QWKDTSN Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Hi all, it's been a couple of years since I last checked in. I'm in the Coast Guard and have been stationed around the US for the past 6 years, and for whatever reason I've never brought my V8 240Z with me. I've been up here in Washington driving an Audi S4 Avant, which is the perfect all-weather car. The few months it's hot and dry enough to do some aggressive driving, I've been riding a sportbike instead! I've just had a lot of projects and the poor Z has always been neglected. I'll be at home for about 12 days and I plan on playing some golf and getting the Z up and running. It's been sitting for 2 years with sta-bil in a full gas tank - stretching things, I know, but I never meant to leave it so long. I've had good luck in the past so hopefully it will start up and run and not need to have the gas tank drained and the carb rebuilt. I have a new digicam that takes HD video so I look forward to sharing some pictures and videos of the car once I get it all cleaned up and purring like it used to. One of these days I'll bring the car to where I live and give it the attention it deserves! This car is my weakness, I've spent several thousand dollars over the years just keeping it in storage because I can't bear to part with it. It was my first car and some of my best memories are working on it with my late father. Well, that's about it for now, updates probably won't come until I roll the car out of the garage and see what she needs! Here are some old pics that might (but probably won't) jog memories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhm Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Nion- Thx for the post; I'm sure you'll be glad to get the old girl back on the road...she's a nice clean-looking ride. I like the dual exhaust setup! From your CarDomain photos, I noticed you've got the late-'80's Prelude seats, which I think are the cat's meow! I looked for a pair for several months before settling on a pair from an early-'90's Prelude ($60 for the pair, including rails...no complaints). Good luck with getting the car running again, enjoy that beautiful SD weather, and happy motoring! r/jhm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun723 Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I don't know how you've been away from your Z for so long! I'd be going crazy. The sport bike definitely helps though haha. I'm looking forward to seeing some pics and video. Good luck with getting her back on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I don't remember the car, (all Z's look the same to me ) but I remember the screen name. Welcome back oldtimer! Hey, and thanks for your service. A Coastie in Washington? You must have been patroling the sound? I have a brother that has a place on Blakely Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I remember that car. I think it dynoed 251 rwhp??? I have a weird memory. Anyways, welcome back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hey thanks guys! Yeah I patrol the straits and the sound. Thankfully I do it from a helicopter instead of a ship. Sparks, you're right. You do have a crazy memory to remember that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Sparks, you're right. You do have a crazy memory to remember that! Tell me about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullbound Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Welcome back! I remember you and your car. Good luck getting it back on the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsicard Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Nion: Those are very unique and attractive wheels on your Datsun. Who is the manufacturer and where can they be obtained? Please advise. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks280zt Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Nion: Those are very unique and attractive wheels on your Datsun. Who is the manufacturer and where can they be obtained? Please advise. Thanks. Those are from the z31 300zx. I think they were on 84-86 NA 300zxs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Nion: Those are very unique and attractive wheels on your Datsun. Who is the manufacturer and where can they be obtained? Please advise. Thanks. I think those are 84 300zx wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Good to have you back, Nion! Have fun with your car while you can!!!!!! Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 20, 2010 Author Share Posted January 20, 2010 Thanks guys!!! I asked SuperDan to change my username and he was happy to oblige. I have been using the screenname QWKDTSN all over the net for years after having it as my license plate, and nobody understands what it means. I figured the one forum it was actually relevant to have as my username, I should probably have it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 All right guys... Pulled the cover off the Z and she looked great... Pulled the battery and traded it in on a brand new one since the old one was about 8 years old and neglected. I checked the oil and it looked clean on the dipstick and at a good level so I felt fine firing it up. The only real problem I found was that the radiator was empty??? And the cap was crusted with nasty mineral buildup... So I brought some distilled water down to the garage and filled the radiator back up, burped the system and got the engine started. It basically fired right up and ran on 2-year old gas (with fuel stabilizer) just fine! I have driven it a few miles and this morning I drained the water out of the radiator and put in some Prestone Super Radiator Clean fluid and more water. The bottle says to run it through the system for 3-6 hours then flush again and fill with normal coolant. Well.... I went for a 5 mile drive and when I returned home I found out where all my coolant had leaked to in the first place! On my driver's side head there was a blue aluminum allen head plug and water was trickling out of the inside of the allen key hole. I found the right size allen key to tighten the plug and found that it was tight... loosened it 1/4 turn and it popped out and I was like OMG!!! The whole backside of this aluminum plug is corroded and eaten away like I have been running my cooling system full of acid since I first built the motor... it ate all the way through to the backside of the allen tooling and sprung a leak. I'm kind of shocked and worried about what the rest of the inside of my engine looks like... It has all steel heads and everything but the way this plug looks is scary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted January 25, 2010 Author Share Posted January 25, 2010 Okay, well, I just spoke to my friend who is an auto tech and a lot smarter than I am when it comes to stuff like this... He said that because I was using an aluminum plug in an iron head, the old coolant can begin to act as an electrolyte over time, actually generating enough voltage that it starts to work like a battery, and will eat away the aluminum! The way he explained it makes a lot of sense to me, but I definitely need to flush my whole cooling system, probably twice, with this cleaner and make sure it gets nothing but distilled water and antifreeze from now on. No tap water or anything. I'm off to get a new plug and hopefully all will be well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun723 Posted January 25, 2010 Share Posted January 25, 2010 Wow, that's crazy but it makes sense. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullbound Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 That sucks. An engine-builder front once told me to never use those aluminum plugs. I thought it would take much longer for them to deteriorate... Definitely good to get the word out on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 Electrolisis sucks. I've seen it in electronics from mixing gold a tin plated connectors but nothing that bad. Aluminum and steel are not a good combo, thats why when all else fails I use stainless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1noel Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 That the same reason boat outdrives have sacrificial anode pieces bolted on. They get eaten away so the good parts don't. Anyway Nion, good to see your back with your car even if it is just a short time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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