This is what i did today......

[skydragoness]

Went to my local mechanic today---i told the guy how i was experiencing rpm 'fluctuations' while idling (jumpy from 500 rpm to 700) i told him how i was suggested (by you guys) that is was possibly because my injectors needed cleaning or i needed a new fuel filter. So anyhow, my mech drives it (i was riding along) and he tells me their's a slight hesitation on the throttle response, as he put it, 'almost a slight misfire probably' he and I also note that there is slight a oil-burning smell while driving. So, i'm getting worried. Back at the shop, he says that the 'misfire' feeling is so slight that maybe it's my plugs or wires that could be the culprit and told me that i should just wait until it becomes more pronounced before i bring it back again. I give him the go ahead for the fuel system service/filter since i don't think it was ever done on the car. Turns out they tell me that my oil pan gasket is seeping oil (which the prev owner had that gasket replaced once already). Then i'm really getting worried, so i tell him to show me. Underneath the car, sure enough, was black, gooey residue on the underside of the engine, the transmission, and the friggin differential (thought it was dry to the touch), AND he points out my rear passenger strut is leaking too!

ah the joy of owning a 10yr old car!

so anyone know where to find an aftermarket oil pan gasket?

[KSee777]

Wow... it's like my car... While I was replacing shocks, I noticed 3 lug nuts were stripped. After getting that replaced, I find out that the rackand pinion boot needed to be changed. So as I am taking out the hub to change the boot, I ruined the ball joints because I used a hammer to pound them loose. Out I go again to find ball joints... After finishing the suspension finally, I noticed my reverse light didn't work. Being too lazy to figure the real reason y it didn't work, I getto riged the reverse light so it'll work. A week later, my headlights didn't work. Damn thing keeps blowing the fuse ( as of today, I'm still figuring out what's the problem) I aslo bought the Seafoam stuff to clean out the engine. As I was putting in the Seafoam, I noticed billowing smoke not only came out of my exhaust, but came out through the headers!! I later took it apart and found # 3 and 4 had no bolts on them... I was like WTF. To makes this short, I also replaced the o-rings, trying to figure out y it's idling funny and still trying to get the damn headlight motors to work.

[Flipity]

Fel-pro makes a gasket, few bucks and most autoparts stores should have one in stock

[KSee777]

doesn't most auto part store carry oil pan gaskets??

[FatMans240]

Read post entitled "Bah..." lol

[ser chicken]

i dont trust mechanics... gah! but anyway... go to pepboys or auto zone and just get have em give ya a gasket... i can probably get it for you cheaper through my old school (pepboys a.p.d discount!) but its really probably not worth the drive to exton to do so... also... pull your intake off and take a rag and some carb cleaner and clean out your throttle body real good, had a b18 teg at school doin the same thing... only way more severe... cleaning the throttle body helped. it also helped on the se-r (had the same problem)also... i got some price ideas on that exhaust... so email me at [email protected] and i'll let you know whats goin on with it. nicks unit may also be up for grabs... im sure (since i bought the dam* thing we can work out a friendly deal... like prolly free)anyways... good luck with it... hope i can help-pete

[MikeS14240sx]

doesn't most auto part store carry oil pan gaskets??

Yes they do. They may have to order one and it well take a day or shorter to get it. A silicon gasket maker should also be used with the oil pan gasket to prevent leaks. A thin bead of silicon should be ran along the oil pan, then place the gasket on the oil pan then run another bead of silicon along the top of the gasket. Like a gasket sandwich. Then reinstall the pan. Don't use the silicon you would use on your house, its a special kind you can get at a parts store. And don't go crazy with the silicon just a thin bead or some silicon may drip into the pan then brake free some day and be flooting around in your engine and screw up your oil pump.

