beermanpete

How did you get the old springs off without a spring compressor?

I have seen 2 types of dampers for the Z engine. The earlier type has 2 belt grooves. Both are the same diameter and width. Both are part of the damper ring. There is a group of timing marks that line-up with a bolt-on pointer on the passenger side of the engine. The later type also has 2 belt grooves but 1 is larger in diameter and wider than the other. Also, the larger groove (closer to engine) is part of the damper ring. The smaller groove is part of the hub. There is a single timing mark that lines-up with a series of lines cast into the timing cover on the driver's side of the engine. Some cars have a third pulley groove that is bolted on with 2 small screws. This seems to be for the air-injection pump used in the emissions system. As Diseazd said, the cranks are all the same and all dampers are interchangeable in that regard. The differences seem to be in the pulley sizes and the timing marks.

Johnny, from all that you said I doubt the mount failed from anything you did. It was probably ready to go. When we rebuilt the rear suspesion on our's we inspected the mount and it looked fine. We almost replaced it "just because" and decided not to. It failed the very day we started driving the car again. One hard shift into second was all that was left in it. We replaced it with the solid mount from MSA and it fine now.

You have the wrong cap. Not sure if new locking caps are available. MSA has OEM type caps listed. The early type is $60.00!!?? Ouch.

The easiest way to test either type of tach would be to connect them to a running car that still has points. It does not have to be a 6 cylinder car necessarily. Just know that the tach will not read the correct RPM if tested on an engine with less or more cylinders. It will respond however and that will tell you what you need to know.

Two things come to mind: 1) The timing mark is wrong and therefor the timing is wrong. Check the accuracy of the timing mark. 2) The exhaust is very restrictive for some reason. Bent or bashed pipe, internally collapsed muller, etc.

Try Z Therapy. http://www.ztherapy.com/

It sounds like you have the 4-wire type of tach. These tachs might not work correctly with electronic ignition. It depend on the ignition design and how the charging current pulse looks to the tach. If you can, put points back on the car to test the tach. A lot of work just for a test though. Or, replace the tach with a 3-wire type. The heat related issue is due to the design of the tach. Mine did that once in a while when the weather was hot. I replaced the 2 transistors in the tach and it seemks to work better. Still waiting for a really hot day and the car to be running to stress test the repair.

The polarity only matters if the relay has a built is fly-back diode. This an option, most do not have this feature. Test with a multimeter to determine or connect pins 85 and 86 to the battery through a taillight bulb. If the relay has a diode the lamp will light in only one polarity. If there is no diode the lamp will not light at all.

The oil level is not super fussy but it seems to me that if there is way too much oil the suction piston won't be able to lift all the way due to a hydrauic lock. I would try to remove some of the oil if it is all the way to the top. Use a small piece tubing, like a straw, and lift some out. Alternately, loosen the cap and plunger rod and then lift the suction piston by hand. Any "extra" oil will be pushed out the top (making a mess of course). This will create a little air space to allow the suction piston to move up all the way while driving.

If the needle stay up when the car is off there is a mechanical problem with the tach. Probably a dry bearing or perhaps old lubricant that has become sticky over time. To fix it the tach needs to be disassembled, cleaned, and then lubricated with a light oil that won't get sticky as it ages. Clock oil might work well.

Your photo shows two black wires that are not connected. The larger one (which you asked about) connects to the engine block, the other one connects to the alternator. Your photo also shows a small wire with a bullet connector, this one connects to a condensor that should be mounted on the back of the alternator.

On our car the headlight switch is worn or dirty. This makes the headlights intermittent. If I jiggle the switch a bit the lights will go on and off. Try exercising the switch. Also, take the steering column covers off and spray contact cleaner into the switch. Use lubricated cleaner or follow with spray lithium grease. That might help.

Perhaps the throttle is not opening all the way?

The headlight fuses are after the headligth switch. If there is voltage at the fuses when the headlight switch is on the switch is good. The dimmer switch selects the ground for the desired beam. If it is bad there will be voltage on all three terminals of the bulbs when the lights are supposed to be on. If the high beam indicator does not light the problem is in the dimmer switch or its ground connection (this assumes the indicator is working correctly otherwise).

