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Daughter's car, 2000 GLE purchased 32,000 miles 2003, now, 12 years later 247k miles.
She dropped the car off at Midas to have the rear muffler replaced, Midas warranty, and
received a call that the lower support was rusted out. I knew it was rusted as I've done
all the repairs on the car, so we took a ride up there and yup it was rusted. The fellow in
the shop made a mountain out of a mole hill and said if it rusted out completely the cradle
would drop, engine and all. My reply was that with the other mounts it's not happening,
but to the daughter the car is a goner and she will no longer drive the vehicle. I even
suggested that I'd purchase a new lower support from Nissan, cut the old support, actually
good at the ends, and weld in the new piece. Nope, she's done with the car. Shame, the car
has never had anybody in the back seat, no paint, no dents, just rust on the qtrs. and still
everything works as original, A/C climate control, heated leather seats, and only the driver's
seat at top has wear. Went through NJ inspection in July and I just finished replacing the end
links and blower resistor.
Another interesting fact is that if the oil filler cap is removed, there is no buildup on the heads
as she's had the oil changed every 3-4k miles.
Sorry for the long post, but just thought I'd share this sage and for now, she's driving her fiancee's
Land Rover and when she decides how to proceed, sale price etc, I'll let everyone know via post in
the classified section.
Oh the irony. She rejects the reliable car for a Land Rover lol
You should fix the rad support then turn it around and sell it. There will be buyers. Especially here.
It's not good to drive the car if the radiator support has rusted out and has allowed the engine to drop. The engine will drop, but the mounts on the timing chain cover and transmission will not allow the engine to fall on the ground. But the torque from the engine will be twisting those mounts and will eventually make the rubber in those mounts fail.
I think your daughter wanted a new car for various reasons and this is the final straw. Chances are her fiance is influencing her, but she will be living with him and what ever vehicle she drives will be his problem.
If she ends up driving a Land Rover, be thankful that it won't be your problem.
It's not good to drive the car if the radiator support has rusted out and has allowed the engine to drop. The engine will drop, but the mounts on the timing chain cover and transmission will not allow the engine to fall on the ground. But the torque from the engine will be twisting those mounts and will eventually make the rubber in those mounts fail.
I think your daughter wanted a new car for various reasons and this is the final straw. Chances are her fiance is influencing her, but she will be living with him and what ever vehicle she drives will be his problem.
If she ends up driving a Land Rover, be thankful that it won't be your problem.
I have quite an extensive mechanical knowledge (NHRA comp license) and would never allow her to drive an unsafe vehicle, but the support has a ways to go before it let's go, but thanks for the concern.
Possibly. We're leaving for Florida on Friday for a month, so don't think anything will transpire before we come back.
You'll love this one. The daughter called about 10 minutes ago and said the Land Rover won't turn over. Her fiancee
is on his way down from Hoboken to see what the problem might be. He's also a good mechanic although not his
primary occupation. Depending on the problem with the LR, she just might be relegated back into the Maxima for a short period.
I was up looking at the Maxima this afternoon and would you believe no curb rash on the wheels. One has an indentation at one
point on the edge, but no rash at all.
Smack her upside the head. You can use my hand. Do not tolerate their insolence.
And a land rover LMFAO. BIGGEST PILES ON EARTH.
dennis: the crossmember is still bolted at the back. The engine is going nowhere. People on here have drove around with the rad support completely gone LOL
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; 09-23-2015 at 04:11 PM.
There a ton of great cheap solutions for the Lower Support rot. There are some pretty creative posters on this site lol! One used a 3 foot piece of angle iron. One in Canada got a machine shop to make a new beam out of sheet metal that just requires some light fabrication and will slide right over the old rusted support. All of these options require less than fifty bucks for parts and some time with welder. Make sure you check out this forum for some great ideas on how to fix that problem permanently.
And your Maxima will our perform and out last that Land Rover. Those cars are terrible.
Just fix the support and sell it. It will go fast! Especially if the body is in good shape!
hey, as a former multi-maxima owner having dealt with rusted out lower rad supports AND a land rover owner (aficionado) i resent that statement.
I've recently ditched all my max's due to rust. But...i still have all my rovers (some more than 50yrs old). I challenge you to show me 50+ year old nissans still getting the snot beat out of them. Yes, all my rovers are trail worthy, ready and proven. I still weekly drive 20+ year old rovers.
The bs you hear about rovers being unreliable is usually entirely due to poor maintenance and lazy owners. i've yet to ditch a rover due to rust either.
Both of these are in excess of 20 years old-these vehicles are NOT babied whatsoever. regular fluid changes and the occasional break fix.
/end_rant
Last edited by nissandrvr98; 09-25-2015 at 10:21 AM.
When the lower radiator support has completely rusted out and you have the engine support crossmember hanging down, it is going to be a domino effect.
As the engine bounces up and down, the rubber grommets around the rear crossmember mounting bolts are going to wear out and crumble. When they crumble, the front of the engine support crossmember will drop further. The engine will bounce more and this will add even more force to the rear mounting bolts that no longer have any insulation around them. With enough time, the bolts will metal fatigue and snap off and the engine drops and hangs by the transmission and timing chain cover mounts.
The lower the front of the engine support crossmember hangs, the more likely it could jam into a pot hole or a parking block. If it goes into a pot hole while you are driving down the street, it won't be pretty.
Don't be driving the car for too long if the lower radiator support is totally gone.
When the lower radiator support has completely rusted out and you have the engine support crossmember hanging down, it is going to be a domino effect.
