I need help guys. I am in the process of buying a commuter car, and came across a 95 Nissan Max SE (black/black) with 210,000 miles for $2,500. Is this too much? I have owned Nissans in the past an am confident in reliability, but 210,000 I'm not really sure.

Any feedback would be appreciated!!

 

The engines last a lot longer than that in most cases, but sometimes rust gets to it before the engine dies.

It all depends on what condition it's in - some cars are limping at 210k, others are in the condition of a 100k car.

I'd offer $2k if it was really clean, but that's just me.

Dave

 

when u mention that milage do u mean Kilometers or miles ?

 

I'm referring to miles not kilometers

Thanks

 

Have the exhaust and suspension checked. Definitely look for any signs of serious rust.

My car's got 235k miles and the engine's still goin strong. Had to change virtually the entire exhaust a couple times in the past 10 years though.

 

Seatbelt dash light question

Hey,
I have a 1999 maxima : Whats the proper way for the seatbelt light on the dash to behave? After putting the key in the ignition to ON, the seat belt light stays ON for about 7 - 10 seconds, then starts blinking like 2 seconds On and 1 sec Off, now if i buckle the driver side seat belt it starts blinking about 1 sec. On and 1 sec. Off, if i buckle the passenger seat belt there is no effect - still keeps on blinking.
Is it supposed to behave this way? does it ever go OFF ? Its kinda annoying..

Background on the car: bought the car from an insurance company, it had a minor front end collision, replaced both airbags and seatbelts.

Thanks in advance for any input

I looked up the repair manual, and seems like the driver side seatbelt buckle switch goes to the BCM, but there is no connection to the passenger side buckle, although there is a electrical connector under the passenger seat, i could not find this connector in the repair manual
The car has power seat (not heated) on the driver side, and manual on the passenger side.

 

side mouldings... i'd like to take them off. are they clipped on or just taped?

 

the crome ? i duno about that, i know the pilars on the doors are painted underneath so u cantake that black plastic off ( heat it up and peel it off )

Also the door handles are the same way, but the chrome around the windows i duno about that

 

Im pretty positive you cannot peel of the chrome on the exterior door handles.
The Chrome trim around the windows is held on by little clips. I swapped my chrome trim out for black trim off an SE, same with the door handles. I put body colored ones off an SE as well.

 

Umm noooo im pretty sure this thread explains how to make ur door handles the colour of your car :

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....6&page=1&pp=30

besides why would u wanna get rid of the chrome if its not peeling ? it looks luxury

 

That thread is about door pillars, not handles.

 

sorry, this is a bit long.
i have a 96 maxima & the engine light has been on for awhile. the first time an evap, egr & knock code came up. we cleared it to see if the light would come back on. it did, this time it was the egr flow malfunction (P0400), knock sensor 1 circuit malfunction (P0325) & manufacturer control transmission (P1760).
a couple days ago i took the car to a local shop & when they ran a test & checked things out only 2 codes came up. the knock sensor circuit was still there & an evap emissions small leak (P0440). they didn't see any obvious leaks but found out there are recalls on the car. the recalls are for the oxygen sensors & vent control valve. a water separator kit for the evaporative emissions control system if there isn't already one. & the vapor canister will be replaced if necessary.
the thing is when i got my car a little over a year ago i called the dealer to see if there were any recalls, they said no. so yesterday i called another dealer & asked for the recalls on my car & again they said no. so i am confused as what to do now. if nissan is saying there are no recalls how hard is this going to be to get fixed?

 

Hi Nicki,

You can go here to see the most up to date list of TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins).
http://www.nissantechinfo.com/nissan...0(A32)%2095-99

You're probably gonna want the EC-Engine Control Systems section.

Good luck. JP

 

I believe they are held on by clips. But if you take off the side moldings, you'll be left with a pretty ugly channel along the side of the car.

Would take some serious Bondo and repainting to smooth it out.

 

Ok. I ordered the sugested Tokico Blues and TEIN H-tech springs. When they showed up today lo and behold .... no dust boots. I wish someone had mentioned that when they sugested I buy them. Now I'm looking at another 50 or so bucks. But I digress, someone else sugusted that I replace my "Front stut bearing". Now I'm not an expert so maybe I'm not following the lingo but I can't find any such part for sale and looking through my repair manual on my car, there is no front strut bearing. The only thing I can think of that's part of the overall front suspension and is anything like a bearing is the lower ball joint but my manual says if the ball joint is damage or worn I need to replace the entire control arm. So I'm just a little lost and confused at this point. Please, if there are any other parts, such as dust boots, that I need to get before doing this.

