Gollum Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 Ok, I'm about to buy a 280Z. I've always loved the Z and it's ability to perform with many engine swaps availible. But I've been searching a couple of days and havn't found answers to my questions i have. I'll try to make this quick. 1. I want to have my engine swap done by 2006 or so. And my target HP is around 315-350 to the wheels. Should i stick with the stock motor, or go with something like a ford 5L crate? 2. I want a 2 seater. Is it illegal to take the back seat out of a 4 seater and call it a 2 seater roaster that pulled me over for being in the diamond lane with 2 peoplei my car? (commute lane is 3 here) 3. What are the exact smog laws that i must meat for a 280z motor swap. I have a close friend that might be able to get me smogged mo matter what, but we'll see what happens when he gets his B16A CRX smogged from his "buddy".... Oh yea, Hi... i'm new... first post. I'm mechanically inclined... but not a whole lot of exepeince with cars. Just routen matenince and helping my friend with his B16 swap. In my spare time i build guitar amps. So i consider myself a di-it-yourself type. I also used to be a black hat hacker, but now i use my powers for good. I'm considered grey hat. So if anyone needs computer advice, i'm hear for ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wigenOut-S30 Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 Gollum.. Welcome.. I think if you are going to go with a V8 you shold work on getting a super clean body. The better the Z is the easier it will be on you restoring it..The main thing to look for is Rust. make sure the frame rails are good as well. You have defenitly come to the right place for engine swaps.. The knowledge on this site is by far better then any other site I have ever gone to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 Gollum, If you are seriously considering a V8 swap then be sure to get the Datsun Z V8 swap manual from JTR (jagsthatrun.com). The manual is biased toward putting a small block chevy into a Z but it still contains a lot of useful information. When I started doing research into swapping a motor in my Z I had decided to use a Ford 302, partly because I'm a Ford guy and partly because they are lighter than a SBC. What I found is that you will need to do more fabrication (motor mounts primarily), finding headers that will clear the steering shaft is hard and replacing the cable based clutch if you go manual is an issue. I ended up finding a Chevy LT1 before a good 302 so I went with the Chevy after all. As far as the smog laws, that depends on your state and I'm not an expert as the state where I live doesn't have inspections so I'll let someone else answer that question as well as the question about 2 seat vs 4 seat. I would concentrate on finding a non 2+2 Z if I were you but it's all about personal preference. Wheelman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 7, 2004 Author Share Posted April 7, 2004 Becuase of my lack of car knowlege i'll need some help along the way for sure. I sound a garaged one owner 80' 280z that looks clean. I'm going out friday to look at it. It was owned by some old lady as her daily driver. She just bought a new car so she is getting ride of the z. The only problems she stated was that the dash was a little sun damaged, the E brake sticks if you pull it too high (bad cable), and the antenna is broken. So the problems are very minimal. The engine has 170k on it, but she says that she hasn't had any problems with it. It also has fairlly new tires. So it's usable till i have th money for my engine Yesterday i went and looked at a 280z that was really close to where i lived. The rust was bad. It would need an all new shell, at least. So i passed it up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted April 7, 2004 Share Posted April 7, 2004 Don't plan on getting that kind of power from the stock motor... while guys have gotten that much out of naturaly aspirated L28 straight sixes, it takes a LOT to get them there. Overboring and stroking them out to 3.0-3.1 litres, lots of headwork, hot cams (read: not very friendly on the street cams), built bottom ends meant for high revs, tripple carbs or programmable EFI, and you could get there... but probably not in a motor you'd want to drive every day or put around with. It's also very expensive. As far as V8's go, it would be much easier to do a Chevy 350 swap than a Ford swap. Chevy swaps are by far more common, and you can buy just about all the parts you need to put a chevy into your Z, ready made, from places like Motorsport Auto or JTR. With a ford motor you're gonna have to make or get a lot of stuff custom made, motor and tranny mounts and such. A turbo motor from an '81-83 280zx is one good option... the motor drops right in and can be had very cheap. It is also very reliable (if tuned right... turbo motors dont put up with running lean or detonation the way N/A motors can, so proper tuning is a must), and still fairly common. You would need quite a few upgrades to the engine to get