Are My Worst Fears Confirmed?

[white33gtst]

hey all.

im fairly new to the skyline... infact japanese import scene in general. just recently purchased a 1995 nissan skyline R33 GTS-T. it only had 51,000km on the clock.

ok before you laugh and say what an idiot. a 1995 skyline with so few k's? i thought the exact same thing. i did do alot of umming and arrring before i bought this car. i got it fully checked out, i looked over it myself and test drove it. i was astonished, the interior and exterior were immaculate. not a scratch or dent in the body anywhere. no marks or tears or anything in the interior, everything worked as it should. so i was beginning to think it can't be too far away from what's on the clock, even if it is wound back alittle out of japan.

then i found this. 100,000km sticker right smack bang on top of the engine. i did look under the bonnet. but i think i looked everywhere except for the easiest place to look, top of the engine haha.

the sticker is completely in japanese and i can't read it... only thing i can read is the 100,000km part. i have bin told that the sticker means its gone through its 100,000km service. then ive bin told the sticker just says the timing belt needs to be changed at 100,000km. before i bought the car, the guy changed the timing belt for me anyway.

so my question is, does anyone know wat the sticker means? do they have it on their cars? and if so, is there anyway to tell really how far it has gone past 100,000km? car has no log books etc which dosent surprise me.

thanks in advance,

brendan

[ferni]

I've heard the same as you, could be timing belt to be changed at 100,000 or it has had it chnaged at 100,000..

A car with 100,000ks on it can still be in very good condition, average person may do 20,000k/y, = 5 years of driving, go check out a 5 year old car, there will be lots out there that look immaculate...

Either way don't stress to much, the main thing is the condition of it, not the number that the odo says..

[raz0r$harP.UK]

That sticker is reminding you to change the belt at 100,000km, not that it has been changed.

[danielson]

raz0r$harP is correct, it only tells you that after 100k you need to change it.

[white33gtst]

That sticker is reminding you to change the belt at 100,000km, not that it has been changed.

ahh ok thats good then. thanks guys

[(oo\__4Door__/oo)]

ahh ok thats good then. thanks guys

yea good to know, mums 33 has that... my 32 doesnt but....

soo good to know it means to change not that it has...

should 32 have that sticker?

cheers brett

[MYRB30]

Speaking as a mechanic in the jap import industry, that sticker is there from factory to make it clear that the belt is to be changed. The japanese are going back to chain driven cams, so this may give them a proper reminder.

I know on the GTR engines there is also a tag on the crank angle sensor that must be torn to adjust the timing. When you by a timing belt from Nissan you get a sticker to put on the engine, which you write the next belt change on, and also the sticker to go over the crank angle sensor once the timing is set.

In my experiance (8 years in automotive industry) the actual kilometers a vehicle has travelled isn't all that useful in determining if the car is a decent piece of kit or a rooted out piece of junk. I've seen cars with 250,000 kms look like new. and I've seen cars with 50,000 kms that are good only as scrap.

So take your time and check wearing parts like suspension and steering, brakes, and condition of things like hoses etc. you'll get a better indication of that rather than the speedo. My vl turbo had done over 200,000 kms when i bought it, now its nearly done 350,000 and the main issue ive had is an alternator.

[HR-32]

Ok my R32 has no sticker on the timing cover, does this mean that the timing belt has been done??? I actually think someone may have taken it off or came off? Is there any other way of telling if the timing belt has been done recently??

[shif_tea]

ahh ok thats good then. thanks guys

Exactly the same situation mate, bought mine at 73K on the clock, looked immaculate everywhere, but when i reached 100K the odo stuck and also doesn't line up quite properly, which is a sure sign its been wound back. Like ferni says, worry about the actual condition more. I'm on 140K at the moment and haven't had any major issues that weren't caused by myself or someone else.

[Duncan]

If there is no sticker saying when it was changed....assume you need to change it

timing belt change is expensive, but new engine is even more expensive

[lwells]

timing belt change is expensive, but new engine is even more expensive

For the record, on a R32 GT-R its about $400 if the water pump needs replacing (and possibly more if any of the tensioners/guides are worn).

My car is finally getting its belt changed this coming friday; I'll be able to sleep that little bit easier

[skylinegirl]

Yeh I recently imported my 1990 r32GTST its in great condition,but its done 115ks and Im getting my timing belt done next month as my sticker has faded and cant make out when timing belt was done..

Just to be on the safe side, Id rather pay the money.. as dont want my car to die

[white33gtst]

well the guy at the used car yard changed the timing belt for me anyway, to be on the safe side. so that's no worries. just was more concerned with the condition of the rest of the engine... ie how good a nick the turbo would be in.

[blu3chip]

how much are you guys paying for your 100k service? mine's coming up soon with 94k's clocked on my odo already!

[Duncan]

thats a good price lucien, who si doing the work for you?

[lwells]

thats a good price lucien, who si doing the work for you?

Nath at Grey Imports. Don't quote that as gospel though, that's just what I was told during a casual conversation (ie. "about $400").

[Fly_With_Sky]

i have a sticker on top of my engine (r33) and it had 68, XXX km on it. Would this mean they changed the timing belt at those km's?

I bought my car when it had 77, XXX km on it a few years back. It's on 103, XXX now and when i came up for the 100 000km service my mechanic said the timing belt had already been changed. So i assume that this is what the sticker indicated...