DTA (UK)

All in all it hasn't been too bad last year. I've owned my car now for just over 1.5 years and in this time had to recore the radiator and replace the two reservoirs either side of the radiator (two separate occurrences) which cost me a total of £300 in parts and labour. The only other expense I've had were a cambelt change and two replacement tyres (245/45ZR16 Bridgestone S-O3's) for the Jap rear ones - cambelt: £400, tyres: £220). Not too bad all in all. Danny (furiously knocking on any wooden surface)

:p I'm glad you're all having a laugh at this. It works for me, has worked for dozens of exotic cars I used to work on so I'll keep using it. It is not about the peanut butter as much as it is the oils it contains. Why else do you think Zymoll wax, etc contains a blend of exotic oils to keep things smooth and flexible ... As for KY or peanut butter on my "rubber", I know which one I'd use ... ;) Cheers folks! Dan

FYI: Vaseline and rubber DO NOT mix. This combination will dry out the rubber and sooner rather than later you'll have a good replica of Niagara Falls from your Targa's into the interior. This is what I used to do when I worked for a car detailing company in the US (back in the early 90's) - gently heat some peanut butter :eek: (yes, peanut butter - smooth not chunky) in the microwave (not too hot), apply to rubber seals, leave for a few minutes and then wipe off with a clean rag. The natural oils in the peanut butter will have penetrated the rubber and made it supple again. I know this sound weird and it is probably a heck of a lot easier to go out and buy special rubber treatment stuff at Halfords but this is what most top car detailers use on the likes of Ferrari F40's and Countach's at the time. I've used it on my Zed and have no problems with leaks whatsoever. Okay, now that I've made myself look like an absolute tw*t I'll shut up ;) GreetZ, Danny:eek: :eek: :)

No problem John ;) At the moment, from what I have seen and experienced, the difference between the Z32 ConZult and one for Skylines and GTiR's is that an external power source is required. On the Z32 power to run the ConZult is drawn through the consult plug - on Skylines and GTiR's there is no such facility - despite the plug being identical. In addition to that, the software needs to be re-developed to cope with the different sensors and feedback pulses. All in all not too much of a job especially since the Z32 version works so well, it is just something that needs to be checked every step of the way. And since Skylines are like gold dust over on the continent (where this is all being developed) it may take some time ... Hope this explains a few things. Looking forward to hearing from you in due course. Regards, Danny

Hi guys, In answer to the above: 1. per unit price: £250, which incl. all required leads, interface, software, user manual & delivery to your nominated address in the UK. If we can get 5 or more units orderd (i.e., groupbuy) then per unit price drops to about £235. 2. Currently the ConZult works ONLY on Z32 however, we are just weeks away from launching a version for the 200SX (S12-14) and after that we are building one for Skylines & GTiR's. Thanks for the interest, for any more info e-mail me at sales@zaat.com. NB: Just to guage interest - I am thinking of offering a hire/purchase scheme whereby you can hire (for a daily charge) either just the ConZult or the ConZult and a laptop. You use it and if you like the equipment you can purchase the lot for a set price. Sounds simple enough - what do you think? Cheers! Danny

Try Zedworld for excellent service. Jeff's a top bloke, bags of experience and fair. Check out his website for contact details: http://www.zedworld.co.uk, and as a bonus he's located in Tamworth - which is not too far from you.

Hi ya John, Happy New Year to you and yours as well. I'm probably not the best person to be giving an unbiased opinion on the use of the ConZults (because I sell them :) ) but purely coming from my own experience of using the ConZult on my own car customer's cars I must say it is an excellent tool. It has managed to diagnose several problem which were earlier diagnosed by the so called experts (read: Nissan main dealers) as being very expensive and time consuming to rectify. At the end of the ConZult's diagnosis the fault was localized, parts ordered from Courtesy in the US and the car was back on the road with minimal disruption to the owner but more importantly it saved him and me a bundle in cash. I have sold quite a few ConZults to Zed owners both on and off this forum and I'm sure the likes of AndyP and Warren can vouch for the ease of use and functionality of the product. Should you wish to continue a discussion please e-mail me at sales@zaat.com Regards, Danny

