Z32 motor requires rebuild

Discussion in 'Non Technical' started by Henk, Feb 29, 2016.

  1. Henk

    Henk Member

    Have owned a "90 300ZX for 12 mths. Have gradually worked at it & made it ready for rego. Has been off the road for 2-3 years.
    Motor ran OK, however it had a miss. Compression test revealed 3 cylinders were down to 80/90 and leaking thru exhaust valves.
    Local garage, where I went for the rego check,has taken the heads off, buggar of a job with the motor in the car.
    Would appear that #4 cylinder has a broken ring?? slight scratch on bore.
    Garage says that this rebuild rings,bearings,recondition heads & new valves could total a bill of $6k. Sounds a bit excessive.
    Is it possible to purchase a reconditioned motor (non turbo) Z32 and what sort of cost?
     
  2. Chrispy

    Chrispy Pretentious Upstart

    Price isn't too far off the mark. You will definitely get a NA engine and put it in for a lot less.
     
  3. Henk

    Henk Member

    Thanks for getting back Chrispy. Yes if I could locate another engine, however I have googled for info on reconditioned units and found nix.
    But then again I am no whiz on googling stuff.
     
  4. Chrispy

    Chrispy Pretentious Upstart

    Put a wanted add up here. Used to be able to get a decent running NA engine for $500-$1000. I sold a short block with heads for ~$300 a few years ago.
     
  5. Jamie

    Jamie Jamie The Hobbit

    Chuck a 20b into it or part it out IMO.
     
  6. East Coast Z

    East Coast Z Well-Known Member

    Good used Z32 motors are getting hard to come by these days.
    A rebuild would be a viable proposition if you can do the disassembly/reassembly yourself.
    If you can't, then expect to pay considerably more like the 6K figure.
    It may be worthwhile parting out the current vehicle & putting the 6K towards a replacement.
     
  7. SrAfciGeR

    SrAfciGeR Member

    Ran away from local garage if you can... They want your $$$ bed....
    Taking the heads off the NA is not that big deal at all... Reversal even easier if you do all deletes.
    Slight scratch on bore can appear from all sorts of reasons... Broken ring would do more damage than just a light scratch...
    Dependent of what is considered as a light scratch and amount of $$$ they wanna for re-assembly of the heads with "reset valve clearances" aka recondition heads.
    To summarize: If your scratch is "tolerable" or very fine. On cylinder 4 you will loose a bit on the compression but that won't be noticeable to you by any means... If re-assembly won't cost arm and leg do it.
    Else part it or sell it like that...
    For 6k you can buy another ride in good nick...
     
  8. rollin

    rollin First 9

    i could do a better deal if you were in brisbane
     
  9. Henk

    Henk Member

    Thanks fellas, all good advice/
    "Jamie" What is 20b "or part it out IOM" I am not conversant with the term.
    "East Coast Z" I would like to assist my local mechanic in doing re- assembly, but he doesn't really let me do "hands on". Cleaning parts is about all he lets me do.
    I've rebuilt Holden motors previously, but nothing as advanced as the Z32 motor.
    Rollin, I'm domiciled in Coolamon NSW which is near Wagga Wagga. O'wise I'd call on your expertise.
     
  10. MikeZ32

    MikeZ32 das Über member

    You can buy used NA motors on here for $500. I gave away mine for free to a mate.

    Swapping NA motors is quite easy. Cheaper and better option IMO than rebuilding.
     
  11. RedZedMikey

    RedZedMikey RZM should now be DZM

    A 20B is a Mazda triple rotor engine - which (personally) I would never put into a Z. Not the most helpful answer if $6K for a rebuild is too much.

    Part it out IMO means strip the car and sell all the parts off, IMO = in my (his) opinion.

    If you were to buy a recently reconditioned NA VG30 motor, it would likely still cost upwards of $5K if you could find one. If you just go for another motor of unknown condition, at least try to get a compression check so you don't end up back where you started.
     
  12. East Coast Z

    East Coast Z Well-Known Member

    If you can rebuild a Holden motor, you could rebuild a VG30.

    https://www.z1motorsports.com/z1-pr...imate-vg30dett-engine-rebuild-kit-p-2833.html

    The cheapest option would be to purchase a used engine rather than rebuild the one you have.
    If you do decide to purchase a used engine an engine compression test, as Mikey suggested, is mandatory.
    It would be preferable to hear the engine running prior to purchase, but this is not always possible.
     
  13. Henk

    Henk Member

    RedZedMickey, Thanks for the translation.If I spend long enough on the site, guess I'll pick up the lingo.
    I agree, at least have the compression tested. Thanks
     

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