Questions about buying a 1984 z31 turbo

[2wheelpeel]

Hey guys,

 

I have loved z cars for years and have owned a couple of them. A 73 240 that I restored and a 82 280 turbo that burnt to the ground after 2 days of owning it. To make sure this does not happen again I thought I would talk to you all.

 

I found a 84 300zx turbo for sale in my town and I am thinking of buying it. I drove it and it needs some work. the rear subframe bushings are shot turbo spools but I only see it get about 3psi boost. idles but dies if not revved up every min or so. It does not smoke or tick or sound strange so I am thinking just needs some TLC. I have never owned a z31 or even had a chance to work on a turbo car so I dont know much about them. What are some things to look for and think about. also I have a set of wheels of of a 350z will they fit?

 

I look forward to being a part of this forum and talking with all of you.

[roger.svoboda]

probablly all the bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints and shocks are gone. z31 suspension wasn't that great to start with. Are you checking the boost with the stock boost gage? It is calibrated in mm of mercury not psi. If she runs and you are a fair wrench you can get it going. Depends on the cost. Look for rust especially in the rear under the carpet. those triangle windows leak. the t-tops may well leak another z31 weakness. Idling problem could just be a vacuum leak. Don't know about prices in your area but in Seattle I wouldn't pay much over $1000 if that. If it is a real anniversary edition then that is worth something. Do a search on what to look for in AE cars. If owner not touting that then it probably isn't. Not sure about the wheels Maybe? If you got the bucks you might consider a z32. I think they are prettier than the z31 but they don't carry much cargo. i got a 86T for a thou up here but it had a lot of small things wrong with it. Now that I have them straightened out and replaced the bushings, tie rods and ball joints I enjoy driving the beast.

[Mikez31ss]

Roger covered most of it. The quarter windows and tail lights are prone to leaking. Pull up the carpet and the foam tool tray. Look in the spare tire well. Ask the owner when the last timing belt job was done. If he doesn't know or if it's been a while use that as a bargaining tool. The parts alone are over $200. A shop will charge you several hundred dollars and use inferior parts. It's a pretty easy job if you have some basic tools and a place to do the work. There are a few how-to's on various sites along with all the parts that need to be replaced, including the part numbers.

If you get the car see if the Nissan sponsored injector replacement was done. You'll need the VIN and a phone call to 1-800-NISSAN1 to do that. The dying problem could be several things. Probably needs a tuneup also. There is an onboard computer diagnostics system you can use. Download an FSM from http://www.xenonz31.com/reference.html

for the procedure. The 350z wheels will fit but you can find more info on that and other things on AZ ZBum's excellent z31 site.

http://www.az-zbum.com/index.shtml

 

The subframe bushings are a PITA to replace but not too complicated. I replaced every bushing on my shiro and none of them are really hard to replace.

The z31 is a fun car but like any older car it's going to have some maintenance issues. If the t-belt is good it's a pretty reliable car. The vg30 is a great motor.