Hi guys. I'm new to these forums. My old car, a 1995 Nissan Altima GXE, got totalled in an accident. My parents just bought a 1997 Maxima GXE (120k miles, around 2900$ b/c of the issues listed below) for me from a family friend.

It seems to be in decent condition. Exterior is pretty good. Only issues is there's an oil leak, like after I park the car, you see the spots on the ground. And we open the hood, we see all this dark/grease around the engine so I think that's where the oil leak is. Perhaps need to "re-seal" that? Also, the hood, when you open it, the spring mechanism that's supposed to keep it up doesn't work. Like it doesn't have the little metal stand to prop it up like my Altima did. The hood is supposed to stand up on its own but that mechanism seems to be broken, so when you open it, if you don't hold it up, it will just fall back down.

The hood mechanism, does anyone have any idea how I could repair that? Note, I know some about cars, not a total idiot, know more than the average Joe but I've never really done any actual repairs, but after seeing all the people on this forum doing stuff, I've become inspired to do oil changes and stuff on my own. So, I wanted to start out by repairing that hood thing. And perhaps the oil problem later.

The last issue with the car is there's some kind of clickety (sounds like when you jump on a bed that has bad springs, it makes that creaking sound kinda?? hopefully this isn't new shocks lol) noise coming out of the driver's side wheel area like when you drive but you hear it ONLY when you go over a bump. I think it's a loose strut or somethin? Next time I go for an oil change, I might just ask the technician to take a look.

And sorry to bore you with all this, I just thought I'd put out a precursor with all the info about my car. How exactly do you "prop" up your car on a jack? I've looked at the articles on this site, but none of them really mention "how to". They just say, use a jack or something. Where would I get a jack from? Is it included in the little tool box thing in my trunk?

Thanks a lot. Any and all answers/comments would be appreciated.

 

Hey welcome to the forums! I have the same problem with the hood with my car. I work at a dealership, and whenever I ask the techs to look at my car, they just use an extra prop that's lying around. I'm sure you could use any type of rod or somethin'. You know more than I do about cars, but that's why I'm here and that's also why I work at a dealership lol! My car also leaks. I honestly don't know how to go about fixing that. But my sister has a '97 SE and she took it to a Nissan dealership. They said it would cost her about $1200 JUST to fix that. Ouch. (If I'm referring to the correct problem)
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Oh, hey, you have the rattle noise too? lol awesome (but not so much). Mine comes from the right front side. I hear ya, when you go over bumps and such, it's really noticeable. I don't hear it with my windows up, but when they're down, it's pretty loud. I've had a friend of the family's look at it about a year and a half ago, and I believe he fixed it. Maybe not, cuz hey, I hear it.

Anyway, I guess it looks like we're just 2 Maxima owners with the same problems. Eventually I'll find time (and money) to fix all those problems. Hopefully we can both find some help within the forums! Good luck

 

• Hood: Get new hood struts, problem solved.
• Jack: You (should) have an emergency jack in the trunk, but those aren't to be used when working on the car in any normal (read: non emergency) situation. Get a floor jack from...wherever. Jacking points are described in the FSM and your owner's manual, assuming you have one.
• Oil leak: Assuming you're an auto, the only place the oil can come from is the engine. It could be anything from an oil pan to a timing cover leaking. You need to know exactly where it's coming from to be able to fix it.
• Suspension noise: Check for loose parts, see if anything is rubbing.

 

you can buy the hood struts at Autozone for around $30 with a lifetime warranty, which you will need.

 

Hood struts, I'm assuming, composes the spring mechanism that's supposed to hold the spring up? Wow, thanks for all the help guys. I'm gonna start working soon (still in high school), so I'm hoping to save up some $ to fix these repairs perhaps by myself because I love cars and I'd love to work and repair them on my own, I Just don't know how haha!

and SexiiMaxii, haha yup looks like both of us have one of a kind type of Maxima's haha.