to your power goal though... I/C, bigger injectors, hybrid turbo, extra fuel would all be needed (dont plan on using the stock 280zxt EFI setup for that power level). Sleeper Z is putting a bit over 300 to the wheels and 400ft lbs of torque on a stock block/head 280ZXT motor, using a T3/04 turbo and the EFI/ECU setup from a later 300zx Z31 (can be had very cheap, $300 or less, used) and I think bigger injectors. I would guess he's got less invested in his motor swap even after those mods than the average V8 swap costs. A V8 swap having a high initial cost whereas the initial cost of getting a turbo motor into an early Z can be as low as several hundred dollars if you're doing the install yourself. The cost of the two starts to get closer at those hp levels, though every time I add it up the turbo still comes out at least slightly cheaper. I figure you could do a similar setup to Sleeper Z's mods that I listed above for as low as a few grand... Figure as low as $200-500 for the motor (or as high as $2000 if you do like some of us and buy a whole 280zxt donor car, but you really wouldn't need to do that here as you dont want the stock EFI out of the car anyways), maybe $300-400 for a good exhaust, $700 for the T3/04, $100-400 for the bigger injectors (get them from a junkyard, 370cc Merkur/Ford SVO injectors, I say up to $400 because it's a good idea to take them to a place to have them cleaned and flow checked/balanced, which is like $200), $200-300 for the 300zx EFI setup (or you could do the programmable Megasquirt which you put together yourself for a couple hundred more, or go all out with the high end programmable EFI/ignition units for $700-2000), $200-600 for a good I/C and cost of install, and $50-200 for a good fuel pump. Stay on the cheap side of all that and you're at right at around $3000, and should easily hit 300hp to the wheels. A late model, stock Camaro drivetrain (LS1 or LT1 I always forget which it is) would also get you just about the power number you're looking for, should be good for at least the high 200's-low 300's in rwhp, and comes with the ever-bitchin 6 speed trans (assuming you go stick, of course). I've seen prices on engine/tranny combos out of wrecked cars go from $2000-5000 depending on mileage and whatnot. If you're buying the parts you need, mounts and such, figure on spending at least $1500-2000. A lot of guys make the parts they need themselves and save a lot of money here. You'll also want the entire EFI setup out of the car to go with it. Of course there's also the option of running a carbed 350 out of an earlier car or buying a crate motor, 300hp still being an easy mark, but crate motors are also pricey. Finding a good used 350 out of an older car and fixing it up a bit could get the cost down to levels comparable to what I listed above for the turbo setup. As far as smogging goes, this is how the law works, as I understand it, in CA (where I live), on any car newer than '74 (the current exemption cutoff... anything before '74 you can do whatever you want to them as long as you dont have police looking under your hood). Motor swaps ARE legal... you can put a V8 or turbo motor in your '75-78 280z, HOWEVER, the motor you are installing MUST be newer than the year of the car. So you can put the aforementioned LS1, for instance, or get a 350 out of a '76 Camaro, or turbo motor from an '81-83 zx, and install any one of them. You will need to install the motor with ALL of the original smog equipment that it came with in the original car it was in, smog pumps, EGR's, PCV stuff, catalytic converters, whatever. After you swap the motor in you have to take the car to a state referee who will visually inspect the car and make sure everything that is supposed to be there, is there, and if you pass he will give you a special sticker certifying your car as legal, and every time you go for your smog check they'll check that sticker and know you're setup is alright. As far as I know, that's it. I dont know about the whole seat thing. 280z's came as both 2 seaters and 2+2's... but why bother going thru the hassle of taking the back seat out of a 2+2 (by the way they do fold down)... just buy the regular 2 seater. You couldn't call it a roadster though... It's a 2 seat coupe, roadsters are two seater convertibles... of course you could always make your Z a convertible and then call it a roadster If you are supposed to have 3 people in the car to drive the carpool lane legally, I dont think it matters how many seats you have in your car, really... no 3rd passenge, you're probably risking it. Oh and no matter what you do AVOID rusted out Z's at all costs. This should be your number one concern when looking at an early Z... A little rust here or there is to be expected, but any major rust and you should probably move on. Remember there's always goign to be more than what you see. rust on front fenders, hoods, and doors is no biggie as they can be replaced, but the rest of the body is pretty much one piece... removing and repairing rust, as opposed to just replacing rusted doors/hoods, gets VERY