S14 common problems

[lumbo007]

I'm looking to pick up a s14 and was wondering if there are any common problems I should look out for. Specifically are there any places prone to rust, any common electrical gremlins?

TIA

[ThatGuy]

Th biggest problem with 240's in general is lazy people who fail to SEARCH before asking questions.

[Phlip]

The most common problem is user error; they don't wrap themselves around telephone poles, it usually takes a pretty adept internet drifta to do that

[projectRDM]

Another common problem is young ignorant children buying them all up at insane high prices then ruining them with ghey JDM motor swaps before stuffing them into the side of a mountain at high speeds. Otherwise there's not a lot to watch out for.

[yudalicious]

The most common problem is that being a 240 user will turn you into a jackass, typically seen making useless flaming posts on forums ;D lol jkjk

If it's in Hawaii, there shouldn't be a problem with rust... there really isn't any big problems in general, just the problems you typically associate w/ buying used cars.

[Brian]

power windows might take a shit
fuel gauge might take a shit
other than that, no real problems.

[lumbo007]

I did search, but I guess the keywords I was using wasn't the greatest... thanks to the few people that did take the time to answer my questions.

[SR240DET]

power windows might take a shit
fuel gauge might take a shit
other than that, no real problems.

if the fuel guage takes a shit... you zip tie it back on the braket like i did..... :rawk:

zip ties wont fix electrical fuel gauge problems though.... :ughd:

[mike13]

s14 is god's second string chariot. there are no problems.

[Brian]

if the fuel guage takes a shit... you zip tie it back on the braket like i did..... :rawk:

zip ties wont fix electrical fuel gauge problems though.... :ughd:

hmm i wonder if we have teh same problem
i know that in my current s14 AS WELL as my previous s14, the furl gauge is just weird. it will work fine for a while, then it will go down towards empty really quick (like in 2 minutes) then it will go bacvk up to like halfway, stay there for a while, then repeat again.

it's fun.
or not.

[420sx]

problems? like any other car - worn out bushings.

[Phlip]

hmm i wonder if we have teh same problem
i know that in my current s14 AS WELL as my previous s14, the furl gauge is just weird. it will work fine for a while, then it will go down towards empty really quick (like in 2 minutes) then it will go bacvk up to like halfway, stay there for a while, then repeat again.

it's fun.
or not.
My S14 would do the same shit... It would do so oddly as hell at that; I fill up, it would stay ON the 'F' for EXACTLY 200 miles, then fall quickly to about half a tank, then jump up and down until I got paranoid at about 315-325 miles and filled it the fuck back up

[katbak]

hmm i wonder if we have teh same problem
i know that in my current s14 AS WELL as my previous s14, the furl gauge is just weird. it will work fine for a while, then it will go down towards empty really quick (like in 2 minutes) then it will go bacvk up to like halfway, stay there for a while, then repeat again.

it's fun.
or not.


Same with me, it stays above F untill basically it has 50 miles left then it goes down down down to half way and then down down down till im sitting on the side of the road with my hazards on.

[Ian]

hm, mine says full for 20 minutes and then starts falling..then at half a tank, it drops off to limp like bob dole (aka, straight down and showing no signs of movement)

and then at 1/4 tank it goes back to normal...i've never taken it lower hten 1/4 tank just for fear of fuel starvation.

[pruto]

amen to power windows and fuel gauge. i can only roll down the window from my driver side and my fuel gauge is just unpredictable.

also, random KA problems like timing chain guard.

overall a very solid car, of course there are other problems like bushing, starter, worn tranny syncros that comes with an old car, but thats true with any used car you will buy.

[s13panda2004]

Whoa.. my S14 has those problems too..

At first, the fuel gauge was working perfect. Then after a Drift Day, the fuel gauge took a shiEt on me and dropped down to 'E'. I filled it up and it stayed at the top. Then after driving 200+ miles or so, it'll dip down to the 1/4 mark then to 'E'. It's been like that ever since.

Then a few months ago, the driver side power window started acting weird. Sometimes it'll go down by itself. Also, the autoroll down function sometimes it gets stuck.

