Appealing

You can't... 98-00 are all series2's, also s1 manuals were never made. A few have been converted. Buy private, you save a lot of bucks.

Well the amazing thing was as I said this was just over idle with the engine unloaded. I didn't hear a thing, until I tried to restart it, then the sound of what I knew would be engine damage. I still wasn't sure, the symptoms after that were same as dead battery. The only really annoying thing for me was the way that the "Service" shop acted..... and I've known them for 20 years +. Firstly saying that it was just fatigue, and these things happen!! They didn't offer to strip it down to ascertain the damage. In the end I got fed up with playing games. I got an independent engineer's report done. The results were conclusive. The bolt was left untensioned, just as I thought. There was also a mark around the belt, that looked like the bearing had been running on it's edge (ie at an angle). This to me and the fact that it was definitely unwound after breaking, all added up to incompetence. They have looked after all my cars over a long time, but not any more. I really didn't have a beef with the mechanic, he is a good guy. But I just wish that someone had said, "Yep, we f**ked up, let's get it fixed". The mechanic was the head mechanic at the shop, and he wanted to do the job himself, as he knew how special the car is to me. I fully understood that he didn't do it on purpose and having 5 other mechanics to oversee, probably just got distracted. But really a "sorry" would have gone a long way! He has since left the shop over this incident, in his boss's words he was "gutted and upset at this having cost me so much money". You've also got to love the wording on the "offer to settle", which actually says, "Without Prejudice & Without Admission of Liability"!! So the only thing good to come from it is that the engine we found is a 54,000km one from a failed compliance, and I am going to get to bolt a few goodies on. Thanks for the tip on ECU, I'll get it taken out and done straight away. I've read all the topics on bolt breakage, and yeah some are a bit frightening. It isn't a requirement (according to Nissan) to replace the bolt. But in this case, torquing it up would have saved $10,000, and a lot of inconvenience.

C'mon it's obvious, they fell in love with your turbo!!

These are extracts from my legal claim against a local Mechanical service company.... (RAC AND BOSCH Approved!!). In August 2009, My car was serviced by a local company as a normal course of maintenance for the 100,000 km service. This entailed changing of the timing belt, Tensioner bearing, Idler, bearing and at my request the water pump. All new parts were supplied. The km's on the car were 119,000. No fault had ever shown up on this engine, except a faulty coil pack on the ignition system. No dismantling had ever been undertaken on the front area of this engine, before that service. As such it was as Nissan built it, straight from the factory. On Saturday 13th February the engine in my Series 2 stopped seemingly for no reason. I tried to restart it. It would not start. I managed to get the car into a parking bay, and rang the RAC, the engine would not turn any more than about 45deg. Arrangements were made to transport the vehicle to my home. Next day.... The front upper covers of the engine were removed and it showed that the idler bolt had broken thereby releasing the tension on the timing belt and allowing the valve train to go out of timing with the crank shaft. On close inspection after fishing the idler pulley from the lower cover and belt, it was clear to see that the bolt had broken level with the idler where it would meet the engine block. There was however over 10mm of broken stud left protruding from the engine block. The broken bolt stud was only held in the engine block by about 2 threads. This clearly showed that the bolt had been unwound before the breakage occurred. As once the bolt had broken and the engine stopped rotating (almost immediately), no further unwinding of the bolt could take place, due to the disconnection of parts. There are also noticeable marks and wearing on the bolt approximately 10mm under the head of the bolt. These can be clearly seen in the attached photo. And here is what we found after I eventually had the head removed, I wouldn't do this until they gave me indication that they were going to pay. Luckily I don't HAVE to use my car. And the new modded head, 5 valves per cylinder anyone? This happened at a little above idle.... I was actually slowing down and had my foot on the brake, doing less than 30kph!! After over 4 months of arguing and getting quotes etc, finally the mechanics insurer are settling..... I will have approx $9000 to spend on putting another engine into the Stag...... if you think that's a lot, well it isn't..... we'll spend it all I think. So watch this space for more info and pics as the rebuild starts...... Planning a ball bearing Garret internals to fit the stock turbo (cause as you can imagine mine is Rooted!). Probably a Nistune piggy back to control it all and not lose the auto functions, etc. Other than that, I just want the bloody thing back on the road.......

