Hey everyone, Im new to these forums and new to the 300ZX's. I just got myself a 1986 Z31 Turbo, series 2 i believe, with the digital dash. Ive heard some good things about these cars and some bad things. Not sure what to believe because everyone here has different opinions... Well basically, my engine is out of the engine bay at the moment, timing belts and a few gaskets and the water pump will be replaced before it goes back in. Right now im finding it very hard to decide if i should keep the car or if i should sell the car, and need some opinions and ideas from u more experienced guys. If i keep the car i am thinking about installing an intercooler, exhaust system - turbo back, and getting a boost controller. i want to have around 170kw at the wheels - im not sure if i'll be able to get that power with those modifications i listed just then, but either way i want to know from other people's experiences with modifying their Z31 turbos. I'd like to hear good results and bad results. Thanx, Tom.
This is really the wrong forum for this question, but these links will help you make your decision. http://www.redz31.com/turbofaq/turbo.faq.htm http://www.vg30et.com http://www.z31performance.com/forum There are a good handful of people making well over 600rwhp with the VG30ET. Just so you know the Z31 has 170kw (not at the wheels) from the factory, these engines respond really well to modifications so your goal is easily attainable.
One of these was my first car - I had a 1988 Z31 Turbo .... black with kit and yes had the digital dash. I loved that car but at 17 i just couldn't afford to keep it with the age and the amount of money it was costing me. Just had problem after problem after problem. Can't you stick an RB20 into them?? Now if you had the money to do that - that would be a goer :zlove:
I agree, my brother and I each had one. Not turbo though. We had nothing but problems. I love the look of it, and other than the engine they were good. I'd put the Skyline engine in it, have a look at the 200zr, thats what I'd be looking at doing. But if you do put the engine back in, check out the rubber connections coming off the fuel rails to the injectors. They have a nasty habit of leaking, and catching fire.
Why would you put in a smaller engine with less power? The 200ZR came with the RB20 from the factory, but it's still not as powerful as the VG30ET in stock form and it's no more reliable. The VG30ET is a very reliable engine, some guys getting over 300,000kms out of it before needing to even touch the engine itself. No doubt a 20 year old car is going to need some maintenance, but that's just obvious. Again, please goto the Z31 forums for some more experienced opinions about this lol Some more for you, http://www.z31.com, http://www.88hybrid.com/forum/
I'm just saying I'd do anything other than put the original engine back in. We had nothing but problems with ours, and everyone else I know with them has the same problems. Can't stop them from over-heating, among with many other problems.
Keep it, fix it and enjoy. I have a soft spot for the Z31. When I hear comments about how bloated they are with floaty suspension etc... it really does my head in. In this day and age, everything can be addressed without any problems. My previous car was a Gazelle that started life as a mega borring CA20 hatch. Eventually it got the full FJ20 turbo running gear transplant (IRS, R200 huge disks) & CA18DET. Basically a Z31 setup. The new setup was initially saggy floating suspension, tyres scrubbing on outer guards when hitting large potholes... it was shit. Drove it around like thisfor ages. After spring and shocker replacement it really handled like on rails so to speak. Now sold it to my mate (55yo) and he absolutely loves it. And he's a handling freak mind you. Z31s are now rare and once you fix the engine and do some intercooling and boosting I reckon you'll really enjoy it and what's more you'll be different. Just don't basterdise it like hacking into the front in order to fit that HUGE MOFO intercooler, spoiler kits upon spoiler kits and lets not forget the reflectors!!!! LOL. Peter
Keep it, fix it and enjoy. I have a soft spot for the Z31. When I hear comments about how bloated they are with floaty suspension etc... it really does my head in. In this day and age, everything can be addressed without any problems. My previous car was a Gazelle that started life as a mega borring CA20 hatch. Eventually it got the full FJ20 turbo running gear transplant (IRS, R200 huge disks) & CA18DET. Basically a Z31 setup. The new setup was initially saggy floating suspension, tyres scrubbing on outer guards when hitting large potholes... it was shit. Drove it around like this for ages. After spring and shocker replacement it really handled like on rails so to speak. Now sold it to my mate (55yo) and he absolutely loves it. And he's a handling freak mind you. Z31s are now rare and once you fix the engine and do some intercooling and boosting I reckon you'll really enjoy it and what's more you'll be different. Just don't basterdise it like hacking into the front in order to fit that HUGE MOFO intercooler, spoiler kits upon spoiler kits and lets not forget the reflectors!!!! LOL. Peter
No offense but you obviously didn't look after it properly, or didn't know how to. I could diagnose the overheating problem for you in no time, it can only be a few things and it's all basic shit you'd expect from a 20 year old car i.e radiator, thermostat, coolant hoses, rad cap, fan clutch, water pump. This is all VERY basic stuff, and it's just preventative maintinence you should do on any older car. I drove my 86T at 12psi on the freeway for 300km without an engine fan at all and it didn't overheat. All of the "other problems" you're talking about are also basic things, like 20 year old fuel hoses, rotted out bushings etc What do you expect for an old car? For perishable items to remain brand new forever? lol
If I wanted a project car it would be a Z31 two seater with a VG30ET, well maybe a VG33ET That would be for a weekend driver/club sprint car. What 300zxt said is right. You cannot expect a 80's car to be faultless, unless it has been properly maintained which is unusual. Problem is not many want to spend money on general maintenance, it has to be bling, a sound system or more power and bugger the rest of the car.
