internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

VTC clack.
do a search for that term and you'll see the cause and solutions. it is relatively common

hondah8tr

thank you internetautomar appreciate the fast response!

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

no problem

maximaman1313

I think I saw someone selling one rebuilt VTC, in the 3rd gen classifieds forum. Hondah8r, thats most likely what your hearing, its something that happens to alot of VE motors. almost sounds like a diesel. the knock is coming from (if facing motor standing in front of car) left side top of motor.

Not sure if just one of your VTC is bad or both, personally I'd do both myself, or just turn stereo up loud so you cant hear it. Rare cases I think it can cause serious motor dmg, but I've only heard of this happening 2x. very rare.

maximaman1313

I was just thinking of ways to get a few extra ponies. I have lightened udp, full 2.5"warpseed, cai, everything has be replaced just about it seems sensor wise. I hear portin/polish the TB and IM adds a few. And I was reading somewhere on here on a few posts about the VE plenum being restictive inside and having a 2nd deck or something?

Anyways, to my question, If I sent in a lower and upper IM w/TB to get port n polished,would the bottom part of the lower IM stay the same so that it mathes to the head evenly? I mean if the lower IM was (IDK actual size, this is example measurment) bored to 2" but it use to be 1 3/4" and thats what the head is meant to fit, wouldn't that 1/4" dif create a drag on air and mess with performance?

If, i mean if ( prolly not, just dreaming), I got a spare lower and upper IM w/TB and had it bored, would i want to set on, and bore the head, with rag inside to catch debris of course?

Or maybe even getting the ECU upgrade Jim Wolf offers? how happy have any of you been with this on a ve auto, if any at all?

comrade_Charlie

At the junkyard I go to, because I live near it, they only have 2nd gens with 5spds all the 3rd gens have autos or are 5spds with VEs in them.

Do yall know of any one that has swaped a 2nd gen 5spd into a 3rd gen with a VG in it. My auto is having problems and Ive been throwing around the idea of turboing it(might be getting another turbo z for a few hundred bucks).

I love the 300zx but it is what it is, 2seater, I like to go places with more than 1 friend and being a 5spd I think its more reliable, and being turbo its more fun, im not looking for like 300-400hp just stock hp(200-230). My Z will be for speed.

I can get a MT tranny for 40 bucks so no biggy to buy just dont want to buy what I cant use. I might buy the stuff any way just to make a 2nd gen manual later on, I like the 2nd gen better than the 3rd, but I got my 1990 for 250 bucks.

also
1. are the tranny mounts the same
2. is the linkage the same, my first fwd so bare with me.
3. is the pedal assembly the same
4. is the tranny the same
5. any thing else I should know.
6. are the axles the same
7. did the auto cars come with all the holes to mount up the clutch pedal and manual stuff, I know the 300zx can be converted to manual easy.

Sorry for such a long post.

Please move this in the right section if this is the wrong place, im a newb when it comes to the maximas body, I know the vg30 well, I have taken apart 2 or 3 and put 2 back together.

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

make the 90 max funner. take a manual from a ve...
see stickies.

Setol One

O.K. so I am going to swap the tranny and suspension from my '94 to my '90 I cant get the front axles to release and I would like to know if I should swap the slave cylinder also considering it is atleast 4 years newer than the one on the '90.
Also I cant break the nuts/bolts loose holding the rear suspension together, I can't get enough torque or leverage to loosen them I bought a 1/2 breaker bar still not enough then I bought a 1/2 impact but the compressor won't run it I don't know what to do any suggestions?

If you need parts for your VE I'll sell for close to shipping costs. One of the rod bearings was shot and the engine had a really loud clack I had the gauges disconnected in the dash and I was reving the engine high and I could'nt read the rpm's then metal chunks and flames blasted out the front of the engine block it was still running until I shut it off but that was the last time I started it. Let me know if you need parts. I am also willing to trade for parts that will fit my '90VG.

comrade_Charlie

ok Ill check them I think there is a 95 5spd. Im not sure what has the ve or what, I know its dohc 92+ max...

vernk

yea the 2nd gen should work and would be fun with a turbo cuz of the gearing i think it is a bit higher for the 2nd gen dew to weight and tire size from the factory then on the down side you would want to make sure to replace the input shaft before install.

and where are cuz i could use a spare tranny for my 85 if your not going to use it.

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

95+=no
92-94 SEs are VE, everything after is vq(at least so far...)

cwm9

Hi all!

