240 Datsun Z cars

The lineup of Nissan Z cars has a long and proud history. After digging through the history of this legendary Japanese sports car it appears that the first offering in America was the 240 model that was released in late 1969. This was soon to be updated to the Datsun 260Z in 1974.

This car is rare because it had a short running. Just one year later in 1975 the straight six (inline) engine was punched out to 2.8 L, therefore renaming the car the 280-Z. The numbers in the title of the car of course equal the engine size even on the models that are built today.

1975 Datsun B210

1975 was also my first memory of this car as we went to a local Datsun dealership when my dad was in search of a fuel efficient vehicle thanks to the fuel crunch in the mid-70s. We did come home with a new Datsun that day but it was not a Nissan z car. We wound up with a B210 in a strange orangeish yellow color.

At the time foreign cars were few and far between and we were the only family with a Japanese car in the whole development. I remember the day that we brought it home! Our neighbor who was a World War II veteran came running out of his house screaming and yelling. He was a prisoner of war and spent time in a Japanese POW camp. He felt that by us buying a Japanese car that we were betraying our country (He had a point).

From Datsun to Nissan

1979 280ZX Special Edition

In 1979 these Nissan Z cars reached their tenth anniversary and rolled out a special model to celebrate. Not only was it well received as in breaking the all-time sales record for this model, but it was also named the import car of the year (again) by motor trend magazine.

Winning the motor trend car of the year can help propel a car into sales figures the car-maker never expected. It is also some of the best free advertising to this day. So no surprise it was a big deal in 79 and the car really started to gain traction at this point.

1984 Turbo Z

The Japanese automaker realizing the potential of this 2-door sport coupe started work on a complete redesign and a much anticipated re-launch of the next-generation. It was not ready to go until late 83 starting for the model year 1984. This was not only the year I graduated high school but it was the year that the Z would see its biggest engine yet with a 3 L V-6.

84 was also the 50th anniversary of the Datsun/Nissan motor Co. They celebrated by strapping on a turbo and breaking the 200 hp barrier for the first time. They put together a package in 1984 that was an anniversary edition turbocharged Nissan Z car. With a hood scoop offset to the driver side of the hood became the easiest way to identify this car. A look inside would reveal every luxury option that Nissan could throw into a vehicle at the time including leather seats.

What would be next for the Z?

In 1990 Nissan Z Cars were reborn once again with new styling and new engine options. And Yes you guessed it, they earned the car company the still prestigious award of motor trend import car of the year. The Z32 build out ran from 1990 to 1996. A convertible model was offered in 1993 that was very unique looking and provided the company with impressive sales numbers and profit margins.

1995 300ZX Twin Turbo

What I remember most about the Z32 was people started to call this car the “Corvette killer“. Not only did the styling of the vehicle rival the Corvette but the twin turbo 3 L V-6 produced over 300-based horsepower. With the lighter weight of the V-6 and the overall lighter weight of the Z car, these vehicles would run toe to toe with a Corvette of the same model year.

What killed the Z they say was the total cost. Ringing the bell at $50K the sales started to diminish to the point where the company decided to put the Nissan Z cars on hiatus till they could figure out what to do. This brings us to the modern day in with the year 2000 the roll-out and come back of the next-generation Z32 known has the 350Z.

I have written extensively about this car and its more recent counterpart the 370Z over at my auto-facts.org website. So I’m not going to get into great detail about this particular model. If you’re interested in seeing more about it you can follow this next link which opens up a new window to see more about today’s Nissan 370Z.

As for me I always wanted one from the first time I stepped foot in the Datsun dealership in 1975. With the launch of the 350 Z my passion was also reignited. I couldn’t afford a new one so I decided to buy an old one. I wound up with a Z31 1988 300ZX 2+2 in the silver blue color known as Ice mist.

Although the car was a lot of fun it was also a lot of trouble. I have dedicated a whole section on this website to my Nissan 300ZX problems. I also posted pictures of it on Pinterest along with Car stuff and other cool car pictures. If you would like to see more of the most recent articles posted here this next link will take you back to the auto repair information blog homepage.

Odometer 3.0L v6

How many miles can you put on a Nissan 3.0 Liter V-6. The answer to this question is similar to the answer of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie roll Tootsie Pop.

When I purchased my Nissan 300ZX it was from the original owner and the odometer was showing almost exactly 100,000 miles. My parents thought I was insane for buying a vehicle with such high mileage.

Back in my parent’s days when a vehicle reached the 100,000 mile mark it was time to throw it away and get another vehicle. But as we know today, we can get many more miles than we use to just 10 years ago.

The 150k mile mark is common place now. If the engine is well built and cared for 200,000 miles is well within reach for many drivers.

300ZX V-6 engine

I plan on dedicating a few posts to the 300zx repairs that were necessary while I owned this car. This car required more work than any other vehicle that I have owned before or since. But this post will be dedicated to the engine itself the mighty 3.0 L Nissan V6.

3L V6 300ZX

When I got this car with 100,000 miles on it I wasn’t sure how far the engine would go. Being a mechanic I figured that I would have to either overhaul or replace it at some point. The first thing I had to do after purchasing the Z. was to get it through state inspection.

The vehicle did fail for loose ball joints and alignment issues but it passed the emissions test with flying colors. Also notable was at 100,000 miles the 3 Liter V-6 had fantastic oil pressure at about 30 psi at 800 RPMs.

The engine had zero smoke emissions and purred like a kitten. I owned this car for about four years and put an additional hundred thousand miles on the Nissan v6 motor.

At that point the engine still had 25 psi of oil pressure at 800 RPMs. With the odometer showing 210,000 miles the day I sold the vehicle there was still no sign of smoke or any other signs of worn internal engine parts.

Now keep in mind that I am a mechanic and I loved this car with all my heart. It received oil changes every three months or 3000 miles religiously. So it was well cared for but still it exceeded all of my expectations about how many miles I could put on a Nissan 3.o Liter V-6.

Oil change tip for the v6 Nissan engines

As a side note every time you do an oil change on this engine the oil filter is located above the starter motor. When you remove the oil filter oil will run over the top of the starter motor. If you do not clean the oil off the starter it will eventually overheat and need to be replaced.

If you go to a quick lube, chances are they will not take the time to clean the area around the oil filter. You may want to double check this unless you do not mind replacing the starter every 5 years or so.

So I really can’t answer the question of how many miles you can put on your Nissan 3 Liter V-6 but as far as the engine in my 300ZX the last I heard it had over 240,000 miles on it and continued to pass state inspection and have good oil pressure. In my opinion Nissan makes a very stout V-6. If you take good care of it the skies are the limit for the longevity of this motor.

For more details about this car related blog the homepage is available from the next link. Go from the Nissan 3.0 Liter V-6 to auto repair information blog.