Where to start lol. I bought my 89 5spd Hatch with 147k miles last week. I was in a pinch (had to get a car in one day to get back to school) so i paid him $2340 for it... dash is clean, driver seat torn... body is overall straight with no rust and the motor seemed decent when driven. I noticed the brakes pulsated but the pads were around 50% so i thought, no biggie, get the rotors replaced or resurfaced. He was supposed to smog it, but he "missed" his appointment. I didn't really believe him but like I said, I didn't have much of a choice at this point. It was 6pm and I had to drive 8 hours back to LA the next morning. So the next day I stopped at a shop for a oil change and make sure i would not be stranded on I5. I noticed the place did smog so I asked for a smog while I was there. So here is where the problems begin. Failed smog because EGR is not working (hose is broken) and there is a misfire at idle in one cylinder. Also, on the way to the shop i hit a big pot hole and ruptured my front right kyb strut... GREAT!
So i got the car checked today at a local shop that is pretty thorough with its work. paid 42 for a full check up and the list was as long as my arm...
-A/C doesnt work (need to check why)-Engine Rod developing knock -Coolant bottle is broken and duct taped-Fan Clutch is cracking and has play-EGR transducer hose is broken-Radiator Cap and Coolant hoses need to be replaced-Slave Cylinder and transmission have leaks-Front struts are leaking-Suspension bushings are worn and need to be replaced-Minor Engine Oil leaks-Tires wearing unevenly (probably from the lowering)-Power Steering hoses leaking-outer tie rods ends are open and have play-Front brake pulsates
So...I would really love to do a SR swap but i can't afford to be pulled over and rendered not street legal. Also, SR swaps and FMICs tend to increase car theft in my area. I've already paid too much for the car and now I'm forced to put more than 3/4x the cars value into. BUT hey! we love our 240s!Should i rebuild the KA24E or buy a rebuilt a KA24DE??? And if I do some minor turbo work in a year (200whp-est.), will I be better off with dohc, or does it not matter?
Any helpful and friendly advice would be good at this point. The suspension problems will be fixed with an entire new suspension/wheel/brake setup designed for performance.
majority of work must be paid for (i'm not experienced enough yet) my budget is around 4k including wheels/tires====>>Engine/transmission
Rebuild advice.
Turbo for only 200hp? bleh you'll want more if you go turbo. trust me.
what part of SF are you in? At ~2400 yeah you def paid waay too much even for the bay area. Ok so you should have gotten the guy to smog it regardless. I'm assuming you have not done the transfer of title yet because of no smog yes?
- AC you won't miss in SF, although in LA...- 147 with rod knock? hmm...the rest of the car is suspect...- coolant bottle, yeah welcome to every other s13 owner's world.- fan clutch is busted, if you had the car a couple months ago, I could have given you enough parts for you to build another KAE with the manifolds. Check out craigslist to see if anyone's tossing stuff out (mine went to the metal recycler) or selling for dirt cheap.- EGR to BPT, yeah it happens. it's rubber and is exposed to alot of heat. it's like less than a buck to change. this is no excuse.- rad cap is cheap, even aftermarket is less than 30 bucks.- hoses expect to be crap. my guess is that the ~18 years your car has been on the road, it would have been lucky to have had those hoses replaced ONCE. - transmission has leaks...eh well...where at? rear seal I'm gonna assume? cheap part again. ditto with the slave cylinder.- struts busted? stock springs or lowering springs?- bushings, again it's ~18 years old, probably never replaced. buy a bushing kit from energy suspension, it's about 200 and take your time with it...- oil leaks, yeah I'm gonna assume front main seal. Again another cheap part.- ah now the lowering but uneven wear, too much wear on the inside? try getting some stock springs if you're gonna try to get it back to running condition with those struts.- return side or pressure side for your ps hoses?- tie rods, yeah it happens. this might cost you a plenty relative to the other stuff above. Make sure you get the dust boots too.- front brakes pulse, you need new rotors. I think at nopi, is where you can get brembo blanks for like 30 each although shipping's a bit high.
My suggestion:1. find someone giving away stock springs and slap those on to keep the other struts from blowing out but do get the blown ones replaced. 2. keep your stock wheels (but replace your worn tires) until you've more cash to pay for more critical repairs that you'll need.3. DO get your pulsing brakes fixed. Last thing I need to see is another over priced 40 sitting at the junk yard after the rainy season like I do every year. I've seen this trend for the past 7 or so years I've had my 40. It's a sad sight. 4. Don't worry about an engine swap yet. But DO get your engine replaced if the mechanic is telling you something's a knockin inside your engine. Again you can find a local selling the parts on craigslist. I sold my pretty much rebuilt high comp KA with new just about everything else for a couple hundred bucks to a dime owner who I knew would give it an awesome home. Then again, I think if it were a punk kid that thought they were speed racer I probably would have raped them with the price...
5. Depending on where in the bay area you're at, yeah I can see how theft can be a problem. Get an alarm and keep it looking simple or make the part so blatantly obvious that if they were to ever try to steal/sell your part that you'd know where to find them and hunt them down with knives made from the bones of their dead family members.
