Some of you know that the Z has been sitting for over 2 weeks due to a dead injector. Well I grinded the plenum down finally to get access to the injector without having to pull the plenum. My friend and I got the old injector out after an hour of pulling on it with pliers and prying it with a screwdriver. The thing finally pops out and we get the new one in. I fire the car up and its running on all 6. So we’re pretty stoked that the injector is working and that the Z is running and we decide to take it for a quick run up to the Kohl’s lot to see if any of you guys are there. Well, I’ve never actually been to the lot and didn’t know exactly where it was so I pretty much passed it by about 5 miles. Thats where the fun starts. I notice that the temp. gauge is about 75% way to the top so we pull over at a gas station. As soon as we get out we see steam pouring from underneath the engine bay. Pop the hood and theres coolant EVERYWHERE. Its then that I remembered that my upper radiator hose was faulty and needed to be replaced. At this point I’m pissed and cursing up a storm in the parking lot. Its 6:30pm on a Sunday, I don’t have any tools, rags or coolant in my car and the Z is in no shape to drive anywhere. Oh and I’ve got no money on me either. :banana So my friend calls his roommate and the guy was cool enough to come pick us up and drive us to Advance Auto in the Westgate Plaza. At this point its already 8pm and I figured they’d be closed. We pull up and lo and behold; they’re closed. So we head into Price Chopper to see if they’ve got anything we can use and all we find of use is duct tape. They don’t carry coolant so I had to settle on water. We get everything and get back up to the Z. I take off the radiator hose because it feels kind of stiff and brittle to me and I discover that the hose is perfectly fine. The hard piece I was feeling was in fact the radiator outlet that the upper radiator hose slides over. It had cracked and there was no way of getting it to sit again with just the clamp. So I did what I always do when faced with impossible circumstances. I broke out the duct tape and we ghetto rigged the shit out of the hose. I used the entire roll and thought to myself “theres no way this won’t hold”. We fill up the radiator with a gallon of water and we get rolling. We’re driving for like 10 minutes before the Z starts heating up. I mean REALLY heating up, the gauge was reading nearly 100% up. So we pull over and guess where we stopped purely by chance? The Starbucks lot right next to the Kohl’s lot.lol The Z is spewing water and steam. Needless to say the duct tape didn’t hold very well. It was shriveled with heat and completely soaked. It’s 10pm. The Z is dead. We’re stranded. And god is raining Armageddon down on us. I finally break down and call AAA to tow the Z home. The guy shows up after about an hour and surprisingly he turned out to be an import guy. He sees two 300z’s (other one belongs to my friend) and starts telling us how hes got a 93 TT Supra painted Lamborghini yellow with a JUN body kit and whatnot. He follows us back to my house and tells me not to worry about paying. I’m relieved because I didn’t have to bum money off of my parents again. So anyways, the Z is sitting in the garage right now with coolant and water splattered all over the engine bay and a glob of shriveled duct tape stuck on the radiator hose. I’m exhausted and to top it off, I think I’m sick. So yeah, today sucked monkey nuts.
That’s quite the story, and finding Kohls by an accident must have been a kick to the nuts (was anybody even there?)
I have to give you credit on doing work with one of the worst production engine bays I can think of and not being in the paper the next day for attempted suicide.
It’s a cheap problem that forces you to be a little more meticulous with the car and do some of the stuff that should have been done to begin with :tong
Glad it worked out alright for ya though, looking forward seeing it at the lot one of these weekends, now that you know where it is :thumb
Noone was up there by the time we stopped. It had already started to rain. And I’m glad that someone else understands how incredibly ridiculous these cars are to work on. Putting her up for sale has crossed my mind a few times over the last few weeks. lol
Thanks for the (presumably) hetero hug, Swift. Wtf is this video which you speak of tho?
radiator outlet that the upper radiator hose slides over. It had cracked and there was no way of getting it to sit again with just the clamp
DUDE. my stock Calsonic did that. same spot. only my temp guage shot up in abuot 3 seconds at a red light then BOOM coolent every where. i had to get a new rad, but i temporarly fixed my with some tin (soda can) duct tape and gasket maker. drove another 800 miles my rad came in the mail FINALLY. :headbang
point of story
Mishimoto All aluminum Rad > Stock Calsonic Rad
Well I’m planning on grinding down the jagged broken part of the outlet so that its smooth and straight and attaching PVC piping of the same diameter with JB Weld. Hopefully this will hold until I can afford to get a new radiator. First I need shocks, struts and about a million different bits and pieces before I can think about the radiator.
lets just say he got it for a box of cheap ass computer parts. that are worth 100. and its just sitting there. on cynder blocks rotting (not really rotting) away. and behind it is a 90 240sx. then next to that is another 90 240sx. then next to that is 4 old bimmers. lol and 2 old jags. Ask shady, his dad and him have 9398 cars for the hell of it.
im taking the 5 lug swap when i get a chance. its all there execpt the MAF (i have) and wheels/tires/ front lights/grill/front bumper/and misc interior parts
One of my priorities is not spinning out when I hit a bump. My rear shocks are worn badly and the Z is tail happy enough as it is. Besides, I’m not ignorant man. If the fix doesn’t seem secure then I’ll obviously be getting a new radiator. Thanks for looking out for me though. ;D
my car’s not bad, yet! i plan to replace all lines and hoses and stuff with silicone. they dont tend to dry like the rubber OEM ones do. i wouldnt wana get stranded like that
