Arne

No, no leaded fuel available here either, other than race and specialty fuels.

Sure. Some late California 280Zs came with catalysts, and so the filler neck from a CA model should work.

As an ex-tire guy (20+ years), I agree with the above posts, with the additional thought that the best choice also depends on how wide your 14" wheels are. Typical widths run from 5.5" up to 7" wide. The 195/70-14 size should not be used on wheels wider than 6.5", or narrower than 5.0". The 215/60-14 size will be a bit wider, but also a touch shorter than stock. While they will fit on a 5.5" wheel, pinching them down that narrow will negate much of the improvement that a wider tire can bring (probably the source of the "soft" comment you heard), so I'd recommend that size for 6.0-7.0". Another size not mentioned would be 225/60-14, which is good for 6.5" and 7.0" wheels. But this size is getting hard to find, and can cause clearance problems depending on wheel offset and whether or not the car is lowered.

Markus, what we here in the US have may not be the same in Europe. Our 240Zs, 260Zs and early 280Zs had the original engine number and chassis number stamped on a number plate that was located under the hood (bonnet), generally on the right side inner fender. (An example is circled in green in the attached picture.) The plate was not always in that exact location, but that is a good example. The later US 280Zs (after '76 or so) had the chassis number but did not specify the engine number on the plate. I do not know if the 240Zs and 260Zs that were sold in Europe had the engine number noted on this plate as well, but it seems likely.

I agree with Nissanman. If your battery is good, then your regulator is not. Either replace the regulator, or upgrade the charging system to a newer, internally regulated alternator.

First thing to remember is that when you are asking questions about your Z, you should always specify what year car you have, either in the post, or in your signature. Because there are lots of differences between all the years. Second, when looking for parts, it is generally best to post a parts wanted ad in the Classifieds section of this forum, rather than posting to the general use areas. All that said, I dug down to your profile to see that your car is a '71 240Z. And it turns out that I do have a spare switch from a '71 that I would probably be willing to sell. Send me a PM (Private Message) and we can discuss it.

No experience on a Z, but the replacement Holley I put on an older Chevy truck a number of years back had an electric choke that worked beautifully. If it were me, I'd do that on a Z as well.

Yes, but... The 240Z charging system is not all that great, that's true. And my yellow car was the guinea pig for the 280ZX adapter plug and therefore has a more modern system and can not be compared to stock 240Zs. But my red car is still totally stock, original alternator and regulator. And its ammeter does NOT continue to rise with RPM. It works the way it should - it hovers barely to the positive side of zero regardless of RPM. If you turn on an additional electrical draw, it blips to the plus side briefly and then stabilizes again near zero. And that's pretty much what it should do, if everything is in good condition. As for the problem described here, I'd guess it to have a lazy (slow reacting) regulator, a weak battery, or a combination of the two.

I don't recall ever seeing a white 240Z with a white interior. Most that I see came with red, blue or black interior. There is no way to tell for certain what color trim a particular 240Z had originally. So as long as you pick an appropriate original color and do it right, no one will ever know. But as far as what color the various parts should be, I can't say. Both of my '71s have black interiors, which makes it simple.

Probably not the throw-out bearing, as when the pedal is released, the bearing does nothing, it only spins when the pedal is depressed. Input shaft bearing on the other hand, is spinning when the pedal is out and the tranny is in neutral, and stops spinning when you press the clutch. It is your prime suspect. Much lesser possibilities are bearings on the layshaft, or the needle bearings between the input shaft and the mainshaft. Here is a bit of diagnosis help: Input shaft bearing - makes noise at any time the clutch pedal is out. (Any gear, or neutral.) Goes away when clutch pedal is depressed. Generally varies with engine RPM. Layshaft bearings - Similar to input shaft, as it is directly driven by the input shaft. Less common to go bad though. Needle bearing at front of mainshaft - Noisy any time the input and mainshafts are spinning different speeds, so it is quiet only in fourth gear, and noisy any other time. May get quiet when the car is moving if you depress the clutch. Output bearing - noisy anytime the car is moving, any speed, all gears.

I guess that's why there are multiple choices. Because while I too like both, I prefer the Konigs. It's all personal.One possible thought, the Konig center caps do have issues on 240Zs. But that's not normally a problem for the ZG look, as most people don't run the caps in that case.

