Shaner

Thanks guys, I'll post a follow up when I get into it.

So I'm in driving the Sentra and My girl is driving the Datsun Z as she only has 5 miles to work and the Z doesn't have AC. I pick up our kid and am driving home when my phone rings. I answer and it's Val in tears and barely understandable. There is an awful noise in the background and I can't really understand her. I get the intersection out of her of where she is and hear the words "The car is on fire". I told her to stay away from the car and call the Fire Dept. She had already called them and they were just arriving as she was on the phone. I was 5 minutes away and headed over there. I got there as the fire dept was shutting down the hose they had under the hood. I made sure Val wasn't hurt and then went over to help the guys secure the car. Peeking under the hood it gave me the impression that I didn't want to investigate further until after I had calmed down. It looks like the sense wire to the alternator shifted and was resting on an exhaust manifold bolt. Melted, grounded out and melted and fused all of the wiring in the engine bay. Val said all of the accessories were going off. Horn, wipers, lights, starter, battery melted. It's all burnt. The wiring melted through the firewall and started a small fire in the passenger foot well on some rags I had down there so they soaked down the inside of the passenger side as well. So the last year and a half of work in the garage has been for nothing. I'm in the middle of a bathroom remodel right now so I won't even really be able to investigate until after it is done. I'm still trying to process everything in my head and probably need to regroup before I go out there and finish burning the thing down..... Man oh man, Thursdays and I do not agree.... Before I get in there and start getting into it. Does anyone know if by the fire dept turning the hose on in the engine bay, What are the chances the block is cracked? It looks like they concentrated the water down on the right side of the motor. It doesn't look like they got too much water on top or in the carb(I'm going to pull it anyway and have a look) as there was just a little on the top of the intake. She told me the temp guage was at around 205 or so before the wire melted. Anything special I should be looking for? I realize it's probably going to be a rebuild or replacement for the motor and all the wiring is going to need to be done. I'm just looking for something I may not know to look for after an electrical fire....

Thanks Jag, The other research I've been reading all points to the same thing. "quit screwing around and go get the right stuff" Thanks, Guys!

Hi all, I've got a 74.5 260 with a '85 305 and am playing with the cooling system right now. Running a 3 core Z radiator. I had a homemade fan shroud( a sheet metal box around the radiator with a hole for the 14 in electric fan mounted on it) the box is about 2" deep and covers the radiator completely. I was overheating on the highway(up to 215-220) with a 160 thermostat in, but cooling fine in stop and go. Last weekend I removed the shroud and installed a 16 inch fan without a shroud. Took it out on the highway and temps stayed at 180-190 the whole way(75 degrees outside). But after running it and got off the highway the fan wouldn't cool down at idle(the temp would still go up at idle.) Okay, so I need to have a fan shroud. But it seems the one I'm running is restricting airflow at highway speed. Should I modify this one(trap door, louvers,etc) or should I start boxing in the front for better air flow to force the air through it all. Looking for any suggestions anyone might have!!!Thanks!

Wanted to close this thread out with an update. Seems like a multiple failure. Tranny oil pump went out. Also found 2 rods out of tolerance on the lower end. Pulled them all out and had them repaired. Also found the ignition module was installed incorrectly at the factory with wrong hardware causing the distributor to cut out causing a knocking. All repaired and knocking is gone. On to the next issue....... Sometimes with this project I feel like Danny Glover at the end of Predator 2......Who's next? Who wants some? Thanks for all the help!!! Shane

Hi everyone. Last weekend I dug into my Pro-comp ready to run distrib to see about swapping springs out on the advance weights. This is a non-vac advance model 8000 series MSD type. I got the base plate off and the weights and springs are huge compared to a HEI style. I've done some searching around here and on the net and can't seem to find out if this is a brand specific thing or a model thing. Can I swap out springs on the advance for the HEI style springs or can I swap the advance arms and springs and have it work? The weights are alot more in weight(I didn't have a scale to throw them on) and I'm cautious that if I put the HEI type springs on they won't hold the weights in at idle. Also a warning for others that may be buying or using one of these units, I found the ignition module was not screwed down fully on the base plate! Someone during assembly had used mismatching screws to install the module and the module was not keeping contact to the base plate. Wonder why the motor was cutting out on me??? Thanks for the help!!! Shane

Will do Braap. Thanks for changing the title.

Thought I'd follow up. I got the car up and unbolted the TC. Gave it a spin and got a clicking in one spot as it went around. Bolted it back in and tried a test drive. No gear at all. I think either the pump or the TC is out. Luckily I have a warranty on the rebuild so it's back to the tranny shop. This time they can pull it out. Thanks for the suggestions and JT, FYI The flywheel bolts were good. Thanks for the help everyone!

Thanks John, As soon as I can get under the car I'll check it and post back what I found.

Thanks JT, I'll check them. Would that cause a sound only at specific RPM?

It's coming from the rear engine/tranny area. I havn't been able to get the car up and test with a scope yet for weather. I first thought it was maybe piston slap or a bad bearing. But it only happens in that rpm range. I've got a brand new Jegs Heavy duty 168 tooth flexplate. It sounds like its coming from either the front of the tranny or the back of the motor when listening to it at speed. I can't reproduce it in neutral or park when stationary. I'm pretty sure it's not U-joints or the diff mount(been there done that:-P)

Hi there fellow HybridZ'ers. My name is Shane and I've been searching the forum for about a year now or so. Didn't feel the need to sign on yet as I've found answers to all my questions using search, until now.... Background... 74.5 260, dropped 1 inch, poly bushings, Bad Dog frame rails, 85 Chevy 305 freshly rebuilt with stock heads, MTC1 cam, stock exhaust, Weiand Action Plus intake, HEI dist, Edelbrock 1405. 85 700r4 freshly rebuilt w/2000 stall, B&M shift kit, Brake light activated lockup Stock R180 Diff. And here's the issue I couldn't find an answer to in the search: In between 2000 rpms and 2500 cruising in top gear I get a knocking sound. The sound does not occur during mid throttle or wide open acceleration. It sounds almost like a duramax desiel does under hard acceleration with the knocking. I've adjusted the timing and swapped jets out to see if I could alter or get it to go away...no dice. I get a steady 5.5 psi all the way through so I don't think it's fuel related. Took it out last night and got it up to speed on the highway, shifted to neutral and in neutral the knock still showed up at 2000-2500 in neutral at speed. As the problem is right at the RPM range for the stall coverter, does this sound like the new stall conv is going out? I've noticed the pickup in 1st gear is dropping off slowly but until last night I figured it was a tuning issue, now I'm not so sure. I called the tranny place and got a "I've not heard of my stall coverters going out but you can bring it in..." response. Spent the weekend checking valves, timing and jetting. Couldn't get it figured out and am looking for ideas. Anyone heard of a stall covertor knocking like a bad pushrod only at a specific rpm range? I've spent most of the past year working on the conversion and am getting very close to being done. Thanks for any ideas!