Going to start this thread for members to post up what they did each day to there zed. I will start with getting my MOT this morning. So what did you do today on your 300?:cool3:

Had a bit of a result this evening thanks to Monsieur Funky Simone after he sent me a screenshot of a FedEx tracking page showing his bits were at the Airport I work at. I didn’t realise that Simon had made an order but it reminded me to check that status of one of mine which also showed as arriving at Stansted. We both ordered on the same day, they end up on the same Jet and we paid for shipping twice, doh!

 

Anyway having realised my package was at Stansted awaiting customs clearance I picked up my phone and punched in the correct sequence of numbers to enable my package to be hurried along through customs, taken by hand past the warehouse for picking and into the employee entrance security checkpoint where a kind chap brought my parcel or to me, I signed for it and off I went!

 

I don’t work for FedEx but this was a great result because it was showing as being delivered on Friday when I’m back at work for a few days. Now I have them here, it’ll give me something to post in this thread tomorrow as I have the day off! New upper control arms to cure (hopefully) my vibration when braking at high speed.

 

 

I made sure Simon’s parcel was triple checked and held in quarantine for a minimum of 4 weeks before release.

Changed the spark plugs tonight after diagnosing that my misfire was down to a dodgy one. Sounded so nice when I fired it back up, purring as it should.

 

Then gave her a quick wash and dry and did a couple of small stone chip touch ups. I'm still happy with the black strip on the rear as there appears to be no bubbles or creases!

 

I'm going to use it for work tomorrow to clear out the exhausts and check it's running ok for Sunday.

 

Saturday is going to be a polishing day!! :)

 

Changed the spark plugs tonight after diagnosing that my misfire was down to a dodgy one. Sounded so nice when I fired it back up, purring as it should.

 

Then gave her a quick wash and dry and did a couple of small stone chip touch ups. I'm still happy with the black strip on the rear as there appears to be no bubbles or creases!

 

I'm going to use it for work tomorrow to clear out the exhausts and check it's running ok for Sunday.

 

Saturday is going to be a polishing day!! :)

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]112213[/ATTACH]

 

Looking GOOD mate....:thumbup:

Looking GOOD mate....:thumbup:

 

Thanks Richard. It desperately needs a good polish though.

What plugs did you fit Dave?

what plugs did you fit dave?

 

ngk bkr7e

Today started off really well, I took the kids to school and then got started on fitting the new upper arms. It was a nice straight forward job and I had them both fitted way quicker then I expected, result! Gave the wheel another wiggle test when back on and hey presto, all the play has now gone and it’s all tight up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then decided to take it out for a shake down run to let everything settle back in and give it a little test even though I was almost positive it was a fix - no, it wasn’t! Damn thing is still giving me vibration through the steering wheel when braking at high speed! I could argue that it’s improved and the vibration has “lessened” but either way, it’s still there, it’s enough to be annoying and it needs fixing!

 

I then put it back in the garage (with a plan on leaving it up in the air to remove parts for overhaul) and homed in on the lower control arm bush and ball joint on the passenger side. First of all I removed the tension rod (the bush in this still feels tight and is relatively new), then dropped the bush end out to have a good jiggle of the ball joint - solid. Next I put the bush end back up tight and separated the ball joint, at this point I was really hoping to find a small amount of play but it wasn’t to be, another faultless component.

 

I ran out of time eventually but I’ll strip down the drivers side when I next get the chance and also double check the steering rack bushes for movement. Running out of ideas!

Edited May 10, 20187 yr by Joely P

Today started off really well, I took the kids to school and then got started on fitting the new upper arms. It was a nice straight forward job and I had them both fitted way quicker then I expected, result! Gave the wheel another wiggle test when back on and hey presto, all the play has now gone and it’s all tight up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then decided to take it out for a shake down run to let everything settle back in and give it a little test even though I was almost positive it was a fix - no, it wasn’t! Damn thing is still giving me vibration through the steering wheel when braking at high speed! I could argue that it’s improved and the vibration has “lessened” but either way, it’s still there, it’s enough to be annoying and it needs fixing!

 

I then put it back in the garage (with a plan on leaving it up in the air to remove parts for overhaul) and homed in on the lower control arm bush and ball joint on the passenger side. First of all I removed the tension rod (the bush in this still feels tight and is relatively new), then dropped the bush end out to have a good jiggle of the ball joint - solid. Next I put the bush end back up tight and separated the ball joint, at this point I was really hoping to find a small amount of play but it wasn’t to be, another faultless component.

