Daniel

Glad to help kmack.I thought about our previous discussion about this and with all the recent post about tanks I wanted to offer the tip .Make sure to allow time for the gauge to find it's reading as they move real slow.Oh, BIG TIP< I turned it by moving the screw slot on the arm.I didn't want to tamper with any of that small wire and miniture contact patch stuff.

Once upon a time when I redid my gas tank I replaced my gas gauge sending unit.Since then the actual fuel level reading has been wrong.Twice I have run out with the gauge showing fuel.Well,yesterday was the fix day.I knew the level was low enough to remove the tank unit.Just in case I had a few buckets close at hand.The unit has a small set screw where the float arm attaches.Thats the adjustment.When full it was way full.About 1/2 meant you're pressing your luck.I used a couple of clothes pin to hold it full,empty and half for test.When done testing I showed 1/4 tank.Ok a 16 gallon tank I should be able to add about 12 gallons or so.Went to the gas station. 13 gallons and the pump clicked off.I am a happy man!!!

Love the story!!Its funny if you would have just driven it home it would have been a non-event.As it was you and your dad have one of those forever funny and will always seem like yesterday stories.Thats great! About the insurance on a just purchased car.My state farm agent said the minute you sign the title you have 30 days of insurance.Its not told because then people forget to go through the proper method. Oh Halz,A yellow jacket is a kind of bee that stings for no reason at all.Once it does and the stinger is torn or you smash one it releases a smell that means attack to all the other jackets.Those bastards are just bad news.

Great News!!! I'm glad you took the time to track the problem down instead of just throwing parts at it in search of a fix.I have seen more problems introduced by that method of repair and it just digs you a deeper hole. GOOD JOB!!

yeah that bucket is a real pain if it hasn't been removed. I think I use a hand inpact tool and lots of tlc to get them out.Of course I replaced the screws to some with a x screwdriver slot AND would accept a socket wrench.I'm not sure what year Mr camo is working with but my 73 headlights are not coming out the front.You cannot get to all the screws on the chrome trim.

Steve what is the "X"plug? Also I notice the lower the number the hotter the plug.Does this hold true for other plug vendors or just NGK?Is it a industry standard type thing? Is your Z carbs and points? Thanks,Daniel

If the car runs when you let off the key from start the ballast resistor is good.Its just a strip of metal.The alternator just charges the battery.It won't cause a miss.The plug wires should not be touching together or just laying on the metal valve cover as they can leak current and cause a miss.There is a pattern they are suppose to be in on those clips that hold them.The coil is rarely the cause they work or not.You may wish to go with a new tune up points/cap/plugs/rotor etc. so you have a fresh reference.It can't hurt.Clean elec.connections with a wire brush or scrape them shiny to remove any oxidation.Do the same to the little ground wire in the in the dist.Also check for wobble on the dist.cam as in worn bushing.I have also seen weak or water in the fuel cause this.You can see this in your fuel filter.When was the last time you cleaned inside your carb tops?

A tune up would be the first thought.If thats good I have known people to put denatured alcohol into a low fuel tank.Don't use rubbing alcohol as it is mostly water.Check the % on the bottle.

Ben is correct the water will clean those areas.What I do is with the car hot andair cleaner off hold the car at about 2500 rpms car and pour water across a carb.You play with the throttle to keep it running.Keep it up until it bogs.Then rev until clear and switch carbs.All kinds of nasty will blow out the exhaust.I learned this years ago from the best mechanic I have ever known.As far as removing that crud.He says ABSOLUTELY NOT!! When you break it loose it will clog the oil passages.My jeep has a inline 6.It looks like black sand castles under the valve cover. It hard not to touch it but the man that I trust says Leave it alone.Oh yeah,he said the water in the carbs can be done on all cars except ford.It can knock a hole in ford pistons.Nice tip huh?

you mean with no car wiring attached to the solenoid ONLY the battery pos and the wire from the starter it stays engaged?Maybe we need to tap that solenoid!!!It decides starter on or off.Just a thought if you wire a solenoid backwards(get the wires crossed) one would think it would stay latched.

The haynes book wiring diag shows no relay from the keyswitch.That may or not be correct.I put my bet now on sticking key switch tumbler but what does the pos. on/off have to do with that??.Please let me know. Thanks Daniel

O.K. A little more thought.Starter bendix is not a problem.The only way the starter gets power is from the relay made through the solenoid.It can't decide to power on.Something is telling the solenoid to engage and hold.Perhaps some wd40 in the key hole may help or a worn key is not turning the switch from start mode.If removal and reinstall of the pos cable is a temp fix that means a relay is dropping out when the power is removed.Perhaps with a friend removing the pos. you will hear the tick inside the car of the relay dropping.It 's not the starter..It's only doing what its told by the solenoid.

I dont know,the soleniod is the relay.Bendix?maybe. But it would just not release.That solenoid must have power to it to engage the starter.I think they are both only doing there job.Whats powering that solenoid to stay latched????

Off the top of my head thoughts.If you put a test light between the battery neg and the battery neg cable does it glow?if yes,remove the starter wire from the solenoid.Does it glow? Does turning the key change things? My first thought is either the starter bendix is not releasing or the key switch is sticking.There are relays on the passenger side that MAY be involved but the test light will go out when you find it.With the starter wire removed from the solenoid you can create the problem and you will see(or not )the light----errr aahhh grasshopper. oh --Just for fun when you have it in fail mode ,tap the starter lightly with a hammer.It's an old mechanic trick but it never stops amazing me.

