Back on the road with a Z.....

[Ektor]

Like a lot of you know already, I lost my car due to the economical clusterfuk that we have going on... Well I am back on the road with a Z31... for those who dont know its a '85 300zx turbo...

the car is in less than fair conditions... although i cant see it was beat on, it just looks like it wasnt taken care of... the guy i bought it from did a major overhaul in the engine bay... today i just fixed the power steering pump, and all theres left now to be 100% daily drivable is the alternator... right now the battery is not being charged at all... the weird thing is that the alternator looks fairly new (very new actually) but its not working... i need to get under the car and see what the F is going on....

needless to say i have very littl knowledge about the VG30ET, but im all about learning and every night i read tons of info about it.. i know there are a few of you that know about nissans so help is always welcome!

some pictures...

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs168.snc1/6288_519545180966_83503795_30747149_888430_n.jpg

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs168.snc1/6288_519545161006_83503795_30747148_5934276_n.jpg

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs188.snc1/6288_519545136056_83503795_30747147_5992187_n.jpg


My goals with it is a fun reliable daily driver... my stuff to fix/to do are:

URGENT
Alternator
fix nasty exhaust leak coming from the crossover pipe (i think thats the name)
steering wheel is mayorly fubar'd
brakes
tune

Mid/long term plans
gauges (boost, oil, etc)
fix the a/c (dont know whats wrong, but its VERY wrong)
paintjob
rims
lowering



that pretty much sums it all... as it is the car run alright and idles less than ok.. im sure it is because of the manifold cross over pipe leak... alternator and hopefully that pipe will be fixed by thursday the latest

wish me luck! any advice/help is welcomed

[StealthWyvern]

hey wb man! I hear those old things are a blast to drive and cheap to work on. You might want to check out 300zxclub.com (I think thats it anyways)

Edit: You can get them to look pretty sharp to!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e391/Eplatinump06/TheZ2.jpg

[reyan]

good luck with all your repairs man.

[bluestreak6]

Z31s r SUPPOSED 2 look beat up imo. well everyone i've seen has been beat up lookin but ran like hell. Could just b a nissan sleeper thing since not too many ppl know the potential of those. I'd say keep body as is and just fix wut needs be (excluding the steering wheel) and go make sum ppl do double takes :)

[zoom zoom maz6]

fun pick up. the 85 had a T25 still not the T3 that came on the later models IIRC........ maybe Im ass backwards.....

VGs are eh, but they are fun cars. I love 80s nissan interiors. which rear wheels are those?

working on them isnt a treat, but they are fun cars and pretty cheap and easy to find parts for.

w/e you do please keep the flat black paint away from it ;)

PS whats wrong with the AC? Sounds like the battery may have a dead cell....... not the alternator. take them to advance and have both checked.

"cross over pipe"? there should be an exhaust manifold, down pipe, cat(test pipe?), and CBE..... not sure where your issue is...

have a bunch of parts laying around if you need things.......

[Ektor]

well what i mean is the pipe that connects the 3 cylinders from one side if the engine to the other side where the turbo is... ill try to take some pictures to show the part... i cant find it around cause i dont know the name so all my searches are failing...

i believe it does have the t3... or at least thats what my research have taught me... might be wrong

idk what wheels are those in the back... im not a fan of them at all so i havent even looked at them closely

today we buffed a corner with a bit of rubbing compound and to my surprise it came out flawless.... a bit dull, but its that satin finish i love... the paint is in really good conditions, its just really oxidized.. again, nobody took care of it at all...

the ac, well right now the compressor doesnt have the belt cause it was making a "weird noise" and the guy took it off... i turned the ac on to see if it blows, but it just does a loud hum, i hear air rushing but not exiting thru any vent, and the car shakes like a vibrator when its on... it looks and sounds mega fubard

the interior is ok, again, not taken care of at all... i know theres an electrical problem cause sometimes when i brake or when i use the blinkers all the lights on the dash would blick too, so thats another weekend project... doesnt bother me tho... oh! and the speedo is not working...

all in all i just want to fix the urgent stuff so i can feel relaxed with the car... i really wish the ac would be easy to fix.. im getting to work with swampy ass and thats not good lolz

