Gio

:rofl: :rofl: la dee dee one two three....:dance:

I've never done this myself but from posts here I think there are 2 bleed points for the clutch system. A bit of searching should pop up the answer - either here or on http://www.300zx.org.uk HTH - Gio (beaten by jaffa!)

Hi All, there's been a lot of good advice on the subject of my duff oil pressure sender (at least I hope it's the sender and not an expensive hole somewhere). Thanks to all who posted. The answers raised the difference between a mechanical gauge (capilliary tube between engine and gauge) and an electronic one (sender installed in engine, electrical leads to gauge). One view says that mechanical gauge is the only reliable one, other view says modern electric senders are OK. What's your experience? (I didn't bother to have an option in favour of the stock sender / electric gauge as everyone told me they're rubbish!) Cheers - Gio

Was it a bumble bee or a honey bee? http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,970395,00.html http://hercules.users.netlink.co.uk/Bee.html beee safe :D Gio

There I was going to steam in with a snotty comment - but actually I agree with most of you ;) Regrets for any unnecessary deaths (Royal, Arab or otherwise) but just a tad impatience with the barking mad conspiracy theorists. nighty night - Gio

Having once been in the automotive trade (2 wheels not 4) it is true to say that the quality is widely variable from dealer to dealer. Some bike dealers were simply rip-off merchants or wideboys and some couldn't do enough for their customers with spotless workshops and top-notch spannermen. Seems car franchises are much the same. Good 'uns and bad 'uns and none of them are perfect. I've always had my official services done at DP in Sluff (since 1999) and they have almost always been helpful and good quality. Even getting the odd top-up done on spec without booking. If all dealers were this good...... (Hi Rich, glad to hear that DP are playing right by you too!) Last time I was there, saw a bloke off the 350zuk.com forum picking up his 350Z - Veilside bodykit and other bits and bobs - all done by the dealer and very nice it looked too. Cheers - Gio

Roughly speaking UK official cars are 1990-1994 JDM are 1990-2000 (don't know if production stopped 1999 or 2000). These are the official RHD coutries (oh alright there's Aus, NZ, SA, and others but I don't think these were ever huge markets. Well, Australia's pretty huge but you know what I mean.) UK was TT 2+2 only. JDM had TT vs NA, 2str vs 2+2 So if it's LHD and post 1994/95 odds are it's a JDM. But both TTs and NAs wer eavailable in Japan until the very end. Sooooo if you MUST have a 1999 reg, your only option is a JDM car. Don't know if £11,500 would get you a TT but they are certainly available. As has been said, if you are worried about power, just go for a TT (nothing wrong with the NA, mind, it just hasn't got the same power.) Do a search for Topless here as he has just done an engine swap to put a TT into his previously-NA convertible. But doing this on such a late model car can only reduce the value IMHO. And adding turbos to the NA engine is not practical. So if you want a TT, buy one!

£20k? Best Silver manual from J-land I can afford! (or maybe a gunmetal one. Or that yellow looks nice. Or what about that purple? :D )

The fuel pressure regulator and damper http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=22675-00001 http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=CP&Product_Code=22670-00001 have a rubber membrane which can go off over time. At least that's what my Mandela said when I noticed the petrol smell. Changed them and no smell since (fingers crossed). HTH - Gio

Thank you Mr Vijay, Sir!

Hallo all, Can any one confirm the correct part number for the Oil Pressure Sending Unit for a Series 1 J spec TT Manual? It's the large-ish lumpy thing which sits where the oil filter goes (if you see what I mean). I've done searchy searchy here and elsewhere and I think the number is 25070-30P01. If so, it costs £80 + VAT in the UK and $60 in the U$A! Next question, if I wanted to fit an aftermarket one, which one and where would you stick the connection? TIA - yours with a wobbly oil gauge - Gio

If you need a daily driver and have a limited budget, you need to think long and hard before doing any mods. The search for cheap power rarely increases reliability. At best, it uses up all the money you will need when "normal" things go wrong or need maintenance: belts, water pump, plugs etc etc If you want to go faster and enjoy the drive more, a few quid spent on an advanced / high-speed driving course is much better value. IMHO. Cheers - Gio

Happy New Year one and all :D Got stuffed on a curry last night - feel like I've eaten a pillow!

