Hello,

I recently bought a 1995 nissan maxima GLE. it had 84k miles
on it. I have driven 700 miles on it with a trip to austin and san antonio from here(500 miles over 2 days).
It works fine. The only problem i had was the starter ..which i posted on the site. i got a refurbished Hi low starter...for 155$. The car is fine now.
Thats the background. now onto my real question.

The car is due for 90K maintenance in 5-6K miles.
Also it is due for oil change and check on fluids as the prev owner has not done for 6 months..but he drove only 1.5 k miles since the last oil change at the dealers.

I am planning on a ONE WAY trip from texas all the way to Seattle in May.I will be travelling with my parents who will come down from India.

My question is Do i do the 90K maintenance after reaching seatlle and adding another 6k miles on it by 1st week of June. OR Do i go for the maintenance Just before leaving on the Long trip.

The dealer has offered to do it in 400$. The details of this i will be posting in a new thread. I guess a mechanic whom i go to will do it for 200$ or 250$.

Please advice me about this.

Would a routine check with all fluids checked, battery and
tyre check be good enough.

thanks i love this SITE and the members of this great community
adib

 

Do the 90K mile maintenance when you reach 90K miles. This service can be done by anyone: the dealer, an independent shop, or by the owner himself. It is not extensive or expensive. Replace the engine oil, oil filter, air filter, engine coolant. Everything else is in the category of "inspect this, inspect that."

You replaced your starter at a low price. This is something of a gamble. Some owners have found that inexpensive rebuilt starters are not durable; others have no complaint. A properly rebuilt starter is as good as a new one. Some rebuilders do a good job, and some are slipshod.

 

Do you think i should buy a rebuild starter if mine if making a grinding sound when i go start it in the morning and when its cold ??

 

The starter motor has a small gear called the pinion gear. The
engine flywheel has a large gear called the ring gear. When you
crank the engine to start it the solenoid (that's part of the
starter) causes these two gears to mesh. That's the only time these
two gears touch each other.

Ideally the two gears engage each other at exactly the same time as
the starter motor begins to turn the pinion gear. The symptom you
describe is probably caused by the solenoid doing its job too slowly.
The pinion is already spinning when it touches the ring gear, and
that makes a dreadful grinding sound.

The "fix" is to take the starter out of the car, disassemble it,
clean and lubricate the starter drive, reassemble, and
reinstall the starter. This is a lot of work, and most shops will
charge about the same money as to install a remanufactured starter.
That's probably better for the customer too, because that reman
starter comes with a warranty.

Please get this problem fixed soon, one way or another.
Repair your starter yourself or pay a professional to install a rebuilt unit.
Each time you hear that grinding sound some metal is
being worn off both gears. A remanufactured starter comes with a
new pinion. However, if the ring gear becomes worn to the point
that it requires replacement it will cost a lot. That's because
replacing the ring gear requires removing the transaxle.