Just bought my first 300zx
09-19-2015, 11:19 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
Just bought my first 300zx
Ok, so i just bought a 300zx for $400. although its so cheap the engine fires up instantaneously every time, it shifts extremely well and it handles amazingly. the only down side is it didnt come with a hood, the windshield is cracked really badly, the fuel pump relay gives out every 2 minutes, but fires right up again, and i think there is a vacuum leak because power steering barely works and the brakes work but are ridiculously spongy. it feels softer than the clutch. ive already ordered the relay, hood, windshield, and bushings all around. It drives like a dream which baffled all of us. all the electronics work like new, everything fits right in its place and except for a small tear the inside is really good considering its 30 years old. so the car hasnt been in major accidents but there are so many minor dents and dings all over the car. but those can be worked out easily. with how well everything works i feel like i got it for a steal. but i could be wrong? what should i look out for, or aside from a tune up, what else should i look out for in these? as well as i do plan on it becoming a drift car so mods?
09-20-2015, 10:32 AM
#2
Grumpy & Helpful
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mill Creek WA
Posts: 1,415
firstly if you think vacuum has anything to do with the power steering you shouldn't do any work on the car because you are a MORON. If the fuel pump gives up every two minutes you certainly can't drive very far with it.
If you would really like answers that would help you and avoid flames give the following info when you post: year of car, n/a or turbo engine, stick or slushbox, digital or analog dash. Most of us can tell by the year what model you have ie 85T is a turbo z31. Z cars come in many flavors and they are all different. example 84,85,86 Z31's pretty comparable. there were changes in 87,88,89. in addition 300ZX can refer to two completly different cars the Z31 and the Z32. No mindreaders here the more info you can post the more likely you get a cogent useful answer. The cars with L engine (straight six) changed almost yearly from their introduction. A 240Z and and a 280Z have similarities but they can also have wide variance.
If you would really like answers that would help you and avoid flames give the following info when you post: year of car, n/a or turbo engine, stick or slushbox, digital or analog dash. Most of us can tell by the year what model you have ie 85T is a turbo z31. Z cars come in many flavors and they are all different. example 84,85,86 Z31's pretty comparable. there were changes in 87,88,89. in addition 300ZX can refer to two completly different cars the Z31 and the Z32. No mindreaders here the more info you can post the more likely you get a cogent useful answer. The cars with L engine (straight six) changed almost yearly from their introduction. A 240Z and and a 280Z have similarities but they can also have wide variance.
Last edited by rogerz; 09-20-2015 at 10:37 AM.
09-20-2015, 11:50 AM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
firstly if you think vacuum has anything to do with the power steering you shouldn't do any work on the car because you are a MORON. If the fuel pump gives up every two minutes you certainly can't drive very far with it.
If you would really like answers that would help you and avoid flames give the following info when you post: year of car, n/a or turbo engine, stick or slushbox, digital or analog dash. Most of us can tell by the year what model you have ie 85T is a turbo z31. Z cars come in many flavors and they are all different. example 84,85,86 Z31's pretty comparable. there were changes in 87,88,89. in addition 300ZX can refer to two completly different cars the Z31 and the Z32. No mindreaders here the more info you can post the more likely you get a cogent useful answer. The cars with L engine (straight six) changed almost yearly from their introduction. A 240Z and and a 280Z have similarities but they can also have wide variance.
If you would really like answers that would help you and avoid flames give the following info when you post: year of car, n/a or turbo engine, stick or slushbox, digital or analog dash. Most of us can tell by the year what model you have ie 85T is a turbo z31. Z cars come in many flavors and they are all different. example 84,85,86 Z31's pretty comparable. there were changes in 87,88,89. in addition 300ZX can refer to two completly different cars the Z31 and the Z32. No mindreaders here the more info you can post the more likely you get a cogent useful answer. The cars with L engine (straight six) changed almost yearly from their introduction. A 240Z and and a 280Z have similarities but they can also have wide variance.
