Turbo72-240 Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 72' 240z,i hve checked all hoses,pumps,radiator and everything i can think of,i cant seem to find where this leak is coming from.my z will overheat within a half hour of running and be out of coolant soon after.the area that it is leaking is somewhere above the alternator,and i can see fresh coolant buildup directly under the alt.well a little more behind on part of the suspension(i would be.more specific but im not too familiar with suspension parts yet)...it is the part that comes from the wheel and connects in the middle of the car.i apoligize for my ignorance,but i need to find this leak asap,because i am trying.to make it to nc from pa on sunday and i cant do that with my z overheating.so my question is what would be above the alternator area that would be leaking antifreeze?thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morbias Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The front engine cover maybe, where the waterpump is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Someplace on the front cover or possibly the head gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 How bad is it to replace head gaskets on these?ive never done a head gasket,but as far as ive learned on these motors(well im more used to a fi 2.8...but its mostly the same i belive) they seem like very basic simple motors.hopefully thats not it though.and how do i know if the water pump is failed?by wiggling the fan?is that the only symptom of a bad wp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Also,i have a 77 280 parts car.would i be able to take the waterpump from there?i know i need a new gasket though if i replace the waterpump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 (edited) Just buy a new water pump they are like $20. For the head gasket, depending on your mechanical background they can be easy, or hard. My first one took me almost a whole day, then half a day, now i can probably do it in like 2-3 hours. Just chock the timing chain or your life will suck. Knowing if the water pump is dead can be as easy as trying to turn the pump by hand, to not knowing until you take it off. If you have a lot of miles on the car and the water pump looks just as old I would replace it anyway since it probably will need one sooner or later. Edited December 21, 2012 by BluDestiny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Thats not bad,i would be doing it myself.i have read up on it,but havent seen anything about chocking the timing chain,how do i do that?thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beermanpete Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The lower radiator hose connects to the timing cover behind the alternator. There is an aluminum fitting bolted to the timing cover which the hose attaches to. Perhaps the hose clamp is loose or the fitting has corroded and has a small hole in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluDestiny Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I can't believe I forgot about the lower radiator hose. Yeah that's probably it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 (edited) Changing a water pump has nothing to do with the timing chain. 1) Remove drive belt 2) Remove fan, fan clutch and pulley 3) Remove water pump, careful with the fasteners (use penetrant) 4) Put it back together and bleed the cooling system It's not difficult, just be careful with the radiator fins. Remove the rad if you feel like it. Edited December 20, 2012 by Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 Well hopefully its simple enough as a rad hose.otherwise i may be replacing the waterpump.regardless,ill be learning something new either way.im going to check it oit today and let you guys know what the problem is.im hoping to get it fixed,because sunday ive gotta take it down to north carolina from pa.haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 My Guess is the water pump... But Without pictures it's hard to say. It could also be the heater hoses, they come out just below the alt and run back to the firewall. Really if you're going to take any of them off it would be best to replace them, if they're at all old. They're not that expensive for the whole set of hoses. If one's leaking, it may not be that far from bursting. Losing a hose out in the misddle of nowhere really sucks. (Believe me, I know, fortunately my walk to the autoparts store was only 5 miles in the SNOW). Check the hoses all before you pull apart the water pump. the new pump comes with a gasket too, but use gasket sealer, and let it dry a bit before starting the car. If it's the head gasket, then I'd recommend renting a car to drive down. it's not that expensive, and much cheaper than killing your Z's engine. remember overheating = BAD, The rings and cylinder walls lose hardness, the bearings take a beating, all the seals get weaker. it's just bad, don't overheat your engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 Turns out it is the waterpump,and i just got the new one in today,so hopefully i can get that put on fairly quickly.im gonna remove the radiator to get the pump out.and im going to throw some fresh coolant into it and then hopefully i dont run into more problems.i have read about the bolts busting though...i really hope that doesnt happen,because it seems fairly common.any other suggestions while im tearing the rad,fan, and water pump out?and btw,all of the hoses have been replaced in the past year,so knock on wood they are okay to last me a few years,hopefully more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Turned out to be the water pump and