Buying a 97 maxima with 151,000 and check engine light
 

I'm considering buying a 4th gen with more miles then I originally wanted and a check engine light on as well. But it's an original owner car and looks clean in the pics. I ran a carfax and it looks clean. So bringing my scanner with me tomorrow . Which codes are a no go and which should I buy the car if they show . De DMV sucks , I think they follow Calififornia s emissions exc.. So I will have to fix the code/codes .

Even if it wasn't California you'd have to fix the codes!
Read them b4 you buy it and make sure you find the cost to clear each code and reduce the cost by that much...

There are a lot of different codes that can be generated, too many to do a shotgun answer to. Find out what codes are present and let us know what you have.

This is a 22 year old car with only 150k miles on it.

Most of us have over 200k on our rides.

The car could be very good, or need a lot of work.

Check what the code is.

Also examine the rest of the car carefully, just as you would any other car.

Okay great , i`m going to post the codes first thing before I even look at the rest of the car.Hoping someone knowledgable is watching. My other question is the rad supports , how do I inspect them and how will i know if I should pass on the car if their to rusty.. The bottom line price so far is 1300 , With it being original owner and clean carfax , I think the price is good if the codes aren`t to bad.

If you are in a good weather state, the radiator support shouldn't be a problem. Mine has no rust, but I am in warm sunny SoCal. That is great mileage for such an old car. I have a 98 with 170K on it.

Absolutely check the lower radiator support. Generally they fail right in the middle of the support look for excessive rust, metal delamination etc. They are fixable but again it would be a deduct if it needs to be replaced. Only buy the lower rad support form Nissan all the aftermarket ones are trash. Remember you can pull the codes with a small flat blade screwdriver and the DTC list if you forget your reader.

Rad Support Check
 

Okay, headed to go look at the car soon, so went out and looked at the 4th gen max that were replacing due to being hit in the rear. I can easily view the top rad supports, do I need to bring some tools and remove the plastic shroud underneath. I climbed under the car and cant seem to see the lower rad supports ?

Yes, the shroud covers the rad supports.

Rad supports are good it spent some of its life in Fl
 

The codes are po400, po500,po325,po130,po136,po500,po325 as per autozone code reader.The seller is rock bottom. At 1200 , some rust around one rear fender other then that really clean car , what do you guys think ?

Maybe for $800 to $1,000, but not $1,200 with those codes and rust issues.

Bought it
 

The seller wouldn't take less then 1200 but I have over 1200 in receipts in last 2 years 3 out of 4 struts replaced and tires . I get the one owner thing now it felt almost like a new car on the way home . A few minutes after the hr drive though , I saw some steam comming out of the hood , Temp gauge was good the whole trip. So popped the hood and in the top of the radiator facing me was a slit/leak , small amount of coolant comming out , can jb weld or water weld that small visible leak or replace the radiator

Good Rad Supports
 

One of the good things was only surface rust on the rad support actually could be a bit deeper but way way better then the other 5 I looked at.

Sounds like the poor max was neglected, I would have passed on it. Add another $100 in repairs for a new radiator. Good luck getting it sorted out.

Replace or plastic melt
 

So replace the radiator, I shouldn't try to use plastic melted weld repair ? Yea , I was in a situation where the car was needed asap , being a Delaware resident I was able to get a pa temp tag for 60 days which should give me time to fix the codes without using the 2 30 day temps that de gives.

The radiator is very critical for the proper operation of the engine. Do you really want to worry if your repair is going to hold up and/or if it's going to split somewhere else? For $100 or less, it's a no-brainer IMO to replace the radiator, drain the system, and add new distilled water and coolant. Last time I looked, radiators were like $60 shipped on Ebay.

Maintained vs Non maintained
 

Okay , I'm looking for a good site to order one now. Also it seems to have been pretty well maintained except the owner had moved from fla to pa so kept registering it in fla which avoided the check engine light hassles . Although some searching on this sight provides insight that some of those codes are things that should be fixed , not just annoying dmv issues. Since it seems to run great with plenty of power new struts and tires .If I had not scanned articles on here and my state did not fail for check engine light I'd have been tempted to ignore the light as well.

Which Radiator
 

RockAuto has the Denso for 56 or spectra premium for 75, anybody know which one I should order or go somewhere else ?

Your codes are related to a clogged EGR, bad O2 sensors, and the Knock Sensor. Your gas mileage may be suffering, and you're probably not realizing the full potential of the engine with the Knock Sensor Code. Fix all other codes first, as the KS code could be a ghost/piggyback code. Once you fix everything, reset ECU and see if KS code goes away. If not, the KS will need replacing too.

Great thanks so much for the help. I`m just going to get an advanced or autozone radiator since their right down the street and I`d like to get this done today. Something wierd the seller said was turn off the ac before shutting down the car , since with less load its easier to start. I`m assuming a battery or even alternator may be in the future since I have never heard of that before. Though a thread is saying one of those codes can cause difficult starting , although it does seem to start okay for now.

The Wizard gives some of the best advice on here. Fix what he says. Get a new radiator. Look in the How To section to learn about your EGR and O2 sensors. Fix them and the car should run great. These engines are practically bullet proof when you take care of them.

Replace the radiator for sure. Also consider replacing at least the upper radiator hose, since it's usually the first to go.

The oxygen sensors are important. The car won't run properly with bad ones. Your mileage and power will suffer. You should be getting 30mpg or more on the highway.

congrats, on the purchase and welcome to the.org. I was reading the whole post and I was going to say this 97 with about 170k on the clock its a bit low or in the norm of what the mileage what would be on this car. I would always look and check the core support and rear and front fender wells and quarter panels and sometimes the rocker panels would have rust if your the northeastern car the weather does suck on this side of town. the other important issues hear would be engine mounts and trans shifting on this mileage the engine with bad mounts and trans you can see the car violently shift and move when the car is shifting and check engine seals and trans seals and belts and hoses for cracks leaks before I buy this car, but you already purchased it so its a reliable car regaurdless of the problems the car will run but with problems that should be addressed to perfect the car and be reliable again like it once was. the basics here check the oil, coolant, trans fluid if it has been changed and if its not burnt and smelly the color would tell a lot on the cars maintance. if the trans looks good and its fine in shifting and the color looks to be pink or red or dark red its fine,but if its brown or black that's trans should be not touched but looked at with caution. the important thing here is check the codes they are fixable. good luck have fun with the car.

Replace the radiator. It's a simple job, like 100 bucks and DIY. Fix the support while your'e there.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....1f184c070e.jpg

Is that a factory colour or custom job? Either way that's a beautiful shade.

Lakeshore Blue - Factory option exclusive to 1999. Thanks :)

I got a whole 25,000 miles out of my Autozone Duralast Gold alternator. It's cheaper if they make the carbon contact rods short; they pass the savings on to you.

At least get a remanned Hitachi ALR0011 from RockAuto; it took me and my friend about 5 hours to do the alternator last weekend. Way harder than it should be. Be sure you have a 5 gallon bucket to support the A/C compressor on when you drop it out of the way and a good set of extenders / U-Joints.

Been there. Did you drop the alternator out the bottom or the top by removing the radiator and fans?

Pulled the fans to make it easier to access the wiring and then dropped it out the bottom. Left the radiator in, but pulled the top hose to make space to get the fans out. Somehow I had lost the 5 inch long retaining bolt in the last 4 years too :P lol.

Yep. It needs a midlife refresh. All that comes with it.