Hey! I have a 1990 240SX that I bought from a previous owner 3.5 years ago who took meticulous care of the car. However, I am finally starting to have major problems. My regular mechanic says it has to have a new water pump, radiator and thermostat at a minimum, and should have the clutch replaced and a bad head gasket replaced. The labor and parts for the first two items are $750; clutch about $600, and I probably do not want to know how much for the gasket.
What do you guys think? Is the car worth it? It has about 170-180K miles on it. The odometer only works sporadically; could have more.
Thanks!
Is my 240SX worth keeping with expensive repairs?
-
Chaotic_Warlord
- Posts: 4804
- Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 8:31 am
- Car: Black 5 speed Swapped 1995 240sx
- Location: Killadelphia PA
- Contact:
Re: Is my 240SX worth keeping with expensive repairs? (DianaR)
If you have a guy who is handy with a wrench (unlike Jesda) I'd say go for it, the waterpump and thermostat will run you around 50 bucks and an hour or 2 of time a new radiator will run you around 120 for a new OEM one and no more than 30 minutes. 600 for the clutch sounds about right, a new head gasket is around 20 bucks and 3 or 4 hours wrenchtime. I'd say drop 170 to 200 for the radiator new hoses water pump and thermostat (you may need to get a new thermostat housing as well and have a friend put it in for you for a 6 pack of the beer of their choice. If you do go for the clutch spend a little extra and get a performance clutch and flywheel (you'll more than likely need to have your stock flywheel remachined at the least). I wouldn't spend more than 800 to get your car back into tip top condition if all you need are some cooling system parts, a new headgasket, and a new clutch. Fix the most urgent things first and work your way down. if you don't really need a new clutch don't bother with it for a little while. The cooling system however is an urgent thing which is probably what fried your headgasket. Get a second opinion from a friend who is a mechanic (professional or shadetree). If you really don't want the car sell it to someone who is williing to drop the money to get it tip top again.
-
Florida240sx
- Posts: 11114
- Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2004 7:17 am
- Car: 1993 Nissan 240SX Hatch 5spd
2012 Nissan Altima S coupe 2.5 - Location: DeLand FL
-
GhostDriver
- Posts: 2316
- Joined: Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:14 am
- Car: 1991 Nissan 240SX RMS13
-
drftsil8ty
- Posts: 1719
- Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2004 5:41 am
- Car: Cobalt SS turbo
Thx everyone! The problem is, something tells me the car is too good to sell for a hundred bucks or take to the junkyard. But I have no real way of either fixing this myself or finding a mechanic who does this on the side for far less than $65 a hour labor. I use a very reliable and honest mechanic, but he's running a shop, so his prices are going to be higher.
He's doing aftermarket prices like radiator for $225 and water pump for $61, but labor is six hours total -- $390!
They did a block test to check the head gasket. They don't think the car is worth it because it's also burning oil -- no leaking, could stand new tires soon, and the driver's seat doesn't stay in its up-right position.
Hubby loves this car and drives it everywhere.
Like I said, I hate to see it go, but at the projected cost by the pros to keep it going, I guess we don't have much choice.
Thx again!
He's doing aftermarket prices like radiator for $225 and water pump for $61, but labor is six hours total -- $390!
They did a block test to check the head gasket. They don't think the car is worth it because it's also burning oil -- no leaking, could stand new tires soon, and the driver's seat doesn't stay in its up-right position.
Hubby loves this car and drives it everywhere.
Like I said, I hate to see it go, but at the projected cost by the pros to keep it going, I guess we don't have much choice.
Thx again!
