New owner of a ‘86 d21

[MadRatSuun]

Howdy gang, 

 

new owner of a ‘86 d21. She has 140k on her and currently doesn’t start

 

i just did

 

spark plugs, spark plug wires, changed oil, coolant flush and drained gas tank and added fresh gas, battery and she won’t start

 

i was told to beware of the whole 1986.5 thing and to confirm the wiring goes to the correct port in the distributor cap..

 

so do I  consider it a 85 or a 87 when ordering parts?

 

It had a Weber carburetor in it and tbh I’ve never owned a car with a carburetor so I’m not sure if it’s a rebuild issue or is it the fuel pump but seems like a fuel issue but I am not sure 

 

any help or suggestions appreciated 

 

team ratsun 

😎🏴‍☠️

[datzenmike]

The earlier 720 ended production and the later D21 Hardbody began about halfway through the '86 model year.

 

Better look for the build date on the door jam. Bet it's an '86 720 which is easy to swap a Weber onto. You could look at the engine tag riveted to the passenger side inner fender just under the hood hinge.

 

 

Does it say 720 in the upper right?

What engine and transmission is listed

 

The D21 is all fuel injected with a crank angle sensor and would be a nightmare to convert to carburetor use. 

[MadRatSuun]

 

[MadRatSuun]

God damn I’m retarded and didn’t post the photo 

 

 

but it looks like a different tag than the one you posted 

 

Chassis #JN6ND16S4GWD12388

model KNLGD21FEU3

engine z24 (1) 2389 

trans axle FS571C HF37

plant W

[datzenmike]

9 minutes ago, MadRatSuun said:

 Chassis #JN6ND16S4GWD12388

model KNLG D21 FEU3

engine z24 (1) 2389 

 

 

Definitely a D21 Hardbody. So we have confirmed the truck model and year from the VIN as an '86 with 24i engine. (the small i after the Z24 signifies throttle body injection)

 

Now you said it has a carburetor so either an earlier 720 intake and carburetor, distributor and drive spindle and a low pressure fuel pump was put on or an entire Z24 from a 720 was swapped in.

 

You might confirm the engine size (if swapped could be a Z20 or Z22) by looking between the two pair of exhaust pipes at the flat boss on the top edge of the engine block directly below the #2 and #3 spark plugs...

 

[MadRatSuun]

It’s a z24

 

i just double checked the spark plug wires go to the correct position in the distributor cap 

 

recent so hinges I’ve done since I got her 

 

oil change / oil filter 

fuel filter / drained gas tank added a fresh gallon 

new battery 

spark plugs and wires 

power steering fluid

drained / flushed coolant 

waiting to do brake fluid til she runs 

 

after I did it he sparks I tried starting it and she cranked and then back fired 

 

so is it the fuel system?

 

im working on taking down the air filter to tweak the carburetor 

 

it has the Weber carburetor and I know to adjust the ratio screw (very carefully) as well as the idle screw also carefully 

 

any suggestions?

 

’86 Nissan d21 

z24 engine 

2wd 5 spd 

only has 140k on the chassis so she has to have life still haha 

 

Im so thankful You all are here haha glad to be a part of the RatSun gang

 

😎🤙🏾🏴‍☠️

[datzenmike]

Well a backfire is probably normal after sitting. With the air filter housing top off, is the choke on? 

 

This

 

Not this, or partly closed

[MadRatSuun]

It looks like it is open

[MadRatSuun]

My goal is to get her running by 7/20/2022 lol but in no rush just eager to drive it 

 

long fan of Nissan and my Grandmum had a old 510 n I always caught my eye 

[datzenmike]

1 hour ago, MadRatSuun said:

It looks like it is open

 

Pump the gas pedal once while watching the carburetor. The choke should snap closed if it has an electric choke. Perhaps it has a manual choke?

 

Try pumping the gas 3-4 more times then try to start.

[MadRatSuun]

Hmm so I took the air filter off and cleaned the Weber carburetor from the top lightly or as good as I could for the first time tweaking a carburetor ever

 

i sprayed a bit of starter fluid and then a combo of gas and starter fluid.. it cranked and I got excited so I tried the same thing a bit more (3/4 times max) 

 

then it wouldn’t even crank? 
 

battery still turns lights and stereo on etc but no crank

 

starter? Or fuel issue?

[MadRatSuun]

The butterfly is black and I cleaned it back to the gold ish color it comes as new 

 

   But the butterfly is so crusty and has a hard time moving from open to close 

 

 

[datzenmike]

Battery may need recharging.

[MadRatSuun]

Just bought a brand new battery a week or two ago

 

 

i already reviewed the battery issue thread and plan to look at that tomorrow also 

[MadRatSuun]

So I cleaned the carburetor but I think it may need to be cleaned more thoroughly or rebuilt 

 

I tried starting it from the carb but now it won’t crank. I got a new battery less than 2 weeks ago so something must be pulling from it

 

 

i basically am thinking I need to go through it with a multi meter and see where it is drawing 

 

I need to find out how to save the battery when she is sitting and not running

[MadRatSuun]

Pretty sure it needs a new carburetor rebuilt or a new one

 

the butterfly shoot doesn’t react when I pull the throttle body 

 

I can hear fuel getting sent into it when I do pull the throttle body

 

it cranked and back fired the day I changed sparks and wires

 

so…. I think it’s the carburetor I tried resetting the idle pin as well as resetting the ratio mixture screw but the butterfly is stuck open 

 

the carburetor clearly has had a lot of backfires as it is covered in carbon /grime 

 

ive never dealt with a carburetor But I’m getting more comfortable (ish) 

 

so I think 

 

carburetor/ fuel pump / electrical 

 

any suggestions are fully appreciated 

 

MadRatSuun 😎👍🏾🏴‍☠️

[datzenmike]

On 6/4/2022 at 10:44 AM, MadRatSuun said:

 

 

I tried starting it from the carb but now it won’t crank. I got a new battery less than 2 weeks ago so something must be pulling from it

 

 

 

 

Starter does not turn the engine??? Battery low on charge or being new perhaps it's no good. Recharge the battery or have it recharged. If you have another vehicle and booster cables, connect it up and let the other car idle for 1/2 hour.

[MadRatSuun]

720 masters please check in 

 

new battery new spark plugs and wires, drained gas tank and added fresh gallon, replaced all fuses and main relays, I can hear the fuel tank humming when I turn the key to run, also when I pull the throttle body on the Weber carburetor and also hear fuel being squirted into carburetor, flushed coolant, 

 

now I get no crank just a click so would the next order of operations be 

 

starter?

carbuerator rebuild?

fuel pump?

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Ground from battery to engine block? Have you checked that? How is the power cable on the bot side of the battery?

 

If both cables are good, with good connections, the reasons for no-crank are limited. Most likely bad starter or starter solenoid. We are all assuming that you've tried jumping the battery from another car or a charger. I know you say "new battery" but I have a basic rule - assume nothing.

 

Gotta crank before it can run, so check that off the list first.