SteveJ

First, post the part number for the Flamethrower. That goes with what Mitchell posted. Next, get the engine to TDC and check the distributor position. That's your zero point for timing. After you establish zero, you can have more confidence in establishing your timing properly. I get the feeling that your plug wires were off at 35 degrees. After you get the timing right, you can establish whether or not you have a good spark. Then you can look to see if you have any fuel issues.

Depressurize the fuel rail and install an inline fuel pressure gauge.

Why would you salt roads? Don't worry guys. I'll be driving the Z to Caffeine & Octane on Dec 1 provided it's not raining. The current forecast is good, too. I hope you guys have good project lists for your Zs so you don't neglect them over the winter.

Yeah, I think Vintage Connections has been mentioned once or twice before here... https://www.google.com/search?q=vintage+connections+site%3Aclassiczcars.com&oq=vintage+connections+site%3Aclassiczcars.com&aqs=chrome..69i57.8195j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

There isn't an environmental reason for having higher octane gas available. Higher octane gas is used to allow cars to have engines with higher compression with less chance of detonation. To very much oversimplify emissions: NOx - This is more of a function of temperature. If your mixture is too lean, it will increase combustion temperatures. CO - This is more a function of mixture. If the mixture is too rich, there is not enough oxygen to form carbon dioxide. The smog pump on early Z cars basically pumped extra air into the exhaust to allow combustion to complete. Hydrocarbons - This is a function of mixture and timing. If the timing is too advanced or retarded, you do not give the engine the chance burn the fuel properly. Note: in the descriptions of the three main emissions components, I did not mention octane. When you have the engine too far advanced for the octane rating of the fuel, you increase the chance for detonation because the fuel will tend to burn faster in the cylinder, increasing the chance that the combustion gasses have expanded a lot more as the piston is still rising. Hell, if your compression ratio is high enough, you can ignite the mixture without have a spark plug (research a diesel engine). By the way, tetraethyl lead is a great additive to raise octane levels. I wouldn't consider it environmentally friendly though.

Actually, he said nothing about the quality of gas. He mentioned different octane ratings. There are some cars out there that will have better performance with higher octane fuels. They generally have knock sensors to signal the ECU to retard timing when lower octane fuel is used. The owners manual has the recommended octane rating for our cars. Using a higher octane fuel will not change the cars performance, unless you are paying for gas in nickels. In that case, you'll be carrying around fewer nickels after buying the higher octane fuel. There are a LOT of variables that can affect the performance & (perceived) gas mileage: mixture, tire pressure, winds, traffic, traffic lights, driving style, how full the tank is, etc.

What is the fuel pressure?

And what's your point?

With all of the environmental regs in California, why do you think gas would be cheaper? Did the one Chevron plant ever get back up to capacity after the fire? I doubt there will be a new refinery constructed in California in my lifetime. Plus those gas stations have to pay for the real estate they are sitting on. While they make most of their money off of candy bars & slurpees, the gas sales have to contribute to paying for the overhead.

You're right. I missed that. The turn signal switch would account for that better.

Search for body plugs. Just measure the size of the holes. I know I have some hiding in my garage.

The brake light circuit goes through the hazard switch. Hazard Switch ? Brake Light ? Turn Signal Circuit Analysis | Fiddling With Z Cars The hazard switch may need to be cleaned. Early Hazard Switch | Fiddling With Z Cars

The free market will keep prices reasonable. It doesn't prevent outliers. Did eBay force you to buy it? I don't think so. Therefore, his pricing only captures the desperate & lazy. Here's a tip. If someone like reddat is advertising something on eBay with a genuine Nissan box with a partly obscured part number, it's a neon sign saying you can probably buy it from a dealer. Buy the parts CD from this website, research the whole part number. Go to your local Nissan dealer with the part number or go online to http://www.nissanparts.cc, http://www.nismoparts.com or Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com. Both of those dealerships let you put in any part number. You can save a lot of money over the eBay pricing for a lot of NOS parts.

Maybe a $2000 car...

I would agree with that.

That looks like the ones on my cars.

I believe Sarah is just looking for the plastic dome on the light, not the whole inspection light. For that I could loan you a good one for you to use as a model.

You can get a new headlight switch (Amazon.com: Standard Motor Products HLS-1026 Wiper Switch: Automotive Summit appears to be a little cheaper: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/smp-hls1026/applications/). Not cheap. Rebuilt switches cost somewhere around half that. The high/low beam switch in the turn signal doesn't seem to be doing well, either. Those are pretty much only available as rebuilds. Sometimes you will find a NOS switch, but those will run about $300. If you want to strike out on your own, look for a switch for a 74, 75, or 76. They are the same.

Guys, look up the Georgia Z Club on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/georgiazclub). We post club events and other events of interest like that for the Atlanta metro area.

Only if you have a good return path. The return path for the headlights goes back to the turn signal switch. That switch changes which circuit (high beam or low beam) is connected to ground. Yes.

I went out to the Braselton Bash today at YearOne. While you would think it would be mostly a muscle car show, they do like to see other types of cars there, too. We had a pretty good showing of Z cars there. See all of the pictures here: Braselton Bash ? November 2013 (150 Pictures) | Steve's CARtography. Hey, every family has a black sheep.

It takes time to produce a color-coded diagram. It will be done eventually, though. The FSM does break down the circuit nicely. There are only two wires in play. The White/Red is the source coming into the steering column. The large gauge Red wire is the one that goes down to the fuse box. From there, it gets broken into the left and right headlight fuses.

Your car looks incomplete without the trailer.

The GY wire should be for your running lights. It's supposed to come from the headlight switch, down to the 9-pin connector, and goes out to the dash harness. Either someone has hacked the wiring, or you managed to connect things wrong. About a year ago, I did a breakdown of the hazard light/parking light/brake light circuit for the 72. I did the drawing in a style similar to the BE section of the 74 FSM, but I also included a description of the circuit operation. It might help you with figuring out the diagrams in the FSM. Hazard Switch ? Brake Light ? Turn Signal Circuit Analysis | Fiddling With Z Cars

I will say this. The ESFLOW concept would be just the car I would buy...if I was 8 years old and looking for one to add to my Hot Wheels collection.