Gary in NJ

Nice burger, but they can't sell it with a 240Z toy in San Fransisco.

I sometimes have that same condition. In my case it's more of an intermittent issue then a loose connection.

Cotter pin and clevis. Remove the cotter and push the clevis out.

If it's the part depicted in the photo that Mike posted (which I believe it is), it's part of the throttle opener system (vacuum control valve & servo diaphragm) that is part of the emission control system. Many people have removed the equipment years ago along with the air pump. Some just disabled the air pump, closed-off the exhaust injector lines and left the equipment in place. There's really no reason to restore the system. I have the throttle opener still installed on my car, but it's not functioning. If I get bored one evening during the winter, I'll polish the balance tube and in the process remove the non-functioning equipment.

That's the fast idle circuit that is used when sync'ing the carbs. No spring is needed there, just make sure that the adjustment screw doesn't make contact with the tab.

Believe it or not, the FSM has pictures too.

What's your mechanical aptitude? Can you weld? Are you willing to invest several or more thousands in parts, 100's of hours of body work and then many thousands for paint? If any of these questions makes you pause, then $400 is too much. That car is a hand full.

Contrary to popular belief, higher octane fuels burn slower then lower octane fuels. Unless you have hi compression pistons or forced induction, the 110 wont net you any additional HP. It will have better throttle response.

A group of us went to the NJ Motorsports Park in Millville NJ this weekend to go karting. I've gone karting a few times in the past, so I was excited to go again. We went with a group of 14, mostly adults and some teenagers too. I brought my 16 year-old son Connor. Connor and I use to race motocross so I knew he would like karts. He has just started driving (has about 5 miles experience) this week so I thought it would be a good driving lesson for him as well. First race of the day I took first. Not much of a surprise since I had taken a two-day karting class 12 years ago. Connor took 8th. Lots of trash talk ensued amongst the group, which is the best part of racing. Second race out I took first, Connor took 3rd. The trash talk reached a new level as I show everyone the back of my helmet and told them to get use to seeing it. Third race I took first, Connor took 2nd. He was on my bumper the entire race watching every line I took. He was a good MX racer so he fully understands the importance of line selection and, more importantly when not to shadow the line in front of you. The final race I spun-out early dropping from 1st to midpack. I worked my way up to 3rd. As I was getting ready to pass second my buddy behind me slammed me from behind spinning me off the track. I laughed my butt off because they finally had a crack at me and after all of my trash talk I deserved to be taken out. I passed the flag in 4th and pulled into the pits, to see that Connor took 1st. He also had the the fastest lap time of the day beating my best by a full second. I was more proud of him winning then anything. If you haven't been karting you'd be surprised at how much fun it is. It's REAL racing. The rent-a-karts are governed to 60 mph, so the only way to find speed is through line selection and cornering. The NJ Motorsports Park is an outstanding facility. After karting we went and watched some sports car racing, formula-type cars and sport bikes. I felt like I had made it to heaven. I kind of have the kart bug and may look into somehow increasing my participation in this very cool activity.

NJ as well. The good news is that there is a station 25 miles West of me in PA. I think I'll get the tank low and go top-off with "good gas" for winter storage.

Outstanding. Enjoy every mile you drive it.

I'd darn-near (I'm sure they'd take $15,000) pay that much for a car in that condition...if it wasn't brown.

If you like your current rims, tirerack.com is showing 2 different BF Goodrich tires in that size, T/A (Performance All Season) & T/A Drag Radial (DOT Track). Regarding new rims, there are more tire choices for 16" rims then there are for 15". You'll pay more for 16" rims and tires.

In the 175SR14, the "S" is the speed rating (S=112mph, H=130mph). The 240's did come with 175SR14 (which has a 78 aspect ratio), however, the OP was asking about his 280Z, which came with the 195's. A 175/78-14 and 195/70-14 have the exact overall height (24-3/4") and as a result the same revolution's per mile (815.35).

The recommended range is 28-32psi. I like the higher value because the steering is noticeably lighter at parking-lot speeds and more "nimble" at higher speeds.

Of course I should point out that "they would give a better ride" refers to tires of the same brand and model. Side walls vary from different manufacturers. But as a general rule of thumb, a 70 series tire will be more "compliant" then a 60 series. Also 7mm may seem insignificant, but it's actually double that figure (think of it as 7mm above the rim and 7mm below the rim). 14mm in total is about 9/16 of an inch in overall height, or 18 feet of rolling distance resulting in a speedo error of 2.2%. Yes, I AM a tire nerd.

195/70-14 is the stock size. I would choose that size over the 185/70's. They would give a better ride and the spedo would be more accurate.

Not a big fan of body kits, but I am a big fan of 65 GTO's. I like that FrankenDatsun.

I think I saw this car on Craigslist. Good luck and welcome to Z club.

Despite being in rough condition, it looks like it might be a very good candidate for some type of restoration. I look forward to seeing what Dad-the-Bodyman does to this car.

To confirm the condition of the battery and charging system you'll need to get a volt meter on the battery and check its static state (12.5VDC +/- .3) and the current to the battery when the car is running (14VDC +/- .3). It sounds like you may have several issues going with your car. Attack one at a time. You mentioned that you ordered a "tune-up" kit, but it sounds like you'll need to address the setting on the carbs as well. You'll need a Unisync for that job. I assume you have a timing strobe light for the tune-up itself.

Pumping the throttle while cranking does little with the CV carbs. Is all of this poor running only happening while the choke is engaged, or is it all of the time? Have you taken a look at the nozzles to confirm that they are moving when the choke is engaged and disengaged? With the choke disengaged, can you move the nozzles further in the "up" direction? You're gonna have to dig a into the carbs to come-up with some more details. The popping you hear is most likely back-firing through the rear carb.

The part number looks like 16061-E4310. Courtesy Nissan has 'em in stock for $14.69 each. EDIT: This was the first time that I successfully used the on-line microfiche (http://carfiche.com/fiche009/s30/index.pl?1:b:1). It took a lot of hunting and pecking to find the part number, but it was there.

Some other suggestions: - Go to a car wash where they have the clean-it-yourself bays. Otherwise you'll be making a giant mess in your driveway. - The wands at the car wash are much more powerful then a garden hose so keep the wand a good 2 feet from the engine. - Wash the car when you are done because the dirt/oil/gunk will fly all over.

That is the method I use on my dirtbikes. It just isn't practical in a car. First and foremost, unlike a dirtbike, we typically don't drive our cars at WOT. We throttle them and therefore we need to set the air:fuel mixture in the range that we normally operate. Also, on a single cylinder dirtbike that revs at 10,000 to 15,000 rpm, one minute of operating gets you a lot of combustion cycles from which to read. The method of spark reading I provided above will give you a fair representation based on your typical driving style.