Slowpoke

Ferrari, You said your coolant was brownish? Might be a good idea to have your radiator and heater core boiled and rodded out. I blew a few engines on an unknown condition radiator. After boiling my car ran way cooler, and its worth the piece of mind while your in there. If you bypass the heater core, block the inlet from the back of the head with a bolt, and replace the T with a straight.

Found it!

Haha, me too. I bet if i fixed it before i swapped the motor i wouldn't be having these problems! I Drove her around a bit more and she stays below the halfway mark on the temp gauge. I checked the valve adjustment cold. Most of them were a bit tight. Seemed to even out the valve train noise a bit. Could be just in my head too. I am sure not that I'm no longer burning coolant. Its defiantly oil.

Got the radiator back. It was pretty mucked up. The guy who worked on it said it was blocked solid and was i basically running the car without a radiator. I took the block coolant plug out and gave it as good of a flush as i could. The clean radiator seems to have fixed my overheating issue. The temp gauge stays on left side now and i can see when the thermostat opens! So, now i have the lite smoke and low compression in cylinder 4. Phar, Wish i would have taken your advice and rebuilt from the start, but i was pretty excited and impatient and payed the price. I was pretty tapped out on funds too, so i figured checking the head myself would be just cost me my time and a $20 gasket. Well that didn't work. At least now I can do the head in a few hours now. I will most likely end up rebuilding, but i would like to hold off on it if at all possible. Now i need to find out the head or the rings are the issue. I think finding someone to do a leak down test would be the next course of action. Let me know if you think it would be a waist of time/money.

Still waiting on the radiator, hopefully it will be done tonight. I did just notice that i am missing my heater fan (yay...) and the heater bypass valve seems stuck. No apparent leakage though. I'm thinking i will bypass the heater core by plunging the head just in case this may be somehow adding to my overheating woes. I was also thinking i might bypass the coolant running through the carbs/intake manifold? This might help me isolate a possible leak in that area. But i also read this can cause poor running conditions. hmmm. Guess i should just look more closely for cracks or leaks.

All right, its been awhile. I had to take a brake from working on her. I have even thought about giving up. But i guess i have a few more things i can try. Current symptoms: A little smoke from the tailpipe on idle and low rpm acceleration, like when taking off from a light or backing into the drive way. Smoke seems to clear once the car is moving faster. She also will hold a steady engine temperature (middle of the temp gauge) while idling, but will run to boiling over (middle of the P on the TEMP gauge) after about 3-6 miles (smoke increases when this happens). She will return too cooler running temp (middle of the temp gauge) if left to idle. Since my last post i have changed the fan belt, pulled the head, checked it for straightness (looks straight, no visible cracks), new HG, torqued and re torqued the head, and checked compression. Cylinder 3 or 4 (can't remember which one right now) had only 1/3 (40-60psi)of what the others had. All others where pretty much even with each other (150psi). Per the FSM i rechecked the low cylinder after adding the teaspoon of oil and no change in my readings. Still no cross contamination of oil or coolant. I want to do a leak down test but i don't have the equipment to do it. I'm guessing i could have a small crack in the head, bad rings, bad valve seals, or valves in need of adjustment. I honestly can't tell if the tail pipe smoke is oil or coolant/watervapor (its getting cold out here) or maybe a mix of them. It's not too smokey, and i've seen so much smoke lately i might just be paranoid. So, I'm thinking my over heating problem might be separate from my low compression/smoking problem. I have changed the thermostat and flushed the system. I have the radiator out right now getting boiled and rodded out. And i will most likely replace the water pump and Tsat again. Then i guess the next step would be is to check the valve lash and find a way to get a leak down test. Thanks for the suggestions Rejracer, I will take the pics when i go to reinstall the radiator.

You should find the Factory service or Haynes manual 90% of your questions will be awsered in it. You can also do a google search for SU carb tunning. If its been sitting for awhile it could be a bunch of different stuff. I would replace the fuel filter then clean and reset the carbs. Be prepaired for fun times! Post some pics and good luck.

