engine care...

[formeRiceR]

thinking aobut buying a S14 with 140K, I plan on it being a daily driver/ occasion thrill ride, what can I do to the engine to ensure it doesn't die on me...

[kanekz]

Dont run into a: wall, pole, car, cliff, etc. head on. &nbsp; <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

Seriously though, there is no 100% guarantee that you could do. &nbsp;Maintain it well. &nbsp;Oil changes, etc.

[Yosho]

As kanekz said... there's nothing that you can do to ensure it doesn't die. &nbsp;All you can do are the basics.

Change the oil and filter every 3000k (2500k is better). &nbsp;Use a quality oil (such as Castrol GTX... no point in wasting a Syn on an engine with 140k). &nbsp;Use a quality filter such as the Nissan OEM, Purolator Pure One, Bosche, or Mobil 1.

Change all your other fluids when you first get the car... Trans., Diff, Brake, and Coolant.

Look at your belts... if they're worn (cracked or frayed) replace them.

Change out the Spark Plugs/Cap/Rotor/Wires with OEM Nissan parts.


That's about all you can do to keep the engine in good shape. &nbsp;The last thing I'd recommend is that you buy a can of Engine cleaner from a parts store. &nbsp;Follow the directions and cover all the electrical plugs and then get spray the engine down. &nbsp;Clean it up really well until there's no dirt/grime left. &nbsp;This is important as you'll now be able to tell when a seal or hose is leaking... allowing you to replace them before they become more of a problem.

In general with a new car, you'll also want to check out all the other systems... suspension, brakes, exhaust. &nbsp;But you only asked about the engine.

[rampid360]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Yosho @ Aug. 10 2002,08:30)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> Use a quality oil (such as Castrol GTX... no point in wasting a Syn on an engine with 140k). </td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'> &nbsp; Mobil just came out with a new oil called super-syn. &nbsp;Its a full synthetic that is 100% compatible with seals on higher milage cars and safe to switch over from a non-synthetic. (just dont switch back and forth...stay with the synthetic once you switch.)
You can never protect a high mileage engine too much.
As soon as it hit shelves me and jeff switched.

Other then that, make sure your timing chain is nice and pretty. &nbsp;Nothing will destroy our engines faster then that going south.

Other then that, just keep up on general maintance...these cars should run well over 200k.

[Yosho]

Bahh... IMHO 99.9% of people who use Syn don't need it... and use it for the wrong reasons. &nbsp;Not to be rude, maybe you're one of the .1%... but what do you hope to gain by using a quality Syn over a quality Dino and why would you recommend it over dino on a street engine that has 140k on it with an unknown history?

[rampid360]

Anything that surpasses industry standards like mobil has my trust in the first place. Synthetic's dont break down like a non-syn, so they can last longer and protect better. And when they come out with a synthetic specially formulated for higher mileage engines that wont harm them to switch (finally!!<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> im all for it.

If mobil can make a claim that their oil needs to be changed roughly 1/8 as often as anyone elses...they have to be doing something right. (I still reccomend changing oil every 3k, but mobil used to say 25k on it.)

Edit= a smilie appeared for no apparent reason, and i didn't like it...

[Yosho]

Agreed... by all measurements, on paper Syn (like Mobil 1) is better than Dino (like Castrol GTX). &nbsp;Now, what are the real world benifits you get out of it (other than peace of mind)?
What benifits do you actually use?

My point is that being better on paper means nothing unless you actually use the extra performance.

[misnomer]

I'm using Castrol GTX for higher mileage cars, seems to be OK. At least it isn't making my existing leak any worse <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

Anyhow, check your regular maintenance, keep your filters clean. . .

[wherezmytofu]

throttle body clean does wonders &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[240 2NR]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (rampid360 @ Aug. 11 2002,4:27)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">And when they come out with a synthetic specially formulated for higher mileage engines that wont harm them to switch (finally!!<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> im all for it.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
The old tri-synthetic formula was compatible with conventional oils and made no claims that it was not for use in high milage vehicles.

Personally, I'm skeptical of motivation behind the change &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sly.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':sly:'>