"Tune-up" time-- 99 Infiniti I30t
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 70
"Tune-up" time-- 99 Infiniti I30t
It's "tune-up" time for my car. I want to do atleast the plugs myself but have a few questions. Do you also need to change the wires on these cars as well? Does anyone have an instruction guide for this procedure? Im sure its pretty cut and dry but nothing wrong with some help if you run into any issues?
I'll probably need to replace my belts because there is some mild squeeking when I first start the car then it goes away. Im also thinking my rotors may be slightly warped because when I apply the brakes the car wants to shake a little.
As far as flushing the radiator and transmission, I'll probably have my mechanic do that because I dont have the place or time for it all but will certainly try to do as much myself to save some money.
I'll probably need to replace my belts because there is some mild squeeking when I first start the car then it goes away. Im also thinking my rotors may be slightly warped because when I apply the brakes the car wants to shake a little.
As far as flushing the radiator and transmission, I'll probably have my mechanic do that because I dont have the place or time for it all but will certainly try to do as much myself to save some money.
there are no spark plug wires, each plug has a coil that sits on top of it. unbolt and unplug the coil, then take out the plug. 3 in the front, 3 in the back.
belts aren't too hard to do, but the power steering pump is a pain. there's just very little room to work with in that area. be patient and use common sense and it can be done.
as long as your rotors aren't too thin, you can probably just have a shop turn then for you. if you have a second car...you could take your rotors off your car, then take them to a shop to get them turned. that shouldn't be expensive at all.
good luck!
oh and I BEG YOU, only get NGK plugs! (NGK platinums are OEM plugs.)
belts aren't too hard to do, but the power steering pump is a pain. there's just very little room to work with in that area. be patient and use common sense and it can be done.
as long as your rotors aren't too thin, you can probably just have a shop turn then for you. if you have a second car...you could take your rotors off your car, then take them to a shop to get them turned. that shouldn't be expensive at all.
good luck!
oh and I BEG YOU, only get NGK plugs! (NGK platinums are OEM plugs.)
Last edited by mowgli29; Mar 26, 2008 at 09:14 AM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 70
there are no spark plug wires, each plug has a coil that sits on top of it. unbolt and unplug the coil, then take out the plug. 3 in the front, 3 in the back.
belts aren't too hard to do, but the power steering pump is a pain. there's just very little room to work with in that area. be patient and use common sense and it can be done.
as long as your rotors aren't too thin, you can probably just have a shop turn then for you. if you have a second car...you could take your rotors off your car, then take them to a shop to get them turned. that shouldn't be expensive at all.
good luck!
oh and I BEG YOU, only get NGK plugs! (NGK platinums are OEM plugs.)
belts aren't too hard to do, but the power steering pump is a pain. there's just very little room to work with in that area. be patient and use common sense and it can be done.
as long as your rotors aren't too thin, you can probably just have a shop turn then for you. if you have a second car...you could take your rotors off your car, then take them to a shop to get them turned. that shouldn't be expensive at all.
good luck!
oh and I BEG YOU, only get NGK plugs! (NGK platinums are OEM plugs.)
Thanks man.
What do you think about sea foam? Is it worth using or not?
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,572
From: Middleboro/Carver, Ma
Meh, doesn't do crap IMHO. Besides carbon build-up adds horseopower 
Big thing to check on that car since it's a '99, is pull one of your coil-packs out, if it is made by "Hanshin" it's all good, if it has a mitsubishi logo on it get a complete set from someone.
Big thing to check on that car since it's a '99, is pull one of your coil-packs out, if it is made by "Hanshin" it's all good, if it has a mitsubishi logo on it get a complete set from someone.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 70
I'm guessing the Mitsubishi coil packs are crap? How much would a set of "Hanshin"s be?
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 350
I wouldn't bother changing the coil packs till one craps the bed. I don't think the Hanshin are made anymore so there are probably boneyard options from a 96-98 I30 or Maxima. ...or a new set of whatever is being sold from the parts stores is next. At 164K miles, mine still had the original Hanshin coil packs when I sold it.
Keep in mind that new ones from anyone are gonna be 'spensive. It isn't like buying a set of wires anymore. Each spark plug has its own coil on it and that increases cost by a bunch over traditional wires.
If you're doing the plugs yourself, that' cool. Just be aware that the front 3 are under the trim plate where the oil fill is. Each coil is secured by 2 (9mm?) bolts and an electrical connector. The ones in the back are a little tougher to get to and the one closest to the driver will require getting a little creative with a socket set & extensions. Once the coil pack is removed, it's an old-school job. Just be careful reseating them. The block & cyl head is aluminum and the cylinder head threads will not like to be abused in the process.
