WillieO

I sell power transformers - big grey things wot hum a lot. You see them in substations and little ones up poles. All your electrickery comes through them. Reading the above I reckon I should have been in IT though something about IT types and Zeds - its logical Jim, its life but not as we know it! 2 years of zed and not a bit bored yet.

Underdrive pulley This is one for the modder that has everything else and wants it in fetching anodised ally! I think its a smaller diameter crank pulley so that it turns the water pump, alternator, power steering pump and aircon pump at slower revs than standard, the theory being that less energy is then transferred to those items at a given engine revs. Thing is most of the ancilliaries draw power as needed. So if they are rotating slower they just load the belt more. So yes at high rpm there will be the saving of the power that those items otherwise could draw. Downside is that the altenator then cant always recharge the battery when your drawing big electric loads with your sub and amps and going slow, your aircon same and water cooling. IMHO this is not a very worthwhile mod for a road car. At low rpm the losses fom the belts and pulleys will be no different and when alternator is not drawing power and aircon is off all thats left is the power steering and water pump draw. I'd rather she was getting proper cooling than have the water pump go slower to save a couple of unfeelable bhp (except in some peoples imagination). Just chuck out your aircon and save weight too! I'm keeping mine! Remember that the ecu turns off the aircon temporarily to save bhp at full throttle anyway. I think a Feng Shui crystal in the glove box is as good and cheaper! No offence Jack just my opinion Willie

An original clutch at 110k miles would be a good sign all right! Some welly merchants toast them in 30k or less. But you'd need one soon I would think unless there was a recent change. Check tension rod bushes too - dripping goo means they are over but not dear to fix with poly bushes for £50 and some spanner and vice work.

the one that is underneath the fuel pressure regulator is a blighter. That hose goes to the full injector rail. Fuel runs down under it so you just cant see it. Then runs down the back of the engine onto the floor under the car. When you first find it you think the fpr is stuffed cos it appears to be coming from it. Its not, its just that the clip under it is not easy to get a screwdriver to. You got to take off the trim cover over the throttle cables to see it properly. Look under the car next time an you might see the fuel. Once warmed up the pipe seals again. Try selecting econ instead with your aircon - sounds like you are switching aircon off totally with no ventilation at all. Still even with econ and no chilled dry air you will still suck in fuel fumes. I just tightened up last year but I now get a fuel whiff now and again when its cold so maybe I should change the hoses now.

I bought mine more than 2 years ago with more than that. You have to look closely at the car and history if it has any. a good one properly serviced would hopefully make 200000 miles. You probably should pay more attention to the turbos, the suspension and the interior to see what you are getting. Someone with a heavy foot and no mechanical nous can roger the turbos in less than 60K. A sympathetic hard driver can make em last 150K +and counting. In my 2 years and 20000plus miles added it needed front discs, a re - build on the front calipers, prop centre bearing, rear shocks and a battery. I reckon thats not too bad for what you get in return. It already had new front shocks, upper links, rear HICAS arms, new SS exhaust and new discs all round but the fronts warped. Incidentally my 240Z from years ago was all rotting away but the engine could have gone on forever. I hope this one's the same - except not having it rot away as well I mean!

Sounds OK, so tyres are the only thing not inflating these days! Not so long ago s02s were about £300 a tyre for 295's X 18 so assumed even worse for 19"

doh!, question answered I just read the front end of your spec Chris. How many miles do you get out of them? Willie

I think 18" s are far enough for go maybe 19" for show but replacing those rears every few months you'd need to be in the pharmaceutical business ;) Chris dont the 295s foul anything? Or have you flared arches? My 265's look close to the arches as is.

Dave's right My insurer wanted one price for 10% extra and another for up to 20% extra power. On a TT this was £250 extra (20%) and I have no points, full ncb and am old enough to know better! So God help you if your in your 20's and want a chipped tt and pukka insurance. I'm thinking content yourself its got more than enough oomph as it is - a TT that is. Willie

Its not cos its an import and the bodge that was done to do rear fog lights for UK regs has used the inner red lamps is it? I heard that the warning lamp circuit for failed bulbs needs to "see" all the bulbs and if 2 are taken out of the circuit to re use as fog lamps it thinks they're blown and gives a warning all the time. Could also be total bo&&ocks I am talking

might even have been 5X3s to leave such a gap

I got the 7X5s Kens in the normal place under the metalwork. Had to re drill fixing holes and make up gasketting to seal / baffle the speaker. Somebody had fitted tiny 6X4 20watt twin cones with a gap all round them before. You can imagine the crap sound due to the gap. Normal grills fitted back on. Sound is OK with the Kens but could alwasy use stronger bass and of course there can be buzzing from panels at high vol with heavy bass music. However its OK. Thought about a sub but couldnt bear to add any more weight to the lardy beast. Maybe changing to 9X6s in the front doors with an amp will be far enough for me. Willie

Andrew Beg to differ but I fitted Kenwood 7X5 inthe back with little mods Willie

Would I be far wrong with 200BHP gives 140 - 145 250BHP gives 145 - 150 300BHP gives 155 - 165 350BHP gives 165 - 170 400BHP gives 170 - 175 450BHP gives 175 - 180 600BHP+ to exceed 200 All the DIN kind at the flywheel not the thinner USA kind! Also assumes similar drag, right gearing, unlimited ecu etc etc Just trying to show the diminishing returns due to drag increasing by (is it) the square of the speed. All academic m'lud on private runways pub bore stuff etc! Also assumes a true reading speedo which is unlikely Std 1/4 miles also shows interesting correlation with BHP - it takes more and more to win less and less!

