Guest iceickle Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Hi guys, i use to have an account here years ago but it must have been deleted (not suprising). SO i own a 1976 260Z, which is pretty much in original condition as far as i can tell, except for the lack of paint (its got primer on it right now). Im just trying to get the damn thing running, it worked reasonably well in 2003, i was overseas in 2004, when i came back it didnt run so well, seemed to be missing on a few cylinders. Since then ive only had a little time to look at it, but now im delving in deeper. The deal is, the car ran thismorning, it ran rough as hell- i suspect at least two cylinders arnt firing. Spark is fine on all cylinders, and i can see fuel come out of all when removing the spark plug and turning it over... So im guessing it has compression + fuel. Now ive been playing with the distributor, one of the springs on the mechanical advance weights has gone AWOL, so theres one problem. I adjusted the dwell to ~37-38 degree's, no problems. Now i attach the timing light (which hasnt been used for years). Was unsure if the positive lead on the light went to the coil or battery- i had it on the coil (negative terminal) that goes to the distributor but the car wouldnt run with the light on. I found the manual for the light, its supposed to be attached to the battery, fair enough i say. So i hooked the timing light up correctly, but instead of the engine turning over i hear bad fast clicking sounds (possibly coming from starter motor)- it turns a little but not fully. Now when i try to start it, nothing happens. The starter motor didnt click at all. All i hear is a soft click from under the dash whenever trying to start, from one of those metal boxes above the fuse box (geez its a jungle of wires in there). Im assuming its a fuse of some sort, so i might have a short. Thing is, i have no idea where/why/how this short has occured. im worried i might have fried my starter motor... The battery is fine, i took the one out of the patrol (same engine!) which i know is charged, same result. Every now and then i get the rapid, bad sounding clicking sound, but mostly nothing, just the soft click. Anyone have any ideas? Im pretty inexperienced here, but i like learning (preferably not the hard way). Thanks!!! sorry for the long post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twizted Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Wow, could be quite afew things but I would start with wiring as well. Check your connections both positve and negatives. Make sure they are good and tight but take them off and clean them first. I have seen weakened relays do that but it's in rare cases. Your starter could also be stuck or dragging. You can take it off the car and supply it with fresh juice from the battery, only if it's properly strapped down. I'd just take it off and into an auto parts store that tests them (most do). They need to check amp draw as well as function. Most "normal" parts people just watches if it spins and that's it. But there is a guage on their machine that checks amperage draw and that needs to be checked. I'd say the motor could also be binding but that doesn't seem to be your case. Ignition switch can sometimes be a culprit but they just usually go out altogether. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Also check the resistance on all your spark plug wires. Some of yours may not have continuity any more. Mine are in the 600ish ohm range. It usually goes by ohms per feet. did you check the little wire on the starter? the one going to the selenoid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iceickle Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 bingo olie! one of the leads on the solenoid was a crappy connection. I squeezed it with some pliers, put it back on and is now running, PHEW!. Ok so next problem, ive discovered the engine is only running on three cylinders, 1 ,2 and 4. I can pull the lead on any of the others and it will run the same... what the hell! I can even pull one of the above mentioned leads out and it will run, but i can notice the difference. Ive checked the plugs all the plugs, they have spark. i get some oil coming out of the plug hole (i noticed it on hole 3 and 6), would this indicate crappy rings? unfortunatly i dont have a pressure tester to check the compression... I dont know what else it could be, fuel shouldnt be a problem, the carbs are running with choke on just to keep it going. Timing and dwell are fine... (yes i finally got the timing light to work, it showd 5 degrees) Would a compression test give me further information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 A compression test will tell you if you have a hole in one of your pistons, after that its just speculation. A leakdown test will do more, as you can hear where the air is escaping from. (pressurize the cylinder and listen) Then you will know if you have bad rings bad valve seats or a bad headgasket. I would suggest pulling off the head and inspecting everything. That's what I would do, however, performing a leakdown test is alot less work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iceickle Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Leakdown test sounds good. I didnt even know about it untill google just educated me, thanks olie your a legend! Im reluctant to pull the head off, as the car hasnt gone far after being serviced (twice). Albeit that was 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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