Owner (again) of a 200SX

Started by CyberLizard · Mar 18, 2013 · 27postsSMF 2010–26

CyberLizardMar 18, 2013, 10:16 am · #1

Back in the day I used to have an 84 200SX which I loved. However being poor and needing repairs I got rid of it. I've regretted it ever since. Now that I'm older and have more money to spend I found this gorgeous 86 200SX SE with only 24,000 miles!

She runs and drives great, except for some electrical issues I'm having sorted out. Alternator is charging intermittently, even after being replaced and getting a new battery. It's got a Pioneer nav/stereo and aftermarket keyless entry and alarm, so maybe there's something wrong there.

Anyway, I'm extremely pleased to be back behind the wheel of my favorite car of ever! Now if only I could drive it for more than a day or two at a time...

RedneckMar 18, 2013, 12:44 pm · #2

Wow that is super clean. Really like the color as well. Congrats on such a nice find. Also, just fyi, that isn't the SE model. The SE model came in hatchback only with the vg30e in 87 and 88. The SE model replaced the turbo model which was sold from 84 to 86. You should post up some more pictures of it when you get a chance!

CyberLizardMar 18, 2013, 12:51 pm · #3

Redneck on 12:44:58 PM / 18-Mar-13Wow that is super clean. Really like the color as well. Congrats on such a nice find. Also, just fyi, that isn't the SE model. The SE model came in hatchback only with the vg30e in 87 and 88. The SE model replaced the turbo model which was sold from 84 to 86.

Whoops, thanks. It says XE on the back. My bad.

I'm quite pleased with it in general, though the electrical problems are preventing me from enjoying driving it.

rednucleusMar 18, 2013, 12:55 pm · #4

Welcome! What exactly are the electrical problems - what are you seeing?

CyberLizardMar 18, 2013, 1:09 pm · #5

rednucleus on 12:55:34 PM / 18-Mar-13Welcome! What exactly are the electrical problems - what are you seeing?

Mechanic said the alternator was intermittently charging. New battery, new alternator and it's still doing the same thing; Runs fine for a day or so, then the stereo starts cutting out, digidash flashes, starts sputtering, battery dies. Also the voltmeter doesn't work, just reads max all the time, so I can't tell when the alternator is charging or not. It's got a Pioneer satnav/stereo and aftermarket security/keyless entry system. I'm hoping they aren't the culprit.

I can wrench on my Vespa but these electrical things are beyond me :reallysad:

RedneckMar 18, 2013, 1:20 pm · #6

I'd double and then triple check the alternator. If your mechanic says the alternator is only intermittently charging that is probably the problem. Doesn't matter if it is brand new. Quality control for most auto parts these days is terrible. Alternators especially though are notorious for commonly being defective right outta the box.

CyberLizardMar 18, 2013, 1:30 pm · #7

I really hope so. This is the second one he put in. The first was DOA. Amazing that these parts are such crap right out of the box :blink:

sideways_s12Mar 18, 2013, 3:28 pm · #8

Welcome back got any pics.of this beast? Im on my phone so i may not beable to see I apologize in advance lol

CyberLizardMar 18, 2013, 3:44 pm · #9

sideways_s12 on 03:28:05 PM / 18-Mar-13Welcome back got any pics.of this beast? Im on my phone so i may not beable to see I apologize in advance lol

I put a bunch in the Garage here: http://club-s12.org/retro4/index.php?action=garage;sa=view_vehicle;VID=452#images

Here's one for free ;-)
posted image

rednucleusMar 18, 2013, 4:25 pm · #10

Also check the wires that hook on to the positive battery cable. In my experience, if those are even slightly loose, it acts just like a dead battery.
Does volt meter max out with engine off but key turned on?

sideways_s12Mar 18, 2013, 5:49 pm · #11

Clean ass notch nice find ! And yeah check the pos batt cable make sure thats tight because it can cause all types of weird problems when not hooked up right....

d_k_jose_s12Mar 18, 2013, 7:43 pm · #12

i see this notch agian this came up for sale on ebay and i guess you outbid me =\

CyberLizardMar 18, 2013, 11:13 pm · #13

d_k_jose_s12 on 07:43:53 PM / 18-Mar-13i see this notch agian this came up for sale on ebay and i guess you outbid me =\

Yup. No regrets :-)

d_k_jose_s12Mar 18, 2013, 11:59 pm · #14

hahaha its cool nice to see that the car has gone to a good home hey does the electric trunk release works???????

