Pretty much I've owned this car since I started driving, and I got her at about 250k miles and since then have put in 51k miles myself since 2016. I haven't done much to it in the first couple years I've owned this car, pretty much keeping maintenance up and making sure it ran well. Recent maintenance within the last 6 months (~10k miles from now) included a transmission fluid replacement, regular oil changes at 5k, new shocks all around, and new axles. Funny thing about those axles tho, when me and my dad were changing them, the driver side completely broke off at the boot closest to the wheel bearing right before you would pull them out. To say the least that scared me because I've been driving for so long with the axles like that and I had no idea that would happen then.

I absolutely love this car, hasn't let me down often (starter randomly died, but was easy enough to fix in a parking lot with common tools) and she's pretty powerful. To be honest, the one thing holding her back is the 4-speed auto, which can't make up its mind in city driving and highway never really picks up speed by itself without an overdrive switch toggle.

This thread is mostly going to be updates on this car, not including the regular maintenance stuff, but changes in the car. Most likely would be more cosmetic changes, and maybe a 5 speed swap if I can find parts/donor car to complete that. I won't lie, I've bought a lot of parts off of eBay and Amazon for most of the parts I've put in that I didn't find lying around xD.

Current modifications:
Non-OEM Cefiro headlights (randomly found it at my grandparent's repair shop) with BiXenon HID H4 bulbs (Updates on this are below) Saving these for a proper retrofit. Thinking Morimoto Mini D2S projectors for them.
Independent Fog Light Rewire (Using wipers for the power)
2003 I30 Sport Rims (on 235/50R17)
98-99 Rear side lamps (I previously called these the facelift ones)
Kenwood KMM-BT522HD headunit
LED Dome, Map, Door, and Dash lights (White for dome, rest are a sort-of purple/pink)
SE Maxima gauges swap
SE Springs swap (only because previous owner cut original i30 springs)
Cloth Maxima seats w/ seat covers (from my dads SE, original were torn and I prefer cloth in the hot climate in my area)
Aftermarket shifter w/ separate OD switch on the dash under the headunit
Aftermarket steering wheel hub with quick release and 350mm deep dish wood steering wheel Will be getting a new hub from HKB Sport. Allows for the retention of clock spring, but later down the road.
K&N OEM-fit air filter

Update (9/22/2020):
Powered passenger cloth seats
98-99 Center tail lights
Alla Lighting LED reverse lights

Update (11/28/2020):
98-99 Front side markers
I30 Mud flaps
I30/Maxima floor mats in black
97-99 Maxima SE steering wheel. 97-99 Clock spring and center combination switch hub conversion.
I30 Limited scuff plates in tan
Alla Lighting LED cornering lights (the ones next to the fog lamps)

If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask. :P

Some pics of the car below, I'll be sure to add more soon! I'll be updating this post with a imgur gallery in the future with up to date pics with the I30 along with some (hopefully) beauty shots of the car!

 

Looks good. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

Well not much of an update but I just recently replaced a broken window regulator and got one for the front passenger window. This is the second window regulator I've put in for this side, plastics keep breaking and what not. Anyways, here's a pic of the broken piece that was part of the regulator, window motor was fine, so I could reuse that. Pic is from my Instagram, same as my username here :P

Did also learn recently while going through the forums here to lubricate the regulators with some silicone grease to help with wear and what not.

 

Picked up a new center piece that surrounds the shifter and handbrake. Couldn’t find a decent arm rest from the junkyard that wasn’t ripped, so I used the old one. Don’t have heated seats so it doesn’t bother me too much.

EDIT: Forgot to mention my old one didn’t have the flip cover for the cup holders.

Got some pics:

 

I like how you flipped the single DIN pocket around to mount the switch, very clever!

 

Thanks bro, pretty much I didn't want to drill into any of the other pieces and it ended up being a really good place for it.

 

I recently managed to stumble on a couple Maxima’s and I30’s at the junkyard with the cold weather package. Most of the Maxima’s and I30’s had their heated mirrors removed already but I got a matching passenger side mirror for my I30 from a Maxima and I also got the driver side from another.

