I got a question about the radiator support.


This one I got is pretty rusted out but appears to still be bolted on so I drive it anyway.


When it's bad does it completely separate from the tie bar?


What other issues will I have to address when I get the new tie bar put in?


Has anyone ever had the engine completely fall out from this?

 

I have officially garaged this car until I get it fixed. It's not drivable!


If you've never seen this before it's the worst thing you could ever imagine! The car clunks because the engine stability is bad and the power steering begins getting noisy.

 

i looked at a cheap max a while back and it was completely rusted through to where the support no longer held the crossmember.

the side mounts will hold it and keep it the engine from falling out but yeah it'd be better to fix it than drive around like that

 

I was checking out another thread and what happens is the whole rusty area pulls away and then your F$%#D.


So I garaged it and secured a jack under it before that happens.


You never know with a used car. I'm glad I caught it before the engine fell through!!

 

where did you read that it would fall through? i'm curious and too lazy to search

 

If you look at the diagram you can see the bolts are the only two bolts holding the C' Member.
The Nissan Engineer repair manual reads that when you remove the C' Member you would have to have a shop crane hold the engine in a sling. Well its just as good as being unbolted right now!
I can't imagine what I'm gong to have to get done after the tie bar is replaced.


I didn't read it would fall through; however, I read that when you remove the Center Member the engine has to be supported in a sling.


I would assume that is to prevent damage to the other engine components.

 

If you say so, but I'd be willing to bet 99% of .org members here don't use a sling when the crossmember is removed for common repairs such as motor mounts. Werent you the guy who was going to rivet a new support in place?

 

No I stated in another thread that I might or probably might replace myself.
I've changed my mind and have decided to leave it to Nissan Collision.
It's a structural part of the car and I want it welded back in place for a couple of reasons.


99% of the org can do it their way but I'm going to strongly consider taking Nissan's advise to use a sling. .

 

Here's the center member.


only 4 bolts holding on.


2 not even attached on mine.


well yeah it's going to create performance issues and mechanical issues.

 

yep that's what it looks like. again, the side engine mount and transmission mount will keep the engine from falling through. it is better to get fixed sooner than later but you won't leave your engine on the road somewhere.

 

It's off the road until it gets a new tie bar!


Had I known about this 5 years ago when I bought it I would've garaged it until I get the new part installed. There were already issues caused from the bad support. I went into detail in my other thread about the s#*%y tie bar https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...y-repairs.html


You can damage so many other components by driving it anyway!!
When it's fixed it will get from point A to point B. mostly beer runs

 

Rad support has nothing to do with anything else. This is getting far out of hand.

 

The bolts that attach the side mount to the engine will snap and the engine will fall through!!!


This can happen at any time but you'd probably see signs.


One sign would be a clunking noise and a another noise would be from the power steering system.

 

i guess lesson learned that you should inspect a car for damage (including rust) before purchasing?

the problems in your other thread are unrelated to the radiator support, all common issues with the 5th gen (unfortunately)

 

Basically you think it's OK to drive around with the engine not supported properly?


Any place that services vehicles should strongly advise any car owner with this issue to repair immediately!!!


To my understanding these cars only have three engine mounts.


There are only two underneath and one on the passenger side.


Someone mentioned two mounts were holding the engine in.


There is only one if the two underneath fail!!

 

There is only one side mount!! There aren't two.

 

Lol, look again, there's a passenger side mount and one on the drivers side at the transmission. Keep posting tho so we know how little you know about the car

 

I wouldn't doubt the mounts supporting the engine could snap and the engine fall through.

 

I only saw three mounts I didn't see the drivers side mount.


Is that the transmission mount?

 

yes

 

Look these Nissan cars are built well. Toyota too. I agree on that! These things can really take a beating I agree but you should know that the bolts on the side mounts could break without the support of the under mounts.


Bolts can get brittle through heat transfer and temperature change over time. The molecular structure can break down.


I've seen it with other molecular alignments in glass and wood.


When I retighten older bolts I always go a little easy because the metal can get soft.

 

I only know what I read in the Nissan instructions because as I posted on the Profile I'm not an auto mechanic.


But I am a building mechanic, they don't pass inspection when there are only two out of four pillars holding a support beam in place.


Sometimes in older houses the wood support pillars become rotted and damaged by insects and need to be replaced.

 

Where in Florida are you?
I see perfectly rust free Maximas here in North FL all the time for cheap. Both of mine are rust free and look practically new underneath even with over 500k between the two of them.

You might be better off replacing it. If it's rusting there you probably have other issue brewing as well. I have no doubt you'd find one up here.

 

Yes, wood can rot and suffer insect damage. However, the car is not made from wood. You're comparing apples to oranges. Buildings and cars are quite different.

Should you get that support bar replaced? Absolutely. But I'm fairly certain that most vehicles are designed to hold the engine in place even if one of the mounts is lost.
Up to you though.

