Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Readings are slightly high but maybe your battery needs a charge and the alternator will charge the battery. I would keep an eye on the charging system. Garth bought me this great cigarette lighter plug in volt metre. I never leave home without it.

Ross

sports imports wrote:Readings are slightly high but maybe your battery needs a charge and the alternator will charge the battery. I would keep an eye on the charging system. Garth bought me this great cigarette lighter plug in volt metre. I never leave home without it.

Ross

Sounds like a good idea ... problem is the PO customizers of the dash did not include the cigarette lighter ... or the map light. Maybe with my new-found wiring skills I can figure out an alternative.

U got it ! Me, mine too all better

sports imports wrote:Readings are slightly high but maybe your battery needs a charge and the alternator will charge the battery. I would keep an eye on the charging system. Garth bought me this great cigarette lighter plug in volt metre. I never leave home without it.

Ross

Concerns about your battery, circuit loading, or alternator? This device does it all.

https://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3721-Batt ... CZGY8MQ1R9

Yes thank you Garth,
I use it all the time, goes with me from vehicle to vehicle.....

Alternator connector replaced, took her out for a spin " First longer test run with way more confidence...still started by going up hill ... just in case. Drove through a newer residential area...the car climbed well. About 15 minutes in the rain started so I got home...with the wipers working. Steering is a little loose, steering wheel isn't centered perfectly, the right rear brake is dragging, around 4K RPM (in second) the acceleration isn't as good as around 3K and the heater wants to stay heating. All small things...No stalls or stumbles. If weather permits tomorrow, more short shake-downs. "

I was a little worried about how the charging system would work...the amp meter was registering slightly negative most of the time ... and more negative with the lights on. Pretty sure that's normal. After being out, the battery showed about 12.8 Volts, so I am confident the alternator issue is solved...the engine temp was reading around 90 C on the carb side; less on the opposite side. Shifting 2nd to 3rd is taking a bit of getting used to...but I think its just me making sure I'm not hitting 5th.

I did buy a volt meter and will install it when I can...other things on the to do list are working temp gauge and speedo, install the VW fuel sensor I bought, glue down the interior, finish installing miscellaneous rubber seals & trim, get the wiper motor to work on high and then park when turning it off, get the idle below 1200, buy & install windshield washer nozzles, hook up washer motor, and get the hard top weather proof.

I have the vaccuum advance bits from Ross as well as a pinion seal, but I'll get some help to install those.

Weather permitting tomorrow, any running around I need to do will be done in the roadster....finally

I had a really fun few weeks of playing in the car but ...

Long story short ... the intake valve seat in cylinder 1 dislodged last time I tried to take the car for a drive. Now that I'm done my pouting and have a plan, I can post an update.

We'll take the head to the local machine shop and confirm there is no other damage, plus replace the other seven seats. My mechanic is pretty confident he could replace the fallen out seat, and the rest should be "fine" ... But ... if one seat goes, what are the chances others would follow? I'd rather get the work done correctly now ... and know the repair is done by a shop with an excellent reputation. Sounds like I was very very lucky nothing else happened.

The machine shop has a great reputation and has come highly recommended by my mechanic and at least two local Datsun fanatics.

Based on comments and the research my mechanic did, the seat would only fall out if it was installed incorrectly. I had taken the car out for a spin one evening two weeks ago, parked it, and the next morning on start up, it sounded awful ... I might have run it for a total of 30 seconds ... maybe a minute, and decided that it would most likely not fix itself so shut her down. The initial diagnosis was a bent valve, which could cost an engine pull, head rebuild, and on and on and $ ... thus the pouting and sulking and generally sullen attitude.

My mechanic had the head off in about an hour and a half, and checked over what he could and found only the seat was damaged.

On the bright side, so far, not as bad as it could have been. I'll have a higher level of confidence in the reliability of the power plant, as well as a better, specific record of this U20's service history.

Adjusted the steering box, leaned out the fuel mixture, switched the gas filter. Picked up the tonneau and hope to get the snug top off ... now that weather looks like it will be 26 C this week

Cars are starting to come alive after long hibernations! Mine is getting closer...

Leaned out the mixture another 1/4 turn ... still had some run-on & "rich smell". Will take it the long way home tonight.

Another 1/4 turn...smells better, still runs on a titch...still a few fumes. Another 1/4 turn tomorrow.

Seemed to be running fine, then Friday after filling up, it started to feel like it was running out of gas...just a bit. Changed the fuel filter over the weekend, sawed open the old one to see if it was clogged. Could have been ... there was some sludge, but not a lot. A worm (dead)...and other grit in there. It did not seem like enough to make the car act like it was. I'll take it out for a spin tonight, hopefully, & see how it runs.

Runs fine until the engine gets up to full operating temperature ... then I get the same thing as above. I'll reverse the mixture 1/4 turn & see how we go then. Getting a bit of run-on as well.

Ralph:

any dirt or worm in the fuel filter is not a good thing. I hope you are running that expensive Chevron 94 octane ethanol free gas. Anything less is going to play havoc with tank, filters, carbs.

Ross

It's interesting that is acts like it's running out of fuel once it is warm, as typically it needs more fuel when cold vs hot. What do your plugs look like? Try running a clean set, take it out to a long straight somewhere where you can keep it at the point where it is acting up for as long as you can, then SHUT IT OFF and let off the accelerator, pull over, put on gloves and pull the plugs to see what they look like... white lean, black rich, brown just right. But you have to do it without idling the car etc or it will throw off how the plugs look, thus the need to shut it off while at rpm (at least this is my understanding and how I was told to do it before I had a wide band Air/Fuel meter... I know I know, enough about that Greg!). Also, check your valve lash and make sure they are not way off (I go 6 intake, 8 exhaust, they widen with heat to about 8 and 10, don't listen to the manual which says the opposite. As long as they are not too tight or too loose, should be fine). Only other thing I can think of is 1) vapor lock or 2) bad seal on the fuel lines allowing it to pump air instead of fuel... that was a problem with the neat glass fuel filters that used to be used, doesn't sound like you are).