Konig doesn't make those sizes. Not sure about Panasports, but you can call Les at Classic Datsun Motorsport to find out.

True, I always double-check the gap before installing them. But I like starting with a pre-gapped plug close to what I want, that way no big adjustments are needed, just small tweaks. So for stock coils with ballasts I use NGKs without any suffix (pre-gapped at .9 mm or .036"). For hotter coils I use the -11 (1.1 mm or .044").

I wouldn't think that the stock coil with ballast would have any hotter spark than the points, just a whole lot more accurately fired with the Pertronix. So I think I'd stay with the smaller gap in that case.

Pre-gapped to .044".

NGK here as well. Use the -11 for electronic ignition. If you're using points, stick with the normal BP6ES. Jim, I'm glad Champions have worked for you, but that's one brand I won't use unless nothing else is available. I've had more Champions fail over the years (in motorcycles and ATVs) than you can count. In fact, way back in '86 when I bought a new Honda TRX250R I was talking to the tech that was prepping it prior to me picking it up. He saw that it had a Champion in it and replaced it with an NGK on the spot. Said he might as well do it now, as he'd end up doing it under warranty later if he didn't.

Won't hurt a thing, just make certain it's in neutral. This is assuming that the transmission's not seized...

Doug, it's either a Group 24 or 24F, I can't remember which off the top of my head, and I rode the motorcycle to work today and can't look at it. The difference between the two is that the posts are reversed. And actually, depending on your cables, either might work. I've got the correct one in the red car, and the 'incorrect' in the yellow with the cables rerouted. But again, the physical size is Group 24/24F.

You know, this comes up often enough that we need to deal with it properly. The lack of diagrams in even the factory service manuals is a problem. Perhaps those of us who own stock, unmodified cars could draw up a diagram, one for each model year. I can do this for a US market '71 240Z, who else wants to take a stab at this?

Appliance called them TurboVecs, and -- as the name suggested -- they were a cross between the Western Turbine and the American Racing Vector. They did not originally come with the insets painted, just a natural cast finish. The ones pictured are early ones, in the early '80s they retooled for a very large, special lug nut system (called Roto-Lugs).

Sorry, Will. My experiences have been otherwise.My old 323i (graymarket euro model) had 225,000 km on it when I bought it. I drove it for 5 years, sold it with 330,000 km. Still ran perfectly, didn't burn a drop of oil, almost nothing broke, and the repairs and maintenance cost was far less than most other cars. I have found most BMW car parts to be fairly affordable, just don't buy them at the dealer. The guy I sold it to is still driving it now, five years later. Still hasn't had any expensive problems. My brother has an '87 325is - same story, except he has owned it for over 12 years now. And my current 328i has been much the same. Parts are reasonable - I overhauled the cooling system on it. I bought a new OEM radiator, water pump, thermostat, aluminum t-stat housing, both serpentine belts and both hoses for a sum total of $250 + shipping. Try doing that for your Z. Sorry to be long winded here. But people see 'BMW' and see visions of dollar signs, both for the purchase of the car and later for maintenance and repair. Yes, they are expensive if you buy them new, but I won't do that. I bought my 328i as a six year old used car with 35,000 miles, and paid less than what a new Civic would cost. Just have to be smart about it.

The 325e (2.7 eta mill) is a torquey, low revving motor. Condition is everything, if in solid shape it can be a very reliable machine. Those little M20 small block sixes will run almost forever given decent maintenance. Although I must admit to having no experience as to the reliability of the automatic - I haven't had an automatic in any car for over 30 years. But my daily drivers for the past 10 years have been 3 series - an '81 323i first, and now a '96 328i for the past 5 years. Great driving cars. But a warning: if the seller can not prove to your satisfaction (with receipts) that the timing belt has been changed recently, plan to do it post-haste. Because if it breaks, it'll bend all the valves.

This can also be faulty contacts inside the turn signal switch itself. Try this, turn on the right blinker, then step on the brakes. Let us know whether the right side brake lights come on or not.

Yeah, those are two sizes taller than stock. On 7" rims you're likely to have clearance issues on the front when turning, possibly on the rear over bumps as well. And that's if the car is not lowered. Lowered or sagged springs - bad news.

I've found that NGK BPR6EY-11 (V-Power) also work great with the E12-80 ignition, and might be easier to find in some places.