Captain Obvious

When I was messing with my sockets a couple days ago, one of them was so rusty that I felt I couldn't do an adequate job cleaning it up while it was all assembled, so I started pushing and pulling the socket apart. I think I was even able to push the metal tube portion up out of the plastic holder. Point is, I think you might be able to reuse your original plastic housing portion and just replace the metal interior section with a new one. That might be another option if we can't find a suitable mechanical replacement? Same fit into the tail lamp housing as before, but new metal where the bulb inserts?

It's a mid to late 77 (if that matters) and it's been repainted. What do I win?

What do you mean by "drop"? Are you saying that the weight of the valve itself is enough to pull it down against the friction of the seal? If it weren't for the seal getting hung up on the keeper groove, the valve would fall completely out of the head? I've never tried that, but I always assumed the valve seals were tighter than that. Not the case?

What do you mean??? You don't like surprises? Personally, I'm dying to know what's going to happen when he pulls that chain!! Release the Kraken?

That's awesome. Wish I had thought of that!

I've read through the threads where people are using these seals on the L engines and it's clear they weren't designed for the application. I understand the advantage, but the whole thing makes me a little uncomfortable. You have to get them on straight and there's no registration surface to ensure that happens. You have to get them on the right depth and there's no positive stop when pressing them on. Just wasn't designed for the application. I've never used those seals, but I'd try something like this... Use a feeler gauge to measure the width of the gap at the bottom of the ones you've pressed on and then find (or make) a flat washer of that same thickness (maybe a couple thousandths thicker). Cut a slot in the washer to convert it from a donut shape into a "C" shape. The slot width should be just wide enough to fit around the width of the valve guide. Then you can put this washer in place around the guide BEFORE you press the seal on. The washer should help provide not only a stop for depth, but it could also act as the perpendicular registration surface to help get the seal pressed on straight. Once the seal is in place, pull the washer out from the side?

Why is your RPM so low right after starting? My guess would be because internal combustion engines are never really happy at idle. They're unstable down that far and they're unstable when their cold. They're particularly unstable when they're cold AND turning slow. Sometimes they have trouble getting themselves into a more stable state. I saw in one of your videos that once it finally caught and continued to run, it stumbled for a couple seconds, but once you hit the gas, it steadied out to a 1000 RPM smooth idle? Did I see that right? The "Start Enrichment" supplied by the ECU is a real thing, but it's not a huge adder. It's a circuit in there that charges up when the key is turned to START and then slowly decays over a period of maybe thirty seconds or so after the key has been returned to ON. Air temp sensor or water temp sensors will definitely affect mixture, but here's the thing... The higher the resistance, the more fuel. And it's a lot easier to fault to a higher resistance than a lower one. Dirty connectors and open wires contribute to higher resistance. About the only thing you could do to get LOWER resistance is short one of your sensor wires to ground which is unlikely. In other words... If the signal gets interrupted, you'll run rich, not lean. Once it starts, does it make black smoke? How do the plugs look? I'm still trying to figure out if you're running rich or lean.

Well I don't know what it was that went wrong with your paint application, but something certainly affected the adherence between the primer and the top coat. But regardless of how well the top coat gripped the primer, it all (top coat and primer) came off with the gasoline, right? I know very little about paint. All I know for sure is that I probably know less than you do!

So no new info there, huh? While you have the starter fluid handy... Next time it fails to start on the first attempt, before you try a second time, maybe pull off a vacuum hose and give it a shot of the starter fluid and then put the hose back on. Try to get a sense if it's looking for more fuel or not. If it fires right up to a steady(er) idle on the second attempt, it would be an indication that it's lean. Just trying to gather info....

Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember you had issues with the paint. I've read reviews of Eastwood's stuff and it seems their stuff can be very sensitive to the application process. With that in mind, I took a quick look at the instructions for the chassis black stuff and I'm confused about what is the correct application procedure... The chassis black primer instructions say you can recoat or topcoat after 24 hours. However, the chassis black top coat instructions say wait 4 hours and then spray the top coat. Doesn't make sense to me. In any event, I'm not a paint guy, but I've never had good solvent resistance from any paint that wasn't catalyzed or at least CA based (like POR15). The 2K aerosol stuff (I linked to above) is catalyzed and I would expect it to be much more solvent resistant.

I've heard of the propane method as well. I tried it once on my motorcycle and didn't get any effect, but that was because I didn't have any leaks. So I can attest to the popularity, but haven't experienced the results personally.

