Z-Luke

It seems to me like there is way too much force required to push up my carb plungers. How hard should it be to push? On my motorcycle its way easier to push up. My car has initially good power when the throttle is cracked by then doesn't want to go, like the throttle isn't open. I think it might be the plungers going up and letting enough air in.

Well giggidy giggidy, poly bumpstops it is. If you're correct in your assumption that it's all places like Partsource would sell anyway, then great. Takes a while for me to get parts that I order and I'd hate to have the car up on stands for a month while i wait for bumpstops.

Poly is punishing. I'm all about regular non-racing parts when it comes to bushings/collars/etc which I'm hoping I can just get jobber parts for. I certainly hope its just a seized strut insert. The suspension on this car is so tired, I remember driving with my mechanic buddy and he was like "oh man, those shocks are old" and shook his head. If I don't go 1 mph over my driveway hump it will bounce the rear end off the ground.

Alright, my new Eibach/Tokico package is in the mail, but there's something odd about that passenger side rear suspension and I'm wondering what I should be looking for when I tear it down. The other three corners are saggy, gooshy-reacting when pushed down on suspension bits. They squish down progressively and bound back up like normal. However that rear corner isn't doing that. Its much harder to push down, and when you finally get enough weight on it, it "thunks" and then squishes a little. When driving, if you go over bumps you can hear something wrong on that side, and it feels like someone hit the rear quarter with a rubber mallet. Anyways, just wondering what that could be and if I should be expecting to replace something other than the stuff I already ordered.

Well I finally got that old stripped bolt out and took the ballast resistor out to have a closer look. When I flipped it over I laughed - this is the most simple thing ever. It's just a piece of resistance wire between the two connection points - 1.5 ohms from point A to B. I certainly don't need a new one, the thing is as simple as a stone. I took it apart and cleaned all the contacts as best I could (all very small bits) with sand paper. The metal sheath around it was really close to the wire and it might have been arcing to ground when wiggled. I nixed the metal sheath and isolated the whole thing with some electrical tape. I haven't started it up since the car has no battery right now, but I did make the connections at the ends a lot better because the one side was loose. I'll report back once I get it going. I found another electrical foible at the left headlight - the ground wire had a giant hole in it, and the actual wire inside was nowhere to be found. Kinda makes me suspect a dead short, but since its a ground wire I doubt it. I'll check continuity with my meter before crimping on a fresh wire.

I there Z owners, I have isolated a spark issue with my 240Z. It has many, many problems but one at a time right? Okay, so the ballast resistor by the coil. It does show 8 volts across, and there are only two posts where wires run (pos and neg side). I have seen some ballast resistors in pictures from forum members showing a third post in the middle with a mystery wire - whats that all about? Different model of car? Anyways, like I said my car has very weak spark. It starts just fine (I've read that the start position bypasses the ballast resistor but uses it in run) but sometimes doesn't stay running until I wiggle the resistor. Also, the screw that the ballast resistor is held on by is not screwed in all the way. Someone tried to tighten it but stripped the head, and it won't move even with vice grips/screwdriver combo. Is the ballast resistor supposed to be grounded? I ask this because if the car is idling steady, if I pick up the resistor off the metal it rests on the car dies. If I wiggle it, it will sputter and cough. I don't know if it's supposed to be grounded, but there is a metal sheath thats bent around it and thats what holds it to the inner wall. I don't have a picture yet. Its very loose and floppy because of the stripped screw, it will stay running as long as that metal sheath stays in contact with the car. If I lift the resistor, the car coughs and dies. I have not seen any pictures of the resistor on these forums that looks exactly like mine. Can I bypass this thing but jumpering across the top to posts? Is that safe or am I shorting out +/- in a damaging way? Thanks! -Luke 1970 240z, round tops. 15mmHg@2000rpm, 13.8V@3000rpm

What does the red brake warning mean? Check brakes? I fully intend to replace the pads and lines (which will require bleeding), I'm just getting together a shopping list

