I have recently acquired a 95 Maxima auto with 153k miles. Here is the maintenance history as far as I know.

Oil changed at 150k.
Tranny flush at 118k (when should the tranny fluid filter be changed?).
Air filter 118k (I need to go ahead and change it out).
Spark plugs changed 120k.
Fuel filter - unknown (how often should this be changed?)

The car got new struts / brakes at 120k. It sounds like one of the pads is squeaking so I will see what I can do about that.

My biggest question is about Seafoam. At 153k, is it too much of a risk to use Seafoam and risk damaging the o2 sensors?

Any other ideas on what I should do to get the car in peak (for stock) condition?

 

ok, first off let me say welcome into one of the best maxima's ever made. second, here's how it goes with your max, fuel filter, do that every 20,000, tranny fluid filter??, not to my knowledge, air filter, get a k&n lifetime, 50.00 and well wqrth it, plugs, platinum, good for 60,000, brakes are probably just dirty and/or you might need pads. get a master cylinder flush if the fluids not clear, and check roeders and calipers. absolutely no seafoam, go to dealer and get an intake flush, about 100.00 and it wont stick around in your system.check your exhaust for leaks and broken hangers, oil pressure switch, belts, battery, electronic starter switch, look for leaks around power steering lines and pump, flush out radiotor if not sure when done last, put bg oil treatment in with oil change and fuel system treatment with full tank of premium gas, ( dealer, about 13.00, its a kit ) tires should be at 32 to 34 psi and check boots around axels for rips. that should cover most of what goes wrong with this year max and general maintenece. good luck!!!

 

I'm pretty sure the radiator fluid needs to be flushed out, any idea how much that usually costs?

Also, you mentioned the intake flush? What do they do different than your usual tb cleaning?

The muffler is starting to flake little pieces off from rust, but no holes yet.

Also, the leather is cracking and the foam is starting to show. Is there any kind of glue I can get that might hold the leather back together?

 

search the stickies for the link to download the FSM (factory service manual) it has all the information u can ( or cant ) handle.

i could type everything out here to make it easier on u, but i am tired and its actually good for u to read the FSM !!!

 

ok after reading the above post completely i decided i NEEDED to write it all out, so here goes

1) Fuel Filter: since you dont know if it ever has been changed, i suggest going to the dealer and buying a 1996 300Z TT fuel filter and replacing it, the interval is NOT 20K Mi, there is no interval given, so it depends on many factors - put the 300z filter on and forget about it for another 100K Mi if u still have the car by then

2) Tranny (auto): Fluid flush every 30K Mi - there is not "filter" just a screen, the only way to clean it is to take the pan off, dealer will not do this as nissan thinks its not necesarry. It Should be done so go to a shop and get the pan dropped, clean the magnet and replace the gasket and clean the screen. use Dexron III fluid only.

3) air filter (assuming u have the stock box): should be done every 15K Mi, OR when conditions are such that it gets dirty a lot faster, i do not suggest putting a K&N in a stock air box, u will spend more money, allow more dirt into the engine, and not notice any power gain. stay with paper if u have the stock box.

4) Plugs: pull the plugs and inspect, check the type of plug used they may be the wrong ones, stay with NGK anything. it depends how often u want to go into the engine and change them read more here : http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/product...x.asp?mode=nml
and here: http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html

5) replace the PCV valve, dont cheap out and go to dealer, pay like 3 dollars more but get nissan quality. read more about it in the stickies or here: http://web.archive.org/web/200111091...k_service.html

6)Coolant flush: go to dealer and get Nissan long life coolant, more expensive but better quality and its exactly what should be used in the maxima. i suggest taking this fluid to the shop and getting it power flushed, this way 100% fluid is replaced and u dont have to **** around flushing it urself like 10 times or whatever.

7)Power strering fluid flush : read more here http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php or take the hoses off, its super easy and its like 5 minutes extra work than the motorvades method.

8) im not sure what "intake flush" for 100 the guy there is referring to but u can take of the TB and IACV urself and clean it better then any dealer. read instructions in the stickies

9)Dont put any "oil treatments" in ur engine, just use Castrol GTX 5w-30 and any filter, if u stay with the Oil Change Interval ontime the filter doesnt matter

10) check ur wallet to see if u have money left

11) if u do go and flush ur brake fluid

there is more but u will have to search for that urself in the stickies, i really do suggest the FSM there is no MISSINFORMATION there. u dont have to do it all at once so choose whats easiest and cheapest first it all depends on how much money u wanna throw at it and how long u plan on holding the car.

Good luck, and Welcome !!!

 

seafoam is a waste. It's the most argued thing on here besides gas mileage lol. Inspect your pads, probably need new ones depending how you drive. The rest of the stuff andrei listed is good. Do it and you'll be fine. Can't go wrong cleaning everything.

