Hello everyone. I am a new Infinity Q45 owner. I drove one in 1992 as a loaner car and was totally impressed. I said to myself - Some day I am going to own one!
Anyway, I purchased a 1991 Q45 with 78,000 miles and was kept for very well by its 75-year-old owner since 1993. I recently took the pride ownership of this car.
My question is - I have noticed that while under very slight acceleration - say between 50 - 65 mph, the car shudders. Sometimes very slight and sometimes very noticeable. I think I have felt it under slight braking too!
It feels like it might be a weird gear-change from 3rd to 4th but NOT SURE!
The shudder is only there at times! I Can NOT make it do it at will. It seems to be a shutter/vibration that comes and goes. The engine never misses a beat. The car runs really well, very fast and very good shifting. It feels like it is indecisive at times with the gear choice and is vibrating or hesitating with the gear selection and gets confused or something. IT FEELS LIKE RUNNING OVER the SLEEPING bumps found on the side of the road on some highways!
Has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks, GARY
1991 - Q45 ~~~shutter~~~
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Mayhem_J30
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First off I have to say WOW! A 91 with only 78,000 miles!!
We might need more info on the shudder problem, your description leads me to all sorts of problems. When you say shudder do you mean hesitation or like a vibration?If it's speed sensitive I'm thinking unbalanced tires and/or bad struts. Maybe driveshaft.Hesitation, maybe check Mass Air Flow sensor located on Air filter box.Worst case(since you said 3rd/4th shift) transmission is saying bye bye.
We might need more info on the shudder problem, your description leads me to all sorts of problems. When you say shudder do you mean hesitation or like a vibration?If it's speed sensitive I'm thinking unbalanced tires and/or bad struts. Maybe driveshaft.Hesitation, maybe check Mass Air Flow sensor located on Air filter box.Worst case(since you said 3rd/4th shift) transmission is saying bye bye.
Hey Gary,
Congrats to your new ride!
Is this what your are describing:
When accelerating GENTLY or holding speed up a gentle hill a shudder occurs that seems to come from the drive train.
It's kinda a jerking, kinda slight, but seems very significant cuz it so unexpexcted and a bit unsettling too. In the 6 Q45's I have driven (owned 3 of them) two have done this.
It is not uncommon with older Q's.It's often the locking and unlocking of teh torque converter when leaving/going into overdrive.
This is not of course how its suppsed to be when new, some claim that a good flush with a hi quality ATFand followed by a pan drop WITH filter exchange) will diminish or even (on rare occasions) cure problems.
I know of one Q45 that had this symptom, was slightly dimished after the above procedure 18 months ago, has been driven hard since then, no change in transmission performance nofirttehr problems.
Some also recommend teh addtion of lubeguard to a transmission that behaves so.
Another way to get rid of the problem since it occurs only under the above circumstances is to leave the transmission in "3" rather than "D" when in town (say up to 55mph)
results in, less engine lugging, less transmission lugging (yes there is such a thing) keeps transmission line pressures up and incidentiatlly will prevent the transmission from engaghing/disengaging the TC when hunting between "3" and "OD" (which is only engaged during the "D" position).
Hope this made sense.
Fred...
Congrats to your new ride!
Is this what your are describing:
When accelerating GENTLY or holding speed up a gentle hill a shudder occurs that seems to come from the drive train.
It's kinda a jerking, kinda slight, but seems very significant cuz it so unexpexcted and a bit unsettling too. In the 6 Q45's I have driven (owned 3 of them) two have done this.
It is not uncommon with older Q's.It's often the locking and unlocking of teh torque converter when leaving/going into overdrive.
This is not of course how its suppsed to be when new, some claim that a good flush with a hi quality ATFand followed by a pan drop WITH filter exchange) will diminish or even (on rare occasions) cure problems.
I know of one Q45 that had this symptom, was slightly dimished after the above procedure 18 months ago, has been driven hard since then, no change in transmission performance nofirttehr problems.
Some also recommend teh addtion of lubeguard to a transmission that behaves so.
Another way to get rid of the problem since it occurs only under the above circumstances is to leave the transmission in "3" rather than "D" when in town (say up to 55mph)
results in, less engine lugging, less transmission lugging (yes there is such a thing) keeps transmission line pressures up and incidentiatlly will prevent the transmission from engaghing/disengaging the TC when hunting between "3" and "OD" (which is only engaged during the "D" position).
Hope this made sense.
Fred...
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rahiel aziz
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i had the same problem with my 91Q it used to shake whenever it went into OD usually between 40-50 mph.when i bought the car at 150k it was doing the shake so i thoght anyday transmission will will go.I drove the car next 48k miles with same problem. But if i drove it in 3rd no problem.I do most of city driving so it worked for me but bad on gas milage.u guys won't belive what cured it again please i am not trying to kiss up to jwt.four mths ago i put in their tri mode tcu with 1st gear start up.shake has mysteriously gone.I think because of new tcu gear changes at higher rpm so that probably helped the confused torque conv.If guys with 93 and up Q don't have this problem because of their 1st gear start up than this might be the cure for 90-92 Q with OD shake.