I'd be there in a shot.... BUT, (as Chuckie already knows), I had a slight, unplanned modification done to my engine in Feb... it's still off the road. When I had my 100,000 service the (dick)head mechanic did it, and forgot to tighten the Idler bolt, which eventually broke. Still waiting for Wesfarmers Insurance to pay me out (public liability claim). 4-5 weeks time might do it though! Here's a pic of my mod, gotta love that new valve positioning 5 valve chamber. Oh yeah, and I was only cruising, no boost. Actually had my foot on the brake and doing about 30kmh! Engine just stopped, of course I put it in neutral and tried to restart it.... it was then it sounded like a lot of hammers being beaten against the exhaust pipe.... That was probably the turbo getting wrecked as well as the valves....... Anyway, just as soon as it's all fixed up...... cruising is on my list.

I agree with buying here. There are about 100 Stageas for sale around the country. You should be able to find a good one that satisfies. In a word the market is stuffed! Good time to buy one.

Hi Nathan I have sent you a PM about your car, and I also tried to call your mobile. Is this car available? Please let me know. Thanks

After having my 100,000km service done, (and paying $1200+), 3000kms later the idler bolt breaks. It is now a legal claim on insurance. Looks very much like they are going to payout, but I need to source a good low km engine. Anybody have one or know of one? I am not interested in series 1 engines, or anything else with more km's than the car, (122,000). I have already shot off emails to a few wreckers and half-cut importers. I have also seen the ones on ebay. All pointers gratefully received.

So did you get it? If so that's a nice pick-up.... (and I don't mean Ute). Bayside Blue's are rare, it seems less than 5% were painted that colour. This is assuming that it is original. Interestingly that one has black side panels behind the rear side windows. Mine are Blue, and most others are too. Mine is an auto, only thing off std is the exhaust. It's run a 14.9 (with a restrictor and std full boost). And also returned 525km (and wasn't empty) on a full tank! I get over 400 around town, unless I fang it. Then it drops to 360km. I taken it out on the track a few times, for such a heavy car the handling is fine. You have to drive pretty stupidly on the road to loose it, at least with AWD. So if you are still dreaming... I'd say go for it, I don't think that you'll be disapointed.

Hi Again Stu One thing I can tell you from experience is that the computer is far more "intelligent" than we give it credit for. If I take mine out and hold it on the brakes, I can hit full boost. If I do it more than once or twice then it won't do it again, at least not until the ignition is turned off and on.... this might be what you are experiencing too. Also when until it is properly warm it wont select the overdrive (lock up auto) in 4th. The computer talks to the Auto box all the time, I can see in your details that yours is a manual and so may behave quite differently. Anyway, just a bit more info for you.

This may seem too simple, but have you checked you earth straps. Bad earthing is the cause of more starting problems than you could realise. Try connecting a supplementary strap (Jump-starter cable from Neg terminal to engine), and see if that makes any difference. Check your fluids to see if any discolouration. Have a look inside the radiator cap, any sign of grey deposit (especially with a greasy feel) may mean a head gasket or worse still a cracked head. I concur with the theory that there could be some head gasket prob. Are you losing fluids? This is always a sign too. With regards to the mechs, If you really feel that you have a case, (I think that you do, with the water pump) then talk to them first. If no joy you always have consumer affairs to go to.

Here's mine as it came full Dolphin S2 kit.

