Rear main + other issues, should repair?

[pulsar57]

Hello, I've been thinking about this and wanted some opinions so I thought I'd ask here. Something is leaking in my car, the general opinion is that it is either the oil pan, rear main, or transmission. I don't know what it is, and the mechanic needs to examine to find out what it is. I've gotten two opinions from people, 1) "you like this car and want to take care of it, you have the money right now, get it fixed". 2) "it's a waste of money, it's just dripping a little oil, not hurting anything, and the rear main is complicated you don't want the mechanic to mess something up in fixing the leak". Even the mechanic said he would wait until I have some transmission related work done since it's not essential. I was hoping for some opinions, since I'm not overly knowledgable.

I also would want the following issues fixed (or looked at) while it's there:
1) ilding very low on cold start, plus general sluggishness while the engine is cold (this second part may not be fixable just a sign of having an older car).
2) 'clunk' sound coming from rear of car when shifting gears. I've only been driving manual since buying the car, but I don't think the clunk is related to how I drive, I'm usually pretty smooth.
3) squeakiness when coasting in neutral, I don't think it's coming from the breaks, at least it doesn't seem like it.

Any opinions on this would be helpful. Thanks!

PS. I drive a 1991 manual TT in case it matters.

[Ziggy1621]

For the leak, definitely get it fixed. To start looking at where the leak is, what kind of oil is it? transmission fluid is gear oil, so thick and super smelly, engine oil should be lighter. Is it coming from up top (check with a flashlight). If it is the rear main, it is not too difficult to change yourself

For the other issues:
1. You can adjust your idle on the IACV: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/adjust ... level.html
- Being an old car never stops something from being fixed My car is a 90 and runs like a new car! I would check the coolant temp sensor. If it is failing, it would cause it to run weird and idle weird at cold. You can check the ECU's codes as it will sometimes throw a code for the CTS. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/300zx/

2. Sounds like you may have a bad U joint in your driveshaft. Is there any vibration while driving?

3. Probably the top mounts of the struts, when the rubber gets old and starts giving way, it can lead to metal/metal contact that produces a squeak. The other possibility that I've heard about is the hood hinge.

Good luck

[pulsar57]

For the leak, definitely get it fixed. To start looking at where the leak is, what kind of oil is it? transmission fluid is gear oil, so thick and super smelly, engine oil should be lighter. Is it coming from up top (check with a flashlight). If it is the rear main, it is not too difficult to change yourself

Thanks for the input, I decided to get it fixed. Hopefully get the car into the shop in a week or two.

For the other issues:
1. You can adjust your idle on the IACV: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/adjust ... level.html
- Being an old car never stops something from being fixed My car is a 90 and runs like a new car! I would check the coolant temp sensor. If it is failing, it would cause it to run weird and idle weird at cold. You can check the ECU's codes as it will sometimes throw a code for the CTS. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/300zx/

That looks relatively easy to fix, I think I'll try that before I go into the shop, maybe this will fix the issue. It's not a super big deal, but it makes getting out of the driveway somewhat of a hassle in the morning for sure.

2. Sounds like you may have a bad U joint in your driveshaft. Is there any vibration while driving?

While the ride quality is not horrible, it's certainly not perfect. It can be pretty 'bumpy', but the roads are also pretty miserable here, so that could account for it too.

3. Probably the top mounts of the struts, when the rubber gets old and starts giving way, it can lead to metal/metal contact that produces a squeak. The other possibility that I've heard about is the hood hinge.

Thanks, I'd like to get this fixed, it would be nice to have a little smoother ride.

[Ziggy1621]

cool, let us know how it goes