EScanlon

Have you obtained a Factory Shop Manual, or ANY manual of any sort? Have you run down the wiring? Have you checked for continuity on the wiring? Have you checked for a possible short to ground? And last but not least, Have you checked the fuses? All of the above are BASIC questions, but yes, as much of a PITA as they seem, they bite people over and over again. I've seen people post here and on other forums: I've Checked and rechecked and checked again, so DON'T ANYONE tell me to CHECK THE D@MN FUSE AGAIN. Only to see a new post a few days later, FOUND MY PROBLEM!!! It was the fuse. So, hehe, as obnoxious and these guys are just telling me to go away, it is a KNOWN problem with the Z's. Not only check the fuse, check the fuse holder, make sure the metal is nice and bright. Make sure the connection to the fuse holder itself from the wiring below is tight. Check connections. We could go on and ON, and you will most often find that ,,,,,ooops, it's a simple fuse.

The percentage of AF to H2O used, I referenced is right off the Prestone Bottle in my garage. At 50%/50% it gives one set of Upper and Lower temperatures, at 70%AF/30%H2O it gives a Higher Upper and a Lower Low temperature protection, the bottle does not address cooling efficiency. I went to their website hoping to find some information and after a 10 minute search could not find anything that referenced the cooling difference between 50/50 and 70/30. Since I was looking for the sake of discussion and not for Doctorate Thesis; I let it go. I'm sure the answer is out there someplace, and if so, someone else is welcome to research it out. Since the reply we have received after changing the mixture percentage does indicate a drop in the operating temperature, I feel we would be safe in saying that a 50/50 mix is more efficient than a 70/30. But not having had direct experience myself, I posted what I had learned from the bottle. Personally, I ALWAYS mix 50/50, since a mechanic YEARS ago put it this way: "Rick, if the temperature drops to -35F or above 260F in the engine, you got a sh!tload of OTHER problems to worry about. Now if you lived in Alaska, then ...."

There are many postings on just as many Z-Car sites regarding this problem. This is a KNOWN problem with the Z's, especially the 240 body style cars. Briefly and succinctly: Check ALL hoses going to the fuel tank. Some of these go to the tank through the tail light access panel. The recovery tank is also located behind the right rear plastic panel. Be careful when removing the plastic panels, they are brittle and will break if abused. Check your Tail Light gaskets, sometimes the smell is due to the exhaust smell creeping back in to the car, and you are running rich. You probably did not notice the smell when you bought the car because they didn't fill up the gas tank; which was probably one of the FIRST things you did. For an EXCELLENT article on how to replace all the hoses, order the Premier Issue of Sport Z magazine (www.sportzmagazine.com) They cover it there and even provide information on size, length and diameter of the hoses you will need. NAPA has these, you just got to ask for them as they aren't normally out in front. Hope this helps.

First off, the FSM is Model Year Specific. This means that you may find SOME information in a 71 FSM for a 72, but you won't find all. This gets progressively worse the further apart your car's model year and the FSM you get are. I would recommend you wait till you get your car. Then look at it's manufacture date to determine WHICH year FSM to get. Then you can try to get one through e-Bay, or Courtesy Nissan. Mind you, it isn't going to be cheap. Expect to pay from $50 up to $125. If I recall Courtesy also sells some years in CD format, but not for the EARLY 240. I think their manuals on CD begin with either the 72 or 73 models. You might also post on the Wanted Forum here. Someone may have one that they would sell. Good Luck!

SURVEY SAYS: ONE OF EACH!! If you are trying to find the ONE manual that will help you the most: The Factory Service Manual; both sections: Engine and Body. If you are looking for a manual OTHER than the FSM; I personally (for the 240) vote for the EARLY Clymers. The one with the Blue cover and the picture of the Red Z, NOT the one with the Red cover and the same red Z. i.e. THE VERY FIRST EDITION Clymer's. Although the latter editions were ok, they chopped out major sections on electrical and body that reduced them (in my opinion) to the level of a Hayne's or Chilton's. If you can't find the Clymer's: Hayne's or Chilton's. Both have their shortcomings, and both have their good points. You can usually find these just about anywhere, even at car shops, they can order them for you. Need to be told where to start?: Wic Humble's "How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car" You can get this one at Amazon or various other places. 2¢

