5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003) Learn more about the 5th Generation Maxima, including the VQ30DE-K and VQ35DE engines.

Identify the Rusting 5.5 Gen Maxima Part (Fun for All Ages!)

Old Oct 13, 2009 | 02:33 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Stereodude
So you think it's normal for an oil pan to rust through in six years?
Mine did after 5 years. I live in Canada. They put a lot of salt on these roads. I get my car oil sprayed every year and try to wash it fairly often in the winter (i get the underneath wash too).

Next car I buy that I plan to mod, I will not drive in the winter.
Old Oct 13, 2009 | 02:47 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by ZGadson
I also will never be buying a Nissan again. This is my first and last Nissan product. In the past year, the repair bills have exceeded my monthly payments. And now the exhaust system is falling off, yet another repair bill.

Plus, the fact that Nissan and Infiniti dealers treat each other like they've never met pisses me off.
Yeah, like you don't have repair problems on other makes and models you friggin noob. My car virtually has zero rust.
Old Oct 13, 2009 | 04:28 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by metalpiotr
Mine did after 5 years. I live in Canada. They put a lot of salt on these roads. I get my car oil sprayed every year and try to wash it fairly often in the winter (i get the underneath wash too).

Next car I buy that I plan to mod, I will not drive in the winter.
If a cars treated like Shi^ it's gonna return the favor. PERIOD.
Old Oct 13, 2009 | 07:15 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by cmax1
Im not really talking about engine parts because I expect those things under the hood to rust some because they are not treated. Im talking about body panels that bubble up and rust. The cars im talking about had rust on fenders, the roof, etc which shouldnt be on a 5-7 year old car "IMO". I expect rust on cars 10 yrs plus but I guess if your car was built on a friday or a monday makes a difference.
Isn't the corrosion warranty 5 years unlimited miles?
Old Oct 13, 2009 | 08:12 PM
  #45  
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Holy rust batman!!!!!!!!

But seriously your car looks like you pressure cleaned the engine with salt!

My maxima was in ny for 12 years and isn't rusting that bad.

GL my friend!

Last edited by webjohn; Oct 13, 2009 at 08:17 PM.
Old Oct 13, 2009 | 08:20 PM
  #46  
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new york and thank god my car has no rust at all except for a lil part on the rad support took care of it already.
Old Oct 14, 2009 | 08:37 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by e-subliminal-2
If a cars treated like Shi^ it's gonna return the favor. PERIOD.
So using your car in the winter when you live in an area with snow and sale is considered treating your car like Shi^?

Some of you sure have a lot of excuses...
Old Oct 14, 2009 | 08:41 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by MaxLoverAz
Isn't the corrosion warranty 5 years unlimited miles?
Might be, but usually the standard is rust through, as in a hole in a body panel, not just a rust spot on the car.
Old Oct 14, 2009 | 09:22 AM
  #49  
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**** if my car looked like that I would shoot myself in the face. How do you people up north even work on your cars!?? I bet every single bolt strips out when you try to remove it.
Old Oct 14, 2009 | 12:47 PM
  #50  
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I agree BLAME NISSAN FOR THE RUST. It is thier fault. I had a 91 corolla that had way less rust than my 02 max... My uncle helped me do my headers and rust was our biggest setback by far. He kept calling the car a rust bucket (7 year old car should not be a rust bucket)

I also had my oilpan rusted and leaking a few months ago and that should not happen. A couple mechanics were confused when I said I had to replace the oil pan. They said they had never ever had to do that because they shouldnt rust like that. Nissan uses cheap metal and even cheaper coatings (if any)
Old Oct 14, 2009 | 12:48 PM
  #51  
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Originally Posted by LA02MAX
**** if my car looked like that I would shoot myself in the face. How do you people up north even work on your cars!?? I bet every single bolt strips out when you try to remove it.

they do
Old Oct 14, 2009 | 02:15 PM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by LA02MAX
I bet every single bolt strips out when you try to remove it.
They don't usually strip. The heads break off instead. So far I've had pretty good luck getting bolts out despite the rust. You just keep the PB Blaster handy and take your time working the bolts out.

I had to work on the main drive belt tensioning nut for several hours to get it to turn freely last year when I replaced the belts. That's a horrible design for a nut. It's open on the top so water / moisture can get in with no way out. Brilliant!!!
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 09:40 AM
  #53  
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In light of this problem, I decided to check mine out. It was pretty bad so I thought Ok, no problem, tremclad to the rescue. I started scraping off the rust and the friggin pipe sprung a leak!!! The damn rust was holding the coolant in the line
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 11:53 AM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by knight_yyz
In light of this problem, I decided to check mine out. It was pretty bad so I thought Ok, no problem, tremclad to the rescue. I started scraping off the rust and the friggin pipe sprung a leak!!! The damn rust was holding the coolant in the line
That's why I wouldn't even touch mine until I had the replacement in hand. I just got done swapping mine out. I used clamps to squeeze the rubber hoses on both sides to keep all the coolant from ending up on the floor of my garage.