From what I saw from other I30’s and Maxima’s, it seems that the all I30’s are prewired for both the heated mirrors and washer fluid indicator (Maxima’s only prewired for washer indicator).

The only thing I didn’t get were the heated seats. I prefer the cloth seats :P

Pretty much plug-and-play with all the things I bought.
here are some pics:

 

It seems as if the retention arm bracket that holds the bulb in place for the non-oem cefiro one piece headlights broke on the driver side headlight assembly, so I am back to using my original pair of headlights that I kept around as a spare. Hopefully I'll be able to find some again online :P

Still tryna decide whether to go with BiXenon HIDs or LED headlights

 

Was the shifter modification easy, what shifter did you use
And how do you tell the difference with the heated mirrors want to pick some up at my local yard.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by maxfever1987 View Post
fold your mirrors, if you see and H with any combination of number that means its heated
if you have factory heated seats that means you have heated side view mirrors
if you take off your door panels and see if you mirror has 2 plugs to it you have heated side view mirrors/


^^This is true, my car has heated seats and the mirrors say H1 when you fold them in.

 

Pretty much the post above mine for the heated mirrors, either the marking or check the door panel and see if there are two wires going in to the mirror. Look for Maxima's or i30's with heated seats, most likely they'll have them.

As for the shifter, I would say it is pretty simply to do. There is a guide I followed here: https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...ting-pics.html
He has a very detailed guide already for the shifter replacement. I would definitely pick up a switch of some kind from a local auto parts or hardware store for the O/D switch if you are planning to keep that functionality. The only difference I have done is that I did not cut the metal rods. Keep in mind that after installation, the gear indicator may not line up correctly anymore since the rod is thinner than the OEM shifter. Up to you if you want to keep it like that, get something to slide on the metal rod to make it line up properly, or get a leather boot like in the guide.

The shifter I bought is this one: This just screws in to hold it down on the rod and keep it from sliding up and down. Make sure you line up the button correctly so the the inner rod with the plastic piece(you can remove the plastic if you want) can be pushed down by the button.

 

Yeah, the non-OEM Cefiro lights are made with real cheap plastic, you have to be careful with them. I've always wanted heated mirrors on my car but never got around to finding some, so nice job on that, especially considering your rare color. Did you only replace the outer tail lights and keep the 96-97 center?

 

Yeah, my dad replaced the outer tail lights and kept the 96-97 center before I started driving. I actually haven't realized how rare the color is so when I have the money, I'm planning to repaint the car in original colors. Pretty much the paint has been what it is currently since my dad got it.

I'd love to find the i30t trunk with the 98+ center but junkyards around me currently have the newer 00+ i30's. Not to mention that most of the i30's have their trunks closed and it makes it difficult to open. 1 way I think I can manage it to remove the metal piece behind the seats and crawl in to get close enough to the latch.

That's probably my next thing on the bucket list for this car. I'm definitely keeping my i30, she's been through 300k and still strong.

 

Remove the rear seat and then remove the metal behind the rear seat, that will give you enough room to crawl into the trunk and have access to the latch. Don’t forget to take a flashlight so you can see in there.

 

Stumbled on a standard i30 at the junkyard today and managed to pick up the passenger seat and both headrests. The i30 had cloth seats with headrests on the back, but as I did not own the proper seat covers, I decided to leave the rear seats and just take the passenger seats.

Will post pics on here later when I get the chance

EDIT: Added pics. The driver side headrest is in the middle. Haven’t installed them since I want to clean them up. Aside from that, I’m curious if it would be possible to transfer the cushions from my old seats in to this one. Only reason is so that I don’t have one front seat with a pocket in the back of the seat and one without. I have the SE power seat for the driver but manual for the passenger.

 

Been a while I know! Anyways, I’m back again to (finally) give some updates on the car!

