Hi guys, newbie here after a bit of advice. Just brought my z on sunday. it feels really boaty and sloppy at the back end. just went through an m.o.t and only failed on a steering rack gaitor. im wandering if it could be the shocks as it does float around and doesn't install a lot of confidence in driving. any thoughts or suggestions? any idea how much a new set of shocks are (think the rear ones are the worst)? thanks in advance guys

Lee

Think you can find a good set of after market shocks and springs for around £300 will make a huge difference.

 

If the rear feels strange and floaty the track rod joints might be shot but the mot would probably have spotted them when testing for play.

 

The hicas light isnt on by any chance is it?

hi j1mmytt,

no hicas lights or anything like that. it just feels like im driving on flat tires half the time! back end seems to wallow about like a belly dancers belly!

hmmm can you jack it up and see if the shocks are leaking? if the bottom of the shocks are moist and the gaitors look greasy?

 

Push each corner of the rear down with your wieght and see what it does if it bounces more than once then yep they are buggered

had it up on a ramp yesterday and had a quick scoot round underneath. couldn't see any leaks or anything like that on the shocks or the gaitors. I tried pushing down on all 4 corners and it seemed pretty normal (but then again i do weigh about as much as a wet rat so maybe i need somebody with a bit more weight to puch down for me!). gonna try and get it up on a ramp later on today and have a poke around when i bleed my clutch. thanks for the help so far mate.

no prob mate, also check for play in the rears, left to right and up and down.

Jack her up and give each wheel a good shake in all directions while somebody checks for play in the buhings.

 

The rear shocks are most likely shot though, common issue. Owners dont tend to realise that a 15yr old zed went past its shocks lifespan a loooong time ago! They are about £50 each for the Rears, but since the springs will be worn and saggy too its often best to replace the entire lot, and most go for something aftermarket such as KYB AGX with Eibach springs.

 

Hicas joints as mentioned is a nother common issue.

 

Pushing down on each corner to check the suspension does'nt really work on Z The Suspension is too stiff and the car too heavy to have much affect - Ofcourse if it does go up and down easily then they are definatly ****ed.

 

You should also get the alignment checked, but worth waiting till you have replaced worn parts first.

check your subframe bushes too. they are oil filled and if they are leaking you should replace them.

thanks guys for all your help. gonna hopefully get it up on a ramp later on this evening. if it does turn out to be my shocks, i don't suppose anyone has got any for sale, just incase i need some? bloody hicas light came on this morning. stayed on for a minute then went off until i went round a roundabout then came on again briefly. As soon as the car was up to normal running temp, no more hicas light! whats all that about then?!?!?

thanks guys for all your help. gonna hopefully get it up on a ramp later on this evening. if it does turn out to be my shocks, i don't suppose anyone has got any for sale, just incase i need some? bloody hicas light came on this morning. stayed on for a minute then went off until i went round a roundabout then came on again briefly. As soon as the car was up to normal running temp, no more hicas light! whats all that about then?!?!?

 

 

IIRC the atf fluid can go thick in cold weather and cause sticking with the level / sensor

 

take the cap off the hicas reservior and check levels anyway

hi guys,

right, had my car up on a ramp earlier and had a good shifty round underneath and think i've found the problem. on the drivers side rear wheel you can move it left and right but not up and down. had a look underneath and it appears to be the joint where the rod come out of the hicas thingy (if that makes sense!). it looks like somebody has replaced the passenger side rod as it looks fairly new, but not bothered with the drivers side. also check my air pressure in my tires... front left was 18psi, front right was 22psi, rear left was 12psi and rear right was 26psi! no wander it's handling like a pile of poo! checked all the shocks while the car was up on the ramp and they all appear to be okay, no signs of leaks etc, but, they are gas shocks. am i right in thinking that gas shocks wouldn't have any oil in them so wouldn't be able to see any visible signs of being worn? they did have nissan stickers on them so im assuming they are the original shocks the car came out of the factory with.