[ser chicken]

i wouldnt use silicon sealant on an oil pan gasket... silicon (RTV) gasket makers tend to mix in with the fluids around it (in this case the oil) and then it clogs the openings and other components that the fluid (oil) comes in contact with, hence causing major damage. just installing the gasket alone (or with HI-TACK) and tightening the pan down in a cross sequence (like tightening a rim or cyl. head) and you shouldnt have any leakage problemsif you need a hand sky im more then happy to do anything i can.-pete

[skydragoness]

thanx pete, 'ppreciate it!

i think what i am going to do is have the undercarriage and engine bay steam-cleaned FIRST (my mech wanted to do the cleaning after installing the gasket--go figure) i want to know for sure that the residue i'm seeing is old oil from whenever the gasket was replaced before.

the cleaning costs $45 and it was something i was putting off anyhow (i like my car neat and clean from every angle)

i have been checking my oil a lot as of Friday, the dipstick reads more than enough and the oil is a light brown, not dirty or black, the car doesn't smoke oil in the morning upon start up either

i think maybe my mech, (upon seeing the car ) assumes that it's leaking oil, although he does not know that the gasket was replaced before (even though i told him, i don't think it registered, or he misunderstood me)

anyhow, i figure clean it up first and THEN see if it leaks, before jumping to conclusions ya know?

and doesn't Mr.Gasket Company make something for the 240sx KA24DE? Any-body know of any reputable brands? I think Nissan OE would be the route. That is, if it really is leaking

as far as the exhaust goes, Pete, i'm planning on getting an apexi' muff and having someone connect some '2.4 piping (preferably stainless steel) on it or '2.3 ----don't want to lose any low-end

[ser chicken]

thats a good idea, to blast the undercarrige first, and keep an eye on it... if the gasket is leaking you can never go wrong with O.E., but felpro's are good too, and maybe cheaper... really though, a basic gasket is a gasket...

well i talked to my local muffler shop, and the guy quoted me something like 250 to bend up standard exhaust pipe (hi-quality aluminum coated, but not SS) for the SE-R with all hangers and installing my mufler.... i think thats high and i may be able to get a better deal from a nieghbor of an old friend of mine. if i can.. it will be dirt cheap... so i will let you know how things work out with it.on a sadder note, the SE-R isnt starting... somethings blown in the 12 volt side of the the starter circuit (i posted the problem shortly after it happened askin for help) . i think im gonna cry... i miss my car already! but i may be buying a 240 in 2 weeks or so, found one at a BS dealer in the weeds, clean as hell, the engine appears to be blown (the timing chain tensioner is destroyed, and the chain is completely loose... im anticipating the engine is interference and has no valves or pistons left). so i'm gonna offer the guy 200 to get it out of his weeds (hes asking 695!!!)heres to hoping!i need a good winter time project!-pete

[MarkEmark]

Skydragoness...I highly reccommend tanabe super medalion hyper spec cat back exhaust, unless you're going the route of custom. I've had that exahust since mid august....The build quality on it is amazing, more like a piece of art than one just a tube to carry exhaust gasses....welds are great, the WHOLE THING is constructed of Stanless seel T304 (the best quality available), the thing bolted on perfectly in like a half hour (assuming that fake cat's screws aren't rusted beyond belief like mine, in which case the process took like an hour and a half), and the performance gains were noticeable. Beautiful sound, yet subtle...when combined with headers and CAI, the thing just opens up past 3500. The pipe diameter is 60mm...a little over 2.25" I wouldn't suggest anything bigger for an NA car (unless you're planning on doing turbo in the future,) as the gasses get to be slower moving in bigger piping. Anyway, it cost me $465 shipped, and I haven't been disappointed.

[skydragoness]

hey pete, what carb cleaner do you recommend to clean out my throttle body? Plan on doing that either today or tommorow.

it may help out the irregular idle rpm and the hesitant throttle response i get around 2krpm, i really hope so, someone else told me that maybe i have a 'vacum leak'

i hope it's the former and not the latter

i'm afraid of my intake, i might not be able to get it back on after taking it off, lol:oface

anyhow some guy at AudioWorks in Newark Shpg Center told me that a guy at Meineke on Rt 4 and 273 does custom exhausts and does good work

why don't you try him??

