General Chat
Q:
I feel dumb asking about this, being that I practically know everything about my 78 black pearl, but I'm thinking about picking up a cheap z31 for my girlfriend for christmas. her porsche 944 is falling apart with how she drives it, and now she has to sell it. I can pick up an 86 z31 here in seattle for $300, but the engine won't start. are they REALLY that much of a bitch to work on? I thought I'd seen the worst with my 84 prelude. what's the horsepower rating on an NA? or more importantly, does it <i>feel</i> like a Z? I love my 78 because if something is broken, i can trace the problem down to the very source, and practically stand on either side of the engine. it's just a thought, but I really don't know too much about the Z31's. opinions please?
TURBO BLACK PEARL
A:
They can be tough to get to a lot of things due to the V6 being crammed in there will tons of gadgets and doohickeys. The hardest part of normal maintenance is changing the spark plugs. Plus the cam seals are prone to leak, dripping oil on altrenators and starters...have fun. The NA hp on an 86 is 160. Sure it feels like a Z, just not as much as a 70-78 or a 90-96 twin turbo :-D
A:
i have one , my that had z32 about four years ago and for some reason he thinks the z31 is a better car .
they are kind of a pain to work on unless you have baby sized hands , make sure you have the timing belt changed soon because if you dont its bye bye engine , i love my car and wouldnt trade it for nothing the n/a has about 160hp i believe and they feel pretty torquey with an intake and partial exhaust, make sure you have the fuel injector recall done by you nissan dealer if it hasnt been done yet , for 300 dollars as long as the body isn't rusted to hell should be a bargain , these engine are pretty simple for a fuel injected engine , in z31.com thats where all the fast ones in the country are , the engines have alot of potential but the cars are fairly heavy , turbo swaps are really easy and if you are mechanically inclined you wont have a problem , when i took my heads off because of a blown headgasket(too much boost) , i put everything back in and it wouldnt start , it came out to be a faulty ecu and the ecuy that went bad was from an 86 too , it could something as simple as that or maybe some tune up .
a couple of websites are z31.com and redz31.com and they have links in there .
A:
my hands only fit into large gloves and i dont have a problem working under the hood any more than any other car. havent found any doo hickeys in there either. its more of a gt car than a sports car what with all the power accesories. definitly not a racer. nice car for a long drive though. good looking and reliable. i get a lot of positive remarks from the ladies. beware of a $300 car. the parts are not cheap.
Post Edited (Dec 13, 7:54pm)
A:
What do Z31's (NA and Turbo) weigh?
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Pete1978z: "It's not that I think stupidity should be punishable by death, I just think we should take the warning labels off of everything and let the problem take care of itself."
A:
Hey, if you're going to be changing any timing belts, CHANGE THAT WATER PUMP TOO! My '85 Turbo developed this nasty leak, out of the weep hole, on the day I sold it... right before the test drive! I still got $1000 out of it though, with the bad water pump. Mine had some damage to the hood though. Very comfortable car!
A:
"are they REALLY that much of a bitch to work on?"
No, they are definetly not a bitch. I've got HUGE hands and have little problems taking care of stuff.
"what's the horsepower rating on an NA? or more importantly, does it <i>feel</i> like a Z?"
84-86 NA's are 160hp, 87-89 are 165hp. It's got a Z at the end of it, what more do you want? It won't feel as peppy as the turbo version but it's got plenty of get up and go. It doesn't corner like a rail, but it's very comfortable.
You probably don't want your first experience with a Z31 to be a $300 POS...It might be an easy fix to get it running, but it might not. Like the Z32's, z31's have a lot of electronics that are a pain in the butt to track down if you don't know what to look for.
If you do get it, make sure to get a haynes manual and download a Factory Service Manual http://www.carfiche.com, these will help MUCH on tracking down and fixing problems.
Z31's are good cars...if you take care of routine maintance, a NA, 5-speed one will last a very very long time.
A:
Oh also
"What do Z31's (NA and Turbo) weigh?"
between 3000lbs and 3300lbs....2 seater or 2+2, Na or Turbo, all matter.
A:
I love mine, but only get it for your g/f if you like to work on her car all the time. These are wonderful cars but pretty demanding.
Can she take care of her vehicles well?
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
umm i dont know i have sortoff medium sized hands and i always end up with a cut up knuckle atleast.
i think if its not bleeding rust out of the floorpans then its a good buy , even the wiring harness isnt that complicated and most of the time they will still run and be serviceable even if some of it non main components arent working( as long as you got fuel,spark,and injector signal you should be able to get it running) even most people take all of the idle and fast idle stuff and still be able to have normall cold starting and everything.
if you do buy it and have problems get on the z31 forum in this website , people can help you troubleshoot in there.
also if its for your girlfriend then its kind of iffy because if some type of breakdown emergency comes up would she know what to do? or just sit there like most people that dont know crap about cars do when something breaks.... the car might be prone to have little stuff fail on you in crucial moments.
A:
The VG30E and DE have to be one of the best V6s on the planet, ever. I have a 93 Pathfinder and have had NO problems with the engine. But like the Z31, the engine bay is fairly cramped with a lot of various mechanical and electronic bric-a-brac.
God must love stupid people, he made SOOOOO many of them!
A:
I have 2 myself and 4 total in the family. They are a bitch until you figure them out. Then they are pretty straight forward. Just a lot of vacuum and electrical to get used to. I agree, the are more of a GT than a sports car but still a whole lot of fun. The Turbo's can be made very fast.
1972 240z (11/71)
Go 'Zona