KDMatt

@FastWoman I've been keeping one of those clear, small filters between my pump and my tank for a number of years now, "Just in case." Right now I can see that gas is flowing from the tank to the pump, but I have no way of measuring how much. @Zed I intend to do quite a bit more digging, but I tend to lose a bit of motivation when the clock strikes 12 AM and the JuneBug frenzy has commenced (i.e. millions of the dumb beetles swarming my work light). Blakey's hit it right on the head. The fact that he could tell it was an Airtex pump without my having to say anything presumably speaks volumes about it. I was getting pretty decent pressure with my original setup, it was just struggling a bit under load/running a bit lean. This is what initially prompted me to drop the tank/replace the pump (given that I tested my EFI pretty extensively by the book, and everything seemed to come back okay). I initially skipped an OEM pump just because they're so spendy... perhaps this wasn't the wisest decision... :tapemouth I'll swap the inlet and outlet hoses around on the tank though, just to make sure it isn't blocked. EDIT: On a total side note, when I yanked the old pump out, the electrical terminals for it were excruciatingly corroded, I'd be amazed if it were getting full voltage. So I suspect this, in conjunction with a dirty tank, were giving me the problems I was experiencing last fall.

I recently had my gas tank boiled/flushed and recoated. I took the opportunity to replace the pump, but now I'm only getting 9 psi. :sick: I used a cheap/offbrand pump that is supposedly the appropriate modern replacement (which I'm now regretting). The question I'm wondering though, given that there's a small strainer sort of "built-in" to the tank, is there any likelihood that any coating process could have accidentally obstructed/covered over this and is now preventing enough gas from getting the pump, or is this truly just a case of "you get what you pay for?" I'd like to know who I should be annoyed at tomorrow: the tank refinisher, or the fuel pump manufacturer. Oh, and in case this doesn't show elsewhere, car is a '76 coupe, stock EFI. Thanks!

Thanks for the help guys. Checked out a steering wheel hub puller at O'Reilly's and had 'er off in about 15 minutes!

Escanlon, you are correct. They're little grooves for a lock washer, it is not a weld (mercifully). Okay, so you're saying there's some kind of tool I can rent, specifically designed to pull steering hubs? That would explain a lot. :stupid:

Hey guys, it's been a good long while since I've posted a question in here, but I'm hoping somebody here can point me in the right direction. When I bought my car, it came with a RAID brand steering wheel that has slowly been disintegrating/wearing out year by year. I'm finally looking to put something more modern on it, but I'm not in the mood to drop the $$$ for a brand new RAID or NARDI wheel. That being what it is, I've decided that I want to put a Grant wheel adapter on there, but this (obviously) entails removing the old hub adapter/spacer so I can put a new one on. I'm down to the point where there's nothing else that bolts off (wheel's gone, spacer's gone), but I think there's still a piece that needs to be removed. I'm not quite sure how though. I'm attaching a pic so you can all be spared my attempt at an explanation. If you folks would be kind enough to point me the right way, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Ok guys, I'm starting a new thread (for those of you who followed my previous one) because now I no longer believe the issue I'm having is fuel related! Since I last posted, I've been messing around with my fuel system a bit. I switched the inlet and outlet hoses at my tank to rule out crud at the tank screen ... The fuel pressure readings did not change, but the car seemed to run alright, so I've been driving it for the last few days. All of a sudden, this morning, we're back to square one ... after a new filter, clean fuel at the tank ... and still missing like crazy (and still running lean). The freeway was hell, btw... I clamped the vacuum hose on the FPR, and got the pressure to rest at around 34 psi. However, this, regrettably, did not solve my problem... in fact, it seemed to grow worse. I am not suspicious of my ignition system, the cap, rotor, coil, wires and plugs are all pretty recent ... and the fact that the plugs all come out looking white doesn't indicate to me that spark is the issue... So this leaves pretty much just one thing to sort out: the EFI. I will also point out, that what seemed to trigger this was rain! It was pouring rain this morning ... moisture? electronics? connection? I don't have my EFI bible handy (I'm going to go digging for it) .. but can someone please point me in the right direction on this?? Running lean, misfiring, even with 34psi of fuel pressure ... I have the AFM dialed rich (to lengthen the injector pulses), and still I'm getting nothing! Someone... please?

