Alex, as Sid and others have said "Check your grounds". This one comes up a
couple times a year on the list and I would be very surprised to hear if you
find that this is not the problem. There are three ground leads on the U-20
engine. Two on the passenger side, coming off the same bolt that holds the
ground from the Batt, one to the frame and one to the body of the voltage
reg. And 1 on the drivers side from the bottom mounting bolt of the starter
to the frame. Use heavy stranded wire for these connections, I made mine
with #10 stranded and soldered the connetors on. Scrape contact points clean
and use a "split lock washer".
-----Original Message-----
From: sidney raper [mailto:spl310@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2001 7:11 AM
To: aavery@rica.net; datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Weird electrical short burned throttle cable
Alex,
This is simple. The ground strap to the engine failed and the car was
grounding via the choke and throttle cables. Replace the ground strap and
the two cables and life will be good.
Sid
>From: Alex Avery <aavery@rica.net>
>Reply-To: Alex Avery <aavery@rica.net>
>To: "Roadster list" <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
>Subject: Weird electrical short burned throttle cable
>Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 09:50:21 -0400
>
>Ok, this may be the weirdest electrical problem I've run across.
>
>I'm a Z guy, but my pops has a '69 2000. Yesterday evening, he was out
>"enjoying the ride" when his throttle pedal started getting "soft" and the
>engine died down to idle.
>
>He pulled over onto the grass by the side of the road and when he got out,
>he noticed smoke emerging from around the sides of the hood. He popped the
>hood and saw what he thought were "wires" on fire! He put them out with
>his hankerchief and walked home and gave me a call. I drove over to tow
>the little bulldog (that's what I call it) home.
>
>When I looked at the "wires" he told me about, I realized they weren't
>wires at all--they were his throttle cable and one of the choke cables.
>The main throttle cable's plastic sheathing melted right off along the
>whole length of the metal cable (from the linkage on the intake back to the
>pivot arm on the firewall). I looks like the throttle cable is a
>replacement, as there is no metal sheathing on this cable as there is on
>the choke cables.
>
>On the choke cable, it's metal with a plastic cover over that. The plastic
>has boiled along the whole length of cable and this cable is now bonded to
>the other non-melted choke cable.
>
>So, what is happening? My hunch is that there is a huge short running
>through these cables and this is causing them to heat up, etc. But where
>is the juice coming from? Has this happened to anyone else?
>
>Help, I'm terrible with electrical problems and my father relies on me to
>keep his little beast going.
>Alex Avery
>Churchville, VA
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