general questions about s14 - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

posneg · 12-10-2003, 08:41 PM

so i'm new to the nissan world (come from toyota, corolla specifically) and the 240. i've always liked the car and finally make enough money to actually buy one.

i'm going to go look at one this saturday (a 98 SE) so i'd like to get some advice as to what i should look out for. the following is a list of things i'm already going to check.

1. do all the vin numbers match up? question for the forum: aside from the firewall and the top of the dash, where are the other vin numbers?

2. check to see if frame is straight

3. check the underbody, make sure it's straight/not dented/not warped/etc.

4. look for bondo (indicating a crash of some sort)

5. question for the forum: does the 98 se have LSD or an open diff.?

6. question for the forum: are there any common problems with this car? do any certain gaskets leak more than others? does the power steering go out? does the radiator crack easily? etc.

any and all advice is very much appreciated.

thanks!
chris.

zero.counter · 12-10-2003, 09:10 PM

1. firewall, on top of the dash, and I forget the other places.
2.Wet the tires and drive on dry pavement for about 25 feet. Watch the tire track and you can see obvious issues with frame bending. This is a quick bodyshop test.
3. Jack the car and inspect or use a mirror.
4. Use a magnet and skim across the body (being careful not to scratch the paint) and you can find weak points in the metal indicating bondo or non-mtallic filler. One of those telescoping magents will do fine.
5. The easiest way to find out is by checking the vin number for the indication at the end of the number for verification of a VLSD. Or you can place the rear end on some jaack stand and turn the tires by hand. If one is being turned and the other is slowly moving but not t the same rate, then you have VLSD. Some have said that an orange sticker would show on the differential as well.
6. Nothing big or worth noting to my knowledge.

posneg · 12-10-2003, 09:23 PM

ok so they do not come with an LSD but rather VLSD? does that mean that there are some with an open diff. or does that mean some have an LSD?

(am i making sense?)

let me try again... the se will either have open or vlsd, OR it will have vlsd or lsd.

thanks.

zero.counter · 12-10-2003, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by posneg
ok so they do not come with an LSD but rather VLSD? does that mean that there are some with an open diff. or does that mean some have an LSD?

(am i making sense?)

let me try again... the se will either have open or vlsd, OR it will have vlsd or lsd.

thanks.

No, assuming that the car is completely stock, it will either have a VLSD or an open differential. It was sold as an option for the SE.

holisticbeatz · 12-11-2003, 12:53 AM

ABS and VLSD came together as a package. If the S14 has ABS, then it should have VLSD. You could always look underneath at the differential housing and look for an orange sticker with the words "Viscous LSD" on it.

zero.counter · 12-13-2003, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by holisticbeatz
ABS and VLSD came together as a package. If the S14 has ABS, then it should have VLSD. You could always look underneath at the differential housing and look for an orange sticker with the words "Viscous LSD" on it.

Sorry bro, that is incorrect. Just because you got ABS does not always mean that you will get VLSD. If you disagree, you might want to come over to San Antonio Texas and check out the stock open differentials I pulled off of my crashed S14B-SE and the S14A-SE I have now. I swapped bot out for aftermarket Limited slips...

Oh Yeah, I forgot, they are or were both ABS. braking equipped.

**Phlip** · 12-13-2003, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zero.counter
Sorry bro, that is incorrect. Just because you got ABS does not always mean that you will get VLSD. If you disagree, you might want to come over to San Antonio Texas and check out the stock open differentials I pulled off of my crashed S14B-SE and the S14A-SE I have now. I swapped bot out for aftermarket Limited slips...

Oh Yeah, I forgot, they are or were both ABS. braking equipped.

Sorry bro, that was only wrong on a mere technicality... The LSD cars were ABS equipped, but that doesn't mean that every S14 SE with ABS had LSD, nor was hat what he said... The general consensus is that if you have ABS, it is a good idea to investigate on whether or not you have LSD... IF the car has ABS, look to see if it has LSD, if it doesn't, don't waste your time...

zero.counter · 12-13-2003, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PHLIP
that was only wrong on a mere technicality...

