Nissan 300ZX, all models

z_admirer · January 2003

What do you guys think? Should I get a salvaged 1996 2+2 with 73K miles or a clean 1993 2+2 with 97K miles? (same price) Do you think its too risky buying a salvaged vehicle (not really knowing how badly it was damaged and the other potential problems it might have caused)? Pls help. I've been admiring Zs for a long time and really want to get my first one. Don't know anything about them mechanically, but willing to learn.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2003

I guess it depends on what kind of damage and what kind of price and what you intend to do with the vehicle. As you know, this salvaged vehicle you buy will always be hard to sell, so you have to buy it cheap, cheap, cheap. If the previous owner has photos or documentation as to the damage, this would be good for you to retain.

There's nothing wrong with a vehicle that has been expertly, professionally repaired except that the car will always have a black mark on it. I personally wouldn't buy a salvage vehicle unless you could steal it for perhaps 50% of value.

alarmpro · January 2003

I am the original owner of a Midnight Blue 85 300ZX-GLL. It has 86,000 miles and over the last 18 years I have done all kinds of repairs, but recently the A/C compressor failed and now there is a foul odor coming from the air vents. I've cleaned the blower but the smell is worstening. The car needs minor seat repairs, door gaskets, and A/C repairs. I want to keep this car, any suggestions.
Also, does anyone know a great ZX specialist in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale FL. area? Thanks, Lee in Miami

Mr_Shiftright · January 2003

Yeah, there's some crud growing in the vent system no doubt. An a/c specialist should know how to treat this. It's a persistent problem, even on much newer cars. I think your climate has a lot to do with it.

phillatio · February 2003

Mr. Shiftright, I'm looking for guidance in my purchase of an '83 280ZX. It's a good looking two-tone blue and black coupe. The body looks sound but it's in the shop for a fuel pump problem. The dealer says that the mileage is an assumed 114,000. That kind of scared me when he said "assumed". I know you can't trust these small dealerships, but the car looks great for being 20 years old.
My question is regarding any common problems known with these cars. Can you tell me what I should look for when test driving it? I realize anything could go wrong with old cars, but it's hard to find good info on these classics.
Thank You.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2003

Oh, I'm no expert on 280Zs but I do know they are better than the 260s....I would think that any car this age that passes a full mechanical inspection has already had the bugs worked out.

My main concern with anyone buying a 280ZX is not to pay too much for it, and don't work under the optimistic assumption that it will be worth money as a collectible. This doesn't seem to be the case.

Asll the better for you, as you can get yourself a nice fun ride for not a lot of money.

Another consideration on buying old Japanese cars is that there is not much of an aftermarket on some pieces, like trim parts, body panels, etc. So if you buy an older japanese car with serious cosmetic issues, you could have a hell of a time correcting those at any reasonable cost.

jaserb · February 2003

The Z is a bit more spartan, while the ZX tends to be dolled up with PW, Leather, sunroof, power steering, etc. and has a softer suspension. Very few (if any) body panels can be swapped between the 280Z and 280ZX. The 240z, 260z and 280z are all the same body style with some minor differences. The drivetrain is almost identical between the 280Z and ZX, except for the availability of a turbo in the '81-'83 ZXs. The power goodies on the ZX are no better or worse than any other 20 year old car, so make sure everything works. The inline 6 engine is very durable and the FI is pretty good as well. Check it out thoroughly for any rust or body damage. You can get just about any part for any Z at www.motorsportauto.com in Orange, CA. There may be others I don't know about, since I sold my Z several years ago. Let us know what happens, and good luck!

-Jason

argent · February 2003

One thing a friend of mine who had a normally aspirated 280ZX found out the hard way is that some of them -- especially the 280ZX, but possibly some of the early 300ZXs as well -- had problems with totally inadequate stock radiators. I think there were two different types of radiators used, and one was a serious lemon. He also had problems with the fan clutch, apparently common too, which didn't help, but he heard that a good aftermarket radiator (evidently quite common...there are lots of Z specialists) was a good investment.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2003

Sometimes on these older cars they wouldn't make allowances for the heat produced by the automatic trans cooler attached to the lower radiator; often an aftermarket transmission cooler will help some types of overheating on older cars.

argent · February 2003

This was a problem on manual-shift cars, as well. (My friend's was a 5-speed, not an auto.) It was that the radiator just wasn't adequate for the engine, and that the ones of South American manufacture were not up to even their dubious spec.

cebteb · February 2003

Maybe the 280s had insufficient cooling, but my '85 300ZX Turbo, 5-speed, has the best coolant temperature control system of any vehicle I've owned past or present. I've blown up to the Eisenhower Tunnel (about 10,500 feet) at 75 mph and the temperature gauge needle never budged. Stays in the same place as when doing 55 mph in the flat lands.

