# Took car to shop today.



## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

Hey guys

Today i took my 84 300z non-t to the shop for tune up and inspection. It's been acting up alot lately after sitting all night or during work. When i take off it sputters alot, even backfired once and then once it gets warmed up its fine. Now this may just be cuz its a 84 but this morning for the first time i noticed whitish smoke comming from the tail pipe while letting it sit and warm up. I bought Splitfire Platinum plugs so i'm having the guy throw them in for me with a new cap and wiring. Hopefully this clears the problem. I don't know much at all about cars but ive been reading the posts alot and trying to learn what i can from what ive read. I thought maybe the sputtering could be a air intake problem but the car runs great after being warmed up even up hills and stopping at a light, no sputtering at all. Just seems like the car is spitting gas and not able to fire it all correctly.

Also, when i get to around 3k rpm it seems like it tries to change gears then it seems like it goes back to the higher gear for a few seconds then goes to lower gear and stays. Could this be timing belt? Maybe trans fluid needs changing? I dunno but i'm sure some of you may.

Anyways any info is appreciated, this site has actually helped alot in understanding my car. 

BTW, Car has 104k miles and is a Auto.


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## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

Sorry didnt mean to post twice. These work pc's are crap.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Denass121 said:


> Hey guys
> 
> Today i took my 84 300z non-t to the shop for tune up and inspection. It's been acting up alot lately after sitting all night or during work. When i take off it sputters alot, even backfired once and then once it gets warmed up its fine. Now this may just be cuz its a 84 but this morning for the first time i noticed whitish smoke comming from the tail pipe while letting it sit and warm up. I bought Splitfire Platinum plugs so i'm having the guy throw them in for me with a new cap and wiring. Hopefully this clears the problem. I don't know much at all about cars but ive been reading the posts alot and trying to learn what i can from what ive read. I thought maybe the sputtering could be a air intake problem but the car runs great after being warmed up even up hills and stopping at a light, no sputtering at all. Just seems like the car is spitting gas and not able to fire it all correctly.
> 
> ...


Get rid of those Splitfires right now, if you ever want your car to run correctly. They are pure garbage. 

As far as your gear change problem, no, that has nothing to do with the timing belt. If the timing belt was bad, the engine would run like garbage if it ran at all. Might be the transmission ecu, or the fluid needs to be changed, or the actuators inside the trans are going bad. 

As far as the warmup problems, I'd say it was the coolant temp sensor, or possibly the air regulator on the side of the intake plenum. The coolant temp sensor tells the ECU how warm the engine is, a cold engine requires more fuel to run properly. You can see where this would cause problems if it wasn't working properly. 

As far as the whitish smoke you see during warmup, that's possibly condensation, you'll see that sometimes during the warmup cycle on pretty much all cars. Its after the engine is fully warm that it could indicate a blown head gasket.


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## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks for the info bud, now i know what to change after the tune up. Also if i notice the car running bad after the split fires are put in, which i think are put in already i'll get plugs recommended. I was told by someone the splitfires are good. I'll take your advice over his though. 

I dont see white smoke after warm up so it was probably just condensation like you said. I do plan on getting a new ECU as well.

Thanks again. :O)

I'll post after i get the car back on friday on how its running and what was done to it.


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## ICP Sux0rZ! (Jan 10, 2005)

heres a plug recommendation, normal plug, nothing fancy, not these platinum's or +2 shit jsut normal plugs


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## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

So what is the reason why Splitfires and Platinums or what ever suck? Aren't they suppose to give a bigger spark?


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## ICP Sux0rZ! (Jan 10, 2005)

splits allow the the spark to occur easier theres more then one space for it to arc to

platinums allow for hotter spark but not much hotter and unless ur running a huge hp boosted motor i wouldnt use them



*thats all MO


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

If you've ever seen a video of a Splitfire plug in operation, it always fires to one side, and one side only. Electricity always follows the path of least resistance. Having 2 ground points is worthless for just exactly that reason. Same with the 4 point plugs.

Now on the the Platinum plugs. Look at the size of the center electrode of those versus a regular plug. It's incredibly itty bitty. That incredibly tiny firing surface can get fouled very easily, as is common to happen in the VG30. The VG30 has NGKs specified for a reason, they work best in this situation. In fact, having been on the far side of 280 Hp (crank) and 16 psi of boost, I can say any $.99 normal spark plug will work, but the Plats will not. I had absolutely no problems with the Champions I used.


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## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

So i coulda spent 14 bucks instead of 40 lol well i'll get reg's then. 

Now for a cap and coil. What do you recommend? As far as wires are brass the best?


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## nissandrew (Aug 23, 2005)

I'd run NGK plugs and wires. I've just got a stock cap and rotor and that works for me.


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## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

Well just called the mechanic.

Inspection
Cap, plugs, rotor, wires
Tune up
I think he replaced a O2 censor too

430.00 big ones !!! dayum

doesnt look like i'm drinkin this weekend!!!

It should feel like a totally different car tomorrow when i pick it up.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Denass121 said:


> So i coulda spent 14 bucks instead of 40 lol well i'll get reg's then.
> 
> Now for a cap and coil. What do you recommend? As far as wires are brass the best?


Unless you're well north of 400 Hp, there no reason to use anything other than stock plugs and wires. The stock coil and distributor is quite capable of handling firing chores at that level and beyond.


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## Denass121 (Sep 16, 2005)

Got the car back few min ago. Running pretty good, no sputtering anymore either. Next project is trans fluid/filter. Then new exhaust system. Gotta save my penies for a few more weeks lol. Freakin 200 dollars for labor!!! My God!!! I wish i knew how to do this shit myself.


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

Denass121 said:


> Got the car back few min ago. Running pretty good, no sputtering anymore either. Next project is trans fluid/filter. Then new exhaust system. Gotta save my penies for a few more weeks lol. Freakin 200 dollars for labor!!! My God!!! I wish i knew how to do this shit myself.


If you are mechanically inclined at all, it's possible. The VG30 is pretty basic engine, nothing very complicated at all about it.


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