96ItaliaSE

iTrader: (3)

nieghbor has a 95 GLE with 207k the body is presentable, the tires are flat from sitting so long and it blew a waterpump. He wanted 500 i offered 300 and he took it.

Heres the deal the waterpump blew and the girl drove it home on the H the whole way. It didnt overheat but it was as close to doing so as possible.
When she got it home she drove it into her back yard and sat it there.

So what do you think I should do. Try to restore it or part it out? It has real nice black leather interior. tires need replacing. new battery etc and a waterpump is a huge pita

If i did a compression test on the motor and the cylinders came back good do you think the motor will be ok. If it blew a headgasket it should show up on a compression test and if it the head warped or cracked I should see that in the numbers as well.( i think) I dont have the equipment to preform a leakdown on this.

What are good compression numbers for a 6cyl max
give me some suggestions and ideas!

RH

Fr33way™

iTrader: (23)

Even if you had to put a new (used) VQ30 (most will say DE-K, VQ35) you still came out ahead. Is the car a 5 speed?

96ItaliaSE

iTrader: (3)

No its and auto...i dont have a engine lift....i teach school fulltime and i have no garage. all things considered i dont know

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

If you don't have the means to put a new engine in yourself and the compression comes back bad then I'd just part it out. Either way you'll come out ahead.

How far did she drive it home with the water temp pegged? 2 miles? 200 miles?

dgeesaman

iTrader: (10)

How will you part it out effectively if you don't have the gear to tear it down? I suggest you consider selling it as a rolling shell and get a better price, or fix it.

I know I could inspect and fix it in a day.

Dave

goldtooth

iTrader: (56)

or the place like a garage.....

86maxima96

iTrader: (10)

you could make your money back on just the seats! but if you didn't end up parting the entire thing out, you would end up with a lot of junk that would be tough to get rid of.

96ItaliaSE

iTrader: (3)

[QUOTE=dgeesaman]How will you part it out effectively if you don't have the gear to tear it down? I suggest you consider selling it as a rolling shell and get a better price, or fix it.

I know I could inspect and fix it in a day.

Dave[/QUote


i have tools...i dont have a engine lift and in NE its real cold and well quite frankly I own 3 cars so its a matter of motivation...Oil doesnt look milky do you think a good compression test means the engine is ok? I know they can be misleading sometimes ive gotten some funny numbers before and had the a car ran great


she drove 60 miles like that

TPenguin

Here is what I would do.. Test Compression, if everything is good then fix the water pump and crank her over. I had a 4th Gen that Overheated for like 50 Miles... fixed the radiator and it was fine. I really dont think she fired the motor, and you wont know untill you either open it up and look inside or crank and wait... I mean if any of us were there we could look at it for ya but we arent so i guess you get to have all the fun! Let us know how it went...

96ItaliaSE

iTrader: (3)

This is funny, i am by no means a novice but the more I re-read my own posts the stupider I sound.

Let me paint the best picture I can
This car has a damaged hood (like softball sized dents) the rear trunk lip is rusting around the spoiler and the 17 yr old girl put more bumper stickers on the back then any groupie mobile than I have ever seen.
Someone before did some work to it. It has recent GR2 struts on it and the coilpacks have been replaced. She bought it from a mechanic BUT she beat the crap out of it for 6months too. All that considered:

I was thinking of swapping the 4th gen leather into my 1992 but of course I can get it to run and drive it has more vaue. I also own a 1996 SE stick and just about the whole car is interchangeable so I am on the fence.

I am not doing a waterpump on this car myself PERIOD I did a VE waterpump and I promised myself never again (end of discussion!). My friend a licensed mechanic would be in the 350-400$ range (parts and labor).

So if you were me what would you do. I THINK (keyword think) I can jump start it, my "gut" feeling says the gasket and block are intact by visually inspecting the oil and knowing that most maximas Ive seen have overheated and been pegged to H for several miles and have had no internal damage.
A compression test will be done very soon in which case Ill no more.

thanks for everyones help and suggestions!
RH

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

You can start the car for a few minutes with a bad water pump. At least that way you'll see how it runs. Just jump it with cables and take it from there. If it's running smooth put a new pump in it, clean it up and either sell it or use it.

Armelius

Don't do anything except take it to the mechanic.

More than likely the heads are not warped. Just replace what is needed and you will have a great car. Doesn't matter if you put a thousand dollars into it. As long as the the underside isn't rusted out you should have a great vehicle to play with.

Replace those head gaskets, thermostat and anything else that might leak.

Do not part it out. Trust me on this one.

kormax97

In your situation, I would fix that car up (if it's just water pump and some minor stuff), swap some stuff like the leather interior with my current car, then sell the one you just fixed. This way, you have the max that you been driving around with the new upgrades and make money at the same time.

96ItaliaSE

iTrader: (3)

that would be a great idea but my 1996 Is superblack on BLK leather.. and doesnt need anything from that car cosmetically. Maybe I will fix it up...i just finished restoring a 1992 VE AUT0 137k which I could sell to fund this project.

I need maxima rehab i cant stop with the projects

freshv6power

iTrader: (2)

As long as you don't sleep with a vq engine engine in your room, I think you'll be ok. Power leather seats in your living room is kinda pushing it though.

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

Replacing the head gaskets is very involved on a 4th gen. I elected to swap an entire engine rather than replace head gaskets because it's easier.