maxinout93

About to buy an 02 I35. Car is nice and comfortable, air is cold, sunroof only works up but doesnt go backwards. It starts right up has 180K, has a broken exhaust section near the front of the car so it runs a little loud but not as loud. I actually like the sound lol. Engine and transmission are good from what I can see and hear, feel. Was up north from small amout of rust in engine bay, I checked lower radiator support, rust is not bad in that area, and every thing works. Took it on a test drive, it drives good, just lacks a little bit of power when really stepping on it, suspension is great! took it on the interstate at 70 mph, good pickup transmission shifts good, no smoking or weird noises, drove through the city, great pickup, speed, idles smooth. No timing chain noises, oil and transmission fluid looked great. Im thinking maybe a tune up and knock sensor, and premium gas will get the full power back. Only thing during idle in park was a slight miss/ pop sound in the exhaust. Im seriously thinking about getting the car. I know the 3.5 are oil burners though.

thenewguyy

Looks like you've done your research for most of the things, like the rad support going bad cause of rust, VQs in general being oil burners, etc.
Fix the exhaust and youll get that punch back and increase your fuel efficiency. People don't realise how big of a difference an exhaust leak can make. For how much if you don't mind sharing

maxinout93

Thanks for your response man, Im really excited about it! the test drive is what really got me, and the smooth ride, and extra power of course! Im getting it for $1800.

mclasser

-Remove the plastic cover off the engine and check for leaking valve cover gaskets.
-Remove the oil cap and shine a flashlight down into the engine to check for sludge.
-Do a cold start and check for timing chain rattle or other odd noises. You'll be surprised how many problems manifest themselves on a cold engine but remain hidden when everything's warmed up.
-Check for seized calipers, especially in the back.
-Look for dried coolant residue. The Calsonic rads love to leak at the top seam in these cars.
-Check coolant and PS fluid conditions, the latter being often neglected.
-Inspect high pressure PS hose near the the pass side strut tower. These also love to leak where the metal part meets the rubber hose.
-Go over road bumps and check for a popping noise from the front pass side; usually a bad engine mount.

maxinout93

Thanks for the checklist man, I will check on everything probaly today.

maxinout93

Well I ended up buying the car. My first infiniti! I really like it, all the accessories work and its very comfortable to drive and ride in. Not really driving it very much until i get a new main cat, and some exhaust work/ estimates. Even tho i like how the exhaust sounds now with a hole in it. I dont want it to get any louder. So I was thinking maybe ordering a magnaflow cat from ebay since we dont have inspections here.

thenewguyy

Congrats!! yea those exhaust holes sure do make the car sportier sounding lol but kills your gas mileage, also the aftermarket exhaust now are like 50 state approved or something so even with inspection, they should pass otherwise it would not be legal for them to sell it in that state. Yea you can get it off ebay as well

pahanorlando

iTrader: (5)

Good car man, I have about 170k now and have no issues at all. I also have the noise close to the engine from exhaust, mine makes sound though only when I accelerate.

Good luck

maxinout93

Thanks alot guys I will post pictures soon, it has 180K ice cold air, no check engine lights, fingers crossed/ Will check to see if it has any pending codes tho.

maxinout93

Finally got a check engine light after letting the car sit for about a month, had to boost it off battery was low. Got my scanner and there were 4 codes that popped up. I already knew one of the cats were bad, but which one was the question. So the P0420 came up, i guess its the big cat near the radiator/ or 02 sensor. I also noticed a lack of high end power, so the VIAS code P01800 came up. Also 2 more codes P0345, and P0340, crankshaft position sensors on both banks, i have no idea what those 2 sensors control or if they indeed need to be replaced. The main one im concerned with is the P0420 and vias code. The car is kinda loud because of a leak in the exhaust, but i dont think i want to gut the pre cat, just replace it with another cheap one. Vias I will have to look up price for the sensor.

Canadian_I35

I honestly love my i35, most likely the exhaust leak is the flex pipe and a cheap fix with someone who is a good welder. I think i`m having some timing chain tensioner problems but my car is at 382 000km I don`t plan to chain them it`s not worth it for me.

maxinout93

nice car man, mine is the same color black but with the tan interior. Got about 180K miles. Trying to take care of the major issues before i make it my daily driver.

maxinout93

Im trying to figure out if the exhaust leak will cause the P0420 code? I now know it means the rear pre cat is possibly bad. I want to replace the rear one or should i replace both precats at the same time?

RinconI30

I noticed OEM cat and pipes real cheap . I'm gonna be doing that soon on mine , but stay away from welding for now especially knowing you have a older vehicle , why not do it right and save money in the long run , and if you live where it snows you already know rust is not your friend , but thats me - vehicle is very easy to work on

maxinout93

so will you be replacing yours or gutting them?

RinconI30

I'm gonna replace both cause I found them on ebay at a good price , Even though I live in florida and we do not have inspections I do want the car to run correctly with the sensors working ,

maxinout93

Yeah I think Im gonna just replace mine also, as i dont want a loud car. I see them on ebay and amazon pretty reasonable. Do you know what the rear pre-cat looks like?

RinconI30

Hopefully this helps but my car has the 3.0 motor where yours has the 3.5 - Are you gonna replace both cats ??

maxinout93

sorry it took so long to respond, thanks for those pictures, Yes I May as well replace both pre cats, even tho i only have a code p0420 for the rear one. I wanna take it to an exhaust shop first tho to be sure i need to replace both, because I believe The exhaust leak is in the y-pipe.

RinconI30

After looking at the photo it looks like you have 3 cats

maxinout93

yeah its three, i got a code for the rear pre-cat, bank 2 i believe.

RinconI30

I'm gonna be honest with you - If you know one of them is bad and your intention is to keep the car for ever and you don't have a car payment , plus depending on what your exhaust system looks like over all - I would definitely think about just replacing all three

I had a corolla with over 350,000 and still runs strong and with my I30 I'm gonna replace both even though my code is throwing one

But definitely keep this thread updated - I don't know if I mention I'm new to the Infinity/Maxima family and I'm trying to collect as much as info as I can so when I do my MODS it's not ricey

maxinout93

Yeah you have a great point, I do plan to keep the car for a little while as Ive always wanted a 2002 Maxima/ I35. I had a friend that was looking for one last year and only with the 3.5 engine. Until then I had not driven one with that engine. The power difference was great is all i can say! Im gonna go ahead and replace them all especially the 2 pre-cats. I just replaced all 6 spark plugs 2 days ago, found one of the spark plug tubes had oil in it/ so that means new valve cover with better tube seals. Not my daily driver yet, so Im just getting it ready for the road and its paid for. So just doing all the maintanence. Oh and welcome to the nissan family. You will def find all the info you need on this forum.