260z won't start!

[SteveJ]

  News to me too. How many years did they include it? Evidently my 74 was disarmed properly. No red button on mine & the seat belt switch is not working. Is the red button a remote start or something else like a reset button of some sort? Inquiring minds want to know.

Mark, do you have a late 260Z? IIRC the safety requirement might have been a calendar year function and was already bypassed.

 

If you look at the 1975 wiring diagram, it shows the seat belt interlock relay, though it wasn't implemented.

[Mark Maras]

 Mine is an early 74. RLS30-003060-9/73. As near as I can tell, I'm the 4th owner. 2nd & 3rd owners tore it apart, attempted to get it back together & gave up. I did notice a few unused threaded holes on the fender well that may have held the button. Personally, I'm glad it's gone. I really dislike the extraneous bull $h!t that manufacturers keep adding to a good product. Traditionally they keep going until they've ruined it. I have an early 71 & an early 74, Comparing the wire diagrams, three years is all it took Datsun to turn a quite simple electrical system into a mystifying maze of wires with little actual improvement.

[FastWoman]

I don't believe anyone mentioned this, but replacing the spark plugs WILL NOT drag down your electrical system and cause your engine not to crank.  If your battery is strong, your cables and connections are good, and your starter is good, then your engine should crank vigorously when you turn the key.  It might not start because of other issues, but at least it will crank.

 

Check your cables for corrosion.  Sometimes a cable will be corroded just beneath the insulation near the battery connector.

 

I believe you can have an auto parts store test your starter.  If it's necessary to replace it, a gear-reduction starter from later Z years ('77/'78?) would be a nice upgrade, provided it will bolt up.  (I don't see why it wouldn't.)

[FastWoman]

Mark, extraneous bulls**t is part of the charm of any vintage object -- like the inspection lids, tool boxes, and service light!  I'd be leary of a remote start button beneath the hood for theft reasons, but otherwise I think it would be a fun feature -- a conversation piece.  Of course if someone is already underneath your hood, I suppose it's pretty obvious how to energize the starter, even without a button.

[cbuczesk]

I think the gear reductions starters are from the 82-83 280ZX.

 

Chuck

[Patcon]

I agree that spark plugs wont normally cause a no start condition, with the exception of putting in a sparkplug that is way too long...does the engine spin at all when you try to start it? If not take all the spark plugs out and see if it will spin without the compression. Make the spark and fuel safe for this.

C

[S30Driver]

I believe you can have an auto parts store test your starter.  If it's necessary to replace it, a gear-reduction starter from later Z years ('77/'78?) would be a nice upgrade, provided it will bolt up.  (I don't see why it wouldn't.)

 

Sarah, I moved the gear reduction starter from one of my turbo cars to the 77z, it fits & works just fine.

[LeonV]

In case it was lost in translation, the emergency start button on 260Zs bypasses the interlock system. It is not a remote starter switch!

[Clomolina24]

Ok so quick update, quite a newbie move but it turned out to be the battery, apparently I wore it down trying to get the car started....I still can't start the car though, Ive fed gas directly to the manual fuel pump so I have a feeling the problem might be electrical! my conclusion was backed up when i tried to get a spark  when putting the spark plug wire on metal and there was no spark , I am going to replace the spark plug wires and the coil to see if that does the job.

 

I have a couple more question for any one that may be able to answer it, my key switch is stuck on the "ON", i can move it to "start" but can not move it to "acc" or "off"....does any one know what may be going on?

 

Also, my clutch seems to not be functioning as it feels too loose, any one know what may be going on?

 

Thank you very much, I really appreciate everyones help and advice!

[Zed Head]

my conclusion was backed up when i tried to get a spark  when putting the spark plug wire on metal and there was no spark , I am going to replace the spark plug wires and the coil to see if that does the job.

 

That's not really the best way to check for spark.  Put a sparkplug in the wire and place the body of the plug, the threaded metal portion, in contact with the engine, typically the valve cover, where it can be seen.  Then crank the engine while watching the plug for spark.  Be careful, the engine might start, so put the plug and wire where they won't get damaged if it does.

 

That's one way, there are others.  Have you checked the points yet?  Examined the inside of the distributor cap?  You're jumping around a lot, hoping the engine will start but you should really be going through the basics first to make sure everything is in order.  If the PO left the fuel pump disconnected, who knows what else is missing.  It may not even have a rotor under the distributor cap.

[Clomolina24]

That's not really the best way to check for spark.  Put a sparkplug in the wire and place the body of the plug, the threaded metal portion, in contact with the engine, typically the valve cover, where it can be seen.  Then crank the engine while watching the plug for spark.  Be careful, the engine might start, so put the plug and wire where they won't get damaged if it does.

 

That's one way, there are others.  Have you checked the points yet?  Examined the inside of the distributor cap?  You're jumping around a lot, hoping the engine will start but you should really be going through the basics first to make sure everything is in order.  If the PO left the fuel pump disconnected, who knows what else is missing.  It may not even have a rotor under the distributor cap.

 

Like I mentioned before I don't know much about this yet so I really appreciate your guidance, I will try testing the spark plugs as you have mentioned, you're totally right, I'm just hoping around trying to find something wrong! 

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong but i believe by points you mean the end of the spark plug wires that are connected to the distributor cap?, if so then yes I have checked them and thats why I am going to change them because the wire that runs from the coil to the distributor cap is damaged and will barely connect with the coil, also there is a rotor under the distributor cap, also noticed it was kind of "greasy" under the rotor ( I will post a pic as soon as I can so you can get a better feel of what I am saying)

[Zed Head]

The stuff below is wrong for 1974.  See the two posts below this one.

 

 

No the points are under the cap.  If you don't know what points are, that's not good.  You have much to learn.  Anybody who has worked on older cars, will know what points are and how to check them.  Newer cars don't have them and many people have never seen a set.

 

 

Edited April 22, 2015 by Zed Head