johnny haywire

Definitely a great place to bring the kids, especially if they like camping and loud cars! Which I always did as a kid... There was a Cheetah running headers to short sidepipes that was a killer in its group. I was about 10 feet away when it fired up in the paddock and I almost dropped my beer! Almost... Here are two of the Zs that I was able to find in the paddock: #84 was a bit held back in the class due to running a stock drivetrain for SCCA, but the car was really done up well, came through the corners very nicely, and he had some really interesting comments about running 14" vs. 15" wheels with the stock set-up. Said he wished he'd kept 14" because they are much faster out of the corner and his shift points were much lower (400 RPM lower). Makes sense. Also corroborates why BRE still recommends 14" wheels for Z cars... #57 was a monster all weekend, running not too far behind a really slick Porsche Carrera, but I don't know what happened to him in the last race. I'll try and upload some videos to youtube and get some links up pronto.

Just got back from Elkhart Lake last night for VSCDA's vintage racing weekend. Camped at the track, fought a bit of rain but had one of the best weekends of the season. An absolute blast and (shamefully) not that crowded. There were at least four Zs running (one BRE) but I was only able to meet one driver and his name eludes me right now, but a very cool guy (#84, a '72 240z in red and white, full roll cage and suspension mods but with stock drivetrain per SCCA, I believe). He ran strong all weekend but I don't see any results posted anywhere yet. There was also a red 240z, #57 with Celica wheels that was running very hard and strong (could only peep at the engine through a popped but not lifted hood), but it looked sweet and also appeared to have exhaust running pretty much straight back. He dropped out in the final race but I didn't see what happened. I didn't bring my Z but we did get some touring laps in an '08 Saab 9-3 AWD turbo wagon, total blast. At any rate, I'll but uploading some photos and videos as I go through them over the next day or so. Was anyone else from the forum there?

Very nice work around on the cable replacement, 5th! Which end of your cable broke?

Thanks for all the tips, everyone. The cable and clamp seem to be in good condition and are not the cheap replacement types. Getting good purchase with the clamp isn't a problem, either. I'm thinking it's the terminal spewing a very slight but consistent amount. The current battery has about 2/3 the footprint of the OEM tray and hold down so I think I'll just replace it anyhow, but I will be sure to update the post once that's done.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I'll do the baking soda trick and let you know what happens. I'll also check what kind of battery it is. The pourous terminal sounds like the culprit. Now that I think about it, the battery took a flop as well (my friend picked the car up for me in San Diego and when he stopped for fuel on the way home, the battery was off the tray (no hold down bits at all) and leaning against the block. So, mostly likely that terminal is seeping and/or leaking. This is good. I was worried that I might have a small electrical draw that was causing this.

I know this is probably a rookie question, but on my '78 280z, I have to pull the positive battery cable about every 10 days to clean/sand it off because the clamp and the terminal on the battery turn black (and the car won't start due to the bad connection). Fires right up after being cleaned, though. I've had many cars over the years and have never dealt with this before. One thing, though - the battery on the car seems to be too small. The guy I bought it from was likely looking to cut as many corners as possible to get her running and bought a very small battery for it. I have yet to replace the battery, but it's on the short list. Also, the stereo is currently removed from the car, the clock does work, and the dome light bulb is out. Will this corrosion on the terminal/cable go away when I get a proper battery for the Z?

Agreed with rdb - I had the same issue with my '86 4Runner's water pump. All g-damn day to get the the old one off and the new one on and...a leak. I could see where I buggered the gasket afterward, but it was heartbreaking. Still, that was about 5 years ago and the 2nd one is still holding. Anyway, hoisting my beer in your direction. It sucks, but at least the timing chain is holding up. This is the best worst-case-scenario...

Zed, if only I would have known that trick last year. It would have been waaaaay easier. I'll just say, if there was a swear jar around that day, it would have been full.

I had my fuel rail off last year. Not too bad to remove, but getting the FI line from my auto parts store was a real PITA to get back on, even when lubing the lines with windex, etc. Probably a metric vs. imperial measurement issue. I believe the FSM gives specs on how long each line should be so you don't wind up trying to push too much on to each nipple. That said, while you're there, might as well replace them all. If one went...more are likely to pop...

Sounds like you are making some good progress - glad the engine sounds good. One issue I had with my 280z (which had sat for almost 14 years) was that the hi-beams didn't work when I got it. I took off the ignition trim and used some "contact & control cleaner/lubricant" from Radio Shack (which I use on old stereos and amps to clean up the static in the pots) and gave the turning signal tree a few good blasts and worked it around - voila! The hi-beams started working. Anyway, might not hurt to hit the moving parts/switches for your lights with some of that stuff.

Just a quick update to this post - the new AFM is in and she is running quite nicely. Pulls much smoother at higher RPMs than before and seems to pull harder in general. Thanks again for everyone's input!

I know we are jumping from topic to topic here, but one thing that madkaw/fastwoman mentioned above - before adjusting your TPS and AFM - if that boot between the AFM/TB has a crack/leak in it, replace that before adjusting anything else especially if you think the car is running lean. Also, if you haven't done it recently, changing the fuel filter in the engine bay is a cheap and easy place to start when experiencing fuel delivery issues. If the issue subsides for a bit, it may be a sign of sediment in the tank. Did the car sit for a while before you took ownership? Keep us posted!