[ser chicken]

any carb cleaner works... when i did my tb while i put my intake on all i had was an 8 million year old can i found in my shop... lol... since then i bought a can and carry it around in my car with me. the only problem with mineke is they use cheap pipes... granted the pipes im getting are only aluminized steel (stainless would be like 400 bucks cause they have to make the exhaust twice, once with the cheap stuff for a templete and once with the stainless, plus stainless cost a bit more... this also means i may be able to get you stainless piping based on nicks exhaust for about 250! i have to talk to them while im getting mine done). also the other guy im checkin on is a neighbor of a kid i went to high school with, he used to work at boeing and he has a 300 ton mandrel bender for working on helicopters (or something outragous like that). he supposedly said he would bend up exhaust for us... so i gotta see what he can/will do for me.

if this guy can do it i can get t304 piping, and it will save you alot of cash... if not... the tanabe exhaust seems to be a good price and i always liked their systems lol... if it turns out i have to do it at the muffler shop... it would be more expensive then buying a system for you (cause you would need to buy a muffler and all too... blah!)

i need to go into buisness so i can get paid for working on my car!... that works somehow in my twisted mind.-pete

[skydragoness]

yeah you need to go to DE tech some day, or get certified somehow

as far as the exhaust goes, i know they use cheap materials but i thought maybe some spray on rust-coating can help, aluminized steel sounds pretty good too

i want to get an apexi muffler, cheapest i have seen them is $209 though...i'm aiming for under $100 for the muff.

as far as the tanabe goes.. nah.... i don't know my future plans (read:when i have money) for the car so i don't want to waste close to $500 just to have an n/a exhaust that i don't know i will keep, let alone be able to sell if i do go turbo.

i want to get an sr, but that will have to wait until after i get out of college and get a good paying job

ACTUALLY, if i can get a whole cat-back used, not a Pacesetter though, (sorry Pete)...maybe then i would consider it.

ps. You know where i can get some used rims, 'cookie-cutter' BBS-style?

[Repo Man]

Hey Sky,

Just to add something on the carb cleaner deal. Be sure to get oxygen sensor safe throttle body cleaner. A regular carb cleaner is not safe for O2 sensors. And fouled O2 sensors suck...

Andy

[ser chicken]

even if it is pacesetter crap sky... free is free... i only paid like 25 bucks to buy and fix the thing, im not too worried about parting with it as a friendly favor... you just have to talk nick into parting with it, since he always complains about how loud it is... yet never wants to take it off when i give him the option... go figure lol. it did provide a nice power gain (esspecialy for 25bucks! i love junkyards).it does make sence to not want to spend your money (which is tight) on an exhaust that may proove to be useless in the future, thats another reason im doing mine in aluminized and with cheapo components, i plan on going GTI-R in about 2 years...i'll keep an eye out for an apexi canister, although i doubt you will find anything under 200... esspecialy not anywhere near 100. my magnaflow is listed at around 200, i got it for 80 used on ebay. i hate to be the bearer of bad news but you will probably be very hard pressed to find apexi anywhere near 150 (i'll check what few connections i have though to try to help ya out), alternatives i would recomend that are cheaper would be, magnaflow, tanabe or 5zigen universal canisters... off hand i cant think of anybody else thats somewhat cheap and quality. (if you change the muffler on the pacesetter you should get a bit more performance out of it since i never liked the crapy louvered core muff thats on there now) anyway.. my brain just died... lol... i might be hangin out with nick sometime this week or weekend, so i'll be in the area, you could check out my suspension thats gonna keep me out of stock class! loli'll look around for rims, but a pic would help me know what your talkin about. theres a site (i'll find it for ya later tonight) that specializes in new and used jdm rims... they have really nice stuff at fair pricing. plus they are jdm so its a more unique touch.whats the weight on those rims?-pete

[skydragoness]

thanx for the tip repo man!BTW:Would fouled O2 sensors be causing my throttle/hesitation/vibration (new symptom) problem already? What about the MAF?I have a Injen short ram btw. I can't tell where the vibration may be coming from, it's not my tires or my alignment/balancing, because i had those done not too long ago, it's a slight vibration that happens rarely, around 2krpm and resonates thru the steering wheel. Spooky.

Actually Pete, looks like you really want to get rid of that pacesetter, you know, if it's compatible with mine i'll take the piping (what size is the piping?) and i would take off the muff and slap on a 5zigen one (i like them too, but they're loud, so i hear and apexi n1 muff's come in cool colors... j/k) What kind of piping does the pacesetter use? is it rusting? oh, i was also thinking of getting a random technology cat too. think those are around $130... :rolleyes

that would be cool to meet up again, i'd like to see your car up close, didn't get a chance to last autoX. I also see Nick from time to time during my figure drawing class. He walks by or something. I dunno.have you checked out http://www.autox4u.com lately?