Hi Hugh Try a sailmaker, most sails today are held together with DS tape before sewing. Tell them you want a high tack one (not starboard or port tack.... joke!). If you want one with foam as well, then try a specialist distributor. We have Heatley Sales over here, they have just about every type of tape known. Alternatively try Spandex (a company not a pair of tights!). They are a specialist sign supply company. If you want to wait a week or so, I'll send you some over. Cos if you buy from the above (other than the sailmaker) you might need to buy a roll..... Thinking about it, I am right down, so I'll send you the end of the last roll. PM me your address.

Hey that sucks..... but on the positive side, it could have been the thick end of a branch! Make sure that you go to a really good painter, and try to get the whole car blown over. Bayside Blue is a bugger of a colour to match (grey base, colour and clear). I had a quarter panel re-done. It looks fine in sunlight, but under certain street lamps looks a slightly different shade. Not as bad as some other colour matching I have seen though. If your repairer wants / needs to use 2nd hand parts, make sure that they soda blast them. If using new, a bonnet will take about 4 weeks to get!! So prepare for a long time in another car. You have my sympathy.... another score for full comp insurance though.

OK, time for a clear up..... LPG can produce more power, IF the engine is tuned for it. LPG actually produces less power than petrol in a normal engine, because they cannot utilise the higher power available (compression is too low). Of course you can't have an engine altered and then go back to petrol, cos it will pre-detonate. In a turbo car you can get and aftermarket ECU, or copgyback which can run 2 maps one for Petrol and one for LPG (with higher boost). If you only go to dedicated LPG, then you only need a single map, of course the Stagea ECU isn't re-mapable anyway, so you need something aftermarket and tunable. LPG is about 105 octane and therefore you can run much higher boost, If you look back over the thread there is the R34 Skyline that was done by Force fed. (I had my car booked in and canceled it because in 4 months they still couldn't do it... and I think that it was pretty expensive, ($5,000) even with the rebates available at the time. Anyway this car ran a 13.5 (If I remember right) and still had a bit more boost to go. LPG is a good alternative, but expensive in set up. It takes more LPG than petrol to produce the same amount of power, but the price difference makes it still worthwhile. There are no direct injection units widely available yet, and LPG set-ups certainly do not use the same injectors as the petrol. They use a secondary injector drilled and tapped near the inlets. Some of the old systems used an injector up at the entry to the manifold. So the mixture drawn in is gas vapour anyway. You can't inject into a petrol engine like you can a diesel. That is why they are expensive, (6 new injectors, run by 2 pressure regulators and a few extra sensors along with an aftermarket setup for the ECU). The tank fitment to the Stagea Sucks, big time. I was looking at a new flat tank, it still isn't on the market (2 years later). I reckon you're better doing something else with the sort of money it costs. If you want economy by a Prius! ha ha. Of course you can have both, go dedicated gas and run 2 programs, one for ultimate power and one for economy..... still pricey though.

Tough deal this one.... might have been a good idea to post a pic though.... any outstanding features? Like wheels what tyres etc. Any badging different..... all helps if you want people to notice it. Number plates are probably changes by now. But most thieves are lazy, so won't bother with cosmetics. Hope that he's well insured!

