Considering selling all of my 240s - Very discouraged

[John_R]

So I've been working on my car for weeks upon weeks, and I've become depressed and discouraged. I haven't even driven my car 100 miles since I put the turbo on. It seems like everytime I get ahead, something bad happens. Every time I order a part, its the wrong one. Every time I do work, I have to re do it or it creates another problem.

*sigh* Once it was a hobby I enjoyed and that made me happy. But right now, its just a burden. I'm the only person that actually works on his car. I'm the only Nissan guy in the county. I'm the only guy doing any power mods to his car. So I'm always stuck in my garage with no help, no motivation, and the worst luck ever.

So I have 3 240sx. a 1998 SE with 99,xxx miles, bottom mount T25. Its got a little other work done to it. But nothing special. Cheap stuff for the most part. The motor did run good until I recently replaced the clutch. Ever since then, Its been nothing but trouble. I'm afraid the headgasket is blown, or the turbo is shot. Yet to be determined.

My Daily Driver is a 92' Base Model Coupe converted to 5 speed. Dash is perfect, swapped to digital display, motor is super clean along with the engine bay. But the motor smokes a little after its warmed up. Only started after I switched to Synthetic Oil, so I think a thicker conventional oil will fix it.

My other project car is a 93 Convertible. Everything works, but the motor has weak compression. My girlfriend drives this car every single day. Its been in some fender benders in the past, but nothing that damaged the frame. Radiator support needs replacing, the interior is in rough shape, there is a patched hole in the top (doesn't leak), and the front bushings are shot. But I have to say, the car cranks and drives every time.


So I'm thinking about selling everything. I have a little bit of debt and would love to pay those off. Know anyone that would want to buy 3 240s? Anyone car to make some offers? Maybe someone would just want to come to town and help me fix these problems? No matter what I do, I can't seem to work on my own cars successfully. And that's really depressing (Way more than I can express).

[Z33dori]

well for your DD... just throw in a new kas they cheap...



but i feel ya. Ever since i did my sr swap my car has just become a broken pos......but i still lover it.. dont giveup..


and there are tons of ppl in florida who work on nissans. and if the problem really gets that bad take it to one of the many good shops down there.


Z Fever -Best
Enjuku Racing
XAT
Performance factory
the list goes on

[rican_nick]

well couple of suggestions

stick to one project car. at one point i had 4 240's.. only 1 ran.. the others sat around with "plans"

get a daily that is not cool to mod.. dailying a 240 is ok.. if u have self control. In my case it kept getting hand me down mods which = downtime on the daily and workin on the daily where i should of been working on the project..

I bought a truck.. 99 Mazda B3000.. a daily driver thats not cool enough to put on bags or get 24's for it and functional so that i could move motors and crap around.

I sold all the 240's except my Kouki, its the only car i work on other than normal maintenance on my the truck and my wifes car which = oil changes ever 3k.. maybe 5 or 10k on the truck.. haha.

[Z33dori]

^^^YEA that sounds like a good idea..


i don't see how ppl have multiple car projects..its just to much

[1TP]

Use some parts from the other cars to fix 1 and sell the other 2 as parts or shells. I feel your pain man. I just bought a 98 240sx se w/ a built sr20, gt35r, Koyo, microtech......and have yet to drive the fuckin thing. Its in the shop as we speak and its been there for over 2 1/2 weeks and its still not running right. I'm over anxious. Sometimes I'm happy and sometimes I regret buying that muthafukker! Honestly if someone wanted to buy it at the moment I know I would sell it in a heartbeat.

[John_R]

Ok guys. Here is how it is: I only put money into one car. the 98 Kouki is my only project car. I don't do anything to the vert or the coupe. My girl drives the vert, and I drive the coupe. I've done a couple minor things like put my HUD cluster in it, but I was more or less seeing if it even worked. *laugh* Otherwise, I haven't bought anything for it, and don't plan to until my 98 is running 100%

My real issue is: I've spent every day after work working on the 98 for weeks now. I've been waiting on clutches, flywheels, oil pans, fittings, etc. It took me almost a month to acquire all the shit I needed to get it back on the road. It all started because my stock clutch sucked and my oil pan bung was welded too low. So I replaced them both, put some coolant lines on my turbo, and put it back in the car. No other mods. Since then, its been leaking, overheating, smoking, and just overall dying on me.

