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Actually, it started some days ago. For the last week or so, my car has mysteriously been running at 205-215 with the AC OFF in on the freeway and 195-205 on the street. VERY odd symptoms...sometimes it creeps to my usual 185 degrees, but wont stay there long. My clutch felt kinda weak and I didn't think my aux. fan worked. I checked to see if water was flowing using the "turn a cold car on and let it warm to normal temperature and feel the hoses" technique. Radiator was rotted out and cleaned last year, and system flushed a few months back. Then, I replaced the clutch fan after buying a "cheap" one that didn't work (shame on me!) to the tune of $155. Then realized my aux. fan DID work but only after 221 degrees...damn it has to go HIGH to go on! So there I am with my new fan clutch, driving the 4 miles from my friends shop to SteAmyZ's house. I get there and we are going to swap CAS's because I am pinging at anything over 9 degrees of timing (argh!). I tried richening the car up with the AFC, ran it in cold weather, ran it with high octane gas from a differnt station, made sure all injectors were working, and now was trying the CAS. Sure enough, it's not the CAS as his did it too. Damnit. It's been doing this for months...the things I've added were exhaust, ECU and AFC. The AFC and exhaust were after though...maybe the used JWT is bad? Though I hear if they are bad they just don't work and it's obvious. Damn this is going to suck to diagnose. We get back and I hear a click, click, click...we check under the hood and think it's something hitting the fan. Well, it sure was...it was part of a belt and we found out because all of a sudden we hear this CRUNCH, BAP BAP BAP BAP GGRRRR CRUNCH sound. I turned off the engine to see the aftermath of toasted belts. Sh@t :( Must have nicked a belt when doing the fan clutch.... No biggie really...except it's dark, I'm away from home and don't have the means to change the belts there or the parts. So I camp over at SteAmyZ's place (thanks bro! The satellite dish rocked ;) and flatbed the sucker the 4 miles to my friends shop so I can do the belts. Well, it takes 3 and a half friggen HOURS for the flatbed. I mean, I am grateful I got one, but DAMN that's too long for AAA. Then the guy says "you have to drive it on"...I try to explain to him how I can do it with the tow hook thing and have done it before, but he wont listen. So with belts and other stuff TANGLED in my engine bay, I have to start her :( Sounded ugly...but got her on. Then as we are cruising down the street we have to swerve to avoid an idiot coming out of a driveway REALLY wide...I swore the damn flatbed was >this< close to tipping over...it felt like the old "tip the schoolbus" game back in grade school! Everyone LEAN! I didn't look back as it happened, but I sat in utter fear waiting to hear a loud WHAM from my car falling off the bed LOL. I know it's tied down...but man this was a SHARP swerve and the way my day was going anything was possible...thankfully, all was as it should be. So I get it there only to find that my radiator fan is cracked ($80...thanks a lot Nissan...a-holes). I have to wait 2 hours for a fan because the dealer can't find one and the other 2 dealers nearby don't have any. We get it all in and I make SURE to tighten the belts because last time I squealed like a live pig on hot coals. So I'm in 2 day old work clothes, dirty as hell, making my way home to get to the OutcaZt Z meet tonight. I get home and change then I walk back out to my car. I walk up and HELLO, big ass friggen ding in my front right wheel well :( Jesus, the ONE place on the f'in car that a dent puller CAN'T get to. Damn, damn, damn!!!!!!! As if it can't get any worse, I go to dust the Z off with my trusty duster only to have the end come apart, leaving the metal staples that attach to the wood exposed and I leave a nice double set of scratch marks down my passenger side door. They had better buff out! :( *sniff*. I get to the damn meeting...thinking at this point I'll probably be hit by a semi given the way the night has gone. I get there and ZXTRM shows up with his badass Veilside Z. His first time out and he's from British Columbia going to school out here. Well we chat and stuff and I check out his Z... Now there's ONE thing I've wanted forver on my Z...that I'd give my left nut for (but wont pay ~$300 for). And that my friends is the rear light up "300ZX" panel. Guess who has one? That's right! So I'm bummed at first...thinking, DAMN I wish I had that right now. One of the rare times I've been jealous of another Z outright. But I get over it beause hey, I'm going to get to see one in person! Then I find out, it doesn't work. Doh! :( Seems his Canadian Z has some wiring issues with day time running lights and the panel isn't going as planned. Sheesh! It was great to meet him and see his Z (which is loaded with goodies let me tell you. Pics soon!). Long night...I'm tired. It's almost 10 pm so I hop in my Z. What do I hear? SQUUUEEEEEEEEEAAAAAL. ARGH! Sure enough, I didn't tighten them enough...though I worked on them so long my mechanic/friend said I'd break them if I tightened anymore. Guess not. So that's it...what a crappy night and a half. End result: I have squealing belts, spent $250 I probably didn't have to spend, salivated over a part that I can't justifiably own but want, I'm pinging like all hell and running retarded, running 20-30 degrees hotter than I should (two are not really related as I pinged WAY before the heat came), found an unremovable ding, and nearly lost my Z off a flatbed! All I need to do is wreck my Z and I'll be batting the cycle! Sheesh... Guess it could have been a LOT worse...other people's days have sucked as of late too (Adam?)...but it still sucks. Especially having a car that doesn't run right and having no idea what's wrong. Tomorrow is Friday and I think I'll be hooking up with my buddies Mr. Bass and Mr. Guiness. Later guys,
Ryan/SeedyRom P.S. My "e" key is f'ed up too...damn day! :)
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