I have a '91 5-speed that the sun roof is perpetually too low on. In order to get the sun roof to seal, I have to put it halfway between the "closed" position and the "up" position. Any idea what might have caused this or how to fix it?

There are two shim plates between the window and the rails on each of the 4 bolts, but they're not nearly enough to elevate the window sufficiently. If I kept adding shims, I'd run out of bolt length before I got the sun roof to the right elevation. =/

-Chiem
Hawaii

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Check the sunroof slider track, it may be extremely worn or broken.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

that was the cause of mine doing the same thing.
I replaced them, and shimmed the sunroof (4-5 per side) and it sealed just fine after that.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hlight=sunroof <- write up

maximaman1313

Was wondering for those of you who have this upgrade, is it worth it? auto, 5spd? I'm debating if I want to invest in one or not. Thanks guys

comrade_Charlie

mine is broken somewhere ive been meaning to take a look at it.

comrade_Charlie

I will recheck the date on that car I got a strut from, Im pretty sure it wasnt a vq, The vq only came in the rounder body? 4thgen right? this one has a dohc engine and is my body style... Its an auto but there is one with a ve with a 5spd....

there was only one version of the ve right? the ve30de?

Thanks for the info, the ve has an lsd, and the 2nd gen doesnt.

Can someone lead me in the right way for info on the ve tranny in a 3rd gen vg car?, if it will work. someone said it was in a sticky, I cant find it, I know there are a lot of auto>manual threads... [edit] found it! same thread just had to read it for a little bit. all you got to swap is axles and maybe hubs

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=293320
auto to manual swap

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=293114
general mod sticky.
hope it helps

(edit: didn't see the edit... wasnt there when i went to get the links...)

cwm9

Hi, all!

I have a workhorse '91 Maxima that has been poorly cared for. For years I neglected it because I was not willing to pay a mechanic, and I didn't know squat about repairing cars myself.

After narrowly avoiding getting screwed by a mechanic who said the nasty engine vibration I was having was because of an exhaust leakage (?!), I decided enough was enough and it was time to learn about cars.

My car has a million things wrong with it, but I'm starting with the nastiest problem.

By removing the spark plug wires from the distributer one by one with the engine running, I found that the #3 cylinder was dead. (So much for an exhaust leak causing the vibration. It does have an exhaust leak, but, shesh, come on, mechanic!)

I changed the spark plug wire after I found it was arcing to the engine, and changed all the spark plugs, but #3 was still dead. I purchased a compression tester and found 200 PSI in cylinders 2, 3, 4, and 6, and found 180 PSI in cylinders 1 and 5. (BTW, I forgot to depress the gas pedal while doing these tests... do I need to go back and do it again? I just cranked the engine until the needle stopped moving.) The difference between cylinders is 20PSI at most, which is more than the factory spec of 14, but interestingly above the factory norm.

That leads me to think the fuel injector is bad. I took a piece of garden hose and used it as a stethoscope to listen near the fuel injector and heard injector ticking noises, so I'm thinking maybe the problem is actually a clogged injector as opposed to a failed one.

So, on to questions. My main goal is to get the car running well for as long as possible. I'm not out for tricks, just to have a reliable car again.

My 1st question is this: how important is the PSI difference, and could I fix this simply by replacing the rings and pistons without machining the bores? Could this be done without removing the engine? (I rent, and my landlord lives in front of me. Any work I do has to be done on the grass.)

My 2nd question is: What's the best $/lifetime option to repair the dead cylinder? That is, which option gives me the best longevity for my dollar, even if it is not the cheapest option. Since I have compression and fire, I'm assuming I have a bad fuel injector. (210K miles now. 3 years/50K miles ago I had a mechanic replace 1 bad fuel injector because I couldn't afford $160*6+labor for all of them. I'm guessing the rest of them will fail in short order.)

I saw that ad for "Dr. Injector" that claims that injectors don't generally fail, they just get clogged. Is that true?

My options seem to be:

1) Remove all the injectors, pull a couple of extra junk yard injectors, and send them all off to be rebuilt at a "dr injector" store or similar. (My neighbor works for Napa, and says they can clean injectors. Is this good?) Put the good rebuilt injectors back in.

2) Buy a set of used injectors from ebay, EG: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/89-91...spagenameZWDVW which SEEM to be rebuilt, but maybe they are not. (His feedback has 1 person saying that he bought this same set and one of the injectors was bad. Scary!)

