hey guys. new to the site but am going to buy a 89 300zx 2+2 twin turbo manual with leather tomorrow as long as the bank approves me which they are pending at the moment. anyway my question is, there is a water leak near the back of the engine bay on the passenger side and was wondering what this would be? due to the standard intercooler piping i cant see down to where the leak is coming from.but am very keen to get the car. any help would be very helpful. cheers stuart.
It sounds like one of the turbo cooling lines , the one that goes from the hard water pipes at back of the motor down to the passenger side turbo. Easiest way to get at it is probably take off the plenum and change/bypass all the hoses at the same time.
Plenum Pull Required. Hi Stewari, Well... Looks like you will have to have completed, at a minimum: Plenum Pull Plenum water pipe(s) bypass replacement PVC hose kit 100 000km service (Read Timing Belt + + +) Have any of these things been replaced at any earlier time? Do you have any service records for the vehicle? My first initial gut guess would be the bastard hose under the plenum which always leaks and is difficult to get to and rather time consuming. I have replaced mine. Do a search on "bastard hose" and "plenum pull" will get you heaps of info to research up on.
Most likely just a turbo coolant line, no big deal if it is changed before total failure. Search for plenum pull or bypass, heaps of info to do it yourself. Recommend a compression check and taking the car for an extended drive before you put the cash down, just to make sure all is good.
ok next question who want to help me do it lol. in canberra by some merical that some one does want to give me a hand. and this is the most anying thing i asked a friend and he said they were only oil cooled so i erased that possiblility lol. ill try find some more imfo for you all. cheers again, stuart
Hi Stuart, Are you Northside or Southside? I could maybe drop in say hello and have a look if you like. Cheers, Peter
Ok, I'm southside. So you haven't bought the car yet. To fix the coolant leak, suggest you factor in about $900-1000 in parts for a 100k service kit and the plenum pull costs (100,000 kit is $700-800 alone). You will also need the plenum gasket, fuel hose, vacuum hose and coolant hoses. $1000 is probably reasonable in parts to fix the leak and make the car something of a known entity if it's the hose to the turbo that's the problem, and not just a simple heater hose. If a simple heater hose, and the rest of the car is good, then it will just be the cost of the hose - $50. If you service the fuel rail at the same time and the injectors are good then that will be an extra approx $200. If also paying for labour, add at least $1000 depending on what you get done (this is probably conservative). This could be a lot more. So, at least $2000 if it's the turbo coolant hose - this is probably a material amount in considering the over-all cost of the car. Cheers, Peter
Before you get too carried away replacing turbo coolant lines etc, check to make sure the water isn't coming from the the air conditioner condensation outlet, which is on the passenger side firewall. However, I'd still recommend doing a plenum pull and 100K service in the near furture if you're unsure if it hasn't already been done. Cheers, Troy
LMAO ARE YOU SERIOUS LOL, ok maybe not the most imformed person on 300zx's but dam man i aint that dum. it is a water leak either the water by pass or or turbo line. but thanks anyway , stuart
