87 300zx turbo: blown motor?

[blosom2315]

I took my car to the mechanic and it overheated on me on the way in, which was not the reason i took it, but anyway. I just talked to them and they told me that I had a blown motor. I need some advice on what i could do or what can be done. I do not want to get rid of the car, but I dont have a place for a car that will not be running for a while. I am also not very good with the whole mechanic thing, i have been getting my boyfriend to help, and he has a decent understanding of what is going on. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Leegamer]

"Blown motor" is kind of broad. Did they give you specifics or do they just want you to give them a lot of money?

[blosom2315]

He said the engine was not getting enough compression and then something about i may have baked some rings that messed with the tension. I am wondering if there is a way to deal with that or if i need to replace the engine which i am now considering, but i have no idea what to look for with a replacement engine. Not sure how to go with that direction. so if you have any suggestions with what to look for in a new engine i am all ears. I am coming to terms with that my baby may be fubared, but this way i can learn her and build her from the ground up so i am open to any and all suggestions with anything i can do to her.
Modified by blosom2315 at 4:48 PM 12/17/2008

[evildky]

how is your oil pressure? what problems are rpesently presenting?

[blosom2315]

i sadly didnt have the car very long but when i first got it everything felt pretty good, just seemed to need to be blown out(it had been sitting for a while when i bought it) but in the last month or so it has been getting harder to start, it broke the alternator belt two months after i put it on. and it has a build up of oil or water in that little drip pan thing. I am not sure about the oil pressure. I know it had to be leaking oil cause it was all over the altenator, but i wasnt letting it get low.

[evildky]

you have an oil pressure gauge in the miiddle of your dash

[blosom2315]

Ill check it when i get my car back home tomorrow, and im hoping it works, cause some parts of my dash dont work.

[Perrenial Badass]

The power steering pump is directly over the alternator, is the car losing oil? If it isn't losing oil, the power steering could be leaking.

Anyway, I'd put my money on bad piston rings. You could test the pressure, and if it is low add oil to the cylinder. Run the car for a bit, and then check the compression. If the compression gets better, then it's definitely a ring. Piston rings aren't really hard to change, but they require pulling out much of the engine.

[blosom2315]

I think it might be the oil leaking and not the power steering, there has been a slight drop in my oil, but the power steering level hasnt gone down that i have noticed. I did get a call from the mechanic yesterday and he said they put some marvel mystery oil on it and it i guess did something to the rings and it started right up, he is going to check my coolant and drive it a couple more times to make sure all is good, but i just think its weird he is quick to call it dead and then i tell him I will be picking it up on friday and the day after i tell him that he tries something to get it working, but im not complaing my baby is running. If it is the piston rings, is that something in your opinion an ameture can do?

[evildky]

piston rings meand an engine rebuild, the VG30ET isn't the easiest engine to teardown and reaassymble, but it sure isn't the hardest

I don't recal min PSI at the moment but I think it's around 14 psi, if you don't have min pressure at idle or at least close to it, it's time to do the deed, if you have min pressure keep on rockin

[minnesotazcar]

i assume you must be talking about vaccume preasure?

[evildky]

nope, we're talking about oil pressure, not manifold vacume

[blosom2315]

My oil pressure gage does not work, so I have no idea what it is. I do know it is oil leaking and not power steering.

[evildky]

the oil pressure sender is on the passanger side near the starter, I've sen a lot of them simply come undone or get cut for who knows why, if it's connected and the wires aren't cut, you'll want to tesh with a manual gauge, I think autozone has one with their loan a tool program, simply hook it up in place fo the stock sender and see what kind of oil pressure you have at idle