chaseincats

@Zed Head Do you think I will need a new fuel pump or I'm good as-is now that I smacked the pump to get it running? The pump is only about a year old when I let it sit.

But I thought the inside is stainless steel/aluminum, no? If there's corrosion/rust but its running fine now, should I replace it? The pump is only a couple of years old. This is the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00496VHGC

If the fuel didn't crystalize, what do you think caused the fuel pump to seize after it sitting that long? The wires were hot to the touch and the pump didn't spin until I smacked it, so something was keeping it from working.

Ok gang - after it sitting for another few weeks I started it with great difficulty, but after it started, it ran great. I was curious so I looked under the car and the filter between the tank and the pump's gas was a cloudy yellow. I read online that it is the gas and water separating - could that have rusted the pump and I broke it free? If the rollers are stainless steel/aluminum like @Zed Head said, maybe it was crystalized fuel? The cloudy yellow fuel is confusing though. As a side note, I'd drain the tank but it is quite literally full and I don't know where to get rid of that much fuel, so I'll continue driving it and add gas when it gets down to the quarterish mark. With that and the cloudy yellow fuel in the pre-pump filter in mind, would adding Heet to the tank help? I added fuel stabilizer a few weeks ago and ran it for about 30 minutes, but the fuel is already fouling so I don't think that will do all that much.

Hi all - I am re-doing the carpet in my '78 280z which entails sanding some rust, POR15 sealer, dynamat, etc. When I took off the carpet and sound deadener, I found these two holes that look like they're supposed to have body plugs, but don't. Any idea if these are supposed to stay open, or if there are plugs that are supposed to be in here, are they're available at a local parts store? These are in the passenger side footwell to the left of the fuse box. The one on the left is at the beginning of the transmission tunnel and the one on the right is through the firewall. NOTE: I've boxed both holes in blue with arrows pointing to them. The gray shown on the left side is just the lighting - that is a hole.

Ya - I had one of those clear paper filters that everyone has. fuel pump filter

Gotcha - so me knocking it loose in that case sent it to the engine, was caught by the fuel filter in the engine bay, and the car now runs great since that blockage is gone is what it sounds like?

Were they stuck with gelatinated gas or internal rust?

so far its running and ive been doing just that. thoughts on what clogged the fuel pump even though there was an in-line fuel filter between the tank and pump?

The gas in my tank is probably ~6 months old at this point and the car had been sitting for around 2 months (without fuel stabilizer in the tank) while I am redoing its interior. I was traveling a lot for work and when I returned and tried to start the car, the battery was dead. After charging it, I found that the car wasn't starting and traced it to the fuel pump. After a lot of poking and prodding with the test light I found that the wires to and from the pump were getting pretty hot so I gave the pump a few smacks with a hammer, as some orange gas was starting to sneak its way out around the hose (not a great color for gas), and it started right up and I let it idle for ~20 minutes while I added fuel stabilizer. Question - the car ran great, do I need to dump the tank? Should I replace the fuel pump if it's working now (its only about a year old)? did the pump somehow rust shut internally (the tank is around 3/4 full with 93 octane fuel which probably has ethanol in it).

Awesome, thanks! I took a look at my plug, and there's nowhere the notch would catch on. I'm just curious why its even there to begin with at this point haha.

Hi gang, I'm changing the oil and it looks like the crush washer for the oil pan drain plug bolt has a small cutout on one side. Does anyone remember if the side with the small notch cutout go against the back of the plug bolt, or does the side with the cutout touch the oil pan? You can see the cutout on thezstore's page here any ideas? -chase

Case closed update: I had my seats re-foamed and the ride is great now. I was surprised how big a difference that made, but we're sitting pretty now. Thanks all!

Got it, I'll give it a look. Thanks!

Do you mean pull the cowl plate off and look or looking up from the passenger footwell?