[skydragoness]

almost forgot

here's a pic of one type of BBS wheel or check out this link of a Miata with the kind i like http://miata.cardomain.com/id/fregate1

[ser chicken]

nah i havent checked it but i will... i doubt an o2 would cause your problems, but its good to change them about every 60-100,000 miles... i just did mine last night. they are normally pretty cheap too.the piping was brand new when i put it on nicks car, no rust or anything (still had the paint on it). its 2.5inch, and well laid out, fairly straight... suprised me for pacesetter trash. the piping is thin, but it should last a few years. and if it does rust out we can always have someone at a muff shop use it as a template for a stainless unit (in 3" stainless for turbo charged needs if aplicable)the piping appears to be aluminized steel too... standard exhaust pipe in other words.i was quoted 100 for a random tech cat for the se-r... as an estimate so chances are i can get you one for about the same. let me check on that (my car was only 12 points low on nox durring my emisions test, so i need to change my cat by next year anyway.. i couldnt resist the temptation)

it would deffinitly be cool to hang out sometime. i'll tell ya what, if you set up a day with nick to hang out i'll be there (work permitting). just gotta make sure im kept informed lol... being way up north here in pa. i only drive by you guys a couple times a week on my way to my shop lolsee ya sky-pete

[ser chicken]

whats the weight on those BBS'? would think bein such an avid autoxer you would go for a lighter stronger wheel... which would probably again involve much waiting for proper funds.. but some things are worth whilethese are the ones im savin up for... eventualy... lolvelox pg-5s.. i think they are 12lbs and really strong due to the way the are forged.'sides bein light and strong... they are dam* pretty and i was specificaly lookin for a gunmetal rim with a machined lip... only problem is they are a limited production item

[skydragoness]

that's a nice rim(s) !

i don't know the weight of bbs wheels but i bet they aren't lightweight forged.

panasports and watanabes (jdm look-alikes) wheels are light-weight and look ok

i would like them in bronze though, wheels will have to wait till next year, along with my planned paint job, btw, know of any reputable body shops that can give me a reasonably priced paint job? I have some deep scratches and surface rust on the rear fenderwell, Maaco is not cheap and quoted me $970 to fix and paint the places i pointed out or $950 to paint the whole friggin car....what logic!! i was thinking of painting the car a blue-grey, like a lighter gun-metal so to speak.

anyhow, i am going to try to go to pep boy's after my class today and pick up some oil/filter and tb cleaner.

as far as the vibration i've been experiencing, i think it is the suspension/tires,steering wheel vibrates side to side (as if correcting itself) on it's own. Really strange, it doesn't pull to any one side.

everything has just started to manifest itself at the same time!!

i will be having my undercarriage/engine steamcleaned this friday, i set up an appt., sooner i hope

[ser chicken]

this has appearently become the pete and sky show lol. anyway... rims are a personal choice i guess... i jus dont like those lol. but i cant hold it against yaas far as body shops go, i used to work at one so i can do some stuff (as in let me look at the scratches... i have removed pretty bad ones with out paint before) also my good friends neighbor has offered to paint our cars really cheap, but im not sure of a price yet. oh... and macco is trash... much like mineke lol. they dont mask the car off right, they dont take the door handles or lights or windows or anything apart, so the clear coat peels off. a bad paint job is not something to mess with... cheap exhaust however... lol... you know you want it!the rim site i mentioned is http://www.wheelchoice.com and like i said... they sell true jdm wheels... mostly pre-owned... but all seem to be in excellent shape. the ones at the bottom of this post are 15x6.5 sparco rims for $850!!! hehe... i like cheap cool stuffi recomend it though... even if your not in the market for rims its cool to just look.hopefully i will be able to come down there this weekend, then i can look at your vibrations and shtuff. does it occur under acceleration, braking or just while cruising, i know you said something about it happens most near 2k rpm, does it matter what gear your in or what your speed is?im just tryin to get a better idea where we need to look.

by the way... the 240 im lookin at is like a gunmetal grey color... looks good. the only thing i dont like about changing the color of your car is unless you get the door jams and all done too, which is alot more work (and cost normally) its gonna look bad when your getting in and out lol. its little stuff like that that bothers me on my car... i think for right now im gonna go with a white respray... till i do my wide body kit... then i'll worry about changing colors... like i said though... its a personal matter... whether you can deal with white door jams (just claim its "the new thing" when talkin to ricers! lol)anyway.. im goin to bed! lolnight -pete

there are ricers... and then there are tuners...

