StinkyCheese

Took the fuel tank out of my '73 240z on Saturday to get it boiled out. When I fill up the tank I would get a very strong gas smell, so I know I have a leak. Also, a couple of weeks ago when I went to get it started, I found that I had to blow out the fuel lines to get fuel to flow. I assume I had some debris in the lines. After taking the tank off, I'm convinced the leak was a hose and not the tank itself. When I lowered the tank to get at the hidden hoses, the hidden hoses ripped in half! I guess they were a little tired.. I drained the tank and didn't find much in the tank. The picture shows some debris, but I think most of it is dirt from the outside of the tank. Another strange thing - when I took off the passenger side interior panel, there was a bunch of fiberglass insulation stuffed in there. Is that normal? Seems to me that would just absorb moisture and promote rust.. I've read people complaining that the filler tube is a pain to remove. Mine looks fine, and seems sturdy. What are my chances that I can just leave that in? Then I won't have to wait for the part to be delivered (if I can even order one..).

you should rev the motor in the video. does the sound get higher in pitch when you do?

The filter is before the pump, so the pump is sucking fuel from it. I took off the hose that went from the pump to the hard lines that feed the carbs. I hooked up a 4' piece of hose and directed it into a gas can. The FSM says I should be able to move 1/2 gallon in a minute, but I think it meant at idle speeds... How do you do that?? Anyway, with my daughter running the starter, the pump took a long time before it got fuel to the end of the hose. But when it did, it looked good (I guess). Like Bruce said, I should be able to fill the float bowls with the pump, so instead of trying to open it up, I hooked the hose back up to the carbs and cranked it. In about 15 seconds it started sputtering and a minute later I was revving! Such a sweet sound. That sound really brings a tear to my eye. Plus all the smoke in the garage helped. So anyway, after 5 months of off-an-on tinkering I took it for a short 2 mile drive. So happy. Since it appears I DID have a blockage, I think I'm on the path of dropping the fuel tank and getting it boiled out. THANKS everyone for your suggestions and help! These forums (and you guys) are amazing... Just wish I knew anything so I could give back! Who knows, maybe this thread will help someone lurking around...

The car has been sitting since October. It was nearly empty when it died, and I think I used all the fuel trying to get it started while diagnosing the spark problem. I put 5 fresh gallons in it last night. How will removing the plugs help? I'm confused... I'm headed to the parts store to get some long fuel lines so I can direct the fuel from the pump into a gas can. The FSM says I should be able to move 1/2 gallon in about a minute. I'm going to try that.

So I took the advice and blew some compressed air down both the hard lines. Lo and behold, I took the air off and gas started flowing into my filter. But it still won't start. When I try to start it, you can see the fuel moving inside the filter. The filter is about 1/2 full. When I start cranking you can see the level go down to about 1/4 and you can see "pulses" of fuel going out of the top of the filter toward the pump. (I took a video and tried to attach it, but it wouldn't take. ) Does anyone know if that is the proper behavior for the fuel. Should it be pulsing? The FSM says to test the pressure coming off the pump while the engine is running "at various speeds". Mine only runs at one speed - starter speed! It says "if the fuel in the carb float chamber has run out and engine has stopped, remove the clip and pour fuel into the carb." Can someone describe where I find this clip?

Cool, thanks

Cool, that's what I thought. Any idea what the spare wires are for?

You blew out the hard lines? Do you know how much gas you had in the tank when you did this? I read somewhere on this site that you have to have your tank 3/4 full for it to "prime" the line. I only have about 5 gallons right now. When you blew out the lines, how long did it take for the fuel to reach the front of the car? I wonder if there's a way to suck the fuel forward manually. I'd like to KNOW that the fuel isn't caught on a clog before I start tearing things apart..

No closure?? i have the same issue. What was the resolution?

