I am new to this list and am working on a 90 240SX, it has bad comperssion, indacating rings have gone south. My question to the group is can the pistons be pulled without removing the engine(can the oil pan come off without removing the engine). I am a retired master mecanic but worked on mostly VW's and got into this car by my Niece buying it, now I have to fix it so, help!!! Phil(bear)

Guess no one on this fourm knows anything about the auto that they drive. Thanks for nothing of any importance. At least the VW list will respond to a request for information. Phil (bear)

After going out and getting a manual on the car, I have found that the oil pan can be removed with the engine in. Thank you for your time and trouble. In a little while I'll be able to tell you if the pistons and cylinders can be refurbished with the engine in place. Phil

To remove the oil pan the motor mounts must be undone to allow the engine to rise up high enough to get the oil pan out. remove rod caps and push the pistons out, it all works well and will be going back together soon. Bear

getting the pistons out is one thing, getting them back in from the bottom while compressing the rings is something else. let us now ow it goes.

Just got the pistons out, took off the rod caps and pushed them out the top. They will go in just as easy, I hope, installation is from the top, set the new rod bearings in the rod & rod cap push the pistons in till the rod seats on the crankshaft put the cap on and torque it down. I know it sounds easy but it is a hard job laying on my back on the floor. I will be refurbishing the pistons and honing the cylinder bore tomorrow(time to measure and checking cylinders to make sure I can do this), I'll let you know how the installation goes for real in a few days, I know how, I just have to do it, I am used to working on VW air cooled and this job is taking the wind out of my sail's.. Phil

[:@] made a discovery, the rods need to be reworked, when I put the first piston in it locked down, took it right out and found the rod needs to be resized, so back to the machine shop, more to follow tomorrow. Phil(bear):D

Picked up the rods from machine shop, all is looking better. Started to work on installing the Pistons at ten this morning, takes a little bit of a fiddel to put the rod caps back on, it was 96 degrees so when I finished at one,(yes it took three hours) I was done for the day, soaking wet with sweat. I got the pistons on and the rods torqued to 30fp and all is well in South Carolina, I'll put the oil pan on tomorrow , I have everything clean ready for the stickey. The only problem I forsee is getting all the little vacuum lines connected back where they go.. Phil (bear)

oh man have fun i totally feel your pain on that end.. i had to help a friend figure that out a while back and that thing is just crazy confusing sometimes .

best of luck to ya... and haynes manual and FSM is your friend.

Are you changing the main bearings?

I did not change the mains, did change the timing chain and guides have got the oil pan on today took about thirty minutes, four hours later I am still trying to line up the studs for the motor mounts, can get but one in the other won't line up, If I had someone to help me I most likley would have them in place in no time but just one old fart, having never working on one of these before it might take me into next week(stuck on one stud)I want to get the bottom together before starting on the head, one thing at the time. When I get finished with the engine I get to do the brakes, oh joy, and just think she (niece)is going to let me pay for the parts, Guess that is what uncles are for.. Phil

O.K. got the motor mounts in place. Now I have the head set on the engine with gasket in place head bolts down to finger tight, I am trying to put the timing chain on the camshaft, anybody know how to depress the chain tensner to allow slack in the chain to put the gear with the chain on the camshaft. Phil(bear)

News flash, I have the head torqued down, all hoses and vacuum lines on, everything together but the small section(passenger side) where the brake lines go down the firewall, got to put all that mess back in order, put a oil filter on it, top up the oil and see if it will start, jumping on it first thing in the morning, nine or tenish, being retired I don't use a alarm clock anymore. More to follow. Phil(bear)

i have a 93 240sx AND IS STOCK IM LOOKIN FOR SOME CHEAP MODIFICATION THAT I CAN DO TO MY CAR[8D]

I am also new , but from what I have seen of these cars there is no cheap things to put on them. I have finished the engine on this one and am trying to shore up all the little things that the P.O. ignored. No one tells the truth about the car they are selling, After getting it running I found the battrey bad along with the alternator(diodes), wiring harness broken so as to not get the 12V excition voltage(alternator light burned out) to the alternator(took eight hours to find the break in the wire), looks like the water pump is next on the list, the temp gage don't work along with the speed-o-meter, just a nightmare, I will get this car back to normal if it kills me.. One redeaming feature is that it goes like a bat out of hell now..just leaving a trail where it goes, and marks it's spot, if I didn't know better I would say that being around all my VW's has rubbed off on it. Phil

All finished, leaks fixed. The speed sensor on the transmission is bad, will take one of those to fix the spedo, the temp gage still don't work, checked temp sender on engine it's good, so either the gage is bad or the wiring, that is for another day. Spent today cleaning light sockets and getting all the lights to work, running lights, brake and turn signals, this thing gets socket corrosion like a VW. Niece is happy, car runs good, and only have a little over a $1000.00 invested in what looks like a very good car. Good enough for a 16 year old girl to drive to school. Phil

ORIGINAL: bearsvw

No one tells the truth about the car they are selling,

Aint that the truth!

I'll check back from time to time to see if anyone needs some mecanical help, I know enough to be dangerous now but at least I can keep you from having to do it twice, like I did to learn.. Phil (bear)

News flash, I am getting out of the Nissan busness, Had a small water leak and Niece didn't know what to do when the temp needle went to the peg, drove till it quit. So if she can't take care of the car I'm not rebuilding it all over again, blown head gasket again and warped the head, water in oil again. You can stick a fork in me, I'm done.. Phil (bear)

it's weird that people will know they need to check thier cars but drive them anyway.

This is true, but this time it cost her. I hope from this she learns how to respect her cars. It had a small water leak on the intake manifold that I was going to fix. The fuel rail (injector seal)on #3 injector was leaking also, I told her I would fix the fuel leak so she could drive the car over to my house for me to fix the external water leak, this was the game plan, checking the water had not changed from the first, she elected to ignor the water and attempt to make it over to my house without filling up the water, she elected wrong and tosted the engine again, not even looking at the temp gage, they just don't listen to what you tell them about taking care of the car, after walkjing for a while I guess she will rember what I said, "NO". Phil (bear)

Tears, tears, and more tears. She has talked and cryied me back into fixing the car again. One more time into the breach, hope the block is still square. Oh well, at least this time I don't have to pull the bottom end off. I'll post my progress. Phil (bear)

ORIGINAL: bearsvw

Tears, tears, and more tears. She has talked and cryied me back into fixing the car again............Phil (bear)

All you car really do is smile and go at it again. At least she's not getting ripped of at some repair shop.

This is very true, it just cost me all over again, one thing to rember is that I know how to get it done now so it will be twice as fast;). all I have to do is get the time to do it, I'm six engines behind in overhaulin on the VW's. I belong to the "Full Moon Bus Club" http://www.fullmoonbusclub.com/ and do engines for them, no labor parts only, at what we call "Fix yer Bus" campouts, they load my wagen so heavy it's hard to pull sometimes. Progress report to follow as soon as I get somthing done. Phil (bear)

Well it cost me all over again just to find out that it has a cracked block, the more antifreeze that I pour into the engine the more goes into the oil. After getting the head reworked for the second time put back on and torqued down and making sure to get all the little pipes sealed, along with the intake, no external water leaks at all, just pours into the crankcase. It looks like a new engine is in order to fix this problem and I don't think it's going to be my problem I'm going to let someone else do this, stick a fork in me, I'm done!! Phil (bear)