Parts you dont need...?

[2,1]

Such as that plastic catch pan under the engin on the s14....do I need that or can it come off.(Cuz its Broke and being held up by tieraps)
and what about that ugly damn header sheild can that come off or what?
I only ask cuz how do you search for "do you need a plastic catch pan" if thats even what the damned thing is called. Just curious if you all had been in the same position before.

[fran13]

nope man i dont think u need those parts i took mine off as well... they are pretty annoying.

[SW20Racer]

Such as that plastic catch pan under the engin on the s14....do I need that or can it come off.(Cuz its Broke and being held up by tieraps)
and what about that ugly damn header sheild can that come off or what?
I only ask cuz how do you search for "do you need a plastic catch pan" if thats even what the damned thing is called. Just curious if you all had been in the same position before.

if you're referring to the "skid plate" (the plastic flap underneath the engine) then no you dont need that. and yes the heat shield can come off, but i wouldnt worry about it until you're going ka-t or adding an aftermarket manifold...

[inertiadrft]

Seven words:
If its not broken, Don't fix it..

Not that anyone here goes by that as a commandment.. including myself..

[shmiddy]

if you remove the heat sheild it wont sheild the heat from the exhaust manifold so its best u keep it on i guess. and the oil catch can is needed so like previously posted

"if it aint broke dont fix it"

[nissanguy13]

if you remove the heat sheild it wont sheild the heat from the exhaust manifold so its best u keep it on i guess. and the oil catch can is needed so like previously posted

"if it aint broke dont fix it"

how much damn heat do you really think is coming of a stock ka manifold?

[bo2o]

thats the restricter box i think.
if its broken and hangin off zipties then ditch it.!
take out the evap canister. that shit is anoyying. and clutch fan and go fal fans.
and egr.

[racepar1]

OK guys he's talking about the plastic cover that goes between the tension rod brackets on the bottom of the car, NOT a catch can or intake part!

[racepar1]

Here it is! If it is not connected to something that makes the car actually run and drive then you do not need it. Are heatshields and undercovers a good idea? Yes! Not absolutely necessary though! Don't take anything off that you do not understand! This is common god damn sense people!

/THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!

:down:

[S14DB]

if you're referring to the "skid plate" (the plastic flap underneath the engine) then no you dont need that. and yes the heat shield can come off, but i wouldnt worry about it until you're going ka-t or adding an aftermarket manifold...

It's not a Skid plate. It's an Areo Tray. It rams air through the radiator and then flows it back under the car.


To the OP, you can buy a new one.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/S14DB/240sx/Body/UnderAreoTray.jpg

[2,1]

yeah that pic is exactly what i need to you have a link to buy one? mine is hangin on via a zip tie, Thats why I asked if I needed it.

[nissanguy13]

You don't need it, I usually take mine off.

[S14DB]

yeah that pic is exactly what i need to you have a link to buy one? mine is hangin on via a zip tie, Thats why I asked if I needed it.Courtesy Nissan has them or your local dealer can order one.

You don't need it, I usually take mine off.And then we get posts about how people are overheating at speed.

[SW20Racer]

It's not a Skid plate. It's an Areo Tray. It rams air through the radiator and then flows it back under the car.



thanks for the clarification, sometimes i no make english good. smoke too many beers, and drink too many pots...

[2,1]

thanks for the clarification, sometimes i no make english good. smoke too many beers, and drink too many pots...
lol thats a good one :rofl:

[4bangers]

s14DB, the pix you posted is the the oem tray you can get from courtesy parts? or is that an aftermarket one? it doens't look oem for some reason.

[SoguRacing]

Seven words:
If its not broken, Don't fix it..

Not that anyone here goes by that as a commandment.. including myself..

just had to add this...

"if it not broken, don't touch it.."

good sayings^

[98s14inaz]

just had to add this...

"if it not broken, don't touch it.."

good sayings^

I'm going to agree with you there. One of the things I hate most is buying a 240 from a fan boi that got in over his head only to have to replace a bunch of shit that he removed because he thought "meh, I don't need this". Leave the damn car alone, Nissan engineers with far more education than you decided the 240 needed that stuff.

