Zed Head

I have a 5 speed from a 78 in my 76. I had a grind like you describe, a few teeth worth, when shifting quickly from 2nd to 3rd at high rpm (freeway on-ramp stuff). Different from yours, but the few teeth description is right. It was very consistent, and my clutch worked perfectly. I thought I had a bad synchro also (maybe I do), but decided to try the Redlline MT-90 fluid to see if their "balanced slipperiness" claim had merit. The stuff really worked. I was surprised because I'm cynical by nature, especially when it comes to old well-known products like oil. I was using Valvoline 75-90W before. For about $25 it might be worth a look. I only bought two quarts and used the 75-90w to make up the difference, They will blend. Turned out that not all of the 75-90W drained out anyway so two quarts of MT-90 got me a full fill. It's been in there for about 5,000 miles and I don't even think about the transmission anymore. It's not "notchy" in cold weather like the 75-90W was either. http://www.jegs.com/i/Red+Line+Oil/816/50304/10002/-1

That's good news. Thanks for the info. The Rebello people probably know the flange will flex. Hard to imagine they wouldn't, or would put out a product with a critical area out of spec., with all of their experience. I guess it could happen though. Now you have to make one of those videos. No flip-flops, wear some good shoes, with socks.

Did you buy them new so you can get a replacement or did you buy second-hand? If second-hand and you have to make it work, the easiest, first thing to do might be to clamp the flange to a flat surface and get an idea of how much force it will take to flatten out the sealing surface, and see if it flattens or just bends in a new place. I would guess that the hardness/stiffness of the flange might be affected by whether or not the manufacturer quenched or annealed the welds, and how hot they got when welding. I'm just guessing, I am no expert. Also, there's nothing wrong with telling the brand so that future header buyers can be aware of, or avoid the problem. I might have headers in my future and wouldn't mind knowing where these came from.

If the wipers don't work, but the fuel pump does when you turn on the wiper switch, then you might have a wire crossed or incorrectly connected in the ignition switch area. You have power up to that area, because the wiper switch is letting power flow to the fuel pump relay (under the dash above the hood release handle) or the pump itself, when you turn the wiper switch. I would focus on all of the wires to the ignition switch and the headlight/wiper stalk, and make sure that they all go to where they are supposed to go. A member of this forum, Saridout, completed a really nice color wiring diagram for the 1976 year. It is really easy to trace the circuits with the color added, plus you can zoom in on the areas you're interested in with Adobe Acrobat. http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36494&highlight=1976+diagram

Your 71 probably has the same floating single-piston cylinder that my 76 did. The cylinder itself slides back and forth (floats) in a slot in the backing plate to self-center as the shoes wear. Maybe the cylinder is stuck in its slot or jammed, or even one of the clips has come loose, allowing the cylinder to jam. They are only held in place with two bump style detents, under the rubber boot. There's a good drawing in the 1972 FSM. The backing plate tends to rust under the cylinder, and get road grime, gumming things up. You should be able to slide it back and forth by hand with the drum off, against the pressure of the brake springs trying to hold the shoes in place. Or you can take the shoes off and it will slide easier. They went to dual pistons in 77 or 78, allowing the pistons to extend to whatever distance needed to keep the shoes centered.

I think he's running points, if he has an unmodified L24. So ncolz might be on the right track. If dustbag can't measure dwell, he should at least check point quality (pitting, burnt, etc.) and make sure the gap is set right. Then re-time the engine. To your first item though FW, if it is an old distributor, he should check the advance mechanism as you suggest. I just recently have taken two distributors apart, a 76 and a 78, and they both had gummed up bearings, with broken bearing holders. The breaker plates would move but I'm sure they weren't moving the proper distance. dustbag, you should probably just pop your distributor out and give it a good examination, and some maintenance. You can clean it up, make sure everything works right, and replace/reset the points with it off the engine. Then pop it back in, set your timing and know that it's right.