 

I have to say - your patience is amazing .....
Mine is less so, so I better shut up.

 

Seen quite a few solutions to the problem. Sometimes you just gotta rip it apart and fix it the best you can. Can't hurt if it's parked and your not driving it

 

 

TIL That I almost died b/c I installed headers LOL.

Fun fact: The engine can hang by the pass mount alone and not fall off.

 

I went as far as I could, I am done with it now

 

That other mount supporting the transaxle doesn't seem really big. The two underneath seem to be the main mounts.


Since we don't have state inspection here in FL it wasn't addressed.




I had the car in for service several times throughout 3 years. No one said anything about it. As I mentioned it wasn't until I investigated oil leak from the rear cover plate that I realized it. I just couldn't figure it out. I figured out there are two oil pans.


I just hope a warning is put in place here in FL to give drivers the opportunity to replace this so it doesn't create a load of other issues.

 

Tampa/Clearwater area -- This Maxima had to be from anywhere around the New England colonies, PA,NY,RI,NJ, ect...


Has your engine mounts short out your ECU?


How can Maxima owners avoid this issue?

 

Yeah, rust belt cars suck. I could take anything apart on my cars and go back together with the same fasteners. Even the exhaust.

Not on mine. I unplugged them on the 00 auto and the 02 6-MT doesn't have the power mounts. Other members have had problems with them though. If you do a search you can read pages and pages about the issue.

Just unplug them. If you replace them get the non powered ones. They're cheaper any way and you'll never feel the difference.

 

I can't figure out whether or not this one was re-painted or something.
I see rust bubbling but there's paint over top of it.


I'm baffled.




It's too much for me to understand.
The only other rusty area was the passenger side LCA. The thing had to be grinded off with a grinder.
besides the tie bar and LCR the rust has been OK I guess.
Good thinking to unplug the mounts! I'd urge all maxima owners to do this. I got a real problem with Nissan for designing these mounts to short out the main computer board.
It's such a shame that people take such good care of their cars only to have that happen.

 

Like I stated in a private message to cornholio ... I'm almost over it.
The $2000 for a new ECU+ Iacv, the $1097 for the rusty tie bar.
When I get my money's worth out of it I'll probably sell it off or junk it.

 

I hope you got a binder full of free ******* coupons.

30 dollar junkyard ECU, 60 dollar IACV, plus key program (65 if you do it yourself and about same from dealer).

WTF

I can't handle this.

 

Rust can still bubble up under factory paint. The problem is you bought a crappy car and didn't know how to look one over properly. Anyone who's not very strong on cars should take it to an independent mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection. Especially a car that's over 15 years old.

I've been around cars for a long time now. I spent years selling cars at large dealerships and have driven thousands of used cars. I now repair cars freelance for a local shop that specializes in high end import cars and exotics. I have a pretty good idea of what problems are common among different cars.
I can tell you that these cars are holding up WAY better than most other cars from any manufacturer. All cars have weak points that show up over time and any car will fail if neglected or abused.

 

So I was also looking at a $10,000 truck when I went out and bought the Max but how much in repair costs would that have run me? I feel bad for the guy who bought that one.
First 6 months the max ran me over $3,000 in repairs. I was cool with it.
It ran great for 3 years until the alternator went out then the starter.
I was talking to Honda about it and he said the brand new cars only have a 3 year warranty on them. Even with a new car I wouldn't even want Honda or Nissan to repair it. I'd want a new car!

 

The car isn't even worth 3 grand.

It sounds like you have some unrealistic expectations. Honda and Nissan aren't going to give you a new car just because you have warranty repairs no mater how new it is. They're not going to consider what you want.

The first thing I do when looking at a car is check to see if it's been repainted. If you know what you're looking for it will be obvious even if it's a good paint job.

Second, I crawl under it with a flashlight and check for rust. I look in the corners and weld connections. If it's rusty I'm OUT period. There's just no fixing that and it affects the entire car.

After that I look at the mechanicals for what's been done and what needs to be done. I look at how it's been kept. Has it been kept clean or did it just get a heavy detail? Has it been worked on properly or are there marks on the fasteners from pliers and vice grips? If you know how to look you can get a feel for how the previous owners took care of it.

 

You could send the ECU out and have it repaired.
They may have an electronics laboratory that will, by way of solder, remove the bad sections and replace.
I figured that would've been more practical. That's what I would've looked into.

 

OrGetting back from last year I got around to replacing the rusted support.
What actually happened is a previous owner hit some thing.
I went aftermarket on the thing and drilled out the lower section.
It's solid but the new support comes up 1/8" short on either side. The original is 45" wide from where the rounded bolt holes are. The aftermarket was 44 3/4". So it's not a perfect fit but it's solid.
It bothers me a bit but I can live with it. So I believe you'll get a perfect fit with Nissan support but this one seems solid.
I think I'll just pop some 3/16" rivets into the holes I drilled. I believe it will be enough. There were 48 spot welds all together.