SteveJ

A couple of months ago, I drove my 73 240Z to the Mitty. A couple of days later, I got in it to drive again, but it acted dead. Nothing happened when I turned the key except for hearing the accessory relay click. I tried the headlights, and they were dead, too. I finally got around to tracking down the problem. I have 12 volts at the starter. I have 12 V at the alternator. I measured the White with Red stripe wire at the fusebox. It was 12 V. I had my nephew turn the key to accessory, and the voltage drops to 0. I unplugged the accessory relay, and I had voltage when I turned the key, but it dropped to 0 V when I turned the key to the ON position. I am strongly suspecting that the short is in the steering column. However, I'm at a loss to find the common point(s) where the short could be happening. By the way, I do not hear any arcing or smell any wires burning. For the record, I do have the wiring diagram for the 73 from the FSM. Any suggestions for common points to search for would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance. Steve

That sounds low to me, unless you Canadians are using Imperial volts. First, is your battery in good shape? Does the voltage drop a lot when you're cranking it? Next, look at a wiring diagram. I'm not a 280Z person, so I don't know for sure how the pump is wired, but I would expect it to get its voltage through a relay. If there is a relay, it could be suffering from soft contacts. If there isn't a relay, it could be suffering from 30+ years of corrosion.

(IPO - Idiot Previous Owner) I just finished changing the calipers (with loaded calipers), rotors and soft hoses on the front brakes on my 260Z. I just have to issue this rant. I purchased the 260Z in early 2008. My garage looks nice with a 73 & 74 parked next to each other. By sheer coincidence, they are the same color, too. Anyway, I noticed the 260 pulled to the right under braking. I figured it was dragging a caliper. I put it on my round-tuit list and waited for my wife to stop spending money long enough for me to buy brake parts. After a year and a half, I finally got clued in to the fact that she wasn't really going to slow down, so I decided to just go ahead and get the parts. The parts arrived today. My nephew is spending the week with us, and to my good fortune, my brother has been doing an excellent job raising the young man. He was an excellent third hand, tool retriever, etc., and the parts swap went off without a hitch, and the brakes feel nice and firm after a thorough bleeding. So we start cleaning up, and I happen to put the pads from the passenger side up against the driver side pads since earlier I noticed the shims looked different. The pads were different shapes, with the passenger side having more surface area to make contact with the rotor. I stacked the passenger side pads on top of one another and did the same for the driver side pads. The driver side pads were noticeably thicker. I guess I found the reason for the pulling. Now I have to replace the dry-rotted tires and u-joints. I'm surprised the IPO didn't kill himself with that car.

Yes, check the voltage at the pump when you don't think you can hear it. If it has voltage, you have junk in your trunk, er, tank. If that's the case, have the tank drained, boiled & sealed. Always have the tank full when you have the car sitting for more than a couple of days, too, to prevent condensation in the tank.

When you say in your initial post "my car won't start", you are not providing enough detail to tell us anything. The same goes for the statement "no liquid in the radiator". A dead battery or burned fusible link would make it where your car doesn't start, and neither is related to a blown head gasket. Yes, that's a little sarcastic, but the responses you're receiving are based on the information you're giving. The main elements for having a car start are air, electricity (starter & spark), fuel, timing, and compression. Remove any of those, and that could cause your car not to run. Since you say the oil is a milky color, the best advice is for you not to attempt to start your car. The oil is contaminated and cannot provide the lubrication needed to prevent engine damage. You need to drain the oil and refill with clean oil at a minimum. Of course, the damage could already have been done, such as a spun bearing or trashed valvetrain. A new head gasket may be only marginally better than the radiator stop leak if the head is warped or if a water passage has rusted through or if the head or block is cracked. I wouldn't throw parts at it on a whim, unless you have money to burn.