expensive very quickly. Hope all this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 8, 2004 Author Share Posted April 8, 2004 Woohoo!!! bought a 80' 280ZX today! and it's in great shape. It's a 2 seater T top (perfect...) It has the turbo tail light because that's all the owner could find at the time. It owner was the origonal owner and kept it garaged. She drive it every day though. And where she lived things aren't exactlly close together (redding). I had to drive 3 hours to get there (i'm from richmond). I can carpool with 2 people. The way it works is 3 people, or max capasity, and bikes are all ok. So a 2 seater can commute with 2 people in it. So i'm good on that end. Origonal motor, never rebuilt. Has 190k. Just put on 200 miles with no hicup. As far as i could tell the undercarrage of the car was clean, from rust that is. I'd probly have to power wash it to find any small amount of rust. The lady i bought it from had been in a few fenderbenders, in wich case she had the paint touched up everytime. So some panels have been painted. The only part that looks like it might have rusted through the touch up is under the bumper in the back. Thie first mod will be cage. I won't catch myself dead at a streat race without a cage even if i'm not racing. Next mod will be rear end. I mean, the car does like 45 in first. It's crazy. (or so it feels.) The engine is strong enough to get me by. So i'll just tune it up and once it has any major problem i'll look at a swap. I'll probly change things like the plugs, wires, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, and such changed in a couple of weeks. So that should be a few horses, depending on what condition it's all in now... K&N all the way baby. I'll have pics soon... just have to find that camera.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 8, 2004 Author Share Posted April 8, 2004 Ok, pics... I'll just post a link to all pics. They average avout 600k per pic. Unless some Dup people complain i won't make any small versions. But if I get anyone that want them, i could make them in 10 minutes and hav them up in 3 minutes. So just ask. I don't know how many people here have Dup. Here is the link to all the pics i took. http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4287223881 Well, on the 3 hour drive back, the temp was solid at about 5 degrees cool of the middle of the guage. The oil presure flucuated from 11:45 to 12:00. So it fluciuated a little. Never extreme though. The baterry/ volts meter was stuck solid at like 16 i think it was. It was solid the whole time. trip meter doesn't work... or rather, can't reset. It's jammed up some how. It rolls, just not back... Interior only has one real stain and it will come up with 3 minutes of cleaning with meguires carpet cleaner. We just got some oxiclean, i might try that. Just to see how it works. The car smelled a little funny, so i flooded it with fabreeze. The E brake stick if enguaged too tight, so i'll be replacing that soon. First thing i'm going to have looked at is the rear suspention. It's pretty loose, and i think it's the suspention that makes noise. At first i though it was the hatch, but i don't think so anymore. The back sun blind things are coming off tomarrow. Window is so dirty it enveloping. Second mod will be plugs, wires, filters, ans such. Third will be all new weather striping and paint. Should all be done by end of summer. And i'll have an alarm in by the end of the month. Plus a stereo. The motor is at 190k, and ideas how long it will last? If it can last till i'm smog exempt (presuming they move it one year every year) I'll hold off for engine swap till then. If that't the case i'll be willing to put 1k into getting this motor running strong and reliable. Nothing fancy. Just fix problems it will have. Performance wise i'll just chage full intake, throttle body, headers (maybe), pipes, muffles, and MAYBE some nice injectors. Depends of price. And convertability. This thing is plenty strong to get from a to b. And if i can wait till smog laws to pass me up... my options fly open. So, if the motor will last till 250-270k..... (in other words, can it?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest comeandzpa Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Nice clean interior you've got there! I've never seen a non-restored ZX with the rear of the hatch so intact...the vinyl in mine is ripped and falling off, my carpets aren't really in right, the locking compartment is crooked and doesnt lock. There is some rust but it seems to be minimal and only surface rust, nothing some good elbow grease won't fix. As for the engine, I have read posts here from members with well over 220K on their motors. You'll probably want to look into replacing the starter, alternator, and coil whlie you're at it, they just went out in mine and it has ~102,000, so yours should be well past their replacement time. My e-brake did that too, except instead of knowing before we bought the car, we replaced the rotors 3 times in a year and a half due to warping, and almost set the car on fire once. Nice pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Welcome to the family, Gollum! Unless some Dup people complain i won't make any small versions. But if I get anyone that want them' date=' i could make them in 10 minutes and hav them up in 3 minutes. So just ask. I don't know how many people here have Dup.