Zoe the Z was a bitch today (Big news inside)

"Dsscats" (dsscats)
09/06/2014 at 22:29 • Filed to: None

So, I'm cruising around town with the mother stopping off at garage sales for the heck of it. It should be noted that it's a good 100 degrees today. All of a sudden, I look down and notice the temperature gauge rising slowly. I try not to panic. I try not to panic some more. It gets higher than this:

I start to panic. Being in LA, everything is stop and go traffic and the airflow to the radiator in this situation was dismal at best. I pull into a parking garage and BAM, immediately get stuck in a line of cars trying to find spots. I'm going under 1 MPH average and the temperature gauge is rising. And I'm freaking, man, I'm freaking. Finally, I break out from the line and go down a ramp and find a spot on the lowest level (Apparently no one bothered to go down that far, so there were only 8 cars parked there).

Pictured: Bored, annoyed mother. Sad, annoyed Z.

Note the leak under the car behind the front tire. This appeared and expanded at a pretty damn steady rate. I assumed (foolishly, it turned out) that it was coolant, as the car was overheating. I look at it, but the car is too low for me to get under and the engine bay is too cramped for me to find what was leaking. My lack of mechanical knowledge probably didn't do me any favors either.

Pictured: My persistant leak.

So, I sit there poking around, but in the 100 degree garage, it's too hot for the Z to cool down. It took forever to get it cool enough to take the radiator cap. In that time, I have a friend take us to AutoZone and pick up some coolant so we can try to limp the poor thing home.

Pictured: Z family there to provide moral support. Note: The Datsun was parked there when I pulled in. Never met the owner.

But back to the main ordeal. It finally gets cool enough for me to take off the radiator cap and I find a MAJOR problem.

Note: That's not oil. It's just the lighting. The problem was the coolant was full. None gone at all. I decide to drive home and pull off to call AAA if she starts to overheat.

So what happened? She made it home, cool as can be. Temp gauge stayed centered the whole damn time. I might do a coolant flush later, but it seems like she's good to go to Supercar Sunday tomorrow morning (where the picture was from. See her in the background?). I'll probably run with the A/C off just to be safe.

I think she was just putting up a fit because of my big news:

I'm going to start actively trying to sell my Z32. Before, I had it up on CL just to see if I got any good trade offers, but I'm really damn sick of being scared at every slight noise. I need to get something a bit more reliable. I had an $8000 offer and I'm considering taking it if I can find a suitable replacement.

DISCUSSION (42)

Brian Silvestro > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:36

Time to get FiSTed, it seems.

Desu-San-Desu > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:36

$8k in South Carolina could get you a lot of very nice cars. As for L.A.? I'm guessing not so much.

Viggen > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:38

That seriously sucks. I know the feeling. I had to play the coolant scare game with my Crown Vic. The car won and I lost (so did my wallet).

I was going to find a scene from K-19 when the nuclear reactor started to overheat, but youtube failed me.

Biased Plies > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:39

Does the Z32 have an electric fan? I would think so and would suspect it or it not switching on to be the culprit of your overheating.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:40

"I'm sorry Senpai.. I didn't mean to be difficult"

Kinja'd!!!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:40

350Z. Used copies are cheap. You can stay in the Z family but buy a car made in the 2000s. Or, you know, FiST yourself. Either or.

Dsscats > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
09/06/2014 at 22:42

Nope. I couldn't go 350Z. Just couldn't. It's slower than a Z32 TT. If I get another Z, I'm doing it right and going for a 240 or 260.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
09/06/2014 at 22:42

Somebody give this man a cookie COTD.

Dsscats > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul
09/06/2014 at 22:43

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING WITH MY LIFE. RIGHT AS I OPENED UP THIS COMMENT PANDORA PUT ON THE SONG "STAY WITH ME".

Dsscats > Biased Plies
09/06/2014 at 22:44

I'll have to check the fan clutch.

Dsscats > Desu-San-Desu
09/06/2014 at 22:46

You'd be surprised. There's a hell of a lot on CL. This is my current lust, even though chances are it's an illegal import.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/464190…

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:46

In the meanwhile, deal with it the Roadkill way - hood off!

Kinja'd!!!