 

Thanks for all the info, it is much appreciated.

1. Just curious, why the 1996 300Z TT fuel filter?

8. When you referring to intake cleaning, what does IACV stand for?

 

he says the 300zx fuel filter because it is about twice the size of the maxima, therefore lasts 2x as long.

IACV stands for Idle Air Control Valve

 

I've never gotten more than 22,500 miles out of an OEM air filter, so I switched to K&N.

A fuel filter should be replaced every 30K. I doubt that a 300ZX filter would last 100k and why would one want to find out?

Use a good quality oil filter: Nissan OEM, Purolator PureOne, WIX.

Regular fluid changes are important: oil, radiator coolant, power steering, brake, transmission.

Buy a Haynes manual. They are cheap.

 

The reason i dont like K&N is because I think they let more air and thus dirt through. How else can the car "gain" power through simply switching the air filters? by letting more air in and by compensating through the A/F mixture. Lets say u have not cleaned it for a while and it filtered better because it was dirty. So you buy the $15 dollar cleaning kit (another expense). What if u dont clean it right and over oil the filter ? there goes your MAF and i dont even want to check how much that will cost.

A fuel filter every 30K Mi ? really where did u get that info ? Look at sky jumpers fuel filter thread.

For the new guy - u can use the free search at the top of the page, look for something named fuel filter by a guy named skyjumper its got lots of pics from him and me to explain things, it explains a lot about this beaten subject. there is a good reason why nissan moved the fuel filter into the tank on the 5th gen + maximas. they no longer consider it a maintenace item.

 

Fuel filter replacement at 30k is based on a) my experience and b) the Haynes manual and the fact my Maxima only has 109,500 kilometres on the clock.

Similarly, changing the air filter at 22.5k, rather than 30k, is based on my experience.

I have never cleaned my K&N filter, but I have a near new OEM filter I will use for awhile when I do clean my K&N, while letting it dry out for a day or so following cleaning.

I know there are K&N haters out there, but it works for me.

 

There is no interval given in my 1997 owners manual for fuel filter changes, do u mind scanning the page where is says that in the owners manual ?

haynes, ahh yes the bible some of us go by, it does not come from the manufacturer and it gives general maintenance intervals. just like any transmission shop will suggest 30k Mi interval for flushes for ANY car regardless of what the manual calls for.

your experience tells u to change the filter at 30k Mi ? good. looking at ur own experience is probably one of the best things you can do. Tell me did the fuel pump fail after 30K Mi if the filter is not changed on your particular maxima ? or maybe the fuel pressure regulator fails after 30K Mi on ur particular maxima ? if neither of those things happened then what makes u change it at 30 K Mi ? i know u said experience but what happens if u dont ? why not 35, 40, 50 .....

i never said 30K Mi for the air filter, i said 15 K Mi or when it gets clogged really bad.

 

My bad! My owner's manual does not specify 30k intervals for fuel filter replacement.

However, I have a Nissan Service Maintenance Schedule from two local dealerships and they both specify at 24 month/48,000 kilometres intervals, ie 30,000 miles:

"Replace fuel filter."

I suggest you go to a local dealership and see what their maintenance schedule specifies.

30K works for me and obviously it works for Nissan Canada!

 

The schedule u picked up is that specifically for the 4th gen or a general maintenance schedule ?

 

It is the one they give me when I get service on my 1995 Nissan Maxima.

When I took my Maxima in for its 48,000 kilometre service, they also gave me the same schedule, and changed the fuel filter at that time.

The 2nd time I had it replaced at a LubeWorld.

I thought I was ****!

If you are that hung up on the interval for changing a fuel filter, replace it every month.

I should know better than to have a difference of opinion with someone from The Center of the Universe, lol!

 

HAHA well Toronto IS the biggest city in the whole of Canada.

no i am on the opposite side of replacing the fuel filter every month, in fact i doubt i will ever replace my 300z filter even again.

I had those same schedules the first time i went to nissan to buy a window moulding for my front windshield when it was not replaced properly by the guys who i got bought the car from (after replacing the windshield they broke the mouldiong trying to reinstall it). i think those are general schedules and should not be followed. I use the FSM for all the maintenance questions, because it was specifically made for the exact year of my car. ;-)

 

You truly are a piece of work, andrei333, lol!

Now tell us more about when your window molding was changed. I am sure fellow .orgers will be intrigued to learn more.

 

i think ill save that story for another rainy day!

but now its time for me to go to my job interview, if i get it its SEE YA SUCKERS and im on to my I35T, or maybe not, maybe i will drive my max tyll the end...hehehe

 

You can use me as a refernce, lol!

