? First start in a long time

[MaximumHP]

Hey guys,

I purchased a couple Z's a few weeks ago, and plan to attempt to get them running over the holiday weekend. Does anyone have any suggestions on things I should do before I attempt to start them. One hasn't been started in about a year or so. The other hasn’t been registered for 15 years, but not sure when it was last run, hopefully not 15 years ago, but could be. If it's been that long should I even try to start it? Here is what I was thinking I will probably do, in about this order:

Get some fresh gas in it.

Verify it has needed fluids, oil, coolant.

Pull the plugs and check for major problems

Pour a little oil in each cylinder

Try to turn the motor over by hand

Pull the air cleaner off and check for major problems

Put some fresh plugs in

Give er a few cranks, verify I have spark

Verify I have gas

Pray to the Z gods it starts

[ChrisA]

Hi Eric,

Sounds like you're going to have my kind of fun!

If it were me, I would gently try and remove the drain plugs from the fuel tanks. Drain them out the best you can. If the one car has really sat non-running for 15 years, its fuel tank is full of crap. If you have time I would take both tanks out and have a radiator shop boil them out.

If you're just looking to get them running I would run a gas line from the fuel pump into a gas can. That way you get clean fuel right off the start.

Besides checking the fluids, I'd take the rubber fuel lines off the steel fuel rails above the carbs and blow some carb cleaner through there as well. There are little filters in the banjo fittings at each carb as well. They may need cleaned. Some people omit them, I wouldn't.

You seem to have the basics covered.

Fuel clogging due to rust and gunk in the tanks and lines are a big problem with neglected Z cars. Make sure the carb throttle shafts swing freely. Hate to see a stuck linkage cause the motor to redline upon first startup. Shoot all the linkage with carb cleaner and maybe a little penetrating fluid. There are two little pins on the undersides of the carbs. Lift them up with your finger and see if you feel resistance. This would be the carb piston lifting. You can feel and sometimes hear if they move up and down with the lift pin. You could remove the air cleaner cover and lift the pistons with your finger also.

If you happen to have a model with the electric fuel pump by the tank on the right side of the car, there is a filter in the bottom of the pump's canister. It will most likely be full of crud as well. Mine was!

Good luck and have fun!

Chris A.

[MaximumHP]

Thanks Chris, that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Is it fairly simple to pull the gas line from the tank to drop into a gas can? I'm just looking to see if I can get it running for now. Once I know the engine is good to go, I'll check the driveline, then brakes, etc till she's road worthy. Hoping that's by mid summer. Not as worried about the one that's been sitting so long, mostly just curious if it runs or not.

[beandip]

THE CAR THAT WAS RUN A YEAR AGO , I DON'T SEE MUCH OF A PROBLEM. I would still turn it over with a socket wrench and have the plugs out and oil the cylinders. The other engine is another thing. I would pull the valve cover and pour oil over the cam and all the valve train. Remove the plugs and oil the cylinders and turn over the engine with a wrench. Remember these engines when at rest have two valves open to the air. A valve stem can have rust causing it to stick in a open position . If you spin the engine on the starter or try and fire the engine you can easily bend the stuck valve and or punch a hole in a piston. So take your time , drain the oil from both engines so you are not pumping crap through a other wise good engine . Oil the cylinders well and turn the engines over with a wrench on the crank . When you are satisfied things are working freely . Reinstall the pluggs and Start them up and enjoy the ride. DO CHECK THE BRAKES FIRST BEFORE YOU TRY AND DRIVE THE CAR. Gary

[MikeW]

Is it fairly simple to pull the gas line from the tank to drop into a gas can?

Yes. On a 240Z you have a mechanical fuel pump at the front right side of the engine. You will notice that just before the fuel pump is the fuel filter. The fuel line going into the fuel filter comes from the gas tank. Just hook a piece of fuel hose to that side of the filter and drop the other end into the can.

The bad news is that the fuel pump is always pumping to make sure that the carbs have an adequate supply. Any excess fuel is returned to the tank. What that means is that you can quickly go through your can and ruin the fresh new fuel by adding it to the old fuel.

What I did in this situation was to run a hose from the output side of the pump to an empty can and use the pump itself to get the bad gas into an empty 5 gallon can. I found this easier than trying to get under the car hoping that the plug would come out and that I didn't have more than a 5 gallons of bad gas in the tank. Sure, the tank may still be full of rust and other debris but the filter will trap that. The filter won't help with the bad gas. Once you get the bad gas out it won't be as much of a problem since you won't be mixing it anymore.

[280z1975]

snip ... DO CHECK THE BRAKES FIRST BEFORE YOU TRY AND DRIVE THE CAR. Gary

I learned this one the hard way! My Master Cylinder had a little air leak and I got about two brake stops then NOTHING. I nearly shited myself when that happened. I was smart enough to be in a mostly empty parking lot near my house and not go nuts.

I would do with a fresh gas tank to a fresh gas container. My tank, which was boiled then one year later sat for 4 years had a boat load of rust, so I wouldn't want to know what the one that has been sitting for 15 years has!

[MaximumHP]

Thanks for the advice guys, I may head up tomorrow to give it a shot. It's suppose to be a humid 90+ degree day and they are sitting in a metal shed. It will probably be 110 where I'm working, yipee.

I'm not even going to worry about the one that's been sitting so long for now, and focus on getting the 71 road worthy.

Thanks again for everyones help.

[MaximumHP]

Another quick question, can anyone tell me the size of the fuel line. I have a bunch of 5/16 if that will work. Also the size of the crank bolt would be nice to know so I know I have the right size before I drive up there.

Thanks.

[MikeW]

5/16 should be fine. Someone here once said 8mm which is almost exactly 5/16".

The crank bolt is 27mm.

[MaximumHP]

Thanks again, really appreciate the info, plan to head up in the morning. (got lazy today)

[MaximumHP]

Got up there today. Engine seems to turn fine and didn’t notice any other problems with the carbs and stuff. Pulled the old plugs and they actually looked pretty decent, but will still use the new plugs when I get er running. Needed coolant pretty bad. Got the whole fuel situation figured out.

The problem appears to be in the starter. I get some clicks now and then, but I think the thing is toast. So this week I guess I’ll test it out and check some of the ones the guy gave me. Hopefully next weekend I’ll actually get it running. I was pretty happy with everything else, so I’m not too disappointed. The guy said something about the water pump being bad too, so might have another repair on my hands soon.

[kenz240z]

Another item to check is the fuel nozzle at the base of each carburetor. To locate the fuel nozzle, first locate the rubber hose at the bottom of the carb. One end connects to the float bowl, the other end connects to the fuel nozzle.

When the choke is applied, the fuel nozzle should be pulled downwards out of the carb body by about 1/4". The nozzles are often gummed up and stuck if carbs that have sat for an extended period of time. May not be an issue in the car that sat a year, but definitely worth a look on the other car.

If they are stuck, the carbs will need to be disassembled. A liberal amount of carb cleaner or brake cleaner may break up the gum and unstick the nozzles. If not, then try gently tapping them out with a brass punch. Be prepared to purchase replacements, though. They can be easily damaged.

Good luck with getting the first car started!