I've owned the car for (4) years, but garaged for the last (2) years.
Took the car to the mechanic b/c the alternator needed to be rebuilt and replaced the battery (Spent $400). Now I find out I have oil in my carbs and my car doesn't start. Any ideas on where I need to troubleshoot this?
I tried looking up this issue on google but only came across a lawnmower that had the same problem. Any ideas what kind of damage I'm looking at now that oil has leaked in my carbs?
OK, oil has not leaked in your carbs, it's supposed to be there. The oil that goes in the dampers at the top of the carbs (Small black nut) should be lightweight, Marvel mystery oil, 20 Weight, motorcycle shock oil or transmission fluid. And good news, absolutely NO DAMAGE having oil at the carbs, even if it is not supposed to be there!!
How about some more information as to "the car won't start".. Does it crank OK?
Is there fuel in the filter?
Do you have fuel to the carbs?
Do you have spark at the plugs?
Do you have 12 Volts to the coil?
Are you running points or an electronic ignition?
More info will help us help you.
Pictures and video are extra bonuses!
"When all else fails, force prevails!" Ummm, we're gonna need a bigger hammer here.
Welcome (from another SoCaler).
Make sure to hook up with Chris Breyer of SoCalROC (Roadster Owners Club) so that you get sent the regular newsletters / messages of events.
My carbs are horribly in need of rebuild, so they "digest" the damper oil. When they do this, the car is difficult to start, has to crank for a good bit.
In essence, i think I am burning off the digested oil, and once clean she starts up and runs.
You won't do any harm running them for a short period with no oil. The throttle response will be less than optimal, but at least you can get her runing and blow out all the schmutz (technical term) and stabilize things, then work back towards full operation.
You know with SU's you don't pump the pedal before cranking, you just hold it to the floor while cranking.
Make sure fuel is clean and is getting where it should. Old hoses like to leak air in the most frustrating and unseen places, a flashlight and miror are your friend.
All good checks outlined by "notoptoy" above, that will get things baselined and increase your knowledge of what is going on right now.
Fergus O
69 2L, SUs (driver, not susceptible to polish)
02 Tacoma 4 door (sold at 300k miles!)
2017 Honda Ridgeline (2021 purchase)
Los Alamitos, CA
Two year old gas will cause problems too. Familiarize yourself with the car by reading through the repair manual, even if you know nothing about cars. We could have likely saved you quite a bit on your recent battery/alt repair! Good, honest mechanics that understand Roadsters are out there, but regardless you are better off with some understanding about how it all works. We can help, and maybe help you find an appropriate local mechanic.
Welcome! We want you on the road!
BTW, did not mean to imply your mechanic was not honest, but at the hourly rate they charge these days one has to select people who are not on a learning curve and know what your options are. Many of us are on a budget and know how to make things work for less sometimes, and what things shouldn't be skimped on as well.
Sorry guys I was out of town. My mechanic got the car running for me. He said it was a wire the Sears Auto guy accidentally knocked off. Here is the video of my project. My goal is to modernize the car so it feels safe to drive it (suspension, possible rotary engine or KA24DE, brakes, etc)
@buttascotch
"My goal is to modernize the car so it feels safe to drive it "
Huh?? <G> - I drove my stock 1600 (w/ 5-speed) @10K miles to DC & back in 5 weeks. Only failure was the driver side window regulator.
SAFETY comes from AWARENESS and SKILL and good brakes (check all that out) - bleed//test/bleed - dissassemble the calipers to check for corrosion, perhaps upgrade to stainless lines - more immediate response - install a firewall brake brace - for same reason.
Check upper/lower ball joints for wear (again immediate response) - jack up car and wiggle vertically and horizontally for wear, check alignment And then remember to keep greasing those Zerks - (20 in the front as I recall)
Check wheel bearings/grease and tightness - especially the front.
And get the electrics sorted - ground the hell out of the electrics (body to chassis to engine etc.) Disassemble all connnectors/ clean and use dielectric grease - use relays where possible.
Check shocks
If you are driving HARD then maybe comp springs and swaybar
The only recent time THIS car has 'failed' me was a frozen alternator - and I still made it home.
And in the past - freezing temps in Big Bear blew out the intake manifold freeze plugs. Bypassed them with no problems for another 20K+.
Upgrading the engine will IMHO not make it any SAFER to drive (MUCH more FUN though - ask RcMike)/Kevin and all of the other engine swap people (except Will <G>)
Stroking the 1600 frankly gave me enough extra power/torque to wrap me around a tree with more impact (someone has a humourous tag line of the differences - part of it being 'torque is how far you move the wall when you hit it" <G>)
And don't forget the SoCal BBQ this weekend (April 6) in Riverside at Chris/Christie - with roadster or not - GREAT opportunity to meet opinionated and enthusiastic members of our local community - and then Solvang where you can get the same opinions/enthusiasm from people from out of state <G>
And a ROTARY for reliability (AIMHO ??)
Looking forward to meeting you at some future time - SATURDAY??
Peter Harrison
1970 1600 (Stroker) - TOAD SAN (Eliza)
1970 1600 (Stock) - As Yet Unnamed
Lake Balboa (SFV) , California
Whenever I drive the car on the freeway (60,605,10,101) and hit the slightest bump I feel like I'm gonna fly out of the car. I hate the leaf springs. (What do i need to do to upgrade the rear springs) The brakes are terrible (probably needs the stainless steel lines and be bled out) my second gear and reverse grinds nearly all the time. Upgrading the engine/tranny would be a nice luxury to have that 5th gear. The whole car needs a make over. (the car has had serveral owners, i think im the 4th) Not looking to track the car or drive the car like a bat out of hell.