[aznpoopy]

alot of people have been running without that undertray for long periods without any problems, myself included. however, it helps rad cooling alot. i would definitely put it on for track days or drifting or wahtever.

my exhaust manifold heatshield rusted itself loose and never went back on. haven't had any problems there either.

[S14DB]

s14DB, the pix you posted is the the oem tray you can get from courtesy parts? or is that an aftermarket one? it doens't look oem for some reason.

Squint and you can see the Nissan Parts sticker in the center.


I got a PM about what part number it is and what's its name in the parts system. Here's the CourtesyParts.com listing. Check your local dealer cause I have to assume shipping a 3'x3' object can be expensive unless they roll it up.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasite/74811-cover-enginelower-240sx-s14-1995-1998-p-138565.html

[johngriff]

You do WANT that if you have it. Not only with aforementioned cooling, but keeping your engine bay clean. As soon as you take it off, all the dirt from the road will be pocketing in the engine bay. Reducing life expectancy of open element filters, making it dirty, and making an "air pocket" at speed in the engine bay.

So keep it on, even with zippy ties.

[Gnnr]

You do WANT that if you have it. Not only with aforementioned cooling, but keeping your engine bay clean. As soon as you take it off, all the dirt from the road will be pocketing in the engine bay. Reducing life expectancy of open element filters, making it dirty, and making an "air pocket" at speed in the engine bay.

So keep it on, even with zippy ties.


Beat me to it. Thats the biggest advantage to that tray, your engine bay gets diiiiirrrttttyy as fuck with out it.

[didderson]

I always take the dumb hood insulation off. The particle foam or w/e that is on your hood. Just helps keep noise from the engine down for weak ass drivers. Also probably there to keep temps off your hood so the wind shield doesn't get as hot when driving. You could argue that it's to protect the hood paint but when you think about it the same paint is in the engine bay right next to the header and it doesn't oxidize or melt any faster.

Anyway, I always take it off, and I persuade my friends to do the same. It always gets oily and looks like crap, and saves weight :)

-I'm slightly obsessed w/ weight savings.

[S14DB]

I always take the dumb hood insulation off. The particle foam or w/e that is on your hood. Just helps keep noise from the engine down for weak ass drivers. Also probably there to keep temps off your hood so the wind shield doesn't get as hot when driving. You could argue that it's to protect the hood paint but when you think about it the same paint is in the engine bay right next to the header and it doesn't oxidize or melt any faster.

Anyway, I always take it off, and I persuade my friends to do the same. It always gets oily and looks like crap, and saves weight :)

-I'm slightly obsessed w/ weight savings.

It's not the same paint as the body. The Engine Bay has a Hardcoat Paint on it to withstand the heat and more so the solvents. If you do remove the liner I would replace it with a reflective coating such as gold foil or Honeycomb Aluminum foil.

[eulalia]

I'm going to agree with you there. One of the things I hate most is buying a 240 from a fan boi that got in over his head only to have to replace a bunch of shit that he removed because he thought "meh, I don't need this". Leave the damn car alone, Nissan engineers with far more education than you decided the 240 needed that stuff.

well put, i thought i was "cool" when i took off my back seats in my car.. lol

if nissan put items on your car, they put it in there for a damn good reason, now you could upgrade things in your car, but never take out items that help your car in the first place

just a thought

[nistech]

i wouldnt take off the heat shield on the ex-manifold it damages the ac lines i took mine off before and the metal AC line broke cuz of the heat coming from the mani. i m sure this not gonna happen right away but it happens over time. there are many reasons that heat shield is on there trust me.

[nissanguy13]

I took my first tray off because it was falling apart. The car I have now didn't come with one. I've never had a problem with overheating, but I would suggest keeping it if you have one or buying one if it's something you really care about. If you don't then leave it off. I will agree with everyone else though, it does keep your engine bay a lot cleaner.

