Jack

Ian - my altenator failed without any warning - no red light on the dash. Best access is from underneath (only access I think unless you want to remove all of the front of the car). It's a pig of a job but it can be done. Took me about 3 hours to remove and replace (91 NA Auto). I made the mistake of buying a 2nd hand altenator (£40) and when I'd fitted it, the red light glowed a little - although it was reading just the right numbers when charging - so it was going to die soon. As I was to do a cam belt change soon, I bought a new (nissan) altenator - £153, but never fitted it as I sold the car and bought a newer one. So - good luck, and if you want a new altenator, I've one for sale. cheerz Jack

Check that the new exaust pipes are not sat on the cross member after the cats. If they are close, place some washers between the cross member and the car - and see if this makes a difference. I had a Powerflow exhaust on a Z I bought recently and it was resting on the cross member - quality. Good luck ...just a thought - the exhaust suspension rubbers Powerflow use are extremly hard - you could try softer ones - any exhaust place will sort you out - Ford fit well if you cut them in half (2 for the price of one).

Chris - welcome to the club - I'm a mate of Charlie and have driven your car - very striking paint job. Charlie put a lot of hours into that car, and you are right about a retrim, loose the grey cloth and replace with burgundy leather and it'll be complete. Good luck, watch for speed bumps and that front splitter... cheerz Jack

Rich - prop bearings are relatively easy. Just get it right first time. Rear Gear box is under the car with a spare jack to hold up the box and a couple of spanners - straight forward. Centre bearing is more difficult, You can seperate the exhaust behind the cats, remove the cats heat shield, seperate the front half of the prop from the back half (4 bolts - mark the front and back first so that they go back in the same place) undo the 2 bolts that hold the bearing in place (note where the spacer washers go) and then withdraw the front prop and bearing. IMPORTANT - mark the flange that had the 4 bolts in it so that it aligns with the notch in the threaded shaft/nut. Remove nut, remove flange, remove knackered bearing (puller), clean and grease and as they say in all good manuals - refiting is a reversal of the dissambly proceedure... just make sure the spacers go between the bearing carrier and the car (thanks Jeff). ...it helps to disconnect the middle exhaust rubber carriers too... Good luck Jack - if you need more detail - just let me know.

...prop shaft bearings are my speciality, give me a shout - I've 14 hours experience... Good luck Jack

...long shot, but a million years ago when I first bough a Z (import) it came in all clean and shiney but all the shocks knocked. To cure it I treated them to a little silicone spray both on the chrome shaft that moves up and down and around the contact with the body work, and around the rubber connection at the bottom. I also used it in the engine bay around the top of the shocks. And guess what - all of the knocking and creaking and groaning went away - so I treated all other bushes etc with same spray. And since then I have done it to all (I'm on my second) my Z's - treat it as a summer maintanance task. ...worth a try - only about £4. Good luck Jack

Brilliant picture - I feel for ya... Got the same halogen light myself. Lovely working in the dark with no space to move and everything you touch is black. I've just spent (since Saturday) near on 14 hours under the car (not in one stint), and fortunately I fixed it (third attempt). I can't help you with the heater matrix though, but you pic reminds me I must put change the antifreeze and use distilled water too - next job on the list. Good luck - I'm sure one of the guys on here will come to your rescue - Jeff normally digs me out of the sh#t - you can't beat experience. cheerz Jack

Ivan - I do appologise. I only have knowledge of Jap NA's - and I've had 3 batteries in the Z i've just sold - and each was a different size (all Bosch Silver) and ampage, and my current battery (97NA) is under a plastic casing so I've no idea what it is. Good luck Jack

drive to a battery seller - such as Swedish and German. take the old battery off the car, walk in with it and ask for one the same size (approx), same terminal positions etc etc, pay your money, walk out and fit new battery... Bosch Silver - every three years. Good luck Jack

Chris - bearing was one week old - it certainly looked new and was tighter than the one I removed. Jeff - nail on the head as usual - I have put the washers/spacers between the bolt heads and the carrier. ...many thanks for the info. Cheerz Jack

I've changed the rear gearbox mount for a new one (thanks MrF) and I've changed the centre support bearing for a nearly new one (thanks Slick Pete) but I'm afraid to report that the vibrations are still there. It's a coarse-ness that comes in about 40 and goes about 70. So - a couple of questions: The UV joints on the prop are all tight but very notchy. Is this the fault or are they supposed to be like that? There is the possibility that I've reassembled it out of balance. I marked all of the joints as you are supposed to but removed the centre flange without referencing it to the front shaft - so I guessed it position on reassembly (what an idiot!). So, can I simply rotate the centre joint through 90 degrees and hope that the 2 shafts reach equilibrium, or am I stuffed... ...any thoughts would be welcome. many thanks Jack

I got a full set of NA's from AndyZ recently - have you tried him? Good luck Jack

...used Z light in one of the Lambo's too...

buy the hi-fi.

...neat - keep putting him off.

Don't buy one. Me and all the rest of the peeps on this forum are the only people in the UK who know just how great the Z really is. We want to keep our roads exclusive, can't have them full of Z's - that won't do. ...start a family. It's equally time consuming and expensive. cheerz Jack

...should last for 200 miles in a NA.

Don't buy one. You'll be peaking too early in life. Have a family instead. cheerz Jack

...we'll all be out tonight driving at 111mph trying to get it to bing... Mine bings if I put the key in the ignition when I've deactivated the alarm but not started the car. It means I can't leave the keys in the ignition - bit of a pain when you are working on the car.

Jeff - you are a star. Many thanks. cheerz Jack

...just wired up the fog light wrongly (it was working before I dismantled it) and now I've no rear lights and the headlights are on main beam only. I've changed a blown 10amp fuse in footwell and checked everything else and it looks ok. Any ideas would be most welcome. cheerz Jack

...have bright lights in them directly behind the orange bulbs. When indicating they light up the side of the road (at night). Is this going to be an issue at MOT time? ...my 90 didn't have these... Thanks in advance. Jack

...how much did you pay for the altenator? cheerz Jack

...you got to get rid of that animation of the guy on the computer - I cant follow the thread...

I've just paid £64 at an accident damage repair place - they have alignment gear to get everything straight after a repair - best place to go to really, and should be the cheapest. good luck Jack