James_V35

Wound back and tampered odometers are common in Japan for the export market, it's rife. Think about it.. if you have a 2003 car and it has 25,000km on the clock that means it only did on average 4,166 km a year which is 80km per week.. as if!! They may drive less over there but you cannot tell me they would buy a car to sit in the garage all the time.. you are kidding yourself. Even if the car did 250km per week (which is still only moderate really), for a 2003 car that is roughly 78,000km by 2009.. For those that know, is there any way to tell for sure if your odometer has been tampered with or had the km changed (other than physical signs on the car)?? EDIT - here is an example. According to this guy, the odometer was wound back "by accident".http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/jan/2...ing-back-miles/

Thanks Jon. I didn't check any of the bushings, etc but the car looks in A1 condition.. paint is perfect, body looks straight, interior is in virtually perfect condition aside from a small amount of wear on the interior driver's door handle, the steering wheel is immaculate, auto shifter knob in same knick as the steering wheel, carpets are good and has the original Skyline mats which are also in great knick, and not a mark in the boot area looks pristine. Drive belts were all ok except for the air-con belt which was OEM and was severley cracked up, so I had that replaced. So all in all, if you took the engine out of the equation, the car looks basically mint. Just the standard clouding of the headlight covers but everyone experiences that. Physically the car looks better than 90,000km as opposed to 200,000km. If not for the engine, I would never consider selling it. The engine has an occasional rough idle but when driving, is perfect. I think I saw a couple of other people on this forum a while ago that had this problem. So I am really at a loss as to what to do.. do I take a chance and hang on to it because I love it (go with my heart) or do I sell it to someone that wants to do it up and get something else (go with my head). If the engine craps itself I am stuffed and won't be able to fix something that major.

OK well the compression test results are in. The manifold and intake cleanout took 2 days of solid work..... it was caked black. 1 - 170psi 2 - 170psi 3 - 150psi 4 - 170psi 5 - 150psi 6 - 170psi I have been told the standard is 175psi. Two have come in at 150psi. Should I be worried about this? Will the engine last long? I have had the carbon deposits and build up cleaned out with a new air filter installed.. the exhaust actually hits a somewhat deeper note now like the car is actually breathing.. it never had that before. Thoughts?

Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated. It took the mechanic the best part of a whole day to get it cleaned up to a reasonable level. Just a question about compression - I am going to get a compression test done. Can anyone please tell me what psi each cylinder should be running? At what psi would you say it is running too low and what does a lower psi mean?

Thanks mate. Anyone else got any ideas or advice.............????

Thanks rs73. I guess I am also concerned over the fact that the mechanic reckons the engine has done over 200,000km as compared to the clock which says only 90,000km. How much life would the engine have left in it given it's mistreatment.. Would the car be fine if the carbon deposit is cleaned out and the oil changed (I have changed the oil twice already and both times still very dirty).. realistically I can't afford a rebuild and I am guessing a half cut from Japan won't come cheap either..

Hi guys I bought a V35 a couple of months ago. Car has been driving OK, but I decided to get the spark plugs changed today and asked the mechanic to have a good look around the engine while in there, including taking off the intake manifold, etc. Upon inspecting the intake manifold and the areas under it, valve entries, etc, we discovered a massive amount of carbon build up. I am talking heaps, it was layered thick and black as the ace of spades, the mechanic had not seen one that bad before. According to the odometer, the car has done 90,000km but the mechanic said looking at the carbon deposits in the intake manifold, pipes and valve entries, the engine would have done over 200,000km at least. This carbon build up explains the black smoke coming from the exhaust when really accelerating hard as it would have been pushing it through the engine and out the exhaust. The engine oil was also very dirty. I am going to get the manifold and valve entries cleaned up, new spark plugs installed and an oil change. Should I be worried? Will the engine last, would you trust it? Any advice or next steps? Is the only option an engine rebuild?