EScanlon

Take it to a store and have them test it, if it fails the test then replace it. E

If you are not planning on fixing the tranny before July, remove the dead battery and wait till you are going to get her going again. The dead battery in the car may cause problems and it is simpler to remove than to store in the car. As far as starting the car weekly while in storage, while that is good for keeping the fluids and the surfaces inside the engine lubed, unless you run the car for a good while and at high rpm's, you won't have restored much charge to the battery. The main problem is that the alternator isn't putting out a ton of current until the rpm's get higher....as when you are driving...and that is when the regulator shunts the power to the battery to recharge it. Simply idling, the battery isn't receiving enough power, if any, to recharge it. For that reason many owners use a trickle charger, while others remove the battery connections and do a full charge on the battery before spring. Even then, with most lead acid batteries you also run the risk of sulfation due to simply sitting without being used and it's having lost it's charge. HTH E

I would say that it depends on how much experience you have with Z's, and how easy the 5-speed conversion will be, and how well you are able to work without touching the new paint. That, of course, depends on how much experience you have with the Z's. Your profile doesn't say much other than you own three, so it is possible. Pulling an all-nighter works only if you are familiar with what you are doing AND you aren't trying to do the job at arm's length, otherwise it's a sure bet to getting frustrated, tired and worse... taking short cuts that can bite you down the road. There's a reason for the expression "Haste makes Waste". New paint that has only had a couple of days to cure....well it's going to be very touchy....and you're planning on leaning over the fenders to install an engine? Make sure you don't wear a belt, or jeans with metal buttons or rivets, or have anything in your pockets and absolutely do NOT put grease or oil on the fresh paint. Also be careful of leaning on top of a fender cover, you might imprint the fender cover's cloth backing onto the paint, or find that it got stuck, or that you ...... When you say you removed everything, does that include glass? As in windshield and hatch? Yikes that's a couple of hours even when you ARE experienced. Same thing with door glass, and weatherstripping and emblems and.... You'll want to remove the hood so you can swap in the new engine...have you given thought as to where you will be parking it so that it is NOT resting on an edge or surface of new paint? Do you have a friend that's going to stay up to help you? Or are you planning on doing this by yourself? I can understand your eagerness, but I would caution you to reacess your hurry. Then again, if you can pull it off .... great! You'll have a lot of fun, that weekend and more. But if you end up marring a beatiful paint job simply because you rushed the whole job..... you'll cry for years. Take your time, do it RIGHT, and you'll enjoy it for years. You might miss this years convention, but you would be set for the next one and all the other shows and fun runs. 2¢ E

Hehe, think of it as Rubber, Vinyl, or Plastic parts on older cars in your area......, while you may have heard of them, it simply doesn't happen very often.... While we sometimes have to worry about snow between fall and summer, at least we don't have to worry about losing power in the middle of summer and losing the A/C..... :laugh: E

Here's a direct link: http://www.shiftco.com/hood_river_run/ This run was due to meet AT Hood River and take to the road from there. Take note that there was also going to be a different run by some folks going similar paths, or at least as far as I've been told, that is NOT this one. The other run was supposedly going to meet in Vancouver, WA for folks coming North/South on I-5 and then heading East on WA-14. I have no knowledge of that event other than "I heard that..." from another member. FWIW E

The fusible link portion is ONLY from the Starter to the connection at the wire harness. That is, the plastic single spade locking connector connecting the fusible link to the harness, to the Ring connector at the starter. The rest of the wiring you describe is normal wiring, although 10/12 ga or so. If you DO have 12v+ at the Regulator (with sheet metal as the ground) then your fusible link IS functional. That you do NOT have 12v+ at the W/R wire (again to body ground) at the fuse box implies the Alternator's internal wiring. FWIW E

