beermanpete

Our car had one gland come loose not too long after replaceing the struts. Luckily, we noticed it before it fully untrheaded or casued any damage. Perhaps we did not tighten it properly the first time around. Seems ok after re-tightening it.

To un-peen the nut we used a small cold chisel and managed to lift the peened area enough that no damage occured to the threads upon removal. To check if you have un-peened it enough crack the nut loose and then re-tighten slightly. When the peened area is back in the notch and the nut is not "tight" you should be able to rotate the nut by hand. If you can only turn it a few degrees you need to un-peen it more. We used a slide hammer to pull the stub axle before removing the strut from the car. We bought the 5 pounder from Harbor Freight. It is a cheapy but did the job. To torque the nut down without a torque wrench we cut a 4x4 to about 1 1/2 feet long, drill holes in it for the wheel studs and stood on it while holding the nut with a breaker bar wedged on the ground. Find a 200 pound person to step on the 4x4 at the point 1 foot from the axle center. Jump a little. Done. Not exact, but they have not come loose after several track events.

Rust, How far apart did you disassemble the engine? Did you find any reason for the low compression? How much time past between your "before" compression test and your "after" compression test? Does the cam move with the crank when you try to rotate the engine? The loose head bolts will not prevent the enigne from turning but will definielty cause other problems. If all else fails, remove the head again and look for foriegn objects, rust, or other problems in the cylinders. Make sure the engine turns easily all the way through before installing the head.

My research has lead me to believe that fusable links do not have a amperage rating per se. The guideline is to use a fusable link that is 2 wire gauges smaller that the regular wire it is in-line with. The fusable link at the starter motor must be able to carry the full output current of the alternator which is 60 amperes. Conventional fuses are not intended to carry the rated current 100 percent of the time. 80 percent is about the most they will carry indefinately. With that in mind, a 75 ampere fuse should do.

The Pertronix system has an adjustment for the air gap between the pick-up and the magnetic trigger (the black plastic ring you press onto the points cam). Perhaps the gap is too large? Check the voltage at the ballast resistor (with respect to ground). One side should be battery voltage, about 14 volts when the eninge is running. The other side should be about 9 or 10 volts at idle and rise to about 12 volts at high engine speed. Low voltage on the 14 volt side indicates a bad connection somewhere (or a weak charging system). Low voltage on the 9 volt side indicates a bad or incorrect ballast. The original ballst should be 1.6 ohms when cold (68 degrees F). The Pertonix coil might need a different value ballast. Check with Pertronix. If the voltage at the 14 volt side of the ballast is low or unstable check the connectors in the primary circuit. There are a lot of connectors involved, mostly under the dash. Check them all. The factory service manual shows where each one is. The primary circuit runs through: The fuse box (and a fuse) - check the fuses The ingition switch The ballast resistor The tachometer A lot of connectors If you have all the parts, put the points back on. If it runs properly the Pertonix module is bad. Another test of the Pertronix module would be to put in another Pertonix that you know to be good and see of anything changes. The coil could be damaged from overheating if the car was run too long without the ballast resistor. Try a different coil.

The dual point distributor for the Z is (was) only used in automatic transmission cars. The two sets of points operate separately, but only one set at a time. One set is has different base timing setting than the other. One set is used normally and the other set is used under certain conditions to lower emissions. This is not a performance enhacing set-up. The hot rod dual point set-up is used to increase dwell which helps high rpm performance with high power engines. The two sets work together, on set making the circuit and the other breaking the circuit. The advent of electonic ignition and computer controlled (adaptive) dwell seems to have place the dual point set-up in the closet next to the phonograph.

We have used 225/50R15 on 15X7 wheels at the track with our 240Z without any problems. The front only has space for about 3.5" backspace (0 offset with 7" wide wheels). The rear is ok at 4" backspace. We have not had any problems with the tires rubbing on the body and we did not roll the fenders.

Cygnusx1, You are correct. The back space is about 4". I just double checked. Faulty memory on my part. Sorry about that. Thanks for the double check.