ibgot it done in about an hr,right before i left.the hardest part was getting the radiator in and out.haha.but i made it to nc and back with only 1 new problem.....i got my alternator,starter,and battery checked and all tested good.but as i am driving it will slowly lose power and then eventually die.but as soon as i pull over,looses the alternator and pull it back as far as it will go and retighten it is basically fully recharged and then it all happens again after a lil while of driving it.im not sure what would cause this.does the belt loosen as i drive it?the bolts on the alt are very tight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rags Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Sure sounds fuel related to me. If it were electrical, when the car died you would need a jump to start it again. Change the fuel filter and cleaning out the screen in the fuel pump would be the first things I'd do. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 27, 2012 Author Share Posted December 27, 2012 Sounds good,ill try that when i get off work.thank you.also,if it makes any kind of diffence.it has all symptoms of a failing alternator.all if my interior and exterior lights will slowly fade away,but as soon as i turn my lights off all power comes back.and when the lights are on i can rev up to ~4000 rpms then it starts spuddering really bad.but like i said when the lights are off all of my power comes back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 When the car starts to die, does the alternator belt actually seem loose? If it's actually coming loose than you need to recheck your bolts. Don't forget that there's three. Sometimes people forget that there's TWO on the lower side. With just one tight sometimes the alternator can still wiggle loose. Having both bolts keeps the alternator tight in two directions and the upper bolt on the tensioner mount just keeps it stable. If the belt seems decently tight when you pull over during the power drain, then you need to look at your battery. Have it checked again, and by someone else. If they seem to think it's fine... Well then you've probably got some iffy electrical connections somewhere. My first bet in this case would be the fusible links. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo72-240 Posted December 28, 2012 Author Share Posted December 28, 2012 I hate to ask,but wjere are the fusible links on the 240?...i know where they are on my 77,but i havemt seen any on the 240.and my alt only has 2 bolts??same with my dads '70.because i replaced both alternators.and i just baught the battery less than a week ago,i know that they can go bad sooner than that,but when it first started happening i got the battery itself checked and it came out good.just needed fully charged.and the belt seems to stay tight,but it may just be getting loose very slightly to where im not noticing it...im stumped.i will vheck the fusible links though as soon as i find them.haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlejester Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Fuseable links on a 240z is actually a very thin gauge length of wire which I believe runs from your starter back to the wiring harness. So does the car die at all with the lights off? What are you using when the car dies? (Wiper, radio, lights, etc etc) What does the ammeter say when the car is about to die? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motomanmike Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 (edited) I sell hundreds of automotive batteries a month and have never seen one fail in a week unless a plate shorted internally. You have a charging system issue. Either your wiring is old and failing, connections are poor, loose belt, or you have an activation issue or bad alternator. I doubt its bad if it was recently replaced but it could be. To test is simple Take a voltmeter, test battery voltage with the car off. Then test voltage at the alternator stud. It should match battery voltage, if not you have voltage drop obviously inspect and repair wiring.. Also, test the T plug that plugs into the back of the alternator, one should have constant battery voltage, the other should get voltage with the key switch ON. If that checks out, check belts. Then start the car. Test battery voltage. You should see about 13.2-13.5 at idle at the battery if all the above test check out. If you don't you most likely have a bad alternator, that is if all above test are ok. Also, if you've verified all the above and all of it is 100 percent, turn all the accessories on, lights, wipers, blower motor, defrost, everything you can. Let the car run 5 minutes, then test the battery voltage with everything turned on and the car still running. It should be solid 13.2 or above. Ideally you want closer to 14 volts but some of these cars idle really low and the pulleys aren't small enough on the Hitachi style alternators IMO . Another good testing tool is the small tester sold by schumaker that plugs into a cigarette lighter that has a voltage display on it. Cheap, effective testing while driving, good for intermittent issues. I've never trust a guy at any of the big 3 to test a charging system correctly, they just aren't trained properly to. I'm sure some can do it right but not any I have tried to hire over the years. If you a have a battery shop or starter alternator rebuilder near you, they know how to check a system properly. Its what they thrive on and might be worth going to let them test it if you've exhausted all options. Edited December 28, 2012 by motomanmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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