I swear, a day on a day off. Got rid of the death wobble. Replaced the wheel bearings, outer tie rods, and ball joints. I'm still waiting on the inner rods and an allignment, but she handles much better now. Now im sure i have other engine temp issues. I flushed the cooling system, replaced the rad cap, and t-stat(180). Temps seem to be fine when idleing but after a 10min + drive she starts to get hot. I will verify with a external thermometer today, but im pretty sure im on my way to overheating. I recheck the coolant and oil mulitple times and there is no cross contaminiation. Spark plugs are dry and whiteish (no oil, coolant, or carbon on them, pics below). I am still getting a lite smoke from the tail pipe at low rpms. the Smoke disapates as i accelerate. Only things left to change are the radiator, water pump, fan clutch and head gasket. I could also try riching up the fuel mixure but it seems i have it in a good spot. She accelerates cleanly, idles well and the throttle seems responsive. Im thinking i should replace the HG, but it's weird to me that there is no cross contamination. Any other tim i have had HG issues ive had nasty oil, wet plugs and tons of white smoke pooring out the exhuast. Maybe i don't understand the engine coolant system properly. I'm feeling pretty discuraged today. I spent alot of money and time on her although she is alot better than she was when i got her im not where i would like to be. I even had thoughs of selling her.... Troubleshooting by replacment is getting pretty expensive. I wish i knew someone who knew about these cars to help me diagnose and develope a better plan of attack. Pharaohabq, The brake cylinder was pretty beat up, i should have replaced it when i changed the shoes. All four corners rotate freely and brake properly now. I have not put over 30miles on her yet but i am starting to think i have other issues that could be causing the smoke. The "newer" motor had about 75,000 miles on it. I saw the sevice records for the rebuild. It also did not overheat and drove well before we pulled it. It is a posiblity that the HG was on its way out and when i overheated it in the draging rear brake episode (this over heated it much faster than it is overheating now) that i damaged the HG or warped the head. FML. On the brighter side of things, i got my reverse light switch and turn signal flasher in the mail... If your wheel cyclinder looks like this you most likly have a problem: Smaller but safer wheels: Spark plugs, They all look the same:

Ohhh, the ups and downs of owning this Z.... Yesterday was a down. Rechecked the timing- All looked good, 15 degrees advance. Ordered the turn signal flasher, reverse light switch, dizzy cap, rotor Hooked up a teporary tach, rpm's look good All was looking good so, i tried to take her for a ride to the parts store. Well by the time i got about a 3 miles from home she developed a steering wheel shake above 40mph, engine temps went way up and i could hear coolant starting to boil over, steam from the tail pipe, the brake pedal went really stiff, and i could smell some burning like burnt clutch. Weird because i had no overheating when i test drove the engine before installing it in my car. I limped it home checked the spark plugs, oil and coolant for leaks or contamination. All seemed fine. I did find the left rear drum had locked up and was hot to the touch. Ordered a new drum brake cylinder and called it a night. Today, I rechecked oil and coolant. All looked good. I figured the rear drum was locking posible causing the engine to work harder and overheat. I most likely have all sorts of front end issues but i figured id start with replacing the old nasty cracked and leaky tires. I replaced the drum cylinder and flushed all the brake fluid. All corners rotate more freely and arn't sticking now. Newish tires installed, think i went too small a size, but they were cheap and more for troubleshooting than anything else. Replaced the dizzy cap, rotor and spark plugs. Did that make a difference. Revs a ton smother and feels like a gained some power (this could have also had to do with the draging brake)! Took her around the block and all seemed well. No sticking brakes, and the vibration seemed to be gone around 50mph. I didn't get to take her up any higher and i didnt go to far but she didn't seem to be overheating. I will test her somemore tomorrow. Only thing that has me a little worried is she is still lightly puffing white smoke. Only starts after she warms up. I'm hoping this is just leftover moisture in the exhuast from the cracked head on the old engine. Cross your fingers for me. Pharaohabq, Thanks. I'm getting there. I am feeling antsy as i want to drive her soon. I have been keeping your suggestions in mind. I'll be keeping my eye out for a L28 and 5spd over the winter. The tach was non-functioning with the old engine installed. Part of the wiring near the original dual point dizzy was cut, there was an aftermarket coil and water temp sensor was cut. On post #15 i posted a picture of the cut wires. I used the electronic ignition to bypass the wiring hack. Definatly made it run better. I'm planing to install the 280z unit or an autometer pro comp. I do like how simple these cars are to work on. Even though there is alot to work on i feel more confident doing my own work. Note to self: add more pics to this thread!

