VaGuS510

So... I just installed my coil (minus the ballast) and now my tach isn't working... Has anybody encountered this? I originally had about 5 wires going to the + of the coil, but I have determined I only need two: the red from the coil and the black/white which supplies power. There is one more black/white which I believe goes to the tach but when it is connected the tach doesn't work. I took it for a little spin without the tach and I think that my problem is still there. It is hard to tell because I am afraid to rev too high without knowing what RPM I am at.

I have a Pertronix coil on the way. It was the only 3 ohm performance coil I could find. I will let everyone know if this fixes it. It looks like my magnets are still there, so that is good. Thanks everyone for all of the help.

It looks like old blue is going to have to retire soon. I bypassed the ballast resistor and it did allow me to rev all the way to 5500 rpm before it began to hiccup. At partial throttle it seemed to have more power from 3500 up. My brother might have a spare performance coil lying around. If he doesn't, what brands would you suggest?

Plug wire changed nothing... I will attack the coil next, I am thinking of just buying a performance coil of some sort. Any recommendations? First, I will clean up my coil connections. And it sounds like I shouldn't eliminate the resistor??? (unless I get another coil???) And my distributor is a vacuum advance... is there a way to test if its is working well? By the way, when I swapped out my wires I check plugs and gaps. The rear three plugs where rather white. There was some oil around the washers but this may have come from elsewhere. Thanks everybody for you responses. I will keep you posted with my progress

Thanks for the responses What coil? I believe it is the original coil! It is a light blue/rust color:classic: It has acquired some sentimental value to me... so I really hope that it doesn't have to go! Yes, there is a ballast resistor on the coil. My connections are probably not the greatest either they are all a bit rusty. I am thinking the best thing to attack next would be to get a fresh coil, hook it up (probably without the ballast) and give it a whirl. This would eliminate any connection problems also. My plug wires look brand new (came with the engine which I recently bought). I believe they are 8mm silicon but I have another high quality set sitting around, so I will swap them out if the coil isn't the trouble. What do you all think?

I just posted a thread to specifically deal with my rev limiting problem... Please chime in here: http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?42073-Rev-limiting-problem-at-4000-rpm&p=362040#post362040

So, as some saw in my previous thread I am having a rev limiting problem. The symptoms are very similar to what is happening in some other posts on here, but I can't seem to identify my problem. The car/engine: '73 240z with an e31 block, e88 head (recently rebuilt), petronix ignition, ztherapy carbs (3 screw), pacesetter header... everything in great shape The symptom: At full or nearly full throttle when I hit ~4200rpm there is a pretty distinct hiccup... sometimes I can't rev past 4200rpm. Most the time it makes it through this hiccup and bogs down at ~4500rpm. Other than this the car runs fine, idles smooth and has decent power. What I have tried: I first replaced my distributor cap (it wasn't put on correctly at some point and the rotor demolished the contacts. The only result was a smoother idle. Next, I removed the screens on the float bowl fuel banjo bolt. This resulted in my rear float overflowing and my problem was solved!!! I could rev right past 4500rpm:)... other than poor idle, the smell of fuel and redoubtably horrible gas mileage, all was good! Note that the fuel went through the vent into the air cleaner next to the carb... So apparently I was lean at high rpms Next, I sprayed carb cleaner around all of the gasket surfaces, I found a small leak coming from the rear carb's throttle shaft because the cover wasn't on completely... No other vacuum leaks found... No changes Next, I fixed the float and replaced my fuel filter (obviously things were getting past)... and a little crap was in the bottom of the bowl. The filter didn't change my problem Next, I checked the floats... they were significantly different, I set the levels to a fuel level of 22mm below the tops gasket surface by marking the side of the floats, removing the hose to the nozzle, checking the fluid height in the hose to the mark, and adjusting... I gave the carbs a fresh tuning and nothing changed. Next, I swapped out the RX-7 electric fuel pump I was running with the original fuel pump. This made no significant difference. So now it looks like ignition could be my problem... I am almost out of ideas related to fuel. What worries me is how it responded to the rich condition of the rear float overflowing... That makes me think it is fuel related. The way it pretty consistently hiccups at 4200rpm and bogs at 4500rpm makes me think ignition, but there doesn't seem to be much that could go wrong there. Tomorrow, I plan to pull the plugs, take a good look at them and check my timing. What do you all think? Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks for reading all of my ramblings

I am on the hunt for a rev limiting problem (stops pulling at 4.5k)... Seems many others have had this problem, currently I am just eliminating possibilities one at a time. I doubt this is my problem but I just want to check... I can't seem to find good documentation on how far the needle is supposed to be protruding out of the piston... Currently the lip on the needles is about 2-4mm out of the piston. Can someone point me in the right direction or tell me how to check that mine are correct? Thanks!

That was it... the throwout bearing sleeve was too large, I got a 70-74 bearing from motorsport and it was perfection

Thanks for the reply That is what I was thinking...I know the collar is off a 75 280z but maybe it could have been a swapped 5 spd (it was at the junk yard). Would the fork still have slop in it if this was the problem? With and without the slave installed I can move the fork a little bit in both directions with essentially no effort. I can move the slave cylinder end of the fork forward and hear the sleeve hit the front cover of the transmission. I would think a sleeve being too tall would be a problem because might be jammed between the front cover and clutch... Am I thinking wrong?

I have a problem, I just finished swapping a fresh engine in my z and a KA transmission. And when I went to take it for the first drive, it went nowhere. with the clutch completely out, I barely felt it pulling. Here are the parts I am using: 75 bellhousing 75 bearing/sleeve/fork 72 clutch/pressure plate 73 slave cylinder I had a problem with the slave cylinder fitting but I fabricated a slightly shorter push rod and everything seems to be working with that. The fork has room to move (the throwout bearing away from the clutch), and the clutch was definitely engaging and disengaging (i rotated the driveshaft while someone pushed the clutch in... it engaged about 2in from the top of the throw). Does anybody have any idea what could be going on here?