One other item to consider here: Coefficient of Friction. i.e. that amount of force that can be exerted and still benefit from the counter force developed by friction. Acceleration can only happen or push on the tires until the coefficient of friction is overcome, at that point you have a "burn out". Simple right? Braking is the same, same with cornering. Now, the discussion regarding the foot print: A larger area footprint means the load (weight of the car) is exerted in such a manner as to be LESS weight per square inch of area. And that difference is what allows more force to be exerted both under acceleration and deceleration as well as lateral forces (cornering). So don't be fooled by the weight/area relationship you've established. Mike has explained the major considerations to make, all else is just hype.

Ok, from the last post what I surmise is that it is only the FRONT signal that is not working. The rear component of the turn signal (left) IS working. Therefore to summarize: Both RIGHT hand lights work as they should, including the indicator in the Tach. LEFT: only the indicator in Tach and the REAR light. The FRONT LEFT indicator is the only thing NOT working. Conclusion: Turn Signal Flasher is operative, wiring through combination switch is ok for the rear, check wiring for left front, bulb check required left front, ground check required left front. If this is correct, then there is only a couple items to check. We need to do THESE simple checks FIRST, before we address the more complex issues suggested. This is Occam's Razor. At the combination switch, look for a Green wire with a RED stripe (shorthand for this is Green/Red wire) Check continuity on that wire from the combo switch all the way to the light socket at the front of the car. If no problems, (also check for short to ground), then check to make sure the light socket has good contact to ground. That's the black wire at the socket, run continuity through it to ground. Lastly, check continuity on the bulb. If ALL those check ok, then we can start looking at the other possibbilities, such as short to the parking light circuit. But I'll bet that this solves it.

Let's not get a war started here like what happened at Zcar.com. There will ALWAYS be people who don't like what you do to YOUR car, and others that think it's the next item they want to copy for theirs. While some will laud your choice of paint, others will wonder why not just have a bunch of birds poop on it to make it look better from the paint job you did. 2+2, different, yes, but nonetheless an original Z car as manufactured by Datsun/Nissan. Can't say the same about V8; V6 and other engine swaps. How about shaved bumpers, or handles, lights or even AIR DAMS. GEEEEEEEEZ!!!! BUT......to each Z owner, it is their baby and they are satisfied with what they've done. I would even go so far to say that in many cases they've done a conscientious and careful change over. Are there atrocities out there, you bet, but then again, not in ALL cases. In some cases, they've rescued these cars from sure death at the crusher or a slow death in the boneyard. Other cases, have been where they are bought and changed, maybe from what the original owner might have felt should happen to it, but nonetheless, they are STILL ON THE ROAD! If you feel strongly enough about these "atrocities" then get your money together, make an offer, buy the car, and "correct" to your hearts desire. Note that I am not defining "correct", because one man's feast is another man's poison. Which is right? It's up to each one of us. Let's just keep them rolling, that they are different is part of the spice of being in a fraternity. We're not all stamped out of the same mold, nor are we expected to "restore" to the same condition as everyone else. Even talking Concours judging, your car is judged to the standards for your year, and 920 Gold paint as well as any of the 900 series paints are unacceptable in any other year than 70 and 71. Just my 2¢

