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My 1974 260z haa uad some difficulty starting. I read up and found the engine has a reset button so I tried this and it would finally turn over, after i had replaced starter and ignition switch, but every wire in the ignition system got so hot they started to smoke... I'm not going to pretend es and I have any idea what's happening. The car has an electrical points upgrade, and an ignition coil from a 240. Currently not messing with it for fear of burning all my wires completely. Please help!

For some background I have a '71 Datsun 240z and have made a few modifications to it so far - replace solenoid, new plug wires, new spark plugs, cleaned the carbs. it worked fine until the engine sat for awhile. I put on a new valve cover and a new exhaust. since then I can't get the thing to start. Now every time I try to start it it'll sound for about 2 seconds like its going off of starter fluid then cut out, totally unresponsive to the throttle. it'll only do this for the first go around and after that i can crank for days and nothing happens. This makes me think its a fuel/spark issue because its getting flooded so it only happens the first time, however, since this problem started happening i've tried the following. - checked the fuel to the carbs. i took off the hose and cranked the engine and got a lot of fuel coming out - i made sure that the plug wires corresponded correctly with TDC and that the firing order was all correct - got a new battery - got new spark plugs - cranked it with a $^!# ton of start fluid. I havent adjusted the timing but i'm guessing it should be fine if it was fine before and I never took out the distributor. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have a 73 240Z which I converted a few years back from points to a Crane 700 electronic ignition. Ever since I did the conversion I have had difficulty starting the car when it is cold and the engine easily floods. The spark appears weak while cranking and often needs a shot of starter fluid to turn over. The real problem is that it generally only starts after I stop cranking the starter. As soon as I let off the key to stop the starter from cranking is when it generally starts. It seems like the starter is drawing too much current but I'm fairly convinced that it has something to do with how I have the electronic ignition wired as this was never a problem before the conversion. The problem doesn't get better if trying to jump start from a running vehicle. Any suggestions?

Hi all, new guy here. I will take this opportunity to introduce myself and my car. About me My name is Mario, I live in Cedar Rapids, IA. I'm in my low 30s (for those who care), I like to work on cars, but I don't have a whole lot of detailed experience, however I'm very willing to learn. In early April igot the car (I wasn't necessarily looking for one, it found me). I've knew about 2X0Z for a while (my father in-law has two of 240Z sitting in his backyard rusting away ) but when this deal came I could not refuse. About the car 1978 280Z, 59,XXX miles when I got it. Original, survival (I have all the original paper work including signed contract from the dealer and window sticker). Never saw snow, rarely any rain. Previous owner had it for over 25 years and drove it maybe a 1000 miles a year. Always garaged. Few things he did to car: lower suspension with Tokico springs and adjustable shocks, big brake kit upfront, SS brake lines,cold air intake, newer spark plug wires, 2.5" exhaust form MSA, including down pipe and all the way to turbo muffler. Other than that all was stock, including all the engine gaskets! What I did when I got the car Replaced the fluids: engine oil and filter, rear diff, MT oil, coolant. replaced the spark plugs with with the stock NGK ones, replaced fuel filter, distributor cap and the rotor, replaced battery cables, installed new 16x8, 0 ofset XXR513 black/silver wheels that came with the purchase. The issue I have hard time starting the car after it sits for a while (for example a day at work). The car did not have this issue when I first got it, but slowly it developed it. One point to mention is that it started BEFORE I did any part replacement under the hood. Here is the link to a youtube video of wha the car does. Sometimes it is more sever, sometimes it is less sever: One additional point to mention is that the RPMs are typically low for "cool start". I would expect the RPMs to sit around 900-1000 when the engine is warming up and slowly come down to 700-800 rpms. It's as if the engine does not recognize the "cool start" and perhaps does not go into fuel enrichment period.The starting issue is there regardless of the outside temperature. It could be 85 or 60 degrees, still acts the same. Based on what I noticed this morning when I sarted the engine I'm thinking it has something to do with the air delivery. Right after I started the car (RPMs were hovering around 700) I went in and unplugged the vac hose between intake manifold and fuel pressure regulator. As soon as I unplugged it at the FPR and left it opened (therefore providing more air to the system), the engine reved up to around 800-900rpm. When I plugged the vac hose with my finger engine would drop rpms. After few minutes of running, this drop and rise of rpms was much lesser, if any at all. Here is what I did for troubleshooting so far I do have EFI bible and the Service Manual and I actually have performed quite a bit troubleshooting in the cold start department: replaced water temp sensor as well as water temp sensor connector, cleaned thermotime switch and replaced its electrical connector. I performed continuity/resistance/voltage tests as described in Service Manual at the ECU for water temp sensor, themotime switch, Cold Start Valve, and Auxiliary Air Recirculating valve. All checked out OK, unless I misinterpreted the results. I pulled out CSV, cleaned it externally and cleaned its electrical connector. I pulled the AAR valve and made sure that the internal flap was moving freely. I took out Air Flow Meter and made sure the flap was moving freely. I wiped it inside. Having AFM out gave me inside look at the throttle body, so I sprayed some electrical connector cleaner and wiped it clean (there was actually quite a bit black gunk that came out)...the starting problem persists.The fuel pressure is not maintained in my system. I installed inline fuel pressure gauge right after the fuel filter. The pressure drops to 0 after few hours of car being off. However, before I crank the car I prime the fuel pump by turning ignition to ON/OFF position 4-5 times, until I see that pressure gauge reads around 31 psi. Even then I still get the problem. ...I started to run out of ideas. ​What else can it be? One of the comments in my youtube video says it could be a vapor lock. If so, what could cause this vapor lock? Beside this starting issue I believe car drives well (I say believe, because I have never driven a Z so I don't have a benchmark to compare to). It feels like it pulls all the way through the RPM range. The only other thing I have noticed is that when I drive it harder I get slight afterfire when up shifting 1-->2 and 2-->3 gear. Help...

