SteveJ

E, I have to go on my typical rant. Rarity does not equal desirablity. I don't think you could pay me to own a mint condition unmolested all-original Pinto or Vega (Okay, maybe a Cosworth Vega...). How about a pristine Yugo? Fuggetaboutit. On the other hand, look at the first generation Mustangs. They are considered desirable. They were produced in numbers that overwhelm the production of Z cars. After all from 64 1/2 to 68, there were somewhere near 2,000,000 Mustangs that rolled off the assembly line. There are still a lot of survivors, and they are still on the market. Compare the number and prices of first generation Mustangs for sale compared to S30 Datsuns. Having said that, I do think the 2+2 prices will start to creep north as the supply of coupes dwindles, but the 2+2 prices will typically lag behind the coupe prices. I wouldn't be surprised if on average they continue to lag far behind coupe prices.

Lee, is that why you want to come over to look at my 260Z? I can assure you that it's not the same one. On a serious note, you may not want to know what happened to the car. I suggest to try to start fresh. Who knows what may have been done to the car after you sold it? Have you ever seen the shows where they let people see houses they sold after the new owners redecorate? It's not pretty.

I found it on Sunday at my local Wal-Mart. It wasn't with the rest of the Hot Wheels. They have an area for the "Collectors". That is for people (like me) willing to pay $4 for a $1 toy.

Did you call MotorSport Auto? They have the switch in their online catalog. Other options: 1. Try to rebuild the switch. 2. Get a used switch. 3. Get an illuminated rocker switch from Radio Shack or similar source.

Did you test the switch for continuity?

You use a longer bolt with a nut to lock it into position when you have it the length you need.

It sounds like a bad slave cylinder. It's good to replace the master & slave in pairs. The clutch uses brake fluid. It should not be brown. When the engine is off, you should be able to shift without using the clutch as long as you're on a flat surface. Heck, you can shift without the clutch while driving if you know how to time your shifts. Downshifts are the most challenging.

I'll look at my FSM this evening and try to find the location of the fuse.

I'll have to say that if it is an error about the three blue wires going to the accessory relay, Nissan was consistent in it's documentation. It is also marked as being three blue wires in the drawing that shows the different wiring harness sections. This is definitely intriguing. I'll see what I can track down.

I was thinking that the fourth wire was the ground. Now I'm going to have to put that on my list of things to do this weekend to examine the accessory relay so I can document it properly.

E, are you sure about mine having errors? It is right out of the 1973 FSM.

Before you start just throwing money at the problem, why don't you try to diagnose it? 1. Has the car been sitting long? 2. How were you driving when the car felt sluggish? Were you accelerating briskly, slowly? 3. Does the car rev when it isn't under load? (Sit in place and hit the gas.) 4. What do the plugs look like? What plugs are you running? What is the gap? 5. How do your distributor cap and rotor look? Are there signs of wear? 6. Are your plug wires pliable? 7. When was the last time you changed your fuel filter?

It does have the Rear Defroster circuit on it. Send me a PM with your email address to get a higher resolution image.

I don't have access to my 73 FSM right now. However, if you look at the link for Blue's tech tips in my signature, you can look at the wiring diagram for a 72. I'm not sure if the rear defroster circuit changed between those years. Do you have 12volts at the terminals going to the grid? Well, my signature didn't show. Here is the link: Blue's collection of tech tips - A great place to search for answers. I suggest you bookmark that site.

Heck, there was more wrong with it than just the wire colors being switched. Apparently the wire color switch happened about 7 years ago when I was documenting splicing relays into the headlight circuit. I pulled a wiring diagram off the net this morning since I didn't have one handy. I had an error in the layout of the circuit as well. This should correct my previous errors.

It's simple. I asked if you had continuity at two points on the dimmer switch. You said you didn't. If the switch isn't making electrical contact at those points and you've attempted to repair it without success, it would be time for a new switch. As for how the circuit is laid out, here is a simplified diagram. The fuses have been omitted, but they are on the red wire and red wire with yellow stripe. Okay, so the image doesn't appear in a decent size. Try this link.

For Southern California, that car is nearly a disaster. Are they salting the roads up to Big Bear? For the East Coast and Snow Belt, that's mild. Heck, I looked at this one kid's 240Z when I lived in Virginia. Apparently a previous owner lived in Chicago. I think there was more fiberglass than steel on the underside of that car. I'm not sure what the frame rails connected to.

Haynes, Clymers, Factory Service Manual. All have pictures of the lift points and jack stand placement. Clymers and Factory Service Manual have better pictures.

Do a compression test. That will give you a better idea of the condition of your engine than just checking the plugs.

As WingZr0 said, the lever to recline the seats is outboard (toward the door).

What is the voltage at the battery?

Your assumption about the dimmer switch is correct. Since you have attempted cleaning/repair, your choices appear to be 1. See if Dave can clean/repair it. (If you are confident in your skills, maybe it is beyond his abilities as well.) 2. Buy another switch. (New switches: MSA Black Dragon) After looking at the prices, choice number 1 seems like a REAL bargain, unless you can find a good used switch from ZBarn or other place.

NOW we're getting somewhere. No, you didn't really post a lot, but it shows a lot more thought than indicated in your previous post. The key is knowing what your destination is. After that, you have to research what can be done (ITS, drifter, drag racer, etc.), how it can be done (your own blood and sweat or farm it out), and how much it will cost. Once you have your destination and have mapped out how you're going to get there, a lot of us can help you navigate. For instance, if you want to add a lot of horsepower via a V8 swap, you would be smart to read what other people did over at Hybridz. Also, you'll need to select the transmission you want to use, determine the driveshaft length/type, and procure an R200 rear end (unless you want to tear up an R180). You might want to look at posts from 1fastZ at ZCar.com and Hybridz. He made his own 24 valve head out of 240SX heads and added twin turbos. Now that he has the motor running well, he is finding all of the other weak links in the drivetrain. I follow his posts out of admiration for his innovation and to find out what might wear out on my significantly lower power Zs. Do not expect to have people spoon-feed you. However, if you demonstrate in your posts plenty of effort made to research and try things yourself, you will be amazed at what people will share with you. People have done amazing things with their cars and have expended a lot of time, money, and energy in acheiving their goals. Just expect to have to put in a good-faith effort in learning on your own, and people here will fall over themselves to help you.

You probably won't regret that decision.

Let's break this down. 1. You have high beams. 2. You don't have low beams. 3. If you tested the dimmer switch and didn't have continuity between pin 16 and pin E (hopefully you moved your dimmer switch back and forth to ensure you were putting it in the low beam position), your dimmer switch isn't working. Disassemble the dimmer switch and clean it, or see if you can send it to Dave (Zs-ondabrain) for his cleaning and repair service.