capt_furious

Oh, geez, THANKS FOR THE VISUAL, Dennis. I had to share a hotel room with him!

I should have made my post simpler - the key to the issue is that the car runs in accessory mode. If the RPM is high enough, the ignition still receives run signal, although it's spotty and cuts out at low RPM or under heavy load / acceleration. The major issue is that the car will switch itself to accessory mode while running without the ignition switch changing position. This will inevitably kill the car once RPM drops low enough, and prevent it from starting again until the condition magically fixes itself, which has varied from an instant restart to lasting several days. I've actually had no problems in the past few days. She's behaved herself. I can still manually position the ignition switch to accessory mode and keep the car running /stumbling if the RPMs are high enough, but the involuntary switch while running hasn't occurred since Monday. To answer Woldson's questions, it doesn't really do it when cold, if it does, it won't start at all. That possibly does point to heat issues. There's no low oil pressure cutout that I'm aware of. I'm pretty much stuck with my current ignition system due to funds and other matters. srgunz - I haven't checked the voltage yet, that sounds like a very good idea. I also need to improve the mount and double check the grounds. I did pick up an inexpensive small heat sink at a local electronic parts supply and stick it onto the transistor housing. I considered the plug in harness for the unit, and I might still do it - it would clean up a lot of the wiring more than I've already done.

This is a strangely intermittent issue I've been having ever since I swapped the motor & trans in my 260. Prior to the swap the car had been dead solid reliable with no issues to speak of. After the swap, it's been giving me no end of trouble and grief in various forms related to spark / running right. CAR SPECIFICS: Early 260 Z N42 L28 block & head. Round top SUs Unusual Chrysler 'orange box' ignition module conversion - more on this later. 5-speed trans w/out reverse safety switch. TROUBLE SPECIFICS: The car will run properly for extended periods, only occasionally giving me trouble, very randomly with no way to reproduce the problem until recently. Within the past two months, the issue has become pronounced, and has increased in severity to the point of my not being able to trust the car to travel even around town without issues. I have replaced most of the ignition system in an attempt to rid myself of the problem and have had limited success. When the problem occurs, the car will 'jerk' or cut out briefly, usually during acceleration. This was the first sign of trouble about a year ago. At the time, I attributed it to fuel delivery or just quirkiness. It has worsened to the point of killing the car while at idle or just off idle, stumbling at cruise, and stalling during acceleration from a stop. Just last week I discovered that the car will run in accessory mode. THE IGNITION SWITCH IS BRAND NEW, and is a stock-for-stock replacement made in Japan. I have no reason whatsoever to suspect it. While in accessory mode, the car exhibits all the hallmarks of my problem; stumbling power delivery, dies at low rpm, dies when power is applied. When the switch is turned back to 'run' and the problem isn't rearing its ugly head, the car will return to running fine. I'm aware that the car should immediately shut off no matter what the throttle position is when being switched to accessory mode. Currently, if the ignition switch is turned from run to accessory while throttle is applied, it continues to run until rpm drops off, then it dies. This is while the issue is NOT occuring. When the issue does occur(at complete random), all of the above happens while the ignition is in the 'run' mode. I have replaced: Ballast resistor Ignition module All related wiring connectors and numerous wires which were in questionable condition Coil Cap Rotor Plugs Ignition switch SUSPECTED CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM: I have no real knowledge of what exactly is causing this issue. It is extremely odd in that it is very random and intermittent. I just drove it 80 miles this morning and only had issue in the last few miles of my drive, which were limited to a stumble on acceleration. The car then started exhibiting the issue full-blown after a rest and restart. When the motor & trans were swapped, the new(to me) transmission did not have a screw-in bung for the reverse safety switch. It was previously in a 240. I removed the switch from its wires and taped off the ends. I'm not sure of the relevance of this issue, but I have included it. The car came wired when I bought it with a Chrysler 5-pin 'orange box' ignition module (click for link) with 4-terminal ballast resistor which eliminated the points system. The distributor has an air gap reluctor setup that I don't recognize(it's possibly a Slant 6 piece) but I don't have reason to suspect. Prior to the swap, I never had any issues related to this setup at all. The car ran like a top. When we(auxilary and I) tried to start the car after completing the swap, it would not start. We were getting no spark. A friend of his helped us troubleshoot it. He connected a wire to one of the ignition switch leads(blue wire with red stripe) and ran it as the Chrysler diagram shows the 'run' wire, to pin #1 and the ballast resistor. The car started and ran as it should with no issues at the time. I've been driving it like this since. I feel the above is a critical piece of information to solving the problem. Prior to this 'fix', the ignition module did not have a 'run' wire connected to pin *1 or the ballast resistor. However, as it currently sits, it is wired correctly for the electronic ignition system. I'm not sure how to fix this mess. I need a reliable car! If I can't fix this myself, my last-ditch fit of frustration solution is to take it to an automotive electrician, where I'm fairly certain a fix is going to cost me thousands of dollars of labor. At that point, I might as well buy another car, which I don't have the money for anyway! I'm in the Santa Rosa, CA area and could really use some help from someone. This car is my lifeblood - my only car - and it's killing me slowly. It used to be a reliable friend and it's become a source of constant grief and extreme frustration and doubt. I will try to get photos of the setup and related components. Help!

Vin Diesel's cigarette lighter should be considered a Class III destructive device.

Aux brought me a red S30 from his trip to Japan, I have a 10 sen coin from my trip to Japan in the back of it.

Absolutely! The manufacturers likely have to pay for certification and the stamp. That's a huge racket.