Datsun Roadsters are great, classic sports cars from the 60s. They compare favorably to similarly priced roadsters of the day. They have the classic look and performance, and a greater dependability than most.
Still, the car is 50 years old or close. If you can get it close to what it was new, you will be doing better than most. Expect only the reasonably expectable. If you want perfection, you can get close to that, but it will cost you big time. Stay with period correct parts. Transplanting from other brands is not a good idea in my view and certainly not necessary.
Most of my subsequent comments may seem like a f**k you or negative, but I, like so many of the people on this forum, have not only the knowledge of how to fix stuff, but know the consequence of taking too much on too soon and miss the FUN of driving our litle cars - so please forgive me.
"Whenever I drive the car on the freeway (60,605,10,101) and hit the slightest bump I feel like I'm gonna fly out of the car. I hate the leaf springs."
I get that - there is a stretch of the whilshire 405 and the Van Nuys section - Check the shocks for dampening/return - but it IS a sports car. Just press on the fenders (front/rear and see how much they bounce too much - if they do - then new shocks are in order
"The brakes are terrible (probably needs the stainless steel lines and be bled out)'
The brakes are GREAT (for period) and I have never had a problem in stopping (of course I up the 3-second rule to 4+) - but as long as your alignment is spot on, your brakes brake evenly, you will be FINE
"My second gear and reverse grinds nearly all the time Upgrading the engine/tranny would be a nice luxury to have that 5th gear."
The 5th gear works better with an upgraded cam to give you that extra grunt - and apparently you need to have the tranny looked at. You can try double-clutching into 2nd or just wind up a bit and go to 3rd for now.
"The whole car needs a make over. (the car has had serveral owners, i think im the 4th) Not looking to track the car or drive the car like a bat out of hell."
Maybe it does, then perhaps this SPECIFIC car (not the model) is not for you. Maybe, just run what u brung - maintian it in a sellable manner (improve the easy bits) - do a certain amount of detailing and send it down the line when you have found something that more suits you. Remember that these are minimally 43 year old cars (with 43 year old technology) and stuff just deteriorates (electrical certainly) and MANY people (certainly I) will tell you that there is a GREAT deal of satisfaction in fixing and keeping these cars on the road. If for nothin else for the smiles you give to the general populace.
See you on April 6th - roadster or not??
Peter Harrison
1970 1600 (Stroker) - TOAD SAN (Eliza)
1970 1600 (Stock) - As Yet Unnamed
Lake Balboa (SFV) , California
Some suggestions for you...
Before you start swapping rear springs, try a new set of shocks and try different tire pressures. What pressure are you running in your rear tires? I woudn't go above 30 psi for starters and work your way lower. Experiment a bit before you do anything drastic.
On the brakes, bear in mind the front brakes are the same used in period Jags and some other sports cars. They are more than capable if well maintained....the firewall brake brace is a must. Will and others race with the stock brakes. When was the last time you flushed the system and put in new brake fluid? How old are your rubber lines? Any leaks? Have you bled the master? If you don't know the history on the brakes, it would be time well spent to check the condition of the front pads and caliper pistons, rear shoes and cylinders - particularly if the car has been sitting for awhile. Old brake fluid and idle time are the enemies of brakes. Search past threads on brake maintenance.
I too am a 4th owner of my car. In 40+ years that is pretty low turnover. Don't be discouraged. Ask yourself what your goals are in owning the car. I have found the Roadster to be very forgiving to work on as you learn about how its systems work, if that is an interest you have. Good luck.
Last edited by bikermike on Tue Apr 02, 2013 11:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
If both 2nd (common) AND Rev are grinding, I'd check to see that there is not a bunch of slop in the clutch slave cylinder (which needs to be bled as well, from time to time) as it sounds like "clutch in" is not disengaging as much as it should.
They are sprung pretty stiff, so yes, you will find fwy seams that can tend to launch you. Funny, being in such a small car, you'll start to remember the rough ones and "find the line" where the less severe portions are located.
Fergus O
69 2L, SUs (driver, not susceptible to polish)
02 Tacoma 4 door (sold at 300k miles!)
2017 Honda Ridgeline (2021 purchase)
Los Alamitos, CA
All good comments and legitimate gripes about the car from Buttasco0ttch:
Regarding the rear - look to see if the rubber bump stops on the axle have been hitting the car's frame (they make little clean spots on it.) If so your springs are sagging after 40+ years. I took mine to a suspension shop and had them heated and re-arched for $60. Next replace the rear shocks - get a set of KYB GR-2's for $25 each. They are SUPER easy to change - take about 20 mins.
Brakes: Spend $25 on the firewall brake brace. It takes about 1/2 hr to install. Next make SURE to adjust your rear shoes using the (probably frozen up) brake adjusters. Get it so the shoes don't have any play before engaging the drums - it makes a HUGE difference. Bleed the system starting w/ the master and working your way back from the rear cylinders after that. If you have the $110 swap your brake hoses for stainless.
If you have worn syncros in your transmission there's not much you can do about it. Some have recommended mixing some Lucas Transmission Fix into your gear oil but I haven't tried it.
Thanks everybody for the advice. I'll consider working with all of the following and see how it goes. BTW where in Riverside is this BBQ? Riverside is about 30min drive for me without traffic....hopefully my car makes it haha