Hicas joint will be the culprit, i just sold a set for 50 squids ;) that will definatley make the rear feel all twitchy , oh and tyres pressure will make a nice difference too :D

 

Anyway you can purchase a hicas joint from mjp in the traders forum, Or http://www.zcentre.co.uk ;)

they are gas shocks. am i right in thinking that gas shocks wouldn't have any oil in them so wouldn't be able to see any visible signs of being worn? they did have nissan stickers on them so im assuming they are the original shocks the car came out of the factory with.

 

Yes there are gas shocks and yes they do have oil in them but as a cooling aid.

Inspecting the shock visually is limited and if after you have replaced the hicas arm etc and reset the tracking the problem is not completely resolved the shocks would be best removed and checked with the coil springs removed and as Legrath said they will most likely be worn out.

 

Jeff TT

thanks Jimmy, you da man! shame you just sold that lot, i would of taken that of ya straight away... bugger!

I didnt know the oil was used as a cooling aid.... cool. :D, well lets hope its the ball joint giving u problems. See where u go from there buddy. Process of elimination, fix what you know is wrong first.

i think to be honest they are the original shocks so that would make them 18 years old nearly, so, methinks they will need replacing..... just got to wait till i can get some cash together. think sorting the hicas out is my first priority as, although it is fun getting the back end snakeing all over the place on hard acceleration, it doesn't really install a lot of confidence when driving round corners! thanks for your input Jeff

paul has some good ones for sale now at £300

just having a look at a well known auction site and found this:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NISSAN-300ZX-REAR-HICAS-LOCK-OUT-BAR-DRIFTING-DRIFT_W0QQitemZ170293753081QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item170293753081&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

is it anygood? im a little confused by this hicas thingy. as far as i can see the track rod screws into the actual hicas rack, so if it screws in, how can there be play at the rack side as thats where mine is loose. sorry for all the questions guys, im still learning. If it was anything to do with an impreza or a celica gt4 then i would know just about every last nut and bolt on them but this is all very new to me!

just having a look at a well known auction site and found this:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NISSAN-300ZX-REAR-HICAS-LOCK-OUT-BAR-DRIFTING-DRIFT_W0QQitemZ170293753081QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item170293753081&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

is it anygood? im a little confused by this hicas thingy. as far as i can see the track rod screws into the actual hicas rack, so if it screws in, how can there be play at the rack side as thats where mine is loose. sorry for all the questions guys, im still learning. If it was anything to do with an impreza or a celica gt4 then i would know just about every last nut and bolt on them but this is all very new to me!

 

There is a ball joint inside the gaitor and a ball joint in the hub where the track rod connects to. Il find a pic for you.

 

These joints wear out over time.

ah right, gotch! so even if i brought this lock out thingy, id still need to replace the arm thingy then (technical term!)?

ah right, gotch! so even if i brought this lock out thingy, id still need to replace the arm thingy then (technical term!)?

 

Exactly and this is what makes the hicas just another silly component which will eventually need replacing so buy one of these instead....... I did:D

 

 

not cheap but will rid of the hicas rack/arms/track rods/ ball joints and solenoid.

 

£200 from driftworks. http://www.driftworks.com/catalog/products/driftworks-total-hicas-eliminator.html

after searching around for a while trying to find a cheap replacement arm, i found this one on ebay. should hopefully arrive next week. Can't afford the complete lockout kit yet so thought this would be a cheaper option to stop me from killing myself until i can save up to get the lockout kit! here's the link:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NISSAN-300ZX-Z32-REAR-STEERING-ARM_W0QQitemZ120358833698QQihZ002QQcategoryZ10402QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

be careful with those ebay parts, the ball joints may be very bad quality and have play in them, or even wear very quickly.

i thought that to jimmy, but like i said, it's only a temporary fix to stop me killing myself till i can afford to get the driftworks lock out kit. appreciate the heads up though matey.