Redwing

Thank you for your emotional support. I got very dismayed when she stopped the 2nd time. Normally, once the episode is over she runs like a champ. I agree with all the fine comments you made about the Z's. I have thought the same about them, I do know about the abilities of these cars. I drove my 1971 Z 256,000 miles with no serious problems. I think they are Super Cars, very durable. Thanks again...

I just talked to Chet, who Steve suggested I get to look at my 280Z. He thinks that most probably it is the rust and debris in the gas tank that is causing my problems. We have tentavely made plans for me to get my Z to him to do the work. All I have to do is find the $ to pay him with, and it will be done. Thank you Steve for connecting us!

Well phooey. I'm sitting on the side of the road after my little red beauty stopped for the second time. I'm just traveling along at about 50 miles an hour and she just quits. This is the first time that she's stopped twice in a single day. It seems to be happening more frequently, apparently making her unreliable. I'll get back to you after I get back home.

Another thing I should mention perhaps. Again only noticed in warm weather, the console by my leg gets quite warm. Way too warm to be comfortable. I do not know if maybe it is part of my main problem, but thought I would mention it. Also, on eBay there is a Z for sale that has been signed on the hood interior Mr. K.!!! That should make it real valuable.

I will answer a couple of you at once. The drip is coming for above the spark plug, the liquid appears tan not green. Before I got her, she was shipped from Miami to Jacksonville where my friends live, and they had their mechanic go over her doing things like plugs, oil, and a couple small rust spots, etc, checking her out. My friend has rebuilt Chevys all his life. After the mechanic finished with her, she was shipped on to Georgia to me. There are a few things that I wish he had attended to, but perhaps he did not have time. I found out later his wife is very ill, so that could be part of it. I have a book that I purchased online that covers Z cars from 1970 through 1976. it is a service repair book, written by Alan Ahlstrand. It is a very complete hardbound book far superior to the Haynes. I have referred to it a lot. I found out that I did not have enough money to restore my 1971 z. I was told it would be $15 to 18,000.,. which I did not have. So I purchased this 1976 instead. I hate seeing my old car just falling apart. as soon as I figure out how to do it, I will post some pictures, including one of the spark plug that has the leak on it. Thank you all for your offer of help.

GA Thank you so much.

Hi all, A newbie here who first posted in wrong area. So here we go again. I was blessed to have bought a Super Car, a 1971 240Z, when they first came out. At that time there was a 6 months wait, and no choice of color. Tho, luck was with me, and I was presented with one they called Mexican Orange. I drove her for 256,000 miles, trouble free. I've wanted to have that glory again for many years. Three months ago I was fortunate enough to have my dream come true, a 1976 Red 280Z came into my life. Love that car! But she has some problems, as we all do when we age. The (1) problem seems to happen mostly when the weather is warmer. Usually the first 30 min. are fine. Altho, twice it has happened in the cool morning, when first started. Suddenly she chugs, gasps, and dies. Occasionally I manage to keep her running. But no amount of effort will restart her. I have found tho, usually after about 15 minutes, she will start and run fine until turned off. Then the cycle resumes. But not all the time, sometimes she will be fine and run perfect after the first episode. Also, there is the time this never happens, and she runs fine from the first minute. But as the weather is heating up, I suspect there will be zero of those days. I have a mechanic here, but he is not a Z car specific one, and I do not have a lot of confidence in him. He did replace the rack and pinion due to almost no steering at 0-5 mph. But now (2) that is getting harder, going back toward the beginning. His thought is that the head gasket might be needing to be replaced, due to the #6 spark plug being dripped on by the heater hose. Is that extreme? He cleaned and tightened that twice, and finally replaced the hose. The plug still is being fouled up. There is more I need advice about, but I will end with these (2) for now. I am asking for your easiest and least expensive fixes. I do have some working knowledge about my car, my Dad taught me with my '71, and can do some of the easy repairs. And I am 72, on social security, I'm sure you know how far that goes. So Thanks for letting me be here to learn more about my car. I promise to be less wordy next time.

Reading all I can find on my problem with my '76 - 280 Z. I bought her 3 months ago, my dream of having a Z again. I had bought an original '71 when they first came out with a 6 month wait, and no choice of color. Luck was with me and she was the Mexican Orange. I drove her for 256,000 miles with no major problems. Just little stuff. My Super car. Mostly my newer car is hard to restart after being driven for half hour or so. But twice in a cool morning she pulled this, and was hard to start/restart. If I wait for 15 min. or so, she will start and run fine. I cannot check with my tach, as it is not working. Will this fuel filter problem cause low mpg (20 mpg and I expected more)? Another thing that might explain my problems, is a huge whoosh when I open the fuel cap. Only while car is hot, not in the a.m. while cool. Is this a fix I am able to do myself (I am a 72 yo. Female with some mobility problems.) I do not have an abundance of $, social security does not go far, and I don't have any savings. So I am working with her problems as I can. Any assistance will be great fully appreciated. Thank you so much.

Hello, I am a 72 yo.female which has just purchased my 2nd Z car. I bought a new '71 back when they first came out HLS30511904. I put 256,000 miles on her. My second one I have had for 3 months. It is a 1976 280 Z, HLS30277450. I had the original title, a one owner car till sold, lived in Arizona. It has several problems which the local mechanic is not giving me confidence that he knows what he is doing. The last spark plug next to the wall, has been coated with drippings from the heater hose. He cleaned it, and tightened the hose twice. Then he replaced the hose. It still is covering the spark plug with drippings. He now says the main motor gasket will need to be replaced. Not sure what to think about that, except I think that may be extreme. So I joined here to look for ideas. This post that I am responding to, sounds like what she is doing now that the warmer weather is here. (In cool weather no problem with running perfectly.) Starting and dying, but mostly hard to start while engine is still hot. And then very large chugging, hard to keep running, sometimes impossible. I do not know if this is caused by the drips on the spark plug. Or maybe by the part mentioned in the post. Another thing I have noticed, when getting fuel, on opening the gas cover, a huge "whoosh" of air happens. Gas vapor? Never when cooler out, or in the a.m. when I have checked it. Any relation to my chugging problem? With my first Z, my Dad taught me a lot about her. So I do know some about my cars workings. Thanks ahead for any insight on this for me.