The only chronic problems with this model are electrical short gremlins and steering wheel vibration problems. If not abused, the engines will go over 200K miles w/o sipping a drop of oil.

tnjrobi1 · February 2003

There is a 1996 300ZX for $14,995 in my local paper. It normally list for $16,995 on the dealers internet site. I called and asked the dealer why it was cheaper in the paper. The salesperson (Susan) explained that it had been on the lot for a couple of weeks and it was just normal to lower the price to move it.

I asked Susan who used to have the car and she told me it was a couple in their 40's and they had bought the car new in 96. They traded it for a 2003 350Z.

Listed below are the details on the 300ZX:

72,825 miles
Non-Turbo
2 seater
perfect interior
perfect exterior
Black
Black leather interior
T-tops
Power Drivers seat
5-speed
Compact disc Bose stereo system
Auto climate control
etc.

Is this vehicle worth the $14,995?

Mr_Shiftright · February 2003

What model is it? 2 dr, 2+2, turbo, or ???

If it's a regular 2 dr. I'd say it's just retail pricing. Their $16.9K was over market so no wonder nobody bit. It might be "good" buy at $12,500 if it checks out really well. It's a complex car so you want to go over every nut and bolt here. But if you paid $15K it wouldn't be overpriced necessarily if it was a really sharp car--just no bargain. A retail sale.

coupedncal · February 2003

You must understand that the current price is just about as high as it goes for that car. Try to bring it as close to Private Party price (about low $13k) as you can. Otherwise, be prepared to lose about $3K the moment you drive it off the lot.

My suggestion would be to bargain it down or find similar car through private party sources. Unless you can't get financing from other sources and in that case, you could be stuck.

jenny6 · March 2006

i have an 84 300zx with turbo. i've had the car for 3 years and it's always run like a dream. i have never had a problem with it. i replaced the oil a couple hundred miles before it was due...once a yr got brand new tires all the way around, ect. one day it wouldn't start so i jumped it. it flooded out really bad, shuttered, then died. ever since then it wouldn't start. i pulled out the fuel filter on it and when i blew in it there was gooey green stuff. my dad replaced the heads and sparkplugs. it still won't start. does anyone have any tips?

jrv01pr · April 2006

Are there any techs in South Florida that specialize in older Z's, i.e 84AE Turbo?

jenny6 · April 2006

i have an 84 300zx with the turbo. I've had the car for 5 years. Nothing has ever gone wrong with it. I changed the oil 50 miles before it was due, new tires every 6 mnths, changed the fluids once a year. I went out to start it one day and it acted like it was flooded out, then died. Tried again and it wouldn't start. I pulled the fuel filter off, blew in it and there was a nasty gooey greenish black color that came out. replaced that, spark plugs, and the heads. the car still won't run. Does anyone know what might be wrong?

Mr_Shiftright · April 2006

sounds like you need to inspect and/or drop the gas tank.

jenny6 · April 2006

we tried that and it didnt' help any.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2006

Well then for a no start you'll have to start a very logical "diagnostic tree" wherein you start from the basics and slowly eliminate each possibility.

First you check compression. Then you check for spark. If there's spark , you check fuel delivery. If no spark, you check each component that delivers spark, starting at the back of the chain (battery--ignition switch--ignition module--coil or coil packs--wires---plugs). If no fuel, you do the same....fuel pump, pressur in fuel rail, noid light on injectors to check for injector pulse (and whatever fires the injector pulse on your car).

And so it goes till you nail it.

But it's important to start a "tree" on pad and paper and not to start guessingly wildly or you'll get lost as to what you did and didn't do.

hpmctorque · April 2006

What's a good source of parts for '84-'88 300Z's?

jg7292 · May 2006

what you should do is check your airflow meter if it's deffective it will prevent your car from starting

Mr_Shiftright · May 2006

I'm sorry I had to delete that extremely large photo you posted as it was throwing the viewing page out of whack. You either have to limit the size of your photos, or better yet, why not open up your own "page" to post photos in our new "carspace"?

Just go here and sign up. Through the "friends" feature, you can let anyone else on the board here know that you've got a page set up with photos of your car.

www.carspace.com

thanks!

MrShiftright
Host

skilman31 · May 2006

oh ya sorry about that i didnt think that it was going to turn out so big sorry about that man

cphoenix · May 2006

is there any way to get any repair tips in this site? I have a 300zx and I just beggining to learn how to drive stick, im pretty good for a begginer since I made my research on how to. anyways, I have an 87 300zx, an idiot sold it to me real cheap but the problem is, it hasnt been taken care of like it should have been, the engine leaks oil, that it would be left dry, needs all differentkinds of fluid, I want to take care of whats causing it to leak so much does anyone have any idea? well I will take care of the air filter and the fluids and stuff, but since this car is old and was owned by a dumbass, would bringing this car back alive cost alot? I wanna get this thing moving for the time being so I can start going to work and stuff.

