Z31 questions

So if I know of a Z31 that will "run for about 15 minutes then shut off with no power going to the spark plugs" does anyone have any ideas as to what problem that might be?

I have no what it could be but are you still trying to find a car?

Yes. To make a long story short, I keep finding cars but my parents are dragging their feet. Which is why I ma thinking about this 300ZX, because I have more then enough money to buy the damn thing and get it going.

Swap the dizzy? at minimum, cap and rotor. Sounds like it's cracked

In reply to The poster formally known as 96DXCivic:

Good grief. You are all over the place with the car choices. My 944 looks like a wiser choice than almost anything else you've thrown out there.

Sounds like a resistance issue. Something key has just low enough resistance to start/run, but once it gets warm the resistance crosses the threshold to too high, and the car dies.

I'd check all the typical culprits: grounds, plug wires, cap/rotor, coil, fuses, et cetera.

Otto Maddox wrote: In reply to The poster formally known as 96DXCivic: Good grief. You are all over the place with the car choices. My 944 looks like a wiser choice than almost anything else you've thrown out there.

Haha I have major AADD. Later this week I am going to look at 4 cars (2 Civics and 2 Miatas). I am really looking at the Z31 as a winter break project. I am bored as hell sitting around at home. And I have until Jan 10.

The poster formally known as 96DXCivic sent you a message.

mrhappy wrote: The poster formally known as 96DXCivic sent you a message.

Replied.

The poster formally known as 96DXCivic wrote: but my parents are dragging their feet.

So buy your own car?

tuna55 wrote:

The poster formally known as 96DXCivic wrote: but my parents are dragging their feet.

So buy your own car?

With what money?

if you dont have money to buy the car, where is the money to put into it as a winter break project going to come from?

that said, it sounds like an ignition module/distributor problem. if the ignition module is removable, and can be tested, take it to autovance and have them test it, repeatedly. i've done this with chevy modules when experiencing the same symptoms. eventually the module gets hot and starts failing tests.

I mean I have enough money for a project but not enough to buy a reliable daily driver.

My first thought was a dying ignition module. They're one part that tends to overheat and shut down often.

MadScientistMatt wrote: My first thought was a dying ignition module. They're one part that tends to overheat and shut down often.

That was my first thought too.

The poster formally known as 96DXCivic wrote:

MadScientistMatt wrote: My first thought was a dying ignition module. They're one part that tends to overheat and shut down often.

That was my first thought too.

thirded (is that a word?), sometimes the optical distributors fail intermitantly but the ignitor is a lot easier to replace ;) a logic probe or similar can test the outputs of the ignitor and ro distributor

How much does a reliable daily driver cost? I paid $1650 for mine, and it has only been towed once in 42k miles. Of course I have spent more money on it that that since i got it, but still less than half what the cheapest new car you can get costs.

In reply to Travis_K:

agreed, sometimes the most expensive cars are the cheap ones, ya know?

and maybe your parents are holding off because they don't really want you to have another car? they can be funny that way sometimes

No my dad just wants to find a super reliable one and finding one that is super reliable fun manual and in my price range is kinda like finding diamonds in the E36 M3ter.

1998-2000 Honda Civic HX

What's your price range again?

MadScientistMatt wrote: My first thought was a dying ignition module. They're one part that tends to overheat and shut down often.

My dad taught me his testing procedures for saabs with this problem years ago. Run the car until it dies, then pour a glass of ice water on the module and attempt to restart.

A Z31 is nice, but why not step up to a Z32 or even Z34? You can get a Dale Earnhardt edition! (He drove into a wall and killed himself you know.)