CyberLizardMar 19, 2013, 7:30 am · #15

The trunk release works as do all the other power features. Astounding when you consider it's almost 30 yrs old!

sideways_s12Mar 19, 2013, 8:28 am · #16

You got the rain sensing wipers nice does that still work?

Jeremy AMar 19, 2013, 3:17 pm · #17

Welcome!

Electric trunk release? Never knew about that feature. Any photos of your original '84 car for nostalgia's sake?

RedneckMar 19, 2013, 4:21 pm · #18

sideways_s12 on 08:28:07 AM / 19-Mar-13You got the rain sensing wipers nice does that still work?

It really amuses me how a lot of people get all excited about the rain sensing wipers. I guess they were fairly rare. I got them on my 85 (formerly turbo) hatch and they work fine but I gotta tell ya, especially living in Seattle, they are basically useless. The main thing they do is take the place of the traditional time delayed intermittent wipers and in that regard they don't work well at all. They tend to be overly sensitive so they are going off during lighter rain way too often. My SE had normal time delay intermittent wipers and they worked soooo much better. Had the s12's equipped with rain sensing wipers been equipped with time delayed intermittent wipers as well it would have been no biggie. But unfortunately they replace the time delayed intermittent wipers with the rain sensing wipers which are basically useless in comparison. I just manually turn the wipers on and off in light rain every 10 or 20 seconds by pressing the button at the end of the stalk that activates the wipers for 2 cycles.

Sorry for the partial thread jack, its just everyone that didn't have the rain sensing wipers seems to drool over them when in reality they completely suck.

sideways_s12Mar 19, 2013, 4:59 pm · #19

Actually I had fully loaded notch which included rain sensing wipers but mine didnt work! And even if they had it rains like maybe a week out of the year and not consecutively either....

CyberLizardMar 19, 2013, 11:26 pm · #20

Jeremy A on 03:17:25 PM / 19-Mar-13Welcome!

Electric trunk release? Never knew about that feature. Any photos of your original '84 car for nostalgia's sake?

No, no pics. It was a beat-up oxydized-silver notch with power nothing. The starter died and I got so good at popping the clutch I could do it with my foot out the door in a parallel parking space :-) This one has power everything though I do miss the manual transmission.
Post Merge

I actually have no idea about the rain sensor wipers. I haven't been able to drive it enough to find out :-(
Post Merge

rednucleus on 04:25:18 PM / 18-Mar-13Does volt meter max out with engine off but key turned on?

Yes, it just reads 18 all the time, regardless of what's happening. The oil pressure gauge doesn't read correctly either, reads way too low even though it's fine.

It's the digidash so I don't know how that affects the operation of the gauges.

turbo-s12Mar 20, 2013, 8:36 pm · #21

Nice notch looks super clean and its the same color as mine...

CyberLizardApr 10, 2013, 10:57 am · #22

The mechanic is finally tracking it down after 3 alternators. Apparently the after-market security system (Clifford) is causing a short somewhere. When they turn the headlights on the alternator stops charging. I don't know the entire troubleshooting process but I'm glad they've at least got a direction. I just want to drive my car :grumpy:

ArroApr 10, 2013, 12:58 pm · #23

Aftermarket security FTL since most people screw up the install.

CyberLizardApr 11, 2013, 12:56 pm · #24

Just heard back. Apparently the issue was bad corroded grounds under the battery tray? I have no idea. Going to pick it up soon so we'll see how she does. *fingers crossed*

DjayS12Apr 11, 2013, 6:42 pm · #25

Well I'll tell you there is a major ground just under the battery tray. alternator and starter ground there if I recall right.

CyberLizardApr 12, 2013, 2:03 pm · #26

They've apparently nailed it. It's been running strong so far! And they didn't have to disconnect my security system so I still get to use my "chirp, chirp" key chain thingy (as I call it :-))

Thanks for all the advice and support!

rednucleusApr 12, 2013, 2:33 pm · #27

And once again, a faulty ground is the cause of an S12 headache.