 

I ran out of time eventually but I’ll strip down the drivers side when I next get the chance and also double check the steering rack bushes for movement. Running out of ideas!

 

Just a quick one JP are the wheels balanced ? One of the weights could of fallen off.

Just a quick one JP are the wheels balanced ? One of the weights could of fallen off.

 

Yeah I did have that done. I also put the rears on the front to be doubly sure! The tyre shop assured me that my symptoms would be all the time as applied to only under braking so they weren’t convinced of the fix either!

Today started off really well, I took the kids to school and then got started on fitting the new upper arms. It was a nice straight forward job and I had them both fitted way quicker then I expected, result! Gave the wheel another wiggle test when back on and hey presto, all the play has now gone and it’s all tight up there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then decided to take it out for a shake down run to let everything settle back in and give it a little test even though I was almost positive it was a fix - no, it wasn’t! Damn thing is still giving me vibration through the steering wheel when braking at high speed! I could argue that it’s improved and the vibration has “lessened” but either way, it’s still there, it’s enough to be annoying and it needs fixing!

 

I then put it back in the garage (with a plan on leaving it up in the air to remove parts for overhaul) and homed in on the lower control arm bush and ball joint on the passenger side. First of all I removed the tension rod (the bush in this still feels tight and is relatively new), then dropped the bush end out to have a good jiggle of the ball joint - solid. Next I put the bush end back up tight and separated the ball joint, at this point I was really hoping to find a small amount of play but it wasn’t to be, another faultless component.

 

I ran out of time eventually but I’ll strip down the drivers side when I next get the chance and also double check the steering rack bushes for movement. Running out of ideas!

Quite honestly Joel any small amount of play in track rod end ball joints or suspension arm ball joints/bushes almost never actually causes the vibration.

 

I have driven cars on many a road test that have performed faultlessly only to inspect it on a ramp and find many parts which would ideally need replacing.

 

I would suggest your problem lies with the brake discs or disc run out.

 

You really need to get a magnetic dial gauge and test the disc run out with the wheel nuts holding the brake disc firmly against the hub flange.

 

Sometimes this doesnt even expose the problem and replacing the disc cures the fault.

 

It may be worth removing your discs and making sure the mating faces of the disc and hub flange are totally clean.

Quite honestly Joel any small amount of play in track rod end ball joints or suspension arm ball joints/bushes almost never actually causes the vibration.

 

I have driven cars on many a road test that have performed faultlessly only to inspect it on a ramp and find many parts which would ideally need replacing.

 

I would suggest your problem lies with the brake discs or disc run out.

 

You really need to get a magnetic dial gauge and test the disc run out with the wheel nuts holding the brake disc firmly against the hub flange.

 

Sometimes this doesnt even expose the problem and replacing the disc cures the fault.

 

It may be worth removing your discs and making sure the mating faces of the disc and hub flange are totally clean.

 

That was my first port of call after my initial inspection of the components. I took it to a specialist who did run out checks of the hubs which were fine, then the discs which had a slight run out. They machined them down and now they’re bob on (this was only last week).

 

 

Surely that cost more than replacing the brakes anyway?

 

All that aside i would still replace the discs and pads and see what happens.

 

Dont rule out a problem with the rear discs either. We all like to apply some degree of logic to the cuase of a fault but in reality sometimes you find the cure without fully knowing the cause.

The trouble is those discs have covered relatively little miles and as the pro-cut service cost less than half the price of 1 disc, it made sense as a cost effective way to troubleshoot the defect. Now that the discs are proven to be true, I don’t really want to punt another £500+ on new discs as I can’t see what could be wrong with these ones? I supplied the machine shop with new pads and they fitted them as part of the service.

 

This vibration is only evident when braking from around 80mph and dissipates to nothing when slowing past 60mph, or the moment I release the brake pedal. To me it screams an issue with the front brake discs but now that they’ve been machined down on the car by a computer controlled lathe, I’m struggling to work it out. I’d be very surprised if the defect was a result of the rear braking system as there are no vibrations through the seat or body of the car, only through the steering wheel (and only at illegal UK road speeds - which is handy I guess!)

Can a rear vibration transfer forward via the hicas Hydraulic lines? Are all pistons in the caliper working correct? Is it any difference if you brake hard or just feather it?

 

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The trouble is those discs have covered relatively little miles and as the pro-cut service cost less than half the price of 1 disc, it made sense as a cost effective way to troubleshoot the defect. Now that the discs are proven to be true, I don’t really want to punt another £500+ on new discs as I can’t see what could be wrong with these ones? I supplied the machine shop with new pads and they fitted them as part of the service.

