kmack

Try getting in touch with Kyle (and there is someone else, but I can't remember his name) over at ZDriver.com They had an R/C Z shell made up and were selling them about a year or two ago. It's the only lead I know of.

When the transmission pops out of 3rd gear and into nuetral, are you under power or coasting? Either way, it is the 3rd gear synchronizer ring that needs to be replaced. If it jumps out of gear while under power, then you also need to look at the shift fork for 3rd-4th gear. The fork can wear down because of people driving with their hand resting on the gear shift lever. This forces the shift fork to wear prematurely and not allow the the synchronizers to fully engage, thus it pops out of gear unless you forcebly hold it in place. You need to pull the transmission out of the car and have it rebuilt. You may only need to have the 3rd-4th gear synchro's replaced (depending on how bad the rest of the transmission looks). Manual transmissions are fairly easy to work. Pulling the transmission out yourself will save you some of the labor costs if you have someone else rebuild it.

Sounds good, although it has been fairly chilly around here lately (I won't say it's been cold cause the "Northerners" will complain). I'm not planning to go anywhere this Holiday because I may have to work that Friday. Send me a PM if you want to try and meet.

Also keep in mind (if you don't already know) that the Nissan thermostats have a larger opening than the aftermarket ones. Allows for more flow and better cooling. They're not as cheap as the aftermarket ones, but neither is rebuilding the engine after overheating and cracking the head!

Sounds like the wire was grounding on the dist. and causing your problem. I would think the 195* thermostat is a little too warm for use on the track. I used to run an aftermarket thermo (195*) on the track and I could only go for about 10-12 minutes before the motor started running hot. This was on the stock radiator. I've now switched to a Nissan thermo (185*) and a 280ZX radiator. I can run hard for over 20 minutes now on the track and the needle never moves off the "T". I also checked my temp gauge using some resistors. 33 Ohms is supposed to put the gauge @ 195*, I believe. There is an article about this in one of the Sport Z magazine issues. I could only get to 32 Ohms. Anyway, at that reading my gauge was sitting right about between the "E" and the "M". So I know for sure that I'm running a little cooler now.

Two things you may be looking at here: 1) the fan may appear to be working but at speed (w/ the engine under load), the fan clutch may not be engaging and not turning at a faster speed with the engine. This will not allow for maximum cooling and cause you to run a little hot. With the engine warm or hot (not running), try to turn the fan. If there is little resistance, then the clutch is bad. 2) the cooling passages in the radiator be getting clogged up some. At idle there is not that much heat generated and the limited capabilities of a clogged radiator are still sufficient to keep the motor cool. At higher speeds though, the radiator won't have the capability to flow enough coolant. With the engine running and warmed up, place your hand on the front side of the radiator (opposite side of the fan). Feel for any spots on the fins that feel "cooler" than the rest of the radiator. This will tell you where the clogged areas are.

Hehehehe.... Carl, that was taken about 2 years ago when I was big into Civil War Scirmishing (shooting competition). That is my Confederate Infantry uniform. Here is a group photo - 2nd Texas Infantry, Confedrate Army (I'm 3rd from the left)

Here ya go... "The dark and mysterious Mad-Texan!"

Well since mperdue already posted his mug, I guess you mean me, right 240znz? Let me dig one up first. 2Many, I'm suprised it took you so long to post your's.

Haven't had to have any machine work done yet....I've done everything to my car, so far....

At this point, the only person I trust with anything on my car is myself! Sorry, I know that doesn't help.

The easiest way to check for wear in U-joints, is to jack up the car and, with the car in gear and parking brake on, try to rotate the half-shafts or drive shaft (which ever one you want to check). Keep in mind there will be some play due to tolerances in the diff., but what you are looking for is play or movement at the u-joints (one side moving while the other side isn't). With regard to Spicer U-joints, if you plan to do even some high-spirited street driving, get these! These are the same brand that all the semi trucks use and for two reasons: they hold up to large power demands and they last.

Sorry, I had to say it before Carl did!

"WARNING!! - Touching may cause premature spilling of drink!"

At last years National Convention in the Drag Race competition, there was a 280Z that had a Z32 twin turbo w/ nitrous that ran a 10.4 sec 1/4 @ 136 mph. Not a 240 but still pretty good for an early-body Z!

What you are looking for is called a "Uni-sync" and it is used to measure/calibrate the amount of air flow into one carb vs. the other carb. I found mine at a local VW shop (one that specialized in older air-cooled models). You can sometimes find them in autoparts stores, too. MSA and VB both sell this item. It's definitely a good thing to have if you plan to tune the car yourself.

I couldn't decide which one to vote for: Married to #1: This is currently true, but may not be lasting much longer. (Only her temper will tell) In same sex relationship: Does having sex with the same hand count? :tapemouth (She's been pissed that long!) I antied up and went for the Married vote. At least the Z is in my name and was with me before she was....

No instrument lights. They go out with the running lights. Btw, I have checked the condition of the fuse holders. They are clean. I went through this before once and rebuilt the fuse block. So I'm left to believe the problem lies somewhere other than the fuse block. Thanks for the replies, keep them coming. I need all the ideas I can't think of!

Do you think it could really be in the switch?

Ok, I'm kind of stumped on this one. After coming back from racing the Z this past weekend, I've acquired a problem. The running lights, dash lights, and tail lights are no longer working in my car. Headlights and brake lights all work. They were working when I unloaded the car off the trailer Sunday night after getting home. I know because I had to turn the lights on to see what I was doing. Drove the car to work on Tuesday, it ran fine all during the day, but of course the sun was out and no need for lights. Got in it that evening to run to the store and the lights didn't work. Fuse was blown, so I put another in. Popped it within a few minutes (less than 10 minutes). They worked fine with the new fuse, but as I was checking a few other things, the fuse popped again. Messed with it again on Wednesday night. I looked for any loose wires under the dash and could fine none. Put a new fuse in and the lights worked great. I left them on for almost 30 minutes with no problems. I closed up the garage satisfied it was a simple fix. I grabbed a couple of extra fuses to put in the car but got them mixed up with the fuse I had just pulled. The fuses all looked ok so I put a continuity test on them. Every one of the fuses were good! What!?! I was happy the lights were working again, though. Last night I checked them again because I wanted to drive the car today. No workey! I didn't have time last night (Halloween decorations) to get more involved with it, but this one is confusing me. Is any of this making sense? Anybody have a similar problem? I know I should be looking for a grounding problem or some loose wire, but this is starting to seem a little more complicated. Or is it? I don't know anymore....

John is right. The valve seals, springs, and seats can all be replace with the motor in the car and w/o removing the head. The cam has to be removed along with the cam towers. Make sure you use a screw driver or a piece of blocking to hold the cam chain up otherwise if it falls down into the block, then the whole engine will need to be taken out and apart. This is taken from an email I got about 2 years ago: "The local Nissan dealer says that the BROWN seals, while superior to BLACK seals (brown feels more flexible, and is made in a different mold, but design appears nearly identical), are not specified for the Z car. They are, however, specified for a TRUCK. The part number on the bag is 13207-81W00. Mr. Chu had specified #13207-21002." I used the brown ones when doing my motor. But they came in a gasket set I bought from MSA.