Hi everyone,

 

As i'm new to the Z world after only having my 1990 TT for a few weeks i need some advice from you fine people on what things i should be looking out for and things i should be doing to keep this car in top condition.

 

I bought the car from an import auction but there is no service history with it but would'nt be able to understand it anyway cos of the different language, so how do i know or how could i possibly tell if it has had belts, tentioners, waterpumps etc etc changed recently, i get the feeling that this car has gone without an MOT for some time as both headlight bulbs had gone and both rear tyres were slicks, there is some sort of writing and numbers on a slicker in jap inside the drivers door hinge end, could this mean next service schedule? going to get the oil pressure sensore out and give a clean as its reading 0 all the time, will prob end up getting new one :mad: .

 

Also anyone recommend the best engine oil to put in as this may need changing too, doesn't it just bug you when you dont know the history of the car.

 

Thanks ever so much to anyone who can help me out on this......Rich

Sorry about spelling mistakes, tried to edit but for some reason not allowed, bloody good that is.

That is one problem with importing a Z. You dont know its history. Most people get the cambelt changed when they get an imported Z just incase. Its either a few hundred now or a few thousand if it snaps.

 

The writing on the door hinge could be anything we really need to see it and even then may not know what it is. Some cars put the tyre pressures there.

 

As for the MOT, Japan doesn't have an MOT as such, but they get taxed large amounts as the car gets older. You are better changing the tyres as all Japanese tyres are not UK legal. They are not tested with European standards and if you have an accident a picky insurance company could pick up on it. There is no real preference for make of tyre, just try to stay away from the no name budget tyres, but if you have no choice (We all go through time when money is thin) dont go flooring it, as most tyres are not designed to take 300bhp.

 

The oil pressure sender is notorias for being faulty. Saying that most of them are about 10 years old, they dont work forever. Nissan will charge you £80 just for the sender, and I dont know if that is Inc VAT. Most people buy aftermarket gauges and use that, as they are cheaper and more accurate. A good gauge will cost £40-£50 and you should get everything with it. A replacment sender for an aftermarket gauge will cost you £10 max. I suggest you get a gauge or replace the Nissan sender as oil pressure is important to see.

 

I also suggest you do an oil change on it as soon as you can. You dont know how long its been in there and most Z owners like to change the oil about every 3,000 miles. Some go 5,000 miles some change it every 1,000.

 

As for which oil to use, there is no correct answer. Use Full Synthetic or Semi Synthetic. Most people here try to get Castol RS 10-60, but its hard to get hold of and expensive. But again, its a few quid now or thousands later. This oil is particually good because the W10 is good for UK weather and the 60 is needed because of the hot engine. I dont understand it that well but that is the very basic view.

It is very important to allow your Z to cool down after EVERY drive. Sit in your car and leave it idleing for a min to allow fresh oil pass through the turbos, before turning it off. Turning off the engine too soon could cause the oil to clog up on the turbos. This is why we use Full Synthetic it doesnt clog as easy.

 

To help keep your Z in good condition try not to drive it in winter as the salty roads will eat throught the car. Japanese imported cars dont tend to come with underseal on as they dont use salt on the roads there so there is no need to underseal. If there is underseal it is usually a very thin layer. Have a look and maybe get it re-sealed.

A good weekly jetwash under the car in winter wont go a-miss either to wash off any mud which is holding the salt. Make sure you get inside the wheel arches as mud tends to collect under the lip.

 

These are really the things you need to do to help keep your Z healthy. Change the oil regularly and with good oil. Wash your car particually underneath and wheel arches, which really are basic maintance procedures for all cars, but its more important to stick to it with the Z. They are high performance and getting on a bit.

 

Hope this helps a little

 

Stuart

Good answers.

 

Useful info here:

 

http://www.300zx.org.uk/

for oil and tyre info here:

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html

 

The grade at the auction will give you some idea of

the cars state. IIRC, they're graded 1 - 5; 5 being top.

 

Be light footed until you've sorted a few things; difficult!

Thanks ever so much Stuart for spending all that time on the info, much appreciated m8, will help me loads.

 

Also cheers to Simmo for the links.

 

There was one other thing, the dials on the car are still in KMH, noticed today that there is a bling bling noise coming fro mthe center consol when reach over a certain speed, did note the speed at the time but now forgot, know its over 100 KMH.

 

Cheers again.........Rich

 

PS, dam it's hard to keep my foot off that right pedal :D

All Japanese Import cars are restricted to 180kph I think which is 112mph. As you get close to this speed a sound from the dash is played, a little like the sound when you open your door with the lights on. Infact I think it is the same unit. If you have had your dash converted to MPH the speed restriction is usually removed but the sound isnt.

It comes from a little black box behind the dash. I dont know if there is a write up on which wire to cut or whether people cut them all, but that is the usual way people get rid of it.

 

Stuart

Actually, when you convert to MPH the sound goes off at 105MPH, so I kept mine to let me know when I;m driving too fast!!

To stop the chime, remove the dash hood (2 phillips screws) and find the black box attached to the cluster - disconnect it - sorted... :D This is all IIRC btw lol

Cool will do that, done it again today and it goes off at 112 KMH.

 

Cheers ..........Rich