Hello and Please Help me with my 280Z

[EuroDat]

That sounds like you may have a problem with the fuel pickup in the tank. I think Sarah (Fastwoman) had a similar issue and it was a partially blocked pickup strainer. I would play up after driving for a while.

Might be time to do the tank. You want to fix the sender unit anyway.

[FastWoman]

No, it wasn't I who had that issue, but it makes sense.  The more concentrated the slurry gets, the more blocked the pickup screen gets.  The acid test would be to park the car for 5 min, let the crud settle and fall down from the pickup screen, and then start again.  Let idle for a few min to top off the engine temperature, and then try driving.  If the engine now performs better (and then gets worse pretty quickly), then a clogging pickup screen might be the problem.

 

Of course nothing beats a peek inside the tank through the view hole or even a look at the gas coming out the drain hole.

[FastWoman]

Hello, I am a 72 yo.female which has just purchased my 2nd Z car. I bought a new '71...

 

Hi Redwing!  Welcome!  Please check your notifications (upper left).  I sent you a message.  If you start another thread, I'd love to respond to it.  Unfortunately this is someone else's conversation about a different issue.

[SilverSurfer]

No, it wasn't I who had that issue, but it makes sense.  The more concentrated the slurry gets, the more blocked the pickup screen gets.  The acid test would be to park the car for 5 min, let the crud settle and fall down from the pickup screen, and then start again.  Let idle for a few min to top off the engine temperature, and then try driving.  If the engine now performs better (and then gets worse pretty quickly), then a clogging pickup screen might be the problem.

 

Of course nothing beats a peek inside the tank through the view hole or even a look at the gas coming out the drain hole.

 

That's exactly what happens. When the car starts to stutter and stammer (and even if it stalls), I simply have to let it sit for a few minutes. Rarely 5 minutes. Normally just a minute or two. Then the car runs great for a time. As indicated above, the more fuel is in the tank, the longer the car will run between stutters (most of the time). But as the fuel level gets lower, the stammering happens more frequently. When the fuel level is high, stalling almost never happens (even when there is a stammer or two). As the fuel level gets lower, stammering becomes bucking at times, and stalling happens more frequently.

[siteunseen]

Also, while I am dropping the tank, I might as well take a look at something else - My gas gauge is not working. It moves from 'E' (when the car is off) to about 1/3 tank and sits there (when the car is on). I am guessing that the float is stuck. Is this something that can be fixed? What should I look for once I drop the tank? Or should I just go ahead and see if I can locate a new one?

Look under the back mat by the spare and you'll see a circle with 2 screws, remove it and you'll see the sending unit under there.  Short the 2 wires together by connecting the post together with a small wire, your gauge should peg out at FULL if the gauge is working.

 

 

 

You can take a screwdriver and hammer and knock the locking ring hold down loose and twist it off, then carefully work the sending unit out.  Pull all the way up until the float is at the top of the tank then lay the sending unit horizontal and the float will come out.  Be extra careful with it though as it has some fine wires that the float sweeper contact rub against.  It may just be stuck, squirt it with carb cleaner and try moving the contact.

 

 

[siteunseen]

The one I bought from Nissan was for my 240.  I checked MSA and they're no longer available for the '77 & '78s.  Maybe you can get yours working if it's stuck.

[EuroDat]

The sender is officially NLA. Nissan don't make them anymore, but I checked courtesy and they still have stock. $92. It would pay to check supply if you need to order one. I would first pull it out and see whats wrong with it first. No need ordering something thats not broken or repairable.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/gauge-fuel-p-305191.html

Your problem could be a simple case of a full tank gives you a little more head pressure to overcome the blockage and a full tank has a higher fuel to debris ratio means it takes longer to accumulate debris around the screen and block it again.

Edited June 10, 2015 by EuroDat

[SilverSurfer]

You can take a screwdriver and hammer and knock the locking ring hold down loose and twist it off, then carefully work the sending unit out.  Pull all the way up until the float is at the top of the tank then lay the sending unit horizontal and the float will come out.  Be extra careful with it though as it has some fine wires that the float sweeper contact rub against.  It may just be stuck, squirt it with carb cleaner and try moving the contact.

 

Thanks for all the info, siteunseen. However, I could not get the ring off, no matter how I tried. I hammered it (using a hammer and screwdriver) and the ring barely turned at all. It was difficult working through the tight space afforded by the hole (once the circular lid had been removed). It's just on there that tight. So, it just might be easier to get this off once I drop the tank.

[Patcon]

When loosening those rings you have to tap one ear then move to the next one. Tap it. Continue all the way around. They will only move a little then stop if you only hit one ear. If it moves at all it will come off.

[EuroDat]

I made a tool out of a piece of 40x5mm x 60mm long steel. It hard to explain it, I can draw it better. It needed a 10x40mm section removed to clear the terminals. It needs to sit next to two of the four tabs, but clear everything else.

That and a 1" diameter water pipe about 250mm long with slots to hold the plate and a hole through the other end for a screwdriver.

Worked like a T-spanner.

The problem with the screwdriver is you and hitting one side at a time and all the forces go out to the side jamming it. And the angle you have to work with due to the small opening only makes it worse.

Ill post a pic later when I get home.

[SilverSurfer]

Yep. The main problem I was having was the strange angle I had to hold the screw driver at for two of the tabs. I was more hitting DOWN than at a decent enough angle to get it to move. However, I will give it another go.

[siteunseen]

It has a rubber o-ring under it for a seal, maybe it needs a shot WD-40 or something around it?  Mine came off by tapping a little on each ear until it became unlocked, about 1/2 of an inch maybe, not much though.

 

Zip-tie that o-ring to the lock nut or you may lose it, I did. 

 

Looking back at your clear filter pics, I don't think it's that bad.  Just a lot of varnish and some small particles.  maybe after a couple of tank fulls it'll all break loose and get trapped in the G3.  If you clamp the hose coming out of the tank, needle nosed Vise-Grips with short pieces of rubber over the jaws to keep from damaging your fuel hose works good, you can swap out filters with fuel in the tank.  I'd bet your sending unit can be saved, it's probably just stuck from the old gas.

 

Good luck.