Me? It means you've got what looks like a great start for project. It means we've all been there. Stuff will be out of place. Stuff will be missing. Stuff will be wired wrong. Stuff will be put on backwards. Stuff will be leaking because it's too loose or too tight or because it's standard thread when it should have been metric. It's standard operating procedure.

Yeah, that car has been messed with in too many ways to count. Nothing insurmountable and certainly not unusual. Most used Z's are like that. Just always makes me wonder what kind of problem the previous owner we chasing.

Haha! And if you're going to paint a gas tank, I would try to find a paint that is fuel proof.... Signed, Captain Obvious. PS - Maybe some of Eastwoods "catalyzed in a can" spray paint? I haven't tried it, but I suspect it's fuel proof or at least fuel resistant. Wear a good respirator... http://www.eastwood.com/paints/2k-aero-spray-paints.html

Oh. In that case... Nevermind. Hoping you DO find something. Other typical area of concern is the boot after the AFM. If that one leaks, you'll run lean. Often cracks down in the valleys of the corrugations.

I'll add an independent plug for Wayne's wiring diagram. It's better than sliced bread. If you have a 77 and don't yet have a copy of this thing, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. It's too late now (since it's been out there in the public domain for so long), but this diagram is so good, that you should have to pay for it. So glad we don't have to, but we all should have.

Haha!! No, don't cut back. I think you're doing great!! Keep up the good work, both of you. It'll be nice to have options for potential replacements.

Well unless I'm misinterpreting your spray test results above, it sounds like you've found at least one vacuum leak so far. Good. Remember that, in general, vacuum leaks have more impact when at idle then when at full throttle. And running lean has more impact when the engine is cold than when it's hot. Hopefully your start stumble issue turns out to be a couple vacuum leaks. Don't forget to check the PCV tube under the intake manifold. It's a typical leak location and since it's underneath and not as easy to see, it can be missed.

Yes, that seemingly unnecessary short intermediate piece of wire is a fusible link. If it's like mine... Take a close look at it, you'll see that it is actually just one wire. I think the other "wire like thing" that runs between the two connectors is a piece of solid plastic cord to act as a strain relief to reduce mechanical damage to the link itself. Another important place to clean up is the four fusible links in front of the battery on the passenger fender well. One of them is related to the EFI system as well and if it's intermittent, it could cause your symptoms. Here's a basic Classic Z Car repair axiom... You get a spare moment, clean some connectors. Even if something is functioning correctly (today), you have time on your hands? Clean some connectors.

Haha! Perfect. I'll give you a call then!

I'll call you. What time do you get home from work?

Good. One less thing to worry about. If I were you, I would just leave it disconnected for now. If it still started the exact same way with it disconnected, it's not like it's doing anything good for you anyway. Think about the vacuum leaks... Maybe you split a brittle boot or hose while you were doing all the other work to the car. For all you know, when you were in there wrestling your old stuck distributor cap off, you pushed the wrong way on one of your AFM boots and open up a crevice. You have a vacuum gauge? And as another shotgun... All of this started after you did a bunch of ignition work, right? I know it's a long shot, but did you keep the old ignition parts? If all else fails, you could toss the old stuff back on just to see what happens.

I'd be interested in hearing if those sockets work as well. I was messing around with mine the other day because they're corroded and had gone intermittent. I cleaned them up enough to work, but I'm not sure how long they're going to last. Would be nice to have new sockets back there. I guess my other option would be to pull them out and send them out for plating, but it would be much cheaper to replace with something like what you pictured.

Yeah, in theory it should be too warm for the CSV, but you're right, it certainly seems like it wants more fuel.

I'm one of the people who has disabled their cold start system. I removed the connectors to both my CSV and my thermotime switch a couple years ago and don't really miss it. In the cooler months, I do notice a slightly longer crank time the first crank of the day, but it's not like yours. And in the warmer months, I don't notice any change at all which makes sense based on the temp at which the thermotime is supposed to open. At your current ambient temps, your thermotime should be open 24-7 as well. I mean, I completely understand why rcb280z is suggesting the cold start system stuff... It sure looks and sounds like it wants more fuel. But if it's 85 ambient, you shouldn't be expecting the CSV to actuate anyway. My engine doesn't need any additional fuel at 85 ambient and it doesn't take me 2-3 tries to get mine to start. You've got something else going on... Have you checked for vacuum leaks? Search here at the site for "yogurt cup". Have you put a vacuum gauge on it when it's running? Here's some common areas of concern: Hole in your rubber PCV tube? Leaking intake manifold?Poor seal around your dip stick or oil fill cap? Cracks in your AFM boots?Malfunctioning CARB can valve?