[/quote'] Dup? What's dup? Well, on the 3 hour drive back, the temp was solid at about 5 degrees cool of the middle of the guage. The oil presure flucuated from 11:45 to 12:00. So it fluciuated a little. Never extreme though. The baterry/ volts meter was stuck solid at like 16 i think it was. It was solid the whole time. Sounds pretty normal for the temp and the pressure, but change the oil ASAP and check the voltage with a meter. If you really drove 200 miles with 16 volts, your battery has probably boiled dry by now and your engine management computer is crying for mercy. trip meter doesn't work... or rather, can't reset. It's jammed up some how. It rolls, just not back... Take the cluster apart and you might find something very simple wrong here. Sounds like an easy weekend project. Interior only has one real stain and it will come up with 3 minutes of cleaning with meguires carpet cleaner. We just got some oxiclean, i might try that. Just to see how it works. Like the bottle says, test a small spot first for colorfastness. I've had good luck with Resolve. The car smelled a little funny, so i flooded it with fabreeze. Full of "little old lady" smell? I wonder if it was related to the small spot? The E brake stick if enguaged too tight, so i'll be replacing that soon. VERY good idea. Do it before your rotors warp into oblivion. First thing i'm going to have looked at is the rear suspention. It's pretty loose, and i think it's the suspention that makes noise. At first i though it was the hatch, but i don't think so anymore. Check your struts and strut mounts, as well as your differential mount. They fail pretty frequently and are pretty easy to replace. The motor is at 190k, and ideas how long it will last? If it can last till i'm smog exempt (presuming they move it one year every year) I'll hold off for engine swap till then. If that't the case i'll be willing to put 1k into getting this motor running strong and reliable. Nothing fancy. Just fix problems it will have. Performance wise i'll just chage full intake, throttle body, headers (maybe), pipes, muffles, and MAYBE some nice injectors. Depends of price. And convertability. This thing is plenty strong to get from a to b. And if i can wait till smog laws to pass me up... my options fly open. With regular maintainence, these engines will last 250k with ease. Driven gently, they'll go 300k. I'd say you've got plenty of life left in the engine if you don't abuse it. My unsolicited advice on this? Keep the engine bone stock and invest your money in brakes and suspension mods. These will transfer over into your hybrid, whereas any engine mods will be lost when you pull the motor. Use the money to replace the suspension rubber with urethane and buy a nice set of struts and springs, then get good wheels/tires for it, and maybe get a new steering wheel and speakers to spruce up the interior. This is just my opinion, and is worth precisely what you paid for it. Most of all, have fun with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 8, 2004 Author Share Posted April 8, 2004 I don't think that the ebrake is accually aplling ny pressure right now. But i'll have it fixed soon. Probly in 2 weeks or so. I'll be driving the fairlly easy. The highest the rpms got one the way home was 4k while getting on the freeway at a rest stop with a 200ft onramp. I got it up to 5.5k with my bro in the car once i got home. I just wanted to see how it reved past 4k. And it did well. It really came alive past 4.2k. Past that point i felt a huge increase in rev rate, and didn't seem like the slow reving boat i was driving home. Oh yea, i look at the guage again on the volt meter. It was at a solid 14 all the way home. Isn't 12-14 the right amount? Dup= Dial up Internet that's a piece of crap that i was forced to use the past 6 years because i was out of range of DSL and on the other side of my house is water.... I have cable now. I got it 2 das after it was availible That smell... She wasn't THAT old. Probly early 40's. She bought the car new when she got her license. So she was about 16-18. And the car is a 80' Ok, some small questions. The clutch peddel.... It's really loose feeling. Like there is no pressure compared to any car i've driven. And the enguagment is really high on on the pedal. How can i adjust it to be lower and is the loosness normal? The shift linkage is HECKA loose. Like, i'm used to driving a mustang that takes 3 seconds to shift becuase it's like moving 30lb of weight. This shift linkage feels like it would shift itself. Is this normal? I checked the throttle just now and i'm getting full throttle responce there. That's nice. So i'll probly just change the air filter to K&N and just change this things that need to be. Like pumps and all that