Parts to improve daily driving reliability

[Atljunglist]

Ok, guys im not a noob by any means, but my car has been a picky bitch lately. Im not gonna ask you guys to diag my problem cause i know what it is.( now its the starter)But lately it seems like it has been one problem after another with alot of down time. Once my tax return comes back from the IRS i guess im gonna pick up a beater car to drive when the S14 is down. My question is what aftermarket/replacement parts would you guys recommend to keep my car on the road? Nismo thermostat,Nismo rad cap? thats about all i can think of at the moment.
Here goes the mod list:
s14 w/ Sr redtop,Greddy FMIC,Koyo rad,rad shroud, t28 bb turbo, HKS SSQ BOV, ACT stage 3 clutch,Nismo lightened flywheel, 550 cc injectors, Walbro 255 fuel pump, Apex N1 3' exhaust, Apex S-AFC II, Enthalpy tuned ECU, new engine temp sensor, new coolant temp sensor, new thermostat, greddy turbo timer, greddy profec B spec II boost controller. new plugs
Can you guys think of anything that i can add keep my car on the road for more than a week at a time?? does Nismo make any other sensors that i cant think of?? Anyone's $.02 would be appreciated.

[nonissan]

synthetic oil, good fluids, regular maintenance

[Atljunglist]

synthetic oil, good fluids, regular maintenance
Check, I always use syntec oil and use redline water wetter in my radiator.
What other "good fluids" should i be using???

[Irukandji]

Check, I always use syntec oil and use redline water wetter in my radiator.
What other "good fluids" should i be using???


Not just the motor,

I run Redline oils in my transmission and differential.

Hmm, don't overfill your motor on oil, the added oil pressure can lead to many other problems (leaks, headgasket, dirty cat etc). Its good to keep around 3.75 quarts in your car.

cheap and easy maintenance: sparkplugs, cap, rotor, plug wires, etc.

[infinitexsound]

Nismo thermostat,Nismo rad cap u dont really need these a normal oem will work fine... just check ur fluids u should check ur oil pick up ..... clean it out what not...

[S14DB]

Ditch the Nismo Themosat for an OEM or Fail Safe. The nismo will increase your Fuel consumption Daily driving.
The 300zx Rad cap is the same PSI as the Nismo. $3 partstore 300zx cap is cheaper than the NISMO branding. It will help with the hot days.

Wideband, EGT, Water Temp and Oil Pressure Gauges.

Syth Motor oil. 90w syn tranny oil(no heavyweights)
50/50 pre-mix coolant. Keep electrolosis/corosion at bay and no minerals from tap water.
Check Belts, hoses, wires for wear, tears or discoloration.

I'm sure I can and will think of more.

[Atljunglist]

Ditch the Nismo Themosat for an OEM or Fail Safe. The nismo will increase your Fuel consumption Daily driving.
The 300zx Rad cap is the same PSI as the Nismo. $3 partstore 300zx cap is cheaper than the NISMO branding. It will help with the hot days.

Wideband, EGT, Water Temp and Oil Pressure Gauges.

I dont have a Nismo thermostat i said i was thinking about getting one.
300 zx radiator cap, CHECK thanks 4 the info
Also i already have a wideband (forgot to list)
My next mods planned were to get EGT, Water temp and Oil press gagues for saftey.I should have said that too. So i should be using purified water in my radiator mixed 50/50 before being poured into the radiator?? God, my car is a queen!! (Sounds like some high maintence(SP) females i know. "I dont drink tap water only Dasani")

[Dousan_PG]

Ok, guys im not a noob by any means, but my car has been a picky bitch lately. Im not gonna ask you guys to diag my problem cause i know what it is.( now its the starter)But lately it seems like it has been one problem after another with alot of down time. Once my tax return comes back from the IRS i guess im gonna pick up a beater car to drive when the S14 is down. My question is what aftermarket/replacement parts would you guys recommend to keep my car on the road? Nismo thermostat,Nismo rad cap? thats about all i can think of at the moment.
Here goes the mod list:
s14 w/ Sr redtop,Greddy FMIC,Koyo rad,rad shroud, t28 bb turbo, HKS SSQ BOV, ACT stage 3 clutch,Nismo lightened flywheel, 550 cc injectors, Walbro 255 fuel pump, Apex N1 3' exhaust, Apex S-AFC II, Enthalpy tuned ECU, new engine temp sensor, new coolant temp sensor, new thermostat, greddy turbo timer, greddy profec B spec II boost controller. new plugs
Can you guys think of anything that i can add keep my car on the road for more than a week at a time?? does Nismo make any other sensors that i cant think of?? Anyone's $.02 would be appreciated.