 

You didn't mention that part before. Have fun then. and post some finished pics.

 

Sorry to change the course here, but a quick question about the front brakes. I rotated my tires today, and I have a sinking suspicion that the right front caliper is sticking. Gas mileage suddenly took a dump last week, and today's experience more or less made me a believer.

My question is exactly how free should the wheel be when you try to move it....when I try to spin the wheel it takes a medium effort to get it to move and pretty much stops when I let off. This is significantly different than the rears which are free-wheeling, so to speak.

Any comments?

Thank you much.

 

It is up in the modification FAQs. I'll look for the P/N for you. (Edit: 54325-5V000 Frt Bearing)

In the meantime, PLEASE read the following post about what strut boots you need:
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...3&postcount=48

Also, read up on these:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=245334
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=202810
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=203789
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=106476
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=252810
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=252343
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?p=2950290

 

Wow! perfect.. Thanks a million. I'm still wondering what the front strut bearing is. Or am I falling for a snipe hunting joke?

Edit: you know I've found in a few of those posts you linked the strut bearing mentioned but every parts place I've checked online doesn't show a strut bearing for it. Is it on all 4th gens or just some of them?

Oh and while I'm thinking about it.. Something I've noticed about this car since I bought it a few years back; any time I hit a slight bump in the road or a short-quick dip, the rear of the car seems to fishtail. It feels like the wheels aren't fishtailing, just everything above the wheels.

 

No, a strut bearing is a real part- and one that you really should try to replace if you upgrade your suspension. Only the front end needs bearings.

What you are describing about the rear getting loose is a symptom of dead rear struts. As you hit a bump, your springs are compressing to absorb the bump, but as the springs rebound, the struts are not able to control the movement. As they rear moves up, it takes weight off of the rear wheels, making the rear feel loose and floaty.

 

Okay! I found the strut bearing! Finally. Now a question.. The place I found the strut bearing at prices the strut bearing for the maxima at 16.27 but they also have an Infiniti strut bearing of same exact part number but it's it's only 12.57. Is there any difference?

links:
Maxima
http://catalog.drivewire.com/drivewi...=Strut+Bearing

Infiniti
http://www.drivewire.com/catalog/rep...utbearing.html

 

Help! I am trying to replace the factory single-din radio with a factory double-din (CD player) radio. But, it looks like I need a third wire harness. Any ideas where I can find the needed wire harness? Many thanks1

 

DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT get that KYB bearing. It is a peice of crap and will fail QUICKLY. Get ONLY a Nissan/Infiniti OEM part. KYBs dust boots are great, but the strut mounts and strut bearings are trash.

 

my check engine light came on in the maxima today. took it to my friends shop and the codes he got were p0400 egr system and 4 key cycles since failure. can some 1 tell me what they mean.

 

You get ONE pass:
Here is the title of a thread that is at the TOP of the page: ECU fault code diagnosis ("HELP! MY CHECK ENGINE/SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT IS ON!!")

What do you think that that title means? It tells you EXACTLY what each code means.

Link:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=104931

Your salvation:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....highlight=0400

 

Well the front wheels rotate an entire axle, and depending on the type of differential, even more stuff. So yes, you should feel a good bit of drag when rotating the front wheels, and if you're going to do this test, lift both front wheels at the same time. The pad drag is only a small portion of the torque required to move it.

The rear wheels are just sitting there with no axle to turn. The only thing you feel is pad drag.

Probably the better test is to take the car for a drive, doesn't need to be a hard drive, and stop it and check the heat coming off of each wheel. If one is hotter than the other (left vs. right), you've found the sticking brake. Another thing to look for is pad wear - compare the wear on both sets of front pads - the dragging pad will usually show a lot more wear and it will have an angled pattern when you look at it from the side.

Dave

 

thank you....but that does not explain 4 key cycles to me

 

What he is saying is that we have put a very comprehensive article together and you should use it BEFORE asking any questions. The stickies are there to answer questions that come up. Only if they are not in the stickies nore can you find anything on it should they be asked.

