Nissan didn't give a c&!p about the coolant tanks in 5th gen cars.
#1
Nissan didn't give a c&!p about the coolant tanks in 5th gen cars.
This is so laughable... what was the average life expectancy of these overflow tanks in 5th gen units? I just applied light pressure with my pinky on a cracked area to see how much it would give.
Now I get why some folks here say the 4th generation was a better built car. The one I pulled from the salvage, had the red long-life garbage in it, with solidified residue all over the inside, and the inlet line was clogged shut with the solid red particles. Cleaned with soap, baby bottle brush, and a little paint thinner mixed in. 99% of the residue came unstuck. The support bracket from the 4th gen looked like it had some similarity to the existing mount holes on my 2003. It lined up PERFECT! No modification at all, and more durable build too... maybe this is well known on the forum, but newbies might find it helpful.
EVERY single 99-03 max, and similar I30 and I35 in the lot had cracked overflow reservoir tanks, I smashed a couple with my mallet. I think I might've helped someone dodge a bullet. I hope mine holds up.
Now I get why some folks here say the 4th generation was a better built car. The one I pulled from the salvage, had the red long-life garbage in it, with solidified residue all over the inside, and the inlet line was clogged shut with the solid red particles. Cleaned with soap, baby bottle brush, and a little paint thinner mixed in. 99% of the residue came unstuck. The support bracket from the 4th gen looked like it had some similarity to the existing mount holes on my 2003. It lined up PERFECT! No modification at all, and more durable build too... maybe this is well known on the forum, but newbies might find it helpful.
EVERY single 99-03 max, and similar I30 and I35 in the lot had cracked overflow reservoir tanks, I smashed a couple with my mallet. I think I might've helped someone dodge a bullet. I hope mine holds up.
#2
#4
#5
Every one I've seen is either broken or about to break. I go to the salvage yard pretty regularly and see them there. Haven't found a good one yet.
I just glued a piece of scrap plastic over the top a few years ago and never looked back.
I never thought to look in a 4th gen. Good idea.
You can get a new one on Rockauto for around $11 plus shipping so I wouldn't want to put too much time into rehabbing a used one.
I just glued a piece of scrap plastic over the top a few years ago and never looked back.
I never thought to look in a 4th gen. Good idea.
You can get a new one on Rockauto for around $11 plus shipping so I wouldn't want to put too much time into rehabbing a used one.
#7
No, not really. Maybe I wasn't so clear in my OP. I poured NOTHING into the original tank. It just plain had cracks on the top, and the plastic seams had that whitish color at stress points that you normally see just before plastic breaks. If you see the actual cracks on top, and look at all the other similar year cars for sale in a used lot, you'd see what I'm talking about. Those cracks were not generated from the inside with paint thinner.
I used a small amount of paint thinner in the SALVAGED part to get all that reddish GM DEXCOOL horse manure OUT of it. I would much rather have this salvaged part fail in 5 years, than have all that solid red material circulating in my radiator clogging passageways. I don't even want to think about my heater core getting plugged up with that F&*king S%$ta$$ red urine that the General put in his cars back in the 90's and 00's. Just google GM dexcool lawsuit.
Last edited by Jagalag; 01-23-2018 at 09:41 AM.
#8
#9
If you're buying new, buy the 4th gen one, but I guess make sure it comes with a bracket. the 4th gen one is rounder and smaller too, so it leaves a little wiggle room if you're messing with the nearby fusebox! Cha ching!
Last edited by Jagalag; 01-23-2018 at 10:14 AM.
#11
To the OP: The coolant may have been Toyota red long life which is actua!ly what I've used in my max for 100,000 miles i would guess. I suppose your old coolant could have been dexcool, but the dexcool I've seen is orangish color, but I'm not a dexcool nerd, either.
One thing...I've read that the reason cars with dex don't have an open air reservoir is because dex sludges up with air contact, thus the reason for pressurized reservoirs.
New coolant that is NOT dexcool is always a good thing, though!
One thing...I've read that the reason cars with dex don't have an open air reservoir is because dex sludges up with air contact, thus the reason for pressurized reservoirs.
New coolant that is NOT dexcool is always a good thing, though!
#12
To the OP: The coolant may have been Toyota red long life which is actua!ly what I've used in my max for 100,000 miles i would guess. I suppose your old coolant could have been dexcool, but the dexcool I've seen is orangish color, but I'm not a dexcool nerd, either.
One thing...I've read that the reason cars with dex don't have an open air reservoir is because dex sludges up with air contact, thus the reason for pressurized reservoirs.
New coolant that is NOT dexcool is always a good thing, though!
One thing...I've read that the reason cars with dex don't have an open air reservoir is because dex sludges up with air contact, thus the reason for pressurized reservoirs.
New coolant that is NOT dexcool is always a good thing, though!
#15
Look under the hood of most German cars with 150,000 miles and every piece of plastic is ready to break. They use a lot of plastic too. I'm constantly amazed that expensive cars like these are made with such low quality materials. Work on these for a while and you'll appreciate Nissan a lot more.
#16
Last edited by Jagalag; 01-25-2018 at 07:13 AM.
#17
I hate resurrecting dead posts and I don't like to get political, but the premature failure of this part may cast light on a bigger picture. This is where Carlos GOON [sic] and his contamination of quality Nissan parts with European garbage Renault parts and Dacia parts comes in. After hearing the recent news about how he didn't report his earnings properly and misused company assets, I hope the Japanese authorities dish out an appropriate justice. Seems like we could all get better made coolant overflow tanks if we put our heads together and hire an ambulance chasing lawyer to put together a class action.
#18
I hate resurrecting dead posts and I don't like to get political, but the premature failure of this part may cast light on a bigger picture. This is where Carlos GOON [sic] and his contamination of quality Nissan parts with European garbage Renault parts and Dacia parts comes in. After hearing the recent news about how he didn't report his earnings properly and misused company assets, I hope the Japanese authorities dish out an appropriate justice. Seems like we could all get better made coolant overflow tanks if we put our heads together and hire an ambulance chasing lawyer to put together a class action.
the bigger fish in the pond is the precat failure issue across their entire vehicle lineup from the early 2000s, which is a much more significant issue than this coolant tank think, but something tells me that will never see a day in court either.
#20
mine was the same way a few years back but, even then the car was over 10 years old. problya flaw in the cheap or type of plastic they used. i know the hot hot heat and cold cold winters of the mid west and UV rays just murder vehicles and plastics etc etc. i spent the $20 and got a new aftermarket oem style tank no issues yet several years on.
#23
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I don't see this as an issue.... in the BMW world, it's well advisable to replace the coolant overflow tank at 80k due to known failures. I'm at 250k on mine and it's still fine, and it's actually still pretty clean.
#24
Same with the '98-02 626 with the V6. The coolant overflow tank is pressurized and mine would start leaking along a parting line every single year. Took the 2 I'd bought the previous two years when I needed a 3rd one. Of course the dealer said it isn't a problem with them even though they had 23 of them in stock. They did comp the new one and luckily a few months later I got hit from behind and the car was totaled. Ended up getting a Maxima to replace it.
#25
i think youre about 2 decades late for that dude, not to mention who would ever be willing to shell out $500/hr to “maybe” get a free $6 piece of plastic? Nothing ever gets done in the legal world unless you have a ton of money to throw away or you have the ability to do it yourself.
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