I have an 85 Maxima with the switch on the center console that changes the suspension from soft, neutral or firm but I am having a problem with it. The light blinks and it wont change the how the car rides. If I put it in The Neutral setting the Soft and Firm lights will blink and its the same when I try Soft Or Firm which ever settings I dont have it in will blink but the one that the switch is on does not blink. What can I do to fix this problem? Email me at marcman804@yahoo.com. thanks alot.

 

The suspension system is malfunctioning. Most likely your struts can no longer adjust. That's normal for a car of this age. So it may come time for you to replace your struts. Most likely you will have to convert over to standard struts because replacement of the adjustables cost somewhere in the 1-2k range.

S

 

thanks what kind of suspension should i get? And will I still be able to adjust it?

 

well, your probably better off to getting a standard suspension. KYB GR-2 seems to be the struts of choice. The others you could probably get are the tokico blues if you can find them. Most likely you won't be able to find any aftermarket electronic adjustables. Either way, going to standard suspension will cause you to loose the adjustable ability.

S

 

I know a junk yard where some maximas are with the electronic struts, is there any way I can take them off of the junk maximas and put them on mine?

 

Are you out of your mind? Don't get junkyard struts, they're probably all rusted out or damaged in some other manner, not to mention they've already been worn out by whomever owned the car before they trashed it.

Do as Sarin said and get yourself hooked up with a nice set of KYB GR2's the whole way around. It'll probably cost you somewhere around $400-600 to do all four since you have to do the conversion.

Make sure it's your top priority too. Bad struts can damage your front end parts, wear out your tires and brakes, and can potentially cause you to have an accident if you lose control of the car.

Also, don't go with anything less than KYB GR2's for this car. If you get Gabriel's or Monro's you're going to be very disappointed.

-C-

 

Definately...the KYB's will provide a better overall ride than the adjustables, anyway. And Charles is right on the mark...I have Gabriels on mine now, and hate them!

 

Well, if you want adjustability. You could try to find tokico illumina's, but I guarantee you won't find them, or you can do like me and find KONI adjustable inserts. The KONI's are pretty much none existant (since I got one of the last sets). The problem with the KONI's they have to be adjusted manually. Which, I know it's true for the fronts, that you remove the entire assembly from the car and adjust them.

S

 

I can speak with experience on this one...

I started with Monroe's on my car (was trying to save a
few bucks), then the struts failed on the rear of the car
within a year!

I got stuck with labor to change them out, Monroe warrantied
the parts, but I replaced them with KYBs anyway.

Now I have KYBs on the back, but still have Monroe's on the
front of the car... the Monroe's feel like they're shot...
I will never buy anything but KYBs for any of my vehicles!

Scott

 

thanks for all of the help. I am going to get some KYBs. Which ones should I get?

 

The only struts that KYB makes for our cars is the GR2. It costs around $200-250 for all four struts plus the boots and mounts.

-C-

 

heck, I just turned off the ignition then turned it back on and the blinking light went away.......I didn't know that the suspension was no longer good.....

 

Yeah mine blinks because I don't have the front 2 adjustables. I still have them in the back. The blink indicates a malfunction in the system.

S

 

But the suspension system still works. So what could've that been?

 

The general functionality of the suspension will work....it just means there is something wrong with a strut(s), the control unit, or a harness connection is not making appropriate contact with the strut.

 

I am going to take mine to the nissan place to make sure it isnt something simple thats messed up.