Mark81, Your comments are unclear as to which side of the tire is rubbing. Options are: Smaller tire If rubbing on the inside: Wheel spacer Change to coilovers If rubbing on the outside: Different wheels with less offset (more backspace) Roll the inside edge of the fender down (see posts on "fender rolling") Flare the fenders New springs and shocks will not help. We have 225/50R15 on 15X7 wheels on our 73 240. The back space is about 3". In front the inside of the tire rubbed on the spring seat. A 1/4" wheel spacer fixed that. The rear fits without the spacer.

On my 73 240 the front crank pulley groove (of three) is bolted to the damper. It is used to drive the somg pump. If your car has this style of damper and it is not in use you should be able to remove it to increase the clearence with the fan.

I have though about using fork oil but hav enot tried it. There are multi viscosity fork oils available. Perhaps it will help even the cold to hot changes. I tried the SAE 20 3-in1 oil. It works ok. It seems to get consumed faster that engine oil. I ended up using 10W-30 or 10W-40 engine oil. It works as good as the others and I always have some since that is what I use in the engine.

Yes, I am speaking about the big nut on the bottom. I agree that it affects everything. However, its effect diminishes as the vacuum piston lifts (large throttle openings) due to the taper rate of the needle and the difference in area of the annulus. The part thottle mixture can be adjusted with the spring and/or the needle taper without any effect to the idle. Full lift mixture will depend on the needle size.

A few things I did not see mentioned: The suction springs can be changed to adjust the mixture. Stiffer springs will richen the mixture. Shims can be used to add preload as well. The mixture adjustment nut is an idle mixture adjustment. It has far more effect to the idle than at large throttle openings. Make sure the jet nozzle and all the other parts at the bottom of the carbs are clean and operate smoothly. If they get gummy or corroded and don't move freely the mixture will change every time you use the choke or make an adjustment. As mentioned by Cygnusx1 the Zs idle rich. The CO spec is 6% or less. This is very rich compared to typical American cars of the same period, which are typically about 1 to 1.5% CO.

I used the commonly available NPTF pipe plugs. 1/8" and 1/4" will fit. The thread form on the NPTF is different than the BSPT. 50 vs. 60 degree included angle on the thread but they are compatible enough for this application.

The distributor will only go in one way, as you figured out. The cam timing is not related to the ingition timing in this engine. Also, if the cam tinig was off the engine would not run. The internal parts of the distributor can be assembled 180 degrees out. This will make the rotor point to the opposite side. I spent some time sorting out a problem in my distributor for my 73 240Z and when I was done I had the thing backwards. It runs fine so I left it. The only consequence seems to be the plug wires cross over each other more so it looks funny.

You need to rebuld or replace the master cylinder. The bad seal is inside the master cylinder, not between the master and the booster (Master Vac). If your master was rebuilt/refurbished when you put it on it might still have a warranty.

Start by charging the battery. Your battery is discharged which could be why you are having difficulty jump-starting it. Charging system tests can be misleading if the battery is not fully charged. Once the battery is charged check the alternator output. The belt could be loose from the water pump repair. Another possibilty is the alternator or regulator could have failed.

Yes. A bad module will cause a no-spark condition during cranking or any other time.

It sounds like an igniton problem. Look at the points (if you have points) to make sure they are opening and closing. A bad condensor could also cause this type of problem. If you haven an electronic ignition then it might be the module.

The original master for the '72 is for drum brakes and has a pressure check valve for the rear brakes. The disc brake master from the ZX will not have the check valve. This could lead to problems. You can get a check valve from Wilwood or other suppliers that installs in-line to allow the use if a disk brake master with drum brakes.

I am in the San Fernando Valley and am interested in a Z club as well. My interest is mainly in racing, time trialing, and other race track events and activities. Regards, Peter

The two hoses are coolant hoses that connect to the carburetor and intake manifold to heat them. This is mostly an emission control issue. If you live in a warm climate you can get away without them. In a cold climate you might need to let the car warm up a long time before you can drive the car without hesitations and stumbles. For best power leave them disconnected. Regards, Peter