I have a '73 240z, stock. I finally got it to spark (see http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41386), and now I'm trying to get fuel to it. After a month of trying to get it to spark, I may have run all of the fuel through it. I put 5 gallons in the tank and cranked the engine for a good 2 minutes with no success. The fuel filter is dry. I looked in my Haynes and Chilton manuals. Each suggest that the '73 didn't have an electrical pump - only the mechanical pump up front. I crawled under and couldn't find an electrical pump, either. At least not an external one. I took a couple of pictures of what I did see, and I'm a little confused. There are two wires coming out of a module on the tank. I assume these are the fuel-level indicator wires. There are 2 more wires in the bundle that look like they've never been hooked up. (see pictures). Either way, I'm not getting gas to my motor. There hasn't ever been ANY debris in the fuel filter - I don't think its a clogged line. Assuming my fuel lines are dry and I only have the mechanical pump, do I have to prime it somehow? Thanks for the help - I'm really a noob when it comes to this, but I'm really enjoying the education. (My wife is trying to talk me into selling it, she doesn't really believe that I enjoy working on it. Would be an easier sell if it was ACTUALLY RUNNING:angry:).

Good news/bad news. Good news- I have a spark now! Bad news- I don't know why. There is a wire that goes from the points to the side of the distributer (positive side?). This wire looked worn so I took it out and put in a temporary wire. Couldn't get a spark then, either. So i went to put it back in and i dropped a washer down next to the distributer shaft. I had to take off the points to get to it. When I got it all put back together I had a spark. I'm irritated that I don't know what fixed it. I'm still confused. It still isn't running. I know the spark is working, but i'm not getting fuel. I knew tis was coming - every time I went I cranked it I expected to smell unburnt fuel, but I never did. I can usually see fuel percolating in the fuel filter, but the fuel filter looks dry. I cranked it floored for a full 2 minutes and no fuel in the filter... Now I get to figure that out... THANKS to everyone who offered suggestions. I am so grateful that there are people out the like you who care enough to answer an amatuer's distress call! You're all awesome!

I also opened the gap manually, no spark. when i crank it the gap definately opens and closes.

I tried removing the spare condenser, that didnt change anything. When i have the distributer cap off and crank the motor, shouldnt I see a spark every time the gap opens and closes? It seems to me I've seen that before... Right now it doesn't show a spark, ever.. I don't have access to an analog meter. I don't want to declare the new coil bad, it cost me $50! Maybe I should order the "flamethrower" that everyone seems to love and take the one I got back to napa?

I get 12V on both the + side and - side of the coil.

Wow, thanks for taking the time to help! OK, I tried hooking the + side of the coil directly to the + side of the battery. Still no spark. I hooked up a spark plug directly to the coil and it doesn't spark either... The spark plug wires I got from the Nissan dealer, but I don't know the brand. They're about 6 months old. SteveJ, you say, "You should have 12 VDC on the positive terminal of the coil when you try to start the car and 9 VDC with the key in the RUN/ON position". My car isn't running, but the key is in the RUN/ON position, and I get 12V on the + of the coil. Does it have to be running for the ballast resistor to be used? Thanks for the description of the circuits. I tried to draw it up, but I'm confused.. I have a standard transmission. I took a picture of the dist. I made some notes on the pictures, I'd appreciate it if you could take a look.

Thank you SO MUCH for replying. I'm _this_ close to hauling it to a mechanic, but I'd so much rather work on it myself and learn... Yes, I get 12 V on the + side of the cooil when I turn the ignition on. I took off the wires from the - post and put my test wire on. I touched it to ground and nothing happened. I did this with the ignition off and on, no reaction. Should I get a spark? I attached a picture of my too-small-for-the-bracket coil...

I've had my '73 240z for a couple of years and its always run pretty decent, but it overheats in city driving. Last fall I was driving and hit some rush hour and it got pretty hot (about 3/4 of the gauge). After a while I got out of traffic and it started to cool down some, but about a mile from my house it started running really rough and 1/4 mile from my house it died completely. I coasted downhill to my house and pushed it into the garage. It wouldn't start, but I was so tired of the overheating I took the radiator out and got it rodded out. I also installed a fan shroud. After I got all that put back together, I've been trying to get it started, and it just won't start. I took the coil wire off of the distributor and held it next to the valve cover while my daughter cranked the starter. I expected a spark to jump across to the valve cover, but there was no spark. Doesn't that automatically mean the coil is bad. When it WAS running, it would hesitate when it hit 3500-4000 rpm. Doesn't that indicate a bad coil, too? I went and got a "IC70" coil from NAPA today. That's what their computer spit out as a replacement. Its a little skinnier than the old coil, but I tried it anyway. I don't get the coil-to-valve cover spark with this new coil either! What else can I try?