okay so im a noob, if youve read my threads,i havent started off well being a noob.

ive read and searched threads on maintenance on F/i, mainly turbos, but i havent really found anything. this obviously shows ive never owned a turbo car, id ask people i know, but then there really isnt anyone, so the forums all i have.

so the main question is what exactly is involved in maintaining tt car?(please no flames)

 

i dont really know since this is my first turbo car but i know the basic is just to check oil and filter everyonce i dont really think their is a maintaining department is just if the turbo's go out then rebuild them

 

Subscribing. This is my first TT also.

 

tires, high octane fuel, clutches, brakes, and engines. Every now and then some axles, transmissions, and more engines.

if you dont beat on the car much, then just expect accelerated wear of tires, clutches, and brakes. gas mileage will feel like it got worse simply due to you boosting around which burns a lot of fuel... but if you stay out of boost there is little to no effect.

The cost isnt so much in maintanance, as it is in supporting modifications. You will start to find inadequacies in factory components left and right once you start making HP.

This is all assuming you take it to someone with 350z experience. Without that, you will mostly likely get a shoddy install and damaged engine.

Otherwise, just change the oil kinda often and drive like you otherwise would. :shrug:

 

Maintenance would consist of more frequent oil changes with full synthetic motor oil, periodic tuning to adjust for climate and modifications (depends on where you live and what setup you're running), and most importantly you must keep a very close eye on your gauges and the way the car sounds and drives.

It's actually a lot less headache than a supercharger. You have no frayed/loose/slipping belts to worry about. I don't get why people say turbos are more maintenance, because with proper care, they aren't.

 

dont forget the hassle of dealing with boost leaks. you need to regularly pressurize your intercooler pipes to make sure they dont leak. wastegates and blow off valves must also be paid attention to.

i try to check my system at least once a year, or after any modification where i remove the intercooler pipes.

 

taurran,
did you do a build of your engine before going turbo?
Just wondering how many miles you have on your car with that turbo kit and if its on stock internals.

 

Stock motor. 31.5k miles when the turbo was originally installed almost a year ago, 36k miles now. Car runs better than day 1.

 

+1 on what Phunk and Taurran have stated. Change your oil more frequently and run synthetic oil. Try to run the highest octane fuel they have at pumps in your area. Keep an eye on your gauges all the time. After adding breathing mods, make sure your air/fuel ratio is still in the safe area. If you hear the car making a weird noise or not driving like it normally does, then don't drive it until you get it checked out.

Like Phunk mentioned, be sure to find a shop that has plenty of of 350Z experience, and that can do the job right the first time! Don't cheap out on the shops and parts. Its better to spend more money once and have it done right, then to have to go back a few times and replace a few other parts to fix it. This way there will be less down time and less money spent in the long run. If you have experience working on engines, then you could always do a lot of the work yourself. That will save u a lot of money, and you will know its done right.

 

this is my first FI car too and agree with everything said. Use quality parts and a good shop etc. Address the extra heat in whatever way you can with various cooling parts.

From what I've read you want to:

change oil every 2000-3000 miles depending on how hard you drive - use synthetic, and a good oil filter

with a supercharger, you change your belt twice as often, and maybe have to tighten the belt once or twice if you use a quality belt like a Gates belt

higher octane fuel might be something to look into mixing in with normal pump gas

I've heard that you should change the fuel filter more often

using synthetic transmission and diff oil is probably not a bad idea

check the air filter a little more often and make sure it's pretty clean, since more air is going to be sucking thru it than before

watch the gauges. Be aware of if it's dramatically colder outside then when you had your car tuned.

when you've been out driving really hard and park, instead of turning the car off let it run for at least 30 seconds or so to let the oil circulate thru the engine and cool it. Otherwise you might get some hotspots in areas of the engine. A turbo timer can help automate this if those 30 seconds of your life are that important to you

be aware that the engine bay will be much much hotter than before. A vented hood helps a lot. Helping the engine cool by popping the hood when you park in the garage after flogging the car of course never hurts either

consider buying a cheap backup car

and most importantly of all educate yourself on FI by reading threads like this. Lots of people own FI cars and know nothing about them. Even factory FI cars need a little more thought put into maintaining the car than a normal factory NA car

 

I wish nissan would have just done this car right the first time and offered a TT option. Such a shame everyone has to try and do this on their own with many of them loosing their motor.
I really hope that nissan will offer a TT when and if they redesign the 350

 

wow guys thanks a lot, didnt expect much feedback seeing how the other like threads only like one person responded, thanks again, theres lots of info. any other additions will still be appreciated

 

Exactly what i do, i have almost 28k miles with the APS TT kit for a total of 56kmiles. In the summer I usually pop the hood to let the heat disipate. Ive heard from several people that Synthetic is not needed. I've also heard that you should not run Synthetic with FI'd, but I see a lot of people on here do. So, who ever does your build just listen to them. I'd also change the oil in the tranny and diff early with the addition of the FI kit and then after that "break in"if you will, about 7k-10k miles, keep the same maintenance period.

Most importantly, monitor car(sounds and performance), guages(levels and warnings), use at least a 95oct mix for security, and monitor/add/ change oil often.

I think its better this way for the customer and nissan.

For us we get to choose which and how we want to add power. Adding Variety means more customer satisfaction in making their own choices. Lower price on the vehicle when you initially buy it. I just wish the Rods/pistons were stronger.

For nissan, keeps cost of building the car down, don't have to warranty (spend money) on people that added kits to their car. Allows customer to dictate their preference. Leaves more room for upgrading the cars package in the future.

 

I agree with everything said here and would add

A Wideband would probably be a good idea as would a knock light so you can tell if your detonating and how your A/F, I am not a fan of A/F guages and a good wideband will track your ATF. Those are more important for maintenance. I changed my oil every 2,500 to 3k with my FI car, checked Intercooler pipes for Oil, check Oil Catch Tank make sure blow by is minimal. As far as Octane goes, higher octane depending on your climate less knock which means less boom boom, so if you are running High boost you might want to invest in race fuel mixture. I also read about vacume leaks ofcourse the nice thing about those is if you have one you'll know because odd are your idle will be shot and likely motor will just die until you find the leak.