Which cars have a Z20 Engine?

[DANger-is]

I'm looking at buying a 1991 petrol Urvan.  The owner said that it doesn't run, they were driving and black smoke started coming out the exhaust, then they could smell it in the cabin.  They stopped, let it cool down and tried to start the car without success. 

I'm assuming the Urvan uses a Z20 engine?  What other cars share this engine?

 

cheers,

Dan

[datzenmike]

Black smoke is unburned gas from a really rich mixture. Carburetor is flooding or choke is stuck on.

 

In North America the Z20 was used on the carbureted '80-'81 A10 or HL510 and the '80-'82 S110 200sx EFI, both are cars. It was also used on the '83-'86.5 720 truck, again carbureted but with a special head, high compression and a knock sensor. Australia? don't know.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I feel like 80% of owners wouldn't be able to accurately describe the color of smoke coming out of a tailpipe. My guess is that smoke came out of the tailpipe and naturally smoke is black, right? So that's why they said it was black smoke.

 

White-ish smoke = coolant

Blue smoke = oil

Black smoke = fuel

 

Not coming out of the tailpipe, smoke could be auto trans, wiring, oil dumping onto hot exhaust, etc.

 

If it smoked out of the tailipipe and then died and would not restart, it probably overheated. Does it crank? Does it even attempt to fire? Does it fire but not want to stay running? Is there oil in the coolant? Is there coolant in the oil? Is there anything dripping out of the tailpipe?  The list of questions goes on and on...

[datzenmike]

 Ahhhh the Vanette!!! is what they were called in North America. They originally were designed for the Z20 but Nissan thought that the public would want something that would more easily go freeway speeds so they shoehorned the larger displacement Z24 into them with disastrous results. Being a mid engine the cooling system was over taxed and sometimes there were fires. Nissan offered owners a buyback and crushed them all. I saw one years ago but very rare to see one now. Owners that kept them really like them.

 

 

[DANger-is]

Yes I did read this and after looking at the registration papers this car also has the Z24 and not the Z20 as I first thought.

[DANger-is]

16 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I feel like 80% of owners wouldn't be able to accurately describe the color of smoke coming out of a tailpipe. My guess is that smoke came out of the tailpipe and naturally smoke is black, right? So that's why they said it was black smoke.

 

White-ish smoke = coolant

Blue smoke = oil

Black smoke = fuel

 

Not coming out of the tailpipe, smoke could be auto trans, wiring, oil dumping onto hot exhaust, etc.

 

If it smoked out of the tailipipe and then died and would not restart, it probably overheated. Does it crank? Does it even attempt to fire? Does it fire but not want to stay running? Is there oil in the coolant? Is there coolant in the oil? Is there anything dripping out of the tailpipe?  The list of questions goes on and on...

 

Thank you, you've given me a lot of things to test on the car.  I agree completely that most wouldn't be able to see the difference in the smoke colours.  They had it towed back home and haven't tried to start it or actually check anything on it.  I'll drive out to have a look and come back with more information and no doubt more questions.

[datzenmike]

It's also completely normal to see white exhaust on cool and cold days on cold start up. It goes away when engine warms. 

 

If steamy from a blown head gasket there will be an antifreeze coolant smell at the tail pipe and an unexplained coolant loss at the radiator. The coolant recovery reservoir may also over fill and spill.