Olly350z

Not much of an update but for the first time in my car ownership I treated myself to a private plate. Got the old ones off as they were seriously stuck on, and cleaned up all the rear bumper and plinth. Photo below 

On Monday this week I dropped the car off at my local Nissan who did me a cracking deal as it was service and MOT time. They gave me a Nissan leaf as a loan car, eww.

Full Nissan P3 service, supplied my own oil

Oil & filter

Air filters

Cabin filter 

Brake fluid 

Clutch fluid 

Coolant 

Gear oil 

Differential oil

Spark plugs 

Aircon re-gas

New wipers 

Passed everything with flying colours, I've known the master tech there for years and was very happy to hear him say its immaculate underneath and probably the cleanest one he's ever seen. Felt weird as got ganged up on by all the salesmen who offered me a pretty penny to let her go, I was nearly tempted. 

1 hour ago, reeceybeaney said:

Cheers pal, hope you are well. I would like to get a v2 along side mine for a few photos😆

Let me know a time and place with decent weather and I'm there, a MK1 & MK2 would look ace together for photo's especially as I've still not gotten any decent ones of mine. 

How you finding the nismo life? Something about them feels very, very special doesn't it driving them down the road? 

Welcome to the Nismo Gang matey. I did the same as you however went with the MK2. Looking forward to seeing it as I know you're localish! 

She looks smart 

A spirited drive isn't whats required as they will cool down in-between, you need to literally hold it at x amount of revs for several minutes so they are HOT and then test the emissions straight away. High flow cats are never a guaranteed way of passing emissions though. 

You're other option is find a friendly tester or leave a box of beers in the car? Mine used to always look the other way providing everything else was safe

39 minutes ago, Dicky said:

Thanks Olly,

to be able to get to the coil pack plugs and stand half a chance of removing/replacing them on 2,4&6  I had to remove the air intake pipework (maintaining the maf) the other side was better but not much. Then trying to listen to the engine note when it’s running lumpy and hunting all the time was bordering on impossible.

I was going to order a full set from Alex as it happens but he was out of stock. Rang Euro car parts and they have a decent make for £30+vat so may follow your lead.

You don't need to remove them to test them, removing the air intake will cause its own set of issues particularly if you disconnected the MAF. You mention the car is hunting, do you mean rev hunting? 

To test them, all you need to do is unplug them one at a time at the coilpack. You'll see the engine loom that runs around. 

With the car running and everything where it should be, unplug them at the connector one at a time, a long nose screw driver helps here. You will hear the engine note drop noticeably as its essentially dropped a cylinder. If you hear the difference, reconnect and move on. 

If you don't hear a note change, that is possibly your culprit coilpack / spark plug 

An intermittent coilpack failure will be near on impossible to diagnose without specific diagnostic equipment, however what Alex has recommended will work providing you get lucky and it decides to misbehave 

I had a similar issue back in 2018 on my DE in which a coilpack was failing resulting in a totally random misfire which would come as quickly as it cleared, and I finally bit the bullet when it went into limp mode on a busy roundabout leaving me stranded. 

Euro car parts do (did, this was 3 years ago) a OE equivalent coilpack called Bremi. When I pulled all my oem packs these were identical even down to the mould lines. I replaced all 6 and plugs at the same time as I wanted a definitive answer. These packs were around £70 quid each, against Nissan who wanted £120 + VAT each and it worked like a charm. The car never ran so well, increased performance on the butt dyno and improved MPG. Obviously I can't guarantee this is your issue, however most misfires I've seen reported are coilpack / spark plug related. I'd advise checking those as your first response as they can be a relatively cheap fix 

Paid the Valeted due to an operation last week, not been driven in a month so thought I'd let her sit out and bask in the sun. 

14 hours ago, W8BGS said:

Ah OK, yeah I think they did say the rear was seized. Freshen up the suspension probably a good idea, but after just spending £740 on tyres I can't afford anything major. 

 

I just spotted these. Do you think they will do the trick? 

 

https://www.torqen.uk/nissan/370z/suspension-steering/arms-links/12799-370z-moog-rear-adjustable-alignment-cambertoe-kit-k100152.html

 

Anything more will have to wait otherwise until it goes to Centre Gravity in August, but if I can fix cheaply before then, then it's wise to get it sorted ASAP. 

Yes, I fitted a similar kit to my 350z and it worked a treat. Certain kits say you should notch the subframe for greater adjustment but I never bothered. I was pretty low on coilovers and once properly aligned never had any tyre issues. Must've done a good 15K on them and they look good as new, see photo 

I recommend plenty of rust buster to soak the nuts / bolts in and a long extension bar. Not the type of job you want to be doing on the floor as you won't get enough leverage and end up stripping the nuts 

The rear is adjustable, I'd imagine your toe bolts are seized hence why you still have toe on one side. Maybe time for a freshen up on the suspension 

Do not manually adjust the throttle bodies with them still attached to the car. You'll bugger then instantly. 

I suspect your hesitation on idle is not related. Hesitation on pull away is a symptom of low oil pressure which HRs are known to suffer from. I would suggest taking it to a specialist, Horsham developments or Abbey Motorsport for a checkover. At least that way you'll get a very clear picture of the cars health without incurring an eye watering bill needing two throttle bodies 

They're pretty slow stock, they're getting pretty old and more and more are becoming a spotty teenagers wet dream meaning there are some absolutely horrific examples out there. 