But, pretty much as soon as I touched it, it started dripping. The rust was certainly holding mine together.
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 01:57 PM
  #55  
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Mine's jury rigged now, I cut the pipe and bought some extra hose. It will have to do for a few days. I'm going to tremclad the crap out of the new one. LOL
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 03:36 PM
  #56  
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So you completely took it out and replaced it with hose?
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 03:56 PM
  #57  
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yup, for now. I refastened what was left over and tie wrapped the hose to the pipe. It will get me back and forth for a day or two. Only reason they used pipe was because it is close to moving parts. I'll take a pic when it goes back together. just for ****s and giggles
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 04:07 PM
  #58  
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How many miles/km on these rusted out pipes/oil pans? I've got an '02 I35 and there's no sign of scale, just a little surface rust on the coolant pipe. The oil pan is still almost all black with little rust. There's also no rust on the body. I'm north of TO. Canada. I've got 114,000 km/71,000 miles on it. It has been rust sprayed, but I don't know how often. (Just bought it 6 months ago).
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 06:30 PM
  #59  
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I have just over 200,000km's on my 2002 Maxima. I purchased it new Feb 28, 2002 from 401 Dixie Nissan and imported it into the US myself. I'll have to take a picture or two of the part I took off the car. It's pretty bad.

I had to replace my oil pan last year because it was rusted through and dripping. I haven't done any sort of rust proofing or prevention on the car.
Old Nov 7, 2009 | 08:43 PM
  #60  
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I have 205 K on the car, but the engine was swapped under warranty at about 130K so I am not sure if this pipe came with the new block or not. My pan looks fine except there is a small dent where I bottomed out on something a few years ago

Last edited by knight_yyz; Nov 9, 2009 at 08:21 AM.
Old Nov 8, 2009 | 03:09 PM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by Stereodude
They don't usually strip. The heads break off instead. So far I've had pretty good luck getting bolts out despite the rust. You just keep the PB Blaster handy and take your time working the bolts out.

I had to work on the main drive belt tensioning nut for several hours to get it to turn freely last year when I replaced the belts. That's a horrible design for a nut. It's open on the top so water / moisture can get in with no way out. Brilliant!!!
After reading your plight with the adjuster, I got to thinking that some day I'm either going to have to tighten or replace those belts.
So, today I sprayed rust inhibitor in the hole and stuck a plastic cap over it. The cap came off a 5/8" copper refrigerant tube. It fit perfect, (nice & tight). So I hope that when the time comes it will move freely.
Old Nov 9, 2009 | 06:20 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by spock
So, today I sprayed rust inhibitor in the hole and stuck a plastic cap over it. The cap came off a 5/8" copper refrigerant tube. It fit perfect, (nice & tight). So I hope that when the time comes it will move freely.
I also put a plastic cap on mine after I changed my belts. Hopefully should I ever need to adjust it again it will spin freely.
Old Nov 23, 2009 | 05:33 PM
  #63  
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Here are the long delayed pictures of the steel oil cooler line I pulled off the car.





A close up of one of the leaks:

Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:02 PM
  #64  
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it still has some original paint. LOL
Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:08 PM
  #65  
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Hey, I only have rust under the paint on 8 of the body panels on the car, so that's gotta count for something right? By my count I only have 3 more metal body panels to go.
Old Nov 23, 2009 | 06:39 PM
  #66  
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Ya man. That's ugly. Come spring, I'll be taking a wire brush to mine and layin' on the rust paint. I've been spraying the crap out of areas that are starting to show signs of rust with Rustcheck, ( a Canadian brand of rust inhibitor redily available).
Old Nov 23, 2009 | 08:36 PM
  #67  
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this is a common thing on Nissan's, i'm on my third maxima right now, having owned a 1985, and 89 SE, working on the car always had me spilling blood, when working on it. for some reason the bolts rust real bad, and sometimes the bolt heads snap off. i dont know how many of you guys experienced this, but rats use to eat through the ignition wires, and even the injector wires. but living in Cali now and not seeing any snow, i guess it's a good thing, no worries of rust here, Arizona is my next resting place, so the its the sun and my paint job to worry about now.

as to the comparing of other cars with rusting, I've also owned Acura Legends, Sedan and coupe. the sedan was a New York car, the rear quarter panel rusted through, which is a common thing on Hondas in the Northeast, the coupe i bought in VA and drove to Cali, and after 3 years of owning it since 73K, and selling it in July with 100K, rust was never an issue with it even though it was an East coast car originally purchased in PA back in 95.
Old Nov 24, 2009 | 01:26 PM
  #68  
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Continuing the rust saga...

My car got rear ended (not real bad) last week so it's at the body shop. I had them take a look at the rust on the roof of my car by the windshield because I knew that area was pretty bad. I could see visible scaling and cracks. The short version is that it's gonna cost almost $900 to fix that area (assuming they don't break the windshield and can re-use it). They told me it's right at the point where if it's not fixed they expect it will start leaking shortly.

Nissan strikes again!
Old Nov 24, 2009 | 02:24 PM
  #69  
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That's why you have under carriage car washes....I took care of my Civic that way in Chicago. Once every 2 weeks, have to do an undercarriage wash.

But have been living in ATL for ~20 years now....relief!
Old Nov 24, 2009 | 05:58 PM
  #70  
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My solution is to make the Maxima my winter beater and buy my something nice in the spring, like an E39 M5.
Old Nov 24, 2009 | 06:31 PM
  #71  
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This is nothing, just wait until your foot goes through your floor board(plywood fixed this), rear control arm snaps, when you lose your rocker panels, huge crack in your gas tank(I'd turn and gas would spill out, broke down and bought a new tank), and brake/tranny lines crack, all from rust. Nothing like driving a 23 year old car.

And my maxima's actually is pretty good shape underneith, considering its been in canada for all its life and has 165,000kms.
Old Oct 19, 2016 | 05:35 PM
  #72  
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Resurrecting an old thread. My oil cooler line looks like this, except worse:


Can I just splice in a long piece of heater hose and junk the metal line? Anybody know what diameter of hose to use?

Last edited by mclasser; Oct 19, 2016 at 05:37 PM.
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