Well, it's finally time to sell the wife's old Prelude. We are looking at the 3rd Gen Maxima's for several reasons. I own an '87 200SX SE-V6 which is my race car - no interior, 2 seats, rollcage, horrible ride on the streets. My other car is a '90 300ZX Twin Turbo Stage 5 (app. 450hp), also 2 seats. Well, we need a reliable 4 door with a little bit of power. I've always liked the 3rd Gen Maxima, and I have quite a bit of familiarity with the VG series motors. It's also nice that it can be had with a manual gearbox. Here's my questions:

Did all the 3rd Gen Maximas come with the VG30 motor, or did they switch to the VQ30 at some point. If so, what year did they switch?

Are there any problems with the manual transmissions on any particular year? I know both my 200 and 300 have suffered from Nissan's typical weak synchros.

Anything I should look out for in particular when buying a used Maxima? Common problems?

Any years I should look out for in particular. We would most likely be looking into an SE model.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Ryan

 

Well 89-94 GXE/89-91 SE VG motor.
92-94 SE's have VE motor DOHC. Don't know about the 5 speeds, but i know they can handle more than my auto(so, don't tease me, i've learned my lesson). Some VE motors have VTC problems(valve timing)95> they went to VQ.

 

a common problem is the power windows failing. this is due to bad regulators, but they are cheap and easy to fix. some of the 92-94 SE's have the vtc problem. mine doesnt have that problem and it never has.

 

mentioned...window regulators, VTC's (92-94 SE)

also...broken exhaust studs, power antenna motor, check the inside of the tailights....it was common for a bad ground and the inside sockets would melt..., if you're in a cold area...warm car up with defroster on and see if you get a gas smell...the rubber fuel lines tend to crack letting gas seap out causing a fuel smell in the cabin when cold...

i can't think of anything else of the top of my head...

 

Being a Nissan technician I think that the J30's
(89-94 Maximas) are the best cars Nissan ever made.
However they do have some weakneses, 1)89-94, Window
Regulators. If your windows quit working 90% of the
time it is the regulator these should always be in
stock at your Nissan dealer. The original regulators
had many plastic parts which are failure prone, Nissan
has improved upon this with newer designs. We have tried
some aftermarket regulators and these seemed to be
made in different lengths from the factory ones
and can cause some problems. 2) 92-94 SE ONLY, VTC's.
The VE30DE engine found in the 92-94 SE's had what was
called a VTC (Variable Timing Camshaft) that would
allow the intake camshaft to be advanced or retarded
to allow for good low end torque and upper rpm breathing.
These would lose tension in the internal spring and the
cam would then flap around making a loud clacking.
The engine will run with bad VTC's but the cam will not
advance or retard on the command of the ECU. 3) 89-94
,Speaker amps. Mainly a problem with Bose systems
but can also affect non Bose systems. My mothers 90
GXE has a bad rear speaker amp that squalls very bad
and is terribly annoying. My 89 GXE Bose the front
speakers don't work due to blown speaker amps, either
way an expensive repair. 4) 89-94 Corosion recall.
This is really only a problem on cars up north, here
in Oklahoma I have not seen a car with this problem.
Around the fuel filler neck there is a posibility of
corrosion. This is addresed in a voluntary recall
(the only recall on these cars) and can be handled
only by a Nissan dealer. 5) Tranmissions 89-94 GXE
89-91 SE Auto. The automatic transmisions used with the
VG30E is a somewhat weak trans and can break when
wailled upon (89-94 GXE have auto trans only 92-94
SE's used different auto trans) I have not seen a
problem with the manual trans used in the J30 Maxes.
These are the only common problems I can think of
however each car has it own unique problems (my 89
GXE has a bad temp guage) and these can be major or
minor problems.


Happy Maxing

 

Well, if you're looking for a 5 spd VG, you'll need to get an 89-91 SE.. they're the only models with a VG and a 5 spd.
the 92-94 SE (as has been mentioned) has the VE30DE engine with 190hp, instead of 160.. very fast on the highway, but they lose the low-end grunt of the VG. I can kill a VE auto off the line in my VG auto.. once you get above 35mph, there's no comparison though.

the 5 spd and VG combo is pretty much bulletproof, except the tranyn bearings.. I've heard of these going out in a few cars (about $600 repair), but it's not all that common. it's more common to see someone kill it because they run it out of fluid than any other problem with the engine/tranny...

hope that helps.