-
ricebike
- Posts: 3381
- Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2003 7:03 pm
- Car: 1989 240sx se 5spd (donated to my brother in law)
2002 Quest
2005 Altima - Location: CNJ
see what your mech says if u can purchase the parts yourself & he can do the labor...(that's an excellent rate for all those jobs!)
u can go online to purchase an aftermarket radiator (i did for $89 shipped to my door w/ lifetime warranty) Go dealer part on the T-stat. check autozone.com or partsamerica.com (depending on your area) for ballpark figures on the waterpump, etc...
salvage yard / classifieds section for the driver's seat...
wonders y they didn't recommend to change timing chain set while doing the head gasket... but then u have a burning oil problem (did they say from the vavle stem seals? then easy fix)
u can go online to purchase an aftermarket radiator (i did for $89 shipped to my door w/ lifetime warranty) Go dealer part on the T-stat. check autozone.com or partsamerica.com (depending on your area) for ballpark figures on the waterpump, etc...
salvage yard / classifieds section for the driver's seat...
wonders y they didn't recommend to change timing chain set while doing the head gasket... but then u have a burning oil problem (did they say from the vavle stem seals? then easy fix)
Quote »see what your mech says if u can purchase the parts yourself & he can do the labor..[/quote]
That's what I was going to reccomend. Because at $225 you could get a nice all aluminum one... that won't crack because of old plastic.
Quote » no leaking, could stand new tires soon, and the driver's seat doesn't stay in its up-right position.[/quote]With those added on you're still looking at just over a thousand dollars and if you husband loves the car as much as you say he does then you need to take a look at the price of another car that you don't know the history on. The saying goes that, "The cheapest car is the one you already have."
For the seat problem check out the classifieds section here. You can probably change one out yourself. And if you have problems we can guide you through it. Wait, ricebike said that too... bah!
That's what I was going to reccomend. Because at $225 you could get a nice all aluminum one... that won't crack because of old plastic.
Quote » no leaking, could stand new tires soon, and the driver's seat doesn't stay in its up-right position.[/quote]With those added on you're still looking at just over a thousand dollars and if you husband loves the car as much as you say he does then you need to take a look at the price of another car that you don't know the history on. The saying goes that, "The cheapest car is the one you already have."
For the seat problem check out the classifieds section here. You can probably change one out yourself. And if you have problems we can guide you through it. Wait, ricebike said that too... bah!
-
Chaotic_Warlord
- Posts: 4804
- Joined: Fri Feb 18, 2005 8:31 am
- Car: Black 5 speed Swapped 1995 240sx
- Location: Killadelphia PA
- Contact:
Re: (DianaR)
Ok for starters where do you live, I'll take it off your hands if you are willing to sell it for $100. SDianaR wrote:Thx everyone! The problem is, something tells me the car is too good to sell for a hundred bucks or take to the junkyard.
He's doing aftermarket prices like radiator for $225 and water pump for $61, but labor is six hours total -- $390!
They did a block test to check the head gasket. They don't think the car is worth it because it's also burning oil -- no leaking, could stand new tires soon, and the driver's seat doesn't stay in its up-right position.
Hubby loves this car and drives it everywhere.
Thx again!
Second 6 hours to replace a radiator and water pump? What the eff are they smoking, 2 hours at the max if they let a child do it around 45 minutes for a trained mechanic.
Third, if hubby loves it so much give him a wrench and tell him to fix it. these for the most part are very minor repairs even for a novice shadetree mechanic, especially the radiator...drain, remove the upper and lower radiator hoses, remove 4 bolts pull out put new one in put bolts back in put hoses back on refill and your done. Go to a local parts store and get yourself either a Haynes or Chiltons manual for the 1989-1993 240sx and tell your hubby to get to work, unless he's Jesda (just search around you'll understand why Jesda is made fun of for what not to do when repairing a car).
Fourth definately utilize the your local junkyard for some parts and online for others. There are a lot of NICO friendly parts suppliers, just look to sidebar on the right of your screen, all thoughs banners are good people who wont rip you a new one on parts.