That said, they have one of the biggest personalities on the car market and that character will keep you smiling and turning back around to see where you've parked. 

Probably the best motorway cruiser I've ever driven while doing 30mpg with the cruise control on. On a B road they're nimble enough to have some real fun with enough poke to to give most things a run, but they will step out on you if you're not careful. Routine maintenance is easy enough with knowledge and like any car if its that complex then pay someone to do. Modifications are plentiful to choose from

Do I miss my old 350z? Absolutely. Do I miss keeping a old car on the road? Not so much 

Do I regret sticking with Nissan and getting a Nismo 370z to replace her instead of a big characterless German bargepole? Not a chance 

My man! Don't ignore warning signs like that again! I'm glad to hear you went to hospital and they've managed to get you back on the road to recovery. 

I wish you a speedy recovery and back to full health, we've got lots of shows the natter at !

So basically you created the very niche problem that nobody else knew how to fix so nobody else decided to comment so not to lead you in the wrong direction which you then got knocky about and then posted another reply pointing that out, before actually posting the answer because someone gave you the attention you originally wanted for the very niche problem no-one knew how to fix. 

Cool 🤯

The former Category D (Cat D) has been replaced by Category N (Cat N). This refers to cars that haven't suffered structural damage, but some safety-critical components such as steering, brake or suspension components may require replacement. Again, if properly repaired, a Cat N car can be legally returned to the road.

A Cat S or Cat N marker can sometimes be given to cars with relatively minor damage. An older, low-value car might be written off after a light scrape in a car park, simply because the cost of processing the insurance claim exceeds the car’s value.

The amended system is intended to help inform used-car buyers if a car has previously suffered structural damage. This is becoming increasingly important as the complexity of modern cars means they may be written off because of electronic rather than structural damage. 

Take from that what you will, but any category write off is a risk. If you plan on buying it and never selling then it might be worth it, if you're looking to not lose huge amounts in depreciation then I'd avoid it. These are not the type of cars you want a bargain bucket special on

I had the 370z side repeaters fitted to my old 350z, was super easy to cut and splice them in, literally two wires a side

Get a bodyshop to cut the hole and you'll be set. Looks so much cleaner then the badge and standard repeater 

4 hours ago, daveo132 said:

I'm not sure you have anything to worry about.

 

This applies more to DE's and Rev ups rather than HRs

1 hour ago, SH23 said:

I did yes, and I knew the clutch was on its way so was anticipating it eventually. The oil pressure is good when driving as far as I can see when I look, sits at about 60ish driving normally, lowest it goes is 45ish when I'm cruising and very light on throttle at 60mph in 5th, sits about 10 to 15 when warm at idle. I'll ask them to check it that's a good point though.

 

I knew these weren't cheap to maintain when I started looking, and as much as it sucks I intend to have the car a long time so am prepared to do what it needs.

Some may disagree but to me, I hate to say it but that warm idle is too low. Nissan state that 15psi is minimum warm idle, so I'd strongly recommend getting it checked. 

Years back buddy of mine bought a HR with 34k miles on the clock. We knew the gaskets needed doing, and when done by Abbey Motorsport the results were night and day different. He never saw below 30psi at idle even after a blast. 

2 hours ago, SH23 said:

Eye watering but I knew it was needing dome eventually.. just didn't expect it to be within the first 2 weeks of owning it!

Unfortunately this is one of the known faults with the HR gearbox, and the gallery gaskets for the engine. I don't mean this horribly but I assume you did your research before buying? 

While at HDEV I'd get your oil pressure checked as this known fault effects most HRs. More good news is that job alone will cost you circa 900 quid

So, updates! 

My search for an exhaust was put on hold as I just couldn't settle on a brand as it had to fit right and sound right. I'd looked into short tails but couldn't justify £500 quid upwards for essentially a quarter of a full system. However, when these turned up for sale for a bargain price, it seemed the sensible way to go

So, today I fitted the AAM resonated short tails. Took an hour to fit including removing the backbox. Fitment is spot on, they look great and sound great. Idle is a burble, around town is a nice rumble and cruising is comfortable. When you do put your foot down they do sing, maybe a little loud for my liking but they'll do the job for now

1 hour ago, SH23 said:

Horsham's website quotes roughly £330 for clutch and flywheel, am I correct to assume this is labour only? 

Absolutely, unless it's made out of cheese lol 

Option 2 and prepare yourself for a relatively large bill (depending on what you choose to get done, personally I'd get it all done) and then that way you have the complete peace of mind its been done properly and you can enjoy the car

It's probably the slave cylinder that has failed, I'd be very surprised if the master cylinder has failed. Don't think I've come across that, but as Jack said it's a internal slave so you probably wouldn't see a leak anyway 

14 hours ago, da.murf said:

I’d say they’d look incredible. Mine Are the 19” staggered Option. 

Only issue is I believe they're smaller then the factory nismo rays, what are they 8.5 front and 10 rear? 

On 28/04/2021 at 12:34, da.murf said:

LMGT4'S are the best wheel, period. I often wonder what a set of the 19's would look like on my Nismo

Took a trip down the beach a few nights back, was deserted so why not 

Insurance quotes, can't stress this enough. Get some quotes first as you'll be surprised how difficult they can be to get sensible quotes for particularly as this will be your first RWD. 

Best of luck! 

I'll take these please mate, can we arrange payment and collection