Don't know if they were commercial before but they're organic now - org http://www.hybridz.org/

Here, six pictures down, is a shot of what might be your problem (as blue 72 implies). It is for 77 to ZX but atlanticz suggests that the 240 swap is the same. http://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/distributor/index.html

Hope I'm not butting in but I had a couple of suggestions. Using a torch on the aluminum thermostat housing will help a lot in removing the stuck bolt. Aluminum expands quite a bit with heat. I just took a bunch of spare parts off a spare engine and several bolts would not budge until I hit them with a torch. Of course, you'll have to avoid burning wires, but even a short time heating will make a difference. The other thing I see is that, even though early indications with the AFM flap are that you might be running lean, your fuel pressure reading is too high. If the regulator is working correctly it should never go over 36.3, and on a running engine,with the vacuum hose connected to the regulator, pressure should be at 30 psi or lower, depending on manifold vacuum. Maybe your vacuum hose to the regulator is split or disconnected? The 36.3 psi number in the FSM is for a non-running engine, fuel pressure with no vacuum in the manifold, or with the vacuum hose disconnected. You can test the pump and regulator alone, engine not running, by removing the small wire from your starter and turning the key to Start. This will run the pump without cranking the engine. Just one more perspective...

I am pretty sure that there is a drawing in the Body section of the FSM, of each area of the body with parts called out by name.

MSA sells the 73-83 version for $22.95. 70-72 is $39.95. Or NAPA sells a 1973 version for $12.95. You could just use the boot and keep the cylinder for emergency, or paperweight.

He should connect with those Storm Chaser guys. No tornado's going to get enough air under there to lift it. It just looks like a nice car with broken air shocks. If I saw it beside the road somewhere I would stop and offer help.

The fusible link wire colors on the NARVA site you linked to don't translate to Datsun's data in size, from the FSM's. And they don't translate to Atlanticz's estimates of amp ratings. You could probably find comparable gauge but the continuous amp ratings don't match what others are using to determine size (max amps, I assume). Courtesy Nissan has an assortment of fusible links, in standard Nissan colors - http://www.courtesyparts.com/kb_search_result.php?chassis_id=0&keywords=fusible+link&Submit_Button=Go&cat=1

My 1976 model did not need the diode when I converted the internally regulated alternator. I think that the diode is needed only for the 240s and maybe the 260. The changeover might be when they went to voltmeters, from ammeters. Ammeters pass current, voltmeters don't (at least not in significant amount, by design)(as I understand things, from my limited electrical knowledge). The advice from MSD does not sound right. You can get the 1982 manual here, if you want to dig in to the wiring - http://www.xenons130.com/reference.html

I lam lovin' my EFI! It is smooth and clean running, and starts right up in the cold. Funky-P, I was talking to a guy doing a V-8 swap the other day and he mentioned that he is using an inexpensive relay he picked up at the auto parts store to get 12 volts to his fuel pump. Since you are deep in to your wiring diagrams, it might be a simple, cheap solution for you. I don't think that there is anything extraordinary about the Datsun relays. You could probably put together something that works for under $20.

It was probably a one hour ride in a real car...

Does the exposed box look like the attached picture? It would be the Air Flow Meter (AFM) then. Not a good sign that the cover is already off, some one has been messing with it. Might be the reason it sat. And the thermotime switch is only active during starting. It lets the cold start valve open or not. You might be thinking of the water temperature sensor. The first thing I would do is to download the Factory Service Manual (FSM) for your year and read the Engine Fuel section. http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html Drain all of the old gas before firing, if it's bee sitting longer than a year. Run the fuel pump with new gas to flush out the fuel rail and tank lines. Check for rust in the tank. Check your basic electrical connections to make sure you don't have a short. Make sure that the fusible links are in place and correct (no pseudo links made of regular wire). How far to go depends on how good you want the odds to be that it will fire up and run well right away. Depending on how long it's been sitting, removing and cleaning all of the electrical connections might be a good idea. Search "slave cylinder" for ideas on the "no tension" clutch pedal. If it's gone, the clutch master cylinder and the brake cylinders might not be far behind. It's worth spending some upfront time preparing to start it before doing it. These aren't like the old barn find carbed V-8s that miraculously fire up after sitting five years. Have fun and patience...

