RedSiBaron
12-24-2010, 01:20 PM
alright, heres the deal, i am looking into my first 240sx, and i need some info so i know what to look for or adjust when i go look at the car on probably sunday or monday. ive mostly worked on hondas, so this is my primary reference point.
it is a 1990 240sx se hatch. originally from NC, in good rust free condition, the frame isnt rusting. so right there im pretty happy with it. now, the guy who is selling it said he blew a head gasket a year or two ago and replaced the head gasket and replaced the head with a rebuilt one. alright, pretty good. he also put on a refurbished starter and alternator. again, still on board. he said it was bumped in the rear end, but all it did was mess up the bumper but everything still fits straight. again doesnt sound serious, not worried. he replaced and upgraded the clutch, and put in the megan transmission mount but did not install the engine mounts that came with the mount kit. once again, im down with that. it comes with brand new <500mile all season tires, so thats great.
he says it runs real smooth, but heres my main issues with the vehicle.
-first, and least, he said the radiator fan is rusty. and says something like it doesnt run or something, since im not familiar with the 240 other than the few times ive looked in engine bay of one, im not sure if he means the shrouded fan on the a/c condenser or what. he says the car doesnt run hot, so im not too concerned. if anyone has any thoughts on this, id appreciate it, but im not worried about fixing this if there was a problem there.
-second, he says though the car runs well, it idles really really low. like 300rpms he says, and i know the ka24e should idle around 750. he said he didnt time the car after putting the head on. now in my experience with hondas that wouldnt effect idle, and instead id have to look at the idle control valve or the adjustable idle screw on the TB...again, i am not familiar with the s13 or ka24e to know where to start looking, so id love to know what to look at or what to try adjusting when looking at the car if there is a quick fix or adjustment. i would even bring my timing light and time the car on the spot if need be. do you just loosen and turn the distributor to adjust timing like on a honda?
-third he said the car has a lot of road noise, it has full interior and he says he didnt find anything wrong with it other than it could use new shocks cuz they are worn. my friend who is big into 240s said they are notorious for being noisy. is this true? should i not be worried?
-finally, and most concerning to me, he said after he replaced the clutch, its hard to get the car into first gear, but shifting otherwise is smooth. i asked if it goes in at idle, and he said yes. so this makes me most nervous. i just did a clutch and dropped the transmission on my 02 civic si and i dont feel like dropping another transmission so soon. SO my question would be, what could be the possible problems keeping the transmission from shifting to 1st if all he did was change out the clutch? is there an adjustment that may need to be made at the pedal or the shift fork? could he have damaged the shifter assembly putting the transmission back in? again i dont know what to think on this problem.
thats all i am really concerned about right now...thanks for putting up with the long questions. i will continue to search the forum for my answers to these questions, sorry if these are common issues, im just completely new to the car and trying to absorb as much info about it before i take a look at this car.
it is a 1990 240sx se hatch. originally from NC, in good rust free condition, the frame isnt rusting. so right there im pretty happy with it. now, the guy who is selling it said he blew a head gasket a year or two ago and replaced the head gasket and replaced the head with a rebuilt one. alright, pretty good. he also put on a refurbished starter and alternator. again, still on board. he said it was bumped in the rear end, but all it did was mess up the bumper but everything still fits straight. again doesnt sound serious, not worried. he replaced and upgraded the clutch, and put in the megan transmission mount but did not install the engine mounts that came with the mount kit. once again, im down with that. it comes with brand new <500mile all season tires, so thats great.
he says it runs real smooth, but heres my main issues with the vehicle.
-first, and least, he said the radiator fan is rusty. and says something like it doesnt run or something, since im not familiar with the 240 other than the few times ive looked in engine bay of one, im not sure if he means the shrouded fan on the a/c condenser or what. he says the car doesnt run hot, so im not too concerned. if anyone has any thoughts on this, id appreciate it, but im not worried about fixing this if there was a problem there.
-second, he says though the car runs well, it idles really really low. like 300rpms he says, and i know the ka24e should idle around 750. he said he didnt time the car after putting the head on. now in my experience with hondas that wouldnt effect idle, and instead id have to look at the idle control valve or the adjustable idle screw on the TB...again, i am not familiar with the s13 or ka24e to know where to start looking, so id love to know what to look at or what to try adjusting when looking at the car if there is a quick fix or adjustment. i would even bring my timing light and time the car on the spot if need be. do you just loosen and turn the distributor to adjust timing like on a honda?
-third he said the car has a lot of road noise, it has full interior and he says he didnt find anything wrong with it other than it could use new shocks cuz they are worn. my friend who is big into 240s said they are notorious for being noisy. is this true? should i not be worried?
-finally, and most concerning to me, he said after he replaced the clutch, its hard to get the car into first gear, but shifting otherwise is smooth. i asked if it goes in at idle, and he said yes. so this makes me most nervous. i just did a clutch and dropped the transmission on my 02 civic si and i dont feel like dropping another transmission so soon. SO my question would be, what could be the possible problems keeping the transmission from shifting to 1st if all he did was change out the clutch? is there an adjustment that may need to be made at the pedal or the shift fork? could he have damaged the shifter assembly putting the transmission back in? again i dont know what to think on this problem.
thats all i am really concerned about right now...thanks for putting up with the long questions. i will continue to search the forum for my answers to these questions, sorry if these are common issues, im just completely new to the car and trying to absorb as much info about it before i take a look at this car.