My baby is due for it's 100000 km service in a few weeks. My question is: should i buy a kit (such as from cazracing) and do it myself, or get it done at by a mechanic? Does anyone know of any mechanics in and around melbourne that service zx's (as in specialise in them)? I don't want to spend more than a grand on parts, and probably $500 max for labour. Have any of you guys done the service youselves? Was it hard? cheers :biggrin:
DIY sounds like the go for you then $1000 will not cover parts and $500 will not cover labour $720 for kit $135 for additional kit $90 for oil $90 for air filter or pod, (Will obviously not be needed if you have pod filter currently but depending on pod may need re oiling or a service kit $50 for Coolant Also might need to add in some new hoses depending on condition of radiator and throttle body pipes Also need to check brakes, buy brake fluid, clutch fluid(if manual), power steering, Auto Tranny fluid or man gearbox oil, Diff oil etc etc, i would say spen the extra money on parts and DIY over a whole weekend, possibly get some other zedders to give you a hand
how much do you reckon it'd be for labour? Don't need a new pod filter, just got one of them. Most hoses are ok except for the fuel line from my fuel filter which is looking a bit sad. So i'll have to get onto that asap.
I had my car serviced at 'The Z Shop' who specialise in 300zx's. DO NOT GO THERE! She went in, and when she came out with more problems and from what I heard there has been many other people with the same problem at that place...I recommend you do it all yourself, that way you get to know your car better.
Fuel hose will be about $15ish can pick it up from supercheap, labour is around 10-12 hours i think, also when replacing fuel hose, get new clamps too, they are a pain in the arse to find decent ones, but do not get worm drive they will destroy the hose
yeah i've always been wary of some mechanics. I can't afford to get screwed over. I just have to trust that i can do the service myself lol
It's not too hard, the worst bit is getting all the cam gears to stay in the right place while you install the timing belt. If your quick you can get it done in a day, or be like me and really take your time and clean/paint/remove and fiddle with everything and it'll take 5 days
try and give it ago mate, im gona have a crack at it this week possibly just follow the detailed tech article in the tech section and it shoud all come to plan cheers James
im also having this dilemma, i really wanna do it myself but then again if i screw it up and blow the engine if i put the timing belt on wrong or something i think i would die. but judging by what people say its pretty easy, just time consuming, so ill give it a go myself i think :zlove:
100kkm service should take 7-8 hours .. x this by the workshop hourly rate for $ cost....( and from memory this is also around the time allocation at which AMEC (brisbane) charges for the 100kkm)... .. don't know where big baz is buying his coolant but the tectaloy concentrate at around $10.00 for 500mm is fine and sufficient for one coolant change....
Hi ZEDEX I'm getting ready to do it myself as well. While this will be the 4th car I have done major engine work on (the 100k service on a TT Zed probably complys with major work) I have never worked seriously on anything as complex as the ZED before. My advice re the timing belt alignment is a good carpenter's advice - "follow the instructions exactly, and measure twice (three times in this case) and cut once". I would wish you good luck, but luck should play no part in this.
I wish i could say that i dont know if im capable of doing it my self im scared :bash: but i might have to i dont trust any of the mechanics up here good luck with yours
Ive done the job twice now on my zed, its not difficult just takes the right tools and some attention to detail and patience. You will also need a clear area to work in with room for setting out parts as they are disassembled. One thing I recommend when doing jobs like this is getting a note pad and writing down everything you do, that way when the time comes for reassembly you can go through the list in reverse and make sure nothing is missed or done out of sequence. You also have this forum for advice on any set backs. As for those horrible intake cams springing back, I saw the perfect tool for the job at Repco a few months ago, a plastic tool with sprocket teeth on it that slots between the cams and holds them in place while the belt is off. Only cost about $50, Im going to grab one for future servicing.
Neddly couldn't have said it better, if push comes to shove, dont be afraid to pay more then expected, a small spend now, is better then a big spend later! All the best, plenty of tech's out there, and more then competent members on this forum, good luck wilo
Tectaloy 100 premix * 3 5L bottles, as i have a 57mm radiator, i factored in two for the regular radiator
Mate take it out to Joe in Montrose he is the man at the same time he will check your car over and advise you on other stuff. I just took mine there and more than happy with him doing the job he is a nice guy to talk too as well.----------------NEIL
Sprocket Lock Hi Gazza, Did you end up making the purchase? Do you have a link to a picture or specs on the Internet? Because, this is the only thing stopping me at the moment from doing the job myself - as I do NOT want the sprockets to move at all! Cheers, Kaz.
Don't worry too much about the sprockets moving, it wont hurt anything and they are easy to move back
