After reading a lot of the postings about 'what should I look for -buying a 4th gen', I want to create a posting of 'known' issues that we often deal with our aging car. So, if you know of an issue that we should prepare for, or look out, I think it would help us all. If they've been replaced, and you're buying a 4th gen, this is a good thing.

Known Issues with 4th Gens
1. Ignition Coils
2. Manual Transmission seal (mostly 95-97)
3. O2 Sensors
4. Knock Sensor

 

CV Boots (but that applies to almost all FWD cars)
Chain Tensioner on 95-96
Alternator goes bad if car hasn't been used in a while

 

Starter (noise)

 

Ignition Switch
Rusted out crossmember
Bose radio

 

Egr related issues, strut bearing noise, worn stabilizer end links.

 

Coolant Temperature Sensor, caused stalling

 

EVAP issues?

 

Flashing airbag light....

 

oil pressure sending unit (if it hasn't been fixed by a previous owner yet)

 

AC evaproator
Brake caliper
Window regulator

 

Not true. The problem is manual trannys that need rebuilt because of excess bearing wear. The seals only leak because the axles wobble too much in the tranny housing.

So you need to watch out for play in the axle at the tranny housing, or for metal shavings in the tranny oil.

Dave

 

uhhh... rear main seal

 

Evap Issue
Knock Sensor
Strut Mount Noise
I agree with these

235/45 ZR 18 Front Tires 245/45 ZR 18 Rear Tires
20% Tints

 

1. knock sensor. ive talked to everybody i know w/ a max, and everybody has had this issue.
2. Evap canister.
3. noisy strut bearing/ strut mount
4. sway bar end links

 

Door hinges
Crappy paint (easily gets rock chips)
Crappy glass (pits easy)
Blower resistor
Spoiler LED blows
Spoiler pops up
Antenna wont move
KS and O2 sensors
Cam sensor/Timming cover oil leaks
Parking brake cable worn on trailing arm
Rotten/Rusty exhaust (just about every piece)
Saggy trunk floor
Dain lines plugged


Oh wait you said mechanical problems..............

 

happen to me twice. driver side air bag. no communication.

knock sensor.

corrision on postive terminal or negative as well. 4 cars in the past month had that.

 

i agree with noisy strut mounts, bad KS, engine coolant temp. sensor,

so what about intake air temp. sensor?
or cranksaft position sensor?
My Max has all of the above wrong with it @ the moment

 

noisy fuel injectors, not necessarily a mechanical failure. pretty annoying though. I guess you can call it a failure because they weren't noisy when they were brand new.

 

actually, re-reading this list. i noticed 90% of the these are stupid sensors, noises, etc... but theres one thing noone said was bad. our awesome durable vq's.. nobody seems to have major problems w/ the engine itself.

 

I've had my car 12 years on October 1 and the only problems I have had are:

1. 02 sensor on warranty about 8 years ago
2. replace battery
3. replace oil pressure sending unit
4. left tranny seal (5-speed) leaks and is being monitored
5. left headlight bulb burned out
6. right rear caliper seized as a result of not using parking brake for 5 years.
7. recharge R134a refrigerant for AC

That is about it.

I still have the original spark plugs in place at 64K and the car runs like a champ.

 

Not really a mechanical problem but on the 99's the immobolizer is a b!tch! Happened to me two times within a year and I don't think anyone was trying to steal my car either!

 

Parking cable

 

Suprised no one mentioned the Bose.

My '98 has it's moments but works, but two friends with 96s have had the same CD ERR issue and I know lots of people on the site have.

Hood struts.....

 

^^ Bose on post #4

 

Like Bobo's, mine's been very reliable/extremely inexpensive to operate. In the 8 yrs I've owned it I have:

1. Replaced one battery
2. Replaced left headlight bulb
3. Starter noise (fixed myself with ~2 dabs of synthetic grease)
4. Power antenna mast recently failed (bought a new one from Courtesy for ~$26..in that range)
5. Hood struts

That's it...

 

Cant belive no one said (clutch hose)

 

Timing chain cover oil leak. Got to be very common and not an easy repair to do.

 

Wont run anymore when you dont put gas in it

 

Knock sensor.

 

knock sensor
starter
strut bearings

 

make sure that u look in the back pinch welds to see if they have "pinched" the parking cables so much to split open the protective cover and let it rust which would lead to seized calipers and such

 

What can be done about the noisy strut mounts and all? I am hearing lots of noise from the back area and I really have no idea what is causing it all. I took out my rear coilovers thinking it was them (there are springs in the back at the moment).
Then in the past two days I had $5gs worth of maintainance done on the car, part of which included replacing the bumpstops/dustboots as well as the upper strut mounts. After I got the car back today the car still makes the noises in the back and it drives me crazy.
If anyone can please help me with this issue and to see what can be done to make it quiet again it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I wouldn't say these parts fail often but they did on my car. The crank pulley balancer, sway bar links and my struts. They failed anywhere from 95k to 110k miles and the car is still driveable if you don't have the funds to fix it.

 

Great Post...I'm thinking about a 4th Generation Max and this list should help me alot

 

these should be recalled
IGNITION COILS 1999 WENT AT 28,000 HEARD THIS IS VERY COMMON....
REAR Brake caliper WENT AT 25,000
RATTLE IN RIGHT FRONT TIRE..

 

If anyone hasn't mentioned it yet, the TPS can make your life miserable. High idles leading to transmission slippage . If you get the code, replace it immediately!

 

BOSE CD player. (Radio function works fine.)

It worked perfect after I bought it. Then about 3 weeks later, it stopped working for a day. Then it started working again. Then about a week later it stopped working for a day. Then it slowly progressed. Then it started working fine for a month. Then it just stopped and decided it doesnt want to work. The problem is that it doesnt want to spit my disk out, or play it. It just says "CD ERROR." It sucks. I read somewhere it was due to a fualty resistor, but I dont feel like tearing my car apart and opening it up, and then seeing if I can fix it without braking it at the same time. FM Radio for now.

 

- ignition coils (don't let dealer to replace them $$$$)
- alternator
- muffler

 

Common probelms i have seen, coming from a nissan master tech...

Knock sensor,
ing switch ( wears out)
starter (the only reason i ever see a max get towed in for)
o2 sensors
egr code po400 casued by pluged egr system at intake
broke strut mount bushings,, i have boke 3 my self --- fix get camber plates no need to worry any more... :-)

evap cansiter purge valve located on the canster (all nissans)
valve cover gaskets with age
rear main seal
oil pressure switch leak
cv axel boots

that is all i can think of right now.. p.s. if your car has a hard time starting it may be caused my aftermarket started cranking wieard then throwing off your crank sensor..

 

can someone explain the evap problem and what the symptoms are?