Hey guys, long time no see! I wish this were under better circumstances, but I could use another set of brains on my car. I've been having issues with my '76. She's been running lean and cutting out under load. (I know she's running lean because I checked the plugs -- all white). 3 years ago I replaced the fuel filter, FPR, and the injectors. First instinct was that, somehow, the filter had again gone bad (it HAS been about 15 or 20k miles). I replaced that, and the car was working pretty well for about an hour ... then again the misfire came back. I went and bought a fuel injection pump tester and hooked it up to the cold start valve... and here are the results... When switching the key to "ON" the gauge shoots up to 37 PSI right away. When starting the car, and letting it run out to idle (mine is set around 850ish RPM ... though right now it's sputtering a bit), the gauge reads about 29 psi. If I rev, the pressure spikes back up to 37 for a split second, then drops back down. If I try to hold a higher engine speed (i.e. 1500 RPM), the pressure fluctuates around 30 psi. So, is it pretty likely that my 'new' FPR has gone bad? ... Or is it likely that we're looking at something more dire (i.e. blockage in the tank?) Thanks guys!! (and gals)

Well, if we assume for a second that my assumption about your AAR is completely 100% right (which, odds are against us it will be) ... BUT ... if this is the case ... what could be happening is that as your fuel mixture leans due to the rise in engine temperature, the AAR is still dumping all kinds of extra air into your manifold, creating a super lean mixture, which could, I suppose, in theory, kill the car and then make it hard to start again 'til it's cooled down. However there are also a good number of other things that could cause that behavior.

Rich hrm? ... Was this before or after you messed around with the timing? You can pull the AAR off of the car and check to see if the flap is moving just by sticking a screwdriver into it and pushing it around a bit. You can also adjust it by undoing a locknut on the other side -- this will let you change the initial amount the AAR is open. My car idled low and ran rich for years until I pulled off the AAR and adjusted it.

You check to make sure your auxiliary air valve is closing? It's supposed to kick up the idle to like 1500 ish RPM when the car is cold, then gradually close off and bring it down. How's your fuel mixture? Rich? Lean? I'd be willing to bet your timing is OK ...

Hey Dave, good to see you! That looks like a nice project. ... hrm... a 74 1/2 260z from the looks of things (bumper shocks are always the giveaway) ... lookin' a lot like mine actually, heheh. Depending on where you are I'd love to swing by and help you get a grasp on things if you ever need the help ... though I'm, by no means, an expert either. My love of the L-series (and personal bias) is going to encourage you to hold off on thoughts of an engine swap. Get that L26 running well again, swap the carbs and I'm sure you'll find your lead foot much obliged. So ... priorities (imho) Does it run? Can it move? Can it stop? Is it safe/Is it legal? Is it comfortable? Is it pretty? Oh, and welcome to the site. These guys have been good to me for the 5+ years I've been on it.

Walter, interesting solution. I have a 16-inch, and I'm considering returning it. It doesn't fit all that well (have to have it front mounted for 'push' operation) and thusly isn't cooling that efficiently. Do you have both fans set to go simultaneously? (i.e. on a single thermostat?) or is one supposed to to be the main, lower temp one, and another is set for a higher temp in case things get extreme, to save current. ? ... actually all things considered, I am enjoying the tiny extra bit of low-end grunt (and reduced engine/fan noise) from this upgrade .. but I'm also sort of missing my mechanical fan ... at least my 'old' mechanical fan ... ya know, the one that worked? ... I'm still considering returning all of this stuff and just getting another fan clutch... Great thing about the guys at my auto parts store... they usually pretty good about this kinda stuff.

I think you misunderstood. My mechanical, OEM fan-clutch failed. It has less than 20k on it and even still looks new (and again, this is the apparently 'infallible' mechanical fan clutch, the very same brand and type supplied to Nissan, ordered from MSA, and it still went out) ... but because I replaced it 4 years ago I doubt MSA will give me any kind of replacement... and SINCE a proper OEM fan clutch is in the neighborhood of $85ish dollars ... (before shipping and taxes) ... and the electric setup was $93 after taxes and has a smaller likelihood of failure, I went with the latter. ... and I don't see how adding an electrical draw causes a cooling component to fail? ... Even so, like I said, in my instance, the cooling component failed first. IDK, I'm still on the fence as to how much I like the electric fan. I kept all the receipts and stuff, it seems to move air reasonably well for being in the 'push' configuration in front of the A/C condenser (which I need to remove ... seeing as my A/C is FUBARed) ... Glad it meets with your approval? I'm an audio enthusiast, and I want to add some more punch to my system via subwoofer anyway ... so an amplifier was already on the table for me, and therefore a beefier alternator as well. I know perfectly well that it's totally silly to add more draw without adding more capacity. The electric fan was a last-minute thing I needed to do ... I'm heading to the junk yard this weekend ... I should be able to nab something. -- MikeW, I knew you were just messin' ... but every now and then I encounter folks from down south who are surprised to learn that we don't all live on farms or in igloos, and that we have indoor plumbing and paved roads. :stupid: d240zx2 ... -50? ... that's pretty damn cold ... I've seen it get close to -20 ... without windchill, but never that cold ever ... You picked a bad time to be in MN, :laugh: PS, does the ZX2 part of your name have any relation to The Ford Escort ZX2? I'm a closet fan of those.

