Can't Find That Small Yapping Dog
03-22-2016, 05:33 PM
#1
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Tucson, Arizona USA
Posts: 576
Can't Find That Small Yapping Dog
Hey folks,
Many of you have read the https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-...project-37922/ thread and you're already pretty with my car. Thanks for all the support, it has paid off! Last Saturday she won her class in a local car show! Among other cars, she beat a very nice Porsche 356, a 300ZX and a Corvette in the Classic Sport Compact class.
Anyway, on the way home I could have sworn that somewhere in all the portable seats, signs and cleaning paraphernalia in the back, somehow I'd packed up someone's small dog. You know the kind, fits in a purse and has to jump to bark?
Turns out that even with all that crap removed, the bark is still there. It isn't constant nor does it seem to be related to any particular speed (except it doesn't happen at a stop). There doesn't seem to be any difference if the road is rough or smooth, turning or straight either. I'd say for the most part it occurs once or twice a minute, sometimes a singleton, sometimes there are multiples.
To my ear in the driver's seat (LHD of course) the sound seems to come from somewhere on a line from my head to the right side rear strut tower. I can't really tell if it's high or low. I haven't yet had a passenger in the car to help me triangulate the source of the sound.
A little history ... this is a late-model 260Z. During its restoration all the struts were replaced and all the rubber bushings were replaced with polyurethane parts from Energy Suspension. I am aware that the poly parts need lubrication or they will squeak (bark?) and I was pretty **** about making sure all those bits were well lubed with the silicone lube provided in the kit.
My suspicions are still in the poly bushings. Back in that general area are the sway bar parts, the mustache bar bushings and the A-arm bushings.
So, has anyone had this happen and find the problem? I'm hoping for some experienced guidance to minimize the effort in finding the yapping dog.
Many of you have read the https://www.zdriver.com/forums/240z-...project-37922/ thread and you're already pretty with my car. Thanks for all the support, it has paid off! Last Saturday she won her class in a local car show! Among other cars, she beat a very nice Porsche 356, a 300ZX and a Corvette in the Classic Sport Compact class.
Anyway, on the way home I could have sworn that somewhere in all the portable seats, signs and cleaning paraphernalia in the back, somehow I'd packed up someone's small dog. You know the kind, fits in a purse and has to jump to bark?
Turns out that even with all that crap removed, the bark is still there. It isn't constant nor does it seem to be related to any particular speed (except it doesn't happen at a stop). There doesn't seem to be any difference if the road is rough or smooth, turning or straight either. I'd say for the most part it occurs once or twice a minute, sometimes a singleton, sometimes there are multiples.
To my ear in the driver's seat (LHD of course) the sound seems to come from somewhere on a line from my head to the right side rear strut tower. I can't really tell if it's high or low. I haven't yet had a passenger in the car to help me triangulate the source of the sound.
A little history ... this is a late-model 260Z. During its restoration all the struts were replaced and all the rubber bushings were replaced with polyurethane parts from Energy Suspension. I am aware that the poly parts need lubrication or they will squeak (bark?) and I was pretty **** about making sure all those bits were well lubed with the silicone lube provided in the kit.
My suspicions are still in the poly bushings. Back in that general area are the sway bar parts, the mustache bar bushings and the A-arm bushings.
So, has anyone had this happen and find the problem? I'm hoping for some experienced guidance to minimize the effort in finding the yapping dog.
Last edited by beg3yrs; 03-22-2016 at 05:36 PM.
03-22-2016, 07:41 PM
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Saskatoon, SK
Posts: 2,893
Mobil 1. Squeaks drove me nuts last year, had my rear end apart at least 5 times. Got some mobil 1 synthetic, and its smooth sailing. Wiggle your exhaust? Before you start taking things apart I guess, but mine was for sure A-arm bushings.
Last edited by Skully; 03-22-2016 at 07:53 PM.
03-22-2016, 09:58 PM
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Tucson, Arizona USA
Posts: 576
Anyone else???
04-02-2016, 04:41 PM
#4
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Tucson, Arizona USA
Posts: 576
The Little Dog is Quiet - Been replaced by something else.
Put the back end of the car on jacks today and dove underneath with a flashlight. Sure can get dusty under there ...
Anyway, I searched for the cause of the bark/squeak.
Exhaust and muffler got wiggled, nice and solid - don't think that's it.
All the bushings look like they've got plenty of lube - there's still some oozing at the edges. Couldn't get anything to squeak there either, at least by hand.
Drive shaft seemed solid too, no play to speak of.
Aha! One of the hold-up springs for the parking brake cable is dangling, not connected at one end. It's even on the side where I suspect the noise emanates. The cable and spring are so close to the half-shaft this could potentially be an issue. Reattached the spring and put a big rubber vacuum cap over the attach point - did this to both sides.
Noticed the brake line is sitting up against a fuel line. This is a point in the assembly where there should be no play ... but there is! Redid the rubber fasteners to eliminate the play, bent the lines a tad to keep them apart and stuck a rubber insulator in between the lines where they were rubbing.
Took a nice long test drive. Bumpy roads, curvy roads, high speed roads (got into triple digits ...) and no yap. I suppose the dog has gone elsewhere.