You are'nt driving on lava again are you? ;) Maybe you need to look out for the silicon goo leaking out of your tension rod bushes. Could imagine if they are well squidgy they could make the front end feel funny while braking at full lock.

Else a dodgy or loose connection to the battery, the starter motor or even solenoid contact burn in the solenoid can give the high resistance which gives similar effect to slightly iffy and low battery volts. If I left mine a couple of weeks the alarm would drain the battery enough to give the symptoms you mentioned. Now my battery was finally declared dead on saturday as it was a bit chilly and he wouldnt even get out of bed. New one calcium one fitted.

then gwt an appointment with your dentist to make sure your fillings are all sound ;)

I'm with James. When the battery volts gets a bit iffy with a cell dying and the cold weather hits it you can get fizzing etc rather than a clean start. New battery cures it.

while we are at morality, what about the nurses? Now they certainly dont have lines of people wanting their jobs! Presumably everybody saying give our FFs a whacking big pay rise because they deserve it are also paying plenty taxes and ready to pay even more because its taxpayers who pay public services not the government. I noticed that most people who vote for more taxes to be spent actually dont pay any. I am all for equitable treatment, some kind of indexing and no strike agreement so that wages dont get left behind for years needing this kind of painful catchup situaton. It is just nauseating listening to the "negotiating by media methods" of old 2 jags and his henchmen. There will be a resolution soon and the old improved productivity and revised work proactises will justify the climbdown. Means more fires out per man! And while we are putting the world to rights that prat in government who wants us to pay more tuition fees to get our kids through uni. No more shall the bin man subsidise the doctor she said. So does that mean flat rate taxes too? Society gets the investment back in taxes over and over. Goodwill to all! except goverment - its bloated and inefficient and wastes our money. I'm for having at least 20% redundances there every 6 months! foxes and section 28 really important stuff!

235 X 40 X18 go on 8.5ins and 265X35 18 on 10ins on the rears and is within 2.5% of stock for speedo and its becoming a relatively common tyre for porkers and the like so not too horrendously expensive unless you insist on the best then £200+ a tyre. My last pair were Falkens at £130 each and lasted about 10k miles.

My neighbours STI. He changed the exhaust for some thing bigger with a sportscat fitted. Rolling road last week showed 300bhp instead of quoted 262bhp with nearly 100bhp lost in the transmission. No other engine mods except a panel filter. It is seriously rapid.

Stuart watch you dont also fry the relay! Switching causes surges. 2 X 55W probably gets a 50 amp surge over the relay contacts. 2 X 130A will get maybe a 150 amp surge. Then you get welded or burnt relay contacts. So dont flip from main to dip too frequently. the relays are not rated for the surge. Willie

At least 60 cos the Z alternator can kick out much more than that and might fry it. I think you need to wire it in serious with the leccy system - means big wire in and out! On balance a voltmeter might be better for keeping you informed on battery condition and charging state

Even though I think they're worth more and it takes guts etc how about the laws of supply and demand? Isnt it a job with serious amounts of job satisfaction and gives a buzz? You get to play cards, train, side down poles like a pole dancer drive flat out with sirens going!! Get serious respect. Seems to me there's also a line of guys trying to join. A mate of mines son took 18 months to get in and he was just out of the marines. Plus they are most womans fantasy and you can keep your helmet on in bed!. Dont you also have one excellent protected pension at an early age unlike those of us in the private sector who look like having no pension at all unless they are already 39 years into a final salary scheme. Then there was the cracks I heard about leaving and becoming a £30k pa train driver but theres a queue for that as well! Plus good old labour govt with their recent big pay rise is already trying to shaft us all with more taxes, more national insurance, less pension, extra tuition fees for the students blah de blah and they dont even have the costs for the firemen in their budget. Anyone left in the private sector will have to carry these extra costs. And we dont have any manufacturing left no wonder we want to arrange a war with Iraq to take our minds off things! Thats what happens when your Z runs fine - you have to think about reality. Willie

Hate to throw cold water on a boosted power upgrade but mind the insurance. If you do not tell them you might as well not send the premium cos you aint covered. Technically this even goes for the cheap and risky boost jets only fitting because it is a modification to increase performance. I asked mine the other day for a quote. Extra cost about £250 for a performance chip so long as power increase is less than 20%. Willie