Can't answer all of your qs but can do some. First, look at buyer's guides and other info at http://www.300zx.org.uk/z32_info.htm (which really should be the first port of call - it has so many links to good stuff that it is really the forum unofficial FAQs!) No - see the above link for guide to different model years No need to avoid imports unless the insurance company cuts up rough. A bit of "search" here and on http://www.300zx.org.uk should find you a good insurer who won't have a hissy fit. don't know about group 20. No. Most parts are the same as UK but in case not, there's MJP Auto (see traders section) who is Mr F and posts here and the ZClub.net Also there is little problem in getting parts from US from (eg) ConceptZ Performance and Courtesy Nissan. Commonest spec in the UK is 2+2 Twin Turbo as this was the official model import. You can have your own argument about manual / auto :D Other say the shorter SWB 2 seater coupe is a little tauter and sportier. NA (normally aspirated) were never officially imported but some insurance companies will do a better price even tho import as the performance is non-turbo. Best advice is what is said above - don't by a shed / bag of bones. IMHO the more you want to modify, the bigger your wallet and shock-resistance needs to be. Mines' a stock 2+2 TT J-spec and it's just the job for me! Good luck - Gio

All the UK Zs were, that's true. But there were a very few hard-tops in, I think, Japan. And some convertibles.

Okey-dokey, just been for a shortish drive and found out that for the first 10 miles / 20 minutes or so, the gauge behaves as expected. Lots of oil pressure and then as it warms up (water temp gauge about horizontal) the oil pressure sits around 50 - 60 psi as it should (at around 3000 rpm in every gear). Then it suddenly plummets to almost nothing and then the needle moves around in a vague manner between almost nothing and 30-ish psi. Does this sound like what happens when the sender is on the way out (failing when hot?) or is there another more serious problem I should look for when we are doing the test with a mechanical gauge? TIA - Gio

http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19332&perpage=15&highlight=shock&pagenumber=1 http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22904&highlight=shock+absorbers Nope, the JDMs don't have it. Yes the US models have switchables all round. Yes the UK models have the handbrake switch which firms the rear shock absorbers up. But the wiring diagram in the manual shows no connection to the ECU and no-one has ever found a reference about how the rear shock actuation "stiffens up automatically when you drive". The actuators certainly aren't connected to anything which would do this. :confused:

Thanks gents - v.helpful as usual. I checked levels (again!) today and did a stone cold pressure check - which was around 90psi so that seems fine. Just off for a drive to see what happens. Hopefully it's a dodgy sender as these do seem to go. So will get someone to do the mechanical check as suggested. In case anyone else still uses the OEM gauge, thought this might be helpful. kg/cm2 > psi 1 = 14 2 = 28 3 = 42 4 = 57 5 = 71 6 = 85 7 = 99 8 = 114 HTH - Gio

Technical query for tonight - I noticed today that my oil pressure seemed to be tad lower than normal. So I checked the owner's manual and the workshop manual which are a little contradictory (there's a surprise!). Having converted to proper units (i.e. psi): - the owner's manual says "normal" is between 9psi and 85psi - the workshop manual says (when warm and without load) idle is 11psi and 3,000 revs is between 51 and 65psi Today I was getting (on a standard OEM gauge and after being well warmed up on the motorway) 8 or 9 psi at the low end and maybe 30 to 40 psi while trundling (60mph in top, hardly any throttle). And the needle seems to wander about much more than it used to (it used to be fairly well related to engine revs but now its much more vague). What would you be happy with on an unmodified TT engine at around 90,000 miles? If you think my oil pressure is on the low side, what would you check first? TIA - Gio

Congrats DaveW (and MAC and cybernet). About half a year behind you (Aug 1999) but still don't want to change. What possible other car could there be? :D

hehehehe how embarrassing :D I know soooo much better now :rofl: http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5730 Happy Wotsit one & All - Gio

Hope you and your loved ones (two-legged, two-wheeled, four-wheeled & four-legged) all have a great Chrimble and a spiffing New Year. http://web.icq.com/shockwave/0,,4845,00.swf Hic :rofl: Gio ;)

If it's more of a grinding screech before the starter engages and turns the engine it could be the bendix on the starter not making proper contact with the flywheel teeth. Either your starter is on the way out or your battery (not enough juice to spin the starter fast enough). Or some duff connections somewhere. If it's a scream after the car has started, it's probably belts not tight enough. The necessary tension was described to me by the local Nissan bloke as that standard unit of measurement "F-tight". HTH - Gio

Thanks Stu - shortcut on the desktop and fire it up whenever I need a grin :D

It's time for a seasonal recommendation for http://www.300zx.org.uk - a huge compilation of links to articles about all things to do with the 300ZX Z32. Sort of an unofficial where to find the answer to Z FAQs. Including how to alter H3 bulbs to fit H3C lamps http://www.300zx.org.uk/tech_17.htm http://www.aus300zxclub.com/tech/lights.htm Or if you want brighter lights in H3C fitment, http://www.powerbulbs.com for PIAAs should see you right. HTH - Gio