I recently sold my 92 se 5 speed and picked up a 99 se-l that is great shape. I've been driving it for about a week and it just doesn't seem as well built as the 92. There are more rattles, squeaks and it doesn't handle as well( I know that tires could be a possible reason) Has anyone owned both a 3rd and a 4th generation know what I mean................or is it just my imagination?

 

3rd gens haev independant rear suspension, guess what? 4th g dosent it makes the rear feel a bit more i dunno muscle carish, even though we drive a fwd non muscle car lol. there are TONS of squeaks and rattles in these, better get used to it, thats the sad part of it all

 

That's why we call the 4th Gen a "minima" not a true Maxima.

 

Humm yeah. I have 3rd gen (before it pooped on me) I think 3rd gens a well built meaning they are sturdy and what not. My 4th gen seems to have alot of noise then my 3rd gen. I have 2 4th gens Auto and stick and i have 1 3rd gen. Overall I like the 3rd gen but 4th gens a quicker and has more stlye. Thats my 2 cents....

 

Spueeks and rattles do suck. I am thinking about going for some dynomat for the front doors, floors, basically the entire cabin. That should take care of the rattles and cut down on road noise too. I think that would make a big difference in overall quality.. what do you guys think???

 

it's worth a shot but a lot of the noises come from the dash and door panels

 

there is a tsb that shows how to fix the rattles.

if you don't like the way it handles, ugrade the suspension and you'll change your mind.

 

Yeah my door panels always groan, the clock/vent piece dash makes some pretty annoying rubbing sounds every time I go over a bump, and my passenger A pillar always creaks against the dash. I guess I can blame the loose stuff on loud music and a rougher ride. My brother's stock 95 doesn't have any noise at all except for an occasional rear decklid squeak.

 

I just sold both of my 3rd Gens and picked up a 98. So I like how the car drives. The motor is much quiter than the 3rd gen, but the dash has one annoying squeak. It seems to be coming from the middle vents.

Do you think a FSTB will help tighten up the front end to elimate the squeaks or do I have to turn my radio louder.

 

I agree it's usually the interior - but i must admit - my 3rd gen was nice - it seems like nissan did get cheaper as time went on. loved my 3rd gen - but always loved the look of 4th - so when the opportunity came i switched.

 

Any idea where one can find this TSB?

 

Never mind I found it: http://www.jatan.net/tsbs/056820.pdf

 

its not the only the squeeks, its all the little things, like where did the ashtrays go from the back doors? whats up with the full rear suspension being removed, I can't even remember all the little things i noticed when I switched from 3rdgen to 4th.

At least its faster and more stylish. Plus more aftermarket support.

 

no offense to 3rd gen owners but I dont think 3rd gens even compare to the 4th gen thats my 2 cents

 

All the 4th gen needs is SFCs (subframe connectors from Warpspeed) and you will be amazed at how solid and rattle free the car is....

 

My 93'SE feels much more sportier than my 99'SE, even w/ suspension. They're completely different animals unfortunately. They could of at least made the 99' steering wheel the same size as my 93' It's more of a trade off because both cars exhibit good qualities over each other...my 2cents....

 

where can i find squeak tape? Autozone?

 

Gotta disagree just slightly with this because it seems in the 5th gens Nissan got back to tightening up the interior and its ghosts. My father-in-law's 2003 is totally quiet.

 

I hear the outside a lot more than I used to.

 

It doesn't seem built as well as the third gen in some areas, still pretty classy though. I miss the IRS on my 3rd gen, but not the problematic motor and age.

 

i also think my 3rd gen handled better and seemed better built......but you know thats what happens when they mess with perfecrtion

 

i'd have to agree with stillenmax. i had a 90 max for about a year, and sure it was a good first car, but nothing compared to my 4th gen. the 4th gen is so much quieter, smoother and more powerful (well at least a lot more powerful than the crappy VG). I have never had a sqeak or rattle in my 4th gen (knock on wood). I honestly cant think of one aspect of the third gen thats better than the 4th. Im very happy with the 4th gen. Mechanically I have had no problems at all. With the 3rd gen it seemed as though I had a new problem every day. Not to mention the AC on every 3rd gen Ive been in has sucked big time and the 4th gen is MUCH better. Thats just my .02

 

Independant rear suspension
Better interior build quality
Better paint quality
VE maximas had:
Limited slip differentials stock. Even the autos
Varible cam timing
Better top end

 

Like I said, it's only been a week so far...........to be fair I'll give it more time.
It's just rides like a much different car. Part of it too is probably going from a 5 speed to an auto.