The on/off is made by two fingers behind the steering wheel.If the steering wheel has been replaced or an alignment shop did not leave you with a car that drives straight when the steering wheel is----That could be your trouble.If you turn the wheel in different positions and try the signal does it change your trouble?Oh, its not the switch.It doesn't have the strength to turn itself on or off.It's good.

Well over the weekend I joined the flakey headlight club.It started with "that smell".Upon inspection I found the hi/low switch was bad.At the rear of the switch where the wires attach it was burnt on the hi side.I found that the plastic housing has four slots in it that accept the fiber type piece that holds the contacts.One of the feet that goes in the slot had broken.This allowed the hi contact to push away.Thus burning.I never use low beams and it never bothers other drivers.That contact was nice and clean.I reinstalled the switch minus the contact board to give the signal arm the correct feel and wired my hi beams straight to the wire that did supply to the switch.Perhaps filling that rear fiber board area with silicone would take some of the stress from the locking feet.I was too late.Another thing I found interesting is the wire that feeds the switch is soldered inside it to the part that seesaws back and forth to make hi or low.That flexing of the wire could also lead to failure but I did get 30+ years from it.

Having done the ford 9 swap in my 46 chevy truck heres what I found.The ford is easy to change the "pumpkin head' which changes the rear gear ratio.G.M. requires shims and all kinds of exact measuring.NOT a non-pro swap.The brake lines must be custom made to fit datsun/ford(GM/ford in my case).The emer. brake must cables also must be adapted.The drive shaft must also be customized.The last pain is that you must now carry TWO spare tires!I found uni-lug rims that do gm or ford.I doubt there is a datsun/ford.Remember each change you make alters two things at a minimum downstream.

I think dot3 is what datsun recomended.Maybe they didn't have dot 5 then.Anyway, As the brakes wear the fluid goes down to fill the void.Unless there is a leak,you shouldn't loose any.I use the front brake level as a tool to get an idea of my brake pad status.If you fill it ,then it will overflow out when you squeeze the piston back in to replace the pads.What a mess.

So the battery draining issue was fixed.I am a "must know "kinda person,but that will remain a mystery.New gotcha.In my search for the battery problem I found a "cheater" type connector that attaches to one leg of a fuse.It was to power a cell phone that is no longer used.This car has the plastic modern fuses not the glass 313 type like a 240.Last night I go to turn on the lights.No dash lights or tail lights.I wiggle the fuse and I hear relays clicking.I thought of bending the fuse legs to compensate but didn't want a "custom" fuse.Put the cheater back on and all is well. Moral of the story is once you use one of those cheaters it spreads out the connector and you are stuck with it.BOY!! they took all the fun out of working on a Z when they built that 300ZX.

Did you buy it like this.Have you ever had it running?carbs or F.I.?I like the "pulling the plugs".That takes away all compression ,If it doesn't spin fast then ,you have a problem.Make sure the battery ground at the starter end is nice clean and shiny metal.Also that the battery wires are good, clean .tight, haven't sucked up corrosion into the cable

Ok heres the story.1990 300z,wifes car,Kills battery after 3 days of sitting.I put a test light on the neg.battery and clip to the neg wire. Light shines bright.I disconnect the small pos.cable that runs the car electrics. No change.The large pos goes straight to the soleniod.I unhook the starter from the soleniod.No change.I discon. the large wire from the solenoid.Problem gone.Check the solenoid for ANY problem,loose post,hairline cracks, continuity,All is well.Run a jumper from large cable starter end to soleniod.No problem.Perhaps its the nut tightening on the solenoid post that is the trouble.NO.Why is it the cable must be attached for the demon to appear???When it is attached it is touching NOTHING!!!but what it should.I put two flat washers on the solenoid post before attaching the cable.NO PROBLEM!!!It was a fluke I say.Remove the washers ,Problem,put them back No problem.The car has never been touched there.EVER.I know sometimes you just don't ask why but damn!!!

I don't think you have a fuel / pump problem.My Z has done that same thing forever.So does my '46 chevy truck with mech.pump.I can turn off my Z and within a very short time remove the fuel filter with little fuel loss.Hit the switch and its full (with the standard air bubble)in seconds.The carb bowls hold enough fuel to compensate for the moment of air is my guess.If mine sits for a month or so I have to crank it a little more.Once it starts I just bump the starter to crank it any time hot or cold.I can leave it overnight,over a weekend whatever it cranks up fast.Its just a month or more then its crank for about 6 seconds,Stop and put my seatbelt on.Crank for 6 seconds.Stop and put my windows down.Turn the key Vroooom!!

I would recommend biting the bullet and go nissan factory from your dealer.Then it will be years before you do this again.The clutch is one place you can't shop price.Do it right and move on to something else.

While your there---when the flywheel is removed you will see a rubber doughnut type seal.That is the rear end of the crankshaft.You won't get a better time to replace it.If it leaks it can waste your new clutch.Pop it out ,pop in the new.One also lives at the front/ rear of the tranny and is just as easy to replace.

The haynes drawing shows two rods inside the booster that push the mstr to move.I would be interested in knowing with the mstr cyl removed or out of the way,how much push you were getting,how much travel the pedal made before the mstr cyl pushrod moved..Perhaps put a board in front of it and have someone push the brake pedal to see if you can hold it back.Also there is an adjustment on the pedal.Maybe it just needs a little more lenght forthe new mstr cyl.I now think I had to adjust mine.Good luck ,let me know.Oh check the distance the pushrod is from the push cup in the mstr.There are a couple of flavors out there and some are more recessed than others.