Oh yea, also, the HVAC (climate control) panel's internal lights have a tendancy to go out. So at night, you'll sorta have to guess where the buttons are. I think S13s have this problem too..

The airbag light. Sometimes it acts funny and stays on all the time, even if the car never deployed it's airbags. I believe there's a fix to it on http://www.240sx.org I just took the light out.

This problem affects all both S13/S14s. The wiring harness that runs through the driverside fender hangs low. So if your car is lowered and you're running larger wheels. There's a possibility of rubbage. Bad news if you burned through the wiring! There's a write-up somewhere here on zilvia and FA. Just gotta search. To correct the problem is simple. You can either take off your fender and pull the wiring higher and secure it. Or you can just rewire the entire car and take a different route.

I heard that some S13/S14s that have sunroofs might have a problem with an annoying whistling. It might have something to do with the molding around the sunroof. You'll have to do a search on that in order to find out.

All in all, the S14s has some weird quirks.. You just have to figure it out. Some are easier to deal with that others. But whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it's been discussed 10,000 times over on the various 240SX forums out there.

[justinhustle]

the only weird shit mine does involves no interior lights, minus the cluster

i added power door locks, cuz the factory didnt....power windows work fine, same with gas gauge, minus i never have ever seen the low fuel light, even when it was out of gas?

[s13panda2004]

This is what the interior lights should look like in a S14. Just ignore the indiglo gauges and Alpine headunit.

The gauge cluster, the dimmer switch, cruise control, HVAC panel, defroster, hazard switch and the ring around the cigarette lighter should light up.

http://www.fp32.com/icesoft/S14/climatecontrol/finished.jpg

-picture belongs to ICESoft from http://www.freshalloy.com

[projectRDM]

Generally only the 95s have power window problems, the switch and amp were redesigned in 96. This was due to most big fat american fingers pressing too damn hard on the auto switch and breaking the spring inside.

[sw20>>s14]

are the hvac lights supposed to be white or is that ^ custom led installation? i havnt had the honor of seeing mine yet since i bought it, but it did come on ONE night for like literally 15 secs, then gone. i could have swore that they are green. ^ that car sure has a lot more lit up than mine!

[skatanic28]

anyone else have problems with rear calipers?

[Ian]

me...mine seem to make a bad noise when i brake...but i dont really feel any negative effects..just a very faint grinding sound...i havent looked too hard into it yet cuz i dont have the money to fix the shit


stupid brakes

[JVD]

Air bag light comes on for no apparent reason?????

[skatanic28]

ive had quite a few problems with the rears:
-sticking caliper : frozen piston
-uneven braking : frozen slider pin
-sticking caliper : ebrake assembly frozen

ive seen a few other complaints about them, so figured i post it up.

[infinitexsound]

subframe bushings , climate lightings, timing chain , vent only works on 4, windows motors on crack!!! < i had all of those windows is fixed LOL

[WanganRunner]

Only problem I have with my S14 is that I don't want to get out of it and walk into the office in the morning, I'd rather keep driving.

[infinitexsound]

thats not a problem thats an obsession..

[ghostuss]

tranny problem with high mileage cars. My 195k s14 likes to burn tranny fluid once it gets past 80. This just happened recently cause I fucking smoked the tranny on the way from SF to SD doing 100mph for over an hour. White smoke was coming from the buttom of the car, etc. Smells like tranny fluid so hehe I am burning it. I have some MT 90 redline in it right now, smell died down a bit but still does the same once goes above 80. I think something is fucked with my gear box. new KA tranny is a dime a dozen so I am gonna wait until I blow it.

[srpowereds14]

Mine had the same airbag problem it turned on and stayed on for about 2months and then it just turned off like nothing happened??? wierd :tweak:

[Pank]

This is what the interior lights should look like in a S14. Just ignore the indiglo gauges and Alpine headunit.

The gauge cluster, the dimmer switch, cruise control, HVAC panel, defroster, hazard switch and the ring around the cigarette lighter should light up.

http://www.fp32.com/icesoft/S14/climatecontrol/finished.jpg

-picture belongs to ICESoft from http://www.freshalloy.com

Holy shit, the HVAC lights up? now i have to pull my crap out again, RIGHT after i just got it all memorized.