-
ricebike
- Posts: 3381
- Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2003 7:03 pm
- Car: 1989 240sx se 5spd (donated to my brother in law)
2002 Quest
2005 Altima - Location: CNJ
Re: (Chaotic_Warlord)
[QUOTE] ...6 hours to replace a radiator and water pump? What the eff are they smoking, 2 hours at the max if they let a child do it around 45 minutes for a trained mechanic.[QUOTE]
nah, that's 6 hours for ALL labor, which is quite a steal...headgasket & clutch jobs are a biatch w/o proper tools...plus i've seen a few on the forums that have overheating problems w/ some trapped air bubbles after doing such cooling system jobs...search & you'll see what i mean.
look into the timing chain set replacement, sparkplugs/wires/cap/rotor/, that burning oil problem (hopefully valve stems & not the piston rings/worn engine--what'r the compression test specs from the mech???)
while he's checking out the water pump, check out the fan clutch & consider replacing it w/ OEM part, not aftermarket... i got lifetime warranty w/ pepboys, but i've replaced mines 3x already... or consider going electric fan.
Modified by ricebike at 5:33 PM 7/28/2005
nah, that's 6 hours for ALL labor, which is quite a steal...headgasket & clutch jobs are a biatch w/o proper tools...plus i've seen a few on the forums that have overheating problems w/ some trapped air bubbles after doing such cooling system jobs...search & you'll see what i mean.
look into the timing chain set replacement, sparkplugs/wires/cap/rotor/, that burning oil problem (hopefully valve stems & not the piston rings/worn engine--what'r the compression test specs from the mech???)
while he's checking out the water pump, check out the fan clutch & consider replacing it w/ OEM part, not aftermarket... i got lifetime warranty w/ pepboys, but i've replaced mines 3x already... or consider going electric fan.
Modified by ricebike at 5:33 PM 7/28/2005
Hey! This is one busy board!
We have decided to sell this as a project car. To the best of our knowledge, it needs a radiator [it did start to leak a little bit about two weeks ago prior to the water pump problem], water pump, thermostat, and a clutch. It has a blown head gasket. Our mechanic found this out via a block test. And the driver's seat needs to be fixed.
We just went to pick it up at their shop, which is about four miles away, and the car finally would not shift at all, so the tow truck is bringing it home.
The body is in very good condition; like I said, meticulously maintained. It has a sunroof and a spoiler and except for a small area of oxidation on the sunroof, the paint job [shiny black] still looks great when waxed. There is also a very small, almost unnoticeable area on the tip of the right rear bumper that has a paint crack.
The car does not look anywhere near 15 years old, and people have pulled up next to us and said, "Hey! Is that a 240!?" I suspect the previous owner may have had it painted, and I don't believe it's ever been in an accident. He traded it in begrudgingly on a brand new Subaru around 140K miles. The Suburu dealership did a three-page, very detailed mechanical write-up on the car and the only item noted at that time was a small hole in the muffler. We actually kept it this way because we liked the sound. Even the engine had been cleaned when we bought it for cash for $3,900.
It's been a very dependable and good car for us. The fuel pump was replaced in January and we have all of our maintenance records on it which has been little because it has been such a great car.
I believe the chassis is in good condition, too.
If anyone's interested, you can send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We live in Brandon, Florida.
Thanks everyone for your feedback!
p.s. We did check with our mechanic about putting in parts we supply and he's alright with the idea, but ... [and it's not likely, we know], if they didn't work, they'd have to charge again for their labor and they couldn't provide any kind of warranty. With the outstanding clutch and head gasket yet to be addressed, we do not think it's worth the risk just for the cooling system.
We have decided to sell this as a project car. To the best of our knowledge, it needs a radiator [it did start to leak a little bit about two weeks ago prior to the water pump problem], water pump, thermostat, and a clutch. It has a blown head gasket. Our mechanic found this out via a block test. And the driver's seat needs to be fixed.
We just went to pick it up at their shop, which is about four miles away, and the car finally would not shift at all, so the tow truck is bringing it home.
The body is in very good condition; like I said, meticulously maintained. It has a sunroof and a spoiler and except for a small area of oxidation on the sunroof, the paint job [shiny black] still looks great when waxed. There is also a very small, almost unnoticeable area on the tip of the right rear bumper that has a paint crack.
