New engine or new car?

[OliverB]

Hi gents,

 

My car is getting through a fair bit of oil (not unusual for a rev-up I know) and is approaching 100k mileage, it bothers me enough to consider:

1. Replacing the engine (can be found nicely refurbished for £2.5k) and then giving in to Zedditis
   
2. Selling up and getting an HR
   
3. Selling up and getting a 300cc bike and a cheap run around car for poor weather
   

All of the above are similar costs using my limited man-math. I do love the car, just feels like I should take some action one way or another.

 

I've recently spent £1200 on repairs following my first (major) service since I've had the car, brought out a few issues which to be honest I got bent over paying for, but was in a hurry.

 

Thoughts?

[kbad]

Hi ,

 

I my humble opinion perhaps option 2

 

k

[BobbyZ]

Perfect excuse to commence a monster FI build IMO.

[Richf]

I dont think HR's are worth the extra myself , plenty of people have had to change engines on them also

 

Choice really is , fix or sell

[OliverB]

Ah to have the funds for supercharged/twin turbo setup. The thing that has always held me back on pursuing FI is the fact that people list how long their car has survived it! If I were to do it, I'd do it right and build the engine from the bottom up, but when I put all the costs together, I could purchase a built HR with all the bells and whistles.

 

I use my Z as my daily and have no other vehicle, so the downtime in getting her built would be a pain (but not an insurmountable challenge I suppose).

 

Cheers for the input, I'll sit here stewing on it for a while. Any and all suggestions of course welcome.

[RavenDW]

I'd be inclined to keep my Z and pay for a new/rebuilt engine. Your car is a known commodity. You could get a great HR that winds up needing a new engine itself anyway. Maybe it hasn't had the oil gallery gasket done? It could develop/have any number of issues that yours does not.

 

If you're not overly attached and would like a bike then perhaps option 3 is the way to go.

 

I wasn't aware that 100k was a death sentence for Z engines?

[Ekona]

It's not, it's just a mental thing people have with cars.

 

I'd either flog it and get something different, or repair it.

[modo]

Yes Fix it , LIVE with it, Don`t Ditch it

[Juggalo]

Personally, non classic cars are a disposable commodity. If it's starting to raid my wallet, I sell up and move on, not throw money at it.

 

I'm actually in the process of actioning #3 myself, but going with a 650cc.

Nothing wrong with my Zed, it's been great, I just haven't bonded with it like I did with my ST, and fancy a radical change

[GreenLandy]

I went from a DE to an HR and am pleased I did, find the engine smoother, more powerful (obviously..), looks better and lots of little touches/improvements throughout. I'd do the same again given the chance, unless I was particularly after something else

[KUGT4]

buy more oil, its cheaper....

[brillomaster]

indeed, start saving for a new engine, but no point swapping it in until the current one goes bang. even if it uses one litre of oil for every tank full of petrol, its still only an extra fiver each fill up.

[Adrian@TORQEN]

Oliver,

 

If you decide to forged your engine, have a look at our packages for some inspiration

 

http://www.torqen.uk/170-forged-engine-packages

 

We can supply the parts if you want to use your local builder or fully build engines, feel free to PM me anytime.

[OliverB]

Raven, I very nearly bought a 350 with over 100k on the clock, it doesn't bother me, it's just that for £2.5k (fitted) I can get a fully refurbished engine (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350Z-3-5-V6-ENGINE-VQ35DE-01-07-S-F-BUY-WITH-CONFIDENCE-100-SATISFACTION-/131924778779?hash=item1eb7545f1b:m:mZLJ1ffqXeDRAYHwBt8-H_w), which is tempting.

This comes with:

• New headgasket
  
• Pressure tested and skimmed head
  
• New valve stems
  
• All oil seals done
  
• Crank shaft polished and refurbished
  
• New big ends
  
• New main bearings
  
• New rings
  

Then I know I've got a solid foundation for any future projects. Downside is, unlike Torqen's engine builds, this would be an 'as new' stock DE engine, rather than one strengthened for FI. However if I had £7,300+ I'd have many more options than I do now!

 

As a couple of you have said, I'm usually in the camp of fixing something that is a known entity, I've already dropped a fair bit of cash into it (relatively speaking I suppose) so this is the last major niggle.

 

As for waiting for it to go bang, that'd be a shocker for me as I need to drive into work every day, 60-mile commute, with no other vehicle, buying and insuring another car as backup would cost me more than the new engine once all things are considered (insurance, tax, service etc).

 

And then the bike option, I spent a while this morning (shh, don't tell the boss) reading up on experiences people have had and...well, every time I start to think 'ah it's not that unsafe really', I see a dozen more 'I/someone I know had a horrific accident and is forever disfigured! It's a tough sell.

 

Has anyone heard of/used Global Engines before?

 

If I do end up investing heavily in this car, I will make a project page and just make it a beast, because I may as well!

[MarkSt]

How much oil is it actually using?

If it's fine other than using a bit of oil I too would be tempted to stick with it until it's showing more signs of serious issue..

You are going to be without a car when the work gets done if you do an engine swap anyway.. What are their lead times like to have the work done?

 

Mark

[Adrian@TORQEN]

Oliver, have a look here:

 

http://www.driftworks.com/forum/other-chat/216922-global-engines-gearboxes-barking-issue.html

 

Didn't read the whole thread, but doesn't sound good.

[MarkSt]

Read the whole lot. Not a company I would use.

[veilside z]

Yes when my son was looking for a Z engine a while back I contacted them about their listings on Ebay. They couldn't even give the right answers to my questions. Gave me no confidence at all then looked elsewhere. Cowboys

[OliverB]

Scary stuff! Cheers guys. Will avoid, y'know when something sounds too good to be true...

 

As for the oil consumption, it's about a litre every 500-600 miles. I know that isn't unheard of for the 06, it just bothers me that I don't know what the cause is! If someone said 'oh that's the PCV valve, or it's the short block, a gasket, rings, whatever, I'd be much happier. Thing is, the quotes I get for a proper investigation are painful to say the least .

 

Mark, I'm still saving for that exhaust by the way, that's on hold though until I feel happy everything else in the car is as it should be.

[KUGT4]

for comparison burn around 1L per 1000 miles in a 05 GT4

[Andymac183]

I went for option 1 exactly a year ago after I let my engine run almost dry of oil and ruined it. It's a '53 DE with 90k on it. 3 grand got me a 30,000 mile lump plus fitting costs. It changed my opinion on the car completely - as well as being noticeably nicer to drive, I contracted zedditis and started going at the car in earnest, I've done a lot to it in the last 12 months and now she's in for a complete respray. Interior refurb is next. It's gone from my daily drive to the summer / weekend car, and I enjoy creating / improving something that I know I'm now going to keep for a LONG time. Build thread coming soon...

[nowhereboy]

Jesus that thread from drift works is hilarious.

 

Gotta love it when the owner of the company being slated uses a fake account to start giving great reviews about his own business, always makes for an entertaining read.

 

Complete cowboys.

[ZEUS]

just read it too, the responses to the planted posts are hilarious.

[Juggalo]

My 06 is due it's 5k oil change now. Checked today and it looks like it's burnt maybe 600cc of oil. About 8mm below the Max line.

Weird how some burn oil, and others don't.

[Ekona]

Mine never used any oil either, and that got spanked hard.