10cjennings

While driving my 73 240z began to sputter and die, s if it was running out of gas. I checked and the fuel pump (it's an electric inline pump) was definitely not turning on. Towed the car home, lifted the back end up and after the key was in the ignition turned to where the fuel pump SHOULD work for 2-3 minutes it all of a sudden appeared to have turned the pump on (it was making it's standard noise), but still, no fuel was getting to the carbs. I hooked a Voltmeter up to the fuel pump wires and even though the pump would make noise, and I even saw a small spark when I hooked up the voltmeter it read no volts (I know it was working, read 12V on my car battery). So I pulled the fuel line directly off the pump, ran the pump and it is definitely not pumping gas through its self. I pulled the pump off the car, attached it to another car battery, and then it pumped fuel. So basically the pump works, the fuel lines/filter aren't clogged, and it appears as if the pump is not getting power (though it makes its "whirring" noise). So what I need to do is work my way backwards up the electrical system tryng to find the bad connection but I have no idea where to start. It's a '73 so I'm pretty sure there isn't a fuse for the fuel pump in the fuse box, and I have no idea what wiring behind the dash correlates to the pump. Any ideas on what I should be looking for to identify the fuel pump electrical parts, or other things I should check to narrow down the options? Thanks, Chris J. EDIT: So I put the pump back in, turned the key and for whatever reason it is now working agian (and getting a voltage reading on the pump wires). I'm sure whatever casued the problem will resurface soon, so I'd still like to know how to track down the fuel pump wiring on this car and figure out where the connection was lost.

I'm looking to buy my first S30, and I would really like the whole process to go smoothly. I've read every article I can come across as far as buyng one of these cars, and I've found a car (in orlando) that seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. I live in Miami, so I don't know too much about the Orlando area. Could you guys point me in the direction of any expert mechanics/shops located in Orlando that specialize in these old Z cars and would be able to give the car a thorough once over, checking for problems that a beginner like myself might miss before I commit to buying the car. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Chris J.

Yah, I've got a couple weeks before I can even list my current car for sale. Then once that gets sold I can start my search for a nice S30, I've been reading up as much as I can get my hands on so if you guys have any more recommendations let me know. Thanks!

Hey, My name's Chris, I'm a 17yr old High school senior graduating in only a couple short months. At the moment I own a 2000 Acura Integra GSR, I've been working on it for about a year and it's turned out pretty nice. I've been brought up in a big motor sports family (always been around cars, dirt bikes, R/C cars ect.), and I'm ready to tackle my first real project car this summer. With the money from selling the Integra (5-6K, maybe a bit more if I take the time to part it out), plus the 5-8K I should be getting from my summer employment I plan on having a decent amount of funds I can put basically all of towards a car to get the project started. I've been considering options from another Honda, S13/S14's, ae86, but the car that's always stuck out in my mind as the clear favorite is an S30. But at the same time it's the option I know the least about. I've got complete plans drawn out for the other options and I'm here to gather information, and see whether it's within my means to take an S30 (2-seater) in decent shape and get going on a project. It's not something I expect to complete in a single summer, nor a single year, but if It's within my means I'm ready to give it a shot. If you guys could provide any kind of insight, or point me in the direction of some good readings (or good places to buy parts for these cars) that'd be really appreciated. I have a very very rough idea of what I'd like to accomplish this summer, and an even rougher idea of long term goals but I'll post them below. Pick up a clean, running S30 for $5-9K with minimal rust Spend the summer (and approx 2.5K) fixing any small problems to keep the car in running order and rebuilding the suspension (Struts/springs, camber Kit, Sway Bar Kit, Urethane Bushings, some kind of Chassis bracing/stiffening) Long term Goal is a reliable L28et driven car, putting down 250+whp. Thanks