I recently got my max a little over a month ago... my first car, and for the moment the love of my life.

I wanted to do a full seafoam treatment of the car, but the going about it, I am totally unsure. I've looked it up on google to find basic step-by-step instructions on a few vintage cars, but nothing really that helpful. So any help in this little undertaking would be great.

After the seafoam i plan to completely clean and degrease the engine exterior, as well as remove any rust. And particular products/methods/strategies/etc suggested by the community? What should i avoid, and what should i focus on? Hate to sound dumb but, hey im a greenhorn.

Next i plan to go over every square inch of my car on a rust hunt. What grade of sandpaper (and how much) should i expect to buy, and what sort of primers and post-rust removal protection should i look into?


And as for scratched paint, i'm hoping to avoid a complete paintjob (right now, hope to eventually paint it charcoal/smoke and slap on some limo tints and totally blackify my rear taillight bar), i know there are some products that you just spread and rub on to make the nasty scratch go away. I'm not sure how well this really work or if they even do however, and as for particular brands im at a loss. And ya, my car's been keyed 4 times since i got it, i love the neighborhood i live in i really do...


well, sorry for the long post. But thanks for all the helpful feedback. It's going towards putting another MIGHTY max on the road for all to see.

 

I havent done the seafoam yet, and i already have 4 bottles sitting here (they were on sale )... anyways, there are some how-tos explaining in details the steps. sorry. i havent memorized because I'll be reading the posts when I am ready to do it... it ddint seem hard the only time i read the posts about it.

and how the hecka do u got ur car keyed 4 times in a month? how u gonna put all this effort and time improving your car if the next day they could key it?


thats crazy! where do u live dude?!

 

Are there any how-to's on this forums? And how much did that seafoam run you?


Oh, and I can't really accurately explain the neighborhood i live in without getting banned i guarantee. Let's just say, I live in a town with nothing to do and all the kids are bored. Oh and our local brunswick zone has had numerous gang fights breakout in it, that's why the police are always working security there.

 

I've heard good and bad with seafoam but I would use the old school method of buying some name brand bulk oil and just changing the oil every 1000 miles for 3-5 changes then just switch to regular 3k changes, you should be able to tell how much gunk is in the engine by the oil color, and do the same with the trans, just drain and refill.

I've seen mint looking cars turned into piles of scrap metal cause the owners tried to restore them to new when they had unknown histories, with used cars I would always take the safe road with maintenance

 

someone did a video...with an I30 but that has a VQ
search
ask in the 3rd gen section

 

Apparently as a noob I can't post a new thread. However, my question is somewhat related to the topic at hand. I'm not a Max owner yet, although I've always wanted one and now I'm in the market for a used Max, or a particular one.

It's a 1995 Maxima SE. It's got nice amenities in terms of leather, moonroof, spoiler, alloys, etc. Unfortunately the only thing at first glance it has going against it is that it's an auto tranny. Upon closer inspection the owner totally neglected her -- the paint all along the top from hood to spoiler is so weathered it's a rough matte black now. There are a few 1 to 3 inch rust spots some with bubbling. Is there any possibility for restoration using products? Or does it need to be totally repainted? Or worse yet, is it a total loss?

Mechanically the water pump, radiator, and of all things the timing chain has been replaced. There's indication of a misfire, could be coils, could be injector, the mechanic who's the middleman for this sale is going to be pulling codes soon. Now, I've heard that timing chains generally last the life of the car, and only tensioners need replacing. If the actual chain is replaced, would that be an indication of greater problems?

The owner wants to sell for $1800. I haven't even listed all the deficiencies. Is it worth it to buy to restore?

 

You can however post here if all else fails:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....389852&page=27

 

Seafoam should be used to clean the intake manifold through a vacuum line. If you wish to clean the gunk throughout the engine internals, Auto-RX is the most supported treatment talked about by those who actually know (www.bobistheoilguy.com). I used it and it seemed to work wonders.

 

thats alot of work but itll b worth it in the end good luck....make sure u update as you go along

 

Check the steering rack for torn inner rod boots and seal leaks. Its a real pain to replace and very expensive if you take it to a shop. I just sold my 96 for that much and aside from title and a dent it was in good shape. Rusty paint, scary northern cars. I'd steer clear of it if it has any engine issues, its one of the main reasons to buy a Max is how well and long the engine will run unless something has happened to it over the years.

 

i wouldnt. the paint and exterior stuff is bad enough, but timing chain? coilpacks? you feel misfires? dude, walk, nay, run away from this thing.

 

Why buy a car that's starting to rust?

 

Thanks for the helpful information. Unfortunately the wallet doesn't agree at this very moment and with court/college/career to worry about I'll have to let my babe sit a little ugly for a while.

Oh, and it gets 22-23 MPG town with no highway miles. So she's a healthy car, just... Could use a little work to get that like-new feeling back.