zbane

18) Fix a flat 19) Flashlight 20) Something for your lower back, a lumbar pillow or some such. 21) Map 22) Cell phone charger 23) Distilled water/Radiator fluid

Before you run that search on the site, might I suggest shooting your lock cylinders with WD40 (or something similar) to help clean and lubricate your locking mechanisms. While the stuff is working into the system, run the search on locking issues to see where you should look next.

So I had been loosing coolant for some time, and I had tried a couple things to slow or stop the leaking. I had thought that the problem was in the radiator, but the more it leaked, the more clues I found to lead me to the actual problem-the water pump. When I replaced my belts several months ago, I had a heck of a time loosening the alternator enough to sway it; I ended up forcing the belt on, and it was the extra tightness on the pump that caused the problem. I pulled out the radiator which was easier than I thought, and disassembled the fan blade and water pump stuff. The pump I had purchased came with a gasket, but I applied a conservative amount of blue silicon to both sides of said gasket as an added measure of protection. Considering the amount of ick that was (is) in the radiator, I was expecting the pump to be all gunked up as well, but to my surprise, it wasn't. Even though the internals are clean, I am certain the pump is bad-I can move the outer rotating bit (that the pulley attaches to) in a side to side movement, the bearings are definately bad.

Welcome to the site, it's always nice to see another Zcar show up! I've got a 79 ZX and am pretty much the second owner as well. The car is great, and you will find much information of use here on the site. There aren't many ZX's here, but I'm sure you will find answers to most anything you may be wondering about. The search feature on the site will help you find many things, expirament with it, and don't be afraid to ask questions.. Again, welcome. Out of curiosity, when was yours built?

Sure, it's really messed up, but I see potential there. Pull out the sunroof and install a cloth targa top (like in the Renault CV's, original VW bugs, mini's, etc.), get some decent bumpers, and do some cleaning up of the interior. Of course none of that matters if the underbody is thrashed, but the shell appears at least workable from the photos. Not sure about the rear spoiler, looks like it is about to fall off, so who knows about the rest of it. The engine is a different matter though. Did anyone notice that the engine has no oil filter? Why would anyone pull that off prior to taking photos? As Gregg said, I think it could be a prime candidate for track use, or as a car to show "ricers" what a properly race modded car can do. But it would take a lot of work, that much is certain.

One would think that for that amount of money everything would work. As to the "custom bumpers," they appear to be nothing more than painted steel bars. Ask the seller for photos of the frame rails, battery tray area, inner fenders, spare tire area, under the carpets, etc.

but I prefer this one.

That is so cool!

Will, if the owner of the car took equal care with the land, I would expect it to be a toxic waste dump! I wonder how many eyes the fish in the lake have (assuming they have eyes)

Poor thing:cry: But, hey, look on the bright side-that dash cap looks to be in good shape! However, this bugs the tar out of me I see the front bumper, so it should be included with the car, no? If it is not included, the seller should have pulled the darn thing off before snapping all of those shots.

My guess would be your starter switch-not the starter, nor the bit where you insert the key; but the bit behind the key cylinder that makes contact with the ignition circuit and other things. I had a similar experience with an old honda-it progressed quickly to the point where I had to hold the key in the ignition in the sweet spot in order to drive. Pull out your ignition cylinder and check all your contact points, repair/replace as neccessary.

It snowed a whopping 1/4" last night. The NCDOT decided to go ahead and salt the roads as they normally would, and here are some photos of the residue I accrued after driving 3.5 miles home. A heavy washing is in order as soon as we top freezing.

These poor quality photos of my FSM just wouldn't upload with the previous post, but here they are for reference.

As it turns out, you can remove the headlamp before the case, but it's a bit difficult, due to the cramped area involved, and the job would be much easier if one could access the retaining ring from the front. I suspect that that was indeed the intention of the designers, but for some reason I wasn't able to to manipulate the plate. At least now I know (and knowing is half the battle...) What you cannot remove as stated in the FSM is the headlamp case; the fender must come of in order to reach all three of the connecting nuts.

