240sx only hitting 70mph on 5th gear, at most.

[Millie Kentner]

Hey, just a warning: Do not scroll down unless you are prepared for major n00bage, I'm new to the world of Nissan, hell, I've only been driving for about a year.
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Long description.




Okay, I recently bought a 1990 240sx(ka24e, single cam, you get the point.)
I'm no gear head, so when I saw this straight bodied 240 for $1300, I jumped all over my first opportunity to throw my money at the seller, and jump into the drivers seat. Also, it's aesthetically flawless for it's age. With 150k miles on it.
It needs a paint job, but that's beside the point.

It actually runs, with no real tech problems(does not break down).
However, it is EXTREMELY slow. And I don't mean that in a "ughh, Im a race car driver, and this is not fast enough for meee" kind of way, when I say it's slow, I mean that people honk at me whenever a light goes from red to green, because I take off so slowly.
I was wondering if anyone could give me some input on why my car may be acting so strange? At first I thought that the first thing I should do was get a new intake, but according to mighty car mods(Im sorry if that is super n00bish) intakes do not really do much for a car.

I'll sort the problems out in sections!

SLOW:
At max(on a GREAT day) it hits about 65 mph at top speed. (in a straight line, and it takes about a 45 seconds to hit 60)


NO POWER:
This probably goes along with speed, but this thing is highly underpowered. I know old cars are supposed to lose power after awhile, but let me explain.
Flooring it in this car does absolutely nothing. It does not push it, and it's impossible to redline.(Im not trying to redline it, but it's impossible. Haha)
As a matter of fact, when I floor it, it makes a weird noises, and it SLOWS DOWN.
Also, I take a hill up to school everyday(STEEP hill) and I could hear the fluids from my radiator boiling everytime I reach the top. (I know half of you want to kill me at this point, for abusing my car, but I have no other means of transportation )

Fun fact:
I raced my mom's 2000 4runner, and well.... I got owned.

Also, one last thing, I hear sort of rumbling noises coming from behind me when I drive. (Assuming it has something to do with the exhaust?)

Here are some pictures of what I have under my hood.
And yes, that is duct tape on the intake pipe thingy.



https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...89281812_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...16202124_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...70829731_n.jpg



THANK YOU FOR THE HELP!!!

[BlacknboostedS13]

Rough idle? Idle high? Vacuum leaks and timing's off. Replace your cap/rotor and set the timing. FIXED. Next noob please.

[zerodameaon]

Full tune up, not just a filter and oil, but every thing including trans and diff then come back and tell us if its any better. Also don't forget this is a tired 23yo engine that was like 120hp stock to the wheels on a good day.

[kojiki88]

I think one of your problems is that intake pipe with the electrical tape, you can clearly see a gap in between. ^^ Like he said change cap, rotor, plugs and wires. Look for Vacuum leaks and definitely have someone with car knowledge take a look at your timing.

[nismo chris]

U might want to also check your head gasket dude boiling coolant is not a good sign man but like everyone is saying full tune up is a must when buying a used car

Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, air filter, trans and diff fluid new thermostat and fresh coolant... start there and see how u make out man best of luck

[zerodameaon]

I didn't even look at the pictures, yeah that gap is one big issue, running way lean if that is leaking. You could be looking at internal damage if it was bad enough. Not to mention that wiring is pretty scary so you might have some bad grounds.

[LuckyRPS13]

So far all sound advice. If your intake is torn at the rubber coupler you need to replace this. This will have a sever effect on your car as it is not reading a massive amount air that is being pulled in there. It would not hurt to check your timing, compression, check your oil for water, and water for oil(blown head gasket) before you start any work. Also remove your valve cover and look straight down the drivers side timing chain and check that guide. It is notorious for breaking up and allowing the timing chain to cut the timing chain cover open behind the water pump and causing engine failure from oil starvation. After that full tune up, plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, and distributor rotor, fuel filter, air filter(if you get a new aftermarket intake should come with one), oil filter, oil change, thermostat, coolant flush, fresh coolant. Should run a lot better after that, I firmly believe your primary issue is your intake duct work.

[idlafie]

MK....

Congratulations on the purchase of your '90 S13 and posting here on Zilvia. Takes a lot of courage for a new owner to post here on Zilvia as most of us OLD Timers like to FLAME the shit out of new owners. But don't worry about it...you'll get used to us OLD farts after a while.

The first thing you want to do, is download a FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL, (FSM) for your '90 S13. Click on the attached link for the download Index of /FSM/240sx/1989-90. This FSM will be your learning guide on how to understand, troubleshoot & repair your car. It will have most, if not all the necessary information you need to work on your car.

Whatever questions you don't know the answer to, (or are stumped), you can always use the SEARCH function here on Zilvia to review previous questions and responses posted by other S13 owners.

