Nissanfan92

Does a timing belt go bad from sitting cause my Z set for almost 14 years before it finally seen the road again and I'm worried if it needs changed

zxguy1986

If there is any question at all about the belt, change it, especially if you don't know how many miles on it before you got the car. Rumor is that they dry out, crack and get brittle over time. It is too important to let go because it could cost you the motor. There are kits available which include the water pump, tensioners, etc. Not too expensive, definitely recommended at this point. Check Courtesy Nissan in TX.

Meanwhile, do everyone a favor. Sign in, go to User CP menu (upper left), click Edit Signature and add your Z model, year, shifter, turbo or NA, etc. Saves you having to add it to every post. (Guys here go crazy if you don't lock your Q to your specific Z every time you post...They just ignore questions without enough info) Then click Edit Avatar and you can add a little Z pic under your nick. Cool? Thanks.

Nissanfan92

I would put a pic of it for my avatiar but I need to take some more pics of my car I found out the reason the pics are sideways is because the way I took them on my phone

zxguy1986

You can probably delete your pix and post new ones....

How many miles on your odometer?

Nissanfan92

It has 148000 on it

zxguy1986

Yes, timing belt kit now just to be safe. That Z31 has LOTS of miles to go in your future. May as well know for sure that your new timing belt/water pump are good for 60-70,000 of them. When your Z31 hits 200K, she's still got lots more to go. Switch out the belt again. Keep the paper records in case you want to sell, proof of new belt is worth $300-$400 in the early years' sale price. Basic maintenance.

fdoering01

Before changing the timing belt, how do you determine that #1 is at TDC on the compression stroke?
Thanks.

NismoPick

TDC mean piston 1 is at Top Dead Center, distributor rotor is pointing to cylinder 1, crank mark is at 0*
See also FSM: Z31 Factory Service Manuals