Drums are all set. They must have been stuck pretty bad, she rolls so much easier now. Also Im really glad i found an engine with the manual trans. Its a 4 speed but i got the whole setup for $600, so i feel pretty good about it. I think i would have spent more forsure to get this far with the old setup. I have a running driving car now! Still needs alot of work, but i should be able to get her registered this week and out on the road again. Interior with stick: Vid of her running: Where i'm at: Engine: fluids changes, new plugs, pertronix ingniton. HG: fixed, engine swap fixed this problem Carbs: the SU's need to be cleaned/rebuilt (they work but seem likes its been awhile since tlc) Auto Trans: Swaped for 4spd, clutch works well. Brakes: Fixed, new front calipers/pads, new rear shoes. No more sticking, firm braking. Still need to do to get road worthy: 1. New cap, rotor and wires 2. Recheck timing 3. Should change the oil. Needs reverse light switch. 4. Clean/rebuild SU's 5. Fresher tires 6. Fix/replace Tach 7. replace turn signal relay

Thanks for the coment Az240z. Yeah i feel like im slowly learing the car. The Rockauto link will come in handy! Got the passenger side drum off, but the left hand side is sticking pretty good. Its hammer time!!! haha. This might be why she was so hard to push in the driveway.

Alright! She runs and runs well! Got the "newer" engine and manual trans intalled. I also put in an electronic ignition, and it is so much smother than the old one. I think the old engine was pretty beat. Back to the brakes, drums are next.

Motor Swap time! Nah, its really more like replament...Just a L24 + manual trans, but its Runs! I had found a replacment head from a nearby yard which i was going to rebuild and decided against that, as my goal is to get the car somewhat drivable before the winter. Then I decicided to change directions. I figured if i was going to replace the head completly i should just rebuil the entire engine which is not going to happen anytime before it snow around here. So i found an motor + manual trans setup for a decent price and figure i could kill a few birds at once going that way. It also Round tops, and most of the accesories for the auto to manual swap. I Drove the donar car before we pulled the motor and it ran so much smother than my car did. So i figure going this route would be quicker and cheaper than rebuilding now and finding a trans later. Hopefully we'll be running soon.

Found one localy. Thanks!

Looking for a e88 cylinder head for my 240z. Must be unmilled and in good running condition. Thanks!

Haha, yeah. i learned my lesson there. Should have definatly had the head surfaced or checked and will do on the "new" head. I used the old head bolts too, I must have missed that in the manual. I did follow the torque specs and tightening patern from the manual.

Update time. Fiddled anround with the carb and timing, got her running ok. Then after i topped off the coolant it started leaking out of cylinder 3! I am thinking the head is warped. Found on not too far away on car-part for $100 and ordered it. If this doesn't work im calling it quits on this engine. I am going to have it the new one checked out to make sure its flat before i install it this time. Will i have to remove the front cover and totaly reset the timing or can i put the head at TDC and just install it the same way i removed it? The chain should be on the same tooth if the sproket is in the same position right? I also ordered the replacment dizzy base, single point dizzy, and pertronix ignition kit (a bit prematurly), Replaced both brake calipers (the drivers side was missing and the passengers side was pretty beat). I am getting to like working on her. shes a pretty simple girl, but i sure do wish she would give me a brake soon...

Progress today. Got the timing a set at 15 degrees advance and she runs and drives alot better. Dosen't want to stall off gas anymore. The distributor was installed properly but the lock down tab is broken off(why i couldn't find it). I locked it down with a clamp, D-town getto style, till i order a replacement. I think it'll be even better once i get the carbs synced. I was also thinking about ordering the pertronix electronic igntion kit. I looked around locally for a 280zx dizzy, but no luck + my dizzey looks like it had been rebuilt recently. Im thinking the smoking is residual coolant in random places, my neighbor asked me if i needed an fire extiguisher, haha. So im feeling pretty good about her today!