Dsscats > Brian Silvestro
09/06/2014 at 22:46

Too much ca$h :(

Biased Plies > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:46

Yep, good idea. I was gonna suggest that if it didn't have an electric fan. It'll probably be ok to drive in the cool air of the morning to supercar sunday but I'd obviously avoid any traffic or hotter temps. It's probably an easy enough fix and you have to expect some of these types of things on a ~20 year old car.

jkm7680 > Brian Silvestro
09/06/2014 at 22:47

MAG LIGHT.

Dsscats > Biased Plies
09/06/2014 at 22:50

Hopefully it's just some gunk in the cooling system and I can flush it out. It's one of the few jobs that I actually have the tools to do :p

Brian Silvestro > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:50

BMW 2002.

944.

Alfa GTV.

All of those are much more reliable.

Dsscats > Brian Silvestro
09/06/2014 at 22:51

You've been reading too much Jalopnik again...

Brian Silvestro > jkm7680
09/06/2014 at 22:51

SPREAD 'EM

Brian Silvestro > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:52

This is true. But you do live in CA. Which means you can find rust-free GTVs with ease.

This is an amazing luxury that the rest of the country does not have. You must take advantage.

jkm7680 > Brian Silvestro
09/06/2014 at 22:53

WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS TO A WHOLE 'NOTHER LEVEL.

Alex from Toronto > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:56

If she starts overheating again take the hood off, be like roadkill.

Desu-San-Desu > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 22:59

That's....kind of hideous. XD

Dsscats > Desu-San-Desu
09/06/2014 at 23:01

Ugly, but epic. And it has the same VG30 as the 300zx. It even came in TT form. If this is TT, I'm going to have to buy it....

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Brian Silvestro
09/06/2014 at 23:03

Haha! You called a 944 reliable!! Of Fucking Happenings!!

Kinja'd!!!

Philbert/Phartnagle > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 23:26

Kinja'd!!!

That's just condensation draining off the AC condenser.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 23:27

Kinja'd!!!

Most likely you just had a trapped air bubble in the cooling system and it worked itself out.

Fookin' Prawns > Desu-San-Desu
09/06/2014 at 23:31

You just have to know what to look for.

Dsscats > Philbert/Phartnagle
09/06/2014 at 23:37

I didn't have the AC on for the last 30 min of the drive.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Dsscats
09/06/2014 at 23:41

There may still be some condensation draining off for some time after it has been running.

A trick you can use if your engine is overheating is to turn on the heater full blast. It will be very uncomfortable, but it will help dissipate some heat.

Axial > Dsscats
09/07/2014 at 00:49

More reliable? Corvette all day 'erry day.

Dsscats > Axial
09/07/2014 at 00:52

Honestly tempted by a 92-96 C4. Now I just need to convince the mother.....

His Stigness > Dsscats
09/07/2014 at 01:11

Well that "puddle" was probably just water. And I suspect that either your thermostat got stuck closed, or the fans stopped. I'm familiar with your car at all so I don't know if it only has electric fans or a mechanical fan also/only.

And if you do have electric fans then they should turn on with the AC on.

Axial > Dsscats
09/07/2014 at 01:31

'96 has all the bugs worked out. When they give you trouble, it's something stupid easy to deal with and usually something you can postpone dealing with for months. Oh, the heater core as sprung a slow leak? No big deal, I'll just pour a little bit of coolant in once every 1.5 months or so when the light comes back.

Go for a '96.

Tohru > Brian Silvestro
09/07/2014 at 02:00

Alfas are to driveways what marble statues are to yards.

Tohru > Dsscats
09/07/2014 at 02:05

Go with an '89. Last year of the L98 smallblock (no Opti-Spark like the LT1's), last year of the cool digi-dash, first year of the ZF 6-speed manual.

My dad had one in blue with the FX3 suspension package. It was properly quick and handled like it was on rails.

Brian Silvestro > Tohru
09/07/2014 at 07:20

Yet still worth it!

Brian Silvestro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
09/07/2014 at 07:28

Isn't Aaron on his 3rd engine or something?

T4llG3E5E > Dsscats
09/07/2014 at 07:46

Check the radiator fan. It happened to my Skyline (G35/350GT). If the radiator fan isn't working properly then she can overheat in stop and go traffic.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Brian Silvestro
09/07/2014 at 08:57

Is he? I haven't seen him post for a while now.

Brian Silvestro > K-Roll-PorscheTamer
09/07/2014 at 09:00

This should be right up your alley: http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/tag/944life

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Brian Silvestro
09/07/2014 at 09:05

God damn...that's not going well.