Back2Studio wrote:I am but a mere pleb in a vast ocean of petrol heads and great race car drivers....... Snickers*
as promised SSSavage this is a feature list of stuff you can do to make it more reliable as a daily driver.
keep in mind reliability is kinda expensive and you better off takin front before front take you.
so i'm going to divide it into different sections. so you can choose what you wanna do first
1. ENGINE regular oil changes with the correct viscosity of oil remember is a f used engine yuh hav so try not to run too thin of oil 10W40 is good enough and if yuh engine is ole and makin noise try 20W 50 different oils hav different additive packages in it so some oils keep the engine clean while others cause sludge (* cough castrol * cough)
some oil recondition the internal seals and try to stop leaks so brand of oil is up to u.
replace ALL belts - theres only 3 - power steering , ac and alternator and main belt
check tensioner - replace if necessary - yes you CAN replace the bearing in the tensioner itself if the bearing is bad - once the tensioner itself is good.
replace worn cracked hoses and hose clips. visually inspect and replace.
upgrade radiator to an all aluminum 3 core rad and zerex asian coolant
replace coolant every two yrs or 50,000kms. whichever comes first.
check and replace rad hose accordingly and replace thermostat with the OEM unit and OEM rad cover.
water pump - i try to go for OEM here but i guess once you get something that works it'll do fine.
power steering lines if you have leak just go down to Trinidad hose and get a new line made and done. full stainless steel with same OD and ID will do nicely - expensive AF but its lifetime. dont waste time buying a f used line for $450.
spark plugs - NGK iridium seems to be the weapon of choice -BKR5EIX
spark plug wires - i believe NGK are the OEM unit for nissans of this type. buy new ones.
if you want to buy f used pay close attention to the quality.
there should be no breaks cuts or nicks in the insulation - rubber should be soft and pliable
the lead wire should have less than or equal to .1 ohm (THATS POINT ONE OHM OR ONE TENTH OF AN OHM)
of resistance - multi meter use here - and wire should be bight and shiny copper on BOTH ends.
distributor - replace BOTH seals on the distributor ( internal and external) with OEM new seals dont buy generic they dont last long.
set the Idle properly - i think the idle is 750rpm without load << SUBJECT TO CORRECTION
injector seals - you can replace it theyre relatively cheap - paid like $300 for a set for my car
rocker cover / tappit cover - if youre leaking oil here changes are the bolts just need a slight tighten down. mine was leaking badly and they were all slack a Phillips screwdriver and 2 mins and hand tighten stopped the leak.
SR -you'll need a socket and ratchet to tighten those bolts dont over tighten otherwise you'l strip it.
still leaking but the rocker cover gasket. stay away from gasket maker.
2 TRANSMISSION use good quality transmission oil. any transmission oil that exceeds the nissanmatic D J&K spec will work.
NOTE CVT trans you need to use the nissan CVT oil - NS2 or above will work.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT >>>> add in an external oil cooler quality units like B&M or others - try to stay away from the generic ones or f used bamboo units out of other cars - some of them barely dissipate enough heat and others just have poor air flow.
if you have a stock cooler with CVT transmission you should change that cooler - reason is the car designed to work in japan where has a lower ambient temp than our hot tropical climate. so the same cooler works well in a colder climate but in our tropical area here....it cant cool effectively.
nothing kills CVT transmissions faster than excessive heat.
3. SUSPENSION bolt on a front upper strut tower bar OEM or aftermarket - stay away from the generic ones - they made of out cheap aluminum and easily flex
bolt on front lower sway bar with oem end links - use poly bushing spacers energy suspension again
cradle and poly bushing - if youre going that route do ALL the bushings in poly bushings and remember you cud never have enough grease. use the supplied grease dont mix and match bushings.
energy suspension is good stuff
remember the strut tower bar and sway bar is key it ties all components together so adding in poly bushing brings without adding in the strut tower bar eah makin sense and vice vera
ball joint - 555 is ok.
if you cud afford new cradles then awesome.
TECH TIP >>> after installing the bushing just hand tighten everything set the car on level ground and then run down everything with your impact gun. reason is when you hand tighten and put the car on the level ground the bushing sets itself where it needs to be in relation to car weight.tighten it down to set it in place.
shocks - since you're going for daily driver you wont want coil overs or lowering spring
normal shock is KYB - works well.
our shock mount is actually rebuild able - both front and back.
theres NO bearing in our shock mount.
4.BRAKES if you have drum brakes consider going up to rear wheel disc brakes..
if you're happy with the rear drum brakes then keep it.
replace ALL rubber flex hoses with stainless steel lines
Trinidad hose makes them remove your old lines carry it in .takes less than 15 mins to make it
pedal feel will be awesome and responsive
replace all brake fluid once a year - regardless if its good or not
brake fluid is hygroscopic - which means it absorbs water from the air.
brake fluid gets contaminated and loose viscosity and the ability to work will be compromised.
air and hydraulics dont play nice and will cause master cylinder failure.
simply put - replace it once a yr.
master cylinder.
if bad yes you can rebuild - OEM seals from japan if u can afford it.
if u want to change out the master cylinder for a new one by all means.
the OE size is either 5/8 or 7/8
if you wanna play hero 15/16 from the skyline cud work too.
brake booster - never had to replace mines so i cant say
brake calipers front
you can upgrade to the 11 inch rotor from the TEV primera and caliper- the caliper has two pistons in it if i remember correctly.
you cud also upgrade the front to use R32 rotor and caliper - this is a 4 piston caliper
to be honest the stainless steel brake hose is the most you'll ever have / need to do.
5.DRIVETRAIN axles - you can buy f used axles but if you just need a CV joint check faiz in marabella he should hav replacements. glo is the brand of choice- works well dont forget new boots and grease.
axle seals - new OEM
anything else i missed out i'll add in later on.
feel free to comment / ask questions - agree / disagree with what was said....