300zBeard

Im going to go look at a 1990 300zx 2+2 tomorrow. It has 140,000 miles, timing belt just changed, new tires, and body and interior are in great condition. He is asking 1150 for it. He said there is an oil pan leak and its sluggish when driving sometimes, but is an easy fix. I have about 300 or 400 to throw in on it right now. I really just need something to drive to college every day, so is this a good deal or what?

KasbeKZ

there's probably something he's not telling you. a lot can happen in 140k. just make sure to look at it closely and be sure that you know for sure what is wrong with it. the z is also one of those cars that i choose not to buy without checking the compression on. because it is up there in age a bit.

300zBeard

yeah thats what i was thinking....i hope not though. but im gonna look at it tomorrow. I have been wanting one for a while, so hopefully this will turn out to be a decent car.

300zBeard

and how do i check compression? im a complete noob at this kind of thing, but willing to elarn

KasbeKZ

you need a compression gauge. they go for like $20. if you're going to buy the car, you'll eventually need it. you take all the spark plugs out, and screw the gauge into one of the holes. then you turn the engine over with the starter at least 4 times. with an n/a you should get around 175 lbs i believe but you should check that through searching. it may be 170 or 180. the big thing is it's ok if they're a little low, but they should all be within 5lbs of each other. if they aren't, it needs major engine work. if the compression and oil pressure are good, most other things are small so it's worth buying the cheap car. but if compression and/or oil pressure are lacking, you need to stay away from it because new engines are $$$

300zBeard

got it, i got a buddy thats gonna come and look at some stuff on it for me. if i cant get this one im sure i can find another one. im not looking for a fast one, just one that looks nice. But thanks for the help man, i will make sure both oil pressure and compression are looking good before i dive in.

300zBeard

ok so i went and looked at the 300zx today, and i thought it was well worth the price.
he asked 1150 for it.
Great body and the interior is like new.
140,xxx miles.
Just needs a gasket on the oil pan and he said there is something up with one of the coils ??????
something to do with them replacing spark plugs and it was just 60.00 to fix it.
oh, and a slight whining sound coming from the timing belt, he said it was just replaced it just needs something else to stop the noise but its no threat....
So what do you experts think? Good deal or what?

KasbeKZ

sounds like a good deal so far. whining sound from the belt is an "idler pulley". there are three and i can't tell you which one you need. they aren't cheap for what they are. but they are absolutely essential. consider that noise to mean that your engine is going to implode within a few thousand miles if you don't fix this pronto. i mean, don't start it again.

coil packs are more than $60 a piece unless you get a used one. so look into that. they are all the same though so don't worry about finding one from a specific cylinder.

haha and the reason he sold it is because you basically have to take the engine out to change that gasket. if you are nifty, you might be able to drop the front cross member and get the oil pan dropped, but either way it's a really big job where it's really easy to **** something up. expect at least $1000 to get a shop to change the oil pan gasket.