While you're thinking about brakes, consider upgradign them to a dimpled & slotted set and some racing compound pads. (A great upgrade.)
You might want to clean the TB and IAC while you're in the tune up mode. That combined with the new plugs will probably make a noticeable diff in performance. You might also want to forget the seafoam and instead use a couple of bottles of Techron in the tank or even the BG44K that the dealer uses.
Also freshen up the battery terminal contacts and the negative contacts to the block from the battery. Just unbolt, sand down the metal a bit and re-connect. Change the airfilter and come back in 50 K miles.
Keep in mind that new ones from anyone are gonna be 'spensive. It isn't like buying a set of wires anymore. Each spark plug has its own coil on it and that increases cost by a bunch over traditional wires.
If you're doing the plugs yourself, that' cool. Just be aware that the front 3 are under the trim plate where the oil fill is. Each coil is secured by 2 (9mm?) bolts and an electrical connector. The ones in the back are a little tougher to get to and the one closest to the driver will require getting a little creative with a socket set & extensions. Once the coil pack is removed, it's an old-school job. Just be careful reseating them. The block & cyl head is aluminum and the cylinder head threads will not like to be abused in the process.
While you're thinking about brakes, consider upgradign them to a dimpled & slotted set and some racing compound pads. (A great upgrade.)
You might want to clean the TB and IAC while you're in the tune up mode. That combined with the new plugs will probably make a noticeable diff in performance. You might also want to forget the seafoam and instead use a couple of bottles of Techron in the tank or even the BG44K that the dealer uses.
Also freshen up the battery terminal contacts and the negative contacts to the block from the battery. Just unbolt, sand down the metal a bit and re-connect. Change the airfilter and come back in 50 K miles.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 70
I wouldn't bother changing the coil packs till one craps the bed. I don't think the Hanshin are made anymore so there are probably boneyard options from a 96-98 I30 or Maxima. ...or a new set of whatever is being sold from the parts stores is next. At 164K miles, mine still had the original Hanshin coil packs when I sold it.
Keep in mind that new ones from anyone are gonna be 'spensive. It isn't like buying a set of wires anymore. Each spark plug has its own coil on it and that increases cost by a bunch over traditional wires.
If you're doing the plugs yourself, that' cool. Just be aware that the front 3 are under the trim plate where the oil fill is. Each coil is secured by 2 (9mm?) bolts and an electrical connector. The ones in the back are a little tougher to get to and the one closest to the driver will require getting a little creative with a socket set & extensions. Once the coil pack is removed, it's an old-school job. Just be careful reseating them. The block & cyl head is aluminum and the cylinder head threads will not like to be abused in the process.
While you're thinking about brakes, consider upgradign them to a dimpled & slotted set and some racing compound pads. (A great upgrade.)
You might want to clean the TB and IAC while you're in the tune up mode. That combined with the new plugs will probably make a noticeable diff in performance. You might also want to forget the seafoam and instead use a couple of bottles of Techron in the tank or even the BG44K that the dealer uses.
Also freshen up the battery terminal contacts and the negative contacts to the block from the battery. Just unbolt, sand down the metal a bit and re-connect. Change the airfilter and come back in 50 K miles.
Keep in mind that new ones from anyone are gonna be 'spensive. It isn't like buying a set of wires anymore. Each spark plug has its own coil on it and that increases cost by a bunch over traditional wires.
If you're doing the plugs yourself, that' cool. Just be aware that the front 3 are under the trim plate where the oil fill is. Each coil is secured by 2 (9mm?) bolts and an electrical connector. The ones in the back are a little tougher to get to and the one closest to the driver will require getting a little creative with a socket set & extensions. Once the coil pack is removed, it's an old-school job. Just be careful reseating them. The block & cyl head is aluminum and the cylinder head threads will not like to be abused in the process.
While you're thinking about brakes, consider upgradign them to a dimpled & slotted set and some racing compound pads. (A great upgrade.)
You might want to clean the TB and IAC while you're in the tune up mode. That combined with the new plugs will probably make a noticeable diff in performance. You might also want to forget the seafoam and instead use a couple of bottles of Techron in the tank or even the BG44K that the dealer uses.
Also freshen up the battery terminal contacts and the negative contacts to the block from the battery. Just unbolt, sand down the metal a bit and re-connect. Change the airfilter and come back in 50 K miles.
Thanks for all the great info. I will try and knock this out this coming weekend if the weather is nice.