I managed to mend the one piece non-oem Cefiro headlights since my 98-99 headlights got smashed by some rocks on the freeway. Along with the one piece Cefiro headlights, I got Bi-Xenon HIDs, and made sure to install the H4 bulbs in correctly. Was wondering why the beam pattern was so weird until I realized that the bulbs weren’t installed correctly. Re-aimed the lights so I’m not blinding people with the low beams. High beams are nice to have again.

Anyways, loving the H4 bulbs since they actually had a lot less glare than the 9004 ones I had on before the whole rock thing.

Aside from that, recently replaced the crankshaft seal since a leak sprung up from there. Replaced some of the ignition coil packs due to misfire, but I do need a whole set to buy and would like to get the Mitsubishi coil packs. I heard those are the best to get following Hanshins and Hitachis (the latter of which I currently have). The coil packs probably have 307k miles on them now since they look original but the boots were replaced at about 275k.

Speaking of mileage, I also recently did my 5k oil change, having switched to 10W-30 Castrol GTX due to the leaks getting worse and I suppose it’s fine going with 10W-30 for the hot weather right now in Las Vegas, well over 100 Fahrenheit. The current oil leak appears to be from either the lower oil pan or upper oil pan, but I haven’t been able to definitively say for sure.

And for the last change, it was just some duct tape on the snorkel that is supposed to lead to the sound resonator under the batter that connects to the intake on top of the radiator. Apparently the snorkel to the sound resonator was already gone and sucking the hot air next to the headers, so I figured I should cover that up. Made a huge difference in my opinion, seems to have more torque and less hesitation on acceleration in city driving. Highway is about the same, but it is hesitating to accelerate for some reason on the highway. Best way to describe the hesitation would be: flooring the pedal slowly and the car not doing anything happening around 65-80mph. Any help on that would be appreciated.

TL;DR

• Reinstalled Non-OEM Cefiro one piece headlights
• Old 98-99 headlights broken by some rocks
• Bi-Xenon H4 bulbs
• Replaced some coil packs, looking for new Mitsubishi Coil Packs
• Switched to Castrol GTX 10W-30 during 5k interval oil change
• Trying to determine current oil leak suspecting oil pan
• Taped up where the snorkel would have gone to the sound resonator
• Better city performance, still struggling with highway pulls/acceleration

EDIT: I should note that the highway acceleration hesitation has been there since I have started driving, which is the same time I got the car in 2016. That wasn’t clear from what I wrote above, my apologies. :P

 

It's been a while! Anyways, went to the junkyard today to pick up a new mode door actuator since mine kicked the bucket and found a really good condition 98 i30 that just arrived. Headlights were already taken but I managed to get the trunk tail lights.

I gotta say, it really changes the look on the back of the car and all I really want now is the i30t trunk with spoiler. At this point just finding one is good enough since my paint code is super rare.

Just one small issue and I'm not sure if it's just me not installing this correctly, but the light looks like it bulges out a little bit and the keyhole isn't flush with the lock. Any input is appreciated!

 

Wait a minute! Those tailights just plop in! I was wondering because I have passed up so many spoliers and trunks because I thought they wouldnt fit the 97. I am glad I know this now haha. and as for the buldge its not bad, but its there. How do these go in, maybe there is some room for ajusting

 

Sadly I don't believe there isn't too much room for adjusting them as they are clipped in before screwing down the nuts. As for taking them off, it's very straightforward:

There are 4 nuts on the outside of the trunk on the edge and 5 nuts under the lining. They are easy to see and get to using an 8mm socket with an extension. After that, all you really need to do is unclip the tail lights by prying them, although be careful bc they could crack. Using an angled pry tool would be the best way to remove the tail lights, although if they haven't been taken off before, those clips are gonna be on there very tight.

 

The 98-99 I30 center tails are known for having that problem. All the ones I see in junkyards have the same issue. If you compare them to the stock one you pulled out, you will see that the outer portion (rear portion) of the light is bowed out. I had to fix the one I got when I installed them in my car like 10 years ago. I fixed it by heating them up and pressing the front and back together. You have to be careful to not crack the lens when you do this, it's thin and won't take much pressure. I was able to find a before pic of my light:



You can see how the little tabs are no longer in their pockets. You need to squeeze them back in there. It's probably too big to fit in an oven, but depending on how hot it is out there, sticking them out in the sun on some tarmac plus a heat gun may suffice. Just be careful to not crack the lens!

