nope, none of mine had it.
never seen any in a yard with busted out towers either.
the maroon VE was a rust bucket, with bad mounts but the towers were fine.
boy did that car ride like crap. it was also the lowest mileage one I had (124k)

 

damn thats crazy weird.
but i ask because a friend of mines has a 91 se and it's across the strut tower.
and now he's wondering if it's worth keeping.

the car looks real good.
BARELY any surface rust.

 

Talking about rust free. I have a friend w/benifits that has a 90 max. She needs some wheel bearings and a water pump. However she dropped her car off at my house and went back to Brooklyn. I don't know where this car came from but it is completely rust free. I looked in the trunk under the wheel well and behind the back seats all that **** look brand new. It took me a minute then I saw she has factory fog light in tact no cracks or rust of any kind. Oh and check this out her Bose system is still working like outta the factory. I looked through the grills in the back and the speaker have no dry rot holes or nothing. I want to strip her car and feed some of the parts to my 92 se so bad. Anyway there aree alot of third gens running around in pretty good condition. Check this out today I pulled out the heart of the third gen. the very reason these cars are so much fun to drive. Independent rear suspension. Look at this.

 

No reason to be scared of a little rust:

James conquers rust

 

From a safety standpoint, can someone tell me what areas I need to look at to check for rust besides the seatbelt anchors. By the way, are these just the front anchors that had this rust problem? Where exactly do I check for this death risk?

 

Pls read through and check the links in this thread; The long rust recall thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....223&highlight=

- Rusted gas fillup pipe leak is a fire hazard.
- Brake lines may rot. They may look adequate until scraped clean. If no fluid changes have been ever done, they might be rotten inside as outside, bursting on next full panic emergency brake. My Opel lines came down like serpentine...
- ppl here tell rear suspension link bars ends may break out; its disaster (theres two perpendicular rods on both sides, total four)

 

Thanks bud. A few questions:

a) What is the exact type of oil you used for spraying the rust areas for prevention and slow down

b) I put NLGI No. 2 Multi Purpose Grease (Quake State) on my battery connectors and terminals. Is this grease a suitable 'dielectric contact grease'?

c) The method on your pages for draining the tranny fluid - do you think there is any danger in your method, as temporarily when you do purge the system, are bubles might be created. I know you said with your idle engine method in the different gears, this purged the air back out, but what about the time from your re-fill and the final purge...do you think any possibility of damage to the system, since parts could be un-lubricated because of the air?

d) Do you think an additional coating of NLGI No. 2 grease pasted on with a paint brush, over your sprayed oil on the rust areas or underbody would be an even better protector than just oil alone? Wouldn't one rain storm spraying under the car just wash away the oil without something thick sealing the oil?

 

oh my damn!!!!
this is bad!
when i seen all those post i went to check mines out ASAP! so i did....whew no rust.
but the bottom seatbelt achors had surface rust on them but not the screws or the "frame".

i do need to add though me ve had it.
when i removed the cover in the back it was bad.
and the strut tower on the driver side had separated in two places also.

so maybe this was a sign....

 

you mean a sign that your VE was gonna kill you from being rusted out? or a passenger? my grandpa keeps talking about fixing one of his riding lawn mowers that has a terrible amount of body rust and on more than one occasion i've tried to explain "the WHOLE FRAME TWISTS over every dip and bump in the lawn! it's gonna snap in HALF one of these days!"

 

ehh...no
that i should let her go instead of replacing the front cylinder head, and it's a good thing i got my "sxe"...

 

but i thought the VE was toast? you mean it's still fixable? would you trust it even with the rust n stuff if you could fix it?

 

FYI for every Gen 3 Fan, i have found alot of gen3s rusting out along the bottom of the door frames and my has started to sucome to the rust as well. there is a rubber seal between the door frame and the kicker pannel the rots away. its a good idea to replace it. check for rust and if you have access weld the seem shut. also i recommend Eastwood.com for repair suplys such as undercoat. they are fast and know there stuff.

 

can you find it on here for us? is it part 80880N? http://www.courtesyparts.com/betasit...1747_1756.html

 

well to be honest all she needed after the wreck was a new rack and pinion that was it oh and some lug nuts.
she still ran went into gear moved ect...
dude the 3rd gens, imo, is one of the toughest imports.
my sxe was involved in an accident.
you look at the pictures you would'nt think she hit an ambulance.

 

i got sideswiped by a cavalier and her bumper supposedly incurred $300 of damage. My car? A little scuff off the clear coat.

so the VE is the rustima but both were in accidents. well that sux. So.... do you still have the VE? If so mebbe just see what you can do about the rust. I know it ain't an easy task tho. Rack isn't too tough if you're very strong and have the tranny out.

 

sorry no i don't have her anymore.
can you imagine what it'll look like me driving the car with the doors bashed in....
it's wierd though when that woman hit me it was'nt as bad as it looks.

thats why i say the 3rd gen is a tough cookie...

 

I missed this one...

Here some uneducated opinions:

a. I use engine oil, cheapest, new. Lots ppl do the spray with used oil, but why? the cost is not the issue, old oil contains all kinds, possibly acidic ingredients ... The job is the issue: it takes about 3-4 hours wrestling oily dirty sandy (pour on feathers, anybody?). Week before that the power was, about similar issue

I've done no masking when spraying. Exhaust pipe will 'burn' any oil, just smoke, no harm but few like it - lots of it.

On open surfaces, rain etc will wash most of it, parts of bottom, rear wheel wells need smtg else to shield from stone chips. My max has old cracked original antirust compound, oil was kinda sucked into the cracks, the compound was kinda renewed.

b. As long as you'll get engine started. The di electric issue maybe snake oil - not in servicing the contacts, but price-wise ... I am no chemist. The special grease works... dont need much.

c. No oil change, definitely ruins tranny. Semi oil change, well...? Change all, and as oil mfg suggests =best chances to continue well lubed.
Bubbles, my one time experience with cheap dino oil. But I guess herein lies the story bubble machine of '"flush destroys A/T's". Definitely bubbles wont propel your vehicle - and there are lots of corners for em to hide. Taking out needs patience and maze -experience:

see http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/24


Would like to get Am$oil... Cant add anything else to that, but my tranny has been working years since, is now working ok. About time to do the oil swap again Check page 15, the pressure increase feature, the softness is gone totally (no long experience yet).

d. I guess any grease will be washed out also. I do use some hardening antirust compound on spots where stone chipping causes problems. After few months of spraying oil, its dry enough to apply.

 

i Cant post the image i have to illustrate my ealier post. can anyone help.

 

--->http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=377037

 

Thank you verymuch Greeny, sorry for being such a noob! but anyway here is the image to illustrate the rust areas i have encountered



by the door switch on my car was the worst but fixable with 16 gauge steel and a litlle bondo to clean it up