Had the same on my Zed. Turned out to be a very loosly connected temp-sensor-guage plug. This is the black one (next to the yellow one) on the water outlet directly behind the main fan. Tell your friend to put the connector back on firmly so that it doesn't move when the fan speed increases (as you accellerate). In my case I used a tie-back to hold the connector on firmly. Hope this helps. Dan

Hi Mark, It's been a long time since we last spoke or seen each other. First of all, best wishes for 2003 from Fiona and myself. Right, now for you problematic lights ... the way you describe what is happening sounds exactly like what most big American cars have ... kerb illuminators. My dad's Caddilac Seville STS does exactly the same - indicate and the side light goes on illuminating the kerb on the side to which you are indicating. This is something that is "normal" on American cars and as was stated earlier, some Lexus models and other Japanese cars have it as well. Although I've never come across it before on a Zed, it is quite interesting to see the little differences in kit/accessories. Anyway, don't think it is something to worry about. If you want to change it, cut the wiring and splice it into the dipped beam wiring - I did this on my car and it works great - lovely sided lights when you turn the lights on - just remember to change the bulbs in the front ones as these would be too bright for regular side light operation - if you catch my drift. Hope this helps. Regards mate, Danny

The reason the stock guage is such pants is that most of the sender units are as old as our cars! Having seen one in a dismantled state revealed that it is a resistance based mechanism. Not sure how to explain it but basically there is a tine strip of metal that moves along a metallic cylinder, varying resistance which in turn moves the needle on the oil pressure guage in the dash, dependent on oil pressure moving past it. However, cue in metal fatigue and high oil temperatures, and you can see that after a few years this little piece of metal isn't as responsive as it once used to be. Hence, when you've been driving a while, the engine is hot, the oil is hot, and the pressure guage starts to move towards the zero mark. That doesn't mean there is no oil pressure - trust me, you'll know when you haven't got oil pressure ... Having said all the above, and I stand to be corrected by any of the tech guys on here, a new oil pressure sender unit is only about £80 from Nelson and it is very easy to fit. Danny

Hello all, Just a general interest question: Does anyone know how well bumper mounted aerials (i.e., the ones that run along the inside of the bumper) work, has anyone installed these on their Zed and who sells them for how much? I think I remember speaking to Tooley about it at the Easter Meet and he said he had them on his car - can't remember the facts though. My electrical aerial has been acting up as of late - probably all the crap that gets stuck in there - am contemplating alternatives. Any feedback greatly appreciated. Cheers, Danny

Yes Roy that is utter B-S. My local Nissan dealer told me the same and I haven't been back since. The ConZult works on UK, Euro, J-spec, USA & Canadian spec Zeds - no problems whatsoever. HTH Danny

Of course, check out http://www.300zx-twinturbo.com/conzult for info and screen shots! Cheers, Dan

Hi there, I supply these in the UK and the per unit cost is £250 - if ordered in groups of 5+ then price drops to £235. This price includes the hardware, software, leads, user manual and postage to your nominated address in the UK. Orders from outside the UK attract a supplemental postage fee. Delivery time is usually within 2 weeks of receiving payment. Please note that the software currently only supports PC and not Mac. Let me know if you're interested in taking this further: sales@zaat.com. Cheers, Danny

John, Right back at you mate! Regards, Danny

John Sorry to see you've had to resort to canabalizing the Zed. If still available I'd like the ALC and potentially the RAZO. Let me know (dannyzaat@yahoo.co.uk) what we can sort out. Cheers mate! Danny

Roy, Not too much help here but I seem to recall that the ECU's aren't interchangeable from UK to Jap or visa versa and you may therefore encounter problems. Also, I would advice against putting a Series I ('91) ECU into a Series II ECU ('94) car. Danny

