AK260

Buy a Roku, never look back! Even my 80 something year old mum can drive it ... https://www.roku.com/en-gb/products/players

This is your man I think ... https://www.msdsinc.com/

I don’t know, that’s why I NEEEED an oil temp sensor! ;)

Not really chap. It just makes me feel better knowing some heat is being lost through the heat sink. On my car the oil pressure at startup goes to over 3/4 and once warmed up it sits anywhere from 1/3 at idle to 3/4 while pressing on. But the oil pressure definitely drops as the car warms up. I totally hear you on the aluminium pan costs! For that sort of money you may as well add an oil cooler.

Nice work! [emoji106] What you had to do to clear steering shaft makes me want to cry! I know they were designed for RHD cars in Japan but what a shame it wasn’t possible for them to make a small mod to make it easier for our lefty brethren! BTW, I had my MSA header and all pipe work to the silencer ceramic coated. It definitely reduced temps under the bonnet and around the pipe work. Much prefer it to wrapping them and looks awesome!

Very interesting, thank you! In a tangential way, it’s convinced me I need an oil cooler ;) because when you do a 1000 miles per year it’s really important!! :p Actually on a more serious note, it does go to demonstrate the importance of getting the oil up to temp before hammering it. Especially in turbo applications where the spindle is “floating” on a film of oil between it and the bearings while doing 60-90 Krpm!! What I really want now is an oil temp gauge, because when you do a 1000 miles a year .... ;) So what I’m taking away from all this is that: - synth oil is OK. - ZDDP is good to have even if modern lubricants are much better than 70s oils. - A low viscosity oil is better for cold protection (obvs, I know but that freezer test really brought it home) - the oils degrades fast with heat, so any way of keeping the oil temps down is beneficial + frequent changes. Here is my cheap attempt at taking a degree or two off the oil - it’s something they use a lot in airplane engine air cooling applications. It gets too hot to touch, so it must be doing some good. I plan to use a small air duct to channel air to it.

I don’t have a photo of it on my phone and away from the car at the moment but if you look closely at this photo (which I seem to be uploading everywhere) you can see it bottom left ... If I did it again, I would get a baffled one. It’s a 0.3L one. It fills a third before each service.

What I’ve learned from all I’ve read, in what I hope is a succinct way is that: 1. ZDDP - is important in the correct amount as it creates a “sacrificial” layer for our non-roller cams and reduces wear on big end bearings. Others argue that modern lubricants are so much better than what was available in the 70s and you don’t really need it. I have read that it’s particularly important on modified engines with stronger than stock valve springs causing greater friction between the fam and rocker surfaces. I personally err on the side of caution and would rather have ZDDP mixed in the correct proportions by oils manufacturers - apparently too much has a detrimental effect too. 2. Engine seal swells - The old reasons for damaging engine seals seem to be dispatched with: the first set of synthetics in the 70s were at fault and are no longer an issue / modern synthetics don’t affect it. Others say that the new plastics / rubbers used in rebuilt engines aren’t affected the same way. I guess I can buy both. 3. Oil weight - You can lose up to 5% bhp on the thicker oils such as 20w50. I personally like the 10w30 millers. Having said that, there is a classic racing oil I have in right now that I can’t remember the name of. Lower winter / cold rating better for startup protection; lower summer rating improves flow and reduces drag. Some worry that the tolerances of our engines are too loose for thinner oils but others contend that engines properly rebuilt with 21st century tech are able to take it. My personal experience has been that on the dyno we saw a small difference in oil drag - but I can’t recall the exact percent the tuner quoted. 4. Diesel engine oils - some contend that the detergents in diesel oils are designed to suspend combustion deposits / particles for longer in the oil and are bad for gumming up your engine, others swear by it. 5. Intervals - A pattern of consensus appears across various Z related discussions that we should change our oil every 3k miles and filters every 6k. My oil is done annually so it’s closer to 800-1000 miles but the filter is always changed (they are cheap enough). Running an oil catch tank, it’s amazing the sulphur smells that can come from the juice / gasses inside it. All of these combustion by-products are sitting in your oil in the sump in the winter and being pumped about when you run your car. Also there is the argument that over time, the polymers in the oil are broken down by these by-products. This is why on my diesel Q5 i use long life oil but change it annually at around 8k-9k miles. Long life servicing by the PO caused the turbo oil feed pipe to gum up and killed the turbo (new turbo for free by Audi well outside of warranty - they only charged me for an oil change, what a way to gain a lifetime of my loyalty)! Interestingly, many modern engines are designed with loose cylinder tolerances (read designed to consume oil) to reduce parasitic losses for the purpose of improving fuel economy and use the oil to achieve a good seal - also interesting to note that these same engines use 5w30 and not the thicker oils! I think that covers what I’ve learned to date. Would be interesting to know what your go to oils are and why you like them. (Apologies for any typos, my eyes aren’t fully focussing today and my autocorrect is a little too keen for my licking!)