 

Okay, I got a few things done today.

Cleaned the throttle body and IACV.
Replaced the PCV valve (that was easy).
Replaced fuel filter (had to take it to pep boys, I had a hard time reaching the location of the fuel filter).

I still need to replace the rear brake pads and flush the radiator. Other than that, it looks like I have a lot of washing and waxing in front of me to get the Maxima looking as good as it runs.

 

[QUOTE=andrei3333]ok after reading the above post completely i decided i NEEDED to write it all out, so here goes

1) Fuel Filter: since you dont know if it ever has been changed, i suggest going to the dealer and buying a 1996 300Z TT fuel filter and replacing it, the interval is NOT 20K Mi, there is no interval given, so it depends on many factors - put the 300z filter on and forget about it for another 100K Mi if u still have the car by then

2) Tranny (auto): Fluid flush every 30K Mi - there is not "filter" just a screen, the only way to clean it is to take the pan off, dealer will not do this as nissan thinks its not necesarry. It Should be done so go to a shop and get the pan dropped, clean the magnet and replace the gasket and clean the screen. use Dexron III fluid only.

3) air filter (assuming u have the stock box): should be done every 15K Mi, OR when conditions are such that it gets dirty a lot faster, i do not suggest putting a K&N in a stock air box, u will spend more money, allow more dirt into the engine, and not notice any power gain. stay with paper if u have the stock box.

4) Plugs: pull the plugs and inspect, check the type of plug used they may be the wrong ones, stay with NGK anything. it depends how often u want to go into the engine and change them read more here : http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/product...x.asp?mode=nml
and here: http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/engine/plugs.html

5) replace the PCV valve, dont cheap out and go to dealer, pay like 3 dollars more but get nissan quality. read more about it in the stickies or here: http://web.archive.org/web/200111091...k_service.html

6)Coolant flush: go to dealer and get Nissan long life coolant, more expensive but better quality and its exactly what should be used in the maxima. i suggest taking this fluid to the shop and getting it power flushed, this way 100% fluid is replaced and u dont have to **** around flushing it urself like 10 times or whatever.

7)Power strering fluid flush : read more here http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php or take the hoses off, its super easy and its like 5 minutes extra work than the motorvades method.

8) im not sure what "intake flush" for 100 the guy there is referring to but u can take of the TB and IACV urself and clean it better then any dealer. read instructions in the stickies

9)Dont put any "oil treatments" in ur engine, just use Castrol GTX 5w-30 and any filter, if u stay with the Oil Change Interval ontime the filter doesnt matter

10) check ur wallet to see if u have money left

11) if u do go and flush ur brake fluid

there is more but u will have to search for that urself in the stickies, i really do suggest the FSM there is no MISSINFORMATION there.
yo, i have a 95 and have done everything i typed in and your wrong on soo many points i dont even know where to start. the k&n is waaay better than paper, why is it making my car run so much better??? because it breathes better than crappy paper. go to a radiator guy and have him put in regular antifreeze, he'll tell you that the high mileage stuff is crap and actually harms your engine.the bg oil and gas is " recommended " by the dealer and you should use it. tranny flush at your mileage is risky, i did mine at 129,000 and will never do again. pcv valve, never touched it so im not sure about that. also, the fuel filter as recommended by the dealer is as needed, but they said every 20,000 is recommended. i'm not giving " misinformation " andre, i've had a max for 2 and a half years and i know what i'm talkin about.

 

Ummm, actually you have no idea what you're talking about, I've come across several posts from andrei3333 and he def. knows his ish, you on the other hand admit that you have no clue about replacing a pcv valve.......

Coolant= Toyota ftw, or honda, you can read the 'fluids and lubricants section for more info/argument/debate on this. Also, about the oil filter, nobody mentioned the Bosch, You will NEVER catch me running ANYTHING but a Bosch or Nissan, my rule of thumb for car parts is if it wasn't made in Germany, Italy, or Japan it's probably inferior.......

 

Thanx man, i really appreciate that, it doesnt happen often here, i feel a vintage kodak moment is upon us

i just follow a simple formula, if ive done it myself or know something for a fact, i say it, if i never done it, or dont know it, then i dont say it -- simple as that.

of course people will always have a difference of opinion, which is a good thing because thats how we can achieve the best results, by talking and realizing what makes more sense and doing that !

 

sooooooo, because andre has more posts than i do, means he knows more than me???? just because i have'nt had to replace the pcv valve does'nt make me any less knowlegeable about my year max either. trust me, i'm older and have been around cars alot longer than he has. does'nt mean he is'nt familiar about max's, just that i know my max and this kid has the same one as me. so there!!!!!

