Aldakoopa

Hello everyone. I'm new to these forums and these cars. In all honesty, I don't even like a car if it isn't American but that's beside the point, I'm not here to argue, that's just my preference, and besides, I own a 1986 Nissan 300ZX now.

I paid $1500 for it, it runs great and has new tires, needs a paint job, but it has quite a few quirks.

For starters, after starting it, the previous owner added a switch on the steering column that you have to flip to shift out of park, and then flip back for the car to drive normally. Then, the radio doesn't keep its memory when you turn off the ignition, so it must be reset every time you start the car. The guy I bought it from said the A/C works, just needed charging, but I can't even get the vents to work at all, except the defrost. The cruise control doesn't work, and neither do the radio controls on the steering wheel. The odometer doesn't work at all, but everything else on the interior seems to work alright.

My plan is to fix it up a little and resell it, and I won't have any problem with the bodywork and painting, but I don't know where to begin with the electrical problems on the inside. I'd like everything to work like it should so I can get as much for it as possible when I resell it, and not have any complaints.

Aldakoopa

Also, the previous owner told me I had to use premium gas in it because it won't run right on the lower grades because of the ethanol in it. Is this true, or can I save some money and put regular in it?

Flacster

Put regular. No reason not to if its stock.

AZ-ZBum

I hate car flippers. Especially those that don't know anything about the car they just bought. But that's besides the point. Not here to argue about it.

Search. Read.

Electrical gremlins are a nightmare. If the previous owner hacked up the wiring, you're SOL on trying to find a common solution. Chances are he redneck engineered all sorts of stupid crap.

AC: Vacuum leaks.

CC: Rubber stoppers on pedals.

Odometer: Should have specified you have digital instrumentation. Power supply.

Radio controls: Is it the original radio?

And you got hosed. $1500 for a car that needs that much work? Yep. Ripped off.

Aldakoopa

It's my daily driver for now. I'm doing a little work here and there, and I'm not necessarily a flipper. I needed a car, this was the only thing around I could afford (I live in an area where EVERYTHING is expensive) but I don't plan on keeping it because I'd rather have an American car. (once again, just a personal preference, please no arguing) I have general car knowledge, but I know more about a General Motors car and little to none about a Nissan.

I can get it looking nice, that's what I do for a living. I've done quite a few restorations and this thing looks like about the easiest one of them all.

The AC doesn't light up or anything, so it may be electrical and not a vacuum leak. This may tie into your "electrical gremlins". This thing seems to be riddled with them, but after a few headaches I hope to have them worked out.

The gauges are digital, and I'm assuming the motor to the odometer is dead, can I buy/replace just the motor?

I'm assuming it is the original radio, but I don't know what the original looks like. But I'm thinking about replacing it with a CD player anyway, and I can get a new CD player working right, so the radio is the least of my worries. I'm most worried about the AC/heater controls, and then second, the cruise control.

omniserv

If you are indeed in the car business in anyway you know the first place to look is the FSM. They are available for free just search for them. As I have said in other threads these cars are very easy to work on. But you have to read the book to understand whats going on.

Not to argue with you but you come here asking for help and at the same time tell us you don't like the car. Seems funny to me. Kind of like saying I don't like you but will you help...lol

You are the one who told us you didn't like the car, why do that??? It wasn't necessary.

AZ-ZBum

I HATE when people say this. It's a BULLSHIT excuse. A car is a car is a car. There are some minor differences, but overall, all the same basic concepts apply. You trouble shoot everything the same way.You said you have it coming out the vents. That sounds like it's a vacuum leak. You didn't mention that nothing lights up. You might want to try pushing the "OVERRIDE" button at the top.Yes. Didn't realize you were talking about the main odometer and not the trip meters (which is a VERY common problem.Like I said. Rubber stoppers on the pedals. You look up the top of the brake and clutch pedal (if applicable) and you'll see holes. They should contain rubber stoppers. It's VERY common for these to have rotted and fallen out. They're a couple bucks at the dealership. Don't use pennies or screws or metal anything there. They are rubber for a reason.

Aldakoopa

Alright, sorry to revive a dead thread, but I'm also sorry I didn't do enough research before asking questions. Since then I've discovered the AC/heater controls do work, I don't know what caused them to work, but they only did for a few days, I'll get on that later. The radio is NOT stock, which is probably also why my cruise control doesn't work, as the rubber stoppers are not the problem. My digital gauges stopped working completely, so I've given up on them and I just bought another car with an analog dash that I can swap in and get some other things I need off of. It's also got a manual transmission, so the auto to manual swap might be something I'll do later. The bodywork is coming along slowly, but I haven't worked on it that much, only a little after work or on weekends now and then, but it will be painted soon. I'll try and get some pics on here when I'm done.