Mark Maras

I watched an interesting documentary about the 1918 (Spanish flu) pandemic last night on TV. The first reported case was at an Army base in Kansas, March 11, 1918, then it crossed the Atlantic to Brest, France with the WWI American troop landings. It became the "Spanish flu" because Spain, being neutral in the war was the first to announce it on May 22, 1918. None of the powers at war, at the time, wanted to let the other side know of their vulnerability due to the flu. That flu, thanks to the war, had a full two months to spread within the troops and into the population before anyone could step in and begin to take preventative measures.

New COVID-19 testing method available. Mail a sample of your stool to: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20500

FSM = Factory Service Manual

We have the news recommending that we also stock up on bottled water, most of which is drawn and bottled from municipal water supplies. No one has explained how the virus can or will foul our water supplies. If there's one thing we have an abundance of in the rainy NW, it"s water. I believe the panic is caused from a lack of knowledge about this virus. There's very little info being offered other than wash your hands, stay home and if you're over 60 you may be screwed.

Keep the line of communication open. It takes a lot of patience and perseverance but don't give up, it'll all be worth it in a few years.

Before the age of float syncs, I set the float levels using a 9/16" drill bit. That crude measurement and 2 1/2 turns on the mixture screws always gave me light tan plugs. Go for it. I'm betting you'll find yours are very close to 9/16". Be sure to tell us what you find.

My early 71 had a steel fan painted ivory white. No plating.

@jalexquijano

That's sooo tempting. Most of us already have the parts to complete it or know where to get them.

I'd start by verifying the actual coolant temperature. If it is too cold I'd pull the thermostat and give it the boiling water test. It could be stuck in the open position.

@jalexquijano What's going on with your Z that you doubt that the floats are set wrong. Any negative symptoms or is it just a case of settling the issue in your mind. I hope it's been running well.

Au`contraire. I'd love to see your video of winter driving. I promise, you'll come back with a grin from ear to ear.

IMO, it's either bad dist. bearings allowing side play in the dist. shaft or a bad rotor. I had a cheap cap and rotor in my 521 that ended up looking like that. New Bosch products cured it.

My early 71 was flapless too. It's my understanding that closing the flap routed warm air (heated by the engine) into the carbs to prevent the carbs from icing up in freezing weather. Never had that problem with my Z. However my 521 pickup (downdraft carb) did have that problem when it was damp out and just below freezing.

That one is as rust free as I've ever seen.

I'd do a compression check before pulling the head. If the compression is good, I wouldn't open that pandora's box.

Whether Series 1 - 2 or 3 is an original Nissan term is irrelevant, IMO. The fact is the terms Series 1, etc terms are a better way to reflect changes than the model years.

I'm not familiar with the 12 turn down method but assuming the float levels are OK, the problem appears to be heat soak and or vapor lock. Common in warm climates and a problem that Nissan tried many things to resolve. If your carbs are 3 screw round tops you may have engine coolant circulating thru the carbs. Many have eliminated that feature to try to improve the fuel overheating. @siteunseen Other attempts have been an FI fan that came on later models, 280 Z style hood vents and in extreme heat , pulling the hood release to allow hot air to escape from the engine compartment. I wish I had a definitive answer for you hopefully others in hot climates will chime in. We don't get a lot of these problems living in the rainy NW.

I think you're on the right track. Is the stock heat shield in place under the carbs? I'm curious about your float levels. A higher than normal float level could exacerbate the flooding. How many turns down are the mixture screws, what color are the plugs and how well does it run when it's not flooding?

My guess is low voltage to the horns. Check the voltage at the horns and the horn circuit in the fuse block. There's probably a poor electrical connection in between those two components.

TDC is halfway between when the piston stops rising and starts dropping. There's a few degrees of crankshaft rotation while the piston isn't moving.

Could be worse. We could be using the Cubit.

The folks on the RX7 forums will be interested in the headlight bushings. I bought a set in New Zealand a few years back. They're not easy to find and are very much in demand.

4 screw carbs set at 2 1/2 turns at sea level, I found that leaning them out 1/4 - 1/2 turn at elevation worked perfectly.

I like it.