New to this car, few questions
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Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 1
From: Georgia
New to this car, few questions
Good afternoon,
My name is Jesse, and I just inherited my dad's '96 maxima. It needs a bit of work, and I have a couple questions about strut/shock replacement, the ebrake, spark plugs, and the valve gaskets. The car sat for two years without running, and I'm not paying a mechanic thousands for a job I can (probably) do.
I know a bit about vehicles, but know more about golf carts, so I apologize if I sound a little...dumb. I'll try and make my questions short and simple.
1) The spark plugs. How do I know if these need to be changed? All 6 have .045-.047 and are Bosch. I bought some NGKs and some grease for them as well. Also, is the grease necessary? I read that manufacturers don't use it.
2) Valve gaskets. I should definitely replace these with the spark plugs, correct?
3) The ebrake. I think this is in the middle of the car, between the front and back brakes? And should I leave the ebrake OFF or ON when replacing struts?
4) Struts and shocks. I have the loaded struts for all four wheels. In addition to the above question, is it absolutely necessary to jack the car up on the entire front/back end when replacing them, or can I jack it up one corner at a time?
Thanks guys!!
My name is Jesse, and I just inherited my dad's '96 maxima. It needs a bit of work, and I have a couple questions about strut/shock replacement, the ebrake, spark plugs, and the valve gaskets. The car sat for two years without running, and I'm not paying a mechanic thousands for a job I can (probably) do.
I know a bit about vehicles, but know more about golf carts, so I apologize if I sound a little...dumb. I'll try and make my questions short and simple.
1) The spark plugs. How do I know if these need to be changed? All 6 have .045-.047 and are Bosch. I bought some NGKs and some grease for them as well. Also, is the grease necessary? I read that manufacturers don't use it.
2) Valve gaskets. I should definitely replace these with the spark plugs, correct?
3) The ebrake. I think this is in the middle of the car, between the front and back brakes? And should I leave the ebrake OFF or ON when replacing struts?
4) Struts and shocks. I have the loaded struts for all four wheels. In addition to the above question, is it absolutely necessary to jack the car up on the entire front/back end when replacing them, or can I jack it up one corner at a time?
Thanks guys!!
All simple stuff.
Good afternoon,
My name is Jesse, and I just inherited my dad's '96 maxima. It needs a bit of work, and I have a couple questions about strut/shock replacement, the ebrake, spark plugs, and the valve gaskets. The car sat for two years without running, and I'm not paying a mechanic thousands for a job I can (probably) do.
I know a bit about vehicles, but know more about golf carts, so I apologize if I sound a little...dumb. I'll try and make my questions short and simple.
1) The spark plugs. How do I know if these need to be changed? All 6 have .045-.047 and are Bosch. I bought some NGKs and some grease for them as well. Also, is the grease necessary? I read that manufacturers don't use it.
Install the NGKs. I use anti-seize on the threads.
2) Valve gaskets. I should definitely replace these with the spark plugs, correct?
Valve cover gaskets or spark plug tube seals? Only if you have an oil leak.
3) The ebrake. I think this is in the middle of the car, between the front and back brakes? And should I leave the ebrake OFF or ON when replacing struts?
Doesn't matter. Chock the wheels for safety.
4) Struts and shocks. I have the loaded struts for all four wheels. In addition to the above question, is it absolutely necessary to jack the car up on the entire front/back end when replacing them, or can I jack it up one corner at a time?
Yes, jack up what ever end (front or rear) you are working on entirely. Otherwise you will be fighting the anti sway bar (the rear is just a big sway bar BTW) and won't have an easy time removing or installing the bolts.
Thanks guys!!
My name is Jesse, and I just inherited my dad's '96 maxima. It needs a bit of work, and I have a couple questions about strut/shock replacement, the ebrake, spark plugs, and the valve gaskets. The car sat for two years without running, and I'm not paying a mechanic thousands for a job I can (probably) do.
I know a bit about vehicles, but know more about golf carts, so I apologize if I sound a little...dumb. I'll try and make my questions short and simple.
1) The spark plugs. How do I know if these need to be changed? All 6 have .045-.047 and are Bosch. I bought some NGKs and some grease for them as well. Also, is the grease necessary? I read that manufacturers don't use it.
Install the NGKs. I use anti-seize on the threads.
2) Valve gaskets. I should definitely replace these with the spark plugs, correct?
Valve cover gaskets or spark plug tube seals? Only if you have an oil leak.
3) The ebrake. I think this is in the middle of the car, between the front and back brakes? And should I leave the ebrake OFF or ON when replacing struts?
Doesn't matter. Chock the wheels for safety.
4) Struts and shocks. I have the loaded struts for all four wheels. In addition to the above question, is it absolutely necessary to jack the car up on the entire front/back end when replacing them, or can I jack it up one corner at a time?
Yes, jack up what ever end (front or rear) you are working on entirely. Otherwise you will be fighting the anti sway bar (the rear is just a big sway bar BTW) and won't have an easy time removing or installing the bolts.
Thanks guys!!
No offense, but the knowledge that you have gained working on golf carts is not transferable to working on a car. See if you can find a friend that works on cars, and convince him to work with you on these items, otherwise you can get yourself into a dangerous situation. It you cannot find someone to shadow, then spedn a lot of time read about the repairs, and watching YouTube videos. In the stickies, there are descriptions on some of the repairs that you are planning.
Where do you live ? Maybe a fellow member will help you with the repairs, for a case of beer !
Where do you live ? Maybe a fellow member will help you with the repairs, for a case of beer !
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