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Think my motor is dead - can't believe it :(

Ok where do i start...driving to work tonight quite happily roaming through the gears then not a lot of power...followed by no power...followed by the engine running in way reminiscant of a knackered tractor.

 

Now the thing will hardly run at all and sounds like it's on 2 cylinders struggling (with my foot planted on the floor) at 200rpm.

 

Please help....as i understand that a lot of you guys use your zeds as second cars but mine is a daily driver and without it i'm totally fooked.

 

I just don't know what the hell is wrong with it...its either the cam belt or the ptu, but i don't know how the egine runs when the ptu is dead??

 

I'm gettin rapdily to the end of my tether with this car as its only been two weeks since i finally got the heater and the damn clutch working properly!!

 

If anyone near to CHESTER has the CONZULT diagnostic system and can spare a few eveing hours this week, please (and yes i'm begging) get in touch asap.

 

Failing that and if the worst comes to the worst does anyone have a half decent NA engine lying about from a trashed or deaded zed?

 

A severely UNmerry Rich..... :headvswal ............:cry:

Featured Replies

My PTU went a few years ago and when it happened the car just died when it was getting warm. After leaving it for 30 - 45 minutes to cool down it would start and run OK until warm again. You may get other prolems then this from the PTU, but this is what happened to me when my PTU went. You should be able to determine if it is the PTU if you run an ECU diagnostic.

 

/ Hans

My PTU went a few years ago and when it happened the car just died when it was getting warm. After leaving it for 30 - 45 minutes to cool down it would start and run OK until warm again. You may get other prolems then this from the PTU, but this is what happened to me when my PTU went. You should be able to determine if it is the PTU if you run an ECU diagnostic.

 

/ Hans

 

oh no its nothing like this...when its running (and this happened while it was still COLD) it literally sounds like its on two cylinders - lots of banging and rattling and not happy at all. Sounds like a 7.8 litre v8 yank tank on tick over...lurch clatter clatter...lurch splutter etc etc! I think its dead!

 

I have nbo ideas left...anyone got a few hours to spare to just come and say dead or alive....if its dead i'll just rip the old lump out and put in another..it'll be so much cheaper than trying to fix this.

 

HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

:headvswal

oh no its nothing like this...when its running (and this happened while it was still COLD) it literally sounds like its on two cylinders - lots of banging and rattling and not happy at all. Sounds like a 7.8 litre v8 yank tank on tick over...lurch clatter clatter...lurch splutter etc etc! I think its dead!

 

I have nbo ideas left...anyone got a few hours to spare to just come and say dead or alive....if its dead i'll just rip the old lump out and put in another..it'll be so much cheaper than trying to fix this.

 

HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

:headvswal

 

I'm not far from Chester, and my car's off the road at the minute, so you can swap in my PTU to check if you want?

 

Rich

I'm not far from Chester, and my car's off the road at the minute, so you can swap in my PTU to check if you want?

 

Rich

 

Oh mate u r a star....pm me with details if u could.

 

I'm sat here like a fooking idiot waiting for the recovery truck which it won't fit on anyway cos of the 3 inch drop :(

 

Is the ptu on the tt's the same as na?

It wont be the engine thats dead, it WILL deffo be an iffy electrical connector or something somwhere, all you gotta do now is find the damn thing. Do an ECU diag, good luck mate

It wont be the engine thats dead, it WILL deffo be an iffy electrical connector or something somwhere, all you gotta do now is find the damn thing. Do an ECU diag, good luck mate

 

Mate i need all the luck in the world here....i've been up all night worrying about it :( not good...i can't settle cos the car is holed up somewhere between home and chester :(

 

But i guess i'll get there....just put another grovelling reuest for anyone with conzult to help me out...

 

here's hoping.

 

Rich

Oh mate u r a star....pm me with details if u could.

 

I'm sat here like a fooking idiot waiting for the recovery truck which it won't fit on anyway cos of the 3 inch drop :(

 

Is the ptu on the tt's the same as na?

 

Pm'd you mate. As far as I know, PTU is the same on both - unless anyone knows different?

 

Speak to you in a bit.

 

Rich

A coil pack connector going down could cause one cylinder to stop working properly, but from your description you have more than one gone. So the chances of more than one coil pack connector going suddenly all at the same time is very slim.

The PTU can go slowly, with symptoms of different heat levels affecting it, or it can stop working altogether, or it can stop just some cylinders from working (as in this case, by the sound of it)

It's basically a simple circuit board with individual controls for each spark plug. this has straight forward solder joints on it that can be affected by heat etc, the same that any circuit board can. But this one is attached to the front of the engine block with all the heat, moisture and vibration that you'd expect in there.

Now moisture shouldn't affect it, as the whole board is immersed in a 'potting' compound to seal it in, this also stops it from being repaired easily.

The only differences between PTU's is with the series one and two*, but the two's come with an adaptor harness, so they can be fitted to the one's

 

*Series One & Two refers to the PTU, and NOT the Z32

 

HTH

A coil pack connector going down could cause one cylinder to stop working properly, but from your description you have more than one gone. So the chances of more than one coil pack connector going suddenly all at the same time is very slim.

