Lustle Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Yup, i just bought one, two days ago, 230,000 kms. So i am new to this car and forum, seems like a good wealth of knowledge for these cars. Seems to be in good mechanical condition. Engine was very clean (pics comming soon), tranny seems good, shifts very firm on full throttle (firm as in the car shoots a couple inches and litterally flattens me to my seat lol). However, i am COMPLETELY new to computerized cars. I haven't owned, drove, or worked on anything new than a 74 since i started working on cars. I have however worked on alot of cars (71 GTX, 69 Nova as my two favorite) but like i said, all older, carb, pushrod engines, also all RWD. So this is a whole new market for me. Try going from an engine bay where you can sit on the fender to do cylinder head work, to not even seeing one of the cylinder heads lol. In any case, there is some small things i am wondering about with regards to the power train on this car. Engine idle, when she idles, in drive with brakes applied, its just below 1000 rpm (according to in dash tach) but it seems fairly... rough i guess. In a muscle car it would be nothing, but i am not sure how bad the idle should be in a V6 like this. The dash and steering wheel shake slightly and visibly, probley 1/8 of movement in the vibration. Just wondering if this vibration is normal? Or maybe somethings wrong with how the engine is balanced, etc. Throttle, if i start her up, and drive right away, shes got a TON of pep, just picks up, shoots forward, puts me in my seat a bit with no problem. A few minutes later, all this pep is gone, and i mean gone, shes sluggish compared to just starting. Its a very very noticeable difference. Seems like she just doesn't wanna get up and go. She also seems to run rougher, at first, shes smooth, lots of power, lots of pep. When shes warmed up, she just slows down, runs rough (as in alot of vibration through the car) after 2400 rpm till 4500 or so. But between 1800-2400 shes smooth as a babys ass. Really have to throttle her to get it to downshift, half throttle she downshifts but barely, only at WOT does she truly downshift and really shoot forward, but agian with alot of vibration from 2400 to 4500rpm. This all sound normal? This brings me to another point. How hot do these engines run? My temp gauge barely gets above 40F, And when it does, thats after 10 mins of highway driving (my commute to work). I am just wondering how hot these engines run on average? I also get a low coolant signal, but my coolant resovoir is filled past HOT, although there is some sandy looking shit in there, which i belive may be stop leak. The signal goes away after a couple minutes of driving. Also, no heater!! Very bad in canadian winter (yes, i am in canada) Its already getting to -10C (14F) and while the cold doesn't bother me whatsoever, not being able to see out my windshield does. I am fairly certain its the blower motor, as when i press the diffrent buttons on the dash, i hear the doors moving in side (sounds like gears and a hiss) but no blower motor whatsoever, If anyone knows where to find one for cheap, and some install stuff, lemme know) Theres some other small stuff, windows don't roll down and popping out of their tracks, door locks don't work mechanically. etc, anyone got any common fixes thanks for letting me know. Also, if you could please give me a list of common problems assosciated with this vehicle? and any possible fixes, that would be awesome, thanks! Like i said, being new to this sort of vehicle, i wanna ask if these are average running conditions before i start pulling anything. But heres onto my list of mods i wanna do for this vehicle, based off what i've read here, and my own mechanical knowledge. CAI 180 Thermostat Chip (from 60dv6) Shift kit new Throttle body Full exhaust, headers, delete cat, dual flowmaster 40s with tips Rebuilt Cylinder heads, including, Port and polish Milled .010 9 angle valve job entirely new valvetrain and cam. Also, i am possibley considering a turbo sitaution, potentially by summer, anyone know anyone who has tried turboing a Z34, lemme know how it went! Thanks for reading this long ass post. Hope i get lots of knowledge from you guys, and that i have a fun time working on and driving this car!! And thanks for your help, now and in the future!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulevard Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Welcome! Will you be my friend? I have a '93 Lumina Z34 too. Well, at least I once did. She's in the shop now. I should be getting her back very soon. your car sounds sweet. how about some pics? Fill in more about yourself in your profile, like, at least where your from and such. Talk to you later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulevard Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 "Seems to be in good mechanical condition" is starting to be questionable now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulevard Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 "I also get a low coolant signal, but my coolant resovoir is filled past HOT, although there is some sandy looking shit in there, which i belive may be stop leak. The signal goes away after a couple minutes of driving." Sounds like a faulty thermostat or have air in the system that you will have to burp out. If your not getting any heat, this means that you have a leak somewhere. Your coolant all leaked out or you have air filled in your coolant system. Check your radiator. Let your car cool completely down then start her up. Remove radiator cap and fill till topped off or till you see the the fluid start to fill into the tank. Someone here can explain it to you better then me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 ok, where to start. oh, welcome!! for the loss of power once she warms up, likely the 02 sensor. vibration at idle. i wouldnt really worry about it unless the rpms are fluctuating. dont install a 180 t-stat. you'll want your car to run warmer in the cold climate you live in. low coolant light. could be that the stop leak has gummed up the level sensor, or air in the system like he said. blower motor. you'll have to either get one from a junk yard or maybe spend a fortune at the dealer.(im not sure if the dealer still has these available) a turbo has been done, with some decent numbers. tuning is hard with these cars though, unless you upgrade to obd-II. and a tip. you will want to inspect your timing belt. if it hasnt been replaced in its life yet, its a ticking time bomb waiting to ruin your day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulevard Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Theres some other small stuff, windows don't roll down and popping out of their tracks, door locks don't work mechanically. etc, anyone got any common fixes thanks for letting me know. The windows are popping out of the tracks and not rollin gproperly due to broken or missing clips that hold it in place. A local window repair shop could fix this in a few minutes unless you need a replacement track. Have you checked your fuses for the door locks? Fuse box is located in the glove box. Remove the chevy bowtie cover panel and find the fuse. If it's not the fuse, pop the cover panel that goes over the lock button and interior door handle. It pops right out. Take the screw out under the handle with a philps screwdriver. You will have to pull on the handle while doing this. Now remove the bracket. The lock buttons should come out with the piece. Check the wiring and check power to the switch. If power is being supplied then your lock mechcanism is fucked. Let me know what you find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lustle Posted October 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Ok, 02 sensor, wheres that located? haha like i said, completely new. Yah i was thinking with the coolant, that it might have something to do with the stop leak, theres little mounds of sand in the coolant resevoir. I was thinking of just flushing the whole system, how hard is that on an engine this cramped? Could the stop leak also cause the temp guage to only read barely above 40F? or is that completely ok running temp for this car, even after 10 minutes or so at highway speed? Haha sorry i wasn't clear about the locks, the electrical part works, power locks work great, no problem whatsoever, the mechanical, key operated lock from outside the vehicle does not. When i put the key and turn, it seems like it almost doesn't turn enough,i am gunna try fiddling with the whole mechanism this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mediabandit Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 welcome to the site... another Z34... I am liking this!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Moff Joseph Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 Welcome! Your first mission as a W-Body owner: Inspect the timing belt, and replace it if its worn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mediabandit Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted October 7, 2007 Report Share Posted October 7, 2007 the 02 is in the rear exhaust manifold. a pain to get to. its easiest to remove the downpipe and get it from below. your coolant temp sensor may be bad or gummed up by the stop leak. just replace it, its cheap. it should be located close to the t-stat. flushing the coolant isnt hard on any engine really. you just need a kit and large enough container to do it. and definitely check the timing belt. if it hasnt been replaced yet, you'll be able to tell and that should be the first thing on your to-do list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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