Call me sceptical, but if you've got a dual cone setup on a Y-connector (i.e., still using just the one AFM), how are you going to get more air to pass through the pipe? Surely more air flow through the AFM is what you're trying to achieve here. Unless you use what the Yanks have on their Camaro's and Firebirds - RamAir - which forces more air through by means of a suction device. Just wandering ... Danny

A very common problem during these cold temps and for once not the exclusive domain of ZX's! If one cell has lost some or most of it's charge then no matter how full of fluid it is, it will never retain it's maximum charge. Hence, on cold days, when you need all the charge you can get, there isn't enough of it. I've just replaced the battery on my fiance's Mazda, dubbed the so called "reliable car" (well, compared to the Zed that is ...) Anyway, when replacing a ZX battery, go for one with as high a aH value (= cold cranking amps) that you can physically fit into the space. One thing you need to be sure of is that the two poles are in the correct position as the actual leads will not allow you much flexibility. Last year I bought a battery (rated at 75 aH) with the poles in reversed position to the previous one and the leads would not stretch to accommodate this. As said above, give JeffTT a call, he's got the correct size/type of battery. Let this be a reminder to every one - check your battery is propperly topped up with distilled/ionized water as well as propperly charged. With weather like this you don't want to be caught by surprise. Hope this has helped. Regards, Danny

Okay, I wasn't going to put any sales info up on this forum but as I've been asked several times now ... here goes: ConZult - a PC based (sorry, no Mac compatibility as of yet) diagnostic and monitoring tool for the Nissan 300ZX (Z32)/Fairlady. When the interface is hooked up to the car, using Nissan's Consult plug under the dash, and to the laptop/pc, using the serial connection, it allows you to monitor, in real-time, a variety of sensors - including O2 sensors, CAS, TPS, engine temp, rpm, etc., etc., as well as run full diagnostics on all parts of the car - including transmission, ECU, HICAS, Aircon, etc., etc. It is basically your very own version of the Nissan Consult equipment that Nissan uses to diagnose the Z32. The kit includes the interface, connectors & leads to the car and PC, software and user instructions. It costs £250 per unit, which includes postage to any nominated address in the UK, or £235 if ordered as part of a group-buy (i.e., 5 or more units). Any enquiries to be addressed to myself at sales@zaat.com. This ends the sales pitch - hope I haven't offended anybody by posting this here (I recall certain individuals having a problem with me posting a sales pitch previously). It has not been my intention to solicit any sales by posting this thread - I genuinely require users feedback for a promotion I'm working on. Regards, Danny

Hi Mick, Send me an e-mail on sales@zaat.com and I'll send you all you need to know this weekend. Cheers mate, Dan

Dan, Since you've got that much cash to spend on a Zed I strongly recommend you get in touch with John Newcomb. He is selling his Zed, which is in absolute top condition. He's not spared any expense on modding it and I can honestly say that it is one of the best (if not the best - no offense to anyone else on here ...) Zed in the country. Do a search on here for his e-mail address. He is selling his for just under £10k and it is worth every penny of it. Good luck, Danny

Evening all! I would really appreciate it if those of you who have purchased ConZults from me (or other sources) if you could pass back some feedback. I'm especially interested in hearing about your experiences and any suggestions for future development. Many thanks. Danny

Rik, Try giving Eric a shout at: eric@300zx-twinturbo.com - he knows just about every Z owner in Holland. Hope the is of some use to you. Cheers, Dan

Hi ya! Congrats on your new acquisition and best of luck to you. I don't know much (or rather - anything) about the wires in the centre console but can possibly help with the squeek. This is affectionately refered to as "the bonnet cricket". Basically, the bonnet catch is rubbing against the mechanism and occasionally greasing this part will (temporarily) cure it. I use a spray can of white grease and a quick squirt usually gives me about 2 month of squeek free motoring. As for the cubby-hole holder, try AndyZ (he's always breaking Zeds) or Luke at the ZCentre (I think he used to have a few in stock). Hope this helps. Cheers, Dan