I understand that you are trying to determine why your headlights aren't working. What you're not understanding is that your diagram with "ON" and "OFF" doesn't explain if you are using a testlight that draws power from the circuit it is testing to light up, or if you are using a continuity meter that register ON for continuity and OFF for no continuity, which normally requires a test light with it's OWN power supply independent of the circuit you are testing. The first test light doesn't check continuity it checks for power, and power with relation to a ground or the return portion of that circuit. The second one just checks for continuity and doesn't indicate if there is or isn't power present in the circuit (although it may get affected by the presence of power in the circuit). That's not continuity that's voltage you're registering there, and voltage with respect to ground. The W/R is always Positive with respect to ground, when in the SECOND position it connects to the Red wire and power is then directed to each headlight via the fuses. There is no "magic bullet" when it comes to wiring. You have to look at the schematic time and time again simply to trace where the wires connect to each other. Others would just be doing it for you and wouldn't have your car there to check their findings. Tracing the wires at the combination switch to their respective sources / destinations will show you that only three wires affect the headlamps. That will give you an idea as to what you should be seeing/measuring. You'll note that there are TWO fuses for the headlamps, one for each side. They BOTH receive power via the Red wire coming from the Combination Switch. Do a continuity check from the Red wire contact at the switch to the fuse box and you'll see that they do connect. Then when you trace everything back (fuse box to headlamps and back to the combination switch) you'll see that BOTH headlamps return the ground portion back through the combination switch to the Dimmer switch...which connects to a little black wire from the Turn Signal Switch to the Headlamp / Wiper Switch. That is a good step. Too often it's a visual check that is the problem. You don't specify if you have switched the Headlamp switch to it's second position, if you don't you won't have any power to check. But presuming that you did, then check for continuity from the fuse box to each of the headlamp connectors at the front of the car. This will require alligator clips and long leads, but it will help isolate the location of the wire break. I'm trying to help you, but you need to do some of the legwork too. Give the above a shot and see if that doesn't help. E

The biggest problem with your test, is that you don't specify WHAT it is you're testing for. Add to that that you don't reference with respect to WHAT you are testing against. ON = What? Voltage 12v or continuity? Continuity with regards to what? Voltage with regards to what? Have you checked the wiring diagram for your year? Did you check and/or replace those fuses? (Note a VISUAL check of the fuses is worthless, these glass tube fuses often look OK, but in fact are NOT.) Have you checked to see if you have power at the headlamp connector? Not trying to p*ss you off, but we can't see your car from where we're sitting, which makes it extremely hard to diagnose. 2¢ E

Hopefully this will answer some of your questions in the pictures: Img-1962 (the first one on the Left) The pic detail gets lost in the corrosion, but if it is a brass "sleeve" that the wires are inside of that is then crimped, then YES it is a factory connection. These were used instead of soldering. Clean them off with a soft wire (brass) brush then re-tape. Img-1962 (Middle) Green corrosion is common with brass/copper. Clean off with brass wire brush and re-tape. Liquid electrical tape is ok, but it takes hours to cure. A White/Red wire DOES connect to the Alternator directly from the fuse box, it's the Secondary power feed to the extra circuits and wouldn't normally be the reason for not starting. (Ignition is on the Primary power feed, the White wire to the Fuse Box.) The two wires are probably one for the fuse box and the other for the Ammeter. Img-1966 (Right hand) This one I'll pass on. It may be for part of an A/C system, but I do not know for sure. I'll see if I can find my schematics later. What year car is this again? E

Phil; If the plastic insert breaks again, you can give it added strength with a pair of nylon wire ties the Zip-Strip variety. If you use the "flush" style it makes it a bit easier to tighten up, but IME the 90° seem to have a stronger hold. Usually only two or three are needed to wrap completely around the plastic insert. I've used JB Weld before to repair and fill in missing material from pieces of plastic that have fallen off. FWIW E

Have you checked the regulator arms (the scissors) to see if they're straight? Only one has a bend to it, and it is noticeable and obviously a press brake bend. Aside from that, to push the front edge of the glass up, the rear sash (the little one) needs to come down. The regulator has some adjustment also, but it is negligible, but push it UP to push the rear of the glass down. The "hitch" you mention can be caused by either a bent arm, a bent sash (front OR rear), a sticking roller or even a stripped handle or regulator gear. You might also check that the "teeth" of the regulator both on the spline gear and the stamped metal. If one of those is bent it will cause a hitch, although if on the spline gear will be cyclic and on the stamped metal will only occur one time. Check those out and see what you find. E

As clarification for a couple of terms: I referred to them as "click-its", they're known as "Clecos". Here's a link from the Eastwood Co.: http://eastwood.resultspage.com/search?p=Q&ts=custom&w=cleco Here's a link to a Vise Grip Sheet Metal Clamp: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=5829 HTH E

