well even though the Z is giving me problems good things still happen to lift my spirits. i was stopped at a light on my way to work and i hear someone yelling out "Hey!" i look over and it's a yard worker stopping to ask if my car was a 240 or 280. well after i told him it was a 280 he responded back with "cool you don't see many of those anymore, very cool very cool" of course i thanked the man and the Z tried to sound cool when the light turned green but could only muster a fast sputtering. well still made me feel good.

Yup ~ get used to that! These carz are great attention getters and everybody over 30 has a Z story! (And everybody UNDER 30 wants one!)

The sputtering makes me wonder if you set your valves correctly.
You have a sputter (like one cylinder not firing, or losing compression?), you have flashback thru the intake, and you had overheating problems?

And you recently reset your valve lash?

Have you pulled each sparkplug to zee if one looks like it's not firing?

well i noticed one of my spark plug wires was loose so i fixed it this morning but i don't get overheating she runs at perfect temp. i think it's other what Phil said ECU issue or my temporary egr block plate i made. the problem only really starts when the car is being driven awhile. when i started her this morning she was running fine then as i got to work it just got worse again. maybe a plug fouled out due to my lean mixture. but like i said smooth idle when cold. maybe a vacuum leak at the egr valve i sealed up? i have an exhaust leak at the y pipe which i plan to seal this weekend. well when i get it there you guys can take a look and get a better idea of what is going on. it will be awesome to meet a lot of the people who i have been talking to on here.

There is something about a Z that is approachable. I get a thumbs up or a question almost every time I drive it. People turn and stop to look. I love it when the younger folks ask their parents or myself what it is. They are learning history, not like it's taught in schools.

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-Dave
76Z Turbo'd
72 In Progress---DONE!

Everywhere I go in my Z, there is SOMEONE who talks to me about it. Without fail. Gas stations, parking lots, random people on the side of the road, doesn't matter. I even had some ~12 year old kid on a bicycle ask me if the whooshing sound my car made was nitrous. You'll have to get used to that, Zman.

Good idea Frank. I'd double check those valve adjustments you made, too. Did you do them while the engine was warm or cold? Did you torque the jam nuts back to spec? I'm lucky Clayton was there the first time I adjusted my valves. Even after reading it over multiple times I learned there are some techniques to learn about keeping the correct clearance while ensuring everything is tightened to the correct torque.

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-Chris