At the risk of sounding like a pompous overbearing self-righteous old coot, (may I are one at 46), let's apply the K.I.S.S. principle here. Do you know when the oil AND filter had been changed before you did it this weekend. I'm presuming that you had the filter changed, if not then I'm also guilty of the "arse-U-ME" principle. If it's been a while, then it is very probable that the NEW oil has loosened up items that were caked / gunked up before. One of which could very well be the oil pressure sender unit. Conjecture, but nonetheless, in other oil pressure gauges where an actual pitot tube of oil went to the gauge, an air bubble could cause the most outrageous of pressure differences, that could be the case here. Even if they were they wouldn't cause the engine to run hotter. The only effect would be that you would have a Fully hot heater core inside the car interior that is allowed to release ALL of the heat it gets from the engine inside the car, and the return to the engine is restricted. The normal method of operation is that the Fully heated coolant is outside the car interior; restricted from entering the heater core at full volume. In both instances the return volume from the heater core would be regulated by the heater control valve, and since this either shuts off or opens all the way (as well as stages in between) it has no direct bearing on the heat of the engine. (Although, in an emergency overheating situation, if you turn on the heater valve and allow the heater core to act as a second radiator it CAN help reduce the heat of the engine) The oil pressure sending units are known to be inaccurate and are an item that can go bad. I would try to get a new one and see what that does, or check it with a mechanical one. The thermostat may be something to check in to, but I would FIRST address the timing as 2MZ pointed out, then I would check the thermostat if the timing does not change the temp. By the way, the 70/30 mix of AF/H2O is for increased EXTREME TEMP protection. i.e. it will allow your coolant to NOT freeze or boil until it reaches lower / higher temperatures respectively than a 50/50 mix. This has NOTHING to do with it's effectiveness as a cooling agent, in fact it may affect it's heat exchange properties. i.e. how easily / quickly it gains / loses heat energy. And THAT property is what determines how good a coolant it is. Just my 2¢

For a really complete and humongous catalog of parts, nuts, bolts, etc etc; get a hold of a Granger's or a McMaster Carr catalog. You might also check the JC Whitney catalog. What JC Whitney is to automotive, Granger's and McMaster Carr are to industry. They catalog just about every possible combination of part for industry you can imagine. In fact, years ago, I was looking for an old style chamois squeezer. You know the type that you find on old style pressure wand car washes? Well, the ONLY source I found after looking in every automotive, hardware, industrial service etc etc place was McMaster Carr. So, if it's out there, either Granger's or McMaster Carr probably has it, and probably has it in stock.

Forgot to mention; my car is a 71 240Z painted 920-Gold.

Just got the first one done. Thoughts?

And at least in the funnies; Clark can NEVER EVER wear contact lenses.

Choco said it, we may have 6" piles of odds and ends on our desk, but ask us to find that scrap piece of paper where we doodled the possible wiring diagram for a fuel shut off switch that was done on the BACK of an otherwise non-descript piece of paper, and within a few minutes of searching....we'll find it. A woman comes in and looks at this "mess" and not understanding that we have every bit and piece catalogued in our heads by it's spatial coordinates and relative proximity to other nearby pieces of otherwise non-descript stuff; will then proceed to discard it all as "trash". <<(ahh, yes here are the picture ads that stripper girl was handing out at the bar when I was returning from buying the air compressor, therefore in the pile to the left, at about the same height should be the owner's manual for the compressor, and right beneath that is where the wiring diagram is.)>> But, if you look in a woman's clothing drawers where they stash their panties, pantyhose or brassieres you will encounter something interesting: These are either: Organized: No dear, those aren't true pink, they're almost pink, and they have lace, although not lace in the front, and they have a seam in the middle of the back, although they're obviously different from that other pair because if you look you'll note that those have WIDE elastic and these don't; AND they are bikini style not hip-huggers which any idiot can tell are different from briefs. OR Disorganized: You look in the panty hose drawer, and the resulting mess will rival the most hideous squirrel's nest of fishing line you ever laid your eyes on. Even Spaghetti is easier to unravel since there you CAN pull on a single strand and the bulk of it will at least slide out from within the rest of the mess. And the problem is that when they need a pair, they're not looking for the first one they can unravel out of this hunk of solid nylon, they're looking for that UNIQUE pair with the UNIQUE shading which can only be discerned from the other pairs in there if they either put their leg in to it, or at least an arm, which of course means you have to untangle each individual pair out of the mess before you can discern it's shade at that point in time. Then when they finally do find the one pair, they ball up the ones that they had to check before they found ~the~ pair and stuff them back in to the drawer. And then pray that they don't develop a run. But women will agree that we men are disorganized, whether THEY are organized or not, this also goes for all you sicko's who insist on cataloguing the replacement screws in your spare parts bin not only by size, thread count, and material, but also by manufacture and purchase date. Trust me, as far as a woman is conscerned, your method does not make sense. But just my 2¢

