KDMatt

Alrighty, so the booster's gone bad. Then perhaps I'll take this opportunity to upgrade to the 2+2 booster. Without me glancing at my FSM, how hard of a job do you figure this to be?

Ok, so I've got a question... Today while I was driving the Z, I came to an intersection and as I held my foot down on the brake, I started to hear a hissing sound -- my immediate first thought was "brake booster" .. as I kept driving I didn't notice the sound again (and obviously the brakes still work, otherwise I'd be writing to you from a hospital) When I got back home I left the car running and knelt down on the ground beside the car to press the brake pedal by hand to see what the story was. ... and oddly enough, the hissing sound is coming from INSIDE the car. I can hear (and nearly feel) the air getting sucked inside of the booster from within the cabin where the rod off of the brake pedal goes through the firewall. The master cylinder I believe only has around 20,000 miles on it (PO replaced it around 15 years ago I think). My question is, what has gone bad and how easy is it to fix? I've got some money saved up, do I bite the bullet and just redo everything? (I've been considering a disc brake upgrade and a 2+2 booster install). Thoughts?

Hrm, ok, so what's the right way to lube that thing?

You're looking at it. <<< .... ok it DOES snow here, and so during the winter I have an '88 Honda Prelude, but really, when the weather's nice the Z is my transportation. 4 years of college (7 moves) and we're still together and rockin' it every day.

This is getting obnoxious... and it's getting worse. It used to be that every once and a while, whenever I would hit a hard bump or (gasp) a pothole (we have a TON every spring in MN), it would jar the car so hard that it would cause the hood to pop open... but now the triggers are becoming a bit less obvious... On Monday I was driving to the boneyard, got off the freeway, and when I slowed down to get on the exit, it popped open. Today I was accelerating onto the the freeway, and it popped open. ... and of course it still pops open every now and then as I hit a hard pothole. 'Seems like it's happening at least once a day. Also, the hood is really hard to open too, in fact it looks like the bracket might be bent? ... are there any adjustments I can make that might help keep that sucker closed? It's fun to have people turn heads as you drive by... but not because your hood is cracked open! Thanks in advance!

Ok, so it sounds like the starter gear isn't making contact with the flywheel (once worked on a Johnson outboard with the same issue). Have someone watch the starter as you try to crank it over, my guess is the gear isn't making full contact with the flywheel, as you seem to be suggesting. Check the battery terminals on the starter, if they're all crusty and corroded the starter probably isn't gonna have enough juice to crank over the engine. If you still can't get that sucker to touch the flywheel and turn over the engine, remove the starter and rebuild it, or better yet, replace it, you can get one from CSK for $40. You could also go the ghetto way and give the starter a few gentle taps with a wrench to see if you can unstick it. Remember, this is just my best guess so far. That's all any of us can do. Oh also, I know you said you checked fuel pressure on the rail, and that you tested the injectors with battery current... but have you checked the connectors for an injector pulse?

Okiedokey, so I took off the steering column cover today and started messing around, trying to find my unusual problem ... and sure enough I found that a wire had burned its way loose (yes, a plastic component had literally melted away) ... if I wiggled it a specific way (and held it, pressing HARD) I could get the lights to stay on (and the wire was very very hot of course) ... this wire was red with green strips I believe ... however, I also noticed that when I connected this wire (the red/green) to a black wire in the same plug (presumably ground?) the circuit was complete and the headlights came on! ... furthermore they turned off with the switch ... in fact they pretty much went back to working like they did before ... still sans high beams (I'm assuming that's what the red/yellow lead below the black one was for) when connected to the black wire ... So, since the original connector for the red/green was pretty much gone, I soldered that lead to the black one, and voila, everything works great! ... lights are plenty bright and come on with the switch ... and most importantly do not die with turn signalling! ... I can only assume that by jumping this circuit the way I did, I've cut out the high-beam circuit completely (which is fine seeing as they never worked anyway?) ... though someone who is more experienced with the wiring really ought to chime in seeing as I'm still sort of confused as to how piggybacking this lead to a black lead (which is usually ground, right?) got the lights to work just fine...???

Alright, so this summer, for certain I will be doing a clutch replacement on my Z (starting to slip something awful) ... Anyway, my question is about using a clutch kit from a 2+2 in a 2 seater coupe ... I mean the advantage seems somewhat obvious ... slightly bigger clutch, somewhat more heavy duty, but less expensive than a Stage 1 kit. I'm somewhat certain that the 2+2 has a heavier flywheel (19lbs vs 17lbs?), but would that prevent me from using the 2+2 pressure plate/bearing/clutch... I've never done a clutch before, so I'm a little clueless :stupid:

My current question notwithstanding, I actually just noticed that the entire stalk (combo switch and T/S switch) is all loose and that the lights flicker when I move the whole assembly ... and I can only assume that it's grounded off of the chassis? ... so my solution is to maybe try to tighten it down ... somehow?

Is there a definitive guide, anywhere, on how to rebuild/clean the T/S Hi/Lo-beam switch? My highbeams have never worked (lights would just go off), but now the lights (regular beams) have decided to click off just about every time I signal. If I wiggle the stock, or click on/off repeated, quickly, I can get the lights to come back ... OR if I bang on the bottom of the steering column. So I can only assume there's a connection (or surface) somewhere along the line that's gone bad ... question is, how do I go about taking this stuff apart so I can try to clean it up? I'm just worried it's a matter of time before I get a ticket for this ...