Mr_Shiftright · May 2006

Well for an oil leak best thing is to wash or steam clean the engine, then get the car up safely on jack stands and crawl under there and have a look for the leak. Oil leaks can be simple or they can be very hard to fix. With a large leak like you seem to have, first thing I'd check is the oil filter.

This isn't a car you'd want to put a lot of money into however, as they aren't worth all that much and probably never will be. So you have to keep your head about this and how far you want to get into it.

cphoenix · May 2006

I atleast want to get it started, because it wont start, this car has been "mojofied" the paint is screwed up, they put a confusin alarm system, when my bro and I removed it turning it on was easier, but here is another thing, when we try starting it there is no sound what so ever, the only thing that goes on is the "knight rider" looking speedometer, and the antenna goes up nothing seems to go one like the engine or anything, as this is a stick, my bro in law believes that the clutch may be having a prob. I atleast want it to start decently then sell it to get something else, I hate how I was set up to own it and no one seems to help, its like I need an actual expert to look at it, to get all the problems listed.

300zx93 · July 2006

I recently became the owner of a beautiful 1993 300zx non turbo. There were no recorded problems on the CarFax report, and the previous owner swore on his life that it ran perfectly (I'm starting to think someone should run him over). BUT, these past 2 weeks, I've had repeated problems with the engine cutting out at consistently RANDOM times, RPMS, gears, weather, and inclines/declines. i've tried using the product "HEET" to remove any possible air/water pockets in the fuel line and simply, am out of ideas. I'm thinking it's an electrical problem, but like I said : i'm not sure. Please help as soon as you can, for this is my daily freeway driver and I won't feel comfortable driving it to work and school until this problem is fixed.

lemmer · July 2006

These engines are known for clogged injectors. My '95 NA was starting to develop the issue just a little around the time I sold it. It would occasionally cut out as I was coasting to a stop light with the clutch it.

Based on your description, I am not sure if this is your problem or not. Does it restart easily after it cuts out? Is it a very sudden problem?

Mr_Shiftright · July 2006

Sounds like a small thing (good news) that might be hard to track down (bad news).

Given the random nature one might expect an electrical glitch. You could try a simple test and run your engine at night and look to see if there is spark leakage from your spark plug wires.

Otherwise, you might get the engine scanned to see if anything turns up. Possibly you'd have to get a mechanic to just tighten and clean all vital electrical connections. You might get lucky.

zgirl · July 2006

Hey there, I'm having a problem with my 91 Z, she's running hot, & when you turn on the air, the temp gauge goes to 3/4 & won't cool down. I've changed the thermostat, had the radiator flushed, also a new fan/clutch....any other ideas? There are no good mechanics around with the Z-touch. Z-Girl

Mr_Shiftright · July 2006

Sometimes a radiator flush doesn't do much good, if the radiator is clogged up from many years of use.

I don't recall on this car---is there an auxiliary electric cooling fan that is supposed to cut in with the AC on, in addition to the regular fan?

You know, 3/4 on the guage isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as the car isn't overheating. Engines like to run on the hot side.

Also have you replaced your radiator cap? Any leak in pressure will drop the boiling point of water/coolant.

zgirl · July 2006

The flush was discussed last nite. I was told if they didn't do the flush thru the engine, bottom up, something may be stuck in there..... the guy who did it... I don't know......thought of bringing it in to an express place, they do a complete flush for $65.00
Yes there is an auxiliary fan for the a/c, it comes on & works. And now you mention it, the flusher guy did replace the cap. But running at 3/4, it smells like it's hot, it's close to an overheat... that's just too hot, & why after 6 summers did it run at 3/8 & now it's up there? I know they like to run hotter, but really, that it too hot. Ok, I just had it out & about for 1/2 with the air on, it's at 3/8 ! This doesn't make sense.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2006

There may be a procedure for filling the radiator to prevent air pockets in the coolant. Some cars are pretty touchy about this.

As for the radiator, often they must be taken out and cleaned chemically or replaced. I think a radiator shop could flow test it and then you have a definitive answer.

Generally speaking, if you overheat while at idle, it's an air circulation problem and if you overheat as you drive, it's a water circulation problem.

zgirl · July 2006

Got it. I'll make an appointment at a radiator place. As for an idle, it can sit for an hour with the air on, & it doesn't move. Get on the highway & it's touchy. Like I said, I just cruised down the country roads doing 80 with the air on & it's perfect. One thing I question is that it is hot today, 87, as it was yesterday, but it's not humid today.... my old 97 Nissan Pulsar was touchy on damp & humid days... just weird stuff. That one went bye-bye last year with 240,000 miles still running strong, but the suspension had many hairline cracks, it was time to take it off the highway! Thanks for your help. I'll check back in next week after I get a REAL flush!!