I didn't think I was that shitty of a mechanic. *laugh* Especially since I follow FSM to the effin letter. Torque everything to spec, and triple check every single bolt and connector. I just don't know where it all went wrong and Honestly I wouldn't give up if I could get some help. I just don't know what to do, or where to turn... I make posts and sometimes they don't get answered. Ever. or people respond with things I've already stated I had done. Its so damned frustrating.

But there is NO SHOPS here that will even touch my car. Its a bunch of "good ole boys" that like muscle cars and trucks. Like I said, I'm the only guy that owns a 240 in the COUNTY. And it would cost well over $300 to have the car towed somewhere. *sigh*

See why I'm so frustrated.

I've had my kouki as my "Dream Car" for like 4-5 years now. I drove it a lot until a year ago when I decided to put a very mild turbo setup on it. Since then, its been a huge pain.

[SloPokS13]

well i've been thru 9 cars in the past 4 years! some running, some not running. i'm currently working on my 10th one that used to be my friends, but has one of my first SR motors in it. funny how that worked. but yea, i would at least keep the 98' and fix the problems on that one first. sell the other cars if you have too and look for a decent daily driver like a small truck to throw crap in the back. but paying off debt does feel a lot better. dont be discouraged though. patience does have its rewards, i'm sure you can get something going.

[xplicit240]

as for your parts problem. id go to 240sxmotoring.com jeff is fast and reliable.

[John_R]

Its just that I have to do all the work myself. And after my 98 failing for absolutely NO reason. I feel I must be pretty bad mechanic. So I'd be scared as hell to do anything myself other than bolt on stuff.

Just called a semi local mechanic. Told him I'd bring the motor to him for a head gasket change. He wanted $400 to just change the head gasket. WTF! I hate this place. LOL

[rican_nick]

400$ is not TOO bad for a headgasket.

i've done a few (4) headgaskets on random cars.. and if it wasn't because i dont trust any damn "mechanic" i would pay 400$ in a heart beat to not fuck with it.

[DOOK]

so you wanna sell that 98 John? :D

[John_R]

Hell, it might not even be the headgasket. It just smokes. Has great compression (actually a bit higher than it should be) I just wish I knew what caused it because I'd hate to pay $400 and all the work of pulling everything and putting everything back to just have it blow again. Ugh.

[John_R]

I don't WANT to sell anything, but if someone were to offer me a decent amount I wouldn't feel too bad about giving it up for, then yeah. I'd sell it.

[cronux]

a t25 you said on your KA-t setup?

im going to base my answer on the idea that it is used.

think of it like this, you probably got it off of someone who had it on their SR. now the reason someone would sell their stock turbo is either to upgrade, or because the tturbo is bad. either way, it probably got beat on a bit. it could be the turbo, and thats the direction i would lean, because if compression is good, and there isnt oil in the coolant/coolant in the oil, i wouldnt worry about it.

check into the turbo. inspect that ish, check for shaft play, and what-not. its not that expensive to buy a different t25, for sure cheaper that 400, and if the problem is not the turbo, you can at least sell the one you bought.

i mean, honestly, if you spend 400 on getting the headgasket replaced, and its not that, you'll be even more discouraged, not to mention be shorted 400 dollars.

i am going to agree with what most people say, sell your 240sx thats your dd, and possibly that convo, and use the money, buy a cheap, reliable grocery getter, or a small truck. if there is any money left over, fix the 98, and have that as a track beast.

[LB.Motoring]

Keep one.


I had like 4 projects, they all sucked. Enjoy 1 or 2 cars MAX.

[OBEEWON]

Give up! Sorry but I feel you. Im givin up. My car is fun when it runs. Do all my own work also. But this car has eaten the last 4 years of my life. Skipping out on activities with my peoples, my woredrobe has suffered for the next part/mod, emergencies always pop up. 2 S14's Im keeping the stock one and will mod it in 10 years when 240's are no longer cool.

Sell all but one and let it sit till you have enough time and money to blow. Sometimes it pays to take a break and come back refreshed and energized.