 

The hood struts are gas charged pistons, they don't have springs in them. Pic of them below:

 

Ok, so if I were to buy a couple from AutoZone, how would I fit them on? Any tutorials on this online?

 

11mm wrench, 10 minutes of your time. Two bolts, one at top and bottom, very easy.

 

Ok, is the exact term "hood strut"? I went to autozone.com and tried a product search but hood strut turned up empty.

 

http://www.autozone.com/R,APP279142/...ductDetail.htm
http://www.autozone.com/R,APP280020/...ductDetail.htm

Shouldn't be session based so the links should work.

 

Ha, thanks. Which one should I take? And I'm assuming I should get two.

 

Whichever has the lifetime warranty, IMO.

I just picked one up from the local pick and pull yard for $6. Apparently, though, only one strut won't hold up the hood on it's own (the nut for the right side in the hood ripped out).

...back to the vicegrips.

 

OK, sorry to ask so many questions, but how do I figure out which one has a lifetime warranty? It doesn't seem to say on there...should I call them up and ask?

 

Yea, they don't mention on the pages themselves.

Probably be easier and quicker (and you'd actually get the real answer) to just go in and look at them yourself, rather than call and have to deal with someone.

 

just ask an employee at autozone to tell you where the hood struts are. if he cant figure it out, explain to him what you mean. and once you get the strut, bring it to the front, they can check if it has a warranty or not.
the warranty isnt that big of a deal though. they are not complicated mechanisms.


about your oil leak.....our cars are notorious for having VALVE COVER GASKET leaks. that is the seal that sits between the top and bottom of the crankcase. to be sure though, you shoudl wipe all the oil away and see where it reappears.

you are probably goin to have to have the gasket replaced. its gonna cost about 120 from your dealership.

if you are losing oil at the rate where you see puddles of it on the ground after the car has been sitting for 12 hours, then you are going to need to be constantly checking and replenishing the oil. if you drive with low or no oil you will destroy your engine.

 

It's not really "puddles" but rather a lot of spots on the pavement where I've parked the car outside. Is there any way I can replace the valve cover gasket myself?

 

Yes, if you know that's the problem (and of course if you have the tools for the job). Diagnose first, fix second.

 

Ok, so to diagnose, you would recommend me clean up all the oil like on the inside right? Perhaps I'll take some pictures (before and after) to show you guys? So should I just take like a wet cloth and clean up the engine block? (i think its called the engine block? the part where i see like 6 curved cylinders curve into this one big block that has like Nissan 24 valve V6 3000 written on it)

 

The '6 cylinders' would be the UIM (upper intake manifold). The front valve cover has the 'Nissan V6 3000' coil pack cover on it. Just take a good quality pic of the engine bay, centered towards the motor and if it's visible from the top it should be relatively easy to see what's (likely) leaking.

 

Ok, so shall I take a picture before...and then try and clean it up after? Or just take pictures of how it is now and upload those (without cleaning)?

 

Just go ahead and upload a pic as it is currently.

 

If not the valve cover gasket, the leak could be coming from the oil pressure sending unit. Look under the car and find the oil drain plug, from behind the passenger wheel. Look up from there at about 3 oclock IIRC, You will see the sending unit just above the oil pan. If it has oil coming out of the plastic electrical fitting, that could be part or all of your problem. Takes a 1 1/16" deep socket to get it out. I just replaced mine.

 

Ok, the forum is being gay. I try and put three pics in as images and wont show all three or it only shows one. I'll just give the links..here:

Oil on ground:
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01592yn9.jpg
http://img169.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01590nz7.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01591kl6.jpg

Engine bay:
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01593yk3.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01594bm3.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01595fl3.jpg
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01596yd8.jpg

Car itself:
http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc01598mx7.jpg

 

Most likely being blown back from the front valve cover.

...damn, your UIM is dirty as hell. Supposed to look like this:

 

What is the UIM?

Edit: NVM I think youre referring to upper intake manifold. That's the place where those 6 aluminum looking cylinders are right?