Pretty much anything I've driven thats around the age of my '70 240z usually requires a stand on the pedal to slow it down. The 68 F100 I borrowed comes to mind. While I'm not sure why this is exactly, I'd like to lighten the effort on my Z car to make it feel like more modern brakes, which is better for the autocross track. The master cylinder on my Z works - there is no drop in idle when the brakes are pressed, and when the car is shut off the pedal becomes waaaay heavier like it should since there is no vaccuum. So I think its okay there. The pedal seems to have a lot of slop (freeplay) before I feel the resistance and subsequent stopping forces. There is a light on the dashboard that illuminates red, "BRAKE", when I reach this point in the pedal travel. I'm not sure why thats there, unless if its to warn me that the pads need replacing or something. I'm pretty sure the slop is because the pads and shoes are worn, but there is no squeeling or the like yet. I'll definetly replace in the spring. But I'm just wondering what else I can do to help make the whole braking system feel "safer". I think the brakes that come on this car are adequate enough for its sub-2400 lb weight. I dont really care about how "original" the parts are, I'm totally willing to upgrade whatever I need to, I just don't want to spend a bajillion dollars.

Posting an update - and I doubt this is the problem thats causing the symptoms above but I figured I'd post it anyhow - its about the plungers/pistons inside the carbs. The cab-side carb piston moves up and down smoothly and makes gooshy air noises just like my motorcycle carb ones. However, the front side one takes a tremendous amount of force to move up, and does not make air wooshing noises. There is no way venturi air pressure is going to move this thing. I checked both oil res. and they both seem to have AT fluid in them, although I can't tell the level (I don't see any inside but the dipstick comes up wet with it).

yeah I might have to settle for no name other than 'the Datsun'. A name shouldn't be forced on a car, it should just happen. Although when I drove over to my mechanic friend's place, his wife called it the Penis car. So maybe I'll call it that!

Good names for good reasons! I still can't decide on one. What do you think of "Peach"?

Did you name your Z? Is it a boy car or a girl car? Why did you choose that name, or did it just happen (and how)? I'm a new Z owner of an orange '70 240. I'm thinking of calling her Pumpkin, Dizzy, or Kitty.

yeah we lubed the weights, they look clean though. The mechanical advance is working we checked with a timing light. The dist was set at 1 notch to advance, we moved it forward a few notches and that bought the torque on a little sooner but it still had no guts in the mid-to-upper rpm. We can't make the vaccuum advance work but sucking on the tube, it moved a little but not much. Getting about 6 hg's at idle of the advance and it goes up with engine speed. Might be working, hard to tell. I'll replace the vaccuum advance pot. Still feels like its not getting gas. I'm done for today though I'll get back at it tommorrow. Engine isn't putting out enough power to get past 70 mph still, and if i release the throttle for a second and then just press it slighty it seems to pull hardest. Any more throttle and it just wheezes out. I suspect carb and fuel delivery trouble I think the ignition is mostly okay.

The idle doesnt change with brakes. This evening after I went and pumped some air in the tires, I had it warmed up good and it still accelerates nice and hard at almost no throttle between 1500-3000 rpm. I tried tipping my toe a bit (hard to tell, short throttle travel on this guy) it popped and jerked and slowed down. I tried to replace the rotor but the jobber bit PartSource sold me is WAY taller and it wouldn't fit, the cap just had no room to go on. I checked the fuel filter and its only filled to about 1/2 inch up with gas. I can see it getting sucked up by the engine. I thought I read on the forum somewhere that it should be completely submerged in gas but I can't duplicate my search result at all. Is it supposed to be full of gas or just have some pooled in it? Could be that the fuel aint getting where it needs to be like Walter says. Its a brand new filter by the way, looks like the previous owner was troubleshooting the problem. I bought it from a "farm boy" who said the carbs need rebuilding. I don't disagree with him, but to me it seems like the carbs are doing at least a somewhat capable job considering I flooded the motor the other day playing with the choke too much. Where is the other inline filter on the gas tank? I haven't had a chance to roll under the car too much lately. Do I have to drop the tank to find it? I should mention that, given the fuel gauge is operating correctly, the car is getting overly good gas mileage in my opinion. Only used a very small portion of what I poured in coming back from another town (where I bought the car).