You're encountering "typical" replacement sheet metal woes. If you were to complain to MSA, you'd find that there is absolutely nothing they could do for you. This is why sheet metal replacement is more than simply slapping it on and welding. Do NOT cut off that 90° bend. It will make it extremely difficult to weld, blend in and finish the final edge you leave behind. The 90° will allow you to hide the new seam line behind the tail-light finisher instead of out in front of it, where the seam line now becomes critical that it be flawlessly blended in. Part of what you are missing, is a stiffening bend at the bottom. If you have a pair of sheet metal vise grips, all you need to do is to bend a small step (about 1/8" or less) at the bottom edge as a stiffener. Look at the edge of the original piece and you'll see a very thin edge bend that stiffens the whole piece. Next, note that there is a definite curve to the panel side to side. That is the main reason why the MSA piece isn't edged for you. If it were, you'd have a MUCH harder time adjusting to your car's specific curvature. If you have "click-its" drill and clamp the piece to the lower edge of the tail-light area, and also to the rearmost end of the side fenders. Yes, this will begin to force the curve into the piece, but now, make sure you match the tail-light surround area. Lastly, then begin to form the stiffening edge on the lower edge of the valance. Work from one side then the other side, not from one side all the way to the other. This allows you to bring the curve into shape with the crown (most forward point of the curve) being the last to be shaped. That's my technique in a nutshell, there are variations depending on various factors but that should get you into the ball park. HTH Enrique

Tach and all? Excellent, but more probably due to your perseverence than my post. In re-reading my post, I may have introduced some confusion into the mix. The B/W wire that does register continuity with the G/W is the one to connect to the + side of the coil, the one that does NOT is the one to connect to the G/W wire. That connection is required to provide power to the coil in the RUN position. In the START the coil receives power via the B/W wire directly from the Ignition Switch. In checking the wiring, you apparently did the right thing and hooked it up correctly. I'm posting this to ensure others who may read this get it working right the first time. Sorry for the mix-up. E

Could also be a weak battery due to not being fully charged. But your recommendation is probably more likely. E

No need to apologize at all. There have been incidents of people resurrecting old threads simply to add a comment that boils down to..."Me too!" or "I agree!", and that is what we would like to discourage. Those comments do not serve anything other than to plump up post counts. For the most part, post-whoring is frowned upon. However, IMO, both comments and questions that are ON-TOPIC of the thread and rely on the content of the thread as well as enrich the thread are welcome ...regardless of the age of the original thread. These cars are 35+ years old! How many different ways do you think there are to repair the same problems? How many different ways should you have to search for them? While the title of this thread is definitively not on-topic (and Mike the Head Admin of the site may change it), the content is informative and other than these specific posts, on topic. So, no worries and feel free to post comments and questions that are on topic. 2¢ E

Depends on WHAT you're doing. For the riveted or screwed on variety: If you're doing a complete tear-down of the car, window mechanisms out of the doors, fenders off, interior rear plastic panels out, and general removal of paint down to the metal...you can't argue against a quick MIG weld of the holes (if they used rivets). A good welder can put a copper plate behind the hole, give the hole a fast shot with the MIG and grind off the excess faster than anything I've seen, and NOT warp the metal. The advantage here is that you're putting steel back into the sheet metal and not some foreign substance (more on this). But the key here is NOT warping the metal. This would NOT be the place to see how good you are at welding. The other alternative is to Braze the holes shut. However, this has a HIGH probability of warping the metal due to heat expansion/contraction. Another alternative is to use a Lead fill method, or as I was taught when I was working as a body man...SOLDERNIG the holes shut. This has the advantage of not requiring a welder and not over-heating the panel. You use Acid Core solder with a liquid flux after having cleared the surrounding 1/16" or so of metal and it will quickly fill the hole. The biggest disadvantage here is that you MUST neutralize the flux and acid that may leak behind the hole. There are other fill compounds, Epoxy is one, JB Weld is another. As long as the material is NOT porous (and Bondo IS), you should be ok. The only disadvantages here (AFAIK) is that you want something that will expand/contract at generally the same rate as the sheet metal, and adhere very strongly with a minimum of contact area. All of the above are easy to do on a tear down. If you're hoping to just remove the moldings and use a dash of touch up paint...probably only the Solder or Epoxy methods would apply. For the adhesive back variety: Removal can be done with careful use of a razor blade, some hi strength nylon fishing line or a guitar string. Then just start at the beginning and carefully work back. The fishing line or the guitar string are the easiest methods although they'll tend to "tear" and bunch up the adhesive backed foam. The razor blade runs the risk of knicking the paint. Afterwards, as Julio pointed out, adhesive remover and you should be good to go. However, in my experience, if they've used the aluminum channel and used adhesive backing, usually the decorative end tips are screwed onto the body, so you'll still have to do some hole filling. FWIW E

Dealer add on. There are two main styles that I've seen. One is the aluminum channel with the rubber/vinyl insert in color to complement the car (white/black etc.). The other is the all rubber stick on, some with a chromed edge and others just plain rubber. FWIW E