 

I see, in that case I'll definitely take another shot at installing it again on the weekend while I work on getting my mode door actuator replaced. It gets pretty hot here usually still 100+ fahrenheit, but I'll have a heat gun just in case that isn't hot enough. Thank you for the tip! I appreciate it a lot!

 

So I'm planning on doing this upgrade when I need to replace my brakes pads and rotors and while I know what to get and the tools I need, my dad asked a question I could not find the answer to:

- Is it possible to use the 5th gen dust shield on the 4th gen when doing this upgrade instead of cutting and bending the original dust shield?
I'm not sure either if it is even possible to remove just the dust shield from a 5th gen or if it part of the whole assembly. I would guess that the removal of the wheel hub is required, but I'm just planning everything out so I know what is and isn't possible with this upgrade.

 

Well, I had to go to the junkyard again after realizing I got the wrong mode door actuator since the one I pulled last time was for 98-99 Maxima and I30. I should’ve taken a picture of mine before hand but at least it was only $5 each for both.

On another note, I saw a 95 Maxima GLE with pretty much all options on the interior, matching my car so I decided to take some trim pieces. Not a huge fan of wood to be honest and well they looked pretty nice. The only thing is the drawer, which I think I can find if there happens to be another I30 with the grey interior. Will have to keep an eye out for new arrivals at the junkyard for the time being.

I had no idea that the AC controller had bulbs in them to light up the buttons as I found out. I’m planning on swapping them out with LEDs but I’m not sure what size they are. My4dsc says Neox 4mm bulbs but they showed the 98-99 AC controller so I’m not sure if they are interchangeable.

I also grabbed all the window switches as well since I was in the process of removing the wood trim pieces. All that remains is a new steering wheel again :P

The pics (completely forgot I didn’t show off the new steering wheel):

 

Well I guess it was a lucky day at the junkyard today, nothing too exciting in terms of parts but I did find an original Infiniti key fob for a 96-99 I30 in one of the cars. Guy at the junkyard was super generous and just let me have the key fob for free since I've been there so often.

Found how to reprogram the fobs so both are working now on my car. It's not a big difference, but at least it's matching with my original key now

 

Found a 2001 Anniversary Edition Maxima at the junkyard today and it was almost didn't catch my eye. If it weren't for the special bumpers and skirts, I probably would've walked past it. Picked up the pedals for it and installed in them in my car. Gotta say it makes a difference. Both pedals were $5, but wow the brake pedal was hard to install. Will clean them, but here's a pic of them in.

 

Nice on the FOB and pedals. I am going to the yard on Saturday to pick up a fender, trunk lid with spoiler, and hopefully a seat. I had to order a new Window Regulator and motor for my drivers window. waiting for that to come in.

I have been seriously thinking about a trans swap to a stick. My tyranny has issues because of the curb accident I had. Its not to hard to do and transmissions at my local yard are cheap and on a sale day i may be able to find one.

I still am looking for Infiniti mud flaps that are green. An I30 branded trunk mat, and a set of OEM window rain guards

Keep up the good work on your car.

 

Nice upgrades.

Take any 96-99 i30 mud flaps you can find in good condition and have them painted green. Don’t pass on them because they aren’t green. I’ve never seen OEM window rain guards for the 4th gen Maxima or i30.

 

Ah yeah I will take any flaps, the car at the junk yard was a green i30 1999 but the paint code was JV0 not DP0 so it didnt match so I did not grab a fender or spoiler. If its still there this weekend I will go back and grab some smaller stuff. I noticed that that car had a factory Navigation system from a Q45. I didnt look at it but I wonder if it is plug and play.

 

Yeah I feel the same way, it's hard to find matching paint codes at the junkyard. I have yet to see a BS3 I30 or even a BT3 I30 so at this point I'd settle for a black one to get the spoiler. I'm not too sure about the factory navigation from a Q45, but they might have a different connector, I'm not sure.

