Zed Head

I wonder if some of these problems aren't due to RF or inductive interference on the lines that run to the tach. I had a problem with my tach after installing a different coil, with my GM HEI module ignition. The coil tested fine and the engine ran great but the tach would just sit and quiver at about 500 RPM. I added a typical ignition system "condenser"/capacitor to the negative post of the coil and the problem went away. The MSD generates multiple bursts of high voltage from its internal capacitors. Any wires in the vicinity are going to pick up some inductive current and/or some RF from the multiple powerful sparks. This is on a 280Z which uses a different tach trigger but might be worth a look anyway. An extra capacitor or two won't hurt anything except an electrical engineer's sense of correctness.

That is the crankcase ventilation hole. In factory form it would have a hose connected to it that was then connected to the PCV valve in the bottom of the intake manifold. It's a good thing to have and does not reduce power, so no need to include it as "emissions crap" like many do. It's function is described in the Emissions chapter of the FSM - Index of /FSM

This may be well-known but I'll post anyway. If you notice that your shift lever is almost too hot to touch and the console is so warm you're worried about it warping or melting, you might have a torn shifter boot. Mine was in decent shape when installed but eventually cracked and tore. With the warm weather the air coming up through a fairly small hole, after passing by the exhaust pipe and anti-resonator, was overheating everything in the vicinity. Also, for anyone looking for a JY alternative to the S30 boot, a 1985 300ZX boot will work if you punch new screw holes in it ( I had one that came with a $20 transmission). It actually works better than stock, the stock one rubbed on the console at the top. The body style for 1985 ran from 1984 to 1989.

The clutch hydraulics would not cause the problem you're having. Give details on the car and engine. You've posted before but you are one of many.

It would be the lines to the fuel rail, by the filter. One of them comes from outlet of the FPR and the other feeds directly in to the rail. The line from the filter should feed directly to the rail. If you didn't pull both lines from the fuel rail then that wouldn't be the problem. Fun, fun, fun. And you were going to sell the car.

Just trying to simplify. I think also, that if you get your lines switched at the fuel rail the pump will be pushing against the outlet of the FPR. This will give maximum pressure in the lines up to the pump, but no fuel in the rail. Another possibility. Be careful with loosening the lines since the aftermarket pump can generate 90 psi.

Did you do anything else while you were working on the pump and fuel lines? Maybe you're subconsciously avoiding the smell of gasoline, but with a rag and a screwdriver you can determine if you're generating fuel pressure or not. Wrap (edit - not Rap) the rag around the hose end that feeds the fuel rail, after the fuel filter, and loosen the clamp. If you have pressure you'll get some fuel leaking out. If you have pressure you won't have to do all of the lifting and looking. If you don't have pressure you can pop the line off and stick it in a container and run the pump to try and prime it. Could save you a lot of of time, you can do it all standing up and leaning over the engine bay. You might find that you have pressure and something is stopping your injectors from spraying or that you've lost spark.

Not normal. See if the center moves also or if it's just the pulley and outer ring. The outer metal and pulley are bonded to the center hub with rubber. The rubber is the damping material. It wears out eventually.

Aside from the pinging, did your tach work? Maybe you could share the wiring scheme for ksbeta.

MSD most likely uses what's called a zero-crossing trigger, I think it's the basis to the variable reluctor electronic ignition. The variable reluctor produces an alternating current, from positive voltage to negative and back, voltage crosses zero twice. It's only consistent, timing-wise, going one way. The modules are designed to trigger one way, either going positive or going negative, so if they see the wrong direction of the crossing they are unstable. Swapping wires puts them back on the consistent zero-crossing direction. As I understand things, at this point in time. It's not a flaw, it's just the nature of the technology.

I haven't used an MSD module but I see one thing that might be part of your problem, or just a separate consideration. You are using the ZX ignition module (B and C in your diagrams) to trigger the MSD 6A module. You have two ignition modules. You might bypass the ZX module and use the red and green wires from the VR inside the distributor to trigger the MSD 6A. The ZX module, E12-80, is just one more thing to break down and offers nothing to the MSD 6A system. With the E12-80 module out of the picture you would wire it just like a 280Z electronic distributor (magnetic pickup instructions). You might still have a tach problem but your system will be more dependable with the E12-80 out. If I read things right, you would use the violet and green wires to the magnetic pickup in the distributor, and the gray wire to your tach adapter. 6201 instructions. http://www.msdignition.com/instructiondownload.aspx

Disconnect a hose and see if fuel is pumping. Or just loosen a hose clamp and see if fuel leaks or squirts out. Your work would be so much easier if you had a fuel pressure gauge connected.