[driftyour40]

That picture pisses me off; I know my shit doesn't work. The thing is though I’ve never seen it work so I didn't care. Now that I’ve seen it work it's just another thing I have to fix.

-Interior rattles relentlessly (might just be my car)
-HVAC lights, apparently.
-Leaks oil (205,K miles for me. I leak a lot)
-Differential whine
-Stupid stupid brakes (rear most of the time)
-This might just be me but uumm. ABS if you get it, sucks and makes stopping distances longer than w/out.
-Timing chain rattle
-Trunk rattle

That’s all I can think of for the time being. If that is everything then you can be sure that my hateful little car will find some new way to piss me off tomorrow. I love my car, keeps me guessin, lol. :love:

[SR240DET]

This is what the interior lights should look like in a S14. Just ignore the indiglo gauges and Alpine headunit.

The gauge cluster, the dimmer switch, cruise control, HVAC panel, defroster, hazard switch and the ring around the cigarette lighter should light up.

http://www.fp32.com/icesoft/S14/climatecontrol/finished.jpg

-picture belongs to ICESoft from http://www.freshalloy.com

how the hell did he get the lights like that!??!!!??!?! :bash: :tweak:

[projectRDM]

how the hell did he get the lights like that!??!!!??!?! :bash: :tweak:

You can't follow a link?

They're LEDs.

[Buffalo Daughter]

hahhaha problems ---

maintence with most owners.

Front main seal
Timing chain
Rear brakes
Tranny problems (synchros,etc)
clutch pedal squeek
Static disturbance in the radio with cellphones
HVAC problems
Vaccum leaks
The dreaded o2 sensor

All normal things.

[SR240DET]

You can't follow a link?

They're LEDs.


i dont know how to hook up LEDS like that.... i suck at electronics as far as selecting the right components.. and what not...

[fliprayzin240sx]

Lets see...

HVAC lights took a crap
Passenger side wheel bearing took a crap
Tension rod bushing
Tie Rod bushing
Metal flap on sunroof rattling against the sunroof like a bitch
Plastic trims just cracking *center vent, radio trim and 5 speed shifter*

PS: Anybody figured out the HVAC issue yet???

[s13panda2004]

i dont know how to hook up LEDS like that.... i suck at electronics as far as selecting the right components.. and what not...

Then I suggest you don't touch anything or else you can seriously fuck shit up. Its no walk in the park for the electronically/technically inept.

http://www.fp32.com/icesoft/S14/climatecontrol/ledsinfront.jpg

-picture belongs to ICESoft from http://www.freshalloy.com

[SR240DET]

Then I suggest you don't touch anything or else you can seriously fuck shit up. Its no walk in the park for the electronically/technically inept.

http://www.fp32.com/icesoft/S14/climatecontrol/ledsinfront.jpg

-picture belongs to ICESoft from http://www.freshalloy.com


whatever.... :jerkit:

i guess you know everything and ill listen to you now.... :down:

i just figured it out... its all good..

[240speed]

my problems...
-fuel gauge doesn't read exactly right (goes way past E before fuel light comes on)
-water leak at the door seals next to side view mirrors
-timing chain rattles b/c of the damn guides break off or bent(which is easy to fix btw-just lazy as fuck)
-thoes damn chrome tail pipe pieces fall off
-I've also got a weird rattle comming from the back-I hadn't figured it out yet
-Headlights go yellow! fucking anoying (but also easy to fix - buy some alum. mag polish at auto store and rub that shit yellow off til it' clear)
-hood is loose and bobs up and down slightly when on interstate

Oh and to fix that squeeky pedal there is a spring located under the pedal- just oil and your free of squeeking.... mine's starting up again.

[slideways2004]

i have the same problems all of these guys are listing. the more mileage your car has, the more of these problems you will get. but most of it is just maintenence. if you can't maintain your car, then you shouldn't be allowed to drive, let alone own a 240sx

[Phlip]

i have the same problems all of these guys are listing. the more mileage your car has, the more of these problems you will get. but most of it is just maintenence. if you can't maintain your car, then you shouldn't be allowed to drive, let alone own a 240sx
Did you look at the date on this thread before you posted nothing of substance to it?