Why the big fuss about the weaknesses of points? Stinky's car does not have points anymore. Even if it did, points are not the reason his car is running badly. My car has points still and runs flawlessly all the way to redline. Could it better? Sure. Will I replaces the points with electronic? Yes. However, none of this helps Stink get his car runnig better.

Arne, you are correct. I checked the service manual for 1973 Z. The primay resistance of the coil is 1.5 ohms and the resistor is 1.6 ohms. So the 1.5 ohm coil should be ok as long as the correct ballast is installed. The lower primary coil should give a bit more peak voltage on the secondary which helps. My point was that the maximum DC current (with engine stopped, key on, points [transistor] closed) should not be any higher than about 4 amperes which is what the factory set-up is. Unfortunately, Pertronix is a bit vague about this issue (for my taste).

You should try using a 3 ohm coil. According to Pertonix their module is design to use "points style" coils. Points style coils are typiclly 3 ohms. With the 1.5 ohm coil the current is higher and might be overheating the Pertonix module. If you cannot leave your hand on the coil after the car has been running to a little while it is overheating. Pertonix says to remove the condesor.

On a stock engine the points are adequate. The primary advantage with the electronic ignition is reduced maintenance. If the eninge is modified for higher power (especially at higher RPM) the points type ignition shows its weaknesses. As for the 4000 RPM cut-out problem, we had a similar problem but it occured at about 5000 RPM. The problem turned out to be the wrong points cam. The lobes were too high and pointed causing point bounce at high RPM. Fortunately we had another distributor with a lower, more rounded lobe profile. Now that we got that sorted the car runs great to red line. Your tach problem might be due having the current sensing (4-wire) type. If it was working properly and the only change was the Pertronix module then the tach must not like the current pulse shape of the Pertronix. Did you eliminate the ballast resistor or in any way modify the wiring near it? The wiring goes back and forth from the instrument panel and the coil a few times. You might have simply unhooked the tach without knowing. Otherwise, try a tach from a later year. They are the voltage sensing (3-wire) type. Or use a new aftermarket tach.

We have 225/50-15 on 15x7" wheels. We also have the Tokico struts and springs. Needs to have about 0 offset to clear the springs. No interference with the fenders. Your plan with +10mm offset should be ok with the 245/45-16. You might have interference with the fender. Rolling the inside lip down might be enough extra room.

Per the factory service manual for the 1972 model, the push rod length should be adjusted such that the brake pedal is 8 inches (203mm) from the floor. The factory service manuals are available here: http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html

DO NOT work on the car while it is on the jack. Get a set of jack stands. Always use them in paris. If you have the scratch get 2 sets and raise the whole car. The most difficult part to remove is the spindle in the rear. This connects the rear lower control arm to the strut. They like to get stuck due to rust and such. As ZCurves said, use lots of penetrating oil. If you can't get the spindle out you can take the strut and control arm out as an assembly. That is what we did. You can then replace the struts and springs and put it all back. If you replace the bushings you must remove the spindle. Look for a copy of the factory service manual here: http://www.xenons30.com/reference.html It may have better instructions than the 3rd party books. Be sure to install the bump stops. Service the bearing at the top of the front strut while it is out.

The tapping and possible need for a valve adjustment is an unrelated issue/problem, but clearly in need of attention.

The PCV valve pulls the blow-by gasses into the intake manifold. At large throttle openings there is not enough vacuum to pull in all of the blow-by allowing some to escape out the breather vent in the valve cover. This is why you see some smoke come out when you rev the engine. Your comment about oil in the AFM, combined with the excess blow-by suggests worn or stuck rings, not out of adjustment exhaust valves. Your best short term solution is to restore the original connection from the valve cover vent to the intake boot. This will keep the smoke and fumes in the engine and out of the cabin.

Yes. The work you did will effect the toe setting. If the toe is mal-adjusted the car will still go straight and seem to drive ok but could cause rapid tire wear and poor fuel milage.