Danny350z Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I garaged my Zed a year ago and decided recently it was time to get it back out. The battery had died by this point so I've replaced that today. When I garaged it there was £10 of fuel in it, I've also put another 5l in today. On first attempt to start it, it came to life, roared once, then died. On Subsequent attempts it simply does this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqqh9fbPRYc I assume it's either a fuel problem or the spark plugs? Or something totally beyond my somewhat limited knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Not a tech guru, but I wouldnt have used fuel that had been sat there for 1 year. Sediment settles, and probably got dragged into the fuel filter. Thats just a guess from my limited knowlege like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Any animals taken shalter in the airbox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Any animals taken shalter in the airbox? Shalter? I think you mean Shelter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 When I had bought my zed from the salvage auction it had been in storage from 2007 and I had bought it beginning of 2011. Couldnt start it straight away as the steering rack was broken, but anyway it Started first thing, with a starter boost as battery was dead! It also had 4 years old petrol in it I guess, 1/4 tank. I drove it like that and its fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 As Lexx says, fuel has gone bad. The more volatile components of petrol evaporate out with time, making the remaining fuel less volatile (harder to ignite), meaning the engine may be harder to start, and may use more fuel than normal, and not burn the fuel as efficiently. Or, The battery in your key fob has died and the immobiliser staying active. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilscorp Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 put more super in the tank then wait a couple of hours then try it(mabe flooded if you kept trying it), if not you can get spark plug testers for a few quid off the net which are handy to rule out ignition problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 O.K, when you removed your petrol cap did you feel or hear your tank sucking air in? A decent tank should keep the petrol pretty fresh for several years, even decades in cold places like Northern Canada but a lot depends on the integrity of the seal, the slightest leak or perishing of the rubber and the petrol will degrade in a few months or even weeks if the leak is bad enough and the less there is in the tank the quicker the light ends will evaporate. A good example would be petrol lawn mowers which have poor seals, low fuel levels and always fail to start after a winter in the shed Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Yep, it sucked air in when I opened the petrol cap. I put another 5l in today, plus some oil and tried again. It almost started. It sounded like the engine was almost firing, but after a couple more attempts the battery drained rapidly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Wouldnt worry too much about the fuel. Ive a car in my garage which had the same fuel in it for at least 5 years, and i started it up last year and drove it without any problems. If in doubt tho, just fill it up with super and it should all mix about nicely. Cleaning the plugs and making sure the air filters are not full of rubbish should also help. Zeds tend to need a lot of battery power to turn over, so you may have to jump it if it doesnt fire straight away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 The guy who sold me the new battery is attempting to charge the old one, so I should be able to jump from that and the new battery no problems? I just went back to the car and the volts are back up to 12. Had another go and it's definitely getting more lively; it starts shaking as if it's about to start up but then fails to fire completely. Missus says there's smoke coming out the exhaust. I imagine it's porbably just the crap and sediment from standing for a year that's the issue. At least I hope so. Hoping it's not the spark plugs, that looks a b it of a ballache to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Once you get the air intake off, it shouldn't be too hard once the coilpacks are off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I would hope there is smoke coming out of the exhaust, thats what they are designed to do. Its unburnt fuel smoke coming out of the zorst, once she fires up, you better have a gas mask on.... Plugs, look hard, but quite simples, unless your a complete retard, not saying that you are BTW. Zmanalex does plugs quite cheap, send him a PM.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350 Russ Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 sounds like you have flooded it mate, plugs out jobbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 I saw a guide on another Zed forum about replacing the plugs and it was a strut brace off job. Can it be done without removing that? Because that seems the sort of thing I don't want to be messing with (too tight, not tight enough, etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Strut brace is easy to remove, you may have some issues getting to all the plugs leaving it on. Dont read to much into a job, mountain and mole hill come to mind. Strut Bar Removal for 350Z owners: Remove the strut bar. Loosen the (two) 24mm jam nuts on the left hand side. Mark the center hex adjuster and loosen it one full turn. Remove the (6)14mm head bolts and (2)14mm head nuts. Use a screw driver on the lock of the slide on wire connector and slide off. Use needle nose pliers to squeeze the snap in wire connectors and push them out. Carefully lift bar out of the way and set aside. Plug removal:- Here is what you need to do. These instructions are "high-level", but they should suffice. 1. You will need 10mm shallow and deep socket, ratchet, maybe a couple socket extensions, and a general set of pliars as needed. 2. On the drivers side, remove the intake piping and needed. 3. Look down at the driver's side of the engine. You should see the black valve cover just under the outside of the plenum. That is your target. 4. Running over the valve cover is a massive wire harness held in place by a couple of mounting brackets. Locate these brackets in front and back and remove the screws holding them. The wire harness should have more play in it now and you can work around it easier. 5. On top the the valve cover are three black plastic lumps held in place by one 10mm brass-colored screw. Connected to each "lump" is a wiring harness. Remove the harness from each lump. Remove the screw from each lump. 6. Starting in the front, grab the first lump and pull straight out. You might need to move around the large wiring harness while doing this. Once you get the lump moving, you will notice it has a long shaft underneith it. Just make sure not to damage the lump/coil-pack when removing it. Proceed to the remaining two coil-packs/lumps. 7. You should now be able to see down through the head and to the spark plugs. Use the appropriate spark-plug socket to remove them (14mm I think). The socket must have a rubber grommet inside to hold the plug as you pull it out. 8. The passenger side is essentially the same. 9. Reverse the process to install the new plugs. Just DONT DAMAGE the coil-packs. Also, keep everything clean. Fill the spark plug holes with clean towels if the plug is out. The last thing you want to do is drop a screw down that hole. You would seriously regret it. Hope this helps. It is really pretty simple and should only take a couple hours if you are taking your time. As for gap, I think the stock gap is 0.041-0.044", but I am not certain. Can we ask your skill level in mechanics? What is your location, someone maybe close who could offer help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 Skill level? The basics. It's not the plugs that I find daunting, it's that strut brace. To me that seems the sort of thing that might screw up the handling if I don't put it back properly. I'm in Blackpool. I know a few 'professionals' who could probably sort it out but I kind of like to attempt these things myself (otherwise, how do you learn?) until I reach my limits and concede it's time to call in someone who knows better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Follow the guide I posted for you, honestly its not that big a deal. We all need to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscopervis Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 The strut brace is obviously adjusted correctly if it's on now. Undo the 4 bolts each side and get it off. It has no option but to go back on correctly, just do up the 4 fixings each side. Spark plugs would be 10 times harder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 So after everything else failed I managed to get one of the spark plugs out (the far one on the left as you look straight at the engine, seemed the easiest, yeah right!) and the consensus is they need replacing. I'm pretty pi**ed off, the guy who last serviced it was supposed to have replaced them but clearly hasn't. He was a mate of a mate (has his own garage) which makes it even more infuriating. I might have a go replacing them myself, it's just a right pain. They could have at least made them a little more accessible rather than hiding them under all the wiring, etc. Ah well, it's a learning curve I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilscorp Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I managed to change mine without removing the strut brace but it was a pain! get a magnet on a stick if you can, I lost 2bolts in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Any tips on attempting it without moving the brace? I can get at them all (at least on the left side anyway), it just seems there's very little give with a lot of the wires. The little grey parts that plug into the side of the coil pack, can they be removed making it easier to pull out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny350z Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 I have removed the plugs, opinions: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Gaps look HUGE.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 If you've got them out you may as well change them no matter what the condition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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