6. Get an FSM and look it over. Look it over while you're on the can or on the BART or something. Get familiar with the process and get to it. Most users here start somewhere, why not start with a good source like NICO and a FACTORY service manual, not that bs from chiltons or something.
If you need more suggestions local to SF, I can help you out since I actually live in SF. LA, eh...I've family down there but prefer SF where the shops tend to be more mellow about business...
what part of SF are you in? At ~2400 yeah you def paid waay too much even for the bay area. Ok so you should have gotten the guy to smog it regardless. I'm assuming you have not done the transfer of title yet because of no smog yes?
- AC you won't miss in SF, although in LA...- 147 with rod knock? hmm...the rest of the car is suspect...- coolant bottle, yeah welcome to every other s13 owner's world.- fan clutch is busted, if you had the car a couple months ago, I could have given you enough parts for you to build another KAE with the manifolds. Check out craigslist to see if anyone's tossing stuff out (mine went to the metal recycler) or selling for dirt cheap.- EGR to BPT, yeah it happens. it's rubber and is exposed to alot of heat. it's like less than a buck to change. this is no excuse.- rad cap is cheap, even aftermarket is less than 30 bucks.- hoses expect to be crap. my guess is that the ~18 years your car has been on the road, it would have been lucky to have had those hoses replaced ONCE. - transmission has leaks...eh well...where at? rear seal I'm gonna assume? cheap part again. ditto with the slave cylinder.- struts busted? stock springs or lowering springs?- bushings, again it's ~18 years old, probably never replaced. buy a bushing kit from energy suspension, it's about 200 and take your time with it...- oil leaks, yeah I'm gonna assume front main seal. Again another cheap part.- ah now the lowering but uneven wear, too much wear on the inside? try getting some stock springs if you're gonna try to get it back to running condition with those struts.- return side or pressure side for your ps hoses?- tie rods, yeah it happens. this might cost you a plenty relative to the other stuff above. Make sure you get the dust boots too.- front brakes pulse, you need new rotors. I think at nopi, is where you can get brembo blanks for like 30 each although shipping's a bit high.
My suggestion:1. find someone giving away stock springs and slap those on to keep the other struts from blowing out but do get the blown ones replaced. 2. keep your stock wheels (but replace your worn tires) until you've more cash to pay for more critical repairs that you'll need.3. DO get your pulsing brakes fixed. Last thing I need to see is another over priced 40 sitting at the junk yard after the rainy season like I do every year. I've seen this trend for the past 7 or so years I've had my 40. It's a sad sight. 4. Don't worry about an engine swap yet. But DO get your engine replaced if the mechanic is telling you something's a knockin inside your engine. Again you can find a local selling the parts on craigslist. I sold my pretty much rebuilt high comp KA with new just about everything else for a couple hundred bucks to a dime owner who I knew would give it an awesome home. Then again, I think if it were a punk kid that thought they were speed racer I probably would have raped them with the price...
5. Depending on where in the bay area you're at, yeah I can see how theft can be a problem. Get an alarm and keep it looking simple or make the part so blatantly obvious that if they were to ever try to steal/sell your part that you'd know where to find them and hunt them down with knives made from the bones of their dead family members.
6. Get an FSM and look it over. Look it over while you're on the can or on the BART or something. Get familiar with the process and get to it. Most users here start somewhere, why not start with a good source like NICO and a FACTORY service manual, not that bs from chiltons or something.
If you need more suggestions local to SF, I can help you out since I actually live in SF. LA, eh...I've family down there but prefer SF where the shops tend to be more mellow about business...
-
intox
- Posts: 174
- Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:12 pm
- Car: 1989 240sx hatch & 2005 Xterra SE 2003 Infinit G35 Coupe(SOLD), 2001 Nissan Xterra SE(SOLD)
Re: (180fan)
thanks for the info 180 fan... Most of these repairs seem cheap enough and I do have some help down here in LA. I move back to SF in july...
BTW you said an engine knock at 147k makes the whole car suspect? does this mean even with the other minor upgrades I should be concerned? Am i better buying a rebuilt KA24DE?
BTW you said an engine knock at 147k makes the whole car suspect? does this mean even with the other minor upgrades I should be concerned? Am i better buying a rebuilt KA24DE?
if the engine, a large aspect of maintainence is neglected, who know what else the owner ignored as it came up.
might want to double check with your mechanic if it's knock or the chain also...if the sound is coming more from up front, check the chain and there's still hope. if it does turn out to be flat out knock yeah I'd go with the dohc.
might want to double check with your mechanic if it's knock or the chain also...if the sound is coming more from up front, check the chain and there's still hope. if it does turn out to be flat out knock yeah I'd go with the dohc.
-
intox
- Posts: 174
- Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:12 pm
- Car: 1989 240sx hatch & 2005 Xterra SE 2003 Infinit G35 Coupe(SOLD), 2001 Nissan Xterra SE(SOLD)
Re: (180fan)
how much would they charge to install a dohc? i heard it takes some adapting to the pignose chassi180fan wrote:if the engine, a large aspect of maintainence is neglected, who know what else the owner ignored as it came up.
might want to double check with your mechanic if it's knock or the chain also...if the sound is coming more from up front, check the chain and there's still hope. if it does turn out to be flat out knock yeah I'd go with the dohc.