Well as I'm sure you know relative humidity has little to do with engine temperature ... and even though there's not as much oceanic moisture up here... we do regularly have a few months in summer between 80 and 90 degrees... with a few past 100 ... Better safe than sorry IMO. Oh, and we have indoor plumbing here too... .. and skyscrapers

Again, I guess diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. I've heard other people swear by the electric fan upgrade. Moves more air and frees up some torque/hp. The stock cooling system is indeed quite sufficient ... until a component breaks or fails (which is what happened here) ... the advantage of the setup I've installed is that all of the replacement parts I could ever need for it are available off the shelf. I DD my Z, and waiting a day or two for replacement stuff to come-in can often times be quite obnoxious. Doing an alternator upgrade has been on my to-do list for a while anyway, so I don't feel too remiss. The purpose of this thread isn't necessarily to debate whether or not swapping fans was a good idea... it was more to discuss the best ways to provide more amperage to my (now) sub-par electrical system... with the initial purpose of examing the possibility of a dual alernator setup. oldhemi ... I was honestly going to try and go to a boneyard to pull something ... I hear there's a Maxima alternator that works exceptionally well. The ZX is only in the 60/70 amp range IIRC ... whereas some of the late/mid 80's maximas are 85 or 90.

It's not a big deal during the daytime ... or when it's sunny out.. but imagine it's raining, and I need my wipers, my headlights, the electric fan, and I'm sitting, signalling (with brakelights and turn signals, possibly rear defogger ) ... that would pretty much use up almost all of the amperage, guaranteed. Gary, it's not so much about 'needing' the 'cooling capacity' as it is about practicality. The stock, mechanical fan clutch was something I replaced a few years ago (with an OEM unit from MSA), and it worked flawlessly until Saturday night, I was stuck in a traffic jam, and the engine started getting a bit hotter than I would have liked (215 ish degrees, past the M on TEMP) ... it's a point where historically the clutch would lock and let the fan spin faster, but it wasn't happening. Ultimately I decided that it was wiser to invest in an electric fan, as I wouldn't have to worry about the clutch for it going bad ever again. ... and incidentally, S30Driver, it is on a thermostat, I wouldn't trust myself to switch it on a toggle, 'felt like it was better to have it rigged to go automatically. Hogie, gonna look into the GM alternator. Thanks for the tip! Also, I still don't have the positive switched current for my relay (yep, wired in a relay, did this properly) wired in yet. Can anyone recommend a good place under the hood to splice it in? Right now it's just running off the main positive lead, which means the fan keeps spinning after I pull the key out (for an extra 4 minutes or so ... just 'til the engine cools down ), and I'd like to change that.

Hrm ... so I just got done installing an electric fan (fan clutch, after less than 20k miles ... but over the course of 4 years ... stopped working right... ) and while I am quite pleased with it's cooling capacity, I'm now concerned about my charging system ... at least while at idle... The fan, draws somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 or 15 amps, which, on my stock 50 amp alt is pretty significant. The obvious solution is to spend the blood sweat and tears (not to mention do-re-mi) of splicing in an externally regulated badboy from another car ... but I have another idea ... and this is strictly a feeler to see what the electrical gurus on these forums think. The stock, externally regulated alternator is only $39.99 from O'Reilly's ... and the A/C in my car hasn't been hooked up in decades... I think you can see where this is going... Has anyone ever, instead of upgrading a single alternator, deleted their A/C entirely, and just added a second one? I have to imagine if one solders in a diode in the right place, and then splices the wires of the second one into the first one (in parallel, naturally), it would work quite well... but then again, I'm no expert, so I'm turning to you guys. I obviously won't attempt this if it's dangerous or something (don't want to fry my voltage regulator .. even though that's practically brand new too)... But, If it's possible, that means that I could achieve a theoretical 100 amps ... minus A/C ... So, thoughts? I'm honestly just curious, and I can't find any other threads on this idea ... just wondering if maybe that's for a reason! :stupid:

We've had state mandated E10 (10% ethanol/alcohol) in our gasoline in Minnesota for years ... and my Z has never given me the issue you describe. Have you tried other gas stations? Some places have a proprietary E35 mix too. Sometimes when it's hot my car will take an extra half second of cranking (presumably due to a leaner fuel mixture), but otherwise no issue. 10% mixtures of Ethanol were being used in places worldwide in the 1970's ... I have a hard time believing that all of a sudden introduction of a bit of ethanol into the gas would cause such severe problems. (If that's even what's going on) ... you'll also notice how these guys (on the original, linked thread) are talking about how running on 'summer gas' (i.e. less oxdized) gives them no issue. All things considered the fuel injection systems on our cars aren't all that complex, and Ethanol (in its purest form) is much cleaner and acidic than gasoline, and in many ways can act as a good decarbonizer. I've been tempted a few times to run E85 in my Z, without modification, just to see what happens... (Don't forget that E85 has an octane rating around 105 ... cheap racing fuel for those of you running high compression).

The slightly white-ish/light color of your plugs suggests a fuel delivery problem. If you were having ignition problems you would probably see black/sooty plugs from incomplete combustion. I'm also banking on the fuel pump and/or fuel filter... possibly even the screen at the tank?

I hate reviving an old thread (especially one of mine), but as I was topping off my tranny fluid last night, I suddenly remembered something ... I have a five-speed swapped from a later year Z. :stupid: I can only imagine this is why my clutch slave was so much different.

Out of curiosity, do you remember which brand they sold you?

Ok folks, so here's what happened. I took apart my new slave (after, again, uninstalling it) ... and it turns out the cup/seal assembly on the new one was longer than the one in the original. It looked like the manufacturer had attempted to compensate for this by machining the cup deeper, but, obviously, it wasn't deep enough. I was able to correct this (through tedious and painful trial and error) by taking a drill, and quite literally drilling out the cup. I ended up reusing the old rod again (since it had a slightly more uniform shape and design) and voila! All is well in the kingdom. The cup is drilled down an appropriate amount so that now I get good engagement, and, if I dump the clutch at idle, it kills the car (mixed blessing?), as it is supposed to. Huzzah. Moral of the story: Can you buy a brand new slave cylinder for $15 from O'Reilly's? Yes... but for God's sake, don't! ... now I just need to bleed the damn brakes... It never ends.

No worries Dave, I know how that goes. As it stands I'm not driving the Z right now (sadly... hopefully next week?) so I'm not in a HUGE rush ... but I am trying to get lots of stuff done on it this weekend. I don't think the issue is the master because it was working fine (in fact, oppositely) before I swapped slaves. Before the swap I just barely had to lift the pedal off the floor and the clutch was hard on ... Now even if I let it up all the way, it's still only 3/4 engaged. Incidentally, what I forgot to mention is that installing the replacement slave was a bit difficult because the rod didn't seem to want to retract as far inside of the slave cylinder housing as the original did. I'm beginning to think this is my problem. I'm gonna pull off the new slave tomorrow (as I'm also kind of brain dead), and pull it apart, and see if maybe the cup or spring is a bit different on it... I'm thinking I might "frankenstein" the two slaves together to make one good one that works correctly. The main issue with the old slave (now that I've taken it apart) is that the seal on the cup is bad, so fluid was slipping past it and going into the main boot.

I appreciate the response. I just made this adjustment. The locknut/rod were already adjusted all the way toward the pedal, so conversely I adjusted it all the way toward the master. This has not had any effect on my problem. In fact, all it's done is shorten the amount of pedal travel I can feel. Any more ideas? .... I'm starting to think the slave I got is iffy (maybe I could/should use the seal from the new one and just fix the old slave?)...

I'm getting my car ready for summer (driving season is upon us) and naturally, this year, I've noticed that my clutch pedal is a bit too 'loose' ... and the engagement is pretty near the floor, so I bit the bullet and decided to replace the clutch slave cylinder. The fluid that came out of the line was thick and black (good thing I'm doing this!) ... however now I've got a new problem. My new slave is on, but my engagement point seems to be past the top of the pedal ... I'm sure this sounds confusing, so here's what i mean... You know how with most cars if you suddenly dump/let out the clutch without feeding the car any gas you'll kill it? Not anymore with my car. ... and in case you were wondering, I have adjusted the pedal travel too, it now travels upward all the way and still the same thing happens... oh, and in case you were also wondering, I swapped out the new rod and reused the old one again -- no change. It's a BrakeBest brand slave and it looks identical to the original. Hrm... part of me is almost tempted to grind down the rod or something. In any case, thoughts?