But thats me if you wanna know my opinion.

[flip3d]

Took me 3 months to get my SR swap running decently. It was my first swap and I was a little anxious... Needless to say, I didnt change things that needed to be changed like gaskets, seals, sensors, etc.

My S13 was on jackstands for months while I changed things 1 at a time when I had the extra money. First was the gas tank because it was full of rust and set off the knock sensor code on the ECU. Then the IACV because it would rev to 4000 on its own. Gaskets because all of the ones on the motor were dried out and crumbled when you touched them. Coilpacks because I was running on 3 cylinders. Turbo because it would blow smoke everywhere. Turbo lines because I broke the fitting on the oil feed line. Now, I still need to drop the trans and change the pilot bearing, throwout bearing, and clutch fork pivot since it grinds, shakes, and makes noises everywhere I go.

To top this off, I've been fighting a leak in the gas tank I got from the junkyard. It had a bunch of tiny rock chip holes from being dragged across the gravel at the junkyard. After draining 12 gallons several times and ruining the paint on my garage floor, I think I finally have it under control. *Knocks on wood*

Oh oh oh, my Cusco coilovers are set so low, I bent my ProjectSilvia control arm brace while leaving a gas station.

Also, the A/C still needs to be checked for leaks and recharged.

I dont recommend having a project car unless its your second car. I'm actually so fed up with my S13, I'm about to sell it and get an automatic V6 firebird (maybe work on suspension and go autox) :P

[John_R]

Actually I have a Garrett GT28R just sitting on the shelf. Its slightly used, but looks almost new. I was going to run the T25 because that's what my ECU was tuned for. That's also why I run some custom coolant lines and stuff to the T25. Just to make sure everything works. But as soon as I ran coolant lines to it, it poured coolant out the tail pipe. Now this is IDLING, I never actually drove the car after doing all of this. So I removed the coolant T's going to the turbo, but its still smoking. but not nearly as bad. (it was literately POOLING water in the tailpipe when I had the lines run to it.)

Could the coolant lines have broke the seals throughout the rest of the turbo and basically blew it up?

[John_R]

Flip3d I dont recommend having a project car unless its your second car. I'm actually so fed up with my S13, I'm about to sell it and get an automatic V6 firebird (maybe work on suspension and go autox) :P

Its my 3rd car. Actually I had a motorcycle, a Honda civic, and a jetski I just sold to get this car running good.

Both the vert and the coupe run fine. Even though they aren't 100%, I'd trust them to take them on any road trip without hesitation. But yeah, you have the same luck as me. I've just put about 80 hours worth of work into the car. Even though most of that was learning how to do things and scrubbing off 10 years of grim. LOL I just am tired and thought I was so close to having it ready... Its just a let down cause summer is the cruisin season and I'd love to be out in a bit faster cooler car for once. LOL

[WagDatto]

Ah... I was feeling the same way last night, how easy it would be to sell the 510 and buy something that runs, drives and handles right... Ever since I got this thing running, it's been trouble and needs hundreds more dollars to get running and driving how I need it to!

But I figure in a week or so, somethings going to happen to put a huge friggin' smile on my face and make all the trouble worth it, you know?

[fliprayzin240sx]

You should just sell the 2 S13...just give me the Kouki s14 for free...

[s14sport]

dude i feel ya man....i have 3 240s. I have a '96 one with RB25DET, one stock one '95 daily driver, and one S13 drift car. I also have a pickup truck which helps with picking up parts and motors for all of the above...lol I pulled the stock KA motor out of my '96 last july '07 and never turned back. Installed the RB in like 2 months doing just an hour or two a everyday after work. Cranked it when *I thought* it was all done and it started!!! wooo whoooo how fucking happy I was!!!! ha! little did i know it was the begginning of a long and HORRIBLE relationship. Bad tuning, Blown turbos, cracked coilpacks, blow by, knocking, piston rings fried, rebuild...it seems anything and everything was going wrong. I have been keeping at it and taking short breaks from the whole scene every once in a while and then going back at it again. Now I'm about to do a rebuild because of low compression in 2 cylinders and hopefully this will take care of my issues. I found a solid guy who drag races RBs and knows the ins and ours of them so I'm hoping I'll be on the road soon after an entire year of wasted money and time. But, I really can't complain because I knew what I was getting into and im determined. Plus I'm learning more about these motors and even just general knowledge of cars then I ever dreamed of in my life... I wish you luck man and NEVER GIVE UP!