So what i am dealing with is a 74 260z coupe with a 5 speed from a 280z and the starter on it is from a 280zx. Initially I use to have issues with the key ignition just clicking over, so I bypassed that with a push start to turn the starter over, after that resulted in the same outcome after a good while I decided to install a stand alone starter silinoid and ran the push start to it then to the starter. Now my issue is the start just spins, Ive had the started tested at a local autoparts retailer and it passed, I even tried a new starter and new battery all with the same outcome, When looking at the flywheel it doesnt seem to be to far gone that it wouldnt be engaging. One odd thing is if I jump the starter it will spin but shortly after that i can hit the push start and it will engage... SOMETIMES. I am really baffled with what to do from this point if anyone has any ideas I would greatly appreciate your help.

I've been trying to diagnose this problem for a while now and I'm stuck now, so I decided to post on here. vehicle: 1982 280zx non-turbo, automatic tranny here is the problem: My car will turn on (initially). I mean all the way to the on position and the dash will light up. I can hear the fuel pump, etc. Once I turn the key to the start position I hear one click and the the dash turns off and the volt meter on my dash goes all the way down. When I put the car into the on position (after attempting to start it the first time) the dash doesn't turn on and the voltmeter (on the dash) goes all the way down again. I tested the battery 12.6V when I checked the volt drop between the pos post on the battery and the battery cable it dropped almost 12 V. The only way that I have been getting it to start is taking off the neg battery cable for a while (I think to reset the ECU). after I wait like 10 seconds, I can put my car into the on position and the dash will light up again. When I try to start it, it sometimes kicks over and the engine will turn and idle at about 800-900rpm(nothing to do with temperature I dont think). But as of now, this trick does not work. what I know: new battery new starter alternator seems to be weak (haven't tested it because I can't start the car.) any help or guidance from a seasoned z car owner would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Hey everyone, I am new to the site but have been a long time follower of your blogs and threads. I recently acquired a RHD fairlady z from Japan. I don't know much about the cars history besides that it was stored indoors for a long time in a temperature controlled storage and was owned by a marine in the 80s. Anyways, I was just wondering if there is anything I should worry about when trying to run this car again after 20+ years of sitting? I have searched the forum and gotten the engine to run from a gas can with a new fuel pump, but was wondering how bad the gas lines will be since there was still gas in the car? Can I just clean those out and replace necessary hoses? Or will I need to buy new ones altogether? And are there any other Nissan specific things I should worry about when trying to drive this eventually? (such as brake or clutch common issues after sitting) On another note,the gas tank had about 4 inches of solid sludge and I have began cleaning it out with chemicals and stuff but still have a small layer on the bottom. How do I get this out also? OR does a member have a tank that they can sell? I am up for any suggestions and thanks for all your previous and ongoing help! I posted some pics of my new project so people can know what I am talking about. Any info or history a more experienced member would have on my particular car is greatly appreciated.

I have a 1974 late model 260z. I am getting no power to the coil in any ignition position. I have replaced the ignition switch and lock. Needed a new lock anyway. I tested for continunity at the switch connector with the switch in the different positions Seems I have continunity. I checked the coil with a multi meter with the negative end grounded to the strut tower bolts and the positive on the coil positive, no power then I did the same for the negative side, no power. I did the same with the coil resistor at all connections...same thing no power there either. Where could I be losing power from the ignition switch to the coil.