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Q451990
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- Contact:
Gary,
Bad knock sensors or knock sensor connections can cause a very light miss under a load (say 40 - 50MPH up a slight hill in OD with T/C locked up). I'd run a Consult Diagnostic, or the ECU test as outlined in the service manual and check for codes. This is a very common problem - especially corrosion in the sensor harness.
If it's truely a vibration I'd lean towards replacing the transmission mount and exhaust hangers first. Even with low miles, rubber is still dry after 11 years. The transmission mount tends to sag over time and let the back of the transmission rest on the crossmember that bolts to the chassis right under your seat - every vibration that comes down the line has a direct path to you! Also, check the drive shaft for play at the center carrier bushing... this can get expensive, so I'd save replacement for last.
The 91 model year tends to have the most reliability problems with the transmission, so I'd have it flushed immediately - preferably with Mobil 1 ATF followed by a pan drop and new filter, and also bypass the factory transmission cooler with an external model. Do some searches on this forum about transmission maintenence.... there's a lot of info here.
You will also want to educate yourself on the timing chain guide issue... run a search on that as well. Since you're within a reasonable driving distance to San Diego, Jerry Tucker may be your new best friend!
http://www.jerrytucker.net/
I'm certainly not trying to scare you on your new car - there are just some quirks you should be aware of so you can make educated decisions. Congrats on your new car!
Heath
Bad knock sensors or knock sensor connections can cause a very light miss under a load (say 40 - 50MPH up a slight hill in OD with T/C locked up). I'd run a Consult Diagnostic, or the ECU test as outlined in the service manual and check for codes. This is a very common problem - especially corrosion in the sensor harness.
If it's truely a vibration I'd lean towards replacing the transmission mount and exhaust hangers first. Even with low miles, rubber is still dry after 11 years. The transmission mount tends to sag over time and let the back of the transmission rest on the crossmember that bolts to the chassis right under your seat - every vibration that comes down the line has a direct path to you! Also, check the drive shaft for play at the center carrier bushing... this can get expensive, so I'd save replacement for last.
The 91 model year tends to have the most reliability problems with the transmission, so I'd have it flushed immediately - preferably with Mobil 1 ATF followed by a pan drop and new filter, and also bypass the factory transmission cooler with an external model. Do some searches on this forum about transmission maintenence.... there's a lot of info here.
You will also want to educate yourself on the timing chain guide issue... run a search on that as well. Since you're within a reasonable driving distance to San Diego, Jerry Tucker may be your new best friend!
http://www.jerrytucker.net/
I'm certainly not trying to scare you on your new car - there are just some quirks you should be aware of so you can make educated decisions. Congrats on your new car!
Heath
Heath,
Thanks for the great reply! I flushed the transmission and the entire shudder seemed to go away! My new friend at the transmission shop said it had never been serviced. He first dropped the pan and removed the filter. The oil smelled a little old and no visible shavings or harmful particles were found. We then flushed 10 quarts of new oil through it right out of the small transmission pre-cooler we found in front of the transmission pan. The technician told me he believes in starting the engine and using the cars oil pump to flush the system rather that the auxiliary pumps available to do the same job. We changed the filter and reinstalled the pan. He added a quart of Lube guard along with fresh fluid. I inspected the driveline and all the CV Joint boots. Everything is super clean. The previous owner was in his 70’s and owned a Dairy. He has over 200 semi trucks and his repair shop on his facility to keep them all running. His shop foreman was the guy I purchased the car through and he said the car was never neglected and whatever it needed in way of preventative maintenance, it got! The engine is as clean as the white interior and the body. Not immaculate, but very clean!
Also, thanks for the warning about the timing chain guides. What mileage range do these need to be changed around? Is there anything else that I should be aware of for my model year Infiniti? It is possible that his mechanics did all of the maintenance on the vehicle and might have overlooked the common preventive issues inherent to this vehicle!
My girlfriend recently purchased a 1998 Infiniti I30. Same question here – Is there any common preventive issues inherent to this vehicle? It was purchased for the original owner a woman in her 60’s from Beverly Hills. This car is immaculate!
Regards, Gary
Thanks for the great reply! I flushed the transmission and the entire shudder seemed to go away! My new friend at the transmission shop said it had never been serviced. He first dropped the pan and removed the filter. The oil smelled a little old and no visible shavings or harmful particles were found. We then flushed 10 quarts of new oil through it right out of the small transmission pre-cooler we found in front of the transmission pan. The technician told me he believes in starting the engine and using the cars oil pump to flush the system rather that the auxiliary pumps available to do the same job. We changed the filter and reinstalled the pan. He added a quart of Lube guard along with fresh fluid. I inspected the driveline and all the CV Joint boots. Everything is super clean. The previous owner was in his 70’s and owned a Dairy. He has over 200 semi trucks and his repair shop on his facility to keep them all running. His shop foreman was the guy I purchased the car through and he said the car was never neglected and whatever it needed in way of preventative maintenance, it got! The engine is as clean as the white interior and the body. Not immaculate, but very clean!
Also, thanks for the warning about the timing chain guides. What mileage range do these need to be changed around? