newb questions...

[72charger]

I am looking at buying a 92' 240sx. It has 180,000miles on it. I was looking under the hood of it with it on and it has a pretty bad lifter tap on probably the #1 cylinder. I put my ear up close to the valve cover and that sounds exactly like where it is coming from. I know that can be tightened down but can anybody tell me how to do it? Also, the front of the motor is slinging a little bit of oil around, I am thinking either front main seal bad or timing cover gasket bad. How hard is it to take off the timing cover on these cars? I know on my Conquest you had to remove the friggan head but hopefully that's not the case with 240's. Thanks in advance for the help!

Oh yeah, girl only wants $1,000 for it and body and interior are like 90% clean!

[punxva]

that tapping that you hear is more than likely the timing chain, which is a common problem with 240's that have over 120,000 miles, im too lazy to do a search for you, but if you do search then you will find out how to fix it, since its been covered a million times.

[!Zar!]

That's the upper timing chain guide as stated before me...

[Redeye Jedi]

here is a how-to for the chain problem
http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=105618

here is a FSM for all other problems
http://www.zeroyon.com/index/content/view/24/47/

buy the car, join the club, have fun

[SnakeKack]

Where is the car located at? If its not too far maybe I can look at it with you.

[72charger]

Laural Hill.... in the sticks basically. Just north of Crestview which is just north of Ft. Walton. Your probably no where near here. I am relatively certain that it is the lifter tapping. It is definitely coming from right under the the valve cover above the #1 cylinder and it is loud. I'm gonna take everyone's word though and look up how hard it is to change the timing chain. But it is DOHC, I was under the impression it would have a timing belt...

[aznpoopy]

the dohc ka24de does not have a timing belt. it has a chain that "never" needs servicing, according to nissan.

to their credit, the chain itself typically does last the life of the engine. the problem is ...

1) the chain tensioner gets gunked up and the chain goes slack, hitting the metal chain guides.

or

2) the chain guide unsecures itself and sits on the chain, breaks into pieces, etc etc.

service procedure does not involve doing a full timing chain job. if its the tensioner, replace it. if its the chain guide, open up the valve cover and take it off. if you've done work on cars before (and it sounds like you have), its extremely simple.

[Redeye Jedi]

It is mos def chain and it is most likely not the lifters, haven't heard of anybody messing up their lifters on the stock KA. The chain guide problem however is universal to all KA24DE. Nissan sent out a memo to all dealerships to remove the guides with any timing chain service. It's 2 hours of labor for a rookie (which most of the time doesn't sound like you are). Check the first link I posted above.
This topic once again is beat to death. :bash:

[72charger]

Well I'll take everyone's word for it then. I REALLY appreciate the help guys! Oh yeah, anyone know what might typically leak on the front of the engine? Front main seal, timing cover gasket.... how hard is it to change?

[SnakeKack]

Haha I'm not near there, your right.

I think I remember there being a sound clip of a rattling timing chain on one of these or another 240sx message board. Might be worth a shot to search to help confirm the noise.

[72charger]

Well, I think I'm probabyly gonna buy it. What does everyone think?

[kandyflip445]

Go for it! The front main seal is probably leaking. They usually need replacing on high mileage KA's. Also look at the T/C rods to see of their oozing. Check throughly for rust every where. Take something to tap around on the frame to check for rust because people will try to hide it.

[SnakeKack]

In my opinion $1000 for a rattly timing chain and leaky front seals isn't to bad as long as everything else motor wise is ok. I'd try to get it a bit lower to be totaly honest.

As far as the mileage goes even though these cars are known to take a beating and last for many more miles than the one you are looking at, it doesn't mean that one will. It all depends on how well it was taken care of. Thats why I say try to get it lower so if it turns out to becoming problematic that way you didn't over pay for a piece of junk.

Good luck, and I hope its a good buy.

[3day240sx]

agreed^^.

i just bought a 92 coupe and for what i thought was wrong it wasn't a bad price but there has been several other things come up since i bought it.

it sounds like a good deal and the timing cover shouldn't be very hard to deal with. you have to take parts off to get it off but not the whole front end. the engine does not have lifters. the cam sits on the valves with shims in between to compinsate for the extra space. if the shim has worn it could make some noise but at 180k i don't think they would be bad.

[g6civcx]

Buy the one with the least amount of frame rust. Everything can be fixed, but rust is the most expensive problem to fix.

Problematic areas include the strut towers, frame rails, and rear fenders. Also check underneath the spare for rust from water that leaks through the taillights.

[aznpoopy]

Well I'll take everyone's word for it then. I REALLY appreciate the help guys! Oh yeah, anyone know what might typically leak on the front of the engine? Front main seal, timing cover gasket.... how hard is it to change?

i've never had the lower timing cover gasket leak on me.

valve cover, upper timing cover (its just a diy rtv gasket), oil pressure sender (by the filter), front main seal, and oil pan have all gone on me. the rear seal on the transmission seems to leak perpetually, even after a new seal is installed. i've gotten all these leaks on two ka motors now. :bash: just another day in the life... :o