Captain Obvious

Robert, Your bar sounds just like how mine was. I don't think anyone bumped mine. I'm thinking that it was just thermal expansion and contraction. It's too consistent across owners. Take your bar off when you get a chance and see what the sealing surfaces look like. Haha!! Maybe I've got another one of these things in me? Are your tubes in good shape? Mostly straight and spray holes not messed up? I thought one of the aftermarket vendors offered one? Either MSA or Black Dragon? Do they not offer it anymore?

5thhorsemann, Thanks for the encouragement and input. I've made three of these things to date and each one has been easier than the first, but even even after three of them, there is STILL no way anyone would want to pay what these things really cost. As I'm sure you can tell, it's all labor. A CNC shop could whip the basic parts out at quantity at a reasonable price, but like you said... I'm turning handles! Very old handles. Thanks also for the input on the center mount. That's the one part of my design that I'm still not thrilled with. I've been struggling with a way to improve the design and I'm toying with a few ideas on that center bracket to use on the next one. I had considered making a thicker center mount out of aluminum blocks, but I hadn't thought about extending it farther and cutting a slot for the oil holes closest to the center mount. One of the other non-obvious things that I get with the thin center bracket is that it allows for significant misalignment of the tubes. By that, I mean, I want the distribution blocks to establish the locations of the tubes, and the center bracket is there simply to keep the cantilevered tubes from flopping around in the wind. With that long length between mounting points, I wouldn't want the tubes to be tightly constrained at both ends (axially OR radially). One end or the other. My current thoughts on that center bracket is to leave it stock, and then let the long tubes (the two center ones) float into the distribution blocks on O-rings. The O-rings would seal while still allowing the tubes to move in and out as their lengths changed. The two short tubes would still thread in, but the longer ones would slide. I would have to put sleeves onto the tubes to block the original oil feed hole and clean up the uneven surface, but that would still be easier than turning the threaded couplers. Bummer about the Bridgeport. That hurts.

Robert, I understand completely, and I looked at the original distribution blocks for a good long time trying to decide if I could reuse them. In the end I decided that it would just be better to start fresh. To answer your question... There probably is enough meat on the original blocks to thread them, but my blocks had other issues as well. The rear block itself was bent and that was what was causing my rear tube to slant inwards (like yours). Also the mating surfaces of both blocks where they seat onto the cam tower was gouged, probably from the temperature related squirming. Your blocks might be in better shape than mine, but with all my block's issues in mind, I cut the cord. The new from scratch blocks also allowed me to include larger seating surfaces on both sides... One side onto the tower which keeps the distribution blocks square to the tower, and the other side for the lid which ensures a much better seal than the original one. So, in the end, I think it's possible to thread and re-use the original blocks, but you'd be missing out on some of the improvements. Is it worth the time savings? It wasn't to me.

I never knew they used flush anchors like that. I'll have to take a look at the JY next time I'm there. I'm actually thinking that I'm going to sell the Z32 soon, so I probably shouldn't even consider making changes like that right now! :laugh:

Where did you get your replacement gaskets? Did you buy a whole set, or just the upper? I'm thinking that I'm going to have to be doing this soon...

Gotcha. Thanks for the guidance. My (buddies) pull is coming up sometime soon. Maybe within a week. I'm thinking that this thread and some others I've seen recently has saved us at least an hour of sweating and swearing. All the while with the engine and tranny dangling from the hoist!! :bulb:

So you're saying that if you're planning to pull the engine and tranny out as a unit, you should have the whole car at least 15" off the ground? Is that so the tranny tail doesn't hit the ground when you tip the water pump end up?

Seems there's been a rash of this in the past month... Haha! Maybe it's the same guy and he's just messin' with us?

I was under the impression that the old radiators would rot out right there in the car. You didn't have to take them anywhere special for that to happen. (nyuck nyuck)

And, as stupid as a question as it is (seeing as it's a new cap and all) I just have to ask. Are you sure that the rubber seal that's supposed to seal the cap against the filler hole is in good shape and is contacting in the correct location? I know, I know...

Haha! Gotcha! The negative pressure relief will certainly do that if the seal is dead. Good call! I recently had a friend that didn't believe there was any sort of vent in the cap at all. Didn't believe me until I showed him. I think Datsun did a neat job of incorporating that feature into the cap.

I'll admit that it's been a long while since I really looked at the straps on my S30, but I remember the ability to very quickly completely uncouple the strap from the car. If (failing) memory serves, I would loosen up the strap up a little (just enough to lift the stuff in the rear) and then use that detachable mounting plate you mentioned to release the strap from the car. I loved that feature.

