Well, we've all talked about it on here before and it seems to be a pretty common problem for out VG engines. The thing is, that's a SERIOUS problem for these engines. If you're still in the dark, what I'm refering to is the rubber fuel line that goes to the metal fuel injector line that's on the front of the engine. When it gets cold out, a lot of us smell gas whenever we start up our cars. Well, this "gas smell" is too often dismissed as the engine running too rich whenever it starts. If you smell raw gas when you start your car, it's not coming from your tail pipe, in fact, it's coming from that rubber hose under your hood. This hose carries fuel to the 2nd, 4th, and 6th cylinders (front of the engine) and being that it's rubber, it can deteriorate over time and begin to leak. Normally, this would be a simple fix, but if you note the location of this hose, it's nearly impossible to reach. When your car sits in cold weather, that hose shrinks up and actually begins to leak raw gasoline onto the block of the engine creating a fire hazard for our beloved Max's and Maxine's. For this reason, I believe that we should consider a recall for these cars. There has already been a recall for the fuel system on these cars and that was nowhere near as serious as this problem. What do you guys think?

 

The recall that was made was the lining behind the rear tires was to thin. Dirt would get stuck in there and deteriorate and also eat away at the fuel line.
This i've never heard of.
-shrug-
How many max's have actually caught fire because of this problem?
none that i know of.

 

I would really like to get in touch with Nissan regarding this problem because it is a potentially dangerous one. I know a lot of us on this board have souped up our Maxes and Maxines and do not want that investment to go up in smoke.
Plus that, we as owners of GenIIIs should not have to pay for the subsequent repair and replacement of these fuel lines.

If necessary, I would like to bring this to a governmental agency in order to get swift resolution.

 

Well, what route should take here? First of all, how many of you have this problem? If we get a lot of people on here together and all call Courtesy Nissan reguarding this problem, we could drum up some concern on the other side. When a car manufacturer discovers these problems, especially one as serious as fire, they normally go the extra 20 miles to ensure that they are freed of this liability. The fact is there IS a design flaw and if there were to be a fire, Nissan could be held liable for for any injuries and/or deaths. The fuel that leaks out of this line is dangerously close to the 6th cylinder spark plug; can you say KABOOM!!!!

 

That would be a good idea. Let's see how many other people have this issue and let's start getting in touch with Courtesy so that we can get some kind of recall on this potentially dangerous issue.

I called Kelly Nissan in Oak Lawn, IL and they told me that this is NOT a known problem (horsehockey). But they wanted $350 if it is the fuel line underneath the intake that is leaking.

If we cannot get any type of resolution via that means, then we do need to take stronger measures.

 

The fix isn't really that difficult. yeah, it's a problem and yeah, I think Nissan SHOULD fix it for free, but I'd like to see you guys try to get a recall started on a 10 yr old car.

this is just normal stuff with cars this old. you have rubber/plastic hoses near a hot engine for many years, the rubber WILL harden and crack. then when it gets cold, voila! you have leaking fuel!
the 3rd gen maxima is not at all the only car that's had this problem..

it you REALLY want to make calls and scream and moan at people, then Courtesy isn't the place to call they don't have the time of patience to deal with a bunch of people upset because their cars are wearing out and they have to pay to fix them... you need to call Nissan- North America and talk to someone there. don't belabour the poor dealers out there trying to earn a living by selling parts and fixing our broken cars.

 

could be considered a 6 yr old car

 

that's true, but I'm simply trying to illustrate my point.. plastic/rubber hoses under the hood are considered wear items and should be checked (replaced if needed) on regular intervals, just like coolant and vacuum hoses.

I'd sure like to see someone else pay for my car that's wearing out, but it aint' gonna happen.

 

There was a problem with the fuel injectors, leaking gas, on the 2nd gen cars (same basic engine). When my wife brought the car into a Nissan dealer they said, "Yes there was a bulletin/recall on that." They replaced all the injectors, for free, 10 years after the car was made. Lawsuits are very expensive for companies, and look bad. I don't think there is any time limit on safety recalls.
No gas leaks, yet, on a 90GXE.

 

For one thing, a dealer is a great place to start b/c they have more power over this then we do. A dealer sells the manufacturers product and if the dealer finds that there is a safty issue with the product, it is their duty to inform the manufacturer of the defect in order to fix it. If a car is recalled and a dealer has to fix it, they get paid by the manufacturer to fix all parts that are defective. That is, a mechanic gets paid by Nissan Motors to fix their screw up. Yes, there can be rubber lines on the engine, but is it a good idea to have one placed right over a spark plug and exhaust manifold and have it practically unaccessible to anyone who doesn't know how to take off an intake manifold? There should be some consideration made by Nissan upon this design flaw.

