bg240

John - I have not seen a Z anywhere in Maryland for years. I drive from near Deep Creek Lake (Wisp) to Ocean City, MD every summer for vacation and never see an old Z. I am in your area several times a year and never see any. I hope you can find one to buy. You may have to go south. My Z is put away for the winter. We had 12" of snow yesterday and the temp was at 3 F last night. The roads will be nothing but salt until the end of winter. I hope to be back on the road with the Z by late April after the rain washes off the roads. I've got my 77 Ford 4x4 with a 351 running for the winter -- what a gas hog! -- but I never get stuck...

I never see anything in Western Maryland other than a few 350 z's. To my knowledge, my 1972 240 is the only one left in the area. I have owned mine since 1980 and not seen another 240/260/280 for at least 10 years. Rust gotten to most of them in this area. A buddy of mine does have a 260 that has been in storage for about 20 years. When I take mine out everyone wants to know what it is. Last summer I dropped off my daugher at the movies and the car was surrounded by people wanting to know about the car. It's good to see people are interested and like the looks of the Z even though they don't know what it is.

My 72 had the same problem a few years ago. It had sat in the garage for about 6 months, had not been started, and no one had touched the car. I tried some of the things you did and it still did not start. My carbs have never been apart and I knew they were not out of adjustment. I do not consider myself a mechanic, so if I want to do the job myself, I have to keep it simple. Finally I tried something that is fairly easy and it worked. Disconnect the fuel lines going into each carb, not at the carbs, but up near the metal fuel lines. Get as much gas as possible out of the lines. I held a jar under each line. Very carelfully fill the lines back up with Gum Out or other carb cleaner. I used a spray can with the straw and pushed the button very gently. It will squirt out quickly so be careful of your eyes and your paint job. Put the lines back together without spilling the Gum Out out of the lines and then try to start. You may want to have a buddy spray some directly in the carb to get it started like you did before. My car ran after about 3 tries. The carb cleaner worked better when fed directly into the carb though the fuel line. Also, check your oil in your carbs. It tends to dry out when the car is not used.

I have an original 1972 240Z that has done the same thing since I purchased it in 1980. Mine seems to be related to the temperature of the top of the dash. When the dash is hot to the touch, the tach reads so high that it's a wonder it did not break. Over the years I learned that if I was going to be parked in the sun I put a towel over the dash. I know this is a pain but the tach still works today and the other benefit is that my dash is not cracked.

I have had the same problem with my 72 for about 5 years. My car is not driven in the winter so the problem comes back each spring. To make the lights work, I turn my lights on and off slowly at least 10 times while pushing gently towards the steering column. The lights then work for the summer. You might want to try this. Something must be corroded but I am not going to take anything apart until they stop working.

My 72 Z has louvers like Stephen's. I will need to look at the brand. I installed them in 1982 and have had no problems after the struggle to get them installed. There are long aluminum strips that go along the top and both sides of the window. The strips slide between the glass and molding. The louvers attach to the strips. The top strip has two screws on each side with the thread facing up. The hinges attach to these screws. At the bottom of each side strip is a lock that holds the bottom sides down. The problem I had was that my Z was 10 years old at the time of installation. The rubber molding was hard and it was difficult to slide in the strips between the glass and the hard rubber. I had to use a small putty knife to pry up the rubber molding being careful not the damage the rubber or scratch the glass. If the louvers you are looking to buy are like mine, make sure your rubber molding is flexable enough to slide the strip under. Otherwise, you may need to take out the rear glass and put in new rubber molding. What is nice about my louvers is that I could remove them and you would never know they were on the car. I won't be doing that because I know I could never get them back on because the rubber is not very flexable.

First of all - DougN you have a great looking Z! Here are some pictures of the A/C on my 72Z. I also have a picture of the warranty from Factory Air. Don't look at the dirt/dust because I don't have much time to keep my Z clean. Hope the pics work because I've never done this.

I will try to post a picture within a few days. The switch that turns on my A/C is actually a thermostat. It is a round knob that turns. When it "clicks", the A/C turns on or off. I have never posted a picture so it may take me a little time to do so.

I have a 72 Z that I thought had "Factory Air" until I read this thread. It is a York system and the switch to turn it on is located to the left of the gear shift (4 speed). It is a very professional installation and the switch says "Factory Air". I always that it was installed by Nissan until I read this. I have owned this car since 1980 and I never really looked at the paperwork concerning the A/C until this evening. The system was installed by Palm Beach Datsun, Palm Beach FL. Factory Air Conditioning Corporation from San Antonio, Texas made the system. They did an excellent job except for one little problem. All the basic maintenance I have done to my 240 over the years has been easy to reach except for my fuel pump. I now know why I need to unbolt the compresser frame just to replace a new fuel pump - the guys at Factory Air didn't care about replacing the fuel pump. I have done this job twice and it takes two people. One to hold the unbolted frame & compresser and the other to put on the new fuel pump. The radiator is Nissan and not Ford.

I have a 72 240 stock and have had similar problems as yours in the past due to the car not being run enough which was all my own fault. Victoria British LTD (search the web) has a catalog for Z's with the damper oil you need. They also have fuel pumps and the one I ordered has been working great for several years. The one I got from them was exactly like my original. In the meantime, if you know anyone with an old MG, old Mini Cooper or Jaguar that has SU Carbs they use the same oil. Where I live, there are alot more of these old cars than 240/260Z's and their owners seem to know a lot about the SU carbs.