As for finding parts for your S13, you can use the Marketplace - For Sale Items here on Zilvia to find the parts you need. Or you can try your local Pick-A-Part, Craigs list or Ebay to find what you need.

Judging from the picture you posted you will most likely need to replace the rubber coupler for your intake to fix your No Power problem. Once you fix that, you should notice an increase in performance.... Your car should run a hell of a lot faster....hahaha...

After you get that squared away, you might want to set aside some cash to purchase some parts & tools necessary to repair your car, (a good quality jack, 4 jackstands, rachet set, screwdriver set, etc).

Since you recently purchased the car, you might want to check the water levels in your car battery. Pop the two square caps off the top of your battery & see if there is water in the battery cells. If there is water in the cell, make sure the water level is NOT flat - you want to see a slight curved bubble shape in the cell - that tells you there is a sufficient amount of water in the battery cell to charge the battery every time you drive. Use ONLY DISTILLED WATER to fill up each battery cell.

Also make sure to check your radiator. Add radiator fluid if it needs some & read the procedure here on Zilvia on how to bleed your radiator http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/502682...ng-system.html. Hopefully you are just low radiator fluid and don't have a stuck thermostat.

As for the rumbling noise, could be your exhaust, wheel bearings, driveshaft or rear differential. You'll have to figure out which it is. Best bet is see if you can make friends with someone here on Zilvia that is local to you & can swing by & help you figure out what the noise is.

Good luck!!

ID

[G5SR20240]

I'm going to go with clogged cat, that will take all the power away and not show any signs of mechanical failure, if your brakes feel a bit hard that's another sign of a clogged cat. Pull off your cat and run it down the street

[zerodameaon]

Originally Posted by idlafie

MK....

Congratulations on the purchase of your '90 S13 and posting here on Zilvia. Takes a lot of courage for a new owner to post here on Zilvia as most of us OLD Timers like to FLAME the shit out of new owners. But don't worry about it...you'll get used to us OLD farts after a while.
ID

Do you keep that in a text file? That is sound advice for all first time 240 owners.

[Jesus_lopez405]

Check compression go from there .... Vacuum lines as well

[SuperBlackS14]

Also, check that rat's nest leading to your MAF...

You may also want to read the forum rules, and post an intro... So the Mods don't think you didn't read their carefully written rules and close your threads.

[Millie Kentner]

Originally Posted by idlafie

MK....

Congratulations on the purchase of your '90 S13 and posting here on Zilvia. Takes a lot of courage for a new owner to post here on Zilvia as most of us OLD Timers like to FLAME the shit out of new owners. But don't worry about it...you'll get used to us OLD farts after a while.

The first thing you want to do, is download a FACTORY SERVICE MANUAL, (FSM) for your '90 S13. Click on the attached link for the download Index of /FSM/240sx/1989-90. This FSM will be your learning guide on how to understand, troubleshoot & repair your car. It will have most, if not all the necessary information you need to work on your car.

Whatever questions you don't know the answer to, (or are stumped), you can always use the SEARCH function here on Zilvia to review previous questions and responses posted by other S13 owners.

As for finding parts for your S13, you can use the Marketplace - For Sale Items here on Zilvia to find the parts you need. Or you can try your local Pick-A-Part, Craigs list or Ebay to find what you need.

Judging from the picture you posted you will most likely need to replace the rubber coupler for your intake to fix your No Power problem. Once you fix that, you should notice an increase in performance.... Your car should run a hell of a lot faster....hahaha...

After you get that squared away, you might want to set aside some cash to purchase some parts & tools necessary to repair your car, (a good quality jack, 4 jackstands, rachet set, screwdriver set, etc).

Since you recently purchased the car, you might want to check the water levels in your car battery. Pop the two square caps off the top of your battery & see if there is water in the battery cells. If there is water in the cell, make sure the water level is NOT flat - you want to see a slight curved bubble shape in the cell - that tells you there is a sufficient amount of water in the battery cell to charge the battery every time you drive. Use ONLY DISTILLED WATER to fill up each battery cell.

Also make sure to check your radiator. Add radiator fluid if it needs some & read the procedure here on Zilvia on how to bleed your radiator http://zilvia.net/f/tech-talk/502682...ng-system.html. Hopefully you are just low radiator fluid and don't have a stuck thermostat.

As for the rumbling noise, could be your exhaust, wheel bearings, driveshaft or rear differential. You'll have to figure out which it is. Best bet is see if you can make friends with someone here on Zilvia that is local to you & can swing by & help you figure out what the noise is.

Good luck!!

ID

A detailed response. Thank you. This is highly appreciated. It's helpful input like this that makes me a proud owner of a 240. The car has a very helpful community and following.

To those of you who might have been offended by the fact that I posted instead of using the search bar, I wanted some info on my specific case. I realize my problem may have been due to several different circumstances, and searching "why isn't my car fast?" On google Wasn't really cutting it.

Every single response was great. Thank you all for the speedy feedback.