SilverSurfer

Perhaps I am reading the printed results wrong! The Starter Test reads "Cranking Normal" on both tests. However, the Charging System Test reads, "Results - No Voltage". Despite saying this, it show No Load: 12.81V, Load: 12.81V. If there is "No Voltage" does this mean the car is running off the battery? Sorry for my ignorance on these things.

I went to Advance Auto and had them check the alternator. The man ran the test two times and said the alternator is starting to fail. However, when I compare his results to what is in my Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 1970-1978 Automotive Repair Manual, it does not look like it is failing. The print out shows that the charging system voltage on test one is 12.81V. On the second test it is 12.97V. The man at Advance said it should be at 14V or so. However, in the Repair Manual it says the following: "If it registers over 12.5 volts then the alternator is in good condition, it if registers below 12.5 volts then the alternator is faulty and must be removed and repaired." Since both tests were over 12.5 volts, then according to the manual, the alternator is good. What say you?

And ... I feel like an idiot. I had checked the carpet and floor mat to ensure it was not interfering, but I did not check well enough. A piece of insulation from the firewall had come loose and gotten wedged. Removing that fixed the problem. So, mechanically things seem to be doing alright! Now it's off to find out what's going on electronically.

That's the first thing I did. Carpet and floor mat. Nothing is in the way.

The AFM had been replaced and I believe the mechanic had looked at the throttle body. When I look at the linkage from the pedal to the throttle body, I see two areas with springs. One is about midway (and I cannot for the life of me see what it does) and one is where it attaches to the throttle body. Both springs look intact. In any case, I disconnected the ball joint where it comes out of the firewall (from the pedal to the engine side of the firewall) where the boot was. If I press this in and release, it comes out part way and then sticks. So the sticking appears to be in this area ... from the petal to this part. The rest of the linkage seems to be working as it should.

Looks like the throttle accelerator cable boot is ... no more ... completely disintegrated. I suppose this helps a lot of making sure the throttle gets back to where it needs to go. So, I ordered a new one.

The 280Z has been driving well for the past hour, in city and on the highway. Now, a new issue has appeared ... the gas pedal wants to stick. I tried spraying down the linkage with brake cleaner and working it in, but the pedal is still sticking. I have to use my foot to pull it back at times.

Heh. Not sure how to take that.

I just may have resloved the engine stalling/stuttering issue. I was looking under the hood and saw that the gas line going into the fuel rail was pressed up against the top of the engine. I thought that perhaps when the engine gets to normal operating temperature that the hose was getting hot via contact and causing the gas to become vapor. So, I moved the hose. It was tied down and I slid it through the tie a bit so that it 'floats' about 2" off the engine. I also saw that the cable going from the distributor to the ignition coil was a tad loose on the ignition coil end. So I made sure that was firmly in place. In any case, I have been driving it for about 45 minutes now, in the neighborhood and in city, so a lot of starting, stopping, and moving slow, and it ran like a champ. Next I will run it on the highway and see how it does. I'll look more into the electrical issues later today.

Hello all! I recently acquired a 1977 Datsun 280Z and had a mechanic do a lot of work to restore the mechanics (engine, brakes, etc.) to factory specs. However, there is still an issue. The car starts and runs great, but when it gets warmed up (about 15-20 minutes into a drive) it starts to stutter and then it shuts down. At this point it won't restart. Letting the car sit for about 5 minutes (not a long time!) seems to solve the problem - the car starts again and I can drive it until the process repeats. Here is what has been done to the car so far: - Fuel tank checked to see if getting clean fuel from it - New fuel lines installed - New fuel pump and filter installed - New spark plugs - Distributor checked - AFM (Air Flow Meter) replaced - Fuel rail replaced - Air regulator valve attached (it was missing when I purchased the car!) The fuel pressure was checked and the mechanic said it was good. So, my question is, what do I check next to see what is causing the car to stutter once it warms up? What other information do you need from me? On a second note, when the car stuttered and stalled the first time I was driving it (a day out of the shop), I turned on my hazards. This caused my turn signals, hazards, and dash lights to all stop working. To clarify, my turn signals do not work at all. This means that they do not blink outside of the car, nor do the lights turn on inside on the dash. Neither do the hazards. On top of this, none of the lights on the dash come on when the lights are turned on and any electronic gauges (like the voltage meter) do not work any longer. The mechanical gauges (like the speedometer and heat gauge) work fine. The brake light for the emergency brake works. And a red light next to the voltage/charging meter briefly flashes when I start the car. All external lights work (headlights, tail lights, brake lights), so this is not a dead bulb issue. Since all dash lights stopped working, I am assuming this is not a flasher unit issue. I've also checked fuses and fusible links and they all look good. Where do I go from here? Thanks in advance for any help.