You are correct, Enigma. That is what and where you think it is, and it isn't the prettiest. The rails are an issue with this car, and will be dealt with soon, if all goes well. Here's a better picture, and this is the good rail :dead:

Try Harder. The metal plate that holds the lamp in the bay is difficult to move about, what with the AC line, inner fender, and the light itself getting in the way. But it can be done, if you are willing to risk bending something. Once you have the thought that something might be bent, and accept that possibility, with a bit of squeezing and a touch of extra force, the whole thing moves about-not out, mind you-but becomes workable. Since I already had so much of the front end off, I went ahead and pulled both fenders, so I could take off the sugar scoops. In doing so, I found an error in the FSM. According to the FSM, there are only two bolts attaching the bucket to the fender. This is incorrect. There are THREE, and the third one REQUIRES that the fender be removed in order to access it 'cause it's way up there. I found a few baby rust gremlins while I was in there, and have kept the fenders off until I can clean, prep and paint the inner fenders and wheel wells. The bumper went back on because not having turn signals irritates me, though I must say that the car is looking a little odd, being only half dressed, so to speak. Also, I think I may have found the cause of my wet floorboards, but I need to check the matter more. Anyway, thanks to all for jumping in. This has indeed been a learning experience, and quite a bit of fun, too. Oh, and yes I did change the bulb.

The back of the lamps can indeed be accessed from the bay, and yes, there is a metal shield that can be removed (note the "L"&"R" markings). The chrome retaining ring is attached to this plate. I can access two of the three retainer screws by unscrewing the metal shield, but cannot fanagle the plate to access the last little screw. I've not tried the right side, but it is behind the Carbon Canister and Coolant Resevoir-both of which appear to need removing in order to even reach the screws that hold the plate on. I'll be pulling at least one fender this afternoon, will post photos in the evening of the progress.

Thanks for the link, Arne! I had been looking around for those, but had no luck finding them. At @$50 a pair, this looks like a good deal, especially considering the sylvania halogen was about $15 per unit. The top portion is the "running light" area, I think that could be easily converted to handle turn signal duty, and there is some valuable real estate to be had in the fender for whatever "modifications" are needed.

Arne, my thoughts exactly! Now I am thinking about finding a combo lighting unit, not unlike what certain Mercedes Benz's have-the all in one headlight/turn signal combo lights, then I could do something different with the front bumper, though that is nothing more than a thought right now.

I've had my zx for just over a year now, and the driver side headlamp has just burned out. I've searched both this site and hybridz for the answer to this little question-How do you change the lighting unit? I went through the FSM, and it appears that I need to to take off the bumper, grille, valances (valenci?), inner wheelwell protectors, and finally the headlamp buckets (sugar scoops). I have done some of this, as you can see in the photos, but am being held up by the three screws that hold the center valance to the frame (rusted in for now). Without removing the entire valance unit, I cannot get to the last two screws that connect the scoops to the fender, and without getting the scoops off, I cannot remove the chrome headlight retaining ring that holds the lamp in. For the record, I tried getting to the light from the engine bay, but the light holder is trapped in the bay by other bits. From searching the threads, I have decided to go ahead and pull the entire fender off, and I'm OK with that, but I just wonder is there an easier way to change the headlights without taking off half of the car's body? I must say that I like how the car looks without the front bumper, however I don't like not having turn signals. And Yes, I'm going to change out both at once. It's the smart and safe thing to do.

You'll need to fix that. Zedd Findings has just the thing http://www.datsunzparts.com/NewParts/summary.htm Drain holes appear to be included.

Yes, the drain plugs are there for you to manually remove any offensive liquid. It may be a ZX thing, but I think it a little odd that the drain plugs are not at the lowest part of the floor, but at least there are plugs, and they are easy enough to remove. Hope the photo clears things up for you.

needs work, but the price is right! currently at $450., with one day left. Located in Clearwater, FL http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/76011822_W0QQitemZ330104179650QQcategoryZ6187QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem No photos of the underside, nor of any ID plates.