Hey all, new member here with only a few posts but I've had my 90 NA for about 3 years now... nothing but trouble the whole time really and for the past 12 months its been sitting in the garage not running... now my tough decision is what to do, im buying a daily driver and dont have room or time or money to work on the z so i really need to get rid of it, ive also got several brand new parts as well as a conzult unit... im not really sure where to go or what to do, i could take the car to a mechanic and get it running and sell it, or sell it as is with no roadworthy no reg and all the parts, or part it out? ive honestly got no idea... ive kept the car this long thinking i would work on it but in reality its already cost me around the 30 grand mark and its still a pain in the ass to me... (shoulda bought a TT when i had the money instead!!) facts on the car: almost at 200,000ks, 1990 manual NA 2+2 cherry red pearl (thats the burgandy colour right??). near new OEM tailshaft and centerbearing (3 months to import it from japan! haha), unifilter pod type airfilter, clear front corner indicators, clear side indicators still in pack, interior is in ok condition but drivers seat is FUBAR, front and rear bars need repaint which im also tossing up getting done (no use if i part the car out)... engine wont run, and if it did it runs rough, lower compression on one cyl. could be a valve burnt or just stuck not sure, runs ok when its warm (last time it ran anyways). 18" DTM chrome 6 spoke wheels, 2 brand spanking new tyres sitting in the shed, the 4 on the car are fairly new as well. front adjustable camber kit. brans spanking new floor mats and 350z pedals as well. the issue with it not starting was first only hard to start once cold, when it was warm it would start no worries, but it started getting harder and harder to start, until it just wouldnt start... checked and theres spark and fuel (reeks of petrol after cranking for a while) already put new plugs in and turned the car over with no petrol so it wouldnt foul the plugs or wash the cyl. walls down with petrol but still a no go... so anyways, if theres anyone with some ideas of what to do or some tips hit me, and if anyone in melbourne is interested in looking at it let me know too... im kinda at the end of my Z rope if i do sell it have no fear, one day i will be buying a TT, but thats a few years down the track when ive got the income to support one sorry for the long post but thats about all i can think of... any other questions or comments let me know! cheers, stu (zxhoon)
Could be your PTU or a million other things. Claymen was having a similar problem as where I. I fixed mine but cleaning and tightening the PTU connections. Keep it mate and fix it up. Won't get jack all for a non-working zed...:zlove:
yeah its got spark though and ive been through and cleaned the connectors... hence im stumped haha... i know i wont get much for it, but as its been sitting so long and ive already spent so much on it and the engines not that good it still needs $$ and i think the car just needs to be put to rest plus id love a TT down the track instead and i dont have time or funds for a swap haha i wish!! thanks for the reply
buy an running na engine and drop it in,then sell it if you still want to sell her.... a na motor is worth about $500 or something like that,painting 2 bumpers is optional at about $750 or so,but youll get heaps more for it in one piece than in parts cause its na.....
if i could get an engine for that i would but last time i checked they were about 1500 still... id need a hand installing an engine too, ive never really done much stuff on cars but ive got a heap of tools and stuff, just need an engine crane i guess... i was quoted 3 grand all up for engine gearbox and fitted by my mechanic which i thought was ok since getting the heads re done was the same on its own! and thanks for the reply
dont worry about buying a daily driver.. buy a tt engine and get it fitted.. it cost me 5k fitted inc, gearbox, engine, ecu etc... the zed is a great daily driver and good on fuel if she is running sweet. im 19 and my zed has been my daily driver for a year and a half + i was learning on it in my l's. I dont see why people cant use the zed as a daily driver.. unless you have a family and you have a 2 seater? my 2+2 seats me and 3 other people my age and height (im about 6 foot) comfortablyish in the back. i hope you decide to do an engine swap and keep the z also have you checked your wiring loom? my olds man's z used to run on 5 sometiems 4 cylinders.. was due to a stuffed up wiring loomwhen you wiggle it around a bit it will fix.. but then stuff up again.. wouldnt idle properly on cold start.. all fixed now hopefully it is something as small as that
i have an NA engine just sitting in my garage after my swap. 120XXX km's hasnt been run in about 6 months though and there is a few small things missing like power steering pump and a couple of coilpacks. will sell for ya $300 pick up. pm me if interested
haha oh i wish, but yeah at 25 im on the edge of starting a family i think?!?!?! (kids might ruin my dreams of a TT one day lol) ive got a 2+2 and theres no way anyone fits in the back when im driving, im 6'5 so yeah, bit tall but still greatest car for legroom! i used the Z as a daily driver when it was on the road, was always great and i never regret a dollar i spent on it (for now) but the urge to plant that right foot is why its no good as a DD for me, i tend to suck a tank of petrol down in under 350ks and thats not so good haha i tried moving the loom and testing things when its started playing up but couldnt find anything... im fairly good with electronics/electrical stuff since its my job... but yeah, since it sparks and has fuel im stumped... never know, as i said this is a decision i have to make so thats why i posted... thanks for the reply hope i get it running too!
