the collar that the clutch fork rides on should be about 92 mm. Lay the pressure plate down and set the collar on the fingers to take the measurement.

pakmule offers good advice. Many of the older Volvos have the same three wire connector that the TPS uses. They also have the same style of injector connectors, but of a better design. If you can get to a wrecking yard with Volvos in it you'll probably find a replacement that will get you by. If you need it. If you want to test the TPS itself, I think that it has numbers molded in to it to indicate which pin attaches to which circuit. I would test at the ECU connector first though, if it fails there it could be the wires (which is what the FSM means when it says "check the circuit") or the TPS itself. The pin numbers at the ECU are the same as on the TPS. p.s. I've heard good things about FricFracs connector package if you decide to replace your old ones with new. Junk yard parts tend to be stiff and dirty.

Yellow is the water temperature switch for activating the second magnetic pickup in the distributor, I believe.

Round and round... I expected better. Oh well.

From my view, the onus is on you to provide the data from the instrumented testing or a link to someone else's work, from an engine with the heater core supply line back to the radiator or the thermostat housing. You're making unsupported claims. Thought experiments. Conjecture. Supply the data, or the link to the data. It's just a BS session without it. Edit - Just to simplify - what we're really talking about here is the difference between drilling holes in to the cooling passages on the driver's side of the head (left) and plumbing that coolant flow to the thermostat housing versus just running the heater core bypass line to the thermostat housing instead of the heater core. That is the heart of the discussion. Much much easier and cheaper to just run a hose from the fitting already installed at the back of the head. Why isn't that the answer to the problem? That's the question that needs real data.

The 260Z's apparently are known for having weak voltage to the starter solenoid. Some people recommend a relay to get full battery power to it. Here's a couple of links describing a solution - "Click, Click - No Start" Fixed!! Tony D - Nissan : Datsun ZCar forum :Nissan Z Forum: 240Z to 370Z Ford Starter Solenoid? - Nissan : Datsun ZCar forum :Nissan Z Forum: 240Z to 370Z Of course, if your battery is weak, the problem gets even worse. Are you sure it has a full charge?

You would most likely be fine to just block both passages off completely. I started a new thread with pictures to show how the coolant gets to the heater core supply passage, for mine and Leon's discussion, and anyone else who's interested. The heater core supply passage is really most like an after thought to get hot coolant to the heater core. If the passage is blocked the coolant just flows back up the head to the thermostat with the rest of the coolant. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/engine-drivetrain-s30/49177-head-cooling-what-i-talking-about.html#post428557

Started a discussion over on Stanley's thread (link below) about bypassing the heater core and its effect on cooling. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/interior-s30/49100-dump-heater-keep-fan.html#post428554 Didn't want to muddy up his thread so I've posted a couple of pictures I took to show what I was talking about over there. The first shows the large passage at the back of the head which should flow a lot of the coolant up through the block and through the head from back to front. The heater core supply hose fitting has been removed and is lying on the head. The second shows my finger in the big passage and visible in the heater core supply passage. That's what I think would be the shortcut for the coolant if a large hose is attached to the fitting and coolant allowed to flow freely. Only posting for the record and the discussion. Not trying to win, it's just an interesting topic.

I can't agree. You're inferring from very little evidence. There's no real difference in flow through the head determined by where the coolant goes, whether it's back to the pump inlet or back to the radiator. In effect, going to the pump inlet pumps less water through the radiator. If the flow through the engine and thermostat was barely enough to remove the heat produced, you could argue that diverting hot water back to the inlet pushes things over the edge. But I haven't seen enough real evidence of why the overheating occurs. Most of the theories suggest that "spot boiling" over 5 and 6 is the initiation of a reduction in cooling capacity overall which then leads to overheating in general. The hole drilling and plumbing is intended to move more water over 5 and 6. I understand what you're saying I just haven't seen real evidence for it. Even in all of the pages of the head cooling thread on Hybridz. Lots of conjecture, some experiments with hole drilling and re-plumbing and some subtle results, but little understanding/explanation of what's really happening in the engine and head. If what you're suggesting is correct, then my statement about running the heater core supply back to the radiator directly would be a good idea, and cheaper than the hole-drilling an re-plumbing . Maybe it should be suggested over on Hybridz. It would be a lot easier than what's being done now. Edit - Sorry Stanley. This topic has generated a ton of discussion on a different forum. I'll stop now.