Picked up a '90 240SX need some help with a couple problems - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

L|_|da · 08-04-2006, 09:28 PM

Im new here, ive been into 240SX's for years, but have never had the bank to get one. well new job and i have some spare cash and picked up a 1990 240SX hatch for 1250/ 124XXX miles of the KA. its got body damage and rust, but i know some body shop people that i can get that taken care of. I have going to swap the SR20DET into it in a few months. but i would like to get in on the road before then. here are my problems, any help would be much apreciated:

Light blue/White smoke [Yes ive searched it]:
from what ive read this could be piston seals leaking, valve stem seals decaying or the head gasket decaying. It does it lightly @ idle and alot under acceleration. when i drove it home from pick up tonight my friend was following me. i accidently started in third and he said i left a cloud of smoke so big and thick people were stopping, it was going around a corner when this happened so i didnt exactly notice. it hauls ass, i squealed the tires a few times on accident when i was coming home.

Ticking: i heard a pretty loud ticking when i started her up to come home. after i drove for about 5 minutes i was at a light and didnt really notice it any more. and i didnt notice it when i got home, im jsut guessing it the infamous lifter/valve tick? so... seafoam?

Shifting: the shitfting seems a little stiff at times, i was having a hard time going into first, im not sure how stiff the shifter should be but i was having problems going into first after coasting from 30 down to 15 coming onto my street, it could have been just nerves though, this thing has no plates, or any stickers. i need to get everything done b4 i can get any of that.

E-Brake:the e-brake essentially doeant work, it rolls with i throw some weight into it, even if its as far up as i can pull it. im hoping the cable is stretched, any ideas on how to diagnose this?

i would like any advice you all could offer on these problems. i would like to get this street legal ASAP. i only got to drive it home, which was like 5 miles, and im dieing to get back in it!

cliff notes:

blowing blue/white smoke, massive cloud when i accidentilly started in 3rd and had to get on it hardcore

the engine makes a loud ticking noise when i started her up to come home, died down while driving, wasnt there when i got home.

the trans seems a lil stiff

and the e-brake doesnt work

and where could i download the FSM.

i want to get this thing on the roads, so safety and emissions, so i can take my friend to the track and smoke his jetta [not literally, i can already do that]

and BTW if you didnt figure it out, its a 5 speed.

sncs14 · 08-04-2006, 09:52 PM

Okay........... you need a FSM and some spare time

JaeTea · 08-04-2006, 10:01 PM

You need money and a mechanic.

Seriously. Take that thing to a garage or to someone who works on Nissans.

L|_|da · 08-04-2006, 10:07 PM

i mean... not all that helpful... but yea, ive poored over the FSM, and fuck mechanics. i took my first car to a shop to get the timing chain replaced and they didnt re-assemble my engine correctly and it through 2 rods. and the second time i took it to a shop was cuz i didnt have the spare time to do the tune up {transverse mounted V6, no clearance for the back plugs, and i got some big ass arms}. 450$ later... ya fuck shops

kandyflip445 · 08-04-2006, 11:21 PM

It's gonna take a lot of work for your car to get running right. You could go pick up a used KA for a better price than what it would probably take for you to fix everything. Do a compression and leakdown test to get you started figuring out the oil consumption.

The transmission shifting. Do you mean that it's tight in between "gates" or that it's hard to go in gear. If it's hard to go in gear then you could start with a good flush and refill. If it's tight in between gears I got that feeling when I installed a short shifter and it went away after awhile and is really smooth now.

For the ebrake, if you pull up on the handle there is a hole where a bolt is. You can tighten the cable there. Hopefully that will fix it. Do a visual inspection to see if the cable is still connected all the way back to the rear brakes.

mRclARK1 · 08-05-2006, 10:56 AM

If your wanting/planning to swap an SR into it in a few months anyway...I'd just park it, wait for the SR, and forget about fixing it. Like kandyflip445 said, it's gonna cost more to fix it than to just get another motor. Which is what you're planning anyway. Three out of the four problems listed are gonna be fixed when you do that, and the ebrake is an easy/quick fix.

Then do what I did...rebuild the KA and sell it for a profit!

Just my opinion.

g6civcx · 08-05-2006, 05:53 PM

#1 in sig.

You need a complete fluid flush since 99% of owners don't maintain their cars.

Then you need to replace all your filters and spark plugs. Then you can start looking into the timing and the rest.

That valve tap you're hearing is pretty common on the twin cam. You need somebody to look at it and tell you how bad it is. It may just need a minor adjustment, but it's hard to tell.

L|_|da · 08-06-2006, 10:19 AM

the e-brake cable doing to the driver side is broken, it looks sheared off. i have the old section off and im getting a new one today or tomorrow.

yes i was talking about in between gates, and im going to switch to Redline trans fluid after i get it on the road.

my engine is SOHC....

and im tearing it down, pulling the head having that looked @ and replacing the Head Gasket.

08-04-2006, 10:01 PM	#3
JaeTea Zilvia Addict Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: EC Posts: 967 Trader Rating: (3) Rides Gallery: JaeTea Feedback Score: 3 reviews	You need money and a mechanic. Seriously. Take that thing to a garage or to someone who works on Nissans. __________________ KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!KILL!

