Connor280ZX

Loosing coolant, yes it was. However, my bottom radiator hose was not tightened down competley, so there was a small trickle coming out. Other than that, i'm really not sure. Next time i drive it, i'll check the level before and after the drive to see if its still loosing coolant. Yes, its very easy to turn when the engine is off. If i can get it to spin with my hand almost freely actually. I did disconnect the vac advance. Timing the ignition for me seemed a little tricky since those groves in the crank pully arent highlighted. The little arrow was pointing slighty above the bottom groove on the pulley.

The user's manual says 5 Deg, but i have advanced the timing as far as the distributor will turn. That could be the problem. I guess the fan should spin faster at low RPM, but i'll have to check to see how it is working the next time it overheats. Honestly, i fear blowing something if i get it hot again... The fan pulley does wobble for some reason though. Not sure if that has to do with anything.

Welp, here's the deal. Bought my 240Z with 6 holes in the original radiator, and replaced it with a two row aluminum radiator that i bought off of Ebay new after i got the car running. First, here's the description of the engine: -L24/E31 -3 screw S.U carbs -Unknown cam (P.O says it's a Crane Cam, but he's not sure) -Header-back twice pipes -180F Thermostat (Here in Norcal, climate is humid, 50-75F normally) -Roughly 25/75 Antifreeze/Coolant mix. With that stated, I've started driving the car now and basically it does what i've stated in the title. Get up to cruising speed, the needle stays around the middle mark. When i slow down (Lets say under 20MPH) the needle starts to creep up quickly, and rest around 220-230F. If i stop, the needle pegs at the redline on the temp gauge, very scary. I get going again slowly, being very gentle with the throttle since i don't want to blow the head gasket, and the temp will slowly lower back to normal. One day when the temp gauge wasnt working, i got caught in heavy traffic... I'm sure the engine got very hot because even after getting up to speed for a few minutes, i pulled into my garage and steam started spewing from the overflow line... I checked the oil, and luckily it was clean. No water in the oil. Phew... A few things to note: Heater lines are blocked off. Manifold coolant lines are disconnected. Ignition timing is at 0 BTDC. Coolant level is about 1.5 inches from the cap. Oh, and the P.O Ran straight water in the system... Had to replace the water pump inlet because it dissolved due to this. I'm thinking it could be the fan clutch, but not sure.

Today, it got hot inside the car when i went to start it. When i did start it, the tach slowly started to climb and stopped at 4400 RPM though the engine was idling... When i turned the key off it stuck exactly there and didnt came back down for an hour or so. Now im starting to think its an internal problem.

Oh, damn i see what was going on... The lines for that idle motor thing and the dizzy WERE mismatched. I think this is the correct order, thanks guys.

How it starts off it basically when the engine is revved, the needle will not keep up quick enough with the engine speed, and when let down to an idle, the needle wont drop below 1400-1600 Rpm. I know it's not just idling high, becuase i can hear the cam loping. When i turn the key off, the needle sticks. It sometimes will fall down slowly though. When it does stick, i can tap on the cover and it will start to fall down to zero... Could the internals just need a bit of oiling? And yes, this is the original tach with the original ignition system.

Are you sure that's a vac advance line? Because my vac advance is already hooked up to the intake manifold...

Thanks alot for the tips, guys. I took some oil out of another two sets of SU carbs that came with the car and filled up the carbs that are in the car now. Oh, and timing was at 0 BTDC, now its at 3 BTDC. Problem is completely gone. I can punch it from a crawl no problem now. Thanks again.

*Typo in title, its actually a '71.* If i give the car more than a touch of gas while driving at low RPM (1000-2000) The engine stumbles and the carbs backfire repediately. I have to slip the clutch higher to get going off of a stop in order to prevent this. It seems to run fine at higher RPM's. Does this when its cold, and when it's warmed up. I don't think its running lean because the plugs are nice and brown. Description of engine: L24/E31 (PO says he installed a Crane Cam years ago, not sure what stage) Twin 3 screw SU Carbs I've just done a small tune-up: -New NGK plugs (.035) Gap -New Dist. Cap and rotor -New fuel filter There is some oil in the carbs, but i'm not sure how to measure how much. There are some strange mickey moused vacuum lines here and there. Let me know what you guys think.