It really depends on what sort of climate that you live in. If you live in cold climates then look for a lower figure with the W after it (5W) means that the oil flows as a 5 weight oil at 0 degC. If you live in higher temperatures obviously this is less important, so you can go to 10W or even 20W. The higher number is how the oil perfoms (flows) at 100 degC. So a 5W/40 acts a 5 weight at 0 deg and a 40 weight at 100 deg. Now obviously you'd like it to run as a 5 weight at 100 deg eh? WRONG.... 5 weight oil at 100 deg is like water! 40 weight oil at 0 deg is like honey. So that's why we want a 5W/40... which is pretty consistent all the way from 0 - 100 deg C. Keeping an oil in your engine too long will load it with contaminates. Mainly carbon, but also some metals (your engine wear!!). The non-synthetic oils use polymers to boost the viscosity at higher temps. Imagine them like bits of styrene packaging suspended in the oil. As it get hotter they expand and make the oil thicker. Your engine is mashing them up though all the time. So eventually they lose the ability to expand and do their job properly. Which is why you need to change them fairly often. Pure synthetics don't do this. I used to work for a Shell company. Once Shell did an experiment on a Cummins diesel, they ran it to destruction. It took about 630,000 hours. They didn't change the oil, or filters. They worked out that the replacement cost outweighed the maintenance cost by a staggering $60,000! I once did an oil test on Mobil 1, for a customer. After 20,000 km, the test came back "This oil is as new". It did have some contaminants but this was minor. The oil itself had not degraded. Good filters are worth far more than this brand or that brand. Me I use Castrol Edge 5W/30 at the moment. If money wasn't any object it would be Mobil 1 every time. I'd probably go to 10,000km oil changes then instead of about 5,000km which usually turn into 7,000km oil changes!! Remember all oils are tested if you don't understand what you are putting in your engine..... go read!! Start by Google-ing Oil Viscosity Chart. The better you understand the more confident you will be..... Hope this helped though.

Hi Congrats on your Stagea purchase. Rather than prat on about the joys and woes of various dealers and compliance companies, it might be better that you understand what you have bought, and how they come through the Jap system to us. Nissan without doubt make some of the finest cars you can buy, and you just bought one of their best models. I have a 2000 model Australian Maxima, and the 2000 Stagea RS4 Prime Edition (wood and leather). Both are great cars. The Stagea would beat the Maxima hands down in just about every dept. Finish is a bit better, (not much) but the level of extra's is amazing. In that dept the Maxima kinda sucks. In Japan the Maxima (mines a TDI = top of range) would be the lower class car. When you consider that the Maxima in Aust was $49,700 + on road costs....!! it shows that the Stagea is even better value. Your compliance shop will do what they have to, as you posted. Ask them about the Xenon lights, they should remove them, but some will leave them, if you fail at the pits on rego, it will then be your responsibility. Mine were left in (at my request) I took mine to a less busy rego place just for that reason. Ask around you will soon learn where the picky bastards work! Avoid them. Servicing is really up to you. If you run fully synthetic oil you can get away with more km's between servicing. The only real servicing to do is filters and oil anyway, renewing plugs can be a good idea. If your car has only done less than 60,000 (quite feasible) then be prepared to "go hard" and see a lot of shit blown out of the exhaust. When you do see a big black cloud appear behind, don't be dismayed.... it's likely all the years of "Tokyo Trafiic", there is so much grid lock in the major cities that it isn't worth taking a car. That is the reason that most of them have low km's NOT because it is a smaller place. The timing belt, water pump and timing belt bearings (along with fan belts) should be changed at 100,000 kms. So if Kms are genuine, (you'll know!!) you have plenty of time. Don't put it off too long after the RB25 is an "interference" engine. Meaning that the valves will hit the piston if it lets go. 20 - 25 % over is about the max risk I would take. Be prepared to spend about $1000 on this service. You can also run a std Stagea on 91 octane quite well, but expect a small drop in power. The ECU will detect any pinging and dial in a bit less advance to the ignition. When going on long runs it doesn't hurt at all. Same goes for 95 octane, I doubt that you will ever hear or notice any difference. If you run more boost then don't bother trying this.... you may well get pre-detonation. The importer should be able to supply you with the auction sheets. But lots won't.... it will show all and any faults in the car, but you may have to get it translated. If you do get it and the km's are marked at all, (usually with a "$" sign) then the km's are NOT genuine. Anyway, really all of that is too late now.... this should be done before purchase. The japanese inspectors are A1 at picking faults AT THE AUCTIONS. Lots of less inscrutible companies employ 16 yo students, and really couldn't care less. That is how come some cars fail compliance. It isn't the complier's fault either, but the choice of exporter in Japan that is often to blame. That is why seeing the auction is so important .... before making the decision. Also understand that not every car has to come through the auction system. Many dealers in Japan KNOW that some of their stock cars, wont get a good price if they go through auction, so they don't try. They do however get unloaded to unsuspecting foreigners!! The real testament is that Nissan built such a bloody good car, one that should last you a long time. The 4wd system is awesome, but don't go throwing into bends a 100kph + otherwise you find the limit of traction like so many others have done on here. The car is one of best available and a steal for what they are going for now. Enjoy.....

