Mark Maras

@siteunseenHappy Birthday, Cliff.

150 psi is better but it should be a little higher. Is there any valve noise (clatter or clicking) after the last valve adjustment? If not, I suspect the valve adj. is still too tight. I pull all the plugs during a compression test and hold the throttle wide open. After checking all the cylinders, recheck the first two again. They will usually be higher the second time around due to oil circulation.

Those compression #s should be 165 or above. Are you sure the valves are adjusted correctly? Just reread your first post. No specs on the cam? As in no lash adjustment specs?

So, the fuse blows at the first key stage. I'm assuming that is accessories. The next stage is on and the last stage is start. If that's correct, you've got a short circuit in one of the switched accessory circuits. Which fuse is the one that blows?

It's just a flesh wound.

Geoff, sorry to hear about Lillith. Couldn't open the pic file either. Can you give us a description of the damage? I have a lot of parts just waiting.

Nissan cam or aftermarket?

Come and listen to my story about a man named Jed A poor mountaineer but he had a brand new Zed And then one day he was drinkin' up some shine And said to himself I'm gonna make this car mine

Choke cable adjustment can be quite finicky. Hitting that sweet spot that gives one full choke and raises the nozzles all the way up usually takes a few tries before I'm satisfied.

Sure sounds too good to be true.

Here's a visual check. Pull the air filter and watch the carb butterflies while a friend pulls the choke all the way on with no throttle. The butterflies should open a bit near full choke. That increases the idle a bit. If the butterflies don't move either the chokes are not operating fully or the cold idle needs to be adjusted. The cold idle adjustment is done by bending a linkage rod. However, I doubt that the cold idle linkage needs adjusting but it's worth checking.

When dealing with gaskets that tend to move out of place during installation, tie the gasket to the pan using sewing thread thru each bolt hole. When the pan is in place and the bolts are started just break the threads and pull them loose

@zKars Perhaps my description was lacking. I didn't add 3 turns to the mixture screws. I adjusted them UP 1/2 turn. I ran 2 turns down at higher elevation. Back to 2 1/2 turns down at lower elevations. The only other adjustment I ever made was one frigid winter I adjusted the mixture screws down 1/2 turn more than usual because the engine ran better with a bit of choke. During that time the screws were at 3 turns down. Hope this clears up any misunderstanding.

My 4 screw SUs were set to 2 1/2 turns down at sea level. The only time I had to lean them out was around 5000' heading up to Mt. Hood Timberline Lodge. (6000') At that time (hot day) the engine developed a miss. I adjusted them to 2 turns down, which cleared up the miss, and then readjusted them back to 2 1/2 turns when I got down to around 3000'.

If the repro requires a lot of massaging you may end up with the same amount of time as sourcing an original that needed a bit of work and will have spent more money. While looking for a replacement, I'd try a stud welder and a torch to pull out as much of the outside layer as you can on the old one. You might find the original usable.

Excellent info. Thanks for sharing.

Are the needles to small, as in .090" instead of .100"? I don't recall any hwj 4 needles conversations in the past.

Many Z owners have successfully used 93-02 Kia Sportage weatherstrip. I don't know if it will on a 300 ZX tho. Others have reported using 94-01 Acura Integra, 93 Volvo 850, and 96 Maxima (all 4 doors.

Search "Quick and dirty SU tuning". @240260280 put it together. As Zed Head stated above, start with a thorough tune-up using 240260280's method to eliminate the obvious. Not you @Captain Obvious we could never replace you.

"The present world system is based on a conceptual framework where owning represents an investment of our life, our time, our name, our character, or any other aspect of our being, for the sake of control over the thing owned. It's difficult to realize the depth of devastation this has brought to humanity, but every historical record that presently exists attests to the visible devastation wrought in wars of conquest and subjugation of peoples for the sake of ownership!"

My early 71 had the knurled knobs. It was a PITA to access the jack and tools anchored under the plastic hinged cover.

Looks like it could be original maroon Naugahyde. I don't remember maroon seats in a Z.

My first thought was, balderdash! Never heard of that much damage occurring in one day. But, when reviewing the pics again, the cracks look new. Old cracks typically swell as the cracks grow.

You're fortunate to live near the left coast. There were a lot a Zs sold here and quite a few a still around. The biggest concern being rust, I'd try to find one that spent its years west of the Rockies and east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas. The farther south, the better. I'd also consider one with an automatic trans a major score, only because I think A.T. Zs were treated better than their M.T. cousins. I'd immediately put a 5 speed in it tho. Good luck.

I like the "clean the wheel and remount the tire" solution. You likely will see the problem when the tire comes off.