This past friday I bought a '94 Maxima GXE with 117k on it...very good condition. I started looking at the Maxima because I had read that they were rather dependable and reliable, plus I really wanted something with a v6...this car is a replacement for my old 1989 Plymouth Acclaim that by some miracle, I was able to squeeze 191k out of before it finally becoming far too expensive too keep using.

Yesterday night, my rear driver's side window made a nasty crunching noise and refused to roll back up. Frustrated with my Haynes auto manual with many illustrations from the '95 model...I stumbled upon this forum that helped me to not only diagnose the problem, but get it more or less fixed, with very helpful pictures on Craig B's site.

I really love this car so far and though i'm not really concerned with "performace", I would like to keep this car in optimal condition.
I regularly service my vehicles. Tommorow I'm planning on taking my car out to the local Nissan dealer for a however many-point inspection. I have read much about the timing belt and needing to get that replaced, for unfortunately a hefty chunk of change. How difficult would this be for the average home mechanic to change?

Oh yes, the last five inches or so of my antenna don't go down all the way...not that in anyway is going to affect my car. Maybe some white lithium grease might help that last part slide in, stll goes up and down...most of it anyway =)

And the last thing, I promise. Should I be worried about my intermittent starting problem. Seems like after sitting for a few hours, sometimes I will turn the key and my lights and radio come on, but no starter. Usually it starts afer 3 or 4 tries..and it seems like my battery is fine...nice bright lights, when it does start it doesn't drag, etc. I tired moving from park to other gears, but the shifter wouldn't move, thoughts?

Thank all of you once again!
*jared

4 small pictures of my car: http://jaredc.home.texas.net/nissan

 

Timing belt isn't fun the first time that you do it. However, if you can follow instructions and take your time... then it's not very hard. The hardest part will probably be getting the main crank pulley off. Total cost for my timing belt change was ~$92. (belt, water pump, tensioner) If you choose to do it yourself then I suggest making sure that you have PLEANTY of time (a few days) that you will not need your car for. Also whatever you do... don't follow the Haynes manual for removing the main crank pulley - get a pulley puller FIRST. When I tried prying... all I did was bend up the t-belt cover and caused myself about 3 days worth of troubleshooting a "tapping noise" as the main crank pulley hit the t-belt cover. (sucked) If you want to give it a shot yourself shoot me an email or private message and I'll give you all the tips that I learned along the way...

The antenna probably just needs to be replaced. There is a cord in there that has probably broken and got jammed up. I believe that Nissan will let you simply purchase the antenna mast. (with cord) You may want to search on this topic to see if you can find some other people with a simlar issue. Mine is broken too... but I haven't and won't bother to fix it

The starting issue sounds just like the issue that I've had with mine. Try pushing in the button on the shifter and pushing it as far forward as it will go. (Go FURTHER into park, if you know what I mean) You may need to push the brake pedal or turn the ignition ot the "Off" position to move the shifter. That always will get mine to start...

Good luck, and if you have any questions please feel free to ask,

Brian Murray
87 RX-7 Turbo II (w/mods)
89 Maxima (daily)

 

before you try pullying the crank pully off.. spray lots and lots of wd 40 on the crank bolt and around the crank bolt.. it should slide right off. the spout, after the bolt is removed. i dunno my car is an 89 and it came off with no problems.

 

Yeah... you must have got lucky. Mine took nearly an hour to get off... even with the RIGHT tool.

Brian Murray
87 RX-7 Turbo II (w/mods)
89 Maxima (daily)