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- New Zealand
- SkylineObsession
- Mangosaurus
My Skyline gearbox is on it's deathbed, so bad in fact that it's not really safe (for the car) to drive it as i risk blowing it up good and proper.
The story;
1. Fourth last time i drove it was at a Skyline club meet i'd organised on Saturday 4th February. After that was over i noticed that when i used over 3/4 throttle a sound appeared which sounded like i had an aftermarket turbocharger! A high pitched whine, sort of like the turbo whine but a bit more higher pitched i think.
2. Third last time i drove it was Friday 10th of February to Dunedin International Airport, as my grandparents were returning from a long holiday in Western Australia. The whine was still there while using over 3/4 throttle, but seemed slightly louder this time.
3. Second last time i drove it (Tuesday 14th) was while taking Mum and my sister around the city to do shopping etc, and when i floored it one time i noticed the sound seemed to be louder still.
- By now i had posted on the Skylines Downunder forums to see if anyone knew what the problem was, and after doing a bit of searching etc it seemed as though it may be the turbo casing or something coming loose, the sound being that of air being forced through a small gap possibly.
4. Last time i drove it was last Friday (17th) and here's where things started happening. Turned it on, let it warm up for ten minutes as i usually do and then drove it out onto the street and took off.
Basically as soon as i started accellerating up the street the sound came back - this time while i was using only about 1/4 throttle, if that. I had my windows down too as it was a hot day, and that only made the sound louder (so all the previous times i heard it the sound was probably louder from the outside also).
- So i eventually drove to Southern Motor Court in Dunedin (deal with Nissan's etc). Talked to a guy about it, he jumped in the drivers seat, me in the passenger one, and took off around a few blocks to try see what the problem was. The noise didn't really make much of an appearance this time (which is always the way), but when it did i tried pointing it out to him. Eventually he said it could actually be something around the turbo, so said i should go to Turbo Shop to see if they know. He said he didn't like the 'clunking' the gearbox was doing as it started rotating either.
- So i got to Turbo Shop, told one of the guy's about it, we go for a drive and he comes to the conclusion that it is definately NOT the turbo but the gearbox as the sound was starting at about 1,500 rpm, and the turbo kicks in at about 3,000 rpm. The sound was easier to hear this time also, so i didn't have to point it out as much. He suggested i go to Total Automotive which specialises in automatics.
- I arrived at Total Automotive, told the guy there about it, and we went for a drive (the amount of times these three mechanics i saw floored the car mustn't have helped much, as the sound got worse/louder throughout the day - and i'd never usually floor it this much in any one day either). He said it is DEFINATELY the gearbox, and could be one of many things - one of which being the bearings (i forgot what the rest were). He estimated about $3,000 to fix it all (and detailed exactly what would be done, which sounded like a fair bit) and said that this would make the gearbox perform better than it did when it left the factory in Japan 15 years ago. Also mentioned that they'd never had a Nissan come back to them after they have fixed the 'box, so it must be worth the money.
On the way home i had to sit on about 80 km/h (speed limit is 100 km/h) as the noise was louder the faster you went, and the gearbox was also slowing the car down which meant i had to use more throttle than usual. The noise was so loud that i couldn't even hear the turbo whine most of the time, and it slowed the car down so much that it felt as though the turbo wasn't even working!
So this has put me in a bit of a spot. The Nissan Skyline club car display which i've been organising since October last year is on this Sunday - and i live about 15-20 km's away from the event. As my Skyline is 4WD and automatic it cannot be towed the normal way, with a rope. So i have to find a car transporting trailer to get it there for this weekend! I probably could drive it there but i don't want to risk making it any worse by doing so, and people have advised me not to drive it either.
So what now?
I am now dead set on buying a R32 GTS-25 (non turbo, coupe, 5sp manual) so that at least i have a car to drive around in. Once that is done (which could be months away, as i only have $280 saved for one, and no job) i'll start working on properly fixing up the GTS-4.
Which means new/fully reconditioned automatic gearbox (NOT doing a manual conversion), four new tyres, replace pipes/belts etc in engine bay that need it and heaps more. Basically this could be the start of the restoration i've had planned from the start for this car.