 

There was an injector recall. Look into that. If it hasn't been done, get it done and have the dealer replace the hoses at the same time. I can't remember if it's for the VG powered 300z or the vg powered maximas.

Put it this way, leave the hoses alone and wait to fight Nissan. In the meantime wait for your engine to catch on fire. Or break down and at at least replace the fuel hoses that are easy. Ie.. fuel filter to main injector fuel rail. BTW I did this last year on my VE. I thought it best to take matters into my own hands. Hell Nissan won't even address the VTC issue....

 

Well, the VTC is a problem, but it doesn't present a threat like the leaking gasoline does. Why would they put that stupid POS hose where it's unaccessable anyway!!!!????? Argggggeeee! That PO's me! I could fix it if it were anywhere else, but since it's underneath the damn intake manifold, I can't get to it and I'm forced to blow $350 on some damn repair bill! *swears very loudly using a 4 lettered word* this stupid car is nothing but a money hole for me! Ever since I bought it, I've blown so much money making it safe to drive. I just spent nearly $350 this past weekend to replace the damn front struts, I've replaced all the brakes on it, now it needs 2 front rotors, 2 rear struts, and now another *same 4 letter word with "ing" added onto the end* $350 to fix a damn fuel line that should be as big of a threat as it is! I also had to replace the whole stereo, and the flex pipe! I got ripped off by this damn car! It's nothing like my last Max and I hate this it b/c it's nothing but a fixer uper. Damn Nissan! They always get my $!

 

a car is only as good as the care put into it.. it's not Nissan's fault you got a POS car.

the fuel line is not a problem on millions of Maximas out there. I have no problems with mine (yet), and the intake manifold really isn't that hard to remove anyway. see all those allen bolts across the top? disconnect all the hoses and unbolt those allen bolts and you're 90% there.
it takes about 25 min to remove the intake manifold.
if you don't have metric allen wrenches, take your whiny **** to Sears and spend $20 on a good set.


struts and brake rotors are a wear item.. that's normal maintenance with ANY car. Now stop whining about how bad you have it because you have to do regular maintenance on your car.

 

What I might wind up doing is having my car checked to see where the leak is. Kelly Nissan said if it is in the intake manifold, the cost is going to be $350 to replace the hose.

 

was this for the VE engines as well? I have already replaced two of them and had no idea there was a recall! can somkeone give me more info?

 

don't put oil in it for a year and cease your engine.
Then ask nissan to fix that aswell.

 

I have that gas smell in my Maxima as well! When it is cold I can smell it strong and everybody around me can too! I don't like it and I want to get to the bottom of it too!!!
So if everybody would "please help me resolve this problem with Nissan"

 

Trying to get this recalled would be about like trying to get them to fix all the weak trannies on 89-91 autos. Thats a hazard, could easily cause a wreck, i know cuz i almost did when mine did in the middle of a 4-lane road.
Rubber rots...every rubber part on my car is cracking or already dead...but my fuel lines dont leak and i have 177k on my motor. Maybe someone used some corrosive stuff to clean the motor and weakened the lines or something? most of my vac hoses were cracked so bad i couldnt remove them without snapping them in two. So its not just fuel lines, although those are alot more serious ill give ya that. someone sprayed silicon on all my stuff under my hood and f'd up some radiator hoses. Maybe similar stuff happened?
I duno..it just seems kinda silly to make a big deal out of a rubber part that can proly be replaced for less than its worth to fight Nissan over it.

Ok im done rambling

Merry christmas to all and to all a good night

 

I want some more info on this injectoe recall. Does anyone know for sure that there is a recall on the injestors on the VG. I need to replace mine and it would be helpful.

 

The recall for the 2nd gens was issued in 1995 for the 2nd gen maxima and Z31 300zx. What they did is replace the entire fuel lines, injector O-rings and stuff like that. It's like a $650 job (at the time) if done separately, its free to 2nd gens and Z31's though . If your talking about the fuel inlet line from/to the fuel filter it can't be hard to replace. On my car I can do it in like 30min after removing my intake resonator and intake collector. Besides it would be nice to install some steel braided fuel hoses too. IMHO replacing the timing belt or exhaust manifold studs is like 2-3x more difficult than installing a new fuel line. All it takes is like $15 for the hose and about 3-6 hours of your time. Believe it or not your own owners manual says to inspect the fuel lines and replace if worn or cracked.

 

This is a problem that will occour with any aging car. Yes it is a safety issue and it doesn't cost that much to fix. The thing you have to consider though is that it isn't allways the fuel line that goes. The issue I had last spring was with a leaking seal on an injector. That caused my car to smell like gas when it was cold.. Just food for thought because it isn't *always* the fuel lines..

I highly doubt that nissan will even go any farther than listening to you.

Fro

 

yeah i get a pretty raw fuel smell during cold weather.. i wanna fix that problem immediately.. because the smell of raw fuel scares me...