Captain Obvious

Well I'm no expert on the subject, but my answer is "In theory, it shouldn't matter whether the vacuum advance line is connected or not." Why? Because the source for the vacuum advance is a ported vacuum source that should provide no vacuum at idle. So, if your car is tuned and idling properly and your throttle butterfly is where it belongs when your engine is idling, then you should have no advance at idle. And because of that, it shouldn't matter whether that hose is connected or not. However, if your car is out of tune in some way and you need to have the throttle open further than normal just to get the engine to idle, then all bets are off. So, here's a way to check... Put the timing light on it at idle with the vacuum line connected. Then disconnect the line and see what happens. There should be no change in engine RPM and no change in timing advance.

Wow. I'm completely lost... What did I miss? I mean, I can piece together the whole ZMEFLY / Burgess scam thing, but what does this have to do with Datsun Spirit? Seems there was a controversial thread deleted before I even got the chance to get involved? I feel left out!

Excellent. Thanks for the closure write-up, and hoping the replacement AFM gets rid of the lean boot. At least you found something tangible! Let's hope that was it!

@Mike

That sounds so much like the setup for a joke....

Thanks Steve. I think that's the same thing I have. I'll check tomorrow in the daylight if I get a chance.

Can you snap a pic of this? I didn't get into details before, but I think I've got the same issue and I believe that's where the majority of my wind noise comes from. If it weren't for the fact that the window fits fine, I would have guessed that my stainless frame was bent out of shape. But if that were the case, the window would bind or something (and mine doesn't).

I did not. I left a small amount of extra length so the two ends are butted together and just friction holds them together. There is not much of a gap, but it's still noisy.

Haha! I bet the insides look pretty much normal, but would sure be fun to poke around. Somebody (I think it was ZH?) posted a very crusty rusty relay at one point... Don't remember if it was an ignition relay or a seat belt relay, but it said "NFG" on the outside and looked like a boat anchor on the inside. Great pic.

So where are you going to put the split seam (the cut ends) of the weatherstripping? I'm currently running the Kia weatherstripping and I put the seam in the square corner at the upper back of the window. I figured I didn't want the seam down at the bottom because that's where water ingress could be more of an issue. So I put it up high and tried to hide it in the corner by cutting 45 degree bevels on the ends. After having it like that for a couple years, I'm not sure that was the best decision.... My Z is a fair weather driver (so it doesn't see much water) and I get a lot of wind noise from the door when I'm on the highway. I wonder if some of that noise would be lower if I had put the seam down at the bottom. So I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on the matter. And I'm glad to hear you're doing OK. I'm not sure I would be if I did what you did.

That one is clearly faster.

I'm impressed you were able to actually get all up in there and replace those bulbs without pulling the gauges. Good work! Let us know tomorrow how your back and shoulders are.

I must be missing something, but I'm confused on the plan for your high/low beams... Are you saying that you will never latch your high beams on? And about your voltmeter placement... You aren't missing a plate next to your defroster switch. You're missing your HAZARD switch. right?

@Dave WM Haha!!!

Got it. Without the guidance, I would have probably said "you be" or just always referred it to by acronym letters "U B E".

Haha!! UBE. I like it!

Just like when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail... When you have a cheap HF welder, everything looks like a great place for a blob of terrible looking weld slag.

What he said. If Datsun used the same pattern they typically used, then there would be an "N33" cast into the exhaust manifold.

So here's a link from PennDOT: http://www.drivecleanpa.state.pa.us/info_se.htm On there are other links to things like the list of stations in the area and "what emissions tests will your vehicle require?" https://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/aq_apps/emissions/ Following the link to what tests are required says gas cap and visual only for 75 to 95. But the actual documentation says it needs the one speed idle test too. typical right?