like RPMs suggested. I want to put in a CD deck asap. I have some speakers. But i have no idea how i'm going to ount this deck... should be fun. The stain in the seat was from water leakage i think. The laidy said she had never noticed it before the day a looked at it. She always had seat covers on. She had just bought new sheep skin covers and took them for her 300z. And low and behold stain. No biggie. Carpet cleaner = friend. As far as the suspention goes. I'm going to have to find someone to do the work for me. At least if i want the car back in less than a week. I'll take it to a local shop and see what it would cost to get a decent setup all way around. I agree that money i put into it should be things that are worth what i paid. Like if i change the pipes i'm going to 3inch so i doesn't have to be changed in a swap. Things like that. I wonder if this motor would fit in that acura...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I look at the guage again on the volt meter. It was at a solid 14 all the way home. Isn't 12-14 the right amount? Yes, normal systems hover around 13.7 volts, so that's pretty good. I wouldn't trust the factory gauge, though. Spend part of that upgrade money on a good digital multitester. You'll use it a lot. Ok, some small questions. The clutch peddel.... It's really loose feeling. Like there is no pressure compared to any car i've driven. And the enguagment is really high on on the pedal. How can i adjust it to be lower and is the loosness normal? I'll leave the definitive answer to other experts on the list, but my 1980 200sx had a hydraulic clutch with a height adjuster on the pedal. Yours might be the same. At that age, yours might need a new clutch. The shift linkage is HECKA loose. Like, i'm used to driving a mustang that takes 3 seconds to shift becuase it's like moving 30lb of weight. This shift linkage feels like it would shift itself. Is this normal? Is it sloppy, or just light? The stock shifter was reputed by the automotive press to be rather rubbery when new. Yours might need new bushings in the shift lever. As far as I recall, they're pretty cheap at Courtesy Nissan. I want to put in a CD deck asap. I have some speakers. But i have no idea how i'm going to ount this deck... should be fun. Crutchfield makes an adapter for twenty bucks (FREE if you order a stereo through them. I've ordered two from them, and they're GREAT to deal with. Fast, friendly, and cheap, too!) http://www.crutchfield.com/S-tibeHxOH6TL/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?s=0&c=11&g=112200&I=176N86&o=p&a=1&cc=01&avf=Y I wonder if this motor would fit in that acura...... *chuckle* On this site, friend, you quickly learn that ANYTHING will fit. It all depends on how much time you want to spend shoehorning it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Well, i have a good multimeter. I build amps man. Multimeters are esencial to consistancy. What i should invest some money in is some good guages. It's got to be a hydrolic clutch. There is no way i'm pushing 100% of the plate's pressure. If that were the case the car wouldn't move. The clutch grabs ok. I accidentlly chirped 2nd leaving a parking lot in a hurry. Mild traffic, you know how it goes. I'm confuse. Does that crutchfield dash adapter work with the stock mount? The stock stereo is offset to the left. I havn't taken it apart so i don't know how the mounting works... Yea, about that motor fitting in that acura... And engine can fit in anycar... Just how much time and money do you want to spend.... Well, after a full day of running to the post office, taking care of back desposits and a good 4 hours of town driving i've learned a couple of things. 1. It needs a full tune up... 2. Those new tires STICK 3. This thing can be a little touchy on what gear it like as certain speeds. 4. Even the cleanest car needs a cleaning.... I spend a good 3 hoursa today cleaning it up. I took the back window vision inhibiter out. Also took out the mounting bracket for it. And cleaned the window for the first time ever. It was really dirty. More fabreeze was implied. I need to buy an air freshener. The stock speakers are 4 inch.... I have a pair of 300 dollor infinities that are sitting in the garage. But they're 5 & 1/2. Suck face. No cup holders..... anything out there to remedy this? Well, should a do the entire tune up myself and take a whole weekend to do it? Or have my local machanic do it all in a couple of hours. And change the ebrake cable while he's at it. He could do it 5 itmes faster than me. I have no idea where to start. I'd just jack up the car and use my logic... "Well, this is the replacment ebrake cable... The ebrake is in the front... wait... back.... So lets look for this back near the back brakes..... Hey, i think this is it" ::as i pull it out to find it's a coolint line... "What in the heck are there coolant lines near the brakes for?" That would be my attemt. I'd get it done... but who knows how long it would take. And if i have him do it i know that the spark plugs are spaced right, things like that. And i can come