flthere

iTrader: (2)

I'm worried abt this!!! Why the hell did the needle shot upto 70% ????? The outside temp is not even in 100s

I went almost 2800 miles after last oil change, does this mean that the oil inside is almost empty ?!? Or has it got sthg to do with the coolant ?!?!? oh god!!! These cars are not just gas but money-guzzling machines Just two weeks ago I got the tx flush done ... The other day I noticed that the shocks are shot ... and now looks like the coolant stuff

God knows when the coolant was filled or flushed!!! Any easy way to check the coolant ?!? I always observed that the coolant tank is almost empty! Is that abnormal!!

Any suggestions??? thx

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

First,with the car running, remove the radiator cap and see if there is fluid in the radiator.

Could be a number of things. Could just be the thermostat

flthere

iTrader: (2)

I definitely don't see any fluid in the reservoir, and I guess it's normal ?!? How can we be sure that the thermostat is gone ?!? Is it possible for all the coolant liquid to evaporate ?!? uuuugghhh ... so many questions but sorry ...

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

with the car running, take off the radiator cap and see if there is coolant in the radiator

v6maximus

And don't let the engine warm up before you do it, or you will be a rossbief

flthere

iTrader: (2)

After the car cooled thruout the night, I just opened the hood and saw that the reservoir tank contains some coolant in it, I did open the radiator cap and coolant is there. So, my next step is to check the thermostat, right ?!?

Thanks mike and v6max. for your suggestions.

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

You should also check to see if the fans are comming on. Let the car idle for a period. the Fan in front of the radiator should periodically come on.

Luigi38

iTrader: (2)

When the car is off, there you should be coolant up to the max line. The engine uses it when it starts to heat up, so keeping it full is a good idea.

flthere

iTrader: (2)

Now on the update. This morning the needle was just abt in the normal position till I came to office. And I just went out for lunch and came back, and the needle is at abt like 50%. So, do you suggest to replace the thermostat and the coolant as well ?!?

The coolant was nowhere near the max level, it's right at the rock bottom in the morning as well as now in the afternoon.

Please reply back asap so that I can get this done before the shops close on this friday! After reading the thread in Fluids section, I think Toyota Red is the coolant to buy. I am not sure if thermostats are made based on the car brands!!! So, I guess it's a generic one ... or may be i can pick it up at the Nissan dealer.

MaxedOut97SE

If it doesn't overheat I wouldn't worry about it. It says in the manual the the "normal range" varies. However I'm not saying it woulndn't concern me. Im my 97 Max it NEVER moved from the middle and in the new I35 it NEVER moves from below the middle.

flthere

iTrader: (2)

ding ding ...

evening update ... the fans are running pretty much normal ... there is some coolant (below the min level) in the reservoir ... i just couldn't get anything done except that i bought a gallon each toyota red and distilled water ... napa, two autozones, pep boys - all don't carry the thermostat for Infi I30 ... i asked if 4th gen maxima thermostat can be used instead, and their answer was a firm NO ... i was skeptical abt Jiffy lube doing the thermostat job and seems they don't it ... finally went to nissan dealer who'd want $22 for the part and an hour labor to do it ... i looked at the 4th gen faq on DIY for thermostat but it looks like it's tough ...

thanks for help guys ...

one last question ... can anything else go wrong other than the coolant leve and thermostat ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

flthere

iTrader: (2)

btw, pep boys want $64.99 to replace thermostat ... that too if we bring the part ourselves ... I'll post what the dealer will charge tomorrow ...

thermostat was supposed to cost $15.99 at autozone ... it's $22 at the dealer ...

