300zx

Longer Version

I'm still going to try and keep this somewhat succinct. It's hard to encapsulate many months' worth of work that occurred over many years in a single blog-style post.

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Motivation

I've always loved to tinker, build things, take them apart... choose your favorite word for this type of activity. In holding true to my beliefs of honesty and transparency, this car was entirely functional when I purchased it. The suspension was (and still is) old. The gas gauge was broken, but it still provided a mileage estimate. The roof liner was (and still is) coming off. There were (and now are more...) things to fix, but nothing was stopping this car from driving down the highway with the T-tops in the trunk and some 80's classics playing from the FM radio.

As the full saying goes, "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." I was curious, and I tend to learn well by doing. Additionally, most of my days were being spent behind a computer; I was seeking to use my hands. A desire to know, something to do, and some routine maintenance started this journey. What ended it was a desire to get this thing running before moving south to LA.

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Background

If you're curious about the vehicle, you can go ahead and look it up.

The first time I came across a Z31 300zx that I can remember was when I was a sophomore at Mudd. I thought, what student has this sweet ride. I peeked into the car and was struck by its Back to the Future-esque dashboard.

Fast-forward to next semester. We're placed into teams for E80, Experimental Engineering. We're talking about cars, so I mention the unique car I saw. Sure enough, it belongs to Eli, one of the three other people on the team! A quick aside, I'm so proud and grateful for those team members, the friendship we cultivated, and what we accomplished (Go S3T2!)! Four years later, I get a call from my now good friend, Eli. He sends me a listing to what became my 300zx.

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The Fun Part

What work occurred?

Gas Gauge

The first thing I attempted to tackle was the gas gauge. It shows no bars. Based on my research and engineering background, there could be a few likely culprits:

• Fuel sender unit.
• Power supply unit (PSU) for the dash.
• Wiring to the dash.
• Light elements on the dash.

I chose to start with the power supply unit. Here's why:

• The PSU and fuel sender are the most commonly reported cause.
• I already had tools to access and work on the PSU.
• I could buy components for the PSU at the local Fry's Electronics (RIP).
• Technically, tenants of the building weren't allowed to work on their vehicles on-premise.
• I could access the PSU discretely.
• Inspecting the wiring would be inexpensive, but would require taking much of the car apart.
• Accessing the light elements in the instrument cluster would require taking much of the car apart.
• Accessing the fuel sender unit requires digging around in the gas tank, not discrete.
• I was getting a mileage estimate and the on-system fuel warning was working. This indicated to me that it was less likely to be the fuel sender unit. Unless it is partially broken.

Okay so the PSU fits the bill as the starting point.

Moving a disassembled car with AAA

Talk about Moving a disassembled car with AAA.

Water Pump

Talk about the Water Pump.

Belts

Talk about the Belts.

Clutch

Talk about the Clutch.

Transmission

Talk about the Transmission.

Retrospective

What would I do differently next time?