I've got a Z32 as well, and one of the things that I've always disliked on that car is the ability to pop the stap off at once without having to mess with the tightening buckle. I don't know if you use that feature on your 1G Z, but if it were me I would absolutely do the keyhole mount on the end. Also, just me, but I don't like the sound of cam-lock buckles back there. I very rarely use the cargo straps at all, and the top priority for me would be flat. Strength and ease of tightening is second order. Flat and quick release without having to unwind the whole strap to lift the platform below.

I don't have a 71 FSM loaded, but if the 71 has the same emissions setup as 72, then I don't think there's a pressure relief on the gas cap. When the gas tank pressure goes above 10mmHg, it's supposed to force the flow guide valve open and pass the gas vapors into the crankcase. (EC-14 and EC-15 of the 1972 manual) Maybe your flow guide valve is stuck shut? Maybe the vent line between the tank and the flow guide valve is clogged? Maybe it's simply a split in the rubber filler neck? Does the tank "woosh" out some vapor when you pop the cap after sitting in the sun on a hot day?

Right. That's what I posted that I found in the FSM's as well. But it's not just the 240... The 260Z also had a speaker back by the antenna, as did the first two years of the 280Z. But what I'm talking about are the models that DID have the speaker locations below the quarter windows right behind the seats and have perfs in the trim panels for the speakers. That's what I found on mine. I'm pretty sure that we're both saying the same thing, but you threw me a little when you said that "no speakers were ever offered there". There were most definately speakers offered there... But not until 1977. We're all saying the same thing, right? :classic:

And just to clarify what I'm talking about... I'm talking about the perforations below the quarter windows on both sides right behind the seats. The ones that are right on top of the speakers that mount there. Page BE-5 of the 77 FSM: It's looking like earlier years didn't put speakers there, but later years clearly did. I'm out of town, but I'll snap some pics when I get a chance.

I just took a look back through some of the FSM's and it appears that the transition from back by the antenna to up right behind the seats ocurred between 76 and 77. 72 - Fig BE-38 - Back left near antenna 73 - Fig BE-38 - Back left near antenna 74 - Fig BE-129 - Back left near antenna 76 - Fig BE-136 - Back left near antenna 77 - Fig BE-140 - Back right behind pass seat So what about the trim piece around the rear quarter windows? I've seen them on ebay listed by years, but most of the ones I've seen for 77-78 have the speaker hole perfs in them. I'm guessing that everything prior to 77 was solid, and everything after was perforated on both sides?

Thanks guys for the confirmation. I'll stop looking for the wires for the other side speaker. As for which side it's on... I can confirm from very recent experience that the one and only one speaker is on the passenger side. At least in 77. They may have put it on the driver's side in other years, but my car matches the FSM and it's on the right side. You mean that both sides had perforations in the trim panels for the speakers regardless if they were there or not?

So I've been removing the radio that my previous owner put in and as part of that removal process, I have turned up what look to be the original pair of wires for the stock speaker below the rear quarter window on the passenger side. However, I did not turn up a pair of similar wires on the driver's side. Went to the FSM and it appears that there was only one speaker on the original radio system, and it was on the pass side. Is that correct? Interesting though... I've got symmetric factory mounting holes in the body on both sides. Just below the quarter windows for speakers on each side, but at the factory, they only ever populated one of them? They never put a speaker on the driver's side? TIA for enlightenment.