[jackjack]

like everyone else said. just keep one. i had 3 at one point as well. its just a headache....... unless you have a good amount of money coming in that you dont mind spending.

keep one and fix that up. or, if you get bored/pissed............. just sell everything and get a nice/decent daily.

[Brian]

Best idea you could have - sell off the 240 crap.
get a regular car.
live a regular life.

[rubelcon]

just remember, multiple projects = multiple headaches. I've learned the hard way like many others here.

[DohcKA]

i feels you... almost gave up on my 86 plenty of times... i havent gotten to drive my car for 1.5+ years... when oct comes around it'll be 2 years but ehh it'll be up n rollin in a couple weeks that's if everything goes right.... don't give up ... all that sweat blood n tears... man if anything i use work at uhaul and their auto transports go for cheap bro.... dont let them jerk your chain when they ask how many hours you need it... take it for the full 24hrs for $50.... you just gotta have a vehicle to tow it with....

[John_R]

Well, the only truck I have available to me is a Ford Explorer. And Uhual won't let you tow with those!!! *Laugh* I drove like 2 hours to get a car once with an explorer to find out they wouldn't let me use it. Had to rent a whole uhual truck and all. Sucked for the sum of $250. And I had to return the truck that day, full of gas. It was a long day.

Well, you guys are making me feel bad for wanting to give up. Its just been an ongoing trouble maker for 2 years straight and I can't even get a simple little T25 setup to run smooth. Just hit me where it hurts, if you know what I mean. Honestly, I want nothing more than an RB25 in my car. But decided I would learn the in's and out's of motoring through my KA. Now, I'm not sure motoring is my cup of tea. *shrugs*

Well, I'm going out of town for Earthday Birthday in Orlando this weekend. Hopefully whenever I come back, my car has been picked up by Overhaulin' and I'll get it back soon. *laugh* Ok, well I just hope that I come back and not feel so down and out about it. Maybe some miracle will happen and shit will start working for the better.

[John_R]

But you guys need to hear me. I have ONE PROJECT. LOL. Just the 98' is the only project car. The rest of them are daily driven. I don't work on those (except initially to get them running and maintain them).



QUESTION time:
Lets say that the motor is okie dokie and the turbo is the problem. Could I replace the T25 with the GT28R I have, just to see if that stops the smoking? I wouldn't be getting into boost (since I've got to break in my clutch). My ECU was tuned for a T25, but at idle and small revs. It should be ok to test with, right???

I'm just afraid of damaging the turbo if my headgasket is blown, but am looking for a way to test it. That's all.

[Bubbles]

I learned a long time ago that cars are money pits and a waste of time.

Sometimes I think of quitting the nonsense and focusing on other hobbies but I never do.

Me = idiot.

[cronux]

meh, sure, slap the t28 on there. i mean, its just going to give it more air, and that'll get picked up by the mafs, and the ecu will dump more fuel. no biggy.

[HyperTek]

if your young , not worth many car projects... in the end all the money you spent will make you feel like you could have done something else with your life.

Stick with 1 car and just build it up as you go no rush.

[babowc]

WONNNK WONNNNNNNNNNK.

Man up and suck it up.

Go bust some balls. you'll be fine.
I felt the same way when my car got recovered after being stolen and all my parts were stripped from it.. I'm back on track.

[wylin]

sell them all and buy a civic.

[JRas]

I learned a long time ago that cars are money pits and a waste of time.

Sometimes I think of quitting the nonsense and focusing on other hobbies but I never do.

Me = idiot.

all hobbies are money pits heh

[Maximamike]

I sold 3 of my 240s and bought an SVT Focus. Now I wanna sell the Focus and build a S14. Cycle never ends. Once a car guy, always a car guy.

[backroadtouge]

pro tip:

any 240 will be a money/time pit. daily or project.