The debate rages on but this I feel is a good bit of food for thought ..... What are your views?

I had exactly the same thought about the photo distorting what you can see, but also I spotted a very subtle lip on the zedhead photo. [emoji848] Either way, I just can’t imagine that there is any chance the true mileage is a mere 31k.

Forgive my ignorance but what do you see? Is it a skimmed head? Comparing yours + the auction one and Zadheads, is a little lip that I can see on Zedhead’s photo. Is that what you are pointing out?

Forgive my ignorance but what do you see? Is it a skimmed head? Comparing yours + the auction one and Zadheads, is a little lip that I can see on Zedhead’s photo. Is that what you are pointing out?

Wot he said!!! [emoji115][emoji115] ^^ It won’t be fuelling as the other plugs fed by the same carb are fine. Also all your plugs except the oily one look too lean to me (but that means nothing as it could be that you just have a lean idle but good on WOT). Having said that, a lean idle is a hot one and will cause you other issues not related to this. I am of the very strong opinion that you have oil coming down your valves or past a point on your head gasket. Once my” professionally” rebuilt head by a UK “specialist” came off, we found that one of the head bolts was not put in properly and oil was going down the bolt, feeding oil nicely into 3&4. Do you get any blue smoke out of your exhaust? On my engine I found that if I let it idle for a while then blip the throttle, I got a lovely puff of blue. Typically that is head related not ring related. Check your valve clearances, check the torque on your head bolts and look to the valve seals / guides as a potential cause. Look at the plug on no. 4 in this pic compared to the rest!! Then look top right from no.4 and you will see the oil around the offending head bolt hole.

Just read this entire thread top to bottom. Firstly, I’m frankly in awe of you guys and your immense knowledge of these cars. I feel even more like an ameba swimming among Great Whites! Secondly, even to my untrained eyes and before reading down, paint readings aside that car didn’t add up to me. I’m very pleased that your comments had a superb positive effect and saved some poor sod from parting with silly money for something dressed up to be something it clearly isn’t. Thirdly, this thread just makes me so pleased that my car is very far from perfect! I just couldn’t own or drive a car that is completely immaculate - it’s a big burden. And I do get it, people buy these as investment and show pieces, but that’s never me. Horses have to stretch their legs and gallop otherwise you may as well stuff them. Thank you for the education on this thread - I have learned so much!

Thanks gents. Appreciate it.