I've had some issues with the water temp switch in the past on my 260, and have put together the below in an effort to help other owners diagnose issues with the system. I'm no expert and it's certainly conceivable that I've made mistakes with the below, or missed something somewhere, and I'd be happy to hear about it. Keep in mind that the only year I've laid hands on is 74, so other years info is somewhat speculative in areas and has been gleaned from documentation sources. Also, if there anyone would like to add info for years 75-78, that would be excellent. Respectfully submitted.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Water Temperture Switch - What It Does: Starting on the 1974 260Z, Datsun included a "Water Temperature Switch" located in the thermostat housing. It is used to control ignition timing and EGR actuation. Looking in the earlier manuals, it's clear that the origins of the water temperature switch actually started in 1971 when a device known as the "Thermo-Switch" and corresponding "Thermo-Relay" was used to control ignition timing on the automatic transmission version cars (1972 manual page EC-11). Here is a description of the systems for a few years. The reference pages are based on the FSM for that year. ~~ 1972 240Z ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1972 - The "thermo-switch" and "thermo-relay" were used only on automatic transmission cars (EC-11 and BE-5) to control ignition timing. If included, the thermo-switch is located near the passenger's feet (Fig BE-1) and the thermo-relay is located in the engine compartment on the wheel well below the ignition coil (Fig BE-1). The remainder of the 1972 details below apply only to the automatic transmission cars as the manual transmissions versions did not have a thermo-switch or thermo-relay installed. The thermo-switch characteristics are as follows (EC-11): On (closed) below 30 F Off (open) above 52 F The thermo-relay characteristics are as follows (EC-21): One set of Normally Closed (N/C) contacts System operation is as follows: When cold, the thermo-switch is closed and the thermo-relay is energized. The normally closed contacts are open and the ignition timing is controlled by the advanced points. When warm, the thermo-switch opens and the thermo-relay de-energizes. The normally closed contacts are closed and the retarded timing points short across the advanced points which over-rides the signal from the advanced points. In this way, the ignition timing when warm is controlled by the retarded points. ~~ 1973 240Z ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1973 - The "thermo-switch" was used on all cars to control EGR function (BE-5 and BE-6), and in addition, automatic transmission cars also included the "thermo-relay" to control ignition timing (BE-6). The thermo-switch is located near the passenger's feet (Fig ET-44 and Fig BE-2 #16) The thermo-relay, if included, is located in the engine compartment on the wheel well below the ignition coil (Fig BE-2 #24). The thermo-switch characteristics are as follows (ET-21 and EC-12): On (closed) below 30 F Off (open) above 52 F The thermo-relay characteristics are as follows (Fig ET-37): One set of Normally Closed (N/C) contacts System operation is as follows: When cold, the thermo-switch is closed, the EGR solenoid valve is energized, and the EGR function is disabled (EC-19). Also on auto trans cars, the thermo-relay is energized. The normally closed contacts are open and the ignition timing is controlled by the advanced points. When warm, the thermo-switch opens and both the EGR solenoid valve and thermo-relay de-energize. When the EGR solenoid valve is de-energized, the EGR function is enabled, and when the thermo-relay is de-energized, the normally closed contacts are closed and the retarded timing points short across the advanced points which over-rides the signal from the advanced points. In this way, the ignition timing when warm is controlled by the retarded points (Fig EE-62). ~~ 1974 260Z ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1974 - The location of the temperature sensing device was moved from the passenger footwell to the thermostat housing and the name changed to the "Water Temperature Switch". The water temperature SWITCH is located next to the water temperature SENDER (not switch). The water temperature SENDER is used to control the temperature gauge on the dashboard, while the water temp SWITCH is used for EGR and ignition timing control. The water temp SENDER has one bullet style connector on it, while the temp SWITCH has two wires coming out of it which go to a two wire connector. They also changed the name of the associated relay from the Thermo-relay to the "Advance control relay" (Fig EE-60) or the "EGR Relay" (wiring diagrams). The location of the advance/EGR control relay remained located below the coil. All cars used a water temp switch and a advance/EGR control relay regardless of the transmission variety (see wiring diagrams for both versions), although only the automatic transmission cars varied the ignition timing. The changing of the ignition timing is now controlled inside the electronic ignition module and the auto and manual trans cars used different ignition modules because of this. The manual trans cars have a fixed ignition timing, while the auto trans cars have the ability to choose between an advanced or retarded pickup signal from the distributor. The manual trans cars only have one pickup. The water temp switch characteristics are as follows (EC-28): Off (open) below 88 F On (closed) above 106 F (* Note that the operation direction is different than previous years. It is now OFF-COLD, ON-HOT) The thermo-relay characteristics are as follows (Fig EC-28): Two sets of contacts. One set of Normally Closed (N/C) contacts used for EGR control One set of Normally Open (N/O) contacts used to send a signal to the ignition module System operation is as follows: When cold, the water temp switch is open and the advance/EGR control relay is de-energized. The N/C contacts allow power to flow to the EGR solenoid valve and the EGR function is disabled (Fig EC-28). The N/O contacts are open which open circuits the ignition module timing control signal line which tells the auto-trans ignition module to use the advanced pickup signal (EE-34). When warm. the water temp switch is closes and energizes the advance/EGR control relay. The N/C contacts open and de-energize the EGR solenoid valve which enables EGR function (Fig EC-28). the N/O contacts close which sends a 12V signal to the ignition module. This 12V signal tells the ignition module (if so equipped) to use the retarded pickup signal from the distributor (EE-34). Note that all the related wiring is the same for both the manual and auto trans cars (see wiring diagrams), but the difference is inside the ignition module itself. The manual trans module gets the same signal as the auto, but it simply has no effect. Some general notes for 74: If you were to use a manual trans ignition module on your auto car it would work, but your timing would be fixed to the advanced pickup. (Proof is left to the student) You cannot use an auto trans ignition module on a manual car without making some additional modifications. In theory, you could break the connection between the advance/EGR relay and the ignition module and then time the ignition off just one pickup, but you would have to figure out which pickup input is active and ground or hardwire the control signal to 12V accordingly. (Again, proof is left to the student) If you have a manual trans car and have removed the EGR valve, then the water temp switch and the advance/EGR relay are both doing absolutely nothing. There is a grounding mistake on the black wire from the temp switch (missing dot to a ground connection) on the wiring diagrams - Nothing connected to the temp switch would even work at all if the car were actually wired as it's drawn. The driver's side turn signal and marker lamp wouldn't work either. There are no other connections on the wiring diagram to anything involved with the temp switch and/or the relay that it controls. In other words, the ignition timing and EGR functions are the only two things that the water temperature switch can possibly affect. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Absolutely! I'm about out of time at this instant, but when I get a chance I'll port that 74 info over to it's own thread. I've been involved in a few discussions on the topic before, but I've never seen all the info in the same place at the same time. It would probably be helpful to 260 folks to remedy that. I know the 74 OK, and I'm working on digesting the 77. Everything else before and after? Not my department. Haven't thought about it in a while... Thanks for the refresher!!