Argghhh.. caught me out replying with photos to a 2004 post!! I subsequently deleted it.... But to answer your question. I love the wood... I like the feel of the wheel and the way that it slips easy though my hand until I hit the leather bits.... gives very good control. The fake wood dash I like too. Being a pom (29 years ago in another life) it was always more prestigeous. I think that Nissan did a great job on the interiors. The series one is a bit ritzy japanesey for me though.... but if you compare them to any aussie car, well, there isn't any comparison there either. Sure beats houndstooth checker!! In my original post I said that I had thought about moving on to something else many times.... but that I always come to the same conclusion.......there isn't anything to replace it with!! (OK maybe there is if I go and spend $80,000+)!

Gee there is so much crap goes on here about fuel..... a std Stagea will run on 91 octane no problem. Unless you hear pinging from any engine (except if it has retarded ignition) then you are getting complete detonation. And that means that it is OK. In fact you won't get any more power from higher octane unless you re-map and re-tune your engine, all higher octane lets you do is run more advance on the timing, higher compression or more boost. Let us know when you're coming, we'll get a cruise happening.

Oops !!! the original post was 2004!!!

Such a damn pity that you're so far away, (or am I??). I have a (top of the range) 2000 Maxima with about the same kms. Paid $8000 for it, it is a great car...... but if I could re-sell and buy your Cedric, I would in heartbeat. The Cedric is what the Maxima should be, but with our crap import laws, Nissan can only bring in something that matches the Falcons, and Commmodores.... a low grade car.....if they were allowed to bring in these, Holden and Ford, couldn't compete. Very nice car mate. Hold the price right there...... Top buy for someone. Good luck with the sale..... envious that I can't be the new owner!

S2 wont fit, AFAIK. The S1 in manual didn't exist, so you really have no option if you want it complied. Another trap for the unwary. The Jap agent should have known about this, and probably even did. My advice is ALWAYS talk to the compliance shops first. They know the best way to get the cars and the most (and of least) realiable agents to deal with. Good Luck.

HICAS is a very complex system, that is way over what most people think it is. It helps to make a car feel shorter & more nimble, and helps to damp Yaw effect. A long wheelbase car is easier to control but slower to turn. Rear wheel steering helps to turn the vehicle. It has been heavily critisized for making the rear end feel loose, vauge and unnatural. Lots of HICAS systems get taken off cars, mostly because owners do not fully understand what it is about. It is there to make the car drive faster. As you enter the corner the rear of the car actually gets kicked out, which reduces understeer, if you stay hard on the accelerator, as the car reaches the apex, the steering, G-sensors and throttle position will let the car "know" that it is at the apex, the rear wheels will come into phase and the car will steer straight though the apex, to take the fastest line through the corner. It's kinda like taking a drifters line without drifting. Your car should have the same system as the R34, which is also a model following control system. It is pre-programmed to follow cornering models. It is not just feedback based. If you really want to find out more about, and get a new admiration for our favorite car (sorry not the Stagea) get the book Nissan GTR by Alex Gorodji. Some of the above is taken from the book.

This cruise went really well.... for those that turned up we had a great time. The main post was under the Stagea section. Don't ask me.... I think that it is just the Stagea crowd.... always complaining that we never get together, then don't show when we do. Lot's of people selling them too........ I'll cruise most times... but have a hectic life too! Thanks for the invite.......