if yoru car ISNT reliable or running w/those mod sorry but your motor sucks

i run prety much the EXACT same set up daily driven (1 bar of boost all day long) even day everywhere and tracked (at least 2 times a month or more coming up) and no problems.

i would recommend a aftermarket thermostat its just good to have, make sure your car is tuned well, get a FPR as well.

other then that, since the motor is still 'stock' imo it should run fine you just have bad luck.


and fuck this nismo shit. its a goddamn name
like said above the few dollar z rad cap is cheaper and not some name brand. do it. dont get stuck on name brands.


who did your swap?

ediT: oh yes egt: dont waste your money
oil pressure and oil temp are good to have
water temp guage too and boost is nice when tuning.

[m0rex]

Just change everything frequently if you drive it like you are suppose too. Check every thing throughly. Theres really no part thats going to keep your car running 100% i mean theres what about 2000 parts that your car has.

[andrewmp6]

most of all keep your tire pressure where it should be and dont speed

[wootwoot]

cheap and easy maintenance: sparkplugs, cap, rotor, plug wires, etc.


cap, rotor, and plug wires on an sr huh? :keke: :keke:



What reliability issues have you been having with this thing for christ sake? I dont think I saw it up there but go buy some rocker arm stoppers if you dont have them NOW. My poor motor =.(

[Atljunglist]

if yoru car ISNT reliable or running w/those mod sorry but your motor sucks

boost is nice when tuning.
The car runs great when its running. It put down 287 rwhp on the dyno about a month ago. I guess since i turned the boost up from stock the motor is finding the weakest link. The motor isnt the problem bro, i guess im just having bad luck lately. After i got it off the dyno the ignitor chip went bad about 1 day after i got it back. Then i get that fixed and the *&%$#@%$* starter goes bad and wont crank, so now i gotta roll start the biatch. Oh yea btw I DO have a boost gague.

[Atljunglist]

Btw where can i get a set of good rocker stoppers for a good price online??

[KA24DESOneThree]

I know I'm not the only person thinking "KA" right now... *stupid grin*

Just seems like you're dealing with mileage and age issues. When stuff starts getting old, it fails more frequently than new stuff. Add mods to the equation and it's kinda just bound to happen. No one likes to say it but hey... the newest S14 is over 7 years old by now.

[BOROSUN]

ummm... add more grounds. cant have enough grounds.

thats all i can think of.

[tchenku]

which 300zx rad. cap are we talking about? the z32 or z31? and will it work with a DE ka radiator?

[tchenku]

Btw where can i get a set of good rocker stoppers for a good price online??

you just got to shop around. but i got mine at and i do alot of business with phase2motor. they're great people.:bigok:

[Phlip]

which 300zx rad. cap are we talking about? the z32 or z31? and will it work with a DE ka radiator?
Z32, and I have one on my KA DE radiator.

[tchenku]

Z32, and I have one on my KA DE radiator.

awesome! thanks!!

[Atljunglist]

anyone know if the z32 rad cap will fit on a koyo radiator??

[Dousan_PG]

anyone know if the z32 rad cap will fit on a koyo radiator??

are you serious?
yes of course it does.

[Gnnr]

Optima batteries are good also since they wont leak and like someone said having good grounding so maybe a grounding kit aswell. Its preventive maintance for your electrical system.

[trsilvias13]

a new battery, new coil packs, new spark plugs, s/s oil/water line, new oil (engine, trans, diff) , clean air filter, new belts, rocker arm stopper, gauges (wideband, boost, water , oil pressure, volt), turbo timer , new tires, alignment,

that a list i can think for now

[hellion240sx]

very good info about reliability on here. need to clean this up and make a sticky out of it. i would love to do it but can't today. not right/enuff time.

[G-reg]

The car runs great when its running. It put down 287 rwhp on the dyno about a month ago. I guess since i turned the boost up from stock the motor is finding the weakest link. The motor isnt the problem bro, i guess im just having bad luck lately. After i got it off the dyno the ignitor chip went bad about 1 day after i got it back. Then i get that fixed and the *&%$#@%$* starter goes bad and wont crank, so now i gotta roll start the biatch. Oh yea btw I DO have a boost gague.