This may sound way off topic or "what are you smoking?" but I think you need to define what you mean by break even. If you do not value your own man-hours, that reduces your investment. If you do value your time, how much are you worth? How much could your worth be reduced by the enjoyment you get from tinkering with it? Why aren't you taking it to a mechanic, if you're worth that much? How much is your enjoyment of driving the machine worth? How about when it isn't working right? Those are but a FEW of the questions that in my mind, come into play when I think about "breaking even". Personally, I've been wanting one of these since 1974 when I laid my eyes on it for the first time. Like Love at first sight, I think if someone had told me that you had to donate your male organ and accouterments, I would probably have hesitated, but I can't honestly tell you that my answer would have been immediate and without thought. (Sorry, I know, crude, but I just about messed my pants when I saw the car.) I've been a car enthusiast since I began doing plastic models in the mid 60's. At one time my plastic model car collection numbered in the hundreds, and most of them were the futuristic smooth curve variety. One distinct favorite, was a 1/8 or 1/12 scale, Jaguar XKE in bright yellow plastic. I worked on that one for close to 6 months, which when you are 11-12 is as close to forever as you want to get. If you can imagine an 11 year old being that interested in anything, then you can imagine my total "rapture" when I spotted my first 240Z in 1974. So how much is it worth? You don't have the money to buy mine. Can I possibly break even? In order to "break even" it would involve having to sell my Z, in order to sell my Z, a lot of other things in the world need to go belly up, and if those things happen, then no one is going to be interested in buying my Z, so ...... what was the question? OH YEAH! Breaking even on my Z.....YES, every single time I get in it, start it up, and pull it out of the garage and just one, yes, just ONE person looks at it, and I can read the look on their face and it says......You're such a lucky bastard! 2¢

If you get the Basic AAA there ARE limitations. Typically the tow can only be so many miles and it is always to the FIRST and CLOSEST repair facility that will repair what is wrong with your car. If you do not agree, and insist on taking the car else where, YOU are liable for the complete tow. You are also liable for charges exceeding a set amount, as well as distance. Additionally, the number / frequency / type of calls are closely monitored. If you exceed a given number or too frequent or keep making the same type of call (flat / gas / battery), they WILL cancel your membership. AAA Plus on the other hand, although more expensive, will give you that added security and benefit that the AAA Basic just barely covers. In my experience, the added cost of a AAA Plus membership over 5 years can be justified in ONE call, so don't skimp here.

A woman's definition of a pig sty: Anywhere she can't walk in in bare stockinged (nylons / pantyhose) feet. Especially if the "mess" is attributable to someone else's actions and more applicably if someone else (read: husband / children) can be made to clean it up to HER satisfaction. A man's definition of a pig sty: Where pigs live.

My mechanic just mentioned one to me, but he didn't have any info at the time. I'll call him and ask him to give me a jingle when the guy calls back.

Old Trick I've used when doing this bit. Mount everything, and do your darndest not to mix up directions. Once you're ready, get a strip of masking tape, apply it around the splined shaft for each of the wiper blades and place the tape in such a way that there is a little "flag" coming off the shaft approximately where the arm of the wiper would be, remember at this point you will be guessing. Actuate your mechanism. You will see the "flag" or tab of masking tape move as if it were a wiper. If the movement is approximately correct, relocate the tab so that it comes off the spline at the correct position that it needs to be when the mechanism is parked, as it should be with the switch "OFF". Actuate again. if everything is ok, THEN remount your arms. One other note, the "Park" position IS adjustable. There is a module on the back of the gear mechanism which has the contact switch for it. So be careful if you try to disassemble the motor / gear unit, as you will then have to locate the parked position by trial and error.

A few items that I am interested in, but that I have noticed have become next to impossible to obtain or extremely expensive (translated to you: profitable) European Tail Light Lenses or Light Assemblies. (Specifically 240, but I'm sure the other ones are also popular) Also the Front Turn Signal. I personally would be interested in the bulb holder for the parking light in the center (in between) the two top most bulbs in the tail light housing. I need two, would be willing to pay for that item as I can't seem to find a part number or the item itself. Replacement Chrome Strips for the 240 Tail Light. Replacement Power Antenna's both the masts and the whole unit, again the 240. Bumper Ends, Bumper Centers; 240. Door Locks, exterior. If some of these are items that are normally available, then my oversight, but I'm sure you get the idea as to what I'm referring to. Thanks Enrique Scanlon