3) Bite the bullet and pay $500+ for a new set of injectors ala http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-F...3756.m20.l1116

It does seem that every time I crack open the engine it's gonna cost me $40-60 in gaskets. Ouch. A friend said maybe to use liquid gaskets instead of the film ones, but that seems like a bailing wire and bubble gum solution.

Should I replace anything else? I've seen overhaul kits. I think removing the engine might be too much for me, but if it's really necessary I could probably borrow a driveway for a few days and rent an engine puller.

I am a complete noob when it comes to cars, or at least close to it. The most experience I have so far is that with a friend I replaced the valve cover oil gaskets, so at least I've removed the upper manifold. I am, however, decent with mechanical things, have access to some good mechanic buddies, and am not afraid to learn. Any advice, war stories, or other help would be greatly appreciated.

cwm9

Sweet, thank you for the great lead!

Mine are not broken like yours were, but they do sort of "lean" inwards. I'm wondering if maybe it's just some bad bushings.

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

go ahead, bite the bullet, spend the $600 on new injectors + the proper gaskets. another option, since you say the car hasnt been maintained is a low milage motor swap. this will help alot, depending on what else is wrong...

cwm9

Most of the other stuff that is wrong is not in the engine.

The clear coat is peeling on two panels. (DIY Paint job?)

The car was hit in the trunk area years ago and needs a new trunk lid and some dent repair on the rear right panel.

The inner tie rod / steering rack & pinion boot was torn over a year ago, but never repair and driven in VERY dusty conditions. (I feel sick about this now, knowing how easy it would have been to fix this when it happened.)

The inner/outer tie rods probably need replacing.

The alignment is way off, my tires are balding on the inside. (Excessive toe?)

The speed sensor is dead. I thought it was good because I followed the service manual advice to measure the voltage. I replaced the cluster only to find out the manual was wrong and it really was a bad sensor. I bought an automatic sensor from the junkyard pretty much for free thinking they were the same, but no, they're not. At least I was able to verify that the speedometer was doing it's thing when the junkyard sensor was attached.

There is an exhaust leak under the car near the engine compartment. The center console gets hot when I drive.

That's all I can think of right now.

I seriously thought about selling the car, but even if I buy a '96, I'm afraid it will just come with its own set of problems I don't yet know about.

comrade_Charlie

Could always get a new car, lol joking. Injectors will make a night and day difference. just like having a bad carburator

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

when was the timing belt done last?
if it's over 60k then with all the work needed I personally would seriously look at another car.

if I'm reading right
you need:
injectors
outer tie rods
Vehicle Speed Sensor
Tires
Rack and pinion
if you went used on everything it can all be done cheap, not something I recommend because most of these parts are prone to fail normally.
New you are talking major $$$

It is your call in the end, but I'd look for another 3rd gen.

cwm9

It's not that I couldn't buy a new car, it's that I don't want to.

We want to buy a house, but here in Hawaii houses are $400K+, so we need to save every penny. We've got about $30K in the bank, and that's almost enough for a down payment.

New parts might be the "right" way to fix the car, but I want to go the most efficient route, not the right one. If the car is going to go to the junkyard anyway, I'd like to squeeze it for every mile it has in it until it screams before it goes there. As far as time is concerned, I don't mind that so much because a) I don't work (my wife does) and b) I enjoy learning.

Heck, the car drives right now, just with one missing cylinder. I bet I could drive it another 10K miles before I killed it even without fixing it.

If I were to buy another car, I would buy one like my wife's: we paid $500 for a rusting 1989 Honda Accord that drives like a champ.

My goal is to get the Maxima drivable again, so that it runs for another 3-5 years, so I guess what I'm really asking is, what are the chances that cleaning my used injectors or getting them rebuilt will buy me another 50K miles?

If I sold the car today, I doubt I could get much more than $250 for it. It would be a parts car. But even putting in a junkyard injector would bring the sale price up to $800 because it would run. But if it runs, I'd rather keep it, because if I sold it I'd just test my luck and go buy another $500 junker that the owner claims runs well. And then it might have just as many hidden problems as the problems I know about now.

