260ruztmachine Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Its a 74 with a five speed, rust in the typical places for a seventies car, Early model (got lucky) model, in need of some fiberglass minor bodywork, new seats or upholstered seats and dash ON TOP OF ALL THAT THE CAR IS NOT RUNNING I bought it with no battery and it had no fuses (?) After putting a battery and the fuses I turned the key, wouldn't start then I found a kill switch, the kill switch almost turned it on finally after some more looking around I noticed the distributor is missing the electrical stuff inside (its not points) Made sense because the engine would turn but no spark to turn it on. I also found an after market universal ignition system coil in the car. Could that old coil have messed up the distributor? O yeah, I dunno if it was due to me draining the battery but only one light works, the brake light, ALL OTHER LIGHTS DO NOT. By wednesday I'm ordering a distributor from autozone only for the lifetime warranty. Anyone have any input on my dilema? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComicArtist Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Sounds like replacing that dizzy is your best bet for now. As far as aftermarket engine components with PO's, there's no telling what they did with the coil. An ignition coil is pretty simple though, if you can't troubleshoot it you should be able to look up the part # or model and find a manual somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geking Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 when you say all the other lights, I assume you mean the headlights/running lights/turn signals. The headlights and running lights are controlled by a switch that is on the top of the right cluster on the steering coloum. The turn signals would most likely be due to the hazard light switch being gummed up. If switches sit for a while the contacts get oxidized and no longer conduct electricity. You can try switching them on and off a bunch of times, and if that does not fix it you can take them apart and clean them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260ruztmachine Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 when you say all the other lights, I assume you mean the headlights/running lights/turn signals. The headlights and running lights are controlled by a switch that is on the top of the right cluster on the steering coloum. The turn signals would most likely be due to the hazard light switch being gummed up. If switches sit for a while the contacts get oxidized and no longer conduct electricity. You can try switching them on and off a bunch of times, and if that does not fix it you can take them apart and clean them. Take the switches or headlights apart? Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260ruztmachine Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 Sounds like replacing that dizzy is your best bet for now. As far as aftermarket engine components with PO's, there's no telling what they did with the coil. An ignition coil is pretty simple though, if you can't troubleshoot it you should be able to look up the part # or model and find a manual somewhere. Does it seem odd that it had no fuses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bone028 Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Do you have the FSM? You can download it at xexonS30 or something. Just use a google search and it should pop right up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Its a 74 with a five speed, rust in the typical places for a seventies car, Early model (got lucky) model, in need of some fiberglass minor bodywork, new seats or upholstered seats and dash ON TOP OF ALL THAT THE CAR IS NOT RUNNING I bought it with no battery and it had no fuses (?) After putting a battery and the fuses I turned the key, wouldn't start then I found a kill switch, the kill switch almost turned it on finally after some more looking around I noticed the distributor is missing the electrical stuff inside (its not points) Made sense because the engine would turn but no spark to turn it on. I also found an after market universal ignition system coil in the car. Could that old coil have messed up the distributor? O yeah, I dunno if it was due to me draining the battery but only one light works, the brake light, ALL OTHER LIGHTS DO NOT. By wednesday I'm ordering a distributor from autozone only for the lifetime warranty. Anyone have any input on my dilema? A new puzzle...When was the last time the car ran? 74 with a 5 speed. So the transmission is not original. Is the motor? Is it still carbs or EFI now? The 74s have an electric fuel pump and a mechanical one, I believe. You should check them. This might help with your electrical problems - There is a contact cleaner called Deoxit DN5 that you can get from Guitar Center or on-line. It will help you diagnose electrical problems before you take things apart, plus it is a really good cleaner to use if you do take things apart. I have had a light stalk switch that did not give any lights at all, fixed just by applying Deoxit. It seems too easy but it works, quite often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260ruztmachine Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 A new puzzle...When was the last time the car ran? 74 with a 5 speed. So the transmission is not original. Is the motor? Is it still carbs or EFI now? The 74s have an electric fuel pump and a mechanical one, I believe. You should check them. This might help with your electrical problems - There is a contact cleaner called Deoxit DN5 that you can get from Guitar Center or on-line. It will help you diagnose electrical problems before you take things apart, plus it is a really good cleaner to use if you do take things apart. I have had a light stalk switch that did not give any lights at all, fixed just by applying Deoxit. It seems too easy but it works, quite often. The motor is still an l26 carb, according to the previous owner which only had it for six months, the car hasn't ran in 5 years. I'm gonna look up the fuel pump, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 The motor is still an l26 carb, according to the previous owner which only had it for six months, the car hasn't ran in 5 years. I'm gonna look up the fuel pump, thanks. 5 years is a long time. You didn't mention anything about using new gas or cleaning out the old in your first post. Old gas does not burn like new gas, plus old gas in the carbs can cause problems, gumming things up over time and as it evaporates away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldhemi Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 260's were the 1st Z's with "transistor" ignition. I converted mine to a JY 240Z point dizzy along with correct coil because a replacement for the "ECU" at the time ('77) was around $400+. Many years later I find that there was a TSB concerning the connectors to the unit were flakey. The 260Z also had the infamous seatbelt interlock system that would prevent the car from starting if the seatbelts were not fastened. Yours probably has been defeated after all of these years? I would also listen to what the previous posters said - all good items! According to the FSM, the electric fuel pump does not run if the RPM's are less than 400 - meaning that it is not running when you are trying to start it. It does contain an internal filter that you need to be aware of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260ruztmachine Posted May 14, 2010 Author Share Posted May 14, 2010 260's were the 1st Z's with "transistor" ignition. I converted mine to a JY 240Z point dizzy along with correct coil because a replacement for the "ECU" at the time ('77) was around $400+. Many years later I find that there was a TSB concerning the connectors to the unit were flakey. The 260Z also had the infamous seatbelt interlock system that would prevent the car from starting if the seatbelts were not fastened. Yours probably has been defeated after all of these years? I would also listen to what the previous posters said - all good items! According to the FSM, the electric fuel pump does not run if the RPM's are less than 400 - meaning that it is not running when you are trying to start it. It does contain an internal filter that you need to be aware of. I'm thinking about converting it to a point dizzy, the fuel tank was empty. And there is charge on the coil but the wiring from the coil to the dizzy doesn't have charge. Points it is, just gotta find a working point dizzy from an early Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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