iamjustincase

Hello all,

I've been lurking on this forum for a while trying to learn as much as possible before I purchased my first Z. Well I made the purchase last week and now need some help making a pretty expensive desicion.

First here is an explaination of what I bought and what I have learned so far about what options are available to me. I apologize as it is quite a read and I tried to keep it short as possible but if I left out any important details I will try to be quick with repsonses.

I pruchased a 2004 Nissan 350z(not sure what trim) with just under 160 000km on it. The engine has a spun bearing, I new that when i bought it, and I originally had it quoted at 4100$ before taxes for a full engine rebuild with remachining where nessecary and a warrenty on the engine. now I havn't obtained details on what this "warrenty" covers but they said they had to do a full rebuild in order for me to get this as that was the only way they could say for certain there was no metal shrapnel troughout the entire engine. Which makes sense to me.

So here's where I'm stuck, the shop says they can get then nessecary parts for the rebuild but the only pieces they cant buy from their supplier are all the timing chains, tensioners, and guides and other timing equipment.

So I first started with doing some research on the timing setup for these engines, and from what I've been reading on here, these engines don't need to have the timing equipment replaced unless it has failed or appears to be badly worn which seems to be rare.

So i just went with the assumption that mine needed to be replaced, and I would like it replaced so I can feel secure about it lasting. I've been looking around online and i found this website called z1motorsports.com, on that website they claim to have all OEM timing equipment, it wasnt very cheap but they seem to have all good reviews about their site and parts, and it was a good size cheaper than the $1000 the dealer quoted me just for parts.

I then went to ebay just to see what specials they had, and i found this kit below with all the timing equipment and an oil and water pump included for only $400!!!!. its manufactured by mizumo auto and when i google them i cant find any reviews specifically about this timing kit for this car but i found alot of bad reviews about alot of stuff like head gaskets so im very aprehensive about buying this kit but the price is so good.

here is the link to the ebay special - http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Nissan-Altima...#ht_3024wt_791

so after all that here are my questions..

-have any of you ever had to replace your timing chain? If so where did you purcahse it?

-have any of you every purchased this particular kit from ebay made by mizumo auto? or anything made by mizumo?
what about z1motorsports? have you purchased timing equipment from this site?

-nissan dealership? i called them and the tech said be prepared to spend 1000$ minimum just for parts. does that sound insane to anyone else? or has anyone ever had nissan do a rebuild for them?

-would i be better off with a used or remanufactured engine? if so where do i find these?

Any info about any similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. I'm not a mechanic but i understand engines more than the average joe.

Thanks to all who took the time to read,
Chris

*EDIT*
i messaged the seller on ebay questioning the quality of the manufacturing of the chains and all the equipment and heres the response i got.

The timing chain kit is made in Taiwan.
It is being distributed by a company called Evergreen.
The kit is aftermarket part. It is of good quality, but not as good as OEM since aftermarket parts most of the time are not as good as OEM.
We sell a lot of this kit, and our customers have been happy with them.

Thanks.Best regards,
Helen H.
MizumoAuto

and i googled the water pump and it seems that GMB water pump is good name brand, dont know anything about oil pump.

congpert2

You gotta love it when a plan comes together.

graffkid732

iTrader: (44)

Just buy a running engine for around 1500.

iamjustincase

congpert2 - yes i love when stuff like this happens.but ive bought the car and im driving it one way or annother.

graffkid732 - are they really that easy to find? and how would i know what im buying? would i find these on ebay or do u have a suggested site?
i have no problem doing the rebuild and getting a new engine with a warrenty i just dunno where to get the timing equipment.

djamps

iTrader: (1)

+1 just buy a used engine. Unless you're planning on using forged internals + big turbos you're wasting your money big time on a rebuild.

On a side note, if this engine builder can't do a rebuild without you bringing him parts he's unable to source himself (+ offering a warranty on your random ebay parts) I'd be running the other way....

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

Since you're from southern Ontario,check out this thread where people listed reputable shops,

https://my350z.com/forum/east-canada...ssissauga.html

Call up these shops and see if they can source an engine for you.

iamjustincase

djamps - that is a very valid side note i had not yet thought of. i just trusted the shop because a few guys at work said they heard good stuff and they apparently build racecar engines.

i have a mechanic friend who said he will help me rebuild it if i wanted to go that route, and i could buy the stage 2 rebuild kit off z1motorsports which has better internals. i believe that may be cheaper too. in the not so near future i did want to do a turbo setup eventually. would this be a better route if i plan on doing FI?

l2iceman - thanks alot for that link i wasnt aware they had such a post, if i can find a local engine for a resonable price i will go that route forsure because we have to pull this engine out and put it back in ourselves anyway. i was just nervous about buying an engine and having it shipped. and not seeing what im buying. ill call around forsure.


my largest concern is the timing chain. i would rather work with this engine because i know whats wrong with it,(unless i can find a nice local one, but i think ill be pretty picky on the km and price since im looking at having a brand new one if i rebuild this one) and now im back to thinking about doing the rebuild myself but again i need to know what to do about timing equipment.

how would i go about inspecting it? what am i looking for? is there a way to measure if it has stretched at all?

Cass007

iTrader: (34)

Its a double or triple chain, so I would expect stretch to be minimal. I've had new ones installed after spun bearings and we always got them new from Nissan.

iamjustincase

do you recall roughly how much it cost from nissan to get the timing equipment? becuase i think the tech at my local dealership is nutz that sounds so expensive at 1000$ just for timing equipment.


I've found 3 possible used engines so far and I'm looking into each and will most likely end up buying one and just putting that in and saving the other engine to see if its worth rebuilding.

thanks everyone for the opinions.