Hi all,

Been a while, but maybe some of you remember me from last august, when I drove all the way from Manhattan, to Guadalajara Mexico in 5 days. I had just bought my 95 MAx back then and didn't do much preparation, exept new pads, oil and wiper blades.

7 months later, I got a sweet gig back in NYC and I definitely would love to take my Maxima back. It now has Toyo proxes F08 (215 60 15) with nitrogen inside, K&N racing filter, Iridium sparks and a decent sound system with 2 amps. It also has mobil 1 and filter. The car has about 131,000 miles right now. I have never had a problem with it while I was here, exept for the AC bearing.

The car still has a misterious engine light issue... the light goes on after 5 or 6 hours on the highway at sustained speeds. After a week of city driving, the light goes away. I admit Ive been lazy about taking it to dealer, for fear of getting ripped off.

Any suggestions or recommentations for my trip preparation will be appreciated.

Regards to all

 

you can make it but I would recommend checking the car out fully so that you dont end up on the side of the road, half way there.

Take you car to autozone or a car stone like that and get them to scan for codes for Free. Then get what ever repaired. Make sure all your fluids are topped off, check for leaks, Clean TB, IACV, change oil, tranny fluid (if its time), drive belts, all that good stuff.

Why are you using Iridium sparks? our cars dont need them, and some say it slightly reduces power, if your still NA with just bolt ons the iridium would do more harm than good.

 

a few years ago my friend and I drove his sisters 95 max from buffalo to holywood basically 3 1/2 days of driving. When we got home I bought my 2000 less than 2 weeks later. good story!

 

Thanks Deezy. I was not aware of the iridiums reducing power. I guess, since I am in Mexico, I will have to take it to the "stealer"..... no autozones here.

 

oh you still are in mexico, wow.

Checking the codes yourself doesn work? (the write up in the how-tos)?
the cheapest and easist way to check codes without going anywhere.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=104931

 

just drive up to chula vista, i'm sure they have an autozone there lol

isn't it weird having a japanese car there? i remember when i drove the TL to mexico i felt so not comfortable lol. and gas was expensive as hell. i dunno i already have a hard time trusting american dealers where there's the better business bureau and what not...

 

You say you have nitrogen in the tires. As in pure nitrogen? What are the benifits of this? Or is it just the way it works in Mexico?

 

thats what i was wondering....whats the point in using pure n2?? most of what we breathe is n2 anyway...

 

prolly higher speeds and the temp in tires dont rise too high i think thats what they use in plane tires and also some race car tires

 

nitrogen doesnt expand as much as oxygen when it heats up and doesnt leak out as quick as oxygen.

 

only cuz nitrogen is completely inert in comparison to oxygen, but in any case...in normal driving situations it'd make no noticable difference

 

Hmmm... Interesting. I've never heard of that.

 

uh...if you were in a room of pure o2...say an operating room, and you lit a cigarette...boom. since our air is like what...20% oxygen or some ****, a lighter just has enough o2 for a flame....too much other inert crap in the air like n2 and argon and co2 and what not

 

Hey Deezy:

Would you really change the transmission fluid before a trip like this? even if it's time? Iv'e heard horror stories about that: people changing their tranny fluid in good faith, only to have to replace the whole thing a few hundred miles after. I think I want to subscribe to the "if it anin't broke" philosophy.

The nitrogen in the tires is a new thing, here and in the USA too. They charged me 18 bucks to fill the new 4 tires. Supposedly, they stay inflated for a long time, the tire weights less, wears out more evenly and doesn't overheat. Also the ride is supposed to be good, but who knows. I drove to Zacatecas yesterday (3 hours) just to prep the tires for the long trip home. I took a windy road... lots of curves , nice view of mountains etc. The Toyos feel great, great traction.

 

Lots of japanese cars here: Nissan, Infinity, Honda and Toyota. A Honda Civic sedan costs something like 21,000 USD here. They are considered luxury cars here, mainly because of the service they offer (awesome).
You see maximas around here too, they start at 3rd Gen all the way to the new ones. Lots of Altimas too.
The nissan dealer in Guadalajara is supposed to be good, but I just know is always gonna cost more than the corner guy. Yet, I need good service this time and the dealer will have the proper tools and will hopefully be able to scan the computer and interpret the error codes correctly....

 

only imports i ever see are vw's...cuz in mexico theyre not imports lol

and i don't see how n2 is any lighter. i mean theoretically it is, but how could it possibly be noticable? i'll have to look into this more, i'm somewhat interested

 

Tranny Fluid is suppost to be changed every 60K, so if your at that point It would be best to change it, Changing the fluids in tranny cant cause problems it can only help prevent them. I cant immagine changing your fluids then your tranny dies from it, not to say it cant happen but I'm skeptical.

I myself wouldnt change the fluids the night before, I would do it about a week in advance so I can obseve and check for leaks, so if something were to happen from the change I'm sure it would show itself in the week before I leave. My tranny needs a flush I can feel the grinding and metal rubbing, plus my tranny need serious work (most likely replacing) but I'm sure flushing the fluids and replacing will only help the life of it till I can find my 5th Gen tranny

 

I'd love to hear more opinions on the tranny fluid....... i have no idea when it was changed or if it was at all. I am gonna drive away on Thursday march 4th.
Still have time to do a few things.
I did find a guy with a scanner and he was honest and charged me only $10. The scanner was not giving codes, just diagnosing stuff. It said "right O2 sensor" and "knock" sensor..... the mechanic said i can make the trip with those sensors gone, that is not really a problem and that one fault might have been consequential to the other. So it looks like im gonna make the trip with the faulty O2 sensor. Perhaps gas economy wont be as great.....
Got new tires, brake pads, wiper blades and all fluids are good. I may do an exhaust check on Monday.

Thanks for your opinions

 

I am not sure but I think the right O2 sensor is the one near the firewall. It is very easy to change if you can lift the car or put it on ramp. Don't know if a bad O2 sensor can cause car to run rich and damage catalytic converter.

 

Yes, the right o2 sensor is the one on the fire wall but it isn't very easy to change with OEM stuff. With and aftermarket y and that bit of heat shielding removed its much easier.