Murphy's Law and the 370Z

jpit · 03-10-2010, 10:40 PM

My first new car was a 1971 Datsun 240Z. Since that time I try to do as much work on my autos as I possibly can. It is always an uphill struggle as I start each project convinced that something will go wrong and, of course, something always does. Whether it is because I don’t have the proper tools, don’t have the proper knowledge or attempt to take what at first glance seem to be logical shortcuts.

Once when changing oil in a Mazda RX-7, I accidently drained out all the transmission fluid (instead of the engine oil) and added five quarts of oil to the engine (the two drain plugs were very close to each other). I didn’t check the dipstick because I was in a hurry, it always had taken five quarts and the engine hadn’t got any bigger. So for about ten miles I was driving the Mazda with no transmission fluid and ten quarts of oil. I couldn’t understand why billows of black smoke puffed out the exhaust. If I had been able to read these smoke signals I’m sure the car was telling me that I was pretty stupid.

I was once working on my Honda S2000 and had the front end up on ramps. It was the first rear drive car that I had owned in quite awhile. This was dramatically brought into focus when I put a hydraulic jack under the rear of the car and started to pump. When the back end was about six inches off the floor the car rolled down the ramps and through the garage door taking the jack (fortunately on wheels) with it.

The only reason I bring this all up is that on the day we heard about all the oil cooler hose problems I received mine from UPS. I was sure that misfortune lay just around the corner. But with Modshack’s instructions the installation was actually enjoyable and was accomplished without too many problems. Do you realize, however, that when adding an oil cooler you are creating thirteen possible leak points that were not on the car prior to the installation? Each hose connection consists of three potential problems and you have four total connections. Add to that the thermostat and, in my case, another three connections for an oil pressure gauge and there are seventeen possible problem areas. I took off the bottom cover today to have a look around expecting to find seventeen little puddles but there was only one small leak at one of the compression fittings by the core. I disconnected it and added some Teflon tape (which is good to 500 degrees, by the way) and it seems to have stopped the leak. I would recommend Teflon tape or thread sealant on all the connections. I will be sure to let you know when the whole thing explodes

03-10-2010, 10:40 PM	#1 (permalink)
jpit Enthusiast Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Washington State Posts: 440 Drives: 370Z Tour MT w/Spt Rep Power: 16	Murphy's Law and the 370Z My first new car was a 1971 Datsun 240Z. Since that time I try to do as much work on my autos as I possibly can. It is always an uphill struggle as I start each project convinced that something will go wrong and, of course, something always does. Whether it is because I don’t have the proper tools, don’t have the proper knowledge or attempt to take what at first glance seem to be logical shortcuts. Once when changing oil in a Mazda RX-7, I accidently drained out all the transmission fluid (instead of the engine oil) and added five quarts of oil to the engine (the two drain plugs were very close to each other). I didn’t check the dipstick because I was in a hurry, it always had taken five quarts and the engine hadn’t got any bigger. So for about ten miles I was driving the Mazda with no transmission fluid and ten quarts of oil. I couldn’t understand why billows of black smoke puffed out the exhaust. If I had been able to read these smoke signals I’m sure the car was telling me that I was pretty stupid. I was once working on my Honda S2000 and had the front end up on ramps. It was the first rear drive car that I had owned in quite awhile. This was dramatically brought into focus when I put a hydraulic jack under the rear of the car and started to pump. When the back end was about six inches off the floor the car rolled down the ramps and through the garage door taking the jack (fortunately on wheels) with it. The only reason I bring this all up is that on the day we heard about all the oil cooler hose problems I received mine from UPS. I was sure that misfortune lay just around the corner. But with Modshack’s instructions the installation was actually enjoyable and was accomplished without too many problems. Do you realize, however, that when adding an oil cooler you are creating thirteen possible leak points that were not on the car prior to the installation? Each hose connection consists of three potential problems and you have four total connections. Add to that the thermostat and, in my case, another three connections for an oil pressure gauge and there are seventeen possible problem areas. I took off the bottom cover today to have a look around expecting to find seventeen little puddles but there was only one small leak at one of the compression fittings by the core. I disconnected it and added some Teflon tape (which is good to 500 degrees, by the way) and it seems to have stopped the leak. I would recommend Teflon tape or thread sealant on all the connections. I will be sure to let you know when the whole thing explodes