Jeff is right on the money................

 

Are the squeeks and rattles mileage dependent? All I hear are the noisy tires..

 

You forgot to mention:

-Ticking VTC's
-Ghosts in the motor (VE's)
-Weak input shaft bearings
-Foamy spoilers
-100 extra pounds
-No torque

 

Mine don't tick
Weaker than the 4-gen manuals? Plus the 4-gens get miss-shimmed diff bearings as a bonus
I like my spoiler
Better than 100 extra squeaks and rattles
I have 185ftlbs torque on my last dyno.

 

my 99 5spd has some transimision noise in 1st and 2nd , more so 1st. im pretty sure thats normal if not...someone tell me quick! fixable?
passenger side pillar sqeaking against the dash sometimes but not alot.
my tires are worn to like 30 and 40% i guess making them more loud?
lumbar support sqeaks a bit when i sit hard or bounce.
i think that's all, @ 130,000km

also what's a "ghost"? when you say "ghost in the motor"?

 

4th gen handling SUCKS BIG TIME. interior is FULLLLLLLL of rattles. heck im experiencing 4-5 rattles @ only 38k miles... i can only imagine those of u with 200k miles. the SE stock suspention blows too. its not even comfortable to me anymore.

4th gen = boat in the ocean with a big storm

 

I forgot to add varible volume intake manifold is standard so we don't have to jerry rig mevis or use plastic manifolds.

 

From what I can tell, that's only on the 95s and 96s. Very few to none of the 4.5 gens manuals have reported differential bearing problems. After a year or two of mis-shimming from the factory, my guess is Nissan wised up. 81K on my tranny with no sign of problems.

 

Yeah, I hear you. I had a 93SE 5 spd, and it felt much more sporty to me, much tighter and a bit more fun to drive. I sold it with 198k on it and there wasn't one squeak or rattle in that interior, nor in my 99SE-L. Also, ALL car companies cut costs and the years go on. The 3rd Gen SE had 2 overhead maplights, as opposed to 1. The 3rd Gen 3 ashtrays, ( who needs those nasty things anyway ). 3rd Gens had 4 lights on the doors, as opposed to just the front in 4th Gens. Independent suspension obviously in 3rd Gens, and the Bose system in the 3rd Gen sounded 100 times better than the bose in my 4th Gen. The 3rd Gen Bose systems had four amplifiers ( one for each speaker ). Cornering lights on the 3rd, not on the 4th. Tinted moonroof on the 3rd, clear on the 4th. The list goes on and on, 3rd Gen was definitely more sport oriented. But not to bash my 99SE, it's smoother, like the ride, and quieter.

 

A true third genner here to own all of us 4th genners...

Cant say I disagree with you

 

mine has 2...

 

I have never experienced one squeak, rattle or vibration, nor have I experienced noisy fuel injectors as has been complained about in another current thread. Granted my car only has 56,600 miles and I don't drive it like a rented mule. I think some of the problem is that some owners can be blamed for a) driving the **** out of their cars constantly, b) driving them to fast over rough roads, etc.

Another factor is that I live in British Columbia and in my opinion our highways aren't as rough on cars as they are asphalt not that frigging cement you find in some parts of the US that is rough as hell on cars and noisy to boot, IMHO.

 

I believe the quality of the later Nissans has slipped since Poegot bailed out Nissan!

 

Poegot? Don't youy mean Renault?

 

Peugeot, Citroën, Renault... All those dran French companies sound the same

 

I compare my max to my old 626. My 626 went through 183k miles of pothole philadelphia and has never complained. The suspension took the beating like a pro and makes barley any noise at all. On the max I have now it rattles and squeaks like a pro, thank god for my loud stereo I don't have to listen to the crap.The original MSRP of the two cars differ by about $16,000. My max is at 133k and I bought the car to drive it, not to stare at it sitting on the side of the road.

 

c) neglecting to take care of the cars properly or keep up on maintenance
- this was the case on my '98 in part to my brother ... in my hands now, my '98 drives like brand new

btw I've been a huge fan of the 3rd gens as well as our 4th gens, if it came to it, I'd get a 3rd gen as a beater car and keep my '98 at the same time