I am sharing to raise awareness of how careful we all need to be. My father, strong as an Ox, a regular mountain hiker, no preexisting issues, contracted Covid19 14 days ago. He went to a pharmacy in a hurry, not wearing a mask and didn’t disinfect his hands either when he came out. That was his only contact with the outside world beyond getting into his car. He was admitted to one of the best private hospitals 6 days after his symptoms took hold. Being a typical stoic man of his generation, he cared for everyone but never wanted anyone to fuss over him, so he resisted calls for him to go to hospital straight away. They put him on Oxygen + some of the same drugs as Trump (so they tell me). On the second day in hospital, he went into a coma. His lungs were struggling to absorb oxygen and his O2 levels progressively dropped from his usual 98 to below 60 (often down to 20). His blood pressure dropped to 40. Ironically his entire adult life he had high blood pressure. For the last 36 years of our 4000 miles separation, I have spent every day wondering if I am getting “that” phone call - and it came yesterday. He passed away from what was effectively oxygen starvation and the subsequent brain damage. I am sad for me but happy and grateful for him - that having lived a long, healthy and rich life, he has ascended without any real suffering or pain. My dad would likely have still been here if he hadn’t been uncharacteristically careless on this single occasion - or characteristically of a strong man, resisted going to hospital in the first few days. I am told early treatment in the first few days is critical to your chances of survival. I have highly intelligent friends that in the past have said, so what if it kills a few, people get hit by a bus all the time. Fortuitously, getting hit by a bus doesn’t kill the last 25 people you came close to that day. What if one of those was their loved one? Please look after yourselves and your families and stay safe. Take nothing for granted! This is not a time to be complacent in anyway or for He-Man antics. We’re all vulnerable no matter what our state of health or age. If this story makes anyone think twice on each occasion they forget their mask or don’t disinfect their hands, then it’s purpose is fulfilled.

Well, time has been kind to her, she’s still a hottie ...

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Is there a difference here in definition between re-torquing and checking the torque? My engine builder recommended that I “check” the torque on the first couple of valve adjustments in the first 1000 miles or so of my freshly built engine and then put the torque wrench down, take my hands off and back away slowly!!! IMHO there is nothing wrong with setting your torque wrench at 40lbft as suggested and letting it click out (beep if electronic) to give you peace of mind. If the engine is built properly and with a decent head gasket then they shouldn’t be loosening. Some lesser head gaskets, I am told, “bed in” - which is probably the logic behind it. Even with a decent gasket, I am in the paranoid camp ;) I even do this to my load bearing bolts with yellow paint, so yeah, paranoid!

We’ll be 50 miles down the road from you in a couple of weeks. Let me know if you want a grease monkey (with a face mask) to help bolt bits on for few hours! I’m sure I can negotiate a half day break from family duties! [emoji256]

You’re most welcome chap, but I’m intrigued to know the root cause. What I would guess at is that your self adjusters on the rear drums may have been stuck such that the rear shoes were very off the drums and travelling a long way before engaging. The action of the handbrake and the brakes together may have somehow released them? But all of this is conjecture! Let’s hope that has really fixed it. When you next take off the drums have a look at the self adjuster mechanism and see if it’s smooth or needs a good clean. One of mine had rusted solid and one side would brake before the other.

Ps. This is a great read too ... https://www.classiczcars.com/forums/topic/59039-1972-z-brake-switch-valve/

In addition to what’s been suggested above, my money is is on a loose connection on your handbrake switch or a dodgy switch; where the contact or connection is moving with deceleration. Take off the vinyl cover and disconnect this little puppy, then see if you still have the problem. If it goes away, happy days and easy fix with a new switch or cleaning up the one you have. If that isn’t the problem, watch this video and test your brake warning switch; which is often mistaken for a proportioning valve. I had thought of it as a proportioning valve and wondered why it had a wire going to it! https://youtu.be/WwmYHVBLi2Q The purpose of this is to give you warning of a pressure differential in the system which could be a bad fluid leak on a pierced brake line or simply a dodgy master cyl. It could also just be a dodgy valve inside the warning switch. So again, an easy test is to unplug the wire going to it and if you problem goes away then you know where to look next! Keep us posted - always good to learn new things from another man’s afflictions ;)

I’m hoping to bleed mine today or tomorrow, so I will be sure to measure it for you.

My friend, you have to find out why it’s fouling - what you are suggesting here is a band aid not really fixing the issue. Until you solve the underlying issues, they will keep finding you.