I'm just working on finishing up my ka transmission swap and I made a grim discovery... my slave cylinder won't fit. I fully compressed the cylinder against the fork and it doesn't reach. I am guessing this is because my clutch doesn't match my fork/bearing/sleeve/slave cylinder. I am not sure what clutch i have. It came on the engine I recently purchased. Everything except for the clutch and slave cylinder are from an early 4spd 280z. The slave cylinder is from a 73 240z. So, do I pull the engine that I just put in, swap the clutch (or sleeve) and redo it all... Or do you think I could possibly shorten the rod on the slave cylinder and or bend the fork slightly??? I only need an 1/8 to 1/4 inch. My big worry is the if the throw of the slave cylinder is enough for the clutch. Also, is there a slave cylinder that might work? Thanks for reading my ramblings.

well, my thinking is that there are a number of parts that are hard to come by simply because they fail often...and that is what makes them rare. it is likely that many of the candidate parts are already produced, but I am curious if there are any others out there.

Hello everybody I have an opportunity. The company that I worked at last summer and I am going to be working at permanently in a couple months is being into manufacturing overseas(cause that is where it all happens now). They tend to manufacture smaller parts but if they see profit in it. They can do die casting of aluminum and zinc, machining of anything, injection molding of plastics, and many other processes (likewise, if they don't currently do it and see profit, they may be interested). This gives us an opportunity. We can have a large number of parts manufactured for a relatively cheap price. Candidate parts need to be for common vehicles, be used on multiple models and ideally require at least one per vehicle. On example would be the L-series thermostat housing. It was used on hundreds of thousands of cars and good ones are hard to come by in my experience (I have broken a few bolts off myself). Other ideas: -Exterior door handles (I have broken two) I am just testing the water with this. They are incredibly busy right now and so this would not be a priority for them or me.

Didn't Nissan make a tensioner that wouldn't fall out. Or was that an aftermarket piece. I have had this happen to me a few times before, it really sucks. When I build my engine I hope to devise a way to prevent the tensioner from falling out. Not that I plan on removing the head, but it will make it much easier if I have to remove the head. Good luck.

screw it. . . . that would be perfect for a sandrail. It would be one hell of a sandrail. the engine/ trans might be too long for a corvair. But we can let a good thing like this go to waste.

How much is this going to cost? Have you looked into CFD (I believe that is what it is called), computational fluid dynamics. It is a form of finite element analisys that can compute everything that you could compute in a wind tunnel and even more probably. The only thing is that you would need to do is pay someone to create a model of the S30 in the program and test it. I would look into this because a CFD can give you much more data in much less time. Just my two cents.

I think the new Z needs a traditional sportscar profile, simular to that of the new aston martins. (ie. long hood, hatchback, buldging wheelwells) It needs a rev-happy engine. It needs to be smaller and lighter. If a Corvette can weigh 3000lbs then a Z should be a simular weight, or less.

It is definatly a one off kit. It appears that the front made by mounting the fenders out where he desired them and filled the gaps with foam and coverd it with filler. The filler was sanded smooth painted polished and after all of that work a mold was made. Then a fiberglass or carbon fiber or kevlar part was made from the mold. Then the fenders were mounted. the rear was probably made in simular fashion using sculpted foam and filler then a mold was made and parts made form the molds. If you could get ahold of the guy he may still have the molds. The mold also may have been a one time deal, made of a cheap material and destroyed afterwards.

OOPs. Can't get the files to upload. The pictures would show a bunch of pieces of filler over 1 inch thick. almost every panel had shotty bodywork done on it. If you think finding a nice Z is hard try finding a nice Datsun 510.

This case isn't so bad compared to the body work that was done to my Datsun 510, check these pictures out. This was just the back, that is probably half of the total filler that was on the car. It is a parts car now.

Here is your solution. You can purchase a T-5 yoke that fits directly onto your stock driveshaft. You will still need to shorten your driveshaft (I think). I was looking into doing this swap and found this part number, 1203-265. Good luck.

I have no room for a parts car. I just found this site http://www.rpmrons.com/Nissankits.html As you can see they make a master rebuild kit for a 240Z. I need a crank also (mine is worn where the woodruf key is supposed to be). I would also like oversized pistons (if they can do that). This is my problem though. It is still $500 plus machine work, new hardware, transmission, and my old head has a bent valve so a new head (or rebuild) is also required. That easily puts me to $1000. I can't even afford that. Thanks for the advice Arne, hopeful I can solve this problem.

I have recently determined that I am not going to be able to afford a rebuild on my engine. I definatly could use a fresh engine. I purchased my current engine a while ago for dirt cheap and it is leaking oil from everywhere. I was hoping that someone here might have a good engine laying around that they would like to get rid of. I would like something that is reliable <50k miles on rebuild. It can be a shortblock or a longblock. I would love to be able to toss in a 5-speed while I am at it since most of my driving is on the freeway. Lastly I have a limited budget, if you can cut me a deal I would love it. Thanks. Almost forgot, I live in the Bay Area. The closer you are the better. Anywhere in Nor-cal or central-cal will be considered.

I know what you mean, carbon fiber does look nice. I think it would look best on the rear taillight panel, if done right it will look stock until you look twice. I wouldn't do the dash. The shiny surface will put serious glare on your windshield. Also hard and shiny materials on the interior of a car of the 240Z's era just doesn't look good. Remember it is alot harder to make something look really clean then to make something look rediculaslly outragous.