Sounds like improper lifting, jacking up the floor pan. I did it by accident on my AE86 Toyota. I was pumping that jack like crazy but the car wasn't lifting! Why no up!? oops.

Thanks for the responses! I'll be sure to check into it this weekend. I have absolutely no daylight by the time I get home. I've got 8 volts on the coil at idle, 12.9 on the battery. Pretty sure I've got a soggy alternator. The lights on the dash and the headlight that works get brighter with RPM. I'll probably get a new internally regulated unit at some point. I pulled out some plugs and they were as black as the sky at night, but I did flood the every loving nuts off of it the other day (choke got stuck) so I only just cleared it as it got dark. Couldn't pull them again because I couldn't see.

After some HEAVY searching on the forums I have found a lot of information about not revving over a certain RPM (5000) and all the issues that could lead up to that. I think I'm having ignition issues combined with carb issues. The carbs I'm going to get rebuild, but when I look for ignition troubles I can't seem to find what the correct advance is supposed to be. So far I've found that at @700rpm you're upposed to have 17 degrees BTDC of advance. But what is supposed to be at speed? My car is exhibiting the following symptoms (4-screw dome, 1970 L24) - hesitation, poor idle, won't ide when cold. - using more than 1/4 throttle the car loses power at 70 mph if I push the throttle in the car slows down, if I ease up on it the car speeds up. Engine will not go over 4000 rpm under load, 5000 rpm in neutral. Exhaust note goes very flat and it doesn't sound like its "working". I'm going to tackle ignition first and on Saturday I'm going to check the timing with some help. On the boards I've noticed mostly the trouble seems to come from spark plugs (new in this car), and rotor/dist cap. Timing is mentioned a lot but is rarely the cause. The car never seems to spew black even with the choke closed so it could be running lean. I think I had gone 20 miles at 70 mph before i noticed my foot was to the floor. It just didn't sound like it was trying. In street driving, part throttle operating results in STRONG engine performance 1/4 throttle shot to 50mph in second gear, felt great. This is all inconsistent, sometimes its totally flat. Sometimes it just bucks and hesitates not unlike my motorbike when its cold and the choke is open.

Does the stock distributor still handle the advance? I don't think its entirely vaccuum advance is it, should be mechanical. Not familiar with these older setups, but I will be! I wonder if it would combine well with the euro distributor, I don't trust the one I have.

Is this to which you guys are referring? http://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/PROD/PEIC10/12-4020 Seems to come with the ignitor and the coil but not a distributor itself. I would like to get a brand new unit as I think I have some serious ignition issues I need to weed out. I'm going to replace the whole shabang. Am I to understand you still need points in the distributor to tell the electric ignition to fire?

Not typically a football fan, so I typically root for the Stampeders just to get under people's skin! First question I would have is should I bother trying to fix or rebuild the carbs myself (tried and failed on a pair of mikuni's on my old suzuki) or just get the $630 special from Ztherapy.

Hello there, I'm going to have to start combing through threads for a while looking for tips, hints, and absorb the collective knowledge of the boads because I just bought myself an ORANGE 1970 DATSUN 240Z! for better or for worse and for more money than is responsible for a 40 year old car! Its exciting and scary at the same time considering the investment required. Needs carbs rebuildt, some body work, new shocks and the shiftings quite sloppy but hey - its an old car, and its not going to get much better than this and it does drive reasonably well. It's not quite as attention-requiring to drive as the 68 F100 3-on-tree I borrowed a few months back but its pretty close considering there aint no mirrors! Anyways, I should be able to produce pictures soon. I hope to autocross it lightly next year - just for fun, not competition. But the engine sure feels strong when its getting gas from the carbs so who knows!