I've been looking into getting a 300zx TT, and I have been using these forums to learn a lot about the car. Now that I've begun the search, I've picked up a few questions I'm sure you guys could help me with.
1.) What are important places to look to see if the car may have been damaged in an unreported accident? Like telltale signs of damage to the chassis etc
2.) I found one particular car from a private seller. It is a twin turbo, however the owner has no record of its maintenance previous to purchasing it from the dealer. How can I tell if the vehicle came stock with twin turbos or if they were added later? Such as a coding in the VIN or something in the bodywork?
3.) What are any other tips/recommendations you may have for me, thinks i should watch out for, to ensure i dont purchase a dump bucket?
Hey Everyone
-
A Paratrooper's 300zx
- Posts: 319
- Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:27 pm
- Car: White 92 300zxTT M/T, Silver 04 MR2 Spyder M/T
Re: Hey Everyone (digiwolff)
1.) Bring a metric/SAE ratchet set and a couple of screw drivers with you when you look at any car. If the owner has a problem with you poking around, politely of course, he may have something to hide or just not know much about what he is selling. Take off the nose panel between the head lights via the 2 10mm bolts and look for any wrinkling or damage to the support. Crawl under the car and look at where the tension rod brackets bolt to the frame and look for the same wrinkling or damage. Also, look at where the fenders bolt up to the engine bay. - Ask for the VIN before you buy anything and look it up on CarFax.
2.) Twin Turbo VIN should begin with JN1CZ and Non Turbo VIN should begin with JN1RZ. Also, if you look hard enough down next to the battery on the passenger side and next to the brake master cylinder on the driver's side about 6-12 inches down you should see part of the turbos that connect to each side of the exhaust, if it truly is Twin Turbo. There are a few other signs that it's a TT: - There will be 4 total intake pipes rather than the NA 2- On the passenger side of the fender wall there will be a solenoid/cylinder for the HICAS system (NA's don't have that)- Generally there will be way more vacuum lines in the TT- If it's in good condition, there will be a red badge on the passenger side of the intake manifold that says "TWIN TURBO"- There will be a factory boost gauge that sits under the speedometer- There will be 2 side mount intercoolers that sit right under both front turn signal lights in the side vents on the bumper or a front mount intercooler in the main vent on the bumper (if it's modified)- All TT's came with a spoiler on the rear hatch, however, it may be swapped or removed
3.) When poking around, do this really quickly: http://www.ttzd.com/tech/diagn....html It will tell you a lot about the car. If you want to get a bit more detailed, locate each fuel injector (6 of them) and take the pointy end of a screw driver and put it to the top of an injector and the other end of the screw driver to your ear... you should hear a fast paced clicking. That means it is operating normally.
Hope this helps and if you need anything else, just ask. Good luck!
2.) Twin Turbo VIN should begin with JN1CZ and Non Turbo VIN should begin with JN1RZ. Also, if you look hard enough down next to the battery on the passenger side and next to the brake master cylinder on the driver's side about 6-12 inches down you should see part of the turbos that connect to each side of the exhaust, if it truly is Twin Turbo. There are a few other signs that it's a TT: - There will be 4 total intake pipes rather than the NA 2- On the passenger side of the fender wall there will be a solenoid/cylinder for the HICAS system (NA's don't have that)- Generally there will be way more vacuum lines in the TT- If it's in good condition, there will be a red badge on the passenger side of the intake manifold that says "TWIN TURBO"- There will be a factory boost gauge that sits under the speedometer- There will be 2 side mount intercoolers that sit right under both front turn signal lights in the side vents on the bumper or a front mount intercooler in the main vent on the bumper (if it's modified)- All TT's came with a spoiler on the rear hatch, however, it may be swapped or removed
3.) When poking around, do this really quickly: http://www.ttzd.com/tech/diagn....html It will tell you a lot about the car. If you want to get a bit more detailed, locate each fuel injector (6 of them) and take the pointy end of a screw driver and put it to the top of an injector and the other end of the screw driver to your ear... you should hear a fast paced clicking. That means it is operating normally.
Hope this helps and if you need anything else, just ask. Good luck!
Re: Hey Everyone (A Paratrooper's 300zx)
Super Helpful! Thanks! I just want to make sure I dont buy a Z that was NA and had turbos added, or the engine was swapped for the VG30DETT. It makes me nervous when the owner doesnt know the history of the vehicle. Thanks again