Hey guys. Just a quick question. What would you pay (if you were in the market for one) for a clean 88 Z31t with a vg30det install? I got offered one recently. Chasis has 170k but motor only has 40k. Really lookin good with DOHC Turbo istead of the crappy vg30et (crappy compared to vg30dett ) I bet it's way more reliable too. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. Open to opinions
You idiot! lol It's going to be no more reliable... Since it's a butchered Cali, it's only worth what you're willing to pay for it. 5k maybe? It depends on the rest of the condition of the car I guess. You've owned a Z31 for how long? And you're still completely ignorant about how good the VG30ET is, sad...
i was waiting for 300zxt to reply lol dude if your talking about the old niccs rb20det you've got to be kidding me, that things a big pile of shit.. whats it make.. 105kw or something? less now that its 22-23 yrs old lol go the vg30et
He's talking about the JDM DOHC single turbo VG30, they're used in alot of family sedans in Japan. The main problem I have with people talking down on the VG30ET is basically due to the majority of these people not knowing jack shit about it. Although DOHC is obviously "better" than SOHC, it's very subjective. For example $5,000 spent on a VG30ET will go alot further than $5,000 spent on the DETT. Labour costs alone will get you butt hurt if you're not doing the work yourself, take a timing belt job for example. What does it cost for this job to be done on the DETT? About $1,500 or so by a reputable shop i.e AMEC yeah? Well it's like $380 for the ET going by the mechanical times guide at their average hourly rate. Better also means more complicated, more time consuming to work on, more things to fail etc With that said, I love all VG's as they're one very stout engine when looked after properly. Sadly alot of ppl dont look after them properly though, or spend money on fluff and none on maintinence and then blame the car when something goes wrong.
I bought my old z31 for 5k 86 DET (i am pretty sure it was a det, dont flame 300zxt lol i cant remember!), chassy wasnt perfect, but after 20years neither am I. it had 230k on the clock with original engine. around 5k these days seems the going rate, though there has been a few older ones going for less around my area, and they had work done to them...
The Series I's are the most common that's why they're cheaper. The reason I say it wont be worth much with the engine swapped out is because it's no longer original. If the Z you used to have had the VG30DET from the factory, that's a 300ZR. The built plate woulda told ya, totally different story in that case. An original 300ZR is worth a bit...
I am no idiot, 300zxt. There is alot of shit wrong with my car, not to mention a now ****ed-up rear. I was mearly asking what would you pay for a Z31 DET. And of course you are to assume that it's a better engine, it has better hp figures and it's not as old. Also, of course there's more money spent of maintaining it, since it is more complicated. Don't get your knickers in a knot. I realise the possibilities with the VG30et, just not MY one lol. And I said correct me if I'm wrong, you don't have to sound like a dick about it.
Call the VG30ET crappy and I'll pounce on you! lol Anyway what's wrong with yours? So many people, newbies and experienced, really dont know shit about the VG30 in general. The VG30DET is just as old by the way. It was used from 1987 through to 1995 and is the predecessor to the DETT. But the VG30E was used later right up until 1999 in the Nissan Gloria in Japan. It was also used in Pathfinders and Maximas worldwide in the 90's, detuned of course. It's arguably the most reliable and versatile engine Nissan ever made to date. It wouldn't of been so widely used in Nissans line up if it wasn't...
Well, mine's an 88 cali with a 6/87 build date. Its got a stock vg30et except for the 3in full exhaust and pod, along with handling mods. i.e. springs etc. And the engine in the z31 det im talkin about is from a 93 or 94......leopard? I think he said? I don't know wat a leopard is! the car anyway Mines faalling apart. And no, ive loved it and maintained it since ive had it. It's just falling apart Examples: Leaking injectors (just fixed 3, overhauled the lot...well, the mechanic did anyway) Apparently the turbo is on its way out (explains alot) The exhaust is falling apart, a couple bolts are broken iin the headers (not IN, but u know wat i mean) The car is aesthetically in bad shape. And now smacked rear end of course. Deperately needs paint and the interior is falling apart, i.e. my arm rest thing, is falling off the door, and my passenger side door will only open from the outside Anyone interested :bash: Do you see my point zxt?
