Hey everyone, I am looking into getting a '91 Red maxima GXE. I'm happy with everything on the car when I test drove except two things. Could y'all tell me what you think of this?

When I'm changing from P to D on the gears sometimes when I change quickly from P to D the gear doesnt' catch and instead of being in drive its going in neutral. Is this a problem? If I move the gear to drive and release the button slowly it's fine.

Also, when I turn left or right all the way and i can't move it anymore to the left or right the car makes a weird sound like something is creaking. Is this a problem?


Are these just precursors to some potentially big problems? The 91 Maxima GXE has 120k on it and they are asking 3000.

I dunno.. I really want it but any opinions?

Thanks in advance.

 

The shifter problem is a easy fix. Basically it's the bushing on the other end of the shifter that's worn.

The noise when turning full left or right sounds like a CV joint/axle problem. Considering the mileage that's very possible. Take a looksee under the car to see if the outer CV boots are torn. Or take it to get a safety/system check, maybe you can knock off a couple hundred off the asking price in-order to correct these problem. The ball is in your court, play smart

 

i had a guy who buys used cars look at it really quick and he said tht the transmission shifts fine.. just the shifter doesn't catch onto D and I gotta make sure its locked into D.

He also said that the click when turning the steering wheel could be a steering belt problem?

We're going to get it checked out by a mechanic tomorrow so I'll keep you guys updated

 

alright so anyways.. I went to three repair shops today and I got a whole bunch of different answers....

i also hear a sound from the timing belt area that sounds like a belt or bearing is rattling and i asked about that problem too. it kinda goes away when the engine revs either because the engine noise is too loud or the thing really does go away...

1st shop said the rattlin came from the timing belt needing to be replaced and they also said that they woudl do the waterpump, cam seals, tensioner, thermostat, other belts and the antifreeze jsut in case... that doesn't sound too right but they are an authorized nissan repair shop...

2nd shop said it was the bearings holding the distributor were torn and needed to be fixed and that sounds like a bunch of bs. And the sound wasn't even coming from the distributor area more from teh belt area...

3rd shop didn't know what to say but said they could remove all the belts and see where the sound is comign from...
and they said the turning problem is a problem with the ball joint on the axle and it needs to be replaced??


man this is so confusing it seems like these mechanics dont' know crap or something..

and we also found that the switch that changes the a/c temperature doesn't move into hot... whenever i try to push it into hot it won't move past the middle


can anyone give any ideas

 

Like CandiMan said, the tranny problem is probably the bushing.

As for the creaking sound when you turn, that is probably busted CV joints. Turn the wheels in either direction until the lock, then look at the axle. If there is a bunch of grease thrown around, then you have a bad boot. Not really a big problem, but you will need to replace the offending axle (I recommend that since you don't know how long the boot has been busted).

Moreover, since this engine (VG30E) is of an interference design, you may want to have the timing belt changed (unless the seller can prove that it was changed recently). Along with that, have the water pump, accessory drive belts, and front oil seal changed (make sure the shop does not charge you additional labor for each item. They are all under the timing belt cover).

Depending on the price of the car, you may be able to use this as a barganing chip. For $3000, I personally think that is a little too much. Recently, I just purchased a '92SE for $2000.

 

how much should that usually cost?


the timing belt with the water pump, other belts etc??

they quoted 325 for the timing belt and 525 for water pump etc...

could the belt be why the engine is making that noise?

 

Don't let them charge you the labor for both items. when you change the timing belt, the water pump is right there. To change it at this time only take the removal of three bolts. See what I am saying? Some places will try and get away with this (Hall Nissan here is Newport News is great! The actually tell you this; however, Pomoco Nissan in Hampton if full of money leaching a$$holes). The total price to have your timing belt, water pump, front oil seal, and drive belts changed should cost you no more than $650 total!

The rattling sound may be your water pump (hope so). If the car drives well, then that is most likely what it is. Anything else would result in drivability problems.

Armed with this knowlege, see if you can have the seller come down to at least $2500.00 (to cover the cost of what you need to do).

Other things to look for due to the age and milage of your car:
* Transmission
* Front wheel bearings (some go, some don't. On my '94GXE, I have 191,000 miles w/o any problems
* Ball joints (time will kill these. No big deal)

Just as long as you keep the oil, oil filter, transmission fluid changed, this car will last you daym near a lifetime.

 

you paid about $1200 over blue book and it has all these problems?

 

Paul89SE has a good point. You may want to check the trade-in value of the car before going any further. Important: check the trade-in value and not the retail value. Unless he/she went through mad effort to prep the car (which they have not because of the issues that it already has), the price you are interested in is the trade-in value. More bargining chips.