hmm i dunno mate, ill keep thinking about and thanks for the offer, its another thing to consider (im pulling my hair out now haha) cheers
$1500 way to much... never pay that unless its been rebuilt.... supply and demand is the key here,there are lots of na zed engines for sale by comparison to tt's,but nobody really wnats the na so they do sell cheaply...... keep looking youll get there ps the vh45 is another cheap engine between $1000 - $2000 and is a 4.5 ltr quad cam v8.....and it fits with a little work....want something different then thats worth a thought..... good luck in whatever you decide to pursue
Depends On how you have been looking after the car. Clear indicators, 350z pedals and 18" wheels are not going to do anything for the condition of the car. Your main problem sounds to be the engine. Has it been serviced and had an oil change at least every 10K. Has it had the timing belt changed ever ? It is due for the second one. If it has not been looked after, $500 is not going to get you a new engine. Fix/rebuild your old one ($500-$5000), or get a replacement one for $1200, do the timing belt at $2000 (parts and labour) and another grand or so more to put it in. Get a Z specialist to trouble shoot it. Could be a few minor problems that together seem huge (which is what it sound like). Fix them one by one and you could have a great car. With the Z, you MUST keep on top of any engine problems or face BIG rebuild costs. Fix any problem, regardless on how minor. Unless the engine's running properly, doesn't matter what the bumpers look like, or even if they are there or not. Spend your money on engine, brakes, suspension, tyres, and if anything is left after that you paint your bumpers.
its up to you.. i was planning on chucking it out soon after no luck selling it.. its just eating away garage space.. feel free to come down and look if thats what you want
Topher, I'll take it I'll take the NA engine off you for $300 if we can find a way to ship it up to Sydney for half that or less. I'd love an engine I can pull apart and slowly rebuild in my own time. (Don't need it at the moment, but you never know) I did an L28 for the 280ZX last year an it was great fun. Once you have rebuilt an engine, it takes all the fear away. You know exactly what's in there and how it works. I must admit I'm stilll a bit intimidated by the VG30, but give me an L28 or a MGB engine, and I'll pull it apart in no time.
all good points thanks mate, will keep it all in mind as well... been plenty of good replys so far thanks everyone starting to sway me back towards keeping her haha but i want a TT
yeah all good points, i will admit the car has copped a fair flogging by me but the failures it had werent due to that, had a blocked injector that i didnt realise was anything more than a rough idle, mechanic fixed it but the rough idle never went away and got worse, that was the compression dropping on one cyl. hence i think the valve is burnt, i forgot to mention that in my first post sorry had a lot running through my mind! when i got the car with 165,000ks on the clock the first thing i did was get a full 60,000k service done, timing belt, all fluids, filters, everything was done on it, alas not long after the injector blocked, which left me feeling a bit dark at the mechanic i had been seeing, i figured when he changed (IF he even did) the fuel filter he might have gotten something in the line that blocked the injector... the car was regularly serviced after that until the engine started to get worse where i decided i was going to get another engine fitted... so i let the one in it go, ive only clocked up about 40,000ks on the engine since i got it and its been serviced at least every 10,000ks more like ever 5, so yeah, its probably got about 10,000 on it since the last service now... i know all the bling crud does nothing for the car and most of that i bought when i first got it (young and stupid!!) i was just mentioning it so people know ive got a few extras to sell, information to help make my decision i guess... i thought about rebuilding the engine thats in it, but if the headwork alone is 3 grand (reliable Z mechanic) then the bottom end still will need work sometime... after all its a high k engine now... another thought i had was i could get another engine and put the timing belt and pump and belts and all that stuff thats good into it... once i get the daily driver (this week sometime) ill be going back to work from xmas hols next monday and earning a crust again, after ive saved a bit ill be getting a tow truck to take it down to my mechanic in bulleen so they can have a look at it... but im also kinda tired of spending so much on this car, it was obviously mistreated a lot before i got my hands on it (i stupidly bought it not really checking the car out at the time - again young and stupid) and that shows, servicing is a BIG thing with these cars, another thing ive learned along the way... i just think this cars been a lemon from the time i got it and maybe its time for it to be put to rest? im not sure thanks for the tips and advice, ill talk to the mechanic in the coming weeks and see what they think... i just dont want to spend thousands more on a car thats fairly average and lose more... i bought it for 19 grand 3 years ago and have poured about another 15 into it in 3 years... shoulda got that mint TT i saw first hey? (although i might be wrapped around a pole by now if i had!) cheers
Well, If I was you which I aint of course, I would get the daily driver, and in my own time pull the engine out and start rebuilding it myself. Without the pressure of having to get it back on the road quickly, you can take your time and learn all about engines. Get friendly with the local engine shop guys. Do lots of research and wait for good opportunities. After many years of experience, I have this theory on car maintenance. If you spend money on proper preventative maintenace and fix all problems as soon as they appear the car will last forever. If you try to save even a single dollar, it will come back to bite you hard. For some reason, I always seem to need a spare car or two. A couple of weeks ago, when the ZED was in for a timing belt change, the 280ZX has a smashed windscreen and the Soarer had a collapsed air strut, we were down to 2 cars, and I had to take the TRAIN ! With a ZED, or any other 15-20 year old performance car, you will always have to allow for high maintenance costs and a few days of non service every month. If you don't want to learn,have the time to spare or want to spend the money to get it right, get rid of it and buy a Corolla. You may still have to take the train, but only when it's in for routine service.
Hey mate, if you decide to part it out i will buy the clear side indicators & 350Z pedals off you. Maybe this will give you a little extra $ to help with your current problem.
yeah ive been thinking of doing that as well, but its been sitting for 12 months now and i never seem to get time to touch the thing hence im thinking it would be better to buy another down the track when ive got the time and money for one... mind you its the toughest decision ive had to make, getting rid of this car will hurt a lot god i hate public transport, ive been lucky to have the mrs car to drive since she has a work car as well, but once i get my DD she will be selling that, but thats cool, the DD is a falcon and has been very well looked after, so should keep going for a long time (ill be looking after it too) thanks again for the input, its making things clearer to me