Haha! Exactly!! :laugh: I saw that too when it happened and almost said something about it. "Holy Zombie!!! Ummmmm... You know this thread is like ten years old, don't you?" Instead, like you, I just hoped it go away (again). Same thing is happening on other forums as well... I was originally thinking padding his thread count, but that doesn't seem to be the case...

I got no beef here. I just thought the whole thing was a little weird... Out of the blue, mousemedic resurrects a year and a half old thread and posts incorrect information about 260's when the original thread wasn't even about 260's in the first place. ??? I wasn't going to add anything more after my original post unless mousemedic came back and asked a question. I was expecting the whole thing to go back to sleep. I just didn't want it to go back to sleep on an incorrect note. I suspect that detailed discussion about the 74 temp switch in a "1976 water temperature switch" thread is likely to get passed by in the future. Probably best suited to a different thread with a more appropriate title. Sorry. Yes, I did. It's because you asked no questions questing. It was all statements stating. But if you're questing, I'm no expert, but I'm happy to do what I can to provide clarity and knowledge: The 74 manual is admittedly obtuse when it comes to the temp switch. I've found the switch is described in multiple sections "functionally" instead of all in one place showing all the things the switch does. The only single source that I've found that shows everything in the same spot is the wiring diagram itself. The 74 switch is open circuit when cool (below 77 degrees F) and closes when warm (above 88-106 degrees F). It has two connections, one to ground, and the other to the "EGR Relay". When the switch warms up, it energizes the coil of that relay. Note that different years switches operate differently. On the wiring diagram, the water temp switch and the EGR Relay that it controls are both in the lower left corner. Note that there's a grounding mistake on the black wire from the temp switch (missing dot) on the diagram - Nothing connected to the temp switch would even work at all if the car were actually wired as it's drawn. The driver's side turn signal and marker lamp wouldn't work either. The EGR Relay has two sets of contacts. The N/C contacts start closed (when the engine is cool) and go open when the engine warms up which enables the EGR system. The N/O contacts start open (when the engine is cool) and go closed when the engine warms up which (on the automatic transmission cars only) switches the ignition timing from advanced to retarded. The manual transmission cars have all the same wiring to the ignition module, but use a different ignition module that ignores the timing change signal. I do not believe there are any other connections on the wiring diagram to anything involved with the temp switch and/or the relay that it controls. In other words, I believe the ignition timing and EGR functions are the only two things that the temp switch can possibly affect. All 74's used the water temp switch, not just the auto transmission versions. On the manual's it was used to control the EGR function. On the auto's it was used to control ignition timing, and the EGR function. If you were to use a manual trans ignition module on your auto car, your timing would be fixed to the advanced pickup. If you have a manual trans car and have removed the EGR valve, then the water temp switch and the EGR relay are both doing absolutely nothing. As before, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty comfortable with the 74 and the temp switch. I've been through the manual, I've studied the wiring diagram, I've tested the switch, I've tested the relay, I've redrawn the whole circuit in a form that makes more sense to me... And even after all that, it's still certainly conceivable that I've missed something and I'd be happy to hear about it.

I've got no problem with that page except that it isn't the whole story. There's more to it than that. Take a look at EC-16 and you'll see that the same switch and the same relay also controls the EGR function. And that EGR control happens on every 260 regardless of what transmission it has. Still not sure? Study the wiring diagram. It's there too.

I don't know where he got his info from, but the way it's stated it's not correct. All 74's used the water temp switch, not just the auto transmission versions. On the manual's it was used to control the EGR function. On the auto's it was used to control ignition timing, and the EGR function. Maybe it's a language issue in the way it's being described? Switch a few words around and look what happens... Incorrect - "The automatic only used the temp switch to switch pickups in the distributor." (the auto used it for more than just this) Correct - "Only the automatic used the temp switch to control ignition timing." (OK since the manual trans cars didn't change ignition timing based on temperature). "The temp. switch is used only in 260Z with the automatic trans." is incorrect on multiple levels since not only did all 74's use it, but on the automatic trans versions it was used for more than just ignition timing. All good?