This is old but I thought I should mention it after getting more info from
others who have heard the
details of my story...

The car started out fine when I first bought and drove it....

After the first month or couple of weeks came a major oil leak where the main
engine seals and oil
pan had to be resealed. In addition, the pcv valve on the main manifold
had to be replaced to
stop the oil from jumping out the oil stick.

After all the work is done, I first notice the low oil pressure on the
gauge, and the the lack of power
when I drive and accelerate because that extra "kick" that used to be there
is no longer present.

In addition I can hear the valves rattling when I accelerate. It doesn't
leak oil but it does burn only
half of the contents of the oil pan and no more.
That's correct, the oil stick will always register "halfway" in the end,
and no less after adding more
oil to fill it up for a period of time.
The valve cover gasket had already been replaced around the same time as
the major oil leak repair.

I've put quite a bit of money into this car, 87 Maxima, 5 speed, since
last January this time when
I bought it, and I'm wondering how much more money if would take to correct
this problem or where
to actually begin repairing the problem.
The last car I had like this with all the bells and whistles was an 84
Nissan 200SX but that one didn't
seem to last and gave me a lot of headaches unlike the Maxima I'm driving
now.

I have been told to just "let it go" and drive it the way it is ,or
consider putting up $3000 for a new
motor.
I was considering more along the lines of repairing the motor I have now
assuming that that is where
the problem lies.

any ideas or input on this would be greatly appreciated...

thanks...

 

www.car-part.com or www.nippon-motors.com to get another VG30E. Prices range around $300-900 for the engine and figure $700-1300 for install. Also consider replacing all oil seals, timing belt + tensioner, both transmission axle oil seals and cleaning the upper intake collector.

 

well i have a parts car with a running engine, jus the rest of it is in bad shape. if ur in jersy or the surounding area email me and we'll talk more. ive never had a problem with the engine, only a minor power steering leak, check 85 parts car thread if ur intrested

~mike

 

So the only thing I can do here is replace the
engine ????

So there's nothing that can be fixed here ???

let me know....

thanks...

 

The only other thing you can probably do is a rebuild. Figure about $2000-$3000 probably, though that's my guess. From the sounds of your problems, your got a one of a few things wrong. Bad Oil pump, which results in a lower pressure. This can also cause the valves to make noise under acceleration because there isn't enough pressure to keep the valvetrain lubricated. Your main crankshaft bearings could be worn down to a point that oil drains from them, relieving pressure, causing your issues. This is what did my 77 Mercedes 280E in. The lasting I can think of that may cause the problem is your valve guides are going, but you would be burning oil and you would notice it too. What I would do is probably change your oil, putting a heavy oil like 20W50 in. The thicker viscosity will probably help the oil pressure come up a little, and keep the valve train quiet. Do that and keep driving it. The sign you need to stop driving is if you don't have oil pressure at all, or your valvetrain starts making racket no matter what engine speed it is.

BTW, what kinda of oil pressure readings are you getting? Include cold starts, cold idle, while driving, hot start, and normal temp idle.

S

 

Man, I told you to get rid of the POS months ago. Just think, if you would have heeded my advice, you could have been driving around in a good running car all this time instead of getting headaches over your current car.

It's obvious that the car you bought is a lemon. When you buy a car, it's supposed to run good for quite some time after you buy it. It shouldn't be having major oil leaks within the first few weeks after buying it. Whomever you bought it from probably dumped the thickest oil they could find in and a bunch of liquid oil seal to make it run good for a few weeks so you wouldn't notice.

Most states have lemon laws against that, but since you've had the car for so long, I don't think there is anything you can do about it now. You need to take action immediately before you decide to sink any money into it.

Also, you can figure about $2000 for an engine rebuild, but why bother rebuilding an engine when the car was probably beat the sh*t out of. You might manage to get the engine fixed, but then maybe the transmission will go and you'll be sinking in another $2000. Plus, don't forget about all of the minor parts that will probably go in the next year to two: starter, alternator, struts, cv joints, ball joints, tie rod ends, steering rack, power steering pump, battery, fuel pump, sensors, injectors, fuel pressure regulator, the list goes on and on. The older the car gets, the chance that one or more of these parts are going to fail, costing you even more money. For as much money as you better plan on sinking into your car, you could buy a much nicer one with less miles.

Case in point, there's a 3rd gen that I'm looking at, hopefully buying by next month. It's a '91 SE, 99K miles, leather, sunroof, Bose CD sound system, fully loaded, etc... $4000. And it looks in excellent condition too, nice paint job, nice interior. And there's plenty of other 3rd gens with a reasonable amount of miles for that price and less.

It just doesn't make sense to sink money into a car when it was obvioulsy beat the sh*t out of. These engines, when taken reasonable care of, usually last well over 250K miles, if not more, without losing oil.