The car does not look anywhere near 15 years old, and people have pulled up next to us and said, "Hey! Is that a 240!?" I suspect the previous owner may have had it painted, and I don't believe it's ever been in an accident. He traded it in begrudgingly on a brand new Subaru around 140K miles. The Suburu dealership did a three-page, very detailed mechanical write-up on the car and the only item noted at that time was a small hole in the muffler. We actually kept it this way because we liked the sound. Even the engine had been cleaned when we bought it for cash for $3,900.
It's been a very dependable and good car for us. The fuel pump was replaced in January and we have all of our maintenance records on it which has been little because it has been such a great car.
I believe the chassis is in good condition, too.
If anyone's interested, you can send us an e-mail at [email protected]. We live in Brandon, Florida.
Thanks everyone for your feedback!
p.s. We did check with our mechanic about putting in parts we supply and he's alright with the idea, but ... [and it's not likely, we know], if they didn't work, they'd have to charge again for their labor and they couldn't provide any kind of warranty. With the outstanding clutch and head gasket yet to be addressed, we do not think it's worth the risk just for the cooling system.
Re: (DianaR)
please if you can provide us with pics of it..maybe one of your nico brotherend might want to take it off your hands
240s are some of the easiest cars to work on. head gasket should take no more than an hour. clutch no more than an hour. you have MAYBE 3 hours of work. get a competent friend to help you. i had clutch replaced in 25 minutes and im not that smart. granted i did do it at work and had lifts, power tools, etc but i dont see why you cant do it yourself and you can save that money to mod your car. a clutch from nissan cost no more than 200 before tax
-
Eikon
- Posts: 6928
- Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 3:20 am
- Car: 71 240z, 93 Supra TT
- Location: Lake Orion, MI
- Contact:
Re: (fatboy)
Sounds to me like somebody needs to schedule a NICO meet in Brandon, Florida at Diana and "hubbys" house.
Aren't there a few NICOnaughts in Florida who could get together and knock these repairs out for Diana? I bet if "hubby" fired up the grill and had a cooler of refreshing beverages he could attract some help.
I would volunteer myself, but I'm 1000 miles away. I think it would be pretty cool if a few Nico member's would help out with the repairs...
What's she need... $500 - $600 worth of parts and $50 bucks worth of food and beverage to pull a few gearheads from the area in to help out. I bet a couple guys could do it all in 2 hours max. 1 to do radiator, water pump, thermo, etc... 1 to do head gasket and help with water pump/timing belt, and 1 more guy to do the clutch.
Cmon guys... any volunteers? Who's going to help out Diana. Let's show her how cool this community really is!!!!
note to Diana... You should strongly consider getting the repairs done regardless of whether you choose to sell it or not. 240's are a hot commodity, especially amongst young people who don't know yet how to turn a wrench. I would bet that in the car's current state you won't get more than $1000 max. But, with $1000 worth of repairs, you should be able to get over $3000 for it. Watch ebay... 240's in good running condition fetch a pretty penny... especially ones that you can brag up about having new clutches, radiators, head gaskets, water pumps, etc... Will make more demand for the vehicle with those maintenance items taken care of.
Aren't there a few NICOnaughts in Florida who could get together and knock these repairs out for Diana? I bet if "hubby" fired up the grill and had a cooler of refreshing beverages he could attract some help.
I would volunteer myself, but I'm 1000 miles away. I think it would be pretty cool if a few Nico member's would help out with the repairs...
What's she need... $500 - $600 worth of parts and $50 bucks worth of food and beverage to pull a few gearheads from the area in to help out. I bet a couple guys could do it all in 2 hours max. 1 to do radiator, water pump, thermo, etc... 1 to do head gasket and help with water pump/timing belt, and 1 more guy to do the clutch.
Cmon guys... any volunteers? Who's going to help out Diana. Let's show her how cool this community really is!!!!
note to Diana... You should strongly consider getting the repairs done regardless of whether you choose to sell it or not. 240's are a hot commodity, especially amongst young people who don't know yet how to turn a wrench. I would bet that in the car's current state you won't get more than $1000 max. But, with $1000 worth of repairs, you should be able to get over $3000 for it. Watch ebay... 240's in good running condition fetch a pretty penny... especially ones that you can brag up about having new clutches, radiators, head gaskets, water pumps, etc... Will make more demand for the vehicle with those maintenance items taken care of.