[zoom zoom maz6]

it is a SOHC...... I though all the exhaust runners would be on the same side? forgot it is still a V6........ see what happens when I try to think after midnight....

it should a long tube header I would THINK, but finding anythinng for a Z31 these days is going to be fun. I have enough trouble with a 20 year old nissan motor......

the rough idle is the IACV needing cleaning(most likely)...

put the belt on, the AC system likely needs to be blown out. Most shops are offering a free "diagnostic"....... might as well take advantage and then fix w/e they say needs fixing by yourself. may just need a new compressor....

find the speed sensor on the trans, unplug, clean, and replug in. should fix your speedo not working. otherwise it could be in the wiring or needing a new sensor.

btw, should replace the fuel filters and air filter at a very minium. dont forget the fuel filter IN tank....

[bluestreak6]

the car shakes like a vibrator when its on...
lmao i've been told that about my car


dont forget the fuel filter IN tank....
thought that wuz a part of the pump......

Hey hector my bro has a walbro 255 he may sell if ya want it.

[Ektor]

Well really all i want is a stockish (lol) car that is fun to drive.. with the age i know that it is going to be an somewhat unreliable car, but not expensive at all... w
i fixed the "alternator" problem.. it was actually a fubard cable coming from the alternator... now the effing belt squeaks like a mofo... new belt of anti-squeak liquid?

i hear that these cars are r12, and have to be converted to r134a....? if so id have to do that first (if its not done yet... how would i know?)...

I have pics of that pipe on my pjone, will upload them later, but its a tube thats about 2 feet long with a flex part in the middle... that is leaking like a b!tch and making the turbo run on 3 cylinders...

With the alternator working properly the idle improved a lot! it also idles a bit lower in the rpms... but squeaks like a pig...

the air filter is an autozone one, doesnt have the stock box.. i need to do something about it cause it keeps on popping out... i guess i need to drop the tank to do the fuel filter...dang it and i just filled it up lol...

What is/Where is the iacv and the speed sensor?

thanks for the help flip! i gotta make a trip over so you can take a look at it :)

[bluestreak6]

i personally WOULDN'T convert from R12 to R134s. R12 is a lot better at dissipating heat but is "bad for the environment" like every other thing on a vehicle. dropping the tank isn't neccessary for the filter is it? i mean u can get to the pump from ur trunk-like area no problem but again i'm not 100% sure about the placement of the filter

[Ektor]

true, but is it available to get (r12)?

you are right just found in the forums that theres a lil compartment to get to it...

[zoom zoom maz6]

true, but is it available to get (r12)?

you are right just found in the forums that theres a lil compartment to get to it...

it was like 200 bucks last time charged the 240 with R12. like 3 places in town still have the certs to even have the stuff.

[zoom zoom maz6]

Well really all i want is a stockish (lol) car that is fun to drive.. with the age i know that it is going to be an somewhat unreliable car, but not expensive at all... w
i fixed the "alternator" problem.. it was actually a fubard cable coming from the alternator... now the effing belt squeaks like a mofo... new belt of anti-squeak liquid?

i hear that these cars are r12, and have to be converted to r134a....? if so id have to do that first (if its not done yet... how would i know?)...

I have pics of that pipe on my pjone, will upload them later, but its a tube thats about 2 feet long with a flex part in the middle... that is leaking like a b!tch and making the turbo run on 3 cylinders...

With the alternator working properly the idle improved a lot! it also idles a bit lower in the rpms... but squeaks like a pig...

the air filter is an autozone one, doesnt have the stock box.. i need to do something about it cause it keeps on popping out... i guess i need to drop the tank to do the fuel filter...dang it and i just filled it up lol...

What is/Where is the iacv and the speed sensor?

thanks for the help flip! i gotta make a trip over so you can take a look at it :)


the speed sesnsor should be pluged into the bellhousing on the trans. it should have 2 wires(IIRC) come from there up into the engine bay. This is what tells the ECU and speedo what speed the car is at.

what kind of air filter is it? how does it pop out? never heard of anything like that.

the IACV should be on the intake manifold somewhere.......

if the belt is squeaking........ either the belt is too loose or too tight. A new belt is your best bet(as god only knows how old it is), but just playing with the tensioner should get rid of the noise.

[im-speedin]

nice. good luck with the ride bro.