[ser chicken]

oh i almost forgot... i have a great free mod for ya sky!not only will it give your car a race car look and sound, but it will also help prevent losing things (like change) in your car, will cut down on weight, improving tire wear, cornering, acceleration, braking, and fuel economy. it will make you feel more at one with your car, and give it an added bit of race only flare. plus it will help keep the interior cleaner and easier to clean!

what could do all these wonderful things you ask? and still be free!

rip out your carpeting! and if you want to even further the effect, your headliner and most of your interior panels! maybe even your back seat!

hehe... i love the look of white steel girders... i hated my carpet!-pete

[mojo22]

as far as the oilpan leaking and the subject of gasket making material, i use THE RIGHT STUFF. i think it is a permatex brand substance. that stuff works great. it comes in a can like EZ cheese or in big caulking tubes, and that stuff is awesome. it is a little more expensive, but i have used it totally in place of gaskets. you form a bead of it, let it sit for a few minutes, then run down the bolts hand tight, just squish the material in place so it can set up in all the little places, then tighten it down and torque bolts once it has set up a little, then it is ready to go right away. i let it cure a little, but if you are in a hurry, it still works well. ten minutes of set time should be fine. i origionally used it on dirtbikes when i pulled the cases apart to check gears, and didn't want to buy new gaskets all the time, it never failed me. now it is all i want to use unless i am doing exhaust, then of course i use copper.

[skydragoness]

ok, so i cleaner my tb today with some good stuff i picked up at pep boy's last night ( safe for 02 sensors and other stuff too) anyhow, not much of a difference. The intake was a B*TCH to get back on! I called my bf to come over for an extra set of hands just to screw the damn holders on, i also lost a screw somewhere down there(like so many times before) so i couldn't bolt the intake down completely. one thing i hate about the 240 is when you drop something it doesn't come out the bottom.

the car still idles erratically 700rpm to 500 or 400 rpm. and when i do accelerate there is a slight hesitation past 2krpm. my mechanic wants to put my car on the 'analyzer' and see if it's a slight misfire like he believes.. .. if it is a misfire, i should get new NGK platinum's and new wires (vitek, or nology perhaps?) hmmm...i'm worried

as for the paint job, hell yeah i want my door jams painted! But white doesn't really bother me either, maybe it can be more easily painted a pearly white (or the kind that have an purple irridescent sheen to it ). But you should see the car's imperfections for yourself Pete, didn't i show you at the autoX? Hmm, maybe i didn't.

you should get that s13! that would be cool! then you can be part of the 240 crew of Delaware!:rockon

[skydragoness]

OMG! I almost passed out when i saw the ae86 on http://www.wheelchoice.com! What a beaute!!!! :bowdown

some of the wheels are sweet! i love the crazy colored ones, too bad they don't have much to choose from

[ser chicken]

first nology wires are trash... my buddy had them on his crx... utter crap... second.. im leaving for baltimore tonight for work and i'll be back sometime friday morning... so hopefully i will be able to come down thata ways. im sorry to hear the cleaning didnt help... earlier 240's had a bad ecu problem that caused similar effects, but that shouldnt be the case with yours.

and if ya did show me the paint stuff, i dont remember it... but i dont think you did. as far as getting it painted do yourself a favor and strip and prep the car yourself... will save you alotta money... just make sure the person you take it too will let you do that first. i can give you a hand since im very familiar with such practices.

either way... i have to leave now for work... gah i hate my job... ya can give me a call if ya want at 610-842 2570... esspecialy if you know of a day you'll be free so i can check out the 240.. and you can look at the ol b13see ya sky-pete

[skydragoness]

will do, i'll try to get in touch, but i am really really busy thurs, sat afternoon or Fri would be good

[s14=pimpin']

hi Sky,

I had similiar problems as you (still do) OK, here goes, but it will be long, you have been warned!!!