Re: Is my 240SX worth keeping with expensive repairs? (DianaR)
i got a blown head gasket and i just bought the head gasket set for 100 buck but i am doing everything eles to like getting the head done and new timing oil and water pump and i am up to about 600 for everything
Hey, now that's an idea. NICO to the rescue! You guys have been so helpful. I really appreciate all your feedback and great ideas!
Hubby and I have been talking ... and talking ... and talking. Back before all of this happened in the past week, our plan and hope was that the 240 would go another nine months without anything major [i.e. expensive repairs via our mechanic], especially once the engine started burning oil about eight months ago. It's been a great and economical car for us, but we didn't want to find ourselves for much longer in a two-car situation with both cars quickly aging due to the expense. And we didn't want to take on a monthly car payment.
So we were planning to let hubby have my Maxima next Spring [awesome car, BTW; my baby ], while I'd get a new car or high-quality used car out of some of our home's increasing value. This way, we could easily afford to keep the Max running with still no car payments. [Now THAT's going to be a car that will be hard to say goodbye to, but that's years away.]
So even with a local NICO squad swooping in to help for steak and beer, and saving us loads of money, there are bound to be other 240 repairs down the road which we honestly don't want to contend with. It wasn't our intent to keep the car beyond next Spring. We just couldn't decide if it was worth paying for until then via repairs.
So we will make due with one car until then. Seeing the 240 in our garage is kind of sad though. It's funny how attached people become to their cars. As you guys know so well.
I hope to post it on e-Bay in a couple of weeks, and we're not sure what we'll be seeking; likely just a few hundred because its body work is worth at least that much to a 240 lover.
Take care everyone! And keep on lovin your 240s!
Hubby and I have been talking ... and talking ... and talking. Back before all of this happened in the past week, our plan and hope was that the 240 would go another nine months without anything major [i.e. expensive repairs via our mechanic], especially once the engine started burning oil about eight months ago. It's been a great and economical car for us, but we didn't want to find ourselves for much longer in a two-car situation with both cars quickly aging due to the expense. And we didn't want to take on a monthly car payment.
So we were planning to let hubby have my Maxima next Spring [awesome car, BTW; my baby ], while I'd get a new car or high-quality used car out of some of our home's increasing value. This way, we could easily afford to keep the Max running with still no car payments. [Now THAT's going to be a car that will be hard to say goodbye to, but that's years away.]
So even with a local NICO squad swooping in to help for steak and beer, and saving us loads of money, there are bound to be other 240 repairs down the road which we honestly don't want to contend with. It wasn't our intent to keep the car beyond next Spring. We just couldn't decide if it was worth paying for until then via repairs.
So we will make due with one car until then. Seeing the 240 in our garage is kind of sad though. It's funny how attached people become to their cars. As you guys know so well.
I hope to post it on e-Bay in a couple of weeks, and we're not sure what we'll be seeking; likely just a few hundred because its body work is worth at least that much to a 240 lover.
Take care everyone! And keep on lovin your 240s!
-
Eikon
- Posts: 6928
- Joined: Sat Apr 24, 2004 3:20 am
- Car: 71 240z, 93 Supra TT
- Location: Lake Orion, MI
- Contact:
Re: (DianaR)
Diana,
sounds like your decision is well thought out, so good luck selling it.
I think you should sell it here on Nico before you put it on ebay. Put it in the classifieds section with lots of pics and a reasonable asking price, and I am sure you will find someone excited to take it off your hands.
Good luck
sounds like your decision is well thought out, so good luck selling it.
I think you should sell it here on Nico before you put it on ebay. Put it in the classifieds section with lots of pics and a reasonable asking price, and I am sure you will find someone excited to take it off your hands.
Good luck