My Bad Luck

A Q45 forum / Cima forum for the President of Infiniti's lineup. Brought to you by Infiniti Parts USA, your OEM source for Q45 parts!
User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

as you all know, I changed my valve cover gaskets and I have had a major smoking problem (my Q not me), I took it to the dealership and they brought me into the service area and showed me from the bottom (car was on a rack) that the valve cover gaskets were missing one of the 2 the half moons towards the firewall on both sides. and drenched everything beneath the moon shaped holes where the gasket was missing. damaging the hoses and coolant lines and other stuff. estimated repair cost 3500 dollars. luckily I bought them from a dealership in New Jersey and we are working this case out. but my hard luck to have to deal with this. beware of parts from Circle Infiniti


User avatar
Q451990
Moderator
Posts: 11473
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
Location: Columbia, SC
Contact:

Post

Leaking oil didn't damage any of the hoses... fix leak, clean thoroughly, and it'll be fine. Oil doesn't get hot enough to damage those parts. Now they may be toast due to age, but the leak didn't cause it.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

the dealership told me those hoses were toast because of the oil. they wouldn't con me into it right? even when the know its the dealerships fault

holymolyNc
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2015 12:04 pm
Car: 1998 Q45
111,000miles
Stock

Post

I agree with Q451990

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

I'm not disagreeing with him. he know's a lot more about the Q than me. I'm just surprised the dealership pulled that one on me. "the oil damaged all the hoses and coolant lines and more, u know its surprising how hot it gets down there....several hundred degrees".....i'm disappointed with infniti

User avatar
Q451990
Moderator
Posts: 11473
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
Location: Columbia, SC
Contact:

Post

Who knows... maybe they were trying to help you out (and help themselves to some settlement money) thinking that you were going to get paid by the parts vendor. Especially if it's another dealership... it's like the Falcons screwing the Jets.

So whatever happened with the rear-end damage to your car... is the exhaust toast? I wonder if you have bigger problems than this on your plate?

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

haha yeah they didn't know I bought it from the dealership but I might "tip" the mechanic to throw in the turbine sensor as part of the settlement. as for the exhaust, there is no blockage and the police hasn't contacted me yet on catching the hit and run driver, but the officer on scene said they definitely will catch her because its all caught on multiple traffic cams. just a matter of time because they get bombarded with hit and run cases daily.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

mufflers and everything after are supposedly toast but are still working fine, nice a quiet, the entire exhaust system still looks brand new. considering that they were 30.000 miles old. just got done repainting the bumper, does anybody know what the bumper is made of? because I archived a few accident records and one of them stated that it was hit from behind at freeway speeds and still no cracks or dents, just needed a paint job (body wise speaking, not mechanically). while the other car was totaled. so I'm just curious what the bumper is made of

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

the dealership is refusing to do anything, they say that the half moon PROBABLY fell off into the cylinder heads and that I need to pull everything apart and take clear pictures of the missing half moons and send it to them. they are saying its dam near impossible for both gaskets to be missing a half moon and are writing it off as improper installation.....time to pull it apart and prove them wrong, I've been through 7 quarts of precious expensive oil in the past week.

qship96
Posts: 6624
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:31 am
Car: 1996 Q45

Post

Sad to say,but I think you are on your own on this one.Getting a dealer to pony up is going to be damn near impossible,especially since you installed the part yourself.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post


User avatar
AZhitman
Administrator
Posts: 71061
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 2:04 am
Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
Contact:

Post

Some perspective here is gonna be critical.

I'm putting myself in your shoes, and here' what I'm thinking: First, it's not a $3500 job. They can suck it. You did the VCG yourself, you can do the rest yourself. You're gonna have to pull the VC anyway to take pics (get some bigass halogen lights and video yourself pulling the VC, because they'll say you pulled a fast one).

Now - The Q has gone a lot of miles without much maintenance, so the hoses are due. No big deal. While you're at it, the under-plenum hoses can be done (if they haven't been already) and you can clean / detail everything as you go. We can walk you through every bit of it, because we've done a LOT of Q rehab since we started this joint 14 years ago. The only downside of this whole thing is that getting behind the engine is a PITA (but can be done). I'd remove the hood, set it someplace safe, and get a back brace. :)

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

thanks AZhitman and everyone else who helped me. its great knowing that help is always here. haha I always surround myself with big halogen super bright lights when working on my Q. That's it, enough is enough, I'm crackin down hard, 94Q45Beast is officially off the road and into rehab. F**K the dealership, F**K the drunk underage girl that hit me from behind, and definitely F**K them B****ES who say my Q ain't worth spending a dime on.

on a side note. I just had the Goodyear Assurance Comforted Touring all season tires installed on my Q (215 70R 15 98V) with a 4 year/60,000 mile warranty on the treads and the side walls, these tires are superb, super smooth comfy ride with alot of grip and excellent handling. oh and I hope moderators and Administrators won't mind if I use this thread to post updates and pictures of my Q in rehab.

maxnix
Posts: 22628
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2002 8:11 pm
Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45

Post

Q451990 wrote:Leaking oil didn't damage any of the hoses... fix leak, clean thoroughly, and it'll be fine. Oil doesn't get hot enough to damage those parts. Now they may be toast due to age, but the leak didn't cause it.
But do check their condition for rigidity and cracks. Hoses deteriorate from the inside out.

