First timer, NEED HELP!

[EXLungePunch]

Alright guys, I'm kind of worried about my car, i just bought it about a week ago, and few things about it, swapped SR, has an intake, godspeed intercooler, 5 speed, and runs pretty good.
Now the bad, the speedometer doesnt work, the thermostat doesnt work either, and just recently I noticed the car is leaking. its a dark brown type of oil (dont know if that helps). I'm a first timer with a 240, and I really need help, sorry to be so "noobish" but I feel worried about the car. Please try to help if you can. I have a 1990, 240sx hatch.

[Darren]

what part of the car is it leaking oil from? eg. if it's coming from the rear, it's probably the differential... dark brown oil is probably from the trans (middle of car) or diff (rear of car)

if you can determine that, you'll have an easier time figuring out where the leak is originating. It helps if you can get it on a lift somewhere, and have a look at the underside. powerwashing the engine bay / underneath can help pin point leaks too.

the speedo problem could be a sensor not plugged in correctly, or an incompatible / broken speedo. My SOHC speedo worked just fine with my sr20 swap, but my tachometer didn't, but i know the 6 cyl guys usually have to get a different speedo, or a converter box. My suggestion on that would be to find a different cluster and try it. Also, if your tach is working, it's probably a DOHC cluster, which means the wiring is different. you'll want to find a SOHC cluster and swap the tach into it, then try that.

hope this helps, good luck!

[EXLungePunch]

well i took a look at it and its from the middle part of the car, i'm guessing transmission. do I need to buy the sr20 thermostat for the car?

[Darren]

i'm not sure if the sr20 & ka thermostat's are the same opening temp, maybe someone can chime in on that.....

i would think the ka one would fit though

[Kingtal0n]

Welcome to the abyss of color. That car and engine is a great combination and very easy to repair and maintain, is capable of great fuel economy and potential.

Why not take some pictures for us to examine?

It sounds like you need to familiarize yourself with the fluids a car contains, gasoline engine oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, all have different characteristics and are fairly recognizable once you begin to work on cars. If you are going to maintain any cars yourself you will eventually learn how each of those fluids looks/smells. But for now, take pictures if you are unsure what something is.

[EXLungePunch]

Thanks man! I'll definitely take some pics when I get back from work!

[Croustibat]

First, find where the oil is coming from. It could be leaking from the valve cover and then splashing the whole engine ans transmission. It could also be leaking from the rear crank seal, which means it will kill your clutch in a short time (been there, done that). Or it could be gearbox oil leaking from the shifter gasket. Or it could be steering rack fluid. Or it could be turbo return line.

Also remember the 240sx comes as standard with an SR20det in europe (S14 mostly, most s13 have the CA18DET). The car is called 200sx there, not 240, so you will find a lot of info on european forums about that specific combination.