Bad news is that when I got home I turned off the ignition and OMG, the motor started pulsing. I could hear a flasher relay going and the motor would repeatedly fire and then not fire in time with the relay. I killed the motor by holding the brake firmly and letting out the clutch with the transmission in gear.
Still I could hear the flasher cycling. This was with the ignition off and key out of the ignition.
No lights were going on and off either.
It was the hazard flasher that was cycling. I pulled the flasher and everything stopped.
After an hour or so of sleuthing I've determined there's a short between the hazard wire (green - G) and the ignition wire (black with white stripe - BW). Problem is it is somewhere between the fuse box and the inside of the dash.
Pulling the flasher for now lets me drive normally. I don't really want to pull the dash and dig through the harness looking for a short so I may just abandon the existing green wire and replace it with a separate one.
It's time for adult refreshment here so no more car work today. If anyone has suggestions (on the wiring fix, not the beverage), I'd love to hear/read them.
Anyway, I searched for the cause of the bark/squeak.
Exhaust and muffler got wiggled, nice and solid - don't think that's it.
All the bushings look like they've got plenty of lube - there's still some oozing at the edges. Couldn't get anything to squeak there either, at least by hand.
Drive shaft seemed solid too, no play to speak of.
Aha! One of the hold-up springs for the parking brake cable is dangling, not connected at one end. It's even on the side where I suspect the noise emanates. The cable and spring are so close to the half-shaft this could potentially be an issue. Reattached the spring and put a big rubber vacuum cap over the attach point - did this to both sides.
Noticed the brake line is sitting up against a fuel line. This is a point in the assembly where there should be no play ... but there is! Redid the rubber fasteners to eliminate the play, bent the lines a tad to keep them apart and stuck a rubber insulator in between the lines where they were rubbing.
Took a nice long test drive. Bumpy roads, curvy roads, high speed roads (got into triple digits ...) and no yap. I suppose the dog has gone elsewhere.
Bad news is that when I got home I turned off the ignition and OMG, the motor started pulsing. I could hear a flasher relay going and the motor would repeatedly fire and then not fire in time with the relay. I killed the motor by holding the brake firmly and letting out the clutch with the transmission in gear.
Still I could hear the flasher cycling. This was with the ignition off and key out of the ignition.
No lights were going on and off either.
It was the hazard flasher that was cycling. I pulled the flasher and everything stopped.
After an hour or so of sleuthing I've determined there's a short between the hazard wire (green - G) and the ignition wire (black with white stripe - BW). Problem is it is somewhere between the fuse box and the inside of the dash.
Pulling the flasher for now lets me drive normally. I don't really want to pull the dash and dig through the harness looking for a short so I may just abandon the existing green wire and replace it with a separate one.
It's time for adult refreshment here so no more car work today. If anyone has suggestions (on the wiring fix, not the beverage), I'd love to hear/read them.
04-03-2016, 05:07 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Tucson, Arizona USA
Posts: 576
Solved
I'm sure glad I had a night to cogitate on this problem.
Decided I didn't have enough evidence to simply abandon a wire and replace it with another. Looking at the other dash I have and its harness I realized that the wire I suspected was well protected and shouldn't just go bad.
I then thought back to my engineering days looking for trouble. Most issues occur when two pieces come together (connectors, gaskets, etc) or the occur as moving parts just wear out.
Finally found it. The hazard switch in the console was shorting the hazard +12 to the turn signal's +12 which then fed back on the Ignition signal and into the coil.
Disassembled the switch, cleaned it up, tested, reassembled partially, tested, fully assembled and did final test. All OK.
Now, time for another adult beverage ...
Decided I didn't have enough evidence to simply abandon a wire and replace it with another. Looking at the other dash I have and its harness I realized that the wire I suspected was well protected and shouldn't just go bad.
I then thought back to my engineering days looking for trouble. Most issues occur when two pieces come together (connectors, gaskets, etc) or the occur as moving parts just wear out.
Finally found it. The hazard switch in the console was shorting the hazard +12 to the turn signal's +12 which then fed back on the Ignition signal and into the coil.
Disassembled the switch, cleaned it up, tested, reassembled partially, tested, fully assembled and did final test. All OK.
Now, time for another adult beverage ...
04-03-2016, 11:33 PM
#6
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Saskatoon, SK
Posts: 2,893
Very nice! Have you given it any thought as to upgrading to relays for ignition, headlights etc? I think there is a fella that makes amazing kits for these cars, saves the switches from running full power through. Soon I'll be able to be outside with a beverage as well, snows all gone. 
04-04-2016, 08:25 AM
#7
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Tucson, Arizona USA
Posts: 576
Very nice! Have you given it any thought as to upgrading to relays for ignition, headlights etc? I think there is a fella that makes amazing kits for these cars, saves the switches from running full power through. Soon I'll be able to be outside with a beverage as well, snows all gone.
Dave is a great guy. He worked with me on the headlight kit as the 260Z cars have some connectors that are difficult to obtain. We came to an agreement as I wasn't very worried about redoing wiring and he shipped me a kit sans-connectors.
Both kits went in without a hitch. If you're thinking about doing that, PM me and I'll provide his e-mail - no emails on the public forum as it's not nice to set up folks for spam...
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