Ok so first of all, I didn't claim to be an expert mechanic, so lack of experience doesn't make me a moron, also I think there's a vacuum Leak because my brakes are spongy and the lines are good, and bleeding won't help. Therefore vacuum leak. 2nd of all you may not be psychic but u must be blind to have to guess what my car is when u can clearly see in the picture that it's an 84 4 lug n.a 300zx.
Also for the record talking down to new members doesn't make u a big man. I posted this late at night after a long day of work on the car, right after I opened the account. So u shouldn't be so critical of mistakes on someone's first post.
09-20-2015, 11:52 AM
#5
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
firstly if you think vacuum has anything to do with the power steering you shouldn't do any work on the car because you are a MORON. If the fuel pump gives up every two minutes you certainly can't drive very far with it.
If you would really like answers that would help you and avoid flames give the following info when you post: year of car, n/a or turbo engine, stick or slushbox, digital or analog dash. Most of us can tell by the year what model you have ie 85T is a turbo z31. Z cars come in many flavors and they are all different. example 84,85,86 Z31's pretty comparable. there were changes in 87,88,89. in addition 300ZX can refer to two completly different cars the Z31 and the Z32. No mindreaders here the more info you can post the more likely you get a cogent useful answer. The cars with L engine (straight six) changed almost yearly from their introduction. A 240Z and and a 280Z have similarities but they can also have wide variance.
If you would really like answers that would help you and avoid flames give the following info when you post: year of car, n/a or turbo engine, stick or slushbox, digital or analog dash. Most of us can tell by the year what model you have ie 85T is a turbo z31. Z cars come in many flavors and they are all different. example 84,85,86 Z31's pretty comparable. there were changes in 87,88,89. in addition 300ZX can refer to two completly different cars the Z31 and the Z32. No mindreaders here the more info you can post the more likely you get a cogent useful answer. The cars with L engine (straight six) changed almost yearly from their introduction. A 240Z and and a 280Z have similarities but they can also have wide variance.
09-21-2015, 04:00 PM
#6
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Iowa
Posts: 30
Congrats of your first Z car, they can be a lot of fun but do require more/different maintenance than a newer car because of their age. What you will find with this forum is that people are more than happy to help but they want you to do some work to help them help you. Most of the frequent posters are guys who have worked on Z31s for years and know the car inside and out, they will help but they won't spoon feed you things. Don't get too wrapped around the axle if they sound harsh or ask you to check this or that on the car, the info they want is usually necessary to help with your problem. RogerZ for example is a wealth of knowledge, he has helped me several times with things but he will want specifics.
You also may have turned some of the guys off with the drift car thing. Most of the frequent posters are drive and enjoy the car type guys, there may be some drift car types on this board but I haven't seen a lot of posts from them. Why help a guy get his car running good if he's just going to tear it up drifting it. I have heard that these aren't great drift cars anyway, the 3.0 NA isn't exactly a torque monster and these cars are a little heavy. Check the "how to make my N/A faster" post on the top of the board. They were built as sport/luxury touring cars not lightweight sports cars.
On the steering, check the cap on the PS reservoir and see if it says use ATF (automatic trans fluid) instead of PS fluid. Mine had PS fluid in it and I had to flush it out and put the ATF back in. It didn't make a night and day difference but the car does steer smoother now. Also check the rack and pinion for torn boots, I had to replace 2 of mine, that also helped steering. These cars do steer a little stiff, nothing like my Porsche without power steering, but stiffer than my 1992 M-30.
The vacuum system is pretty critical on these cars for the fuel-ignition-and HVAC systems. Change the hoses out and make sure you don't have vac leaks. This is cheap insurance against getting stuck on the side of the road or in a gas station parking lot (this happened to me).
Your brake issue doesn't sound like a vacuum problem, usually when there is a vac problem on the PB booster the pedal is super hard to push down, not spongy. Bleed the brakes some more, in my experience air in the lines is about the only thing that will make the brakes super spongy, regardless of the car.
Download the FSM or buy a Haynes manual and do some searches on the board for your problems before posting new topics. If you get stumped ask your question in a coherent manner and list the steps you have done to unsuccessfully solve the problem. I read the hell out of this and the boards for my other old cars whenever I have an issue but I don't post often because I can usually find what I needed in other past posts.
