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.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....db91f3c611.jpgNow 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. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....029ca40bb6.jpg
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.

Honestly, if this is a technique commonly used to clean plastic and rubber parts, it's no wonder you had a deterioration problem.

at 250K I am still using the original tank and I show zero issues with it. plastic is still nice and hard

Yes, I just changed the original tank out a couple weeks ago. Maybe they are more fragile than the 4th gen, but they still seem to last a while.

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 got a replacement on amazon because mine was broken too. real cheap thin plastic

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.https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....15ef92834d.jpg
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.

Damn, and you live in the rust belt???!!! Hats off to you bud. Maybe the plastic lasts longer in the cold.

Derrick, My thoughts are that Nissan HQ in Yokohama knew well in advance that they were going to start building Maxes in Smyrna, TN, when the 5th gens came out, so they just started using some cheaper throwaway parts from a JDM Cefiro, Leopard, Gloria or Laurel line to save costs. All those JDM cars can't be on Japanese roads for greater than 30,000 miles anyway, so why manufacture a more durable part? Just manufacture more and slap them onto a car shipped a few thousand miles away, where it's out of sight, out of mind.

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!

Nissan and cheap in one sentence - sounds like Captain Obvious strikes again.
I keep thinking: is this a revenge for Hiroshima?

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!

-again, MY original container DID NOT have the red stuff. The part that replaced my original HAD Dexcool in it. Wasn't no Toyota coolant neither... I run that stuff in my '99 avalon, and it has never left entire swathes of plastic coated in the brickish, red residue like this one had. I cleaned it to the point where I wouldn't have to worry about tiny fragments making their way back inside the motor or radiator. The inlet/suction pipe on the 4th gen piece was plugged completely with it. on the Bright side, the inlet pipe is vertical, allowing less spillage when refilling or servicing the tank.

I'd say 15 yrs is a pretty good run for a plastic container that sits in a hot engine bay.

Strange coincidence but today mine actually shattered where the cap secures to. Wasn't too pliable after 18 years. I'll have to grab one out of a 4th gen next time I'm at the JY.

I have to agree. They could have done better but it's a minor part really. The other plastic and rubber parts parts hold up pretty well.

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.

​​​​​​From an owner standpoint, I can see your point, especially since the part is so inexpensive. From a manufacturing and engineering perspective, it's downright shameful. Also consider for a moment that I replaced the defective part with better built used one that has seen a 20+ yrs of service. Also imagine if that part had cracked from the bottom, causing coolant loss, air being sucked into the cooling system, and left unchecked, overheating and possible head gasket failure. My 1999 Avalon and 2001 Forester coolant tanks might be filthy, but they're far from structurally compromised. My Subie's tank sits right next to the radiator of all places too.https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....9474df39d9.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....310e786b3b.jpg

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. :laugh:

I mixed 2-part epoxy and applied it to the top of my tank about 6 years ago. It has held up well despite the under hood temperatures. It looks a little messy, so this fix is not for everyone.

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.

Bought one new off ebay for $17 . I bet nissan paid less

They only disintegrate on top. There's obviously some environmental factor. I've seen a few fall apart, but have also had personal ones that are rock solid.

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.

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.

It was a joke. Maybe try laughing once in a while?

Sarcasm very rarely translates well over the internet, lol.

I put a laughing emoji at the end....jeez!