 

I swear this is probably the last time I go to the junkyard for a while, I’ve picked up quite a lot this time.

First is headlights and yeah I’m back on OEM ones. Retaining clips on the other one are starting to pop out on every bump but I’ll keep them around for a future retrofit. Not sure if this is something I will be able to do on my own, but I really love how a retrofit looks with Cefiro headlights. Anyways, with the OEM headlights, I got the 98-99 ones. I sanded them to clean it up and put clear coat on them, and wow it made a huge difference in appearance. This is my first time using a spray can so it’s not the best.

I also got Maxima floor mats in black which I was not expecting to match with the dash cover I’ve had since owning the car. I got the full set so it’s really nice, especially after giving them a good clean. If I ever find I30 carpet floor mats in black I will probably pick them up. The only carpeted floor mat before these were the rear I30 ones. I just put the Maxima ones over them to go with the fronts.

Lastly, and this is still kind of a work in progress, is a custom exhaust. I’m still kind of working with them to test it out since the main problem was that the exhaust would hit the beam in the back and make a clunking noise. The exhaust was sagging at an angle and there’s a post in the 4th gen forums that I saw that pretty much is the same for me. I’ll probably have to come back a couple more times since it’s mostly gone when it’s just me in the car, but it happens ever so slightly with one friend in the car.

I’ll have to post pics later, so stay tuned.

 

[QUOTE=FQuimson23;9219234]I recently managed to stumble on a couple Maxima’s and I30’s at the junkyard with the cold weather package. Most of the Maxima’s and I30’s had their heated mirrors removed already but I got a matching passenger side mirror for my I30 from a Maxima and I also got the driver side from another.

From what I saw from other I30’s and Maxima’s, it seems that the all I30’s are prewired for both the heated mirrors and washer fluid indicator (Maxima’s only prewired for washer indicator).

The only thing I didn’t get were the heated seats. I prefer the cloth seats :P

Pretty much plug-and-play with all the things I bought.
here are some pics:


I have yet to find a washer tank with a fluid level indicator, albeit I dont think to check often. Are the wires just tied up near the tank?

 

Yes, the wires for the washer fluid level indicator is taped up nearby. IIRC, all Maxima's and I30's are prewired for this, regardless of trim level. I do not have a picture, but there will be a wire that is taped on itself with the connector at the end. You will also most likely need another instrument cluster bulb holder as I did for the indicator, it's the same one as all the other lights for check engine, abs, etc. Don't think you need anything else aside from that, however I will note that I have yet to see the indicator light up as it doesn't appear to light up when the ignition is switched on. I would strongly advise keep the new washer fluid tank empty with the sensor connected and with the proper bulb installed to see if it lights up before filling it up.

 

My cluster has a bulb there for it. Maybe I already have a tank there that has the indicator. Never checked

 

Maybe. It is possible that I could have used the bulb in another slot or cluster before since I have 3 of them, and that's why it was missing on mine. But its never a bad idea to have spares

 

Alright so I know I forgot to post pics of the recent items I got for the I30, but I'll update that post when I do get a chance. Just haven't driven the I30 in a couple days.

No worries, when I get back in the I30 later this week, I'll be installing some Godspeed Project MonoSS coilovers. Definitely will be posting before and after shots, aiming for 2 inch drop and iirc that's safe for the car. Its a bit hazy in my memory but I was reading that dropping any lower would cause some sort of damage on the axles or something? Any input is appreciated, and would help me out.

Anyways, super excited and I'll keep you guys posted.

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Hey everyone! It's been quite a while since I posted and it's mainly because I was sick. Things are looking better though and I've been able to go to the junkyards quite a few times this past week. Picked up quite a bunch of parts ngl. I also remembered to take lots of pictures for the majority of the new stuff. The only pictures I don't have are related to the steering wheel swap back to OEM with the new 97-99 clock springs

First and probably my most favorite right now, are the scuff plates from the I30 Limited's. Pretty good shape, just needs a polish on the chrome bits and it should be good to go. I was quite lucky since I managed to get a full set here for all the doors. Steering wheel was in great shape, but since I've been going around removing wood trim off my I30, it didn't seem worth it.