Congrats again on your Z car, I know that you will enjoy it. Don't be afraid to post questions but do try to think them through before you do.
Cheers!
You also may have turned some of the guys off with the drift car thing. Most of the frequent posters are drive and enjoy the car type guys, there may be some drift car types on this board but I haven't seen a lot of posts from them. Why help a guy get his car running good if he's just going to tear it up drifting it. I have heard that these aren't great drift cars anyway, the 3.0 NA isn't exactly a torque monster and these cars are a little heavy. Check the "how to make my N/A faster" post on the top of the board. They were built as sport/luxury touring cars not lightweight sports cars.
On the steering, check the cap on the PS reservoir and see if it says use ATF (automatic trans fluid) instead of PS fluid. Mine had PS fluid in it and I had to flush it out and put the ATF back in. It didn't make a night and day difference but the car does steer smoother now. Also check the rack and pinion for torn boots, I had to replace 2 of mine, that also helped steering. These cars do steer a little stiff, nothing like my Porsche without power steering, but stiffer than my 1992 M-30.
The vacuum system is pretty critical on these cars for the fuel-ignition-and HVAC systems. Change the hoses out and make sure you don't have vac leaks. This is cheap insurance against getting stuck on the side of the road or in a gas station parking lot (this happened to me).
Your brake issue doesn't sound like a vacuum problem, usually when there is a vac problem on the PB booster the pedal is super hard to push down, not spongy. Bleed the brakes some more, in my experience air in the lines is about the only thing that will make the brakes super spongy, regardless of the car.
Download the FSM or buy a Haynes manual and do some searches on the board for your problems before posting new topics. If you get stumped ask your question in a coherent manner and list the steps you have done to unsuccessfully solve the problem. I read the hell out of this and the boards for my other old cars whenever I have an issue but I don't post often because I can usually find what I needed in other past posts.
Congrats again on your Z car, I know that you will enjoy it. Don't be afraid to post questions but do try to think them through before you do.
Cheers!
09-22-2015, 11:47 AM
#7
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 7
Congrats of your first Z car, they can be a lot of fun but do require more/different maintenance than a newer car because of their age. What you will find with this forum is that people are more than happy to help but they want you to do some work to help them help you. Most of the frequent posters are guys who have worked on Z31s for years and know the car inside and out, they will help but they won't spoon feed you things. Don't get too wrapped around the axle if they sound harsh or ask you to check this or that on the car, the info they want is usually necessary to help with your problem. RogerZ for example is a wealth of knowledge, he has helped me several times with things but he will want specifics.
You also may have turned some of the guys off with the drift car thing. Most of the frequent posters are drive and enjoy the car type guys, there may be some drift car types on this board but I haven't seen a lot of posts from them. Why help a guy get his car running good if he's just going to tear it up drifting it. I have heard that these aren't great drift cars anyway, the 3.0 NA isn't exactly a torque monster and these cars are a little heavy. Check the "how to make my N/A faster" post on the top of the board. They were built as sport/luxury touring cars not lightweight sports cars.
On the steering, check the cap on the PS reservoir and see if it says use ATF (automatic trans fluid) instead of PS fluid. Mine had PS fluid in it and I had to flush it out and put the ATF back in. It didn't make a night and day difference but the car does steer smoother now. Also check the rack and pinion for torn boots, I had to replace 2 of mine, that also helped steering. These cars do steer a little stiff, nothing like my Porsche without power steering, but stiffer than my 1992 M-30.
The vacuum system is pretty critical on these cars for the fuel-ignition-and HVAC systems. Change the hoses out and make sure you don't have vac leaks. This is cheap insurance against getting stuck on the side of the road or in a gas station parking lot (this happened to me).
Your brake issue doesn't sound like a vacuum problem, usually when there is a vac problem on the PB booster the pedal is super hard to push down, not spongy. Bleed the brakes some more, in my experience air in the lines is about the only thing that will make the brakes super spongy, regardless of the car.
