'73 240z wont start D:

[ninjazombiemaster]

Forgive me if this post is a little vauge, the weather and lack of garage has made it impossible to do any real work on it..

The last time it drove wouldve been Sunday the 23rd. I got off work around 11pm, it started just fine, and I drove home with no problems. It was probably around 20-32 degrees, much like today, and to keep it running I am having to keep it choked (im sure thats a problem of its own with the carbs) . Anyway, out of curiousity, I turned off the choke, and the car slowly died.

The next morning, itd snowed like crazy. I went to get it started, and it wouldn't. I realized my choke was still off, so I pulled back the handle and it broke off but the lever itself was fine. I checked the position in the engine, and it looked rohht, pushed it off again, and things seemed to move properly. I cranked the key, and it would crank, but nothing.. now, over the last few days, its been doing this, and now the starters not doing so hot, and it wont hardly crank. Sometimesitll just tun over 1-5 times. Im sure the initial problem has to do with the choke, and carbs, but I cant even try anymore, I dont want to burn out the starter. The weather is awful, and I dont have a garage. Keep that in mind with your suggestions. Any help is appreciated.

[Stanley]

No expert, but - New battery - best (most expensive) one that fits in the car. Check the alternator later. Running lean if you need to choke it. If it's SU's reach under the carbs and adjust mix screws to move the nozzles all the way up - count how many turns it takes for each one and write it down. Then turn them down where the were plus one more turn - just until you can do a real mix adjustment. If that doesn't work you've ruled out the easiest stuff. If they're flattops then someone else would know. My 73 automatic was a mess to start except on warm days til I dumped the dual point and put a single point distributor.

[ninjazombiemaster]

I recharged the battery, all the electronics run fine, too. I think im burning up my starter with all the cold starts and this last snow did it in. MSA has remanufactured ones for about $70 so thats not so bad. I'll try that adjustment and give it some starter fluid when I can.. might have to push start it to get it to the shop though... thanks

[az240z]

check with local car club for a used starter or on craigs list.

[ninjazombiemaster]

No car club here in Utah, that I know of... I'll check online, and if no dice, I'll get the Motorsport refurb.

[Stanley]

Got a rebuilt starter for Z at autozone for about $50, maybe 5 years ago. Works perfect.

[SteveJ]

Rockauto has several models to choose from, and all are less than $50.

[ninjazombiemaster]

Rockauto has several models to choose from, and all are less than $50.

Perfect, that will save me an easy 30 bucks. Thanks! Any specific recommendations?

Once I've got the starter in, I can get to the real problem, the carbs...

[ninjazombiemaster]

Just ordered the part from rockauto, Remy brand, part # 16209, since it was cheapest and offers a limited lifetime warranty. Lets hope all goes well..

[1973240]

any luck? easiest way to eliminate fuel as an issue is a little starting fluid. that way you know its not ( or is) a fuel issue... also, when a battery is at like 11.40 everything seems to work fine but the starter probably wont even click. at least thats my experience, especially in cold weather.

[ninjazombiemaster]

Still waiting for the part to come in from Rock Auto. I had it hooked to a charger for a bit, probably not long enough, but no difference.. I'll pick up some starter fluid, need it anyway, and see where I get on Wednesday, my next day off.

As it is now, there it makes one or two slow huffs and then stops. Seems to crank a little stronger when left untouched for a while, but it hasnt recovered this time.

I think the main problem is fuel, and all the cold starts in the winter finally got to the starter. Its probably between 7-40 years old, haha.

[Stanley]

Don't forget to disconnect the battery before you hook up the new starter - otherwise you can touch the wrong part with the power wire and blow out the fusible link - like I did once. No corrosion on the terminals, right? That will have the same symtoms. Bad starter sometimes makes a rapid series of clicks without turning the motor over.

Put a new battery in the truck last month. Lost the recipt from the old one but autozone still had it on the computer. Got a nice discount on a new one because the old one was top of the line with a super-long warranty.