First time Z owner

[Slowpoke]

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.

[NewZed]

The Engine tuneup chapter, Checking and Adjusting timing, shows what you should be seeing as far as the adjustment lock-down screw.  That's a screw head in a slot, between the arrows.  And the Engine Mechanical chapter, page EM-25 (1976 FSM) shows what you should see down the hole with the distributor out, with a description of the side to which the tang should be offset ("the smaller bow-shape will be faced toward the front".  It will make sense when you're looking at it.  With no lock-down screw you can pull the distributor right out by hand.

[Slowpoke]

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!

[Slowpoke]

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...

[Pharaohabq]

Yeah I would have expected you to have had the head surfaced and ground valves while it was off the first time. Hope you're not re using head bolts either? Did you torque them properly ?.

[Slowpoke]

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.

[Slowpoke]

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.

[Slowpoke]

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.

[az240z]

Interesting read, your making good progress.  As for brake parts Rockauto.com is haveing a big sale right now.

[Slowpoke]

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.

[Slowpoke]

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

 

 

Edited October 13, 2013 by Slowpoke

[Pharaohabq]

Nice!  Looks like you've come a long ways.  Once you get to drive a 5 speed you're going to want one, but the 4sp is fine for now. Depends on how much highway driving you do.  As for the reverse switch,  was there one on the donor tranny?  it is a 2" long cylinder thing with wires off it, on the side of the tranny.  The Tach Issue may be related to your Electronic distrib upgrade. everything else is mostly just parts. Some of which you might be able to scavenge from that donor car if he'll let you.

[Slowpoke]

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!

[Pharaohabq]

Hmm, puffing white smoke, and this is with the "new engine"  I would guess it's just the moisture in the pipe, but how much are we talking here?  This is White, not blueish?  Anything in the pipe should burn off in about 30-50 miles. it's curious though. I'd keep an eye on it and just see.  Did you figure why your rear brake was locking up?  Return springs rusty? Cylinder dirty?  So long as it's working now, you're good, but another thing to keep an eye on.  As for the wheel shake, it could be your ball joints or your tension arms. if the rubber is really bad it'll allow a lot more wiggle. jack it up and try to wiggle the wheel side to side and see how much play you have in the steering.

[Slowpoke]

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:

[rejracer]

If you are having over heating issues the first thing to do is to fix it.  Do not pass go, do not collect 200$, fix it first as you will just continue to destroy engines. 

 

To fix it, flush the cooling system using a cooling system flush chemical.  It can be had cheap at the auto parts store.  Follow the directions.  I use the prestone brand and have always had excellent results with it.  

 

When a cooling system gets dirty the contaminates end up sticking to the inside of the radiator.  It's usually minerals like calcium from tap water that do this.  The mineral or contamination layers inside the cooling system are very good insulators.  Even though the system may look clean, if heat transfer is limited, overheating will result.  The flush chemical removes them and holds them in suspension in the water, which will be drained out, taking the nasties with it.  When filling the system use distilled water, it has no minerals like tap water does.  Never use tap water to fill a cooling system. 

 

If the system was heavily rusted, I also run a product called Evapo rust through the system.  It dissolves rust and aluminum oxide like nothing else, and will not touch bare aluminum brass or any other metals, just the oxides. 

 

If you continue to have problems then it might be time for a new water pump if the system is not pumping due to a heavily corroded pump rotor, slipping rotor or debris blocking the system.  All can be inspected with the pump off.

 

If you need further instructions, let me know, I can post detailed instructions. 

[rejracer]

Concerning the white smoke, if it smells like coolant is being run through the engine, what type of round top carbs are on it?  The older manifolds run coolant through the manifold only.  Newer round top manifold carbs run coolant through the manifold, into the carbs, and back out through the manifold again.  The manifold to carb spacers have gaskets on either side, and the spacers themselves are prone to cracking.  Pull the air cleaner and see if you can inspect by opening the throttle plate and lifting the vacuum puck.

 

The older carb spacers are square, the newer spacers with coolant ports are longer on the bottom by about an inch to facilitate the coolant ports and sealing surface area. 

 

If you take 2 pictures, one a birds eye view and one a frontal view I will be able to ID them for you.

[Slowpoke]

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.

[Slowpoke]

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.

[Pharaohabq]

Okay, before you keep just troubleshooting by replacement. Look at the clues you've got:

1. A little white smoke
2. Low pressure in 1 cylinder
3. Excess heat

You've replaced your thermo (a 170deg thermo might be a better choice, there's a thread on it) which is good, but it didn't fix your issue.

 

You pulled the head (Again) So why didn't you send it for resurfacing and valve work? It was off. That would have been the ideal time. If you have a bad valve seal, or a bad valve in that cylinder then it could account for all three of these issues.  Yes it could be the rings in that cylinder too, but unlikely since the other cylinders are all showing good pressure. Unless one of the rings cracked, which is a possibility.   If it's the valve/seal then it could be allowing oil into the cylinder, and keeping it from holding pressure. The lower pressure  could be causing the fuel not to burn completely and heating the engine. Though I'd expect some black smoke if that was the case. I still suspect the head. If you pull the head again, get it rebuilt, and blow out all the water passages before you put it back together.  It's possible the block may need to be leveled too, but you can check it with a straight edge.

 

It's really not that much work to pull your engine and/or rebuild the original engine. Taking the head off is 75% of rebuilding an L series motor.  The rest is pulling the pan, dropping the crank, then pulling each piston, replacing the rings and bearings, then putting it back together.  You can replace the oil pump with an L28 turbo pump at the same time. You'll need to use that crush gauge stuff to make sure the bearings aren't too tight/loose. and feelers for the ring sizing.  @ 75K miles it shouldn't be in bad shape. It's good to replace stuff while you have it apart, not reusing of parts. Since once you remove a part it's no longer mated to where you removed it. If you mix the bearings up, then you'd be asking for trouble because each had worn in place with where it came from. A new bearing is ready to be broken in. Assembly lube is definitely a good idea, it is used to keep things from going bad before the oil has a chance to circulate.   A good Haynes manual or the FSM are both your friends in this. They'll tell you the torque settings. New head bolts are good because each time you tighten them they stretch, reusing them can stretch them too far and cause uneven pressure or snapping. 

 

I love brake parts cleaner as a degreaser, but keep things well ventilated, that stuff is BAD BAD to breathe, and much worse to burn.  

 

I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but you've covered a lot of the other troubleshooting and identified real issues. Spending money on other stuff w/o addressing the issues won't fix your trouble.

 

Phar