Most of the problems I can live with: the paint is just appearance. If I can figure out how to paint it for $100 on a weekend, I'll do it just so it doesn't look so ugly. The exhaust I can repair with junkyard parts. I already bought new inner and outer tie rods from ebay for about $80. The front tires need to be replaced anyway. The rack and pinion doesn't need to be replaced: it still works properly. It just needs to be cleaned out, all the dirt removed, greased, and booted properly. I've lived without a speedometer for the past year. On this tiny island there is only one road, and it's 50MPH all the way around, so I just use the tach. When another 5-speed 3rd gen shows up at the junkyard I'll pull a speed sensor from it for $5. Even if it breaks, it's a really easy part to replace (one bolt), so I'll just get another $5 speed sensor.

But the fuel injectors are another story. I have to tear the engine apart to get to them. So the question is, can I get 50K from rebuilt injectors (island life means we only put on 10K miles per year, so that's 5 years of driving), or are they so lousy that my only option is for new injectors?

A reliable car from the paper is going to run me at least $2000, and I should be able to do a lot of repairs for $2k.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

^^^^^^^^^

Do not have the injectors cleaned, nissan injectors tend to fail electrically. not clog.

go with new injectors.

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

most of that doesnt fail at the same time, so its usually normal repairs that are spaced out.
a chiltons or haynes and a mechanically inclined friend do wonders for information.

on the opposite side of it all, you saying you arent mechanically inclined, leads me to believe you do not have most of the appropriate tools for the job(s). a cheap set with everything you need could easily bring up the costs another $400...
unfortunately, i agree with the others. take the car to the boneyard, and get another...

maximaman1313

I read the fluid and lub section for about an hour. didn't see much about ve auto. I noticed the book says to use nissan atf or dexron II ?

Was going to go pick up 10quarts, but I'm confused what to buy. Its VE auto tranny. What type of ATF should I get?

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Synthetic Dexron III if you are in an area that gets cold
regular Dexron III in warmer areas

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

I recommend this fluid.



but any dextronIII/mercon will work.

maximaman1313

Thanks for the advice on fluid. I got the day off and about to run to junk yard to pick up the stock battery holder thing. Are they the same between lets say a 92 VG and a 92 VE? Mine is missing in my VE and just held on by a bungee cord . Thanks again guys, sorry for post whoring

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Yeah, they are all the same..

As far changing the trans fluid out, you can only get about half(3 quarts) of the fluid out by draining it..I recommend you drain out/refill/ then drain the fluid out again in a few days,or a week, depending on your driving habits(how much traveled per week),then again in the same time frame, ending up at 4 changes in the end.

maximaman1313

wow so about 7 quarts sits in torque converter? so maybe I should buy about 12-15 quarts then? Its a rebuilt tranny, hasn't been changed since tranny was rebuilt, about 15k miles on it, was reading somewhere about a manual tranny rebuilt and was reccomended to change after 500 miles....i missed that marker by a little bit Thanks again. I'll be back in a couple hours with hopefully a battery holder and maybe other goodies. I got stock maxima floor mats with maxima stitched in it for the front last time

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Yeah, just pick up a case of fluid..

randomgirlie

Hello fellas, I'm driving my mom's 94 max and the sunroof is leaking badly. I was wondering if anyone can offer any advice as to whether or not I can just replace the weather stripping around it and see if that fixes it for her? Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Dana

maximaman1313

So I found 2x 92 vg was hoping to find a VE but oh well. I got the battery holder I wanted. And in one of the VG's I noticed a digital temperature contrul unti. mine is the manual with the levers and such.

Is it possible to swap these out? am i gonna have to re-wire a bunch of stuff? i grabbed the wire harnesses that plugged in it. I have i no idea if it works or not, im hoping it does. thanks again guys

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

These types of moonroofs are not sealed so to speak, they do allow water to pass through the seal, the problem is most likely the drain tubes are clogged up, these tubes attach to the back of the sunroof water catch pan, then these tubes run down to the back of the car, exiting behind the rear wheels, you can try to remove the clog by shoving a metal coat hanger or similar instrument up through the tube until you get to the top of the pan.

good luck..

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

They are not plug-n-play..

---> http://www.geocities.com/cbmaxima/maxima/ACC/ACC.html

maximaman1313

awesome thanks. looks like i'll have to go back and get a few more things i left behind. Not sure if I wanna attempt this task just yet, seems like alot of work.

cwm9

So I removed the fuel injectors today. It was remarkably easy. I was prepared for it to be really hard!

But now I'm confused. One of the injectors has a different color top from the rest. Does the color mean anything, or is this nothing to worry about?

If so, what does the color mean?