BillD

I have a Craftsman pressure washer (7 hp, 2800 psi, 2.5gpm, model #580.752400) and it is misbehaving. The motor runs fine, but the pump doesn't pump. In fact, when the motor is off and the inlet water is connected I can't get water to run through it. If I remove the high pressure hose and nozzel, water still doesn't run through the pump. I've taken the pump apart in the hope that cleaning would help (it didn't) or that I would understand the operation (I didn't). I've cleaned all of the filters. The o-rings look good and there doesn't appear to be any dirt or grit in there. There is an "unloader" that looks like it is adjustable. I'm suspicious of this part but fiddling with it didn't seem to help. Does anyone have insights into this? I love my pressure washer and want it to work again. Thanks in advance.

I am going to be changing my radiator on my '73 in the next few weeks (original for an MSA) and would like to know if 1) there are problems that I'm not thinking about with the mechanics of the swap or 2) things I should be doing while the radiator is out.

Putting a set on my 300zx would be kind of quirky but cool. Add another set for me (bringing my total to two).

Put me down for a set.

Wow!! This is amazing. I can't wait to see this project finish.

My 240z had low oil pressure when running and almost no oil pressure at idle. Everything was running fine, but I switched the oil pump to a higher pressure/volume turbo unit for the 280z turbo engines. This change over brought the oil pressure to the 10psi/1000rpm level that is within my comfort level and it didn't take a lot of time or money.

I got a new clutch MC. It looks like a simple install. Since those are famous last words, is there anything I should be aware of while doing the switch?

My clutch felt sloppy, so I checked the fluid and it was very low. I filled it, but it obviously needing bleeding. I bled (with a vacuum pump) and it now works beautifully, but very tiny bubbles appear in the master cylinder when pumping the clutch. Do I need a rebuild kit or new MC?

Someone was looking into fabricating some of the metal framed covers. Any progress on that?

My 2 cents: I do biostatistics for (medical) clinical trials and have been interested in some of the methodological issues raised in this thread. The blind trial methodology is a good one for reducing the placebo effect of the additive. I would suggest going one step further. In determining if a change in mileage is statistically significant or simply due to chance variation in mileage, a crucial issue is the number of samples (tanks of gas) used in the analysis. I reviewed my gas mileage statistics to get an idea of the normal tank to tank mpg spread and found that the standard deviation was about 6% of my average mpg. Assuming that most people have that kind of spread and doing some quick calculations, I determined that in order to be sensitive to a minimum mpg change of 10% with sufficient statistical power, you'll need a total sample size of 14 requiring you to go through 7 tanks of untreated gas and 7 tanks of treated gas. Basically, the more samples (tanks of gas) you use to compute average mpg with and without the additive, the less impact specific variables unrelated to the additive will have on the results and the more sensitive the analysis will be.

I had a coyote in my front yard a few weeks back. Trotted of into the woods. It was a pretty animal -- sort of a feral, very slim and well muscled German Shepherd. I've heard nothing about them being anything but shy, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted to meet one on a trail in the woods.

I bought myself a slightly used 1960 bug eyed Sprite when I was 16 and drove it through college. Many other cars during the course of my life including a Devin Type C screamer. I currently have a '59 Austin Healey 100-6, a '73 240z and an '86 300zx. I love them all. Bill

I know this is slightly off the classic z theme, but I was interested in feedback from the drift, drag, autocross members on this 300zx. eBay item=4555461123 You can also get more information on this car at: worldsfastestclown.com/2002.html

I had one of the older models. I'm not sure how accurate it was, but the theory was good and it was a lot of fun to play with. It was basically an accelerometer and a timer. You pluged it in to the cigaret lighter and attached it (level) to the dash or windshield of your car or motorcycle. You then accelerated from a standing start and it would compute 0-60 and quarter mile times and speed. If you input the gross weight of your car, it would compute horsepower. In addition, you could use it to measure maximum lateral g-forces. I never had a chance to calibrate it with a known standard, but even without calibration it was a great index when tuning the motor or suspension. You can get these older units on eBay new in the box for $25 or so.

Take your time and thanks for all of the effort. I'm really looking forward to seeing and buying the finished product. Are the projected cost estimates holding steady?

I am definitely in for this upgrade. The headlights have always been the weak part of my 240z. Thanks for coming up with this solution.

My '73 240z came with an Edlebrock 4 barrel on the L28. I have had no trouble with it at all. I get about 23mpg, very good performance, and the set up is very easy to tune and maintain. I also have a set of round top SUs in the garage that I'm probably going to eventually replace the 4 barrel with. They not only are more correct, but I really like playing with multiple carbs. Bottom line - the 4 barrels work but the SUs are nicer. My 2 cents.

I would definitely be in for that price.

Looks like the auction has ended early because "the item was lost or broken". Another too good to be true lesson.

I PMed Mike with my gratitude for the box, but want to echo Carl's sentiment. This is a great piece of work at an amazing price. It underscores the cooperative spirit of this e-club. Thanks to all involved. BILL D.

I also got the "full mailbox" response to my PM attempt. Put me down for one. Since I'm in the Atlanta area, consider me for volunteer labor if you want to set up an assembly line for club members. BILL

The guys on NPR's "Car Talk" were asked about cars for a child who was learning to drive. From their questioning it was determined that this teenager was less than responsible. They, of course, recommended an older car. Then one suggested taking off all of the dashboard padding and replacing it with broken glass, just to remind the kid that driving was a dangerous proposition. It was a funny segment, but they may have had a point. BILL D.

I am very hesitant about requests like this. Things that are too good to be true usually aren't true. My favorite evaluation site is BreakTheChain.org to stop junk mail. I checked this one out and it is legitimate. Their analysis is as follows: There are a lot of people out there using charitable notions to take advantage of generous strangers. Generally, BreakTheChain.org recommends against responding to or acting on any e-mail message that claims you can help others simply by forwarding an e-mail (virtually all of these are hoaxes) or visiting a web site. But this one is one the few exceptions. The Animal Rescue site is the newest addition to a network of charitable web sites run by CharityUSA.com. CharitiesUSA.com uses the marketing power of the World Wide Web to get corporate sponsors to donate in exchange for advertising. Proceeds generated by the site are used by the North Shore Animal League America and The Fund for Animals "to provide food and care to animals awaiting adoption or living in the animal sanctuaries." Other CharitiesUSA sites include the Hunger Site, the Rainforest Site and the Rain Forest Site. The e-mail message above to urge your participation is borrowed heavily from the slightly misleading message about the Breast Cancer Site. The message claims the site is having trouble meeting its "quota." The CharitiesUSA sites have no daily quota, though they do have goals. They each also offer an online form you can use to privately tell your friends about them, so you don't have to rely on this anonymous chain letter.