Started the brakes today. The left front was missing! It was sitting in the trunk, haha. Suprisingly local parts store had one. The other should he here tomorrow. I got the one installed and figured id try and drive her down the street... I got a block away and when i turned around to come back she started blowing white smoke...my heart sunk... I was in a hurry after i pulled her in the garage, so i just checked the oil dip stick, valve cover and cylinder 5 for coolant and found none? Could be in one of the other cyclinders? I could tell if i would have trired to hit the gas hard it would have stalled. I think its going to be awhile before she is road worthy... Need to try and keep positive or i think she's going to take me for a ride. NewZed, thanks for looking at the distributor. I'll take some more pics and go through the FSM. I have a feeling something jenky going on as there was an extra distributor with the car and the wires leading from it are all taped in a wad of electrical tape. hmmm.

Success! Idles and runs solid now. Cleaning the carbs wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be. Rolled it out of the garage on its own power for the first time....then found out the brakes are gone. Fun times ahead! Next: 1. Brake pads/shoes 2. Bleed brakes 3. Check for leaks in the brake system 4. Figure out why the tach is not working 5. Replace tach 6. Replace or fix coolant temp guage 7. Set valve lash 8 Adjust timing 9. Go for a spin???

Got it to run off the choke! I cleaned the idle jets and that did it. Now When i stab the gas, it backfires out the carbs and try to stall. Just cleaned the carbs tonight. Hopefully that clears it up.

Chipping away.... 1. Changed the fuel filter. 2. Vaccum lines, there wern't that many vaccum lines in there. It apears most of the emission stuff is gone. I replaced what i could find, then sprayed around with carb cleaner. Couldn't find anything. 3. During the vaccum line clean up i knoticed the distributor was not locked down and the timing adjustment was not set... 4. Compression seemed fine. Should this lock down somehow? Any advice on how to proceed from this point would be greatly apreciated. Im kinda lost on what order to attack things.

Bravo on the progress. It'll be awsome to see your before pic with her in the ditch and a nice clean affter pic!

Allright, so i had some fun last night replacing the HG. All went pretty smoothly, no more coolant in the cylinder or in the oil. I changed the plugs and flushed the old gasoline as well. She starts up pretty easy (w/o starter spray now) with the choke lever pulled back, and will run like that for awhile, but as soon as i move the choke cable forward she sputers and dies. My guess is i have a vaccume leak somewhere. I tired to go by the manual's diagram for the vaccume lines but it seems as though some/all of the emissions junk is gone/blocked off. I dunno if this was nessary for the webers or someone thought they were doing me a favor. I tried sparing brake cleaner around the engine bay to see if the idle would increase, but it seems to have little effect or it also might be causing it to bring down the idle. Here is where im at: There looks like there was a valve of some sort here: No air box for this to plug into. When i cap it the engine stalls imediatly: No where for this to go as well: This one comes off the bottome end. when i cap it the engine stalls imediatly: Hack job, Tacho and water temp don't work: Cold start choke pulled back: This is what happens when i push the choke forward while the engine is running: After warm up, start with choke forward: So yeah, fun times. Seem i have a couple of options: 1. Start replacing what vaccum lines are left. Make sure the unconnected stuff is irrellivent. 2. Pull appart the webers (dread this, i never seem to get them to go back together right) or maybe there is some adjustment thats not right? 3. Compression test (should do this anyways) 4. Find some SU carbs (i really want to wait on this option, as i am low on funds atm) 5. ??? If you guys have any ideas, id appreciate em. I feel like im close to having her roll!

Pharaobq,you sold me on the five speed. The 2.8 id FI, right? So, its pretty easy to just pull of the FI stuff and bolt of the intake/carb setup? Something like this, should swap right in without aditional parts (assuming nothing is broken): http://cleveland.craigslist.org/pts/3980697281.html http://cleveland.craigslist.org/pts/3980672064.html ? Car came with an extra set of manual pedals.