Ill do the leg work for you now but you need to read A LOT more before asking questions to avoid flaming.
P0400 is code 0302 EGR problem.
This is what the sticky says

0302
Diagnostic Trouble code 0302 points to a problem with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation system. The malfunction is detected by the Engine Control Module when no EGR flow is detected under conditions which call for EGR. Possible causes include:
- The electrical harness or connectors (valve circuit open or shorted)
- The EGR valve is stuck closed
- Weak or dead battery
- The EGR passage is clogged
- Faulty EGR temperature sensor circuit
- A leak somewhere in the exhaust system

The EGR Volume Control Valve may be tested with an ohmmeter. Disconnect the electrical connector. Looking at the connector half which is attached to the EGRVCV with the latch at the 12 o'clock position you will see two rows of three terminals. The top row is numbered 1-3, right to left. The bottom row is numbered 4-6, right to left. Measure the resistance between these terminal pairs:
2 1
2 3
5 4
5 6
... all resistance values should be 20.9-23.1 ohms at 68 degrees F.

Reconnect the EGRVCV connector halves. Turn the ignition switch ON OFF repeatedly. Verify that the EGRVCV shaft moves smoothly forward backward according to the ignition switch position.

The Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor may be tested with an ohmmeter. The specifications are ...
- at 32 degrees F, 0.68-1.11 Megohms
- at 122 degrees F, 0.09-0.12 Megohms
- at 212 degrees F, 0.017-0.024 Megohms

 

Well, I'm not new here per say, just haven't posted in a really long time and only post when I have to, so I don't even have 15 posts...lol.

My question:
I'm looking to pick up a 95 Maxima SE with high mileage (250k miles). It's in good shape from what I can tell after the drive and the price is right ($2500).

Any suggestions on something to check if I go back for a 2nd drive with a car with this many miles?

 

bumped..

Hey fellas,
somebody's gotta have a 99' Maxima who can tell me how the seatbelt light is supposed to behave like... you guys really don't want me to take my car to the stealership and pay $$ for a diagnostics...
thanks

 

Honestly, I would just disable the light. You can either unplug the connector that goes to the seat buckle or take out the bulb in the cluster. Way too much of a hassle to figure out an electrical problem like that just to make the seat belt light work. I mean, do you really need that light? Your not going to forget to put on your seat belt without it.

 

the connector underneath the seat is for power seats for the passenger side. They come pre-wired. As for the blinking light,, it means your seatbelt pretensioner has a problem. Either a disconnected wire or a short.

 

Ask for any maintenance records. tuneups, brakes, transmission flush, coolant flush, AC checkups, suspension replacements, exhaust work, etc.

A car with that many miles should have had a lot of regular work done to it.
If everything is still stock, I'd be a little worried.
Look for any signs of major rust too, especially on the lower radiator support beam (you can see it through the lower front grill opening).

 

Thanks! I went back and looked at these things and everything looks "decent".

It needs brake pads, and probably a tune up, but no rust, interior and exterior are good/clean, and everything electrical still works.

The guy is a traveling salesman and was putting about 35-40k miles per year on it.

Made him an offer...$2150...BOUGHT! I pick it up/meet him at the bank Monday.

Hopefully it'll be a decent daily driver for my 20 mile roundtrip...

 

I'm trying to remove my power antenna mast from my 1995 Maxima. I have completely removed the antenna motor assembly with the mast still attached. I've opened the motor unit and removed the broken portion of the nylon threads - the reason I want to remove the mast - but I still can't get the mast to come loose. I've applied some PB Blaster, hoping it just seized up. Am I missing something? Is there some sort of retaining clip? Help!!!!!

 

does any1 have the link to the page where it shows the radio wiring diagrams for the 4th gen max? thanx

 

If I understand this right, the antenna is still wrapped up in the motor? You need to reconnect it, put the key in the ignition, and pull the mast out while the car extends it.

Dave

 

Try the audio forum. I know it is there.

 

The nylon geared portion of the antenna was so broken up inside the motor that I went ahead and removed it completely from inside the motor unit. The only thing left is the metal mast itself. It still doesn't want to come out. ???

 

I got my Maxima like 3 weeks ago. I know its a good car but its given me more trouble than I thought. First I replaced the strut mounts $200, not a big deal. Then I had to get the whole rack and pinion replaced because it was leaking, that was $450 parts and labor. The day after i get that done i started smelling fumes in the car when I start it. The first 10 mins of starting the car the whole car smells like gasoline. after i drive for a while it goes away. I took it to get it checked, one guy told me its my oil pressure switch is leaking and its going into the muffler which is causing the smell. I took it someplace else and he said its more than that. He's saying its something in the engine and he has to move some parts around to see it which is going to cost about $300. My question is would the oil pressure switch cause the fumes in the car and second is all this work worth it? Im considering selling it and getting something else