In January this year i got my black 1990 j-spec tt back from the garage. It was a 100k service, but the whole engine was pulled out because I knew a head gasket had gone, warping the head. So I had that all done. Price was $5k, then I had to go back again for another $300 to get the radiator recored after the build because of all the things that are unsettled and come loose during the minor rebuild. All this I am OK with, except maybe the $$$, but I figured; you don't get any hack to work on this car so the mechanic was good,( recommended to me on this very site by a member when I asked, and under scrutiny, he certainly seemed to know his zx's ), and let's face it: this is an imported performance car, and i couldn't fix this car myself so I knew all along that this would be an expensive car to keep. I got it back and it's running well. I keep to the city, at the most travelling 100kms in one go. 8 months and 3800k's later, it's Father's day, and for the first time since the rebuild I take it back to the country to visit the parents, some 250kms away. I check fluids before leaving, then drive to the country over the next two hours, maybe going 140kms at the most. I arrive home without incident, and the next day begin the return journey. One and a half hours later, going through rolling hills, I hear a metallic rattling noise from up front apon acceleration. Heat and oil gauges read normal, but I'm paranoid so I start looking for a good place to to pull over. A few minute's later I start to lose power ,so I quickly begin to pull over to the shoulder. At 20km/h she stalls, and so does my pulse. There is steam rising from underneath the bonnet, and under the lid i find the radiator cap is missing. i can smell something like burnt oil too. when I try to start it to put water in, there's just a whining but no actual compression. Time to call for a tow. Waiting for it, i find the cap in the engine bay, it looks fine and still fits. I did put it on tight the day before, it always takes a bit of effort. I got home and now she sits in my shed, and I'm thinking the worst. i called the mechanic and he can look at it in a week for me. So, I can't figure how the cap might have come off. If it was never placed properly the morning i left, it took a long time to show any symptoms. She wasn't steaming when I arrived at my parents, the day before after a long drive over rough highway. And i definitely suspect my temp gauge of being faulty, surely the car getting so hot should have registered at some stage. That's my sad tale, and I guess only someone who owns a zed knows what a love/hate relationship it can be.
Pain What can I say mate, I feel your pain. That is shit luck.....hope the final verdict is not as bad as you will no doubt be thinking!
Two things......>> That all zed owners need to be aware of but never seem to find out until it is too late. One The factory temp gauge is like the gauge in most modern cars. It will read normal from 68 degrees through to 104 degrees. It is like this so the owner doesn't panic the moment the needle rises and rush to the dealer. Ford and Holden do the same. Unfortuneatley if you have a big coolant leak you could loose enough coolant to prevent the sensor from reading before it has even risen. Even if you do see it rise it means pull over now because things are already hot. Two The plastic radiator tanks are prone to wear around the cap neck, and combined with wear of the cap itself can either partially or completely pop off once pressure builds up. I'm going to have an educated guess here but I would say that a combination of the two points above could be your culprit.
Both Wykked's points backed up by me >>> My cap did the same thing, but didn't pop off completely. Whilst I haven't fixed the radiator issue yet, I am aware of it and monitor it constantly. One of these is in my future ... http://conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=563&Car_Type=300&UID= Hope things aren't as bad as they seem. I guess I was lucky to catch mine when I did. A gas analysis of the coolant revealed no nasties, but I developed a heart murmur I'm sure. My car didn't steam either, and definitely had the hot coolant smell. The gauge had just zoomed up to the red when I stopped and pulled over. One dead set giveaway which has happened since is the thermo fan running when there should be no need.
The factory thermostat.....>> Opens at 78.5 degrees (from memory) so most cars should run around the 80 to 82 degree mark.