My reply to your duplicate post was nuked with that post. Unfortunately, I'm not sure whether or not cheap, old and desireable can be used at the same time to describe a car. While you only paid $600 for your car, you can consider that a downpayment of about 5%. You have another thread saying you need to replace floor pans, etc. Did you have a mechanic go over the car before purchase, or did you fall in love with it and just decided to buy it? Most everybody makes an impulse purchase at some time or another. Sometimes it works against us. At this point in time, you need to step back and think about how much money you're willing to pour into the car. Also take the time to research what it will take to fix the known problems. If you REALLY love the car and have the time and money, go for it. If you get pleasure out of it and you value that pleasure, it's worth it. If money is really tight for you, you may benefit more from cutting your losses and waiting until you have enough money to buy a Z (or other hobby car) that requires less initial maintenance.

Check the wiring around your combo switch, especially the grounds.

1. Get a good wiring diagram, usually from a factory service manual. 2. Get a good multimeter and learn how to use it. 3. Analyze your circuits using the wiring diagram and the multimeter to find the dead short. First focus on circuits that are not connected through the ignition switch (or relay). If all those circuits are good, start on the switched circuits. Alternative method: 1. Make good friends with someone who understands automotive electrics, preferrably with some Z car experience. 2. Buy a lot of said friend's perferred beer/liquor of choice. 3. Convince friend to work on your car.

Thanks, I'll have to do that some day on my 260Z. I haven't had trouble with it, yet. By the way, how far are you from Milton? I'll have to be up there for almost 3 weeks starting Tuesday. Are there any interesting car-nut events happening in that timeframe?

I guess it's time for me to start digging into the FSM for a 260Z and look to see how that is bypassed. Unfortunately, the nanny state had a wonderful idea for the 1974 model year that if people shouldn't be able to start their cars unless the seatbelts were fastened. The apocryphal stories have it that people had to put the seatbelt around the bag of groceries they placed in the passenger seat in order to operate their cars. Somehow, I don't think it would be that difficult to bypass.

I don't claim to be an expert on fusible links, but according to this site, a black fusible link should be good up to 80A. Granted, length is a factor in capacity, but I don't think the 240Z fusible link is that long. You may want to go to a 60A fuse.

I drive a MazdaSpeed6. My wife liked it enough that she ended up with a Mazda 6 Wagon.

I figured as much. We'll just have to take some good pictures for someone to send to him.

Wouldn't it be great to get Mr. K there, too?

Guys, don't forget about me. I live about 20 miles from Road Atlanta. If I can help with you out, let me know. Steve

Indeed, Carl. I found out today that BRE is among the featured lines next year! There were a few S30s in the Car Corral today. I have to drive the station wagon tomorrow since the wife is going, but I'll be in the Z for Sunday.

Is that a hint, Mike? Thanks for the reminder. I need to make sure the camera batteries are charged.

Fred, The Georgia Z Club should be setting up on Saturday around the Suzuki Bridge. I'll probably park over there on Friday, too.

Oh sure, Carl. Start another thread to trump the one I started over a month ago. I will be there. I have my 3 day pass. Fortunately, I live about 20 miles from the track. Are you going to make it this year?

Worth? That depends upon the condition and the desire of the buyer. From the amout of a description you gave, that's about as accurate as anybody can get. Many parts are still available. Search for Roadster websites. There is an active online presence. I have links at home. I'll try to remember to post them.

Hey, I figured that it was the most appropriate considering that I live so close to Lake Lanier. Some day I'll have to start fishing again. Are you going to the Mitty? I got my tickets on Tuesday.

I put you back to the end of a runway. It's up to you to deal with the FAA about that.

I was just editing my pin when all of the sudden, a yellow pin popped up.

It looks like it's had some frame rail work done. What concerns me is that you haven't received/posted pictures of the pans near the front of the car. With the rust I see underneath the engine bay, I also have to wonder how well it has been maintained. Are you thinking of driving it back, or will it travel on a trailer? Where in Alabama is it? If you're driving, what is your planned route back? It might be handy to be able to contact board members if you need help on the way back.

Send me a PM if there is anything I can do to help you.