[blacklable245]

stop being a pansy, finish what you started, and then go have some fun

[exitsine]

what county are you in?, theres like 15 s-chassis that live within 5 minuets of eachother here in Brevard. and they all make events monthly, and can help you out.

[babowc]

I sold 3 of my 240s and bought an SVT Focus. Now I wanna sell the Focus and build a S14. Cycle never ends. Once a car guy, always a car guy.

QTF!!!1111111111111111

[braingone]

Keep one and buy a hatchback civic, then use the civic as your daily imo :D

[John_R]

Keep one and buy a hatchback civic, then use the civic as your daily imo :D

I just SOLD my Honda Civic. They are a pain in the ass to work on. and not to mention, have you bought any D16 motors lately? They are like 8-1000 bucks for a used one. I can buy a running 240 for that much. LOL. NO THANKS! I'm done with Hondas for good. :jerkit:

UPDATE: Talked to a couple of my friends and about my smoking/headgasket issue. Even though they aren't import guys, one of em has like a 10 second 69' Camaro. He said that the chances of it blowing a ring, headgasket, or anything else was pretty slim to none if I didn't drive around on it while it was overheating. Also, reading online, I've found that it doesn't sound like a headgasket either. One concern though.

WHY is my freakin compression 185 x 4. :wtf: *laugh* Seriously. Its scaring me a little. I guess it could be a LOT of carbon buildup from all the years? But I'm worried that because there is a lot more compression, that turboing it might be a bad choice... Just a thought.

So I guess I'll be slapping my T28 on there to see what happens. :x:

[Bubbles]

all hobbies are money pits heh

Yeah, but compared to cars most aren't even in the same league.

[Bubbles]

I just SOLD my Honda Civic. They are a pain in the ass to work on. and not to mention, have you bought any D16 motors lately? They are like 8-1000 bucks for a used one. I can buy a running 240 f



OMG :eek:

Step away from whatever car you are about to destroy.


Honda's are the easiest and simplest thing you will ever touch.

D16's for a thousand bucks?

Maybe cars aren't for you.

[Matej]

Stock KA all day every day.

[240trainee]

Stock KA all day every day.

I miss that already

thats why the new hatch I'm picking up is staying bone stock, down to the air filter.

stock SOHC FTW, I miss those days.

will throw some wheels and sus on there and call it a day.

[John_R]

OMG :eek:

Step away from whatever car you are about to destroy.


Honda's are the easiest and simplest thing you will ever touch.

D16's for a thousand bucks?

Maybe cars aren't for you.

This made me LOL. Nah, Honda's aren't hard to work on. But hard to find parts for around here. I've been to every junkyard within 75 miles of here and have never seen a 99-00 Civic. Ever. Which unfortunately that is what I had. A D16y8 (EX Vtec, blah).

I had to ship a motor from like 500 miles away. Its the ONLY D16y7/8 I found in a month long search on honda-tech.com/superhonda.com/etc. Ended up getting it for $900 shipped. At the time, I was pretty desperate, so I bought it.


As for me destroying a 240. LOL. I don't think I'll destroy it. But I'm definitely learning a lot of bullshit throughout the process of getting this car running smoothly. I'll still say, Nissan's are easier to work on. LOL. you can actually work on both side of the engine on a 240. RWD FTW when it comes to working on shit.

[John_R]

I miss that already

thats why the new hatch I'm picking up is staying bone stock, down to the air filter.

stock SOHC FTW, I miss those days.

will throw some wheels and sus on there and call it a day.

That's why I have a stock 92' Coupe (with no power options! <-- less shit to screw up) and a stock 93' Vert (cause I couldn't pass up rolling with the top down). I actually removed the tristars on the coupe and put stock S13 7-spokes back on it. I'll probably never mod it except to put in XM radio so I have some shit to listen to other than radio stations that don't come in.

[Matej]

If the motor blows just swap it. KA to KA is plug & play.
If you don't find a running KA, just get a spare bad one to rebuild on the side, and you'll know it'll last you a long time.

This doesn't mean you have to keep the car completely stock. You can still do fun stuff like wheels, lsd, header, exhaust, intake, interior, pulleys, aero, altezzzzas, and etc. That's what I'm doing.