As the engine bounces up and down, the rubber grommets around the rear crossmember mounting bolts are going to wear out and crumble. When they crumble, the front of the engine support crossmember will drop further. The engine will bounce more and this will add even more force to the rear mounting bolts that no longer have any insulation around them. With enough time, the bolts will metal fatigue and snap off and the engine drops and hangs by the transmission and timing chain cover mounts.
The lower the front of the engine support crossmember hangs, the more likely it could jam into a pot hole or a parking block. If it goes into a pot hole while you are driving down the street, it won't be pretty.
Don't be driving the car for too long if the lower radiator support is totally gone.
Ugh, you're scaring me! Mine cross member bolts just started sagging about a week ago and I'm waiting on a check to buy the part.
Ugh, you're scaring me! Mine cross member bolts just started sagging about a week ago and I'm waiting on a check to buy the part.
When it gets THAT bad, you will know. The steering wheel is going to move by changing the angles, so don't sweat it, but DO take care of it soon. It will take some time to get that bad.
What do you mean by "changing the angles"? I want to know what to look out for.
The tilt, and you will feel strange up and down movements while holding the wheel. The shiftlever will become very difficult to move as well. Both of these are the only interior cabin parts which have a solid, indirect connection to the motor and tranny. Of course if you let it get that far, your mount situation is in really, really, bad shape.
One in Canada got a machine shop to make a new beam out of sheet metal that just requires some light fabrication and will slide right over the old rusted support.
I think I'm the guy you're referring to. Here's what I did. Didn't get a machine shop to do it ... I AM the machinist
Before
After
The stuff
Last edited by Blassmasta; 10-02-2015 at 09:15 AM.
That's creative. Seeing 2 pieces of metal, I assume that means you created a sandwich effect. Looking at the length of the 4 bolts in the photo, I assume that the second metal plate is in top of the support. Is that the way you did it? And what is the smaller metal plate next to the bolts do?
That's creative. Seeing 2 pieces of metal, I assume that means you created a sandwich effect. Looking at the length of the 4 bolts in the photo, I assume that the second metal plate is in top of the support. Is that the way you did it? And what is the smaller metal plate next to the bolts do?
You got it. The steel chunk next to the bolts is the "nut" that sits on top of the lower part of the sandwich for the motor support member to screw into. It's a milled steel block drilled and tapped to accept the 2 big honking bolts that go there.
That part of the core support is clearly toast . That's where the rot starts. surprisingly on mine, the center part was bad but the rest of the support on either side (top and bottom) was in decent shape so I figured this would be a viable solution.
Now - on the '99 I had previously, the support had actually rotted out and was breaking away at the ends where it bends up towards the headlight openings. In that case - the above solution would not be an option. The whole bottom section was breaking away.
What a **** show this whole thing is eh? I'm lucky in that I had the facilities and the skill to do this but for the average joe you are really SOL.
It's just wrong. Should have been a recall.
I have many more pics from other angles if anyone is interested.
Oh yeah - and no welding required.
Last edited by Blassmasta; 10-02-2015 at 10:22 AM.
They use some weird de-icer here. Not salt usually.
I thought I was being all clever thinking you had warm weather all the time ... you do have winter there? Alrighty then. They've started using that brine crap here to keep the roads clean too. I think it may be even worse. It's salt dissolved in solution (I think) so it can leech into the crevices on your car even easier.
We have a good 5 solid months of winter here. Cars don't do so well - Nissans in particular. one of the worst things about the brand I must say.
I owned 2 nearly 20 year-old Lincolns (at separate times) and they never even began to approach the level of rot on these cars. It happens so quick!
When I replaced the factory core support on my '99 I couldn't believe how thin the steel was on the factory replacement piece. It's like tin foil.
My Girl's '94 Lexus - one spot above the door molding. That's it. Damn frame looks new!
My first Nissans were Datsun 510 - a 74, 78 and an 81. They rusted out real bad. I drove them until the tire jack ripped through the body when I tried to jack up the car. It seems that nothing has changed very much.
My first Nissans were Datsun 510 - a 74, 78 and an 81. They rusted out real bad. I drove them until the tire jack ripped through the body when I tried to jack up the car. It seems that nothing has changed very much.
I was thinking what if you use a thicker plate, also put a piece on top and ran a few more bolts all the way through. Then, weld another on the front side to the support and bottom plate. It could rust in half and would still hold.
I may just go the angle iron route on my sister's car, though. It's as bad or worse than this one O_O
Kind of tough to make a sandwich out of the plates because of the shape of the support.
Personally, if she was going to keep the car, I'd purchase a new support and cut out the
center of the old, cut the new to match, bolt the new piece in place, then weld.
Or if no welder, just get some heavy plates and bolt them at each side under the joints.
That way the engine would retain the same level as adding heavy plates in the center
lowers the arm.
Kind of tough to make a sandwich out of the plates because of the shape of the support.
Personally, if she was going to keep the car, I'd purchase a new support and cut out the
center of the old, cut the new to match, bolt the new piece in place, then weld.
Or if no welder, just get some heavy plates and bolt them at each side under the joints.
That way the engine would retain the same level as adding heavy plates in the center
lowers the arm.
I await her sweet, tasty regret. They never listen.
Can anyone recommend a good car shop in the Orlando, Florida area to replace my rusted lower rad? I went to one place and was quoted $1000. Seems a bit on the high end.
Can anyone recommend a good car shop in the Orlando, Florida area to replace my rusted lower rad? I went to one place and was quoted $1000. Seems a bit on the high end. thanks
i had to replaced my rusted out lower rad support. got a new rad support, the body shop then chopped the part they needed and welded it the to existing frame, new mounts as well. job was something like $800 b/c of a minor discount due to knowing another mech that referred me to him.
09-23-2015, 07:36 AM
Build date 10/02, 162k ..