If you were driving a '69 Camaro or Charger, then I'd say go for it and rebuild the engine cause the car would be worth something if you decided to sell it in the future. But whatever money you sink into that money pit of a car you have, you're not going to get back.

-C-

 

If you get that car, whatcha gonna do with your 88?

S

 

Unfortunately I'm probably going to sell it. I don't have a need for two Maximas, and I don't want to be paying insurance and maintenance costs for both of them. Plus, I could use the money for the 3rd gen, maybe put some wheels on it, do the BMW light conversion, and a Stillen body kit would all be nice additions.

It's not even a remotely definite thing yet, I've got to have the car thoroughly checked over and calculate how much money I'm going to have to spend for routine maintenance items like tires, brakes, and struts. It sucks that I already put over $2500 in maintenance costs for my 2nd gen, but this 3rd gen looks really sweet, and for $4K it's hard to pass up, that's less than what I paid for my 2nd gen GXE. I'd rather have a '92-94 SE with the VE engine and a 5 speed, but they're a lot more expensive, usually around $6000+, not to mention rarer.

But if I do get it and end up selling the 2nd gen, don't worry one bit, I'm still going to manage the 2nd gen club just like I do now, and I'll probably participate more in the 2nd gen forums than the 3rd gen since I already know you guys and have enjoyed your company over the past two years. And it's not like I'm making a major car change here, it's only a few years newer and has the same engine, it's not like I'm getting a Ford Explorer!

-C-

 

Oh, here's a picture of the '91 SE that I'd like to get.

 

Correction, not a Ford Explorer, 2 Ford "Explorers".

At least you sticking with the Maxima bloodline. The nice thing if you get a 91 SE, is that so many of mechanical components are the same, just happens to be a different generation. I'm really digging the color. I myself would like to get a 92 SE 5-speed or newer. In the same color scheme as my 86.

S

 

I'm looking into getting a 97 (5th gen), or a Jetta. However I am not getting rid of my Maxima. I've invested too much in it's soundsystem to give it away to a greedy backlot dealer who would strip it down for himself.

 

How bout giving it to me so I can strip her down for myself? :P

Also Rod, I'd gotta smack you around some. 5th gens are 2000 or newer, the car your looking into is a 4th gen. Now getting one of those I can understand, but a Jetta? The WTF alarm went off in my head. :P Granted Jetta's are decent cars that you can do a bunch of stuff to, it's not a maxima. :P Hehe

S

 

Okay, I was wrong about the 5th gens. Its 4th Gens.(a little confused...) Now, as for the Jetta, They are nice, got the cool factor, they can be hooked up, and IT IS FOR MY WIFE ! She like them (besides a Mercedes) and she wants one. (i am trying to convince her on another Maxima and if she sees what you said, she'll change her mind )Shhhhhh!

 

HOLY S>HIT!!!!!!!! SNOW!!!!!!! It has been a long time since I seen snow!!!!!!!

 

Yeah, I like the color of the car too. A nice white with a black leather interior, can't go wrong there. That's much better than the gray (which everyone thinks is brown), the tan interior, and the ugly bronze tinted windows of my current Max.

Nevertheless, my 2nd gen has been one hell of a car, I recommend Nissan's to everyone who's looking for a newer car and it is without a doubt the best car I've ever owned. That's why if I do get a newer car, it's going to be a Nissan Maxima, I wouldn't consider anything else.

Oh, don't worry, I have no intentions on giving my car to a dealership. I wouldn't get more than a $1000 for it to begin with, and I've easily put that much into the wheels, suspension, and exhaust alone. I'm going to sell it to someone who really needs a car and who I think would appreciate and enjoy driving it like I did. I wish I could keep the car, but I know that I would barely use it and I know that I wouldn't restore it since all my time, money, and effort would be spent on the 3rd gen.

But ultimately it's going to come down to practicality on whether or not I buy the 3rd gen. I could easily get another 80K out of my 2nd gen with a minimal amount of problems. In the long run it would be cheaper for me to keep my 2nd gen since I've already fixed just about everything on it. I really don't want to have to worry about struts, the exhaust, the timing belt, etc.. like I did with this car, but getting a 3rd gen SE in decent condition with relatively low miles is getting more difficult nowadays. In my opinion, the 3rd gens were the best looking Maximas, followed very closely by our beloved 2nd gens. I'm just not into the look of the 4th and 5th gens and I give the upcoming 6th gen a big

-C-

 

I have to agree, out of all they styling, the 3rd gen was the best. I really like the rear door windows which look like a BMW. I still think my 2nd gen is a good styled car too, but the extremely sharp lines sometimes takes away from the car.

S