maxima297

I wish I had seen this before my injector/valve cover project last month. If I ever need to remove my uim again (which I'm sure I will), I will do the same.

CS_AR

Cool. It sure saves a lot of time. I have pictures of how to do it on 95-98 models and for the 99 model with the water cooled electric EGR that I should post in a thread. The 99s are slightly different. I need to post a story about it the differences between models and how I do it.

One other item that saves a lot of time, for the next time I need to pull and replace the UIM, is the way I cut grooves in the brackets so you can just drop in the UIM into place and with the bracket bolts already partially bolted in the UIM. It lets me just drop the UIM into the bracket grooves and roll through the job in a hurry. After I make the mod I can pull the UIM in under an hour. There are a number of members who have deleted the brackets or only use the one on the driver side. It works either way.

Since I work alone most of the time, I actually use the modified (grooved) brackets to help me hold the UIM into position place while I start the EGR bolts and get the bolts to the LIM started and ready for the final torque down. Everything lines up nicely so I reduce the risk of a gasket shifting during installation.

Also, I need to post some pictures for how to remove and reinstall the EGR assembly without using a hacksaw to cut the bolt that sits behind the EGR pipe that connects to the exhaust manifold. If you remove the two 14mm bolts that are under the EGR mount assembly as soon as you loosen the EGR pipe, then removing and reinstalling the EGR as an assembly turns the job into a cake walk. It saves me a lot of time using the "bottom up" approach on EGR cleanups.

There is another enhancement that I started testing three years ago on Max III (right bank) that you can see in the picture below. Notice there is a stainless steel flat washer that sits under the head of the VC bolt. That washer removes about 1.25 mm of slack that will develop over time as the gasket hardens with age lets oil seep over the top of the gasket between it and the VC. I put the washers on the right VC as a test. I did not do this to the left VC to test which side lasted longer over the long haul. After 3 years, the left VC is starting to get some oil residue appearing around the front gasket line where the rear has not.

For Max II, I recently removed the VC and gasket after 5 years and found the gasket is starting to become brittle enough for me to break it like hard plastic. Also, I've learned that Permatex Ultra Black lasts longer for "rubber-to-metal" sealing (in the VC corners) with high oil exposure than Permatex Ultra Gray that is specifically designed for high torque "metal-to-metal" applications. It took me a few years to learn that one the hard way.

Here's a picture of the stainless steel washer I used on Max III's right bank three years ago. Note that I couldn't budge the EGR pipe in the picture and the EGR tube bolt has not been cut. I use the vacuum cap to cover the UIM water pipe to let the next person who may work on the engine know the EGR hose bypass was a deliberate action and not an oversight.

SneakyBastard

I agree with most everyone here. 150k on this model is low. Sounds like what is happening is that the tlc factor is not on your priority list.

No disrespect intended and I am not trying to be a jerk. Really.

My '99 has 189k on it, but, whenever I even suspect that a problem might be coming, I park the car and check and/or fix the problem right then and there. I do have another vehicle, however. There are actually 3 vehicles in this family, so, if it was an issue of your '99 being the only car available, I can understand letting a minor problem fall to the wayside for a time. But a bent rim with possible bearing damage and a sticking front caliper?? How long did you think that was going to remain derivable?

So to stick to the main topic at hand and at the risk of giving the wrong impression of myself on my first post.....

Mechanically..... I would never give up my '99. All things listed and considered, it would be in sound shape again in no time, in my hands.

Personally..... If you cannot put in the wrench time or afford to have someone do it for you, dump it before you let it reach a level where no one will want to buy it.

dlev

All, this may or may not be the right place, but it's hard to know where to start in this forum to ask the right question. But I feel the same way about keeping mine. If I can't fix it, I certainly can't give it to the kid to drive and it will be of no use to me.

I have an early 4th gen 4/1995 built Maxima. The fuel sending unit is cracked and leaks. I've actually tried JB Weld, but it's not a permanent solution.

This is a California model vehicle, not Federal. I am being told by Nissan that this part is no longer available, and I am not finding a used part. What is the difference between the California sending unit and the Federal? I can't imagine much, if any difference, but there has got to be something different. Nissan America was no help. Does anyone know what the difference in the parts is? Can I use the federal part without issue? Thanks in advance.

dvpatel99se

iTrader: (1)

Have you tried Salvage Yards around you? Try www.car-part.com and see if you can pick up that part used.

dvpatel99se

iTrader: (1)

BTW. Back to my saga. I lost max bid on a OEM Knock Sensor this past weekend. Any clue on the $6 one that these guys are selling 100s of? Should I buy one of those?

My car did pass the inspection with the ghost P0325 code and no CEL. PCV and EGR are pass so I think I bought a little bit of time to work on this. Will start the week of 19th and do as much as I can which could be all of it.

dlev

Thanks, but those parts may still be Federal, not California. I really need to know what the difference is between these two sending units(California part vs. Federal part), if anyone knows. If there is no significant difference, I will buy the "federal" part and be done with this repair. Thanks again.

maxima297

If anyone is unsure if their vehicle is Fed or Cali spec....there is a sticker located on the underside of the hood, or sometimes on a strut tower, rad support, fan shroud or on the firewall that will tell you if your vehicle is Cali spec or not. It will say something along the lines of "This vehicle conforms to California regulations applicable to.....etc etc...." The difference in specs refers to emissions related parts such as catalytic converter.

maxima297

That's coming up in the Napa catalog as a lock ring, part # STP LO165, $14.99. It is available for almost half the price at Autozone if you're comfortable using their stuff. There is no specification for Cali or Fed.

dlev

It's not the lock ring. I am looking for the Fuel Sending Unit. This is the unit that send the signal to the fuel gauge, provide ingress and egress for fuel supply to the engine, and sits under the lock ring and down into the tank. My vehicle has a California VIN, so the part, according to NIssan, is labeled as California, not Federal. This particular part, no longer made by Nissan, does not appear to have an equal. I have no idea what the difference is between the part labelled as Federal and the part labelled as California is. If there is little to no difference, and Nissan just failed to list an alternate, then I'll purchase the Federal part and fix the issue. It appears that no one else knows the difference either.

I need to know if the Federal designated part is close enough to the same as the California designated part to work correctly. I am assuming this all stems from California emissions, but until I have a complete description of both the federal and California parts, I can't make that determination.

Thanks in advance.

maxima297

I'd give a call to the local Nissan dealership and ask them. I personally don't think there's a difference, but they will be able to tell you.

Frank Fontaine

I'm the original owner of my car, and back in 1998, I had 3 replacement sending units, as the fuel level would never read properly...no leaks that I knew of, but I would question the quality....the sun has set on my car, rust has destroyed it, as have the emissions system. I know that back in the day, I drove to Canada and after about 150 miles, the gauge started to budge from way over full and suddenly moved to about 7/8 full (not accurate). I gave up long ago on that.....

PH98I30

My fuel gauge does the same in my 98 I30. It will show full at the top and after driving awhile just drops to 7/8 full. Must be common?

Frank Fontaine

I'm so glad to be done with all of this....at times I wonder if our state didn't have safety and emissions, would I still drive the maxima? The thing that bugs me is it had issues for the last 6 yrs. passing emissions. Reset, get it ready, and cross fingers. Feels so low class lol