Paul wrote:
>What's up with this U20 thing?
When is a Datsun not a Datsun?
>After several years of going through turns sideways, and generally making a
>Roadsterass of myself, I refuse to believe that 2000 drivers are that much
>harder on their cars than 1600 drivers. Yet, some of the predominant issues
>I see on the list regarding U20s are: 'I melted a piston' or 'chewed up
>another timing chain' or 'there goes the head gasket'. Come on. guys, even
>the AEC has rules to guard against frequent and unexpected meltdowns!
>
>Are there that many more U20s on the road that it skews the statistical
>average, or are 2000 engines just an 'event' waiting to happen? What am I to
>expect if I buy one of these SRL fixer-uppers as my next restoration
>project? Maybe It was blind luck, but I had 96K miles on my car before
>rebuilding the engine, and that because it had started to put out smoke and
>use a little too much oil. Didn't throw a rod, didn't suck a valve, it just
>wore out!
>
>I may still buy a U20, if the price is right, but all this talk is beginning
>to sound like a power on the road versus hours on the road thing to
>me...help me out, here.
Well, Paul, having owned both a 1600 and a 2000, and being much more
"in to" the L-powered 510 and 240 series, I'm a little more impartial.
But, my 2000's been broken for over six months, so I'm also a trifle
bitter, so take this with a grain of salt.
I've been infatuated with Datsuns since I got my first one six or
seven years back. Since then, I've had 4 240Z's, a 1200, both
roadsters, and a 521 pickup. Far and away the most troublesome
vehicle has been my 2000. It may say Datsun on the valve cover,
but I don't believe it. It's more like some nutball put a Fiat
engine under my hood. (exaggerating a bit;-) Also worth a
mention is the fact that the 2000 served me fine for about a
year before shutting down for the first and only time.
Not only do the U20's die after about 100K-, instead of the
300K+ commonly run through the L-series, but parts are insanely
expensive.
In my book, an engine that costs an arm and a leg to fix, that
has common "workarounds" for a poor (IMHO) design (tensioner
shims, jackshaft mods), and that only lives for 100K is just not
a Datsun. At least it's not my type of Datsun.
A Datsun, to me, is something that's cheap to buy, easy to fix,
and never needs the hood opened. My A12(?) 1200 and R16 1600,
though slow as molasses running uphill in Minnesota in January,
were stone reliable. My Z and 521, with L power, are pretty
stout little muthas and don't give me a peep of trouble, and
this is with junkyard engines in 'em. And since the L's were
made for, what, 14+ years?, parts are cheap and plentiful, and
the junkyards are chock full of used pieces.
I fell for the bait - I sold a perfectly serviceable 1600 to
jump on the 2000 bandwagon, and I've kinda regretted it ever
since. But in my case, I was kinda destined for it - the 1600
didn't have enough guts to feel safe merging on the freeway:-)
Soo... what does that mean? The U20's are not necessarily
weaker designs, but they lack the longevity of the R's and L's.
And since parts are so expensive, they tend to get band-aid
fixes like tensioner shims and thicker headgaskets;-) So that
means that most 2000's running around are worn out, and the
temporary fixes have been made. With the cheapskate jimmy-
rigging done, the only option for a new owner is to fork out
the bucks for new parts. OR! Like the buyer's guide says,
"buy the nicest Roadster you can afford".
2c from a black sheep-
Kyle
____ Kyle Hagemann, Born-Again Grease Monkey From Beyond
_.;(____\____ 72 240Z, L28/E88/SU, 5sp, all poly - Z Beast
| _ | | _'@`, 71 PL521, LZ22, SUs, 2" exh, 4spd - The Hulk
`-(#)------(#)-< 69 2000, engine/trans out, making a big mess
------------------- 84 Maxima, Tokicos/ST springs, 238K - Mr Max
http://www.sonic.net/~kyle http://www.sonic.net/~kyle/cars.html
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