I30tMikeD

iTrader: (8)

I have never changed my thermostat but I would be amazed that a 4th gen max and 1st gen I30 thermostats were not the same. I have not come accorss a mechanical part yet on my I30 that I couldn't get from a nissan dealership. I used to tell them it was for my I30 and they would give me a bunch of bla bla bla about it not working...it always did. So I just tell them I have a maxima and avoid the whole thing.

flthere

iTrader: (2)

Somehow I couldn't get the job done on satday but I just went to dealer and he was asking for a total rip-off ... First, he asked me to leave the car and said that they will call to give me an estimate. When I insisted, he inserted a cd and gave me an estimation for changing the thermostat which is like this:

Parts: $18.95 + tax
Labor: $190 (2 hrs @ $95)
Total = $220

Then I said 'thanks!' and went to the parts store, bought the same genuine Nissan item quoted in the estimate for $12.50 + tax!!! See! This is what probably that makes everyone scary abt the dealers! Guess what, I asked the guy who sold me the part if it's any different from maxima's, he said NO .. how come the same dealer told me on friday that maxima's and I30's theromstats are different and today they say it's the same !?! whatever ...

Pepboys, on the other hand, said that it's an hour job @ $65! So I better go there or to the roadside mechanic and will get the job done ... can anyone recommend if it's better to get the chemical flush and fill of the radiator done now ?!? Or is the chemical flush not recommended for Japanese vehicles ??

Thanks for all your assistance and I hope that the needle won't go up and up again in future ..

Btw, if thermostat is soo important because it's related to the engine directly, why the hell did they not have it checked continuously by the car-puter and throw a check engine light when something is bad !?!

flthere

iTrader: (2)

I just checked codes and it gave 0505 which means "No Failue recorded/detected". So that's one good thing I guess, or is it bad ?!?

flthere

iTrader: (2)

Update:

Thermostat $12.50 + tax from Fair Oaks Nissan ... I went to Pep Boys to get it done and when they opened the box, they saw that the gasket is missing ... several curses on dealer followed the discussion .. i just went to the dealer again to pick the gasket for $3.34 ... surprisingly the guy over there also wondered why the Japanese didn't put the gasket along with the thermostat !!! And said sorry for not checking abt it when i went the previous day!!! See how the chain of blame goes! ;-)

Even the 4th Gen FAQ didn't say that we need to buy gasket separately!!! Somebody update the FAQ plz ...

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

HA! that is funny as hell. I do the exact same thing....

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

don't worry about it flthere. The dealers always have been and always will be a bunch of fuccing stupid morons! NEVER EVER TRUST THEM!

flthere

iTrader: (2)

I bought all the spare parts and the coolant but just wondering if anything else could go wrong ?!? Like, I just observed in the past two days that there is some leak in the front of the car and thought it might be the tx fluid screw not properly put back in by the Jiffy Lube guys when I went for Tx fluid change two weeks ago. SO I went to Jiffy Lube yesterday asking them to check. Even I went down below the car and saw that the tx stuff was just fine ...

So, I'm wondering if I need to first get the radiator hoses checked before venturing into thermostat change and the coolant change.

Anything else can go wrong ?!? I read in 4th gen abt someone complaining that their radiator is 80% clogged etc., Any help appreciated.

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

Is the leak radiator fluid? If it is, THAT could be your whole problem and not the theromstat. You must find and treat the source of the problem by finding out WHAT is leaking and from WHERE.

UncleMax98

Typical thermostat failure is stuck open. This causes the coolant temperature gauge to stay low. If the thermostat is stuck closed, then car will over heat very fast. Before changing the thermostat, you can do the easy/cheap stuff first, e.g. fill the radiator and coolant reservoir (max level) with distilled water. Then watch the coolant level in the reservoir. If it keeps going lower, then you have a leak. Never let it go lower than the min level.

flthere

iTrader: (2)

Just an update:

Meineke guy who inspected the radiator and said it was leaking added some coolant and water. Now, somehow the leak stopped and the engine is not overheating at all!!! I just went on a 40 mile each way drive to downtown and hit 80s but still the needle just stayed where it is supposed to be!

So, was the problem just lack of sufficient coolant ?!? But then, I have no clue why the leak stopped!!!