Pomorza

Well if the transverse link are the rather large A looking parts of the rear suspension(that hold the wheels to the frame) then I don't think the word "worn" gives justice to what I have left. On all eight I have maybe an inch or two of "bushings" left. These "bushings" are broken, cracked and torn all over. Could having bad rear bushing really cause 5/8ths of an inch of toe in? To be more specific, pretty much all the rear bushings on my car are shot. The mustache bar bushings are gone so when I shift I get the dreaded "thud". The drivers side strut is leaking oil. Hope that sheds light on my Z. Its not exactly "perfect" but what can I expect for a care that wasn't really taken care of properly. Jan

A bit of an update and I hope you all can help here: I took the Z to my other mechanic to get the alignment done. In the process he found that there is movement in the rear right wheel (the one that makes the noise) and advised me that the bearing is bad. (loose). He reconfirmed that the rear struts are worn to bits and they need replacement. Secondly we found that the rear end wheels have a 5/8" toe in on both sides. As these are non adjustable does anyone know what could cause them to do this? I took two pictures so you all can see what I'm dealing with. On a side note, the front tires also had toe in of 5degrees (roughly) on both sides. That was fixed but the rears are still a bit odd. Any help would be great Jan

The noise does not differ from the method of driving I have. I put it in neutral, or keep in gear or hit the brakes the noise remains constant. When I drive and do not put load on the rear end (that is I'm no accelerating) the noise is there very loud. When I put a load on it it diminishes in volume but it's still there but harder to hear. Jan

Apparently the rims were not the problem. I did do the test you asked with the parking brake on and off. With it on the car did not move period. When you take it off it would move but there was no sounds at all that I could tell. Any other ideas mates? I took it to my other mechanic to get an alignment and asked him to take a look at the suspension to see if he can figure it out.

Guys you are going to fall over this. Apparently my mechanic, who I've been going to for years, was no aware (or forgot) that I have staggered rims. (that is one is 1" wider than the other). Well to my amazement (and fright) I found that the rear has one thin rim (driver side) and one wide rim (passenger side) on. The tires are the same size (215/70/R14) but the rims are not. Assuming that the wider rim is heavier (which it is) I found the problem. I'm going to avoid driving at all costs until this can be fixed as a weight difference can really mess with the diffy and really pretty much everything else back there. Thanks guys for all your help Jan

Thanks for the advise. I went out for another drive today to see if the sound was there. It was but only after a few minutes of driving over 35mph. I took a look at the tires and suspension and I'm in dire need of new struts in the rear. They are in horrid shape. By u joints on the rear axle I'm assume you mean the half shaft u joints? The drive shaft has brand spanking new u-joins (actually the whole thing is new). Thanks again guys Jan

Thanks guys for all your input. I drove on the tires for a good hour last night to wear them in a bit. The noise only occurs when I decelerate or brake so I'm leaning more towards the suspension or lugs rather than a bad tire. (as wouldn't the sound be continuous if there belt was bad inside?). I sadly can't stop driving the car as it is my daily driver. I try not to drive it much as the suspension is in dire need of repair but when I have to I really have no other choice. Thanks again Jan

Hey guys Today I invested in a set of new tires. 215/70R14 in the rear and the stock 195/70R14s in the front. Car drives great but I've noticed that when I decelerate I get a thud thud thud sound from the rear passenger's side. The best way I can describe it is it sounds like I'm crossing a bridge. (and hitting the spacers on the bridge once in a while). The tires don't rub. Three things that I've thought of at the moment. One, for some reason they used different lugs on the one tire. don't know why, but it could maybe make a difference. Secondly, the struts on the rear are gone, literally I don't think they "absorb" any kind of impact anymore. They are leaking fairly badly and make noise. Thirdly, the rear tires are misalligned. They are pointed inwards towards the front of the car. If you look at them from the top, they are about 2-5 degrees pointed inwards. Any ideas. Thanks greatly Jan Happy 4th to everyone.

