The official 84-89 300ZX faq


[0] When were they made and stuff?

1984-1989 models were made. The first 13 were produced in early 1983 as factory race cars, regular production started with #14. You can find all the production data you want in the 300ZX registry at z31.com/registry.

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[1] My oil pressure and/or gas gage(s) act funny

The fuel level sending unit is prone to getting dirty and giving inaccurate readings. It is an easy task to remove and clean it. It is accesable through the hatch in the floor of the hatch area, under the carpet and insulation. Remove the cover and the plate from the top of the fuel tank. The sender is right in front of you, just yank it out. Clean up the contact with a solvent and make sure the float still does. Replace and your problems are gone. Hopefully.

The oil pressure sending units are also notoriously bad as well. They cost about $40 from a dealer and are easy to replace. It is located on the passenger side of the block, directly behind and level with the oil filter. It's a simple matter of out with the old and in with the new. It is advisable to do this while the oil is drained and the filter is removed. It is extremely easy to replace if the starter is removed as well.

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[2] Part or all of my digital dash is out

See z31.com/dash.shtml

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[3] My hatch and/or gas door dosen't work

The hatch/gas door cable is sometimes known to go bad. If your hatch or fuel door don't open some or all of the time, look under the toolkit in the back of your car. I'll bet you see some nasty looking rust huh? Notice the lever type thing the cable is in. This lever rusts in place. If the rust is not too bad, oil the pivot of the lever and hope that helps. If not, you'll need to take it out and clean it up. The cables are very, very difficult to get off of the lever. If you pull hard the plastic ends of the cable will break. Best is to get a new lever from a junkyard and cut the old one off the cables, very carefully of course. If you break the flange off the cable coming from the handle up front, simply slip the remaining attached part of the flange into the lever, the sheath of the cable is only pulled, so it'll stay put nicely. To get your cable into a new lever, file off the little bumps in the slots which retain the cable. These prevent the cable from vibrating out of the lever, but also prevent you from removing the lever without breaking it or the cable.

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[4] Injector recall?

Nissan recalled all 84-89 300ZXs because the injectors were manufactured with seals that leak over time. This results in fuel leaks and eventually engine fires. Take your car to any dealer and they'll replace all underhood fuel system components for free.

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[5] AHHHHH! My Z leaks water like a faucet!

See z31.com/leaks.shtml for the story on this one.

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[6] 300ZXs have timing belts?

Yes they do. Change it every 50k miles and you'll be fine. See z31.com/tbelt.shtml for the low down on changing it.

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[7] My clutch pedal flops to the floor!

Your clutch master cyclinder is clogged. Replace it and the slave cyclinder now. Driving your car like this will destroy the throwout bearing, which requires removal of the transmission to replace.

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[8] Why do my rear tires tilt inwards at the top?

There is considerable rear camber built into 300ZXs. It is not adjustable. Excessive camber is caused by a number of causes, including(but not limited to) worn wprings, bushings, accident damage, rust weakening, and a number of other causes. You can fix it by moving the outboard adjustment bolt down a little. Displacing the bolt downwards by an amount equal to its width will produce approximately one degree of positive camber.

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[9] What exhaust system is the best?

See z31.com/exhaust.shtml for the low down on this.

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[10] Best air filter?

See z31.com/intake.shtml for the low down on this.

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[11] Only one of my headlights work:(

There was a recall on 84s to replace the headlight switch on the steering column because it was manufactured with corrosive grease, which corroded the contacts and rendered one or both low or high beams inoperable. You should still be able to get and Dealer to replace the switch for free. Other models also are known to have problems, but not with the switch very often. Check for power at the light first, then check the relay and power to the relay, then check the switch.

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[12] Hot/cold air when you're supposed to have cold/hot air

The flapper valves that direct air to the appropriate vents are vacum operated. With age, vacum lines get hard and leak. Check the lines to and from the cyclindrical canister behind the passenger side headlight and to the water valve located beside the battery. Also check the solenoids on the firewall just above the gas pedal. They sometimes get hard and crack.

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[13] Where are the best places to get parts?

See z31.com/zvendors.shtml for the low down on this. Strano's and impact parts have never recieved any complaints and carry lots of things.

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[14] All the wheel information you want!

See z31.com/wheelsandtires.shtml for the low down on this.

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[15] Special editions?

Only the 84 anniversary edition and the 88 "SS" (called the 88se) Mechanically identical, the anniversary edition had larger wheels and badges, etc. The 88se had a viscous LSD, only came in white, and had recaro seats.

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[16] Power steering rack

The power steering rack has a habit of leaking. Rebuilt units are available from most discount parts stores with a lifetime warranty for a little under $200.

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[17] Can I put a turbo in my non-turbo?

Yes. You can bolt a turbo engine right in, but you have to change to the turbo front crossmember which has the driver's side engine mount moved forward to make room for the turbo.

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[18] How much power does my car have?

84-87 non-turbo: 160 bhp @ 5200 rpm
84-87 turbo: 200 bhp @ 5200 rpm
88-89 non-turbo: 165 bhp @ 5200 rpm
88-89 turbo: 205 bhp @ 5200 rpm

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[19] My automatic transmission takes a while to shift into overdrive in the morning.

It's supposed to do that. There is a temperature sensor in the automatic transmission that prevents overdrive from engaging until the transmission is fully warmed up to prevent damage.

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10.7.97