The other day when we had a sudden cold snap, I noticed a strong odor of gasoline from my engine compartment. Nissan replaced my entire FI system free in my old '86 Z, but I don't think that my '90 N/A Z is covered, since they were supposed to have corrected the problem by that model year.

I have a factory manual on CD, and it looks as if I'll have to pull the intake in order to get to the injectors and fuel lines/rails. Has anyone done this? If so, how long did it take you? I'm a good mecahnic, but I don't have an enclosed garage, and I don't relish the idea of doing the work in the cold.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Johann B
visions2001@att.net

 

cold+z32=fuel leaks. common problem. the cold shrinks the fuel lines, just go around and tighten them all up a bit. problem solved.

 

Hey, thanks for the quick reply and suggestion! I too was hoping that I can get by doing that. I haven't looked closely to try and find the leak yet because it's so damn cold right now. I still may need to get under the intake though... even if it is just a loose connection... since so many lines are located there.

I just hope I can fix it before I burn the damn thing up. I lost one car that way back in '88. I wish it was as easy to work on as the new ones. My neigbor just got a new 350Z, and I looked under the hood and was amazed that I could actually SEE the engine. All of the belts are visible too. I couldn't believe that they actually made a change that made it easier to work on the engine. Maybe there's still hope for the future after all!

Thanks!
Johann B

 

i would just tighten them all as long as you are under the hood. typical z32 preventative maint.

 

especially around the fuel filter, dampener, and regulator.

 

Here's a good write-up on checking the fuel lines --->>> FUEL LINE CLAMPS

Especially the tricky hidden one at the front of the plenum. Look closely at the lines. If any of them look swollen and real soft at the ends, chances are that they are cracked to where tightening the clamps alone won't fix the leak(s).

If this is the case, you can sometimes just trim the damaged end off and re-use the old hose. If the hoses look original though, they all just need to be replaced. Now.