Anyways, speaking of the steering wheel, I've been pretty busy with removing my aftermarket one and putting in the 97-99 Maxima SE steering wheel I've had for a while. Wasn't exactly too happy with the guide saying to drill the hole for the clock spring and trimming a bit off to make it fit, so I went with going all out on converting the clock spring, combination switch center, and trim pieces. It was a learning experience to find out what parts were needed to make it all work and look stock, especially since most go with the guide I mentioned earlier. The trickiest bit was the combination switch center piece since the new turn signal switch and wiper switch had different connectors from the I30 I picked it up from. I pretty much had to use my old switches with the new center piece that holds it all together and that required some trimming on the turn signal mounting screw holes so that it would reach the center piece. Anyways, at this point it's all good and what not, just fixing the minor things like the turn signal not cancelling when you signal left. (Update below)

After that whole mess, I also picked up new floor mats (again) and mud flaps. There was a 95 I30t Manual with pretty much every option on it in the black interior. Gotta say I was surprised to see that there, although unfortunately the trunk was mangled because someone tried to get in from the outside. The floor mats are about on par with condition of the Maxima ones I picked up, maybe a bit better since the "Maxima" on the floormats are really worn, but the rear floor mat is amazing, I can't wait to replace my tan ones with this one.





And finally the last bit and most recent pickup was the mud flaps for the I30. Mounted very easily on the fronts, rear was a bit awkward since the holes were not present on my bumper for whatever reason with the exception of the bottom screw. Maybe aftermarket or something? (Update below) But anyways I was able mount them perfectly after drilling the holes in.




Well that's it for now. Love driving the I30 again and especially now with all the new stuff on it.

Update: I have fixed the turn signal issue. Just had to tighten the lock but for the steering wheel a little more. I realize now that the rear bumpers do not have pre-drilled holes for the mud flaps except for the one bottom screw.

 

Hey everyone! I figured I might as well finally post an update on the I30 since it's been a while.

She's currently parked for the time being. The insurance on it is insane for my age group and paying for it has been a challenge so it's been retired as my daily and is now mostly project car status. The new daily I currently have is a 2004 Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor, and the current running project car is the 2000 Eclipse GT I posted on here a while ago. It baffles me that the I30 is way more expensive than those two cars combined on insurance and even the same year Maxima (maybe it has something to do with G35's and G37's).

I am still planning on the major things like a 3.5 swap with manual swap, however, I am definitely pushing it back until I can start driving the I30 around again. With parts becoming rarer on these cars, I'll most likely try to balance parts for this and the Eclipse.

 

That's strange the insurance is so high, it might be worth getting a quote from another company to see if that's universal. I don't pay very much for mine. If you want a 3.5 and 5MT that you can just drop in your car and go, you can have my stuff. I've already swapped from 5MT to 6MT, and will be removing the 1st gen 3.5 for a 2nd gen 3.5 sometime soon. It would include almost everything you need aside from the clutch pedal assembly.

 

Odd, my I30 is cheaper with my insurance. I could probably get it even cheaper by installing a backup camera. I get rebates for safety items like that

 

I'm on my way to becoming active here again as I finally am able to drive the I30 once again! Been patiently waiting for insurance to drop (was quoted an extra $300 a month at one point recently) for her and that time has finally come!

It's been quite a while since her last startup and was quite surprised that she turned over right away. It was like a time capsule being inside the car after almost two years and it's surprisingly super clean inside. Lots of projects are on the table now with the Eclipse and I30 taking up time and my empty wallet.

Planning on prioritizing a manual swap for the I30 rather than a 3.5 swap as it seems like there has been lots of developments in 3.5 swaps since my last visit. Transmission was starting to show signs at 326k of letting go so maybe in the market for a swap. Maybe also moving to VA at some point as well as all the other stuff going on. Lots of things to come, eventually...