My Winter project 350z engine rebuild

[Cosmic73]

Hey everyone. I'm a newbie from Southam and recently bought this 350z as a Winter project to fix the suspected engine knocking.

I've done a few engine rebuilds in the past but I'm really looking forward to this one.

 

I suppose, first thing's first. I need a workshop manual.

I've seen Haynes manuals in Ebay and was wondering if they're any good or should i just go for the proper Nissan manual?

 

[Coz@TORQEN]

Hello and welcome! 

 

You can find the FSM free to download online here:

 

https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual?fsm_download=350Z/Coupe/2005/em.pdf

[Cosmic73]

That is simply amazing, thank you sir 😍

[Cosmic73]

Fired up the Z to see how bad the engine knock is and it's once it's up to temperature you can definitely hear it.

 

 

[ShortPaul]

That doesn't sound healthy 😕 good luck with your build👍

[Andy_Muxlow]

Good luck sir!

[MONKEYSOCKS]

Any idea what type of oil is in the car? Hope you get it sorted anyway. 

[Cosmic73]

19 hours ago, Andy_Muxlow said:

Good luck sir!

Thanks Andy 😀

[Cosmic73]

18 hours ago, MONKEYSOCKS said:

Any idea what type of oil is in the car? Hope you get it sorted anyway. 

Thanks. I've no idea of the oil but it's done 150k miles so needs a full refurb so i'll be putting new rings, bearings etc and hopefully have it galloping on all it's horses again 😀

[Cosmic73]

20 hours ago, ShortPaul said:

That doesn't sound healthy 😕 good luck with your build👍

Thanks Paul, scary but exciting too, watch this space 😀

[Ben@TORQEN]

Good luck, hope the build goes smoothly! You know where to come if you need any parts

[Cosmic73]

6 hours ago, Ben@TORQEN said:

Good luck, hope the build goes smoothly! You know where to come if you need any parts

Yes thanks Ben for your PM.

Once I've stripped it down and determined how bad the wear is I'll be in touch to for the right sized parts.

[Cosmic73]

I've officially made a start, bonnet off, jacked up, oil and coolant drained, wahoo 😀

[Cosmic73]

In the workshop manual there's white spanner and black spanner symbols, does anyone know what the difference is?

 

[ShortPaul]

Possibly torque settings I am guessing 

[Cosmic73]

On 12/10/2023 at 22:31, ShortPaul said:

Possibly torque settings I am guessing 

I know they're torque settings, but why are some black on others white?

[Ben@TORQEN]

On 12/10/2023 at 20:52, Cosmic73 said:

In the workshop manual there's white spanner and black spanner symbols, does anyone know what the difference is?

 

[Ben@TORQEN]

Inch pounds (black) / Foot pounds (white) for the torque setting

[Cosmic73]

28 minutes ago, Ben@TORQEN said:

Inch pounds (black) / Foot pounds (white) for the torque setting

Ah, now i see it,

They all have Nm as their primary torque, but their secondary torque (in brackets) can be inch pounds or foot pounds,

Thanks for clearing that up 🙂

[Cosmic73]

Finally got to spend as few hours in the office this morning and got really stuck into the engine disassembly.

I have to say I'm quite enjoying this project. The workshop manual is clear and easy to follow, the engine is a great design with plenty of room.

So far I've removed the wiring harness, air collector and intake manifold. Next will be the rocker covers and timing case.

The spark plug from cyl 4 has melted a bit so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it hasn't melted the piston or block because that will be a whole world of pain.

 

In trying to take the PS pump off and there's a hidden bolt at the side of the block I just can't get to. Anyone have any tips?

 

 

 

 

[davey_83]

Good work that man and be careful with the breather hose that joins the valve covers as this is known for splitting 

[ZMANALEX]

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=350Z+power+steering+pump&source=lmns&tbm=vid&bih=679&biw=1243&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiinrext4eCAxU9cqQEHQoQAU8Q_AUoAnoECAEQAg

 

Also, worth mentioning, is to leave the main engine loom all hooked up to the engine and disconnect at the ECU and pull in through the firewall.

[Cosmic73]

16 hours ago, davey_83 said:

Good work that man and be careful with the breather hose that joins the valve covers as this is known for splitting 

Thanks Dave, yes that breather hose won't budge and will snap the converter if I pull any harder. I'm going to just leave them connected and remove the rocker covers as a pair.

[Cosmic73]

15 hours ago, ZMANALEX said:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=350Z+power+steering+pump&source=lmns&tbm=vid&bih=679&biw=1243&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiinrext4eCAxU9cqQEHQoQAU8Q_AUoAnoECAEQAg

 

Also, worth mentioning, is to leave the main engine loom all hooked up to the engine and disconnect at the ECU and pull in through the firewall.

Thanks for the link. The problem I've got is I don't want to pull the PS hose connector out the pump to access the hidden side bolt.

I reckon by removing the coolant tube, then the heat shield, I should be able to access the bolt and suspend the PS pump out the way.

I spent ages trying to pull the tube out but it just wouldn't budge. Of course I find out there's a hidden 10mm bolt underneath where it connects to the housing, doh.

The wiring loom is pretty much disconnected from all its engine sensors and can lay across the windscreen, 

[ZMANALEX]

Are you removing the engine?

 

If so the PAS pump can be left on the engine.

 

Disconnecting and reconnecting the main loom from the engine will add 4 hours to the job.

 

Coolant tube below showing fixing points.