Too late.

Maybe. I know this guy does.

SNERK. That last one is priceless, although I'm questioning its legitimacy. Keep it classy, Bentley. ...and Goggle reveals that it is. Cheeky.

Sleeping on the ear and showering this morning seemed to clear up a lot of my issues. Still need to clear that right nostril. No, it's not infected, the discharge is clear. Guess I'll have to give it another shot tonight.

Depends on how badly they're pissing me off. If I get someone too close to me, usually if I've got the room, I'll drop a gear and nail it, and open up about 50 yards of space between me and them. Usually, they get the idea...back off, dummy, you're uncomfortably close. If they persist, I'll just change lanes and they'll hopefully go on their merry (retarded) way. If the guys got a bug up his arse about me and decides he's going to play the 'hide my headlamps under your tailgate' game, I'll just take my foot off the gas until we're WAY below the speed limit. That sends the message to just about anyone: I'm not playing your game. Go away. They'll usually cut around and go flying off. I used to be pretty reactive, but I've learned that most people just aren't worth it. A motor vehicle seems to give a large percentage of the population a power trip...let 'em go kill somebody else with their antics.

Gave this a shot tonight, I no longer have a runny nose(been battling a cold), but I still have use of only one nostril(and it's shifted from one side to the other), and my left ear is full of water! Hopefully it'll level out while I'm asleep. My ear is driving me insane!

I've actually suffered most of my life from nearly constant partial congestion and narrow nasal passages, you guys have me wondering if this would help. Certainly looks bizarre / uncomfortable, though.

pffffffttt. Bahahahaahahahahhaaaaaa!!!!!

Old enough to know better, young enough to not care. Happy boit-day!

Woohoo! Thanks, Tony! I've got a hanger and clamp ready go, I just need to crawl under there with a proper size bolt and lock nut for the trans ear.

Interesting fix. It would require another clamp same as my solution, but that's not a bad idea. I'm just this side of giving up and having a exhaust shop rebuild the whole system from the header back with an x-pipe and new pipes, bolt flanges, glasspacks and tips and tuck the whole thing up closer to the car so I won't have to deal with this again. It's driving me mad. 'course, that would kill my savings that I've been working at for the past few months and put me deeper into debt...

Jim Clark you ain't. 'course, neither am I. It's a toss-up. I want something period correct to my favorite era, but I want to be able to tear around like a maniac, too. Guess I'd keep the Z and drive this when I wanted:

Hey, folks...looking for a set that someone's willing to part with. I'm on a tight budget and can't afford to spend much right now, but let me know what you've got. The set I've got on the car right now dropped it MUCH to far...the suspension geometry would need some fixing to retain them, I'm scraping on stuff left and right, and I'd rather switch to something a little closer to stock. 1 1/2" at most, and I think I dropped 2" with these springs. Let me know. My exhaust is taking a beating.

I didn't really have this issue 'til I tore the exhaust loose on a friends super steep driveway last month. Now I can't get the thing to stay on. It's a slip-fit system, the ends of the pipes are tapered to slip inside each other and are held together with an exhaust clamp. One large clamp in the middle at the crossover / collector keeps coming loose and letting the exhaust rattle and sag, and it came completely off while dragging on a speed bump last week. My car is too low and I really need to ditch the unknown lowering springs that dropped it much too far(that, and I really need to stay away from killer speed bumps), but springs are far more expensive at the moment than finding a way to keep the %@&$! exhaust from coming loose. Would another clamp at a 90 degree angle in the same spot help? I'm hoping the distortion in the pipes will work against each other to lock it up tighter.

Orange gets my vote, although the brick red looks good, as well.

It's not even that...it just tries too hard. Nitromethane injection on a street-driven car? Nitromethane residue on the ground? Nitromethane only sold in one shop in L.A.? I almost laughed out loud in the theater at that one. The wheelies were real this time, instead of using a hydraulic rolling rig under the car... Hah! Nope, there was a huge counterweight on the back instead this time. Certainly a real 'wheelie', but not because of power. Did they even check their facts, or did they just skim a few message boards and start writing? Who writes this junk? So much of what's in that movie comes off as downright silly to those who know, and it's glommed onto by those who don't know better and is then perpetuated. The franchise isn't about cars, it's not about being a gearhead, it's about the 'SCENE'...and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's scenes and scensters. 'Culture' that's all about image and 'cred'. Purile sensationalism at best. This stuff is made to get a buck out of us...if it was made for a love of making movies, a love of cars and actual racing, we'd be getting stuff like Le Mans and Grand Prix. Of course, they got my hard-earned $10. I'm a sucker like that. Pass the popcorn.

The silly chest thumping of the first movie (I haven't wasted much time on #2 or #3) could have definitely been left out. I want to see movies written in the vein of Driver, Vanishing Point, and the original Gone in 60 Seconds, not Never Back Down on Wheels Part IV.

Saw it with friends this weekend. No real surprises, decent popcorn flick and MORE EXPLODING NITROUS OXIDE...you think they'd learn after 4 movies. Oh, well. Decently fun as long as you don't take it seriously. Didn't see any of the Zs, although I was looking.

It's photoshopped. That pic is OLD, but it still cracks me up, especially the porcupine hair on the guy on the far right. That pic of the crushed ricermobiles scares me. Some jurisdictions in Kalifornia are practicing the outright confiscation and destruction of vehicles involved in street racing. Police officers, judges and bureaucrats are not going to see much of a difference in a Civic and a Z, they'll just see exhibition of speed or speed contests and bam, your car is GONE...and in the worst way possible.