I did a search and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for so thought that I'd post something to see what info. I can get. I don't have a lot of mechanical knowledge, but was thinking about replacing the upper radiator hose and spark plugs myself to help save a little bit of money since I just had to have my power steering hose replaced a couple of weeks ago. Are these both easy to fix? Are there any online manuals that anyone would suggest for these repairs? Any part suggestions? Thanks for everyone's help and any other tips about these repairs are always appreciated.

 

The hose is easy. Just remove it and puit the new one on, obviously when the car is not on or hot.

Spark Plugs are dependent on the year:

Go here: http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...n-how-diy.html


Post #3 .. or Ctrl F "Spark"


Seriously, the spark plug changing thing has been asked too many times in the past 2 days, I go to the stickys when I need that info

 

3.5L will require plenum removal for rear bank.

3.0L will not require plenum removeal for rear bank.

 

Can the radiator be partially drained to allow for upper-hose removal without making a mess? Meaning, can you loosen the radiator drain plug, then tighten it back up when you've drained enough to allow for upper-hose removal? Or is it an all-or-nothing design where the plug pops out when unscrewed?

Never personally drained my radiator before.

 

aaahhh the joys of having a 3.0, easy spark plug replacement

 

yea i did the spark plugs on my 3.0...pretty simple...went and got my moms 3.5 expecting teh same thing to be done within 30minutes...let's just say early next morning i finished up because i didnt know i had to remove the UIM. o well. its done now..just know to set aside about 1.5hrs to do it next time

 

The spark plug question was asked and answered, guys.

How about the extended question about partially draining the radiator?

 

I remember replacing my radiator but I don't remember this particular answer. The drain is at the bottom facing the engine. Some lights and a mirror should be able to tell you by looking at it. Wish I could remember now. Dealership might know by calling also. I've gotten a lot of over the phone Q&A with Hoselton Nissan and they were really good about it. Dorschel still hasn't returned my calls from both parts and service. They are dead to me now.

 

personally i see no need to do all of that. its an extra step, when all you need to do when the little bit that comes out is rinse it down with water and in your engine bay where it came out...i mean with that sort of thinking you almost may as well remove teh bottom hose in order to do the top hose without having it spill up top..its not like when you remove the top hose the bay is coolant city...

 

Thinking again...Can't you jack the front of the car up to have some of the fluid go into the engine rather then the radiator?

 

Yeah, I like Hoselton Nissan, too. I also like Vision Nissan, even though they aren't as polished because they're smaller. Bought my car from Vision Nissan 8 years ago.

It's not the engine bay I'm concerned about dumping coolant on, it's my garage, driveway or lawn. It would be much cleaner just draining half a gallon and pouring it back in when done.

So... is the radiator plug designed so that I can loosen it a little and partially drain?

 

Yes you can partially drain your cooling system to replace a top-mount item. Just pull the radiator cap off, unscrew the petcock and try to monitor the coolant level in the radiator when it gets to the level you are looking for tighten the petcock and go to work.


To the OP, inspect the rest of your hoses. usually if one has gone others are on their way. Look for bubbles in the rubber and excessive squishiness/hardness when you pinch the hose. Oh and don't overlook the heater hoses in the back of the engine. I've seen more then one overheat/headgasket failure because of those.

 

That's a good one, Ryan! Thinking outside the box. Awesome.

Do you think if I just run it up on ramps, that enough of the rad fluid will pour away from the upper hose to allow clean removal? That's easy enough to check. And while up there, I could figure out my own answer to the radiator plug.


Ah, thank you, Froggy. "petcock"... that's the word I was missing. It all becomes clear now.

Good man.

 

I would get a fluid catch container to be safe but I think as long as the FE is in the end you will prevent some spillage, most likely not all

 

There is no "petcock." Its a screw in drain plug on the 3.0's. It's plastic and has a phillips head, it's on the bottom of the raditor on the passendger side, and accessed in a quarter sized hole through the front facia.

To answer the question of can you unscrew and drain some away... No unless you want to wait while it drip......drip...... drip's enough out to get it to where you want it. The threads are tight and close and there is a rubber gasket on the head and end of plug. It's a PLUG why would it allow drain off.

Just pinch the clamp and remove top side first, pinch and remove bottom clamp and pull it off. If you do it when the engine is cold the spill is minimal, if any. What ever you spill, take the garden hose to it. I'm with another poster as well... if you do the top go ahead and do the bottom, and flush the raditor and replace with fresh fluids. Its all but $20.00 in parts to do it.

Jarrod

 

Not quite. Both the upper and lower hose, (Nissan OEM) are approximately $20 each.

I don't have the old 3.0 liter engine, J-Rod. 2003 Maxima. So... there's conflicting info here now. You'd think there would be one simple answer.

Froggy, you sure?

 

Looks like it is a screw


from this thread here

 

Good thread find, Ryan. That rather looks like J-Rod's aforementioned "not-a-petcock" plug, and on a 2002 Maxima. Bummer. I wonder why Froggy thinks his is a petcock drain valve?

On a side note, isn't it fun saying "petcock" aloud?

 

Ya. For some reason I really remember there being a drain plug though. One you could twist out and it would drain but never come fully out on the right side. This plug is on the left. I did do a lot of coolant flushes back then though

 

When I flushed my coolant last fall, the coolant was spewing out of that drain plug at a pretty good rate before I even had it all the way off. If I remember correctly.

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to drain off just a little bit. As an alternative, you could always buy a cheap handpump and siphon off some of the fluid from the radiotor cap...

Ryan, your theory seems doable, but if the coolant system is completely full, and there aren't any air bubbles, how would the coolant drain back into the block?

 

I've just heard of people doing this. Never done it myself.

 

Thermostat.?

You can tell though. Squish the top hose when its cool, it doesn't fill like anything is in there... even when mine is warm it barely fills under any pressure, the bottom however is a different story.

I haven't seen a diagram on the complete plumbing, but I would believe the top side is the return from the block and probably not always full...

 

Petcock's (that's even a better word ) tend to have to be made out of metal, and don't last very long. If someone neglects flushing or ever using it then it would probably "freeze" up. A plug is a good alternative.

 

Great idea! I'll give the upper hose the Squish & Listen test tomorrow morning.

Although the last time I opened the radiator cap (couple of weeks ago), I was completely topped off. I wonder if the "squish test" would result in a splash of fluid in the overflow bin?

Oh my god, I'm over-analyzing this crap! Sadly, that's my modus operandi on things like this.

That makes sense. Doubt there's justification for making petcocks out of titanium, for example. Although I sure do like titanium bits & pieces.

 

Because I'n not used to working on these "furin" things. Well, save for that RX-7 But I think that one had a petcock as well. The Max is my first Nissan and so far *knocks on wood* it's been pretty solid maintenance-wise.

 

You know, Froggy, you said "petcock" with such conviction, that it seemed irrefutable. I'm just glad Merovi and J-Rod pushed the point home, or I might have unintentionally dumped my whole radiator.

Thumbs-up for Ryan, finding the right thread, with photos no less!

 

Actually most of the vehicles I have had to work on recently had plastic petcocks on their radiators. This would be my first time coming across a radiator with a screw-in plug.

 

It seems I way over-analyzed this very simple thing. Yeah, I spilled a quart or so of coolant on my driveway, and I hosed it down without too much concern. (OK, a very small pang of guilt for polluting like that. Very small.)

Anyway, the new upper hose went in just about instantly.

And these new t-bolt hose clamps look awesome. Very happy about that.