Not bad though, had it one year and about two months with no problems (apart from a non working headlight and tyres).
The story;
1. Fourth last time i drove it was at a Skyline club meet i'd organised on Saturday 4th February. After that was over i noticed that when i used over 3/4 throttle a sound appeared which sounded like i had an aftermarket turbocharger! A high pitched whine, sort of like the turbo whine but a bit more higher pitched i think.
2. Third last time i drove it was Friday 10th of February to Dunedin International Airport, as my grandparents were returning from a long holiday in Western Australia. The whine was still there while using over 3/4 throttle, but seemed slightly louder this time.
3. Second last time i drove it (Tuesday 14th) was while taking Mum and my sister around the city to do shopping etc, and when i floored it one time i noticed the sound seemed to be louder still.
- By now i had posted on the Skylines Downunder forums to see if anyone knew what the problem was, and after doing a bit of searching etc it seemed as though it may be the turbo casing or something coming loose, the sound being that of air being forced through a small gap possibly.
4. Last time i drove it was last Friday (17th) and here's where things started happening. Turned it on, let it warm up for ten minutes as i usually do and then drove it out onto the street and took off.
Basically as soon as i started accellerating up the street the sound came back - this time while i was using only about 1/4 throttle, if that. I had my windows down too as it was a hot day, and that only made the sound louder (so all the previous times i heard it the sound was probably louder from the outside also).
- So i eventually drove to Southern Motor Court in Dunedin (deal with Nissan's etc). Talked to a guy about it, he jumped in the drivers seat, me in the passenger one, and took off around a few blocks to try see what the problem was. The noise didn't really make much of an appearance this time (which is always the way), but when it did i tried pointing it out to him. Eventually he said it could actually be something around the turbo, so said i should go to Turbo Shop to see if they know. He said he didn't like the 'clunking' the gearbox was doing as it started rotating either.
- So i got to Turbo Shop, told one of the guy's about it, we go for a drive and he comes to the conclusion that it is definately NOT the turbo but the gearbox as the sound was starting at about 1,500 rpm, and the turbo kicks in at about 3,000 rpm. The sound was easier to hear this time also, so i didn't have to point it out as much. He suggested i go to Total Automotive which specialises in automatics.
- I arrived at Total Automotive, told the guy there about it, and we went for a drive (the amount of times these three mechanics i saw floored the car mustn't have helped much, as the sound got worse/louder throughout the day - and i'd never usually floor it this much in any one day either). He said it is DEFINATELY the gearbox, and could be one of many things - one of which being the bearings (i forgot what the rest were). He estimated about $3,000 to fix it all (and detailed exactly what would be done, which sounded like a fair bit) and said that this would make the gearbox perform better than it did when it left the factory in Japan 15 years ago. Also mentioned that they'd never had a Nissan come back to them after they have fixed the 'box, so it must be worth the money.
On the way home i had to sit on about 80 km/h (speed limit is 100 km/h) as the noise was louder the faster you went, and the gearbox was also slowing the car down which meant i had to use more throttle than usual. The noise was so loud that i couldn't even hear the turbo whine most of the time, and it slowed the car down so much that it felt as though the turbo wasn't even working!
So this has put me in a bit of a spot. The Nissan Skyline club car display which i've been organising since October last year is on this Sunday - and i live about 15-20 km's away from the event. As my Skyline is 4WD and automatic it cannot be towed the normal way, with a rope. So i have to find a car transporting trailer to get it there for this weekend! I probably could drive it there but i don't want to risk making it any worse by doing so, and people have advised me not to drive it either.
So what now?
I am now dead set on buying a R32 GTS-25 (non turbo, coupe, 5sp manual) so that at least i have a car to drive around in. Once that is done (which could be months away, as i only have $280 saved for one, and no job) i'll start working on properly fixing up the GTS-4.
Which means new/fully reconditioned automatic gearbox (NOT doing a manual conversion), four new tyres, replace pipes/belts etc in engine bay that need it and heaps more. Basically this could be the start of the restoration i've had planned from the start for this car.
Not bad though, had it one year and about two months with no problems (apart from a non working headlight and tyres).
.
How long will you be without a car?
