heya, went out to my Z today in minus 5, started it up and left it running to heat it up, started fine and sounded fine apart from a slightly squeeky belt. got it 2 minutes down the road and the hicas, battery, abs and lights warning lights all came on, pulled in and the car started acting up, wasnt firing properly and kept trying to stall. decided to go straight home and on my way the temp gauge started to rise, thankfully got it home fine and switched off, there were alot of bubbling noises other weird noises coming from it and a small drip of fluid from around the filler.....anyone have any ideas what has happened??? any help welcome...hate seeing the Z unhappy!! cheers paul

Don't ever leave the car idling from cold to warm up. One of the worst things you can do to an engine. You're wrecking the engine.

 

What filler are you talking about? Coolant or oil?

Edited November 30, 200817 yr by FunkySi

Fan belt snapped ?

 

Jeff TT

fan belt hasnt snapped, still on just squeeky. i was talking bout the coolant filler, probably the overflow thing.

If the belt is slipping enough the water pump may not be turning sufficiently or the alternator for charging hence both the electrical issue and the water.

 

Jeff TT

how is it tightened?

i had the car serviced two weeks ago and they put a new belt on but its certainly slipping

http://www.300zx.co.uk/tech/manual/manual/ma/012.gif

 

Jeff TT

i had the car serviced two weeks ago and they put a new belt on but its certainly slipping

 

normally a new belt needs nipping up after a week or so after its bedded in;)

so u recon there shouldnt be any long damage done?? will tighten the belt tomorrow

do you need to remove engine cover to tighten that belt? or can it be reached from underneath or stands

Do you have the correct % of anti freeze in the cooling system, as you mentioned -5 degs could it have been partly frozen.

 

Paul

Don't ever leave the car idling from cold to warm up. One of the worst things you can do to an engine. You're wrecking the engine.

 

What filler are you talking about? Coolant or oil?

 

Just out of curiosity, why do you say that leaving the car to idle from cold to warm up is one of the worst things you can do to an engine?

Just out of curiosity, why do you say that leaving the car to idle from cold to warm up is one of the worst things you can do to an engine?

 

You've got no oil at the top of the engine when starting from cold, the best way to get oil up there is to drive it. Oil won't get up to the top end as quickly if it's just sat at idle.

 

The oil is more viscous (resistance to pour) when cold. Engine on idle produces low oil pressure. So, you've got thick oil in a cold engine with no pressure. What's it not doing? It's not getting through the oil galleries properly and not getting up to the top end. Metal against metal! Oil doesn't really work until it's at operating temperature, meaning the more you just leave it idling doing nothing, the more wear you're creating. You need to get some heat into the oil, get it moving, quickest way to do that is to drive it gradually bringing the revs up.

 

Obviously don't get in it and thrash the nuts off it as you'll screw the turbos up and do damage to the internals. But light driving is the best way to warm the oil up and keeping the wear low.

 

Makes me laugh when I hear people leaving their car to warm up for 10 minutes or so thinking they're doing the car some good, when in actual fact, they are doing the complete reverse.

OK, makes perfect sense : )

I agree to, I would have thought this was better than starting putting load on a cold engine :confused:

 

Read my above. It's a complete mis-conception that leaving a stone cold engine on idle is in anyway a good thing to do. It is NOT.

OK, makes perfect sense : )

 

Originally Posted by guynkate

I agree to, I would have thought this was better than starting putting load on a cold engine

 

well your very wrong :mac1:

Edited November 30, 200817 yr by j1mmytt

well your very wrong :mac1:

 

:confused:

Engine on idle produces low oil pressure.

 

so when i start my car from cold, why is the oil pressure up at 6.5 bar then when it comes up to running temp, the oil pressure has dropped to 3 bar?

 

the oil is thicker when cold hense more pressure in the system due to not being pushed round as easly but, there will always be some oil at the top. its never drained completely, you just dont get much freashly "sumped" oil getting up there until warm

:confused:

 

hmmm someone edited thier post???? but not yours si..... but i agree with damage when left to idle cold, best to drive it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally Posted by guynkate

I agree to, I would have thought this was better than starting putting load on a cold engine

 

well your very wrong..... ^^^^^

Edited November 30, 200817 yr by j1mmytt

Yeh, honestly.. I don't see it myself.

Oh right, cool, so we're all clear on the "leave-to-idle-from-cold" activity is a bad thing to do.

 

I don't want to see any 'my top end is rattley' threads pop up at the end of the winter now! :)

yes its bad mmmkay.

Oh right, cool, so we're all clear on the "leave-to-idle-from-cold" activity is a bad thing to do.

 

I don't want to see any 'my top end is rattley' threads pop up at the end of the winter now! :)

 

Well, as 'Silverbullet' states, oil pressure is HIGHER when the engine is cold.

thanks Bric, and theres no way im driving when tick over pressure exceeds 6 bar!! i wait until the oil warms to atleast 40c

 

 

...

the oil pressure is taken from the block, not the heads.

So even if the oil pressure is high at the OPS, doesnt mean there is alot of oil in the heads, hence the comment :)