AZHitman makes the best choice. Do them all in one fell swoop. Fuel line was available in bulk at one time. I will see if I can find any extra I may have.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

thanks pm me about the fuel hoses but I believe my local auto zone sells them by the foot.

oh and an update. got brand new craftsman tools, 334 piece set with ratcheting wrenches for 199 bucks and for a awesome price of 116 bucks with tax. I got a craftsman creeper, 3 ton craftsman jack stands, and two 3 ton floor jacks all in one big box. and bought new dayco drive belts with a torque wrench.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

Image


Image

Image

and this is covered in power steering fluid.
[imgImage[/img]


more bad luck, autozone sold me drive belts for the 99 Q, not the 94, ugh. and they confused me about the belts. there's a AC compressor belt, alternator belt, alternator and power steering belt, fan and power steering belt, and a 4 rib and a 7 rib set up.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

anybody know where I can get my hands on a Turbine Sensor

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

https://youtu.be/rYr-q77yxZ4

just changed the belts and it made this weird noise, any ideas

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

anybody.....

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

I figured it out...it was my A/C compressor clutch, I cut the belt and it ran fine...now is time to tackle the tire issue....walmart installed the wrong tire on my car its still a 215/70r/15 tire size but its 98T when I purchased a 98V...ugh

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

its sad when walmart.com and the actual walmart store are in a heated argument with each other about who's suppose to handle my problem about the wrong tires....at least its confirmed that the tires I have is not what I paid for.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

YAY, got a full refund on the tires and I get to keep them. now the dealership is sending me new gaskets, if I'm gonna remove the valve covers I might as well change the defective gaskets and send the defective ones back so the dealership can study them and come to a settlement. during the 1 hour 130 buck inspection before all this started, they made the mistake of clearly stating that it was missing in writing.

Image

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

actually, thanks to this write up from infiniti, I can take them to small claims court, will post with results and settlements.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

the owner of cirlce infiniti has 45 days to respond. lol. even if it doesn't go my way (dam near impossible for me to loose with my various documented proofs) its been a great learning experience.....

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

I dropped the transmission pan and cleaned the filter in a bucket of gasoline , let it dry, and rinsed off with some ATF, after doing all this with seafoam through the brake booster. my idle is normal at times around 600 rpm, then spikes back and forth between 500 rpm and 50 rpm then stalls in ALL gears, MAF is ok....whats going on? plugs have 5K on them.

User avatar
Q451990
Moderator
Posts: 11473
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
Location: Columbia, SC
Contact:

Post

94Q45Beast wrote:the owner of cirlce infiniti has 45 days to respond. lol. even if it doesn't go my way (dam near impossible for me to loose with my various documented proofs) its been a great learning experience.....
Here's my guess on something like how Circle will respond:

"We are a reseller of Nissan Parts, and any part warranty claim should be addressed with Nissan. Furthermore, the technician installing the gaskets should have noticed the defect (if any existed) in Nissan's part and requested a replacement part at that time."

I'm not taking their side, just giving you how I would respond so that you can be thinking of your next step if they come up with something like that.

________

In terms of the idle issue, I still think it's a MAF or MAF wiring issue...

qship96
Posts: 6624
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2002 11:31 am
Car: 1996 Q45

Post

Sadly,I agree with q451990.....dealer will not be held liable for this,as the installer,if experienced,would have noticed the missing parts immediately and not proceeded with the installation.

But,more importantly,YOU need to be more diligent in "inspecting what you expect"....there is a pattern developing quickly here- they sold you the wrong tires,they sold you the wrong belts,they sold you gaskets with missing parts......going to be a tough and expensive road if you dont pay more attention to the details! This is not "bad luck",this is a pattern of sloppiness on your part of double checking to be sure you are getting what you are ordering,and failure to research installation procedures before attempting the install- the "half moon" gaskets are a well documented part of the gasket installation procedure,and once read and understood,you would have noticed their {said} omission in your parts kit.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

your right about me inspecting parts...its my first car and the first car I've ever worked on so I'm still learning....and now I learned this..

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

I patched it up temporarily and hand cleaned all the oil in the area under the holes..or at least where reachable and removed the damaged portion of the exhaust (pipes after the muffler) and I'm leaving out the suitcase looking part. I'll be done installing the amended exhaust tonight.

User avatar
94Q45Beast
Posts: 578
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:07 am
Car: 1994 INFINITI Q45t w/HICAS
1992 INFINITI Q45
2017 INFINITI Q70S AWD BLACK ON BLACK
Location: ATL GA

Post

oh and the idle cleared up....it was a loose fuel hose on the bottom of the fuel filter


Return to “Q45 Forum / Cima Forum”