ddezso

The parking lights seem to come on quite brightly. I do have one headlight that is far dimmer than the other. I also just repaired the 'dome light' - cleaned it out, changed the bulb, and it worked perfectly. Now it doesnt work at all. Is it possible that during engine cleaning I knocked loose some electrical connection in the engine compartment? How in the world do you troubleshoot something like that?

When I start the car a fairly significant amount of black soot and water sprays out the tailpipe. Any words of wisdom? I think it's as simple as a rich mix and carb adjustment to fix. Also - are there any products other than running the engine that can clear this stuff out? Thanks

I've been out working on the car tonight and I noticed something odd. With the headlights off and whether the car is started or not, when I depress the brake pedal the interior dash lights illuminate as do the front parking lights. When I take the foot off the brake pedal they turn off. I'm not sure if this is a new phenomenon or something that has happened on my watch. I recently washed the engine but this seems like an odd result. I also have the heater control panel and all of the connected items removed while I replace it. I also removed the clock and tried to clean it (and I changed it's bulb). None of those things are particularly logical causes of this. All fuses are good.... Any ideas or ways to troubleshoot?

Well fellas I'm sure you will all sleep better tonight knowing that I got my car started and all is well. I jumped it and it fired right up so it must have been the water after all. I even tweaked the timing/distributor a bit to line things up and it runs better than ever. Thanks as always...

Nice! I'd rather not glue anything to anything - thanks!

Bryan - get a life...

I have all new carpet on the way (Deluxe Loop Pile kit from Too Intense). It looks pretty straightforward to swap out carpet but I thought I'd throw the question out there. Is it as simple as gluing it down or are there other factors to consider? What kind of adhesive would you recommend? Also - is the carpet in the floor pan area supposed to tuck under the scuff plates? My car is missing the scuff plates but I have purchased new sill and scuff plates to replace once the new carpet is in. I searched for prior threads on this and didnt see any. Maybe it is too easy and obvious. Thanks

When I was 16 I had my 72 240 up to 120 MPH.......... God I was dumb...It was on a 2 lane curvy road and I was lucky. I did think I was quite impressive to the girl in the passenger seat but I doubt it was true...

Thanks - ATF it is!!

I have a Z car that was recently repainted and all emblems were removed and the holes were filled. I have purchased all new emblems and want to get them put on. Any advice on how to locate, measure, and drill the holes to put them on? I see some people referencing glue or double sided tape to apply but that doesn't seem right. Thanks......

Where in Scottsdale are you? I am in McCormick ranch. You should come to the Pavilions show next Sat. The Z guys will be there.....

God I hope so. Connect and shine timing light at marks. Slightly rotate distributor till marks line up. . . . .

It gets better. I went back out this morning to see if all was dry and to follow the advise on this thread. Now my formerly perfectly charged battery is out of juice. It was just fine yesterday. I didnt leave anything on (like the headlights) as far as I know. Everything was hooked up like it was before I cleaned the engine and messed with the disti cap. Any ideas on what would cause sudden battery drain? If we were trying to start the car for 15-30 minutes would that do it since the alternator has no chance to recharge?

Got any pictures to share?

Thanks. I just bought a 70-71 heater switch control on Ebay. It will fit my new faceplate. It didnt come with a fan control switch. The 73 panel included an offset to screw the switch to so the shaft of the switch (where you put the knob) doesnt protrude too far out. The 70-71 doesnt have that so now I need to find a new switch.

The timing light was attached and working and it was off. After that test I loosened the distribtuor. I remember roughly where it was positioned and have put it back and everywhere close to the location with no luck. I have sprayed it with the WD-40 and will try again soon.

Same here....

How do I tell if I'm getting spark when I start the car and how do I tell if the carbs are flooded (told you I was a novice). Montoya - I would be using the markers if it would start...

I am in the process of switching out the 1973 heater control plate (I assume 1973 because of the illuminated control option - see pic) to a more original and not broken pre 73 faceplate. The issue I am having is the heater controls don't seem to mount properly to the new faceplate. There is a oval shaped piece of plastic with 2 screw holes in it that block the way. Again I've tried to picture it. Does that piece of plastic need to be cut off somehow or do these look like incompatible heater controls with the faceplate? I am assuming the solution is to get new controls since I want to use the new faceplate but would like some input. 1 picture shows old faceplate (the radio area is damaged), one shows the new one, one shows their side by side profile and the other shows the thing blocking the controls from mounting..... Thanks

Even though it started more than once after the cleaning? I totally covered the cap with plastic as well during the cleaning.....

OK gents - this should be an easy one I hope. Today I degreased and cleaned my engine. That went quite well. Looks much better and started right up after. I dont think it's a factor in my question but just so you know in case it is relevant. Being a novice mechanic I thought it would be a good idea to check and adjust the timing. I went and got a light, hooked it up, and decided the distributor needed some tweaking to dial in the timing. So far so good.... In the process of loosening the distributor I loosened it quite a bit - so much in fact that it moved completely off where it started. I didnt understand that the adjustments are minute so I was pivoting it all over the place to see how far it moved. Now I can't get the car to start. It ran like normal after the cleaning and when the light was connected it was fine. My assistant has come out and cranked the starter, while I slowly pivot the distributor to find the magical location where it will start and run. Nothing seems to work after about 15 minutes of that. Any ideas?

My first car was a 1972 240Z. I bought it using money I saved up washing dishes and it cost $1,900. It immediately needed a new transmission which I had installed, then I totalled the car 4 weeks later and wound up in the hospital for a week, and in bd for 4 more with a ruptured and removed spleen. My Z gave me a vertical scar from an inch below my belly button to my solar plexus. But - it wasnt the car's fault and I just got another.

The tough part is I love the car, have already put about $800 into improvements, and dont want to call a lawyer. The current plan is to have both VIN's checked to make sure it's not stolen property. If it passes that test then I'll figure out how to make it legit. Otherwise the seller is going to have an unpleasant call...

It did. And it had the 3137 VIN # on it

That's the 1,399th one ever made and that is very low. Just double check them. Trust me.....I thought I just bought # 3137 but just discovered I didnt because of a mismatch. Still trying to unravel what I really have now. But - I LOVE the car and the experience of driving it and working on it so it does depend on your motives.