Where is the IAC located on these cars? On my wifes explorer, she would have starting/idle issues and it was due to a dirty IAC. After cleaning it with Carb Cleaner it worked perfectly. Is this ok to use on the IAC in my Infiniti as well?
I believe Im going to need new rotors, atleast the front ones. The car shakes when applying the brakes. On past vehicles I would just buy the Auto Zone or Napa brand. Is this sufficient on my Infiniti?
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 350
Slotted are fine...it's the drilled rotors that have potential issues. If there's anything bad to say about the slotted ones, it is that they make a "woosh" sound while in motion. I got used to it in a hurry once I realized the performance difference.
Instead of drilled, ...dimpled & slotted is an ideal setup. I understand that drilled rotors can have a tendency to crack under extreeme conditions and perhaps damage pads if a rock or somethng make its way into a hole & subsequently contacts the pads. I've never seen a damaged drilled rotor myself though...
The AZ or other parts store pads will work, but for the dust they generate and no better performance in stopping or warping again, I would upgrade for a few dollars more. (Let me know if you want to look into what I used.)
The IAC is just to the right of the TB, towards the firewall. As you look at the manifold, it is at the same height as the MAF and has an adjustment **** on it (sometimes the **** is brown in color). There will be 3 bolts that hold it on. If you're serous about going after the TB & IAC, remove them from the car to clean them effectively. Carb or intake cleaner, a toothbrush, toothpick and a few rags will do the trick.
(Don't just spray stuff down the throat of the TB and wipe it out thinking you're making a diff.)
You will also need the gaskets that mate them back to the IM. The Nissan dealer has them for cheap. Ask for the Maxi equivalent. One gasket is ridgid cardboard and the other (IAC) is a metal "crush" gasket. Be careful in handling the MAF as you remove & replace stuff. Be careful also in removing vacuum and the little coolant hose as they will not want to come off easily.
Also be aware that by now, your hood struts are probably on the way out, so consider a replacement set from AZ. They're about $16 ea., simple to replace and new ones sure beat a headache from a hood drop.
Instead of drilled, ...dimpled & slotted is an ideal setup. I understand that drilled rotors can have a tendency to crack under extreeme conditions and perhaps damage pads if a rock or somethng make its way into a hole & subsequently contacts the pads. I've never seen a damaged drilled rotor myself though...
The AZ or other parts store pads will work, but for the dust they generate and no better performance in stopping or warping again, I would upgrade for a few dollars more. (Let me know if you want to look into what I used.)
The IAC is just to the right of the TB, towards the firewall. As you look at the manifold, it is at the same height as the MAF and has an adjustment **** on it (sometimes the **** is brown in color). There will be 3 bolts that hold it on. If you're serous about going after the TB & IAC, remove them from the car to clean them effectively. Carb or intake cleaner, a toothbrush, toothpick and a few rags will do the trick.
(Don't just spray stuff down the throat of the TB and wipe it out thinking you're making a diff.)
You will also need the gaskets that mate them back to the IM. The Nissan dealer has them for cheap. Ask for the Maxi equivalent. One gasket is ridgid cardboard and the other (IAC) is a metal "crush" gasket. Be careful in handling the MAF as you remove & replace stuff. Be careful also in removing vacuum and the little coolant hose as they will not want to come off easily.
Also be aware that by now, your hood struts are probably on the way out, so consider a replacement set from AZ. They're about $16 ea., simple to replace and new ones sure beat a headache from a hood drop.
Slotted are fine...it's the drilled rotors that have potential issues. If there's anything bad to say about the slotted ones, it is that they make a "woosh" sound while in motion. I got used to it in a hurry once I realized the performance difference.
Instead of drilled, ...dimpled & slotted is an ideal setup. I understand that drilled rotors can have a tendency to crack under extreeme conditions and perhaps damage pads if a rock or somethng make its way into a hole & subsequently contacts the pads. I've never seen a damaged drilled rotor myself though...
Instead of drilled, ...dimpled & slotted is an ideal setup. I understand that drilled rotors can have a tendency to crack under extreeme conditions and perhaps damage pads if a rock or somethng make its way into a hole & subsequently contacts the pads. I've never seen a damaged drilled rotor myself though...
Just my two abe lincolns.
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3
100,000 Mile Tune-Up
I just purchased a 1999 I30 that is in immaculate shape with around 112,000 miles on it. I know it needs a tune up and I would like to do it myself. Can anyone tell me what parts should be replaced on a 100,000 mile tune?
Thanks,
Dan
Thanks,
Dan
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