FW, I have never heard the "exhaust manifold banging off of the head" explanation for the knocking sound that a bad exhaust gasket makes. Do you have any background reading for that? I'm curious. Cast iron or cast steel flexing that much would be an interesting thing.

How recent is "recent"? If you drove it for a week or two or more and it was quiet, then it got noisy when the bolts came loose, you might have worn something out when the bolts were loose. And you probably mean where the half-shaft is connected to the axle, not axle to hub? I don't think that you need to remove the axles to change the shocks. Some people can see a loose u-joint by sticking a screwdriver in it and prying around while it's on the car. It's easier to see though if you take the half-shaft off and examine it up close in the light. The diff mount usually clunks during shifting as the nose of the diff lifts up then drops back down on the mount. My understanding...

If it's a manual transmission car, the only way for it to slow down without losing rpm is clutch slipping. Smoke and/or a nasty smell coming from the car when it happens would be a confirming sign. If an automatic, I believe that bad clutches and/or a bad torque converter could allow the car to slow down without a change in rpm. Burnt transmission fluid would be a sign.

Find the thing in the picture with the green arrow pointing at it (throttle position switch - TPS). Take the black cover off and dry out the insides. Spray it down with WD-40 (water displacement formula #40). Start it with the cover off to make sure it's working. Put cover back on. Don't spray the engine with water again. Edit: No problemo!

I think he meant "replace" when he said "swap". He has the correct parts working in his car now and he's been driving it. A simple side-to-side eyeballing will tell him if there's an issue. Edit - Actually, a good mechanic would have already compared the new parts with the old to make sure that they will fit. I would be worried that his mechanic is showing concern over the number of springs in the clutch hub and the fact that the clutch tool goes "pop" when he pulls it out. That's either a general lack of experience or preparation for adding charges for a "more difficult than expected" job. Seems odd that the mechanic even mentioned those things...

Since you have the old clutch out, why not just compare dimensions to the new parts? Don't forget to look at disc diameter, if you got a 280ZX 2+2 it would have the 240 mm disc. And the clutch hub spring differences are not a big deal, just different manufacturer's designs. They are there to absorb some shock and vibration when you engage the clutch and when your driving. As tlorber said, the alignment tool might be tight just to give a more centered alignment. The disc hanging on the tool tends to drop the center of the disc down while the pressure plate is bolted on, making it difficult to get the transmission in afterward. As tlorber implied, the tighter the better on the alignment tool. Measure the diameter of the tool and compare it to the diameter of the end of the trans shaft. The trans shaft will probably be smaller.

I didn't see this on the classiczcars classified so assume this guy doesn't hang out here. I'm assuming that a complete 240Z dash in decent shape is hard to find. http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/pts/2058155665.html

:alien: Liquid-filled pressure gauges under the hood are apparently not a good idea, unless you only read them cold. I did this on my car for a while but was using the JEGS ~$18 liquid-filled gauge. Eventually I found out that it is well-established that the liquid-filled gauges are temperature sensitive. In my case, the gauge read low as it got hot. But my fuel pressure regulator was regulating high as it got hot. So the gauge hid the problem, for quite a while. What I thought was a 0.5 to 1 psi variation was actually about 4-5 psi. Below is a link to an article with more info from Aeromotive, a supplier of aftermarket engine products. I discovered my error after I got one of their FPRs and read this bulletin. http://aeromotiveinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/TB-902-Tuning-EFI-with-Fuel-Pressure.pdf Edit - Forgot to say that I also queried over at Hybridz about liquid-filled gauges and got some very good information from Tony D. To give due acknowledgement. It's interesting to me that JEGS and Summit will put their brand name on a product for use in an application that "they" (whoever they are) should know will give poor results. They're just distributors. Side note - Aeromotive is offering a free Aeromotive dry gauge with some of their FPRs, at JEGS.