I would also agree that there is very few things you could take off that would make a difference. (like that nasty pin striping some of them have lol). But for the most part leave everything on unless you upgrade

[Pacman]

How much are those skid plates? Mine got oil soaked by the P/S pump leaking. Now there's no leaks but its still oil soaked. Plus, the wholes enlarged and the bolts don't keep it in place as well.

I took mine off of the old S13 since that car was a leaker and it got trashed. I had no ill effects by doing so. I like to keep mine on the car now. Granted, its a pain doing oil changes since you gotta remove it to prevent oil from getting everywhere from the filter (unless you're like my friend who never does any maintenance).

The heat shield removal? Why, its there to keep underhood temps down. Its there for a reason. Do you really want resorvoirs melting like my buddies turbo'd S14 with no heat shields? I'm sure it helps with HO2S and cat warm-up.

[johngriff]

I always take the dumb hood insulation off. The particle foam or w/e that is on your hood. Just helps keep noise from the engine down for weak ass drivers. Also probably there to keep temps off your hood so the wind shield doesn't get as hot when driving. You could argue that it's to protect the hood paint but when you think about it the same paint is in the engine bay right next to the header and it doesn't oxidize or melt any faster.

Anyway, I always take it off, and I persuade my friends to do the same. It always gets oily and looks like crap, and saves weight :)

-I'm slightly obsessed w/ weight savings.

Its there to prevent under hood fires dude.

[Pacman]

Its there to prevent under hood fires dude.

How? Does it help kill it?

You're in Folsom? Same here. What do you drive?

[eulalia]

How? Does it help kill it?

You're in Folsom? Same here. What do you drive?

he drives the most bad ass 2jz renault.. lol

[racepar1]

Its there to prevent under hood fires dude.

What? Who told you that? Once it gets soaked with oil and graese it would do more to encourage a fire than prevent it.

[Pacman]

he drives the most bad ass 2jz renault.. lol

I saw a Renault here the other day, no joke. Ugly as sin, too. Don't think it was 2JZ powered, though. What color, chassis model, etc. Jeez, curious which of the few I've seen was his. :cj:

[2,1]

damn 60 bucks that way too much for that. I will just wait and get one for 20 bucks off of one of thease guys on here. But yeah you all made some good points about if its there its there for good reason, witch is why I haven't taken any of that stuff off. I just thought I would do my research and find out what the other s14 drivers had to say about it. But that damn heat sheild looks so damn ugly on the headers. I ended up grinding them down along with the "black top" thats not black I just forgot whats its called, I think its the head cover or something, but anyway I grinded those down because its looked like crap, had to take the spark plug wires out and plug them with a towel and take a square tiny sand paper and clean around it. I used a power drill with a wire dremal type thing for the big parts. Worked pretty good for the most part, but that damned heat sheild still looks ugly ass hell but if it keeps my ac going then I dont care how ugly it looks its stayin. I live in florida and its about to starting getting really hot down hear so there is no way im taking the risk...lol
It would prpably look pretty good power coated though. just a thought. Anyway like the boys said if it aint broak dont fix it. thanks guys

[eulalia]

I saw a Renault here the other day, no joke. Ugly as sin, too. Don't think it was 2JZ powered, though. What color, chassis model, etc. Jeez, curious which of the few I've seen was his. :cj:

lol he doesnt drive one its kind of an inside joke sorry.. lol

not sure what he drives now, his coupe is in long beach

[Pacman]

lol he doesnt drive one its kind of an inside joke sorry.. lol

not sure what he drives now, his coupe is in long beach

I got that, hence the :cj:

[2ilvia]

you definitely dont need your top timing chain guide, get this;

i bought an s14 an hour away and drove it home, next day i went to take the guide out and when i took the valve cover off i saw that the guide had broken and an angel kept it from sliding down into the timing chain cover which would have resulted in engine failure.

so everybody, take that thing out!

heres a pic
http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/49753/2001812034285596997_rs.jpg

[didderson]

Thanks for discussing the engine insulation guys lol. I'm glad I learned something new. In my case I haven't had problems with anyone I know that we removed it so I was under the impression that it didn't do much at all.