Download the FSM or buy a Haynes manual and do some searches on the board for your problems before posting new topics. If you get stumped ask your question in a coherent manner and list the steps you have done to unsuccessfully solve the problem. I read the hell out of this and the boards for my other old cars whenever I have an issue but I don't post often because I can usually find what I needed in other past posts.
Congrats again on your Z car, I know that you will enjoy it. Don't be afraid to post questions but do try to think them through before you do.
Cheers!
You also may have turned some of the guys off with the drift car thing. Most of the frequent posters are drive and enjoy the car type guys, there may be some drift car types on this board but I haven't seen a lot of posts from them. Why help a guy get his car running good if he's just going to tear it up drifting it. I have heard that these aren't great drift cars anyway, the 3.0 NA isn't exactly a torque monster and these cars are a little heavy. Check the "how to make my N/A faster" post on the top of the board. They were built as sport/luxury touring cars not lightweight sports cars.
On the steering, check the cap on the PS reservoir and see if it says use ATF (automatic trans fluid) instead of PS fluid. Mine had PS fluid in it and I had to flush it out and put the ATF back in. It didn't make a night and day difference but the car does steer smoother now. Also check the rack and pinion for torn boots, I had to replace 2 of mine, that also helped steering. These cars do steer a little stiff, nothing like my Porsche without power steering, but stiffer than my 1992 M-30.
The vacuum system is pretty critical on these cars for the fuel-ignition-and HVAC systems. Change the hoses out and make sure you don't have vac leaks. This is cheap insurance against getting stuck on the side of the road or in a gas station parking lot (this happened to me).
Your brake issue doesn't sound like a vacuum problem, usually when there is a vac problem on the PB booster the pedal is super hard to push down, not spongy. Bleed the brakes some more, in my experience air in the lines is about the only thing that will make the brakes super spongy, regardless of the car.
Download the FSM or buy a Haynes manual and do some searches on the board for your problems before posting new topics. If you get stumped ask your question in a coherent manner and list the steps you have done to unsuccessfully solve the problem. I read the hell out of this and the boards for my other old cars whenever I have an issue but I don't post often because I can usually find what I needed in other past posts.
Congrats again on your Z car, I know that you will enjoy it. Don't be afraid to post questions but do try to think them through before you do.
Cheers!
I also got a new hood, and my "helper" cracked the new windsheild which we got off of a donor car. But sh*t happens and the hunt for a new windshield continues.
I changed my fuel filter all fluids except for the transmission and diff (which will be done tomorrow). The steering still is really weird and the brakes work a smidge better but are still spongy. (Will recheck brake lines and brake booster.)
Also I changed the fuel pump relay, fuel filter and tested the fuel pump which works like a champ. However the car still turns off after running for 5 min. So my assumption is the ecm is bad because my 09 mustang did the same thing. I will test that today hopefully.
What you said about the vacuum system being critical for ignition. Is it possible that's causing my stalling issues as well?
Now as far as the drift project is concerned. If this car is to be drifted very little of the original parts will be used. As well as an ls swap is the ultimate plan. Having said that, Im a student, so until I can afford the cost of building a drift car correctly it's just going to be a restoration project for now. I'm not worried about power upgrades for now. I just want this car to run right and drive right for now. The more I work on this car the more I like it so I'm not going to be tearing anything out of it for now.
Down the line I will be doing a 5 lug conversion and a lot of custom chassis work. But I'm transferring schools moving and I work a full time job. So I just need a daily for now until I can afford the upkeep of a track car. And yes these cars aren't the best drift car but significantly better than solid axle heavy American cars. (Stock to stock comparison)
P.S. I did drive the car 15 miles in 102 ° Fahrenheit when I got it to transport it to my house. When I say it drove amazing I mean the temp stayed normal and I didn't have to keep pulling over. Just needed to restart it at almost every traffic light. To "Z" veterans that may not be too impressive. But I'm mostly proficient with American cars and I've never driven a 400$ American car that has been sitting mainly because they're pretty much undriveable and seized
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