The PTU can go slowly, with symptoms of different heat levels affecting it, or it can stop working altogether, or it can stop just some cylinders from working (as in this case, by the sound of it)

It's basically a simple circuit board with individual controls for each spark plug. this has straight forward solder joints on it that can be affected by heat etc, the same that any circuit board can. But this one is attached to the front of the engine block with all the heat, moisture and vibration that you'd expect in there.

Now moisture shouldn't affect it, as the whole board is immersed in a 'potting' compound to seal it in, this also stops it from being repaired easily.

The only differences between PTU's is with the series one and two*, but the two's come with an adaptor harness, so they can be fitted to the one's

 

*Series One & Two refers to the PTU, and NOT the Z32

 

HTH

 

OK...so would a failed ptu just go like the click of your fingers? Cos thats what happened :( I mean it really is runnig like its lost most of its compression but i could be wrong and probably am with this thing!!

 

NEED CONZULT!! Defo buying it this year!

Do an ECU test before you look into getting another engine, it will more than likley and dodgey connector or PTU as said above

 

Ok guys will do, just gotta get the not so fair-lady trailered back to the workshop :(

 

I'll keep u informed.

Panic not mate, I've not got much experience with Zed's but I doubt that this is a complete engine failure. This kind of thing can be caused by LOADS of different issues, usually electrical. Annoyingly, it's usually something simple but thankfully, it's usually something cheap!

 

If you'd REALLY fubared your engine, it wouldn't start / run at all.

 

It could be a whole heap of electrical sensors / connectors, fuel blockage, fuel pump, air blockage... Don't worry about a new engine yet, get it on the diagnostics machine.

 

I'm a LONG way from Chester otherwise I'd be round with the Datascan software.

 

Ian A.

Try swapping the afm/ptu, then if that doesn't work disconnect each coil pack in turn and what ever one alters the tick over the least is the one that is giving you problems!

Panic not mate, I've not got much experience with Zed's but I doubt that this is a complete engine failure. This kind of thing can be caused by LOADS of different issues, usually electrical. Annoyingly, it's usually something simple but thankfully, it's usually something cheap!

 

If you'd REALLY fubared your engine, it wouldn't start / run at all.

 

It could be a whole heap of electrical sensors / connectors, fuel blockage, fuel pump, air blockage... Don't worry about a new engine yet, get it on the diagnostics machine.

 

I'm a LONG way from Chester otherwise I'd be round with the Datascan software.

 

Ian A.

 

I appreciate that mate, would be a tad pointless to drive all the way up here for a ten second session with the scanning software!

 

Right i'll have a go at ecu diagnostics and see what it says!

UPDATE!!

 

Right one of the guys off here came up with a ptu...granted it truned out to be dead but also found something else. The balance tube between the plenums had blown off....how the hell does that happen, its bolted down? Anyway bolted it back up and it ran better...got it to the workshop and did an ecu test....ptu dead.

 

Need i say more.

 

Anyone got one for sale that works?

 

Rich

UPDATE!!

 

Right one of the guys off here came up with a ptu...granted it truned out to be dead but also found something else. The balance tube between the plenums had blown off....how the hell does that happen, its bolted down? Anyway bolted it back up and it ran better...got it to the workshop and did an ecu test....ptu dead.

 

Need i say more.

 

Anyone got one for sale that works?

 

Rich

 

Series 2 here bud! ;) http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=61040 -If it's still there of course!

Or I've got a used series 2 with adapter plugs and bracket for £100 plus a fiver shipping. Let me know asap as I've just posted it on another thread.

 

Vijay

Or I've got a used series 2 with adapter plugs and bracket for £100 plus a fiver shipping. Let me know asap as I've just posted it on another thread.

 

Vijay

 

ok mate, i take it its in good working order?!! Don't need a repeat of this disaster!!

 

Now whats all this about most people relocating the ptu's when they change to the series 2? Any advice on that?

 

Yeah mate mp me paypal details etc and i'll send u my address once you've done that!!

 

Thanx guys...AGAIN!!! :rofl:

Panic not mate, I've not got much experience with Zed's but I doubt that this is a complete engine failure. This kind of thing can be caused by LOADS of different issues, usually electrical. Annoyingly, it's usually something simple but thankfully, it's usually something cheap!

 

If you'd REALLY fubared your engine, it wouldn't start / run at all.

 

It could be a whole heap of electrical sensors / connectors, fuel blockage, fuel pump, air blockage... Don't worry about a new engine yet, get it on the diagnostics machine.

 

I'm a LONG way from Chester otherwise I'd be round with the Datascan software.

 

Ian A.

 

OKey dokey matey thank you..!!

 

Reset ECU, tol me ptu was dead after testing (before reset!) aklso left o2 deaded which i knew anyway!!

 

New series 2 ptu, new left bank o2 sensor and she's STILL popping and running unevenly on the left bank..dunno how much more i can do!

 

Any advice peeps?

 

Rich

Really glad you've found your problem.

 

As for relocating it, it really pertains to the series 1 version, to help prevent against too much heat exposure. Saying that I moved my new series 2 to the centre section between the headlamps, but I was able to do this (without any further drilling) because I also fitted an induction kit at the same time. I also hard wired the new adaptor lead as well (as in, I took out the additional plug and jointed it straight through) It's not a difficult job to relocate it, but you do need to open up the loom right back to the near-side wing area, and then feed the wiring through into the centre section (loom tape is easily available on the internet)

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