When I first purchased my S14 (as well as the first one I had) both had leaky oil gaskets. The first one, I made the dealer fix it. The second one I purchased was from my work (a GM dealer, got it in the wholesale lot at wholesale price!! ) So I told my service manager to fix the gasket. He replied its just normal wear and tear, its not really leaking, its sweating. His analogy, and I quote, "A leaky oil pan is like a leak dik, even if its a little lubed on the end, it still works!" end quote. Real funny guy, still haven't repaired it to this day (about 5 months now), and my oil is fine, no drips or puddles, nothing. I would take the route you chose; slap everything back together, clean the undercarriage, and keep a very close eye on it. If the leak seems to be getting worse, than fix it. If its just sweating oil, I'm sure the car can handle it. Don't have any recomendations on gaskets, but an OE replacement should be fine.

Just noticed my diff seems to be leaking, I'm gonna get it flushed and cleaned, then take it from there.

Rough idle is a problem I had before, and when I do a cold start up, my revs fluctuate up and down, and will actually die (stall) if i don't give it gas. Also taking off in 1st, I give her a little throttle or else there is a slight hesitation, but aside from that, all is well. But it wasn't before.....

My car had a serious loss of power between 3300rpm's -4000, then the power would come back. Everyone said its a vacuum leak,checked all pipes, everything was good. Played with my MAF (shook it around) a bit, and at times it would help, but then go back. Replaced my fuel filter with a 300zx TT replacement, helped throttle response, still had the loss of power. Know what it was?

A stickt EGR valve! Real easy fix, just get a can of ronson's lube, and grease the bad boy up! It looks like the throttle cable (for lack of better word) that sits on your engine. Y'know, you pull on them while the car is running, and it revs the motor? Anyway, looks like that, but sits vertically on the passengers side. There is a cable attached to a valve, and it should move freely. Mine was completely seized, I lubed her up, worked her in a bit, took her for a boot, power was regained!! And it cost me five dollars!! I love those fixes!!!

Oh, I also tightened my throttle cables to improve throttle response. Real easy, 2 nuts on either side, loosen and tighten accordingly. You will see 2 throttle cable, when facing the engine, the one on the left is for cruise control, the one on the right is for idle. Becareful though, you can mess ish up bad, just play around and fine tune, and please, take your time!!

I also cleaned my throttle body, helped a bit. The vibration you are feeling may be due to a bummed out rim, thats what I had when I put a warped rim on my ride. Quick fix? Rotate the front wheels to the back. May not solve the problem, but it will take the vibration away from your steering wheel (hopefully).

Don't go to Maaco for a paint job, they did a nightmare job on my boy's supra, and is no where near the quality of the paint job I got for half the price! Ask around, a buddy who owns a car rental store gave me my shop, great price, excellent work, he just had my car for a while, but did all the door jams, under trims, lights, ect. ect.

Gunmetal rims are hott!!! I need a set BAD!!!

I purchased a universal bruellen muffler and got custom piping from the resonator muffler back (want to engine swap one day, see no need in spending big bucks on a exhaust I'm trashing in the future anyway, true?).

muffler - $200 Canadian (I think it was stolen, right place at the right time situation, usually retails $500+)

piping - $145

great exhaust, sounds nice, very low, deep rumble. I did free up some ponies, but its no neck breaking experience! I say go the cheapo route until you do an engine swap or have some serious work done to your KA to support the crazy cash for a bolt on cat back system that nets you 4 HP, for half the cost of a nitrous kit, right? I would take your friend up on the free exhaust offer, and save your cash for something with a better return, know what i mean? And if it truly sounds ricer and is bothering you, then pass it along the line, I'm sure someone will take a free exhaust!

These guys seem genuine about their offer to help you out, I'd jump on the offer asap, nothing like free advice!

hopefully my ramblings have helped, if I can think of anything else, I'll let you know

take care

PauL

whoa, I'm done.....

[skydragoness]

whew!

thanx for the tips pimpin'

i'll pass the info along to my mech to see if that works or not, the stuck EGR valve, right?

the vibration in the wheel doesn't occur all that often, so i am not worrying about it, i will rotate my wheels once i am due up for an oil change

sweating oil pan? that's weird... i mean, my corolla never did that, it was dry to the bone... oh well, it stills reads well on the dipstick---past the middle point, which i think is a sign that it ISN'T leaking oil

i realize now Maaco is a sham (i already thought they were shady to begin with) i'm going to get some connections thru other people hopefully, i may stick with white, or go gun-metal, or metallic gray, or Bimmer purple (almost black, very nice i think)

i'll keep ya guys posted!