My first conclusion last night (at 3 am) was that the catalytic converter on my 280z was dying. I've had the same smell on my 96' Grand Cherokee when it cat was about to give. I'm pretty sure that the catalytic converter on my car is more than likely at least 10 years old if not older as its pretty much rusted to the rest of the exhaust. I'll check the battery in a second but the volt gauge never exceeded the normal range when I drove. The car didn't run any different or any richer that I could tell but then again it was late so it is possible. I only drove about 2 miles and the engine temp just hit the normal temp when I got home if that makes a difference. Thanks all Jan

Hey guys. This evening when I was back home and got out of the ol' gal I started smelling a rather potent smell of sulfur (rotten egg type smell). Any ideas? Jan

I've used sta-bil in my dads boat as it had that same problem in hot weather. We ended up having to clean the carbies first as there was tons of gunk in there. But ever since that day we've used sta-bil and it seems to help. Jan

By the looks of your picture you have no A/C belt. From what you stated above (or what I got out of it anyway) is that when your car is cold and you start it it makes a squeeling noise. If you seem to be loosing power it could be that either your water pump and/or the alternator bearing is seizing. This is my way of figuring it out. If Z's are anything like all the other cars I've worked on you should be able to run your car without the belt for a few minutes. (or seconds as that's how long you said it lasted). See if you hear the sound with no belt. Jan

Not all 280z's have separate belt tensioners. My 280 had and A/C (which I took off). It just ran off the crank and was adjusted by moving it over on the mount. I took it off and now basically have just one belt to the alt, water pump and crank. It makes sense that that the belt would make the squeeling noise. It is possible that it can be the alternator. It hard to "hear" the noise over then net so I'm just making an educated guess. Jan

Did you wash the engine bay when you washed your car? What exactly does it do when you try to start it? Does it turn over, or just not make any noise at all? Jan

Thanks guy. I changed out nearly all the lines on the fuel line last night. It took a bit longer than I hoped (4+hours) but no more leaks. Jan

I'm sure this has been asked before but. One of the many rubber lines on the fuel rail has developed a very slow leak on my 280z. (76'). Is there any tricks or hints you guys can give me on replacing them. Is it just basically take out and put in or is there something special I should do. Thank Jan

The number one cylinder is closest to the front of the car. There's a topic here posted about two or three weeks ago about how to set the timing if you can't get (or see) the timing mark on the crank. For what I remember you have to find TDC for the first piston and then take a look at the dizzy. I'm not exactly sure but think it supposed to be pointed at about 11ish looking from the driver's side of the car. The simplest way I've found to find TDC on the number one piston is to pull the cover and look at the intake valve for the #1 cylinder. When it points straight up the piston "SHOULD" (and I can't stress that more) be at TDC. But make sure using a straw or something in the piston. Once you find this and make sure the timing is right you should have an idea of what should be wrong. Jan

Thanks for the help mate. The calipers I put on were brand new and the pistons were all the way in. I might take it to my mechanic and see what he says. Jan

Two things. 1. I see no photos. I think you forgot to insert them or something. 2. When you mean bed the pads what exactly does that mean. I just did the same thing you did (calipers pads and rotors) and when I was done I just took it for a nice long drive and applied the brakes a bit harder. Did I miss something? Jan ooops didn't see your second post until after...sorry. And one more thing. Are the pads supposed to ride on the rotor a bit. Mine do, just a tad so you can hear them when you drive.

Hello all This past weekend I was cleaning my Z and came across an idea I hope you guys can help me figure out. There is a tiny wire that goes to the top of the starter, I believe this is the ignition switch wire. Anyhow, is it possible to splice in a switch of any kind that would prevent power to reach the starter? (A kill switch on it that is) Thanks Jan

Hey guys. I know this is old post but here's a bit of an odd update. Sunday I decided to clean and wax the Z. In the process I found that I have a can of Seafoam in the car. Decided, hell why not clean the motor too. Poured a third of the bottle in the motor and let it sit for a bit. Started her up and saw just a tad bit of white smoke. (let it sit of about 5 min). To my amazement I come out this morning (when its like 85 degrees) and take the Z for a drive. No noise, nothing, nadda, it's gone. It was there the night before when I poured the seafoam in. Today it did it twice in a 20 minute drive. (for reference it used to do it all the time, anytime I revved the motor on the way down it would rattle). Any ideas? Could it be a stuck valve or something? Jan

Thanks guys you've been great help. Now I just need to actually get all the bearings and parts and get with the program. Jan

Matt you are the man. Thanks a ton for that. I was on that site earlier this morning and I guess I completely skipped that section. I'm sticking with the stock calipers and drilled and slotted rotors at this point. I don't "track" my car but I do go driving around the mountains here in Arizona so brakes are kind of important. Do have one questions. What grease did you use for the bearings? Would white lithium grease work fine or is there a specific type I should look for? Jan

Hello all I finally have time to redo the front brakes on my 280z. In short the caliper on the right wheel is riding the wheel the entire time. The left caliper sticks occasionally. So I ordered a new set of calipers along with rotors. According to the manual I have to remove the rotor I have to remove the hub assembly, which contains the outer wheel bearing. I've never done this before so I'm rather in need of an explanation of how it should be done. Should I replace this bearing while I have everything apart? Thanks Jan