DiggZ Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Now then, some things just turn out too good to be true....... To cut a long story short I bought my Z a couple of years ago with an lpg conversion already fitted. Seemed a good compromise and I did some homework on it which didnt flag up any warning lights - full history, installation records etc. Have had a few engine lights on of late, mostly intermittent, checked coil packs, plugs etc and couldnt find anything obvious. After doing a bit more investigation couldnt quite pinpoint or fix the problem. I wasnt happy with it so took it into the garage last week hoping it would be a simple fix but after running compression tests and other diagnostics decided to investigate further... In summary the extra heat and dryness of the lpg has knackered the valve seats on the engine, amongst other things. Just got back from the garage after having a long look at it, not good news and it either needs a rebuild or a replacement engine. Rather than a rebuild route I think Im going to source a replacement as theres no way of knowing if theres any more damage been done unless its completely stripped down. Current mileage is 68k, so Ive explored a few options and prices to replace it with an engine circa 20k miles and covered under a limited warranty. Suffice to say the lpg system will be coming off straight away and the car going back to standard form asap. No warranty remaining on the car or the lpg Can anyone help or point me in the right direction of where I should be looking? At least the sun is still shining outside! Cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fien Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 sorry to hear about ur engine, that's not good news. the LPG conversion doesnt sound such a good idea now for people if that's what it does to ur engine! "At least the sun is still shining outside!" - I'm impressed with your positive outlook tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin W Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 drop a pm to ZMANALEX, he might be able to help, failing that R35LEE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 either ZMANALEX or R35LEE will be able to sort you out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggZ Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Cheers, will see what can be sorted. Not been a good week all in all, but things could always be worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanS16 Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I think I saw a whole VQ35 on ebay the other day for about £1000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin W Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 I think they come up occasionally, but you have to ask 'would you buy a used VQ35 from this man? ' ????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggZ Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Indeed, have located a few engines, rang a few places but not convinced so far... Spoke to Lee and he is on the case but we shall see what develops tomorrow. I have a decent price with the local specialists for an engine with 8.5k and 12 month parts and labour warranty included which isnt the cheapest option but sounds reasonable and sensible. Anyone any experience of what this will do to resale value if I go down the engine replacement route with warranty and history etc? Would replacing a 68k engine with an 8.5k engine increase its sell-on value etc? Cheers Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NISSAN-350Z-3-5-E ... tsupported Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Anyone any experience of what this will do to resale value if I go down the engine replacement route with warranty and history etc?Would replacing a 68k engine with an 8.5k engine increase its sell-on value etc? I'd say no. We all know that it's an engine with less miles on but there's still that nagging doubt that says if it's had a new engine then what else has/is going to go wrong? You'll lose about £1K off the value of the car I would imagine, and vastly limit the people who will buy the car. Given the choice of two cars, both identical except one has lower mileage but a replacement engine, most people (including me) would go for the one untouched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Anyone any experience of what this will do to resale value if I go down the engine replacement route with warranty and history etc?Would replacing a 68k engine with an 8.5k engine increase its sell-on value etc? I'd say no. We all know that it's an engine with less miles on but there's still that nagging doubt that says if it's had a new engine then what else has/is going to go wrong? You'll lose about £1K off the value of the car I would imagine, and vastly limit the people who will buy the car. Given the choice of two cars, both identical except one has lower mileage but a replacement engine, most people (including me) would go for the one untouched. sadly i know what he means, i went through this with a previous car. was a bugger to sell, ended up removing that information from the add. it wasn't a Cat C,D, A or B so no need to declare it. the car is in working order. but if asked during a sale about if the engine was replaced then you tell them exactly what work has been done. its down to the buyer to ask the right questions. some people might think this a bit wrong, but if the car is well looked after, and the work is done by a reputable company with an engine that has a traceable history then the car is as good as new. if selling on the forum and people now the history, then you also need to include it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FIDDYZ Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Bad luch mate, interesting info on the LPG (just bad you had to find out..) Have you had a look at a V8 or a RB26TT conversion? (but guessing not as you had LPG your interested in Economy!). Alex did have a few for grabs. Guessing you have a grand or so in engine parts you can remove and sell anyway if you strip it donw... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Really good you're so calm about it all. Hope you get it sorted soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toon Chris Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Bad luch mate, interesting info on the LPG (just bad you had to find out..) The LPG should have been fitted with an oil drip (can't remember what the proper name is). For cars with susceptible valve seats this lubricates them and prevents these problems. The car should also be run with petrol every now and then. I've had a v6 with LPG before and got stonkingly high mileage and the engine was in fantastic shape, possibly due to the clean burn of LPG - no carbon anywhere and even the oil always came out honey coloured Really bad news you found out the hard way though DiggZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 PM replied to mate. Got a choice of 3 engines available so definately should have something to suit you. Cheers for the headsup guys Alex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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