There is a Green Yellow wire that connects to the Combination Switch. That GY wire is the feed from the Brake Switch. If you disconnect that wire there, and splice a wire that then runs all the way to the back to the brake lights, you will have independent function on the brakes from the turn signals. Be sure to insulate the cut wire, although no power goes to it when you use the turn signals. Let me know. Enrique

I'm glad I saw your post, and I'm sorry I hadn't noticed it earlier. What you are asking, and the pictures you are providing are exactly what I was working on. So, I'll share what I know and let you pick and choose. The "extra" bulb between the two top bulbs is what in Japan is used in lieu of reflectors. Here in the US we rely on the reflectors in the lenses to reflect the oncoming cars headlights and therefore make the car noticeable. In Japan they decided to require the car to light itself up. The circuit allows only ONE side to be light up at a time, or if desired, both can be. If you have an early 71 or 70 you will note that your console, to the right of the Rear Defog Switch has a hole for what people think is a fog light switch. It isn't. That's where the dual switch for the Rear Parking Lights was mounted in Japan, which is one of the bulbs you are seeing. American cars do not have the wiring to support the switch, nor the lights. In fact, you won't find mention of it in the English Language FSM nor the wiring diagram. The dual switch in the console was removed and replaced with a black square plug, so was the wiring, and the hole in the tail light was plugged with a rubber plug with the letter P on it. That's how American cars were sold. AFAIK only the Japanese cars had that feature. So, you could wire it in sequence to your parking lights, or your brake light, but you wouldn't want to splice it into the turn signal as that is the reason for having the separate color lens for the turn signal in the Japanese (aka European) tail lights. Or you could just remove the bulb and put in a rubber plug to cap the hole. Now, if you choose to do the latter, plug the hole since you don't have the wiring, I'll offer to buy those sockets from you, as I AM wiring the switches into my car and I AM looking for just those bulb holders and plugs. Now, as far as the rest of your wiring. The BLACK wire is Earth or Ground for ALL the bulbs. The Z uses that as the return part of the circuit for all the different circuits. The Green /White wire is your TAIL LIGHT circuit. (US= G/W in the CAR'S wiring harness) The Green / Yellow is your STOP LIGHT circuit The Green alone is your TURN SIGNAL circuit In the US the Turn Signal AND the Brake Signal wiring is merged up by the Hazard Switch, Combination Switch and is the same wire all the way back to the tail lights. (US= GB for Right Hand Side and GR for Left Hand side again in the CAR'S wiring harness) In order to make these lights work, you need to run an additional wire for the brakes BUT I'm still working on which one. The Green / Blue is only for the aforementioned side marker circuit. In Japan they don't have the side marker lights if I recall properly. But in the US the side marker lights are hooked into the Tail Light circuit. (there is no corresponding wiring in the CAR'S harness) The Red / Black is your REVERSE circuit Hope this helps, and I'll come back to it to help you figure out where to splice in the wire for the brake circuit. Enrique Scanlon

but I'm not insane! I thought I remembered Courtesy saying NLA through them. Glad you could get them Eric. Wait till you see the instruction sheet. I'm investigating a slightly different way of mounting them, and will advise once I've checked it out. I have gone to nismoparts, but sad to report have not gotten answers either, so don't know whether I needed to order them or what. Z Ya L8R

I have like 4 keys made for my car. None of which are "original" which yours is the original key. But then again, I'm not going for Concours. I wonder why it wouldn't fit if the one you have in the picture is the same type. I matched my key to your picture, and unless you reversed the image, which it doesn't seem likely as the N for Nissan is visible. The reversible keys were of two different types and it sounds as though you have the R and you got an L key or vice versa. From your post, if my key matches your picture one, then it would fit correct? If so, how much do you want for it? With or without shipping? How do you want paid? Let me know, private message if you'd rather.

The key I have is a generic replacement and it is the X7 number and it matches the grooves on the picture. According to the CD the key you are picturing is either a reversible L or R (don't know what they mean by viewed from the bow side) In either case, the key you have will fit a 71 and I believe a 72 Ignition. Have you checked with Andy, he might be able to swap you for the one you need. Otherwise, is it that it says Nissan, or DATSUN on the key? What makes it so special as opposed to the key I can get at the local locksmith? Let me know. Enrique