Since he was referencing a picture on this thread, after having used the Search feature, and had questions pertaining EXACTLY to the thread's content....where ELSE should he have posted his questions? I can't think of a more logical place than within the thread that contains the bulk of the information...it helps the thread be MORE informative. Starting a new thread would have disjointed the question/answer and made future searches even more difficult. It IS difficult to discern one thread's content from another, the search feature at least allows you to know that the thread contains what you're looking for. But by propagating the number of threads simply because one is old...well, you're back at step one with hundreds of threads with the same subject matter. Sorry, the blanket "old post" comment won't cut it here. If it were a "Me too!" type of comment - then it would apply, but not when it's on-topic. By posting a relevant question IN the same thread, it enriches the thread for future searches and readers, and un-complicates a tedious search after using the Search feature. 2¢ E

First off, did you swap the original 240 coil to the ZX coil? You'll want to as the original 240 coil isn't designed to run on 12v all the time (or at least that is what the mechanical guys insist on). If you did NOT, then you may have other problems (rough running at higher RPM's) due to the decreased voltage to the coil and hence the E12-80 module, since the original 240 coil requires the resistor. If you DID swap the coil, then all you need to do is plug the Tach back into the circuit. By having both the Green/White and the Black/White wire connected to the coil, you've completely disconnected it. The Green/White and ONE of the Black/White wires are supposed to connect to the Resistor, and are the sensing portion of the Tach's circuit. To determine WHICH one of the Black/White wires to connect, do a simple continuity check between the Green/White and the Black/White wires. Only ONE of those two wires will complete the continuity check (as long as you still have the Tach connection in place). The B/W wire that has continuity is the one to then connect to the Green/White wire, if you are removing the Resistor from the circuit, or to the ends of the resistor if it's staying. That's it. The Tach should now work as before. HTH E

If by "QQ" you are referring to Personalized plates, then there shouldn't be any restrictions. Granted NJ is it's own little kingdom so.... However, on the use of "Historic" vehicle, or "Classic" or "Antique" plates, you may find that due to the reduced registration requirements ($, frequency) there may be some specific guidelines they enforce. Could be "fair-weather" or "pleasure" driving ONLY, or to/from car shows (and be prepared to prove it), or some other restrictions. From what I've heard the mileage requirement is rarely if ever checked on (even the insurance companies don't). But, that's based on what I've heard.... E

Sorry, but if you have to ask......you'll never understand. E

Then my mistake, I misinterpreted it to mean that the wire was un-connected. Dave is spot on with his suggestion as to reconnecting it. If you decide to use the butt connector try to have the wire ends touch in the middle before you crimp and crimp hard. Then as a precaution a dash of heatshrink won't hurt at all (remember to put it in place before you crimp. E

Careful...reconnecting a cut wire just because doesn't mean you won't be opening up a can of worms, or worse yet initiate a melt-down. Is the car operating properly as it stands (with the taped off W/R wire)? If it is, then the circuit that wire belongs to has been shunted and adding that wire back into the mix may be a nice way of short-circuiting the shunt. It may not be bad, but without checking it first it would be like diving head first into a creek. There are only two W/R wires at the fuse box. One comes directly FROM the Alternator and the other goes directly TO the Acc Relay, Ammeter, Combination and Ignition Switches. It would be difficult if not impossible for the car to be running AND the balance of the car's electrical items without both of those circuits in place. So if the Lights, Ammeter, Acc Relay etc. are operating properly, then I would check to see where and why that wire has been bypassed BEFORE I would just plug it back in. My 2¢ E

This is where "book" knowledge and "in-use" knowledge start to show the strain. The early tach, commonly referred to as the "4-wire" tach (due to it's connector) gets it's signal directly from the current going to the coil (Black/White and Green/White wires) from the Ignition Switch. Later style tachs went to a one wire sensor and not a loop, which reduced the number of wires to the tach's mechanism by one, hence the reference as "3-wire" tachs. While I've read that people feel the later style tach (3-wire) is more accurate (definition still to be determined), I've not read of anyone being able to convert a 4-wire wiring harness to use a 3-wire tach. The reason for this is that the 4-wire Loop is a requirement of the ignition system in order to provide power to the coil. Cut that wire and you won't get any current to the coil at all. Now as far as your question goes, there have been numerous people that have swapped out the points disributor for a ZX dizzy in order to gain the E12-80 module (and loose the points), and have also swapped the coil in order to allow eliminating the Resistor from the circuit. What this may imply is that the change in the coil might not have had any effect on the tach...but actual experience may differ. That's the problem in saying for a fact that it would or wouldn't affect the tach. But since your intent is function and not originality, why not check into some of the conversions to more modern tach's? That way you'll gain the accuracy you want, and bypass the old technology. FWIW E