This part just clicked after I made my other post. You have the "early" hubs on your 1973 car. So RockAuto sent you the right parts for a 73, according to the data available. Interested to see what they do, I'm not even sure that there are real people there. It's a huge operation, many more brands and models than just Datsun and Z cars, and might be primarily robots and warehouses. From what I've seen, most parts houses are all working from the same database. So they all make the same mistakes. Try to find a transmission rebuild kit and you'll see. And, there are several threads on this forum about the early scalloped hubs and the rotors. Part of the puzzle...

Aside from the fact that the internet is full of stories about Nissan changing things mid-stream, and blending parts as they make the change, what are the dimensions of the rotor that you have? At least you can confirm that you either got the wrong part or you got the right part for the wrong hub. Measure from the mating surface of the wheel to the disc surface. I can measure that through the slots in my wheels. Finding and getting the right parts is part of the fun. If you can't get a full refund, you might make your money back by just selling them to someone here. With the dimensions in hand at least they'll know they're getting the right part.

Take the small wire off of the starter solenoid and turn the key to Start. If the pump is wired right you'll hear it whining and you should hear some bubbles in the fuel tank as the air is pushed out. The pitch of the pump will change when the lines get full pressure. If you have a pressure gauge you'll see what's happening. Did you cut the ends off of the old wires? It's possible to wire these pumps backward. They'll run but they won't pump. Another possibility.

You didn't say what year your 240Z is. Your profile says you've owned a 72 and a 73 240Z. the internet says that your part number is good for 73-78 2X0Z cars, so if you're talking about a 73, you're in the gray zone. Could also be that someone changed your front suspension. I would take the focus off assuming someone else made a mistake and make sure that you didn't first.

I'm not an expert, that's just what I've read. Other sources say never remove the cam towers. But almost everybody says to get the matching rocker arms and pieces, unless you want to buy new rocker arms. The key to knowing if the cam is installed correctly is if it rotates easily. Also, don't use the torque specs. in the "How to Rebuild..." book. There's a typo, it's too high. Any idea why your cam broke in the first place? Is it the original cam shaft or a replacement?

The recommended way to install a used camshaft is to get everything else that was used with the shaft along with it. The cam towers, the rocker arms, the wear pads, everything. Keep everything in the same order and orientation it was removed and reinstall that way. Your camshaft might have broke because someone installed just the shaft in the old towers and it flexed and fatigued.

Have you checked the magnet valves (solenoids) for proper operation? That's where the vacuum is distributed to the hoses and actuators. Maybe you have one that's sticking and not opening to atmosphere to release the vacuum.

You're on the slippery slope of guess-and-hope...

Groovy. Here's a trick I've seen used to loosen things that are on the hub that might help. Put the hub back on a wheel, tighten it down with a couple of lug nuts, place the wheel face down on the ground, then stand or sit on the wheel while you loosen the bolts. Or you might just hold the wheel with one hand and loosen with the other. Whatever works.

That might be a temperature switch for a dual point distributor. It's kind of a mystery mechanism that Nissan kept up through the early EFI cars. It's not mentioned in the Emissions chapters, only the Electrical chapters. It advances the timing when the engine is cold. Maybe to keep the idle up or maybe it really is for emissions. Described in the Ignition section of the Electrical chapter. Measure resistance on those wire ends and see if it's a switch or a sensor. If it's the switch, it only matters if you have a working dual point distributor.

I haven't replaced rotors but I think that they are bolted on to the hub from the back. Do you have the hub and rotor assembly off of the car or are you trying to remove the rotor with it on the car? Sounds like you might have it still on the car since you're asking about bearings. If you had the hub and rotor off you'd already have removed half of the bearings and seen that they're pretty easy to replace, although some beating with a punch and hammer might be required. Use a brass or aluminum punch so you don't score the bearing race seats. Rockauto has some good tips on making sure the new rotors work right (click on a link for any rotor and a new window will open up). Runout needs to be checked.

Nothing wrong with wanting a more modern 6 speed transmission. If there was an easy swap, there would be a bunch of 6 speed Z cars out there. But there is no easy swap, not even an adapter you can buy. I think that I've seen some adapters that people have built for themselves, but they're not available for purchase.

Going to the most basic of basics, you should have been able to choke off the air supply to control idle speed. The engine will only spin as fast as it can pull in air to burn. The fact that you couldn't get the idle speed down suggests that you had extra air coming in from somewhere. The only air supply the distributor might supply would be from the vacuum advance canister, leaking. Just a thought.