Ive just had a bad experience with the z31/vg30et. You pour your heart into a car and get shit in return
Hopefully he serviced them all, flow tested them all and replaced any that were cracked aswell as doing all of the connectors.. Alot of the time damaged injectors happen because someone was too rough with a screw driver taking off the c-clip. But sometimes they are just old and crack but 9/10 the only thing wrong is leaking EFI hoses. It's 20 year old rubber, what do you expect? Out of the two jobs I've done, I only had to replace one injector though and the rest were fine after a service. 20 year old turbos can certainly go bad, mine are still going strong though. However it could be something as simple as oil seals or even a boost leak somewhere. You think that's a big deal? You could get a badass T3/T4 hybrid turbo for around $700 delivered that'll be good for 450rwhp and you dont even need to pull the motor to fit it. Ask some Z32 guys how much fun it is to pull and replace their turbos, and then times all the costs by two being a TT. Heat stressed studs snap, it's just the way it is. My guess is though someone tweaked on them and snapped the heads clean off. You're supposed to heat those suckers up with a torch after having them soaking in lube for a few days. They can still break though, it's not the end of the world. The exact same thing can happen with brand new engines if you're not careful. This is all basic shit aswell, you got a rough one that's all. My 88T is MINT inside and out, sometimes you just get lucky other times not. None of these problems you've mentioned are serious at all and is to be expected with an older car. But I do feel for you, it is very hard to find someone who knows anything about these cars if you dont work on it yourself. You'll either get robbed or they'll just do a shitty job at diagnosing problems.
well, thanks for all your info zxt. You've been very knowledgable, despite appearin as a dick at first I'm seriously considering ditching the car. I have been for a while. It's at that stage where, you know you love the car, but you question yourself whether it's worth it. What do you rekon zxt? Should I try and fix her up because of my love for it, knowing I can't really do much of the work myself. Or do I just ditch it, knowing that it's a 20 year old car and isn't worth it. I realise it's up to me, but please, just an opinion is what i ask. Cheers.
You do realize that only 200 Series II Z31s were imported into Australia right? These cars are very rare. Being old means nothing, you just have to check out the obvious things as you would have to with any older car. Ive never had a single engine problem in my 5 years of owning Z31s, not even one! Granted I dont do stupid things like running too much boost or letting it overheat, but one would hope those things are just common sense. Those problems you describe are nothing, Ive brought back a Z31 from a much worse state than that thanks to a neglectful previous owner. The damage on the other hand I'd have to see pictures of to really judge how bad it is. If you dont work on your own car though and money is an issue, then buying a Z32 is the worst thing you could do right now in my opinion. You think these are expensive to maintain? Wait until you get a neglected Z32, labour costs on those are just nuts like I said above. It's something like $1,500 just for a timing belt job, and that's only labour not even counting parts. Compare that to $380 labour for the Z31 and $150 for the parts. I could upgrade turbo, fuel and exhaust for the same money it'd cost for the timing belt job on a Z32 and be making more power than a stock Z32 TT at the end of the day anyway. Like you said it's your choice, but to be honest maybe a Z isn't the best car for you right now? In general compared to local cars like holdens and fords both Z31s and Z32s are expensive to maintain in comparison if you dont do your own work. For what makes the Z31 awesome like being rare, high performance etc also works against it for the price and availability of parts, insurance, registration and so on... The other option is you could always pickup a factory service manual and learn!
Concerning the original question A VG30DET would not add value to a Z31 although to the average buyer it may be a preferable engine, rightly or wrongly. It would be heavier than the original though, that may adversely affect the handling and ride.
LOL Gave me a laugh after a tough day at work :biggrin: All things said and done, Z31, and 300zxt is da man
yeah, thinkin bout it. just don't know yet. have to sort financess etc. and also decide if it is the way to go for me
Get some pics of the damage first to see if it's even worth it eh? But as for the other problems you're having with your car they are easy to fix and if you need help let me know. Get yourself a Haynes manual and read it front to back... Haha, you know how it goes! lol
300zxt no-one is doubting how good the original vg30et is however do you realize WHY they made dohc heads, they can flow twice as much air! look at modded vg30ets they produce a fair bit of power and torque down low but they cant breath in high rpm without LOTS of money spent. so if you saying chuck $5000 at a vg30et remember most of that will go to the getting the head to flow enough air not to mention the vg30de has an exhaust manifold on only one side of the engine! so youd need some really nice new CUSTOM headers. if the vg30det is in decent condition its a better buy imo, especially if you want a large turbo as the DOHC head can support the amount of air being pumped through