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...9&postcount=19

 

Right. So how should I clean it? Take a wet rag and wipe it away? I doubt only a rag dipped in water can clean that right? Perhaps soap? Or alchohol or somethin?

 

or is what we used at school.

That and a parts washer with some barsol cleaned up everything we ever tried.

 

So basically just a normal grease cleaner I can buy @ Walmart? Also, what's a parts washer?

 

Parts washers are used by shops to clean up parts. Not something (most) people have in their garages.

Yep, any sort of industrial cleaner works best on parts like the UIM and valve cover. I don't know where you live, but in East TN and here in MD they sell Purple Power in both Walmart and Target.

 

Well...to use a part washer, I'm assuming you have to actually...take the component outside of the engine bay right? I don't plan on doing that lol...so is it fine if I just use the grease cleaner? or will that not give it the "full" cleaning effect?

 

You could clean it on the car, but you'll end up with the injectors submerged in cleaning solution and water. Best to do it off of the car, or if you really want to do it in place, I'd just wipe it down and spray it with brake parts cleaner.

 

My hood struts aren't holding up as well. Gonna replace those pretty soon.

 

CRC actually makes an "engine degreaser" thats high pressure. just spray that around and use a rag to wipe up dirt. its gonna take an hour or two, but its worth it.

 

pmohr:

Brake parts cleaner...I'm assuming I can get that @ AutoZone too?

To Rockart:

Ok, what is CRC? And I'm guessing the engine degreaser is something like a hose that shoots some type of fluid at high pressure?

 

u can put a rag or alot of paper towles under the parts your trying to clean to minimize run off after u spray it if your worried about getting degreasser all over your . just spraying alone isnt gonna get it done. expect to use an old toothbrush and some elbow grease to get a nice clean. for how dirty yours is, keep a few hours open to get it done.

cleaning the top is not gonna take care of your leak. look under yoru car to find the leak. there are a fwe spots it can come from. if you only have 1 leak, it will be obvious where its comming from when u look at it from underneath. jsut follow the sludge.

ask for hood struts or hood shocks. they will probably only have a few to choose from. like everyon else said. get the one witht he best warranty(lifetime) because the aftermarket ones dont tend to last long. u can buy oem nissan ones for about 60-90 bucks a pop. u will need 2. or just keep a 2X4 chunck of wood in your trunk to keep the hood open.

as far as engine cleaner goes, when u go to autozone, there will be a bunch to choose from. they all work the same way. spray it on, clean it off. soem will have a straw to aim better, since yours os so dirty, u dont need to aim. just shoot and clean and repeat until satisfied just read the directions on the back of whatever can u use. keep it out of your eyes and off your skin. dont snort it. your good to go.

i think most of our cars leak a bit of oil, i replaced my rear main seal when i got a tranny rebuild and it still drips a little bit when cooling down after a drive. im just living with it. u should too.

 

Keep up with the maintenance, and your car shouldn't leak anything. Fix the leaks as they happen, it's very bad advice to just 'live with it'.
In another context:
I think most people have syphilis. I tried to cure it, but did a half *** job so I still have symptoms. I'm just living with it, you should too.
Notice how bad the advice is in that context? Same here.

Yes, brake parts cleaner can be bought at any parts store.

CRC is a brand name (http://crcind.com.au/crc/index.html). They make a fair amount of products. Most engine degreasers are just a regular aerosol spray (or concentrated liquid in a jug). Spray it on, scrub it a bit, then wash off with a hose.

 

Alright, we will most likely take the car to the dealer to fix the leak. Hopefully they dont "find" too many other "issues"...note the use of quotes haha...we know the dealer's tendency to find a lot of other issues when we only take it in for one thing.

 

Hood Struts from Nissanpartstore: Stabilus S2SG325009 $ 20.95 each.

I did not check local parts stores.

 

I have always used simply green and a pressure washer to clean my engines, but others are often hesitant to do this... But The self serve car washes by my house, well the selector thing has an "engine cleaner" selection, never tried it tho..