 

This vibration is only evident when braking from around 80mph and dissipates to nothing when slowing past 60mph, or the moment I release the brake pedal. To me it screams an issue with the front brake discs but now that they’ve been machined down on the car by a computer controlled lathe, I’m struggling to work it out. I’d be very surprised if the defect was a result of the rear braking system as there are no vibrations through the seat or body of the car, only through the steering wheel (and only at illegal UK road speeds - which is handy I guess!)

Maybe this needs its own thread as it could be of use to others in future and keep us from getting off topic here.

 

Have you checked that all the pistons are moving freely in the calipers? As one piston binding will cause one pad to exert more force against one side of the disc and push the disc out of true.

 

I have before run a car in the rolling road whilst applying the foot brake just under the point of lock up and this can show a fluctuation on the brake causing the problem but this is usually only apparent when the wobble is quite severe which yours isn't.

Also disc thickness variation can be a problem, the run out measurement may have been taken against the outer face of the disc but if the disc has a problem on the rear face it may not have showed up.

 

Dtv usually causes a slight pedal pulse aswell which you haven't noted.

Also disc thickness variation can be a problem, the run out measurement may have been taken against the outer face of the disc but if the disc has a problem on the rear face it may not have showed up.

 

Dtv usually causes a slight pedal pulse aswell which you haven't noted.

The pro-cut machine uses a pinch type cutter which refinishes the inner and out face at the same time. For that reason the disc thickness is consistent and well within spec.

 

Can a rear vibration transfer forward via the hicas Hydraulic lines? Are all pistons in the caliper working correct? Is it any difference if you brake hard or just feather it?

 

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I shall check the pistons in more detail later, they are all definitely moving but whether any are more resistant to move than others isn’t something I’ve checked. They certainly aren’t sticking on though.

The pro-cut machine uses a pinch type cutter which refinishes the inner and out face at the same time. For that reason the disc thickness is consistent and well within spec.

 

 

 

I shall check the pistons in more detail later, they are all definitely moving but whether any are more resistant to move than others isn’t something I’ve checked. They certainly aren’t sticking on though.

If the discs werent removed and cleaned between the disc and hub check it while your in there. I have seen tiny amounts of corrosion or dirt cause brake problems.

If the discs werent removed and cleaned between the disc and hub check it while your in there. I have seen tiny amounts of corrosion or dirt cause brake problems.

 

This was the very first task I did to troubleshoot this defect, the hub is perfectly clean. Also, they did this again after doing the hub run out measurements so I’m happy that this is not causing an issue. The discs were turned down whilst being bolted to the hub as that’s where the equipment mounts, this would technically eliminate any issues caused by that (not that you would machine away a run out caused by that!).

oo new shines from z1 motosport, pcv and heater matrix pipes gonna stick with the blue pipes theme in the engine bay.

 

Spent a day in the hands of Jimmer. New engine mounts, new power steering high pressure line fabricated and fitted as mine had a slight weep, replacement bellows intake passenger side as mine had split, oil change (since it was in the air). Another small oil weep from the oil tree which was sorted out.

 

Her bottom is now lovely and clean and very dry, I can now invest in a new rear engine tray! :)

 

Lovely jubbly indeed! Sterling work as always.

Spent a day in the hands of Jimmer. New engine mounts, new power steering high pressure line fabricated and fitted as mine had a slight weep, replacement bellows intake passenger side as mine had split, oil change (since it was in the air). Another small oil weep from the oil tree which was sorted out.

 

Her bottom is now lovely and clean and very dry, I can now invest in a new rear engine tray! :)

 

Lovely jubbly indeed! Sterling work as always.

 

OEM engine try I take it but would you consider a metal one?

No, I'll stick with the OEM one.

No, I'll stick with the OEM one.

 

I have the aluminum try which should last longer than the plastic try and protect the engine better, (I hope)

So before "Total Retro" car show tomorrow, the deep clean happened today. Clayed, Polish and Sealed..... Wheels included!

 

Then a few paint touch ups, trims restored, exhausts polished and then a deep clean of the interior. All leather conditioned and then a quick spruce up of the engine bay too.

 

I then finally stuck the "Nissan Fairlady Z Twin Turbo" stickers on that I got from Phutumsch about 3 years ago!!!!

 

Finally, the car seat was fitted for Alex's maiden drive in a Z.... I reckon she looks excited:)