Hi guys,

 

Recently I posted up a thread regarding the collection of a 300ZX far away and I was asking for some advice on what to look out for etc...

 

So... I give the guy the cash and drove the beast away, an immediate smile on my face, the purring V6 is fantastic, never driven an auto before and it was bliss. 50 miles later my pants started to fill, I gave it a little bootfull and the worst I could think of happened... The engine was misfiring like a biatch and there was no power, I sruggled to the top of the hill absolutely bricking myself (my parents were behind me) as I came to a slow halt. I looked under the hood and gave it a blip on the throttle, it was lumpy and there was light smoke belowing from the back of the engine bay.

 

AA came out sharpish, look under the bonnet and spotted that one of the coil leads came loose from the plug, the clip was missing. Swiftly he cable tied it back on and it felt like the heavens were looking down on me and I raised my hands high. FANSPASTIC!! I was on the road again. Along the way I noticed a few things, the speedo was stuck at 0 and after 200 miles it erraticly shook and came to life. The HICAS light came on at the start of the journey, shortly it turned itself off, and then on again after I broke down, then off for 100 miles and then on again, and stayed on for the last leg of 100 miles. Any ideas? Power steering was working fine the whole way. Also the car shook at certain speeds, looks like the wheels were refurbed and the rear wheels have had a new set of tyres. Maybe they weren't balanced?

 

Thats really it, but the one worry I do have after I pulled up at a service station, the car smelt oh so slightly of burnt oil when pulling up. I check under the bonnet and gave it a blip by hand and released after it started hitting boost to find a bit of smoke rising from behind the engine bay again. Immediately I began to fill the other half of my pants again and immediately thought... TURBO/S! But, there is no smoke out the exhausts while driving or stationary as my parents said. Also the turbos boost up perfectly with no spiking or dropping off of full chat. What could it be? Could it be a breather pipe or a hose that not tight enough?

 

Many thanks guys and I appreciate the feedback and advice!!:xxx:

probably a small oil leak somewhere dripping onto the tubs or exhaust. the speedo will cause the Hi cas light to come on so get a second hand speed sensor and try it if not change the clocks themselves or the speed converter has packed up but apart from that it sounds nice !

not sure about the others - but my hicas light tends to come on after a few miles, especially if ive reached 50+ mph. my p/s fluid level is always good. never know what the problem is - fault level sender?? lol. hope you get the rest of it sorted tho mate, and welcome to the world of Z ownership :eek: :eek:

sounds like you have a slight oil leak onto your manifold or turbo possibly from a rocker cover as they can leak this way. this would burn off and give you some smoke.

give it an oil change with a good quality fully synth and it may stop. if not further investigating is needed to confirm where the leak is from.

 

my guess is rocker cover leak

Thats fantastic guys i'm so pleased with the quick response. So my turbos are definately ok then? Is Magnatec 10-40 a good oil to use? If not then what else do you guys recommend as the car is gonna be serviced tommorow. Also where are the glass tops meant to be stored and also should they normally have clip on blinds?

 

Thanks again!

Thats fantastic guys i'm so pleased with the quick response. So my turbos are definately ok then? Is Magnatec 10-40 a good oil to use? If not then what else do you guys recommend as the car is gonna be serviced tommorow. Also where are the glass tops meant to be stored and also should they normally have clip on blinds?

 

Thanks again!

 

i personally wouldnt use magnatec as i had issues with it in my z.

 

millers or silkoline for me the grade tho is a mine field. 10-50 is a popular choice

 

 

have a search on oil or contact oilman as he is deffo the man in the know.

have a look here http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=94083&highlight=oil+grade

Thats fantastic guys i'm so pleased with the quick response. So my turbos are definately ok then? Is Magnatec 10-40 a good oil to use? If not then what else do you guys recommend as the car is gonna be serviced tommorow. Also where are the glass tops meant to be stored and also should they normally have clip on blinds?

 

Thanks again!

 

1st ownership of these cars seems very daunting at first mate but just take your time and read the forum and enjoy :) targa tops go in the boot and are secured by tie down straps...the blinds have round clips that turn closed

wellcome to the forum and dont be affraid to ask any questions;)

not sure about the others - but my hicas light tends to come on after a few miles, especially if ive reached 50+ mph. my p/s fluid level is always good. never know what the problem is - fault level sender?? lol. hope you get the rest of it sorted tho mate, and welcome to the world of Z ownership :eek: :eek:

 

could be your steering wheel isn't dead straight, tripping up the hicas system

Welcome to the nut house buddy.