08-04-2006, 11:21 PM	#5
kandyflip445 Post Whore! Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Arden, NC Age: 40 Posts: 4,460 Trader Rating: (1) Rides Gallery: kandyflip445 Feedback Score: 1 reviews	It's gonna take a lot of work for your car to get running right. You could go pick up a used KA for a better price than what it would probably take for you to fix everything. Do a compression and leakdown test to get you started figuring out the oil consumption. The transmission shifting. Do you mean that it's tight in between "gates" or that it's hard to go in gear. If it's hard to go in gear then you could start with a good flush and refill. If it's tight in between gears I got that feeling when I installed a short shifter and it went away after awhile and is really smooth now. For the ebrake, if you pull up on the handle there is a hole where a bolt is. You can tighten the cable there. Hopefully that will fix it. Do a visual inspection to see if the cable is still connected all the way back to the rear brakes. __________________ My 240 vBgarage

08-04-2006, 09:28 PM	#1
L\|_\|da Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 703 - VA Age: 37 Posts: 9 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	Picked up a '90 240SX need some help with a couple problems Im new here, ive been into 240SX's for years, but have never had the bank to get one. well new job and i have some spare cash and picked up a 1990 240SX hatch for 1250/ 124XXX miles of the KA. its got body damage and rust, but i know some body shop people that i can get that taken care of. I have going to swap the SR20DET into it in a few months. but i would like to get in on the road before then. here are my problems, any help would be much apreciated: Light blue/White smoke [Yes ive searched it]: from what ive read this could be piston seals leaking, valve stem seals decaying or the head gasket decaying. It does it lightly @ idle and alot under acceleration. when i drove it home from pick up tonight my friend was following me. i accidently started in third and he said i left a cloud of smoke so big and thick people were stopping, it was going around a corner when this happened so i didnt exactly notice. it hauls ass, i squealed the tires a few times on accident when i was coming home. Ticking: i heard a pretty loud ticking when i started her up to come home. after i drove for about 5 minutes i was at a light and didnt really notice it any more. and i didnt notice it when i got home, im jsut guessing it the infamous lifter/valve tick? so... seafoam? Shifting: the shitfting seems a little stiff at times, i was having a hard time going into first, im not sure how stiff the shifter should be but i was having problems going into first after coasting from 30 down to 15 coming onto my street, it could have been just nerves though, this thing has no plates, or any stickers. i need to get everything done b4 i can get any of that. E-Brake:the e-brake essentially doeant work, it rolls with i throw some weight into it, even if its as far up as i can pull it. im hoping the cable is stretched, any ideas on how to diagnose this? i would like any advice you all could offer on these problems. i would like to get this street legal ASAP. i only got to drive it home, which was like 5 miles, and im dieing to get back in it! cliff notes: blowing blue/white smoke, massive cloud when i accidentilly started in 3rd and had to get on it hardcore the engine makes a loud ticking noise when i started her up to come home, died down while driving, wasnt there when i got home. the trans seems a lil stiff and the e-brake doesnt work and where could i download the FSM. i want to get this thing on the roads, so safety and emissions, so i can take my friend to the track and smoke his jetta [not literally, i can already do that] and BTW if you didnt figure it out, its a 5 speed.

08-04-2006, 09:52 PM	#2
sncs14 Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Las Vegas Age: 42 Posts: 1,003 Trader Rating: (1) Rides Gallery: sncs14 Feedback Score: 1 reviews	Okay........... you need a FSM and some spare time

08-04-2006, 10:07 PM	#4
L\|_\|da Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 703 - VA Age: 37 Posts: 9 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	i mean... not all that helpful... but yea, ive poored over the FSM, and fuck mechanics. i took my first car to a shop to get the timing chain replaced and they didnt re-assemble my engine correctly and it through 2 rods. and the second time i took it to a shop was cuz i didnt have the spare time to do the tune up {transverse mounted V6, no clearance for the back plugs, and i got some big ass arms}. 450$ later... ya fuck shops

08-05-2006, 10:56 AM	#6
mRclARK1 Post Whore! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Location? Posts: 4,205 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	If your wanting/planning to swap an SR into it in a few months anyway...I'd just park it, wait for the SR, and forget about fixing it. Like kandyflip445 said, it's gonna cost more to fix it than to just get another motor. Which is what you're planning anyway. Three out of the four problems listed are gonna be fixed when you do that, and the ebrake is an easy/quick fix. Then do what I did...rebuild the KA and sell it for a profit! Just my opinion.

08-05-2006, 05:53 PM	#7
g6civcx Post Whore! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 5,764 Trader Rating: (5) Feedback Score: 5 reviews	#1 in sig. You need a complete fluid flush since 99% of owners don't maintain their cars. Then you need to replace all your filters and spark plugs. Then you can start looking into the timing and the rest. That valve tap you're hearing is pretty common on the twin cam. You need somebody to look at it and tell you how bad it is. It may just need a minor adjustment, but it's hard to tell.

08-06-2006, 10:19 AM	#8
L\|_\|da Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 703 - VA Age: 37 Posts: 9 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	the e-brake cable doing to the driver side is broken, it looks sheared off. i have the old section off and im getting a new one today or tomorrow. yes i was talking about in between gates, and im going to switch to Redline trans fluid after i get it on the road. my engine is SOHC.... and im tearing it down, pulling the head having that looked @ and replacing the Head Gasket.