 

Dude relax, no one mentioned post counts as of yet, and i think i still know how to read english

the reason things were said about u was because u suggested some stuff incorrectly, its ok man its not a big deal when someone corrects u, its not a reason to get angry, its a reason to learn why the mistake was made and not letting it happen in the future.

Saying that my max is diff from urs makes no sense cause we have the same engine same transmisison (well auto is what im talking about) same rads, same every major component. and u r saying "my year max..." its a 4th gen 95-99 SAME rules apply, sorry but this makes u sound like u never knew this simple fact. well, now u know

PS: besides, post counts mean nothing, imagine a nissan tech finding this site and logging on, he will be seen as a Noob until he PROVES HIS KNOWLEDGE, i have had too much time on my hands lately so thats why im here more often then i should be and thus the high post count in such a short amount of time. why am i even explaining myself to u ?

 

once again, your half my age and probably know what you know. but i know my car and the stuff i suggested is on track with my maxima and it runs perfect. and a 97 has different issues than a 95 and/or a 99 and you know it. so saying that all 4th gen max's are the same is incorrect. sonny....

 

ok so u r 48 and that makes.. um .. what difference ?

ok im done with this thread unless the OP or anyone else has questions, i am not here to argue age VS knowledge, post counts or other unrelated issues...

 

Perhaps you would care to expand on this statement.

Specifically what issues does a 97 typically have that distinguishes it from a 95. Similarly please elaborate on the issues peculiar to a 99, other than the well-known coilpack problem.

I am older than you and scratch my head over some of your comments.

 

regarding the fuel filter -- the only real reason to change it is if the media becomes so clogged that it restricts fuel flow, and the engine begins to hesitate/stumble under high fuel demand conditions (such as WOT and cold start).

this is not dependent on miles, so any suggested change interval is arbitrary and highly meaningless. 20+ years ago most fuel filters were very small, and would quickly clog. this is likely where the traditional 30k mi interval came from. (I'm remembering my '76 Nova, my 1970 monte carlo, and my '69 Camaro -- they all had tiny fuel filters mounted in the carburetor -- they would sometimes clog and the engine would stall, but you could take them out, clean them, and be good to go for another couple years).

as for the OEM nissan filter -- the media itself is very strong, and will not let excess dirt through no matter how clogged it gets -- this means a dirty fuel filter will NOT cause dirty/clogged fuel injectors like many people think. in fact, a dirty filter media my actually filter better.

having said that, the input side of the filter does get quite filthy over time. so if you're the type to worry about such things, then pick whatever change interval makes you feel good and sleep well at night.

I left my original fuel filter in for 96k miles. I dissected it, and the input side was disgusting -- but the output side was clean as new, and the fuel exiting the filter was visibly clean & fresh.

since changing the fuel filter I have noticed exactly nothing... same fuel economy, same power, same everything. engine ran perfectly before the change, and still does.

one note about "dealer service recommendations" -- my local Honda dealer tells people they need to replace the valve cover gasket every 30k miles -- yes, you read that correctly. they did it twice in 60k miles to my fiancee's Accord (that was before I met her, of course). obviously the official Honda maintenance schedule mentions nothing of it. dealer also put "krex graphite additive" in her oil and fuel without asking her, and then charged her $40 for it (*cringe*) -- and later claimed it was required to keep the warranty valid! lesson -- most dealers are dishonest crooks and cannot be trusted.

here's some pics of the fuel filter dissection...

1) complete dissection....


2) Close up of dirty (input) side (nasty!)...


3) Close up of clean (output) side...


4) Swabs of the dirty (input) and clean (output) side of the media. this clearly shows the filter is working fine...

 

Since I've noticed some debate over the fuel filter ... I have another question to add regarding it.

My dad has been around working on cars since he was 16, and I've asked him about replacing the fuel filter since I got my Max almost 20k ago since we didn't know its maintanence history. He keeps telling me that with the 10% Ethanol in the gas here in the northeast that it cleans out the filter as well as running cleaner through the gas tank every couple of months, and because of that there is no need to spend the money and replace it. I'm a bit skeptical of that so I was wondering if anyone else had some insight about this.

 

what, are you serious????? read some of the threads in here and you'll see what im talkin about. and andre, number of posts mean nothing to overall expierience. and, to end all this bs, everybodys max is different, you drive her the way you want her to handle and hopefully you will keep her a long time. the end........

 

What a lame response! I have read numerous threads and have asked you to clarify your previous comments, which you undoubtedly are unable to do.

 

Sky Jumper, thanx thats exactly the pics i was looking for, could not find the original thread for some reason.

Im going to cut up my old filter as soon as i get a cheap saw, and we will see how clean the North East gas is (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

 

oem nissan filter= $10
band-aids=1$
Peace of mind=Priceless