 

When I picked mine up the cat overheat light came on. Didn't have a clue what it was so ended up taking it fairly slowly on the way home.

 

The HICAS light could be the fluid level or the speed converter in the back of the gauges. Either should be an easy fix.

 

Just as a bit of advice this :xxx: is not a waving symbol and some people may take offence if you use it as such. :rofl:

 

What sort of Z did you get, LWB/SWB colour etc. We want some pics when you get the chance.

 

Good luck getting it sorted.

 

Darrell

could be your steering wheel isn't dead straight, tripping up the hicas system

 

yep mine does that too, but my steering wheel is very obviously not straight. Going to change it anyway next month as my adaptor is sat in the cupbourd collecting dust.

Good stuff thanks for the info. Looks so far that my Z doesnt have the blinds, the previous owner didnt know they existed. I will post pictures of my Z tommorow with a decent camera i'll borrow off me old man. My current 150 quid jobbie doesnt bring out the red vey well lol. My Z is a fairlady (import) LWB twin turbo. Mods that came with the car are Janspeed fitted custom exhaust, Blitz induction kit and twin HKS dump valves.

 

Thanks again guys im off to bed. Im shattered after a long day of driving 600 miles.

Hay bud... glad to see another member in the area....

 

if you need a set of locks for test i have a set you could borrow, selling them any way so they are out the car.

Set of 'locks'? Sorry fella I dunno what you mean lol?

a car that fixes itself .............youve gone and bought ......Christine !!

 

good luck mate welcome to the club

dont worry bud most of us dont know what he means most of the time ;) :D

i guess darkside meant to type clocks...but was tired or drunk or both...quite common on here after 10pm :D

 

congrats on the new car...hicas prob just needs topping up...smoke likely to be the rocker cover leaking, quite common...shaking at certain speeds is usually propshaft bearing...subframe or engine mounts etc etc but could be wheel related i.e. uneven tyre pressure, balancing, warped discs possible.

 

cheers

yes ment clocks.... :D and yes was tired.... i work hard give me a break.....:)

Darkside... yeah that would be awesome. Are they UK clocks then fella?

 

...OK, had the car serviced today by a good mechanic I know. I did write down and request Silkolene fully synth 10-40. I returned to find he put 'CarLube' 5-40. Hmmm... should I worry? Car seems to run fine. He found that the power steering fluid was low, he topped this up and now strangly, the power steering works fine for a few minutes before it gets heavy although not completely, its like its not on at all while driving and when stationary its light enough to turn the wheel. Also the hicas light comes on after 5 mins too? Any ideas, until I switch the car off and on again its fine for another 5 mins. He found that my steering rack was leaking too.

 

Also he found the cause of the problem for my smoking situation. My rear main seal is breaking up, he said as I give it some revs, the oil is pissing out in between the engine and gearbox and onto the turbo hence the smoke. Does that sound right? He reckons if I supplied a new main seal and steering rack/ rack seal. He can fix the lot for £350.

 

Any feedback most appreciated, wheres the best place I can get these parts without going to a main dealer? Also will I need a new steering rack or can I get the seal thats gone on its own. Many thanks guys, im really enjoying the car. The misses and I were cruising through the country lanes with the tops off on the way to the garage, was lovely!

no jap clocks but known to be working, As long as its a s1 then they will fit no probs.

 

my number is below, just text me over teh weekend so i remember to bring them back down to london.

power steering pump could be on its last legs hence the wheel feeling hard to turn...i'd replace the aux belts at the same time...in a perfect world do a cambelt change if you dont know when it was last done...re the main seal its a good job he put cheaper oil in seeing as its all gonna come out again :D...get underneath with a torch check for yourself just to make 100% its not dripping down from higher up and then being flicked about...get familiar with the bits and bobs useful picture link here....check the coolant if its brown....drain and replace with a 50% solution i.e 1 part water 1 part concentrate...overheating is the big zed engine killer

happy zedding mate

The shaking at speed could be down to the Hicas arms needing replacing, mine shook at over 50 and then new arms and it was fine.