I've got the same thing on my '76 ... strange coincidence ... and I even have a brand new turn signal relay! ... maybe it's the hazard light relay? To get mine to work I'll quickly turn the hazards on and off, then try signaling ... and I'll repeat this over and over again until it'll let me use the turn signals.

In addition to what has already been said, I think it would do you (and your dad) a world of good to get that beast running again. If you can get it into a condition where a potential buyer could theoretically drive it away then I think you could realistically ask for more. So, change fluids, tune up stuff (get it out of that grass for chrissake), maybe even wash/polish/wax? ... though part of me deeply suspects that if you do that, your dad might change his mind about selling it.

The keyhole is horizontal when it is unlocked, and vertical when locked. To lock/unlock, you insert the key without pressing the button down, and twist. Push down when horizontal and it should work.

:sick: :sick: :sick:

Oh, I had no idea it could mean that actually. I just meant that there are 'first generation' Z-owners (i.e. people who were of age, or close to being of age when the cars were produced) ... and 'second generation' (the 'children' of the generation that was of age). ...so Baby Boomers vs. Gen Y maybe?

Fair enough. I'm not looking for a track car, just something fun, sexy and practical for street use. The RX8 appeals to me because it's got that sportscar quirkiness and (IMO) beautiful style, plus the added practicality of 4 doors/seats... but hey I'm just a youngster, maybe it's just those goofy altezza lights that I love so much? :stupid:

Ok, so I'm wondering (in short) what the right color for my grille is supposed to be? I've been contending with what looks like the same color as the rest of the car (i.e. a cheap paintjob that shot everything basically) on my grille for a while, and I figure that since I've got a few free afternoons (plus good weather) coming up I could reshoot it with something else. Now I've seen silverish/gray ones, but I've also seen black-ish colors. What's correct? Personally I'm inclined to shoot it black (even the plastic fascias for the turn signals got hit with silver overspray, and these look like they are supposed to be black) ... but I figure someone on here's gotta know...? Thanks for the help!

I think he was actually quoting me there. :stupid: I just meant that the circuit was open -- i.e. no power. Well, the starter of this thread hasn't posted in a while... let's hope everything is working out...

Hey that's why I said IIRC -- My misunderstanding friend -- I remember having that debate before with someone (as to whether or not the coldstart fires with the key 'on'), consulting the FSM and seeing that the coldstart is only supposed to work during the 'start' position on the key -- (in fact, aftermarket turbo kits in the 70's and 80's utilized the cold start injector during full boost to richen the fuel mixture because it wouldn't have otherwise been firing). I also took away from this thread that he was having progressively worsening running issues that were making the car hard to restart. I hate debating wisdom, I really do, but like you, I just don't want to see someone chasing after a gremlin that isn't there.

Well it's got no torque -- it's a rotary, you're supposed to rev to 9 grand before you shift again! I'm also grossly unimpressed with the S2000. I can't fit in it comfortably (6 feet tall, 185 lbs), and quite expensive for something so impractical. Vtec is alright, but hardly useful on the street. Plus, getting -another- car with only 2 seats is not in my future. Don't get me wrong, I love my third-gen Prelude, but new Honda does not impress me that much...

No offense, but the last time I checked my EFI bible this was a gross misnomer: IIRC The thermotime switch/cold start circuit is only open while the starter is cranking, but when the key is in the 'on' position, the thermotime/cold-start circuit is open whether or not the engine is cold -- at that point the coolant temp sensor richens/leans the mixture depending on the temperature of the engine. I however wholeheartedly agree though that a FSM is the most useful weapon in anybody's arsenal. avbad, http://carfiche.com/manuals023/cars/ has the FSM on a rotation. When it comes up it is highly recommended you download it. You will not be sorry you did.

Sad story... I'm actually sort of looking into the possibility of a modern Rx8 as a daily driver, so I can turn the Z into a more serious project... Something about a rotary just speaks to me...

I'm definitely one of the 'second generation' youngsters around here, clocking in at 22. I first heard of the Z when I was on vacation with my family in northern Minnesota, and tradition demanded that every year I build a model. Now in the years previous, I'd done a '69 charger, '55 Nomad, '68 Thunderbird, and that particular year the hardware store had very few options as far as models of cars were concerned. However, one did manage to catch my eye, and that was a model of a Datsun 240z. It was the coolest thing they had, so that's what I got. The picture on the box was orange, but immediately I knew this was a car that would be better in silver. I never finished that model. My dad remembered the cars though, having mentioned something about there being a 'better' version that came out afterward, the '280z' Fast forward a few more years to my last month of highschool. My mother and I were driving back from school (I didn't have my own car at this point), to get my sister (from middle school, gross) and on the corner I saw a gleaming red 280z. Encouraged by my mother (for whatever reason), I checked it out and wrote down the phone number. The next thing I did was come here! With advice and and things to look out for, I examined the car a second time and walked away from the deal-totally disappointed, having realized that thing was rusting to pieces. I graduated, got some money, then began my search for a 280z ... I even looked at a 280zx too, but just two months after my first encounter, I found my silver '76 280z .... with just 83,000 original miles... and I've had her ever since. The guy before me was not a Z-nut, so I've managed to fix a few minor nuisances in the mean time... but yeah, that's my story. I hope I can have more Z's in the future, even possibly a Datsun roadster!

Probably a first-gen RX7. I'm a sucker for pop-up headlights.

Not a bad place to start. I would also recommend examining the fuel pressure. I suspect it's possible that as the car is warming up you may be sucking gunk into your fuel filter, so that by the time it reaches operating temperature there's very little fuel making it to the injectors. How long after the car dies do you try to start it back up again? Does it fire right of way? Continue running?