Right. And about that sniffer or test... As I suspected, it's a little murky. The documentation still says you need it, but PennDOT's website says gas cap and visual only. No dyno and no sniffer. I found a list of inspection stations in the Philadelphia county and there are maybe ten on the list with a sniffer and just two with a dyno. It just seems unachievable that they would be forcing everyone in that entire are with cars between 75 and 96 to go to just those stations. Either I'm missing something, or they have given up and aren't enforcing the details as written in the regs.

I just took another look at the emissions requirements, and registering it as a classic WOULD get you out of the tests. So what I said earlier about having to register it as an antique was incorrect. Registering as Classsic would work as well. This get's you out of the visual test: ":In addition to the exceptions under § 175.4, this subsection (the visual inspection of emission system) shall not apply to vehicles registered as collectible or classic motor vehicles as defined in 75 Pa.C.S. § 102" And this gets you out of the enhanced emissions test (the one-speed idle test, gas cap test, etc) (b) Other exempted vehicles. Other exempted vehicles include vehicles operated or registered as one of the following: (4) Classic, antique or collectible motor vehicles. So that "One-speed idle test" can be an issue. That's supposed to be the running on a dyno test where they stick the sniffer up the tailpipe. The reason it's murky though is that as soon as OBD2 (1996) came out, they stopped requiring that dyno test. Not every station ever installed a dyno, and many of the ones that did... The dyno doesn't even work anymore. Not official, but I had heard (rumors?) they were having trouble enforcing the dyno test because of the lack of availability of working dynos. My Z has always been exempt from anything other than the visual test because of the mileage threshold... If you drive less than 5K miles per year, you are exempt from the "enhanced emissions" and that's what I have always had. I suspect your Z will be the same. Only complication is they probably won't give you that exemption on the first year of ownership because you don't have a baseline mileage from which to claim exemption. The issue is If they really require you to take the dyno test, you will have to find a station that even HAS a dyno and your car will have to pass the sniffer test.

I just took a quick look at some FSM's and it makes sense that your federal 76 didn't have EGR. According to the manuals, EGR was only included on teh CA versions in 75 and 76, but by the time they got to 77, everything had EGR. I suspect the OP's car is a federal 75, and in which case, there really isn't much in the way of emissions equipment on it and getting through the "visual only" PA inspection would be a piece of cake (as far as emissions are concerned).

Right. I don't remember offhand what the EGR requirements were for each year. Some of the cars were required to have them and some others were not. I do know that all 73's and 74's had it, but I also know some of the earlier 280's did not. I bet Datsun convinced the feds that the new fangled EFI system was good enough without EGR at first. I would have to look through a couple years of the FSM's to refresh my memory, of the details I wouldn't be surprised if EGR wasn't on 75 at all, or if it was only on the CA cars. I'll check when I can.

LOL. Hello? Is this thing on? Check your VIN. Is it a CA car? All this stuff I wrote here is incorrect. Registering it as a classic will exempt you from the emissions inspections. Both the visual and the enhanced. See post further down for more detail. I'll double check when I get a chance, but registering it as a classic won't get you out of the visual test. The visual is part of the annual safety inspection. Registering it as a classic would get you out of the enhanced emissions test, but that is moot... Due to the year (1975) you are already exempt from the enhanced emissions inspection.

Agreed. And even if they did, I'm not sure they know what a CA spec car is even supposed to have on it. I mean, in CA I bet they would know. But in PA or NC, I'm not so sure. I've got my PA mechanics inspections license, but back when dinosaurs roamed the earth (when I first got it), I don't even think there WAS such a thing as an emissions inspection. And I'm not sure how detailed the pics and guides are for the older cars. Unless the old curmudgeon mechanic happens to remember what was supposed to go where, I don't think much of anything would fail a visual only inspection. Pretty much everyone would recognize an EGR blockoff plate, but other than that, I don't think any freshie mechanic would know what they were looking for. Can you imagine some thirty-something at Pep-Boys sticking a head up under the dash looking for the altitude switch? In other words... I'd fail the crap out of the thing, but I know what I'm looking for and I'm clearly in the curmudgeon category.