That's all I needed to hear

It was still wrong regardless

bizzman · 11-06-2007, 02:11 PM

mine was a freak i guess because it came with ABS 4 lug and open diff.. so now whats up ? lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by holisticbeatz

ABS and VLSD came together as a package. If the S14 has ABS, then it should have VLSD. You could always look underneath at the differential housing and look for an orange sticker with the words "Viscous LSD" on it.

*fliprayzin240sx* · 11-06-2007, 03:16 PM

Added options?

jspaeth · 11-06-2007, 03:35 PM

Holy shit this thread is 4 years old

bizzman · 11-06-2007, 04:12 PM

maybe but i was 3rd owner.. so i call it a freak..lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by fliprayzin240sx

Added options?

12-10-2003, 08:41 PM	#1
posneg Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: so. cal. Age: 44 Posts: 7 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	general questions about s14 so i'm new to the nissan world (come from toyota, corolla specifically) and the 240. i've always liked the car and finally make enough money to actually buy one. i'm going to go look at one this saturday (a 98 SE) so i'd like to get some advice as to what i should look out for. the following is a list of things i'm already going to check. 1. do all the vin numbers match up? question for the forum: aside from the firewall and the top of the dash, where are the other vin numbers? 2. check to see if frame is straight 3. check the underbody, make sure it's straight/not dented/not warped/etc. 4. look for bondo (indicating a crash of some sort) 5. question for the forum: does the 98 se have LSD or an open diff.? 6. question for the forum: are there any common problems with this car? do any certain gaskets leak more than others? does the power steering go out? does the radiator crack easily? etc. any and all advice is very much appreciated. thanks! chris.

12-11-2003, 12:53 AM	#5
holisticbeatz Zilvia Addict Join Date: May 2003 Location: CALIFORNIA Posts: 988 Trader Rating: (1) Feedback Score: 1 reviews	ABS and VLSD came together as a package. If the S14 has ABS, then it should have VLSD. You could always look underneath at the differential housing and look for an orange sticker with the words "Viscous LSD" on it. __________________ Trust and I don't mean GReddy.

11-06-2007, 03:16 PM	#10
fliprayzin240sx Man w/ CTSV & a Car Seat Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Tampa Posts: 17,998 Trader Rating: (19) Rides Gallery: fliprayzin240sx Feedback Score: 19 reviews	Added options? __________________ If you think Zilvia has too many assholes... CLICK HERE!!!

11-06-2007, 03:35 PM	#11
jspaeth Nissanaholic! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Philadelphia suburbs Age: 40 Posts: 2,347 Trader Rating: (7) Rides Gallery: jspaeth Feedback Score: 7 reviews	Holy shit this thread is 4 years old __________________ Daily driven

12-10-2003, 09:10 PM	#2
zero.counter Nissanaholic! Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: At work Posts: 2,003 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	1. firewall, on top of the dash, and I forget the other places. 2.Wet the tires and drive on dry pavement for about 25 feet. Watch the tire track and you can see obvious issues with frame bending. This is a quick bodyshop test. 3. Jack the car and inspect or use a mirror. 4. Use a magnet and skim across the body (being careful not to scratch the paint) and you can find weak points in the metal indicating bondo or non-mtallic filler. One of those telescoping magents will do fine. 5. The easiest way to find out is by checking the vin number for the indication at the end of the number for verification of a VLSD. Or you can place the rear end on some jaack stand and turn the tires by hand. If one is being turned and the other is slowly moving but not t the same rate, then you have VLSD. Some have said that an orange sticker would show on the differential as well. 6. Nothing big or worth noting to my knowledge.

12-10-2003, 09:23 PM	#3
posneg Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: so. cal. Age: 44 Posts: 7 Trader Rating: (0) Feedback Score: 0 reviews	ok so they do not come with an LSD but rather VLSD? does that mean that there are some with an open diff. or does that mean some have an LSD? (am i making sense?) let me try again... the se will either have open or vlsd, OR it will have vlsd or lsd. thanks.