Whalefish

Bump.

So I've got an '84 720 4x4 that's been accumulating dust in the barn for the last 3 months, waiting for me to finally find time to work on it. I'm running a small farm and working another full time job and have been completely devoid of free time to work on it. I keep telling myself I'll put aside a weekend to work on it, but I'm coming to realize that won't happen until the winter. I bought it knowing well that I would need to learn how to work on it, but as of now I haven't accumulated all the tools I need. I'm tired of feeling guilty about not dealing with it and would be willing to pay someone to fix it (or at least as much as I can afford). I know there is a pretty large Datsun scene in the Vancouver and Portland area, does anyone know of a reliable mechanic shop or home mechanic that is familiar with these older trucks and would have time to work on one? Here is a list of what I think is wrong with it/symptoms in order what I think is the right priority of getting fixed: 1: Rattling/tapping sound coming from timing chain/head area...mechanic thought it was the timing chain and recommended a timing kit. The previous owner supposedly had the timing chain done when he replaced the head last year. There is a crack that was patched with JD weld towards the bottom of the timing case. I honestly don't know if it needs a timing kit, but it would be great to get a second opinion. 2: Might have overheated the engine? Was driving on the freeway at 65mph when the engine started to sputter, pulled off the road and the engine compartment seemed pretty hot. Pulled the filter off and looked into the carb and there was a little steam coming out. The engine continued to sputter at idle but didn't die, sputtering would stop at higher rpms. No obvious water in the oil. The temp gauge never climbed above normal range. I was able to drive it the 30 miles home without any trouble, but now I'm worried. I haven't driven it except short distances since this happened about 3 months ago, and haven't felt the sputter on those trips. 3: Burns oil. Smokey after starting engine cold, especially in winter. Smoke is greyish white, doesn't smell sweet. Stops smoking after 5 minutes or shortly after running it down the road. I seem to be adding about a quart a month. 4. Front end/suspension issues. Front left CV axle needs replacing, as does the right outer tie rod and pitman arm. Needs new right lower ball joint, and front upper and lower control arm bushings. (According to a mechanic that inspected it). The truck pulls pretty hard to the right when braking, probably because of these issues. 5. Stock Carb issues. The idle when cold is around 2500-3000 rpm which is expected, but for some reason does not reliably return to 900 rpm after it's warmed up. Often it will continue to idle between 1500 and 2000 rpm. I've adjusted the idle screw but this doesn't seem to help. The butterfly valve in the carb will sometimes be partially closed even when warm. I would be super grateful if anyone could steer me in the right direction. I love this little truck, and it was running great for a while. I'm not trying to get it to show quality or anything, but somewhere between reliable and safe. I'm hoping this winter I can slowly learn to work on this truck and acquire the tools I need. Thanks!

I'm gonna bump this, just about to order the timing kit and cover, and no idea what I'm getting myself into.

Thanks GGZilla, do you have a link to the video?

I found out today that I've got some trouble with my timing chain, and a cracked timing chain case. This truck is new to me and I had figured the clicking noise was the valve lash needing adjustment, but apparently not. Has anyone done this procedure before? I'm going to grab the Haynes manual soon, but I'm curious how complex this process is for someone without a ton of experience. I'm definintely excited to learn, and I'm not excited to pay the mechanic the $1300 he quoted me. I'm also curious how hard these parts are to find, especially the chain cover. I live in the Vancouver, WA area (Ridgefield), and would totally be up for providing food and beer if anyone wants to lend a hand. I don't have a lift, but I could get some of those drive up ramp block thingies if that would make the process easier. If anyone has any info on this, I'm all ears. I'm super excited about learning how to work on the truck, even though it's a bit of a jalopy. -Matt

Hey guys, thanks for all the enthusiasm. I still haven't found a reliable mechanic in the area, although I did find one to give the truck a 50 point inspection... And they found a whole bunch of crap, mostly front end issues (cv, bushings, etc), but also that I have a problem with my timing chain and a cracked timing chian case. They want $1300 to replace them. I nearly shit a brick. So I figured this would be a great time to learn about my truck, and with a little help so I don't totally screw it up. Anyone in the area still interested in mead/beer/etc? Anyone replaced a timing chain kit? Cover? On a 720/Z24 engine? I'm going to put this up as a separate post but I thought I'd ask yall first!

Thanks for all the responses. I'm chasing down the receipt for the alternator, but in the meantime, I checked the voltages leading to the alternator. All wires we're reading 12.2. volts. The choke relay problem makes sense, I've noticed that the idle has been high since this issue started last week. I'm going to have the alternator checked at oreillys shortly.

And just for reference, this black box is located just below the glove box behind the plastic panel.

Thanks for the response Mike. This alternator is from oreillys, not sure about the fate of the original alternator. An interesting development with the problem today. The truck ran fine for most of the day, alternator charging at 14v. Towards the end of the day the battery light started flickering and the voltmeter dropped to 12 at the same time. My passenger noticed a buzzing sound coming from a small black box with a bunch of wires coming in and out of it. It was like an electrical short kind of buzzing, and coincided exactly with the battery light coming on, the voltage dropping, and the engine lurching, and if at low rpm, the engine stalling. If I revved the engine in neutral, the light would go off... So what the heck is going on? I'm guessing an electrical short, but there were no obvious frayed wires when I looked...I'll look closer tomorrow. Any ideas? Matt

Howdy folks. I've got an 84 720 4x4 that has an electical or alternator issue I think. The other day the battery light popped on and the truck lurched a bit. The voltage dropped to 12, and the battery light went on. At idle the truck died, but with some revving the light would click back off and the voltage bumped back up to 14ish. This happens a few times over 2 days, and now will not stop. I checked the battery, all good. Wires leading to the alternator seem to read 12v. I tried running the truck with the alternator plug disconnected and it ran fine, albeit at 12v. While running I reconnected the plug and immediately the truck died. Any ideas? Is there a short somewhere? The alternator is only a few months old, is be surprised if it's that. Thanks in advance! Matt

Haha ok now I know where not to go! Anyone got some more ideas? ..and yeah I live in Ridgefield, south of town on the east side of I5.

Hi there, first time posting on the forum. I've just purchased a 1984 Datsun/Nissan 720 4x4 KC, only a couple weeks ago, from a guy south of Portland. The truck has had some work done on it, but I'd like to have a mechanic or someone who really knows these trucks to give it a thorough evaluation. I'd like to know what needs to be done in the near and distant future. Anyone know of a good mechanic in the Vancouver, WA area? While I knew that when I bought the truck I would start learning how to fix it, I'd like to get a baseline assessment first. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to being an active member of this community! -Matt