Mr_Shiftright · July 2006

Okay then, it's a coolant circulation problem definitely. New fan clutch was a waste of money and a bad guess...fire that mechanic.

skilman31 · July 2006

When i start my car it seems to have trouble u have to press the gas just to get it not to stall and then it takes around 2 min of driving till it is totally warmed up and it has been eating gas like crazy i am getting around 18 miles to the gallon it also seems like my turbo isn't kicking in like it use to be anyone have any suggestions on what i should do ? oh and i have a 1984 300zx with a turbo ! Thanks

sidekickdenver · July 2006

I am having a similar problem, and was curious if you found the problem. So far the alternator has been replaced, the fuel system checks out the injector signal checks out, replaced the air flow meter, no change, the car runs for about 15 minutes and then dies and refuses to restart.

skilman31 · July 2006

Well have u checked ur computer to see if it is giving out any codes ? I know that mine insnt and that is the prob. I think it might be electrical or at least for u it sounds like it one think to check is the fuel pressure regulator that controlls weather it can run after long periods of time and temps and sutch but also when my car first ran like that it was the comp was in dionostic mode so that made it so that it didnt want to run at all so check that plus like i said see if it is giving out any codes from the comp !

tr_1890 · October 2006

Hello,
I have a 1991 300zx N/A. my engine is bad and needs to be replaced so imp thinking of installing a twin turbo engine and trans from another 300zxtt.
Can I do that? And if I can I want to install a bigger turbo any advice or recommendations???

Thanks for helping.

Mr_Shiftright · October 2006

Gee, given the value of these cars (not a whole lot right now), you'd be much better off just buying a clean 300zx TT right from the get-go. What with computer controls and suspension/brake modifications and who knows what kind of fitment problems, it doesn't seem worth it to me. I don't mean to be discouraging and go for it if you have the time and $$, but it seems so much easier to just go buy the car you want. it would be cheaper, too I bet in the long run.

tr_1890 · October 2006

you have a good point there. but the propble is that its har to find a clean 300zx TT with a manual trans. i gusse all i can do is to keep searching some more. i dont know why i feel like im looking for a wife! :-D
thanks

mciceteade · October 2006

hey guys and girlz i got an 1984 nissan 300 zx non turbo fuel injector v6
allright i bought it on a car auction and ran it out of gas on my way home (dumbass).
allright i fixed the fuel pump (replaced)
i had a radiator leak on the waterpump seal also fixed (replaced pump and seal)
now i got an bad temp.sensor(motor temperature choke control) i just have it pluged in to start the motor then once it is warm enough i unplug it
works it runs just fine http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/- emotorcons/emo_sick.gif
now to the problem:
if i drive around the block the motor cuts out just dies suddenly.
the rpm`s idel run about 1800 2000 rpms
it is almost like it is doesn`t get gas or the spark is cutting out
and it smokes a little bit wierdin the motor compartment
i`m lost now i just don`t know any further
please help be cool
joe :sick:

Mr_Shiftright · October 2006

Does it start right up again?

mciceteade · October 2006

yes it will start up again but it will not run normal once it got warm

Mr_Shiftright · October 2006

I think that eliminates fuel. You know, symptoms like this can be 100 things...but the more obvious problems to look for would be a huge vacuum leak.

mciceteade · October 2006

hey cool i found a vakum hose that was unpluged did`t even see it it was on the passenger side all the way on the windschield behind / on top of the motor.
cool that let`s the rpm`s go down once i pluged it in cool that was a good tip

now if the motor runs it still akts out a little bit one it is warm and dies so now that the motor is of i noticed like the humming of the fuel pump all the time and the humming of the fuel pressure regulator or in that area.

could it be that my fuel pressure regulator is stuck?

when i pulled the vakum hose on top of it off i had no fuel shooting out whitch makes me belief that it is not broke.
but could it be stuck?

Mr_Shiftright · October 2006

You'd have to put a gauge on it and measure the pressure I'd guess. Are you thinking it's starving for fuel?

mciceteade · October 2006

not nessesarly i just think this could be one part of the problem because in general it is running not to bad.
but it is not normal that the fuelpump is running all the time and it can`t be good for it either?
it has to be something small that is giving me hell.

darrelh1 · November 2006

I just purchased a 90 300ZX manual trans (55K miles). It has a vibration (seat of pants not steering wheel) at about 40 mph. It persists with clutch in or out and in or out of gear. It is quite bad on take off and seems to vibrate less the longer I drive in same trip, but it is always there. Have replaced tires and balanced them.

Nissan 300ZX, all models

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