Yep, infact it's the complete opposite. The VG30ET is SO reliable that the majority of people never do anything to it ever. They just drive it until the wheels fall off and then wonder why they're having problems. And 99% of the time it's nothing even to do with the engine itself. I've never had an engine failure yet, and I drive the snot out of my Z31s. Call me crazy but I'm a firm believer in preventive maintenance rather than waiting until shit breaks. I've done 40,000kms in my 88T in the past year (I know, it's too many) and it's just been flawless with nothing done but fluid and filter changes. And a guy I know in the U.S just clocked up 300,000 original miles on his VG30ET before it finally gave out, that's 483,000kms! And even then it was just the headgasket and valve stem seals... Good luck finding a 2 seater man! There was a 2 seater slicktop on ebay a while ago, I almost creamed myself. They are so rare! But it was in Perth, and I just couldnt justify the costs in getting it over here. Plus the guy sorta knew what he had and was asking top dollar for it which is a shame lol
No offence, but how can you have any idea about whether or not I looked after the car properly. I spent tonnes of money and time keeping that car running and looking after it. I replaced most of those things at one time or another, and I understand that some things won't last forever, but compared to other older cars I think they have a lot more problems. If anyone here doesn't look after their car it's you, for driving 300km without a fan.
You said it kept overheating, so something was obviously wrong. Sorry if I offended you, it wasn't my intention but the Z31 is extremely reliable if maintained properly. And as for your last comment, you should know that the engine fan serves practically no purpose at highway speeds so that remark is completely unjustified. The point was that the VG30ET cools very efficiently if the cooling system is all good. Anyway, all it takes is some basic research about the VG30ET to know how reliable it is and how much power potential it has. Just because in your personal experience you had troubles, it does NOT mean the engine itself is unreliable. Alot of people in Australia dont know shit about these cars because they are so rare, this results in alot of bad/wrong/incorrect information being put out there. Go and tell the guys with 600rwhp+ running single digit 1/4 mile times that the VG30ET is unreliable! To put it in real life perspective, I know a guy who has been thru 3 engines in 5 years. Do you know why? Because he's a dumbass and he doesn't know what he's doing that's why. I've got 4 different Z31's and over 4 years I haven't had a single engine problem, not even once. Again in your experience you had a tough time, fair enough. But this is not to be taken as a blanket statement that the VG30ET is unrealiable as that's completey and utterly false.
im pretty sure my engines in good condition. had it checked out by a mechanic and he thinks its in good condition to most others he's seen. i gave it a compression test n that went well, better than expected. and yeah, i know that the cars old and i will have to maintain it a fair bit - but thats kool, coz i have another Z31 turbo for spares, mite be wrecking some parts i dont need out too if u's are interested. If i keep the car im only going to keep it for 2 yrs, and during that time i will definitely be wanting more power, so i thought if i was going to keep it i would find out about other peoples experiences with modifying their Z31 turbo's before i decided, because if a lot of people are going to tell me their experiences were shocking with them its going to put me off keeping it :s but hearing its reliable is believable too. i guess im just going to see how the engines running when it goes back in, the car has been sitting around for a few yrs...
Just read up on the links I posted above, specifically www.redz31.com/turbofaq/turbo.faq.htm and www.vg30et.com as it's easy as pie to make big, reliable power out of these engines. I know a guy who recently made 427rwhp/318rwkw on stock engine internals besides cams. The only other modifactions done were intake, exhaust, fuel and turbo mods with a 100 shot of nitrous. There is no disputing the fact that the VG30ET is an extremely reliable engine, but with that said any engine in the wrong hands is going to have problems it doesn't matter what it is.
yeah thats fair enough. how much power would i be looking at with an intercooler, exhaust system and a little bit more boost? - say 12psi coz i hear thats a kinda safe ammount... maybe ive heard wrong though.
Yeah 12psi is good, infact some people run 12psi unintercooled but I personally wouldn't go above 10psi without an intercooler. Just make CERTAIN that your fuel system is up to scratch, i.e the fuel pump is pumping adequate pressure, no fuel leaks, injectors are in good working order and so on. This is very important and I cannot stress it enough, make sure the fuel system is in perfect working order before you turn up the boost. This is where the majority of people go wrong. They read that the VG30ET can handle up to 14psi on the stock fuel system but they dont take into account that their fuel pump might be on it's way out or that they have a fuel leak/blocked injector etc To get a good idea of what you're looking at from each modification read the turbofaq I posted. It's written by a guy called Jason who is the owner of this site www.redz31.com, and he's one of the most knowledgeable people in the Z community.
I tend to agree. Mine bent a valve soon after I got it. That was fixed - heads fully rebuilt. Obviously not well enough though, as some months after another valve. Apart from that numerous problems with engine not running right. It probably had many years of neglect that only a full rebuild could have fixed. Diff died at 180K. Handbrake cables seized. Terrible seats. But apart from that a great car. But remember it is really a 280ZX with a V6 and different body shape. The mechanicals are the same. In the end I traded it in for a 3 years older 280ZX. Not the same power, but so much more reliable and much easier to work on. The Z31 lasted one year, the 280ZX 4 years now, but rust is getting it.