^ definitely remove those. My KA ran fine without that thing, but it did not run right with the wrong ignition timing and sohc piston swap lol. Live and learn.

Nice sig 2ilvia. U like 'Justice'?

[johngriff]

I drive a black E36 BMW 4 door. Um Yeah if you want to meet up, or know of a meet, I am always down, usually just chilling at the house since i moved up here a month ago.

I was always told that they melt down and off to prevent under hood fires, kind of like putting a lid on a burning pot.

I like those chain guides, if they are breaking/wearing like that you probably have a stretched/worn timing chain or loose tensioner. Take the valve cover back off and look at the underside of it where the tensioner was. It might be getting chewed.

And I will take my renault with an SR thank you.

[gotta240]

^^^ Why do you like those guides? They are utter crap and serve no good except making noise and clogging oil pickups, etc. Take that fucking chain guide OFF. It has caused MULTIPLE engine failures and therefore was REMOVED by NISSAN.


On a side note, how the hell does a piece of plastic UNDER then engine cause air to be rammed through the radiator?

[S14DB]

On a side note, how the hell does a piece of plastic UNDER then engine cause air to be rammed through the radiator?

It goes from the bumper lip to around the oil pan. The air that goes in through the bumper and grill can only go through the radiator not under the car.

[aznpoopy]

^^^ Why do you like those guides? They are utter crap and serve no good except making noise and clogging oil pickups, etc. Take that fucking chain guide OFF. It has caused MULTIPLE engine failures and therefore was REMOVED by NISSAN.


assuming it actually stays in place, it lets you know you have a slack chain problem (when chain hits guide) before you have a ridiculously super slack chain problem (chain hitting valve cover, etc)

too bad they break all the time. my first ka guide actually unbolted itself. bolts were bouncing around randomly around the cams. O_o

[2ilvia]

Take the valve cover back off and look at the underside of it where the tensioner was. It might be getting chewed.
yeah the underside of the valve cover had 2 marks where the guide was bouncing side to side

Nice sig 2ilvia. U like 'Justice'?
sorry never heard of, i got the idea from unco same's song 'eferydays goes to skoos'

It has caused MULTIPLE engine failures and therefore was REMOVED by NISSAN.
yeah i think they made a TSB where they told all their dealers to throw them out

[racepar1]

I was always told that they melt down and off to prevent under hood fires, kind of like putting a lid on a burning pot.

I never thought of that. I wonder if that is how they reall work, it makes some sense.

It goes from the bumper lip to around the oil pan. The air that goes in through the bumper and grill can only go through the radiator not under the car.

On the s-13's the bumper itself directs air towards the radiator, on 14's it may be different though. What that tray really does though is separates the airflow going under the car from the airflow going through the radiator. This reduces underhood pressure a bit which promotes better airflow across the radiator. Without that panel those two flows come crashing together which slows the flow across the radiator and creates more underhood pressure. I have never heard of anyone overheating because that panel is missing, but it reduces the aerodynamic efficiency of the car a bit.

[2,1]

you definitely dont need your top timing chain guide, get this;

i bought an s14 an hour away and drove it home, next day i went to take the guide out and when i took the valve cover off i saw that the guide had broken and an angel kept it from sliding down into the timing chain cover which would have resulted in engine failure.

so everybody, take that thing out!

heres a pic
http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/49753/2001812034285596997_rs.jpg

ok, im guessing its under the valve cover....If I take the valve cover off don't I need to replace the gasket too. ive never seen the internals of the ka some im a bit lost. Good post to the thread tho.

[johngriff]

I think that is the SR guide.. not sure though.

I was talking about checking the Valve cover for the chain wearing into it. I've seen it happen after that guide was removed.

[2ilvia]

ah, no my chain seems a little too tight to be hitting the valve cover, and thats a ka guide for sure, i took the pic, maybe they're interchangeable?