Any size difference between the throttle bodies used with the N42/47 Head (280Z) The P79 Head (280ZX) and the P90 Head (ZXT)?

If i were to buy just the basic MS1 ECU, would i be able to enable spark later on with lets say a software upgrade, or does the MS1 ECU have to be specially equipped with certain hardware in order to control spark?

Sweet, thanks! I might just be able to fit the MS ECU where the factory ECU is if i'm lucky. Does MS1 3.0 also control spark out of the box, or will additional software be needed?

Umm yeah, haha. What I was getting at was instead of installing one somewhere, that I could use an existing one, which yes I found out that the CHTS will work. Do you know the dimensions of the MS ECU?

the CHTS be hooked up as a temp sensor though right?

DIYAT sells MS1 With the 3.57 board now. Did some more sniffing around, seems like the 3.57 version is tricky to tune and some people have more problems with it, so i'm gonna look at the 3.0 version.

Hmmm, alright i'll take your word for it. Thanks for the tip.

Yes, i did look at that post but he is using the latest MS3 with a turbo setup... So i assume the installation process will differ quite a bit from mine. I will for sure be buying a pre-assembled unit. I'm not the best electrician, haha. I want to control fuel and ignition. I am going to stick with my trusty Ignition coil. I've heard it's reccomended to use a Turbo ZX dizzy, or an 82-83 dizzy, but would one from a Turbo give me better results? The car is a 1981 btw. I would prefer to use my stock injectors if possible. All connectors will be replaced. Dropping resistors... Each injector will need an individual one? I assume i could tap them in to the injector harness.

Alright, i'm on a budget which is why i'm deciding on MS1, and this car is also N/A, so i don't think ill need all of the optional whistles and bells in MS. Here's my understanding of what i'll need: -MS1 ECU PCB 3.57 (Of course) -240SX TPS -IAT -8ft Harness Am i missing anything? Will i be able to use my factory engine hardware with MS? (Injectors, fuel rail, EGR vavle etc.)

Replaced the alternator, problem went away. Thanks guys

Ok just took voltage readings, and it's outputting 16 Volts at idle. I thought the regulator was independent from the alt... That's really a PITA.

I'm driving along this morning and my dash lights start to flicker. Then they stay on. I look over to the volt meter, and the needle is in the red zone with the warning light on. I push the clutch in to let the engine idle and the voltage goes back to normal. I try coasting the car to work as much as I can to avoid blowing up the battery. If the engine speed is raised above 2000 Rpm, the gauge pins itself. Alternator was replaced 4 months ago. Battery connections are very tight. I've had a problem like this before, but the voltage would drop. Replaced the alternator and it stopped. Now there's this. What do you guys think?

Yes, that grating/groaning sound. It definatlely sounds like a sticky sort of rubbing sound. Thats exactly what i thought, but i checked in all of those areas, and i cant find any fresh wear near that area. The exhaust, axle, huband caliper all look untouched. Of course, i only hear it over bumps now but i can't figure out where its coming from. What about a seizing wheel bearing? Could that be a posibility? Oh man, diff swaps, haha. It currently has a 3.90 R200, but the only reason why i would swap it would be due to a failure. If i were too, i'd try to get my hands on an R200 VLSD.

Taking the car in to the Datsun guy this week. For those of you who were curious, here's one the sounds that is heard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfXOz3HoXAY

Just double checked the rears, they are very tight. The rear left has some rotational play, but thats probably just the differential. My differential mount looks a bit worn, but i doublt that would be causing the problem.

It starts off with a few inconsistent knocks, then becomes consistent and to where it is rythimical. The speed of the car does not affect how fast or slow it knocks. Sometimes, a bump triggers it. Now that I think of it, sometimes on cold mornings there's a quiet rotational groaning noise that comes from the rear left, but when it's heard it's usually for a few moments only at low speeds (20 and below).