back is somethings wrong. Where as if i did it i'd say. "Whos the idiot that did this work?" Oh, and the real clentcher to all you people out there that might think i'm something i'm not..... I'm 16.... i'll take my time and learn how to do things the right way.... So, should i do the tune up myself? Any idea how much more it would cost both ways? Keep in mind i live in the SF bay area so mechanics are a little pricey. Usually around 70 and hour. A good friend of mine (that's going to help me paint it) makes 140 an hour. Because he only paints. And he's good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 ZX clutch engagement is adjusted behind the pedal. My ZX ('80) clutch pedals rod passed thru this central adjusting bolt with a lock nut on either side of it. Loosen both lock nuts, then turn the central adjuster... one way it should shorten the rod, the other way it should lengthen. Then there is a stopper at the very top, in front of the pedal, use that to adjust the free play in the pedal (the amount the pedal presses down before it effects the clutch at all) You want a little free play at the top, I usually go for 1/2" or so. If you have no free play at all then the pedal is always slightly putting pressure on the clutch and you can burn it out faster or at least your throwout bearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Thanks for the tip. Yea, right now the enguagment is way to high for my taste. I want the clutch to enguage once i've gotten about 1 inch away fom the floor. I like mine low.... and i mean low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 9, 2004 Author Share Posted April 9, 2004 Hey just a thought. Would anyone kill me if i kept this car mostly stock till it was smog exempt? It would make my life so much easier if this this was smog exempt. But if california advanced the year by one every year (wich is unlikelly) it would be a good 6 years till i was exempt. I'd LOVE to be able to put a skyline motor and not worry about arguing with the smog ref. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 Would anyone kill me if i kept this car mostly stock till it was smog exempt? Heck no. Many of the folks on this board have engines with stock internals that have highly modified suspensions. I think it would be a VERY wise idea for you to buy a shop manual and do your own tune ups, brake jobs, and suspension work for a few years before you tackle the engine swap. Get some basic skills down, get your car's suspension in top shape, then worry about swapping motors. But if california advanced the year by one every year (wich is unlikelly) it would be a good 6 years till i was exempt. Actually, I think that's the way things work. Cars 25 years and older get exempted here in Texas. I guess it's 30 years and older in CA? I think a turbo 6 would be pretty easy to get smogged, since that's one of the engines that originally came with your chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest comeandzpa Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 No cup holders..... anything out there to remedy this? Yes- Motorsport Auto sells a revised center console with cupholders. You can check it out here: http://www.zcarparts.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=CARWCH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 Sweet. I'd love to have that arm rest/cup holder. Storing drinks in the center capartment is a skill not easilly mastered. I usually have to drive about 1/4 mile to lunch and have to drive back with a drink... not very easy to do. I've noticed that if the cup is only about 3/4 full i can fit in between the passanger seat & console. But other than that it's a neet trick not to spill. PS. Is a little tranny wine normal for these engines/years? The tranny is a little louder than the engine below 2k. That's kinda anoying. I know that might not be bad. But i have no idea what a brand new z would sound like. Oh yea, the rear end clicks a little. Like sometimes is just knocks. Not too loud, but noticable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted April 11, 2004 Share Posted April 11, 2004 Is a little tranny wine normal for these engines/years? The tranny is a little louder than the engine below 2k...Oh yea, the rear end clicks a little. Like sometimes is just knocks. Not too loud, but noticable. Are you sure it's the transmission that's whining? The tranny of the last ZX I rode in was quiet as a fencepost. It might be time to swap out tranny lubricant. It does have a recommended change interval, which most original owners ignore. The rear end should also be silent, and the clicks could be coming from the halfshafts. They might just need to be relubricated, but that might be a better job for a competent driveline shop. You might want to re-post your questions in the Driveline forum, Gollum, especially since we're straying from the original intent of your post. Someone in that forum might be able to help you better than I can. Good luck! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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