287rwhp at what psi?

[Sean1978]

how about turning your boost down for daily driving?

I don't plan on running my car at full boost potential all of the time, it dosen't make sence to me to stress and wear the engine like that for daily driving... Why not just turn the boost up when you need it?

[CKAMC]

if you have a little bit more cash an oil cooler or tranny cooler would increase the life of your motor and tranny. another idea is collant expansion tanks such as the ones make by cusco and other jdm companies, they make sense to me when it comes down to how they help with the radiator. Other than just helping out your motor why not check all your bushings thru out your car? I bet one of them *since there are so many* has to be worn out/missing

[neilsan]

New O2 sensor, clean the MAF, check all your intercooler piping for loosened clamps, new NGK Iridium plugs, GReddy oil pan, Mobil 1 AT LEAST (I like Royal Purple), Redline MT-90 in the tranny once a year, A good oil filter (I use Mobil1 M-110 "extended performance" series filters on my S13sr, the E.P. filters are better than K&N) Z32 Fuel Filter, and keep an extra ignitor in the glovebox. I agree on the grounding idea too, Everywhere you see a ground on the motor clean up the contacts. For like $75 someone in the fs section is selling homemade grounding kits with good quality connectors. Worth it for the peace of mind alone, and if it helps out, then sweet.

[wootwoot]

I dont recommend touching the MAF in anyway without consulting the FSM first and iridium plugs actually produce a weaker spark than that of copper-they just last a long ass time

[knate]

I dont recommend touching the MAF in anyway without consulting the FSM first and iridium plugs actually produce a weaker spark than that of copper-they just last a long ass time

Do you have anything to back up that they produce a weaker spark? I have an article at home where someone pulled out old iridium plugs of an SR, put in copper, and lost something like 3-4 horsepower. They put in the old plugs and got that power back.

I don't buy them simply because they are too damned expensive for a spark plug, I can live without that 3 horsepower.

[wootwoot]

Me backing that up is simply that copper is more conductive than iridium is. Thats all I have to stand by ontop of that statement

[2iv0 sx]

Everything above... and just something I always do

Dont wait til your gas tank is on ''E'' to pump, dont want your gas tank to dry out.

[wootwoot]

^^^reasoning being for those who are curious is your fuel pump is lubricated BY fuel. Running it low frequently can cause premature wear of fuel pump and also possible lean conditions when you really dont want them if you're driving hard

[S14DB]

Iridium plugs actually produce a weaker spark than that of copper-they just last a long ass time
Your thinking of Platinum.
^^^reasoning being for those who are curious is your fuel pump is lubricated BY fuel. Running it low frequently can cause premature wear of fuel pump and also possible lean conditions when you really dont want them if you're driving hard
Fuel is a solvent not a lubricant. The fuel cools the pump.

[wootwoot]

Dang!....

ansdfiandfdinoaio

So iridium DOES produce a stronger spark than copper?

also are you sure it doesnt have any lubricating benefits for the pump? It was something said to me but ya know how it is out there

[Atljunglist]

287rwhp at what psi?
18 psi on high boost, 12 lbs low boost(which is what i have it on for daily driving.

[mr_240sx]

18 psi on high boost, 12 lbs low boost(which is what i have it on for daily driving.
on which turbo? stock t25? i hope you got bigger injectors when you run 18psi

[Atljunglist]

on which turbo? stock t25? i hope you got bigger injectors when you run 18psi
No, I have a T28 Ballbearing and yes, 550's from Deatchwerks group buy

[hellion240sx]

damn i can't wait to get to that mark. 12 for dd and 18-20 for hi boost!

[Atljunglist]

damn i can't wait to get to that mark. 12 for dd and 18-20 for hi boost!
I went from stock boost to 18lbs on high. The thing feels like a whole new car.:naughtyd:

[hellion240sx]

whats ur low boost?

[TheTimanator]

how many miles do you have on your engine?

I have 110k miles on my SR...35k which I put on. I haven't had any problems until recently. Altenator went out (which I think may have been my fault) my water pump needs replacing as well as my 02 sensor and some other things. Some of these things are to be expected as you put more and more miles on it.

[Dousan_PG]

whats ur low boost?


low boost? what the fuck is that? high boost always!!

[hellion240sx]

Hah i wish i could run around boosting at 20psi all day but... well you know. can't really do that.