Guest Anonymous Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 '77 280z- didn't even know I had a problem (no smoke, good oil pressure, good water temp) until I went to start the car after working 'till midnight! Started the car to a loud "squeaking" and exaggerated tappet noise (and had the car towed home). Once home I checked the oil level- 2 quarts low when 2 days before it checked right at the full mark on the dipstick. Checked the radiator and found it to be an oily mess inside. Oil inside the engine shows no sign of water. Pulling the valve cover off revealed 2 dry cam lobes. What are the chances of this being as simple as a blown head gasket? I inquired about a complete rebuild and the prognosis in Portland, OR is around $1,400 (if there are no cracks in vital castings). Time to v8 my beloved Z? _c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Sounds like a blown head gasket around the oil passage way between the head and block.I have the same problem in my 620 pickup after my brother borrowed it.I had rebuilt the motor last year and never bothered to re-tourqe the head after the rebuild (duh). I hate those aluminum heads but on the bright side the my rebuilt engine is very clean to work on. After visual inspection with straight edge,I test the heads by removing the valve springs then standing the head upside down in my solvent tank and filling all the combustion chamber areas with solvent over night. If any solvent leaks out around the valves, I lap those valves or replace them and re-test again until no solvent leaks out. I would suggest your head may just need a head gasket change and not a re-build if it ran good before the problem.$1200.00 will get you a pretty good daily Datsun Z driver in Portland and then you have a project to really spend your money on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Thank you very much for your input- I've been hoping that is the case (just a head gasket problem)- my plan was to pull the head off this weekend, but I have an unexpected opportunity to be with my kids this weekend so the z will have to wait. Great advice about checking the integrity of the valves' ability to seal- I will definitely use your suggestion to determine how much I can expect to spend on the repair! Unfortunately, this little setback has chafed my cam lobes rather heavily so I'm due for a new cam and rockers at least. Is there any point to a higher performance cam unless I also change the intake and exhaust? Whatever I do, my plan is to get the car back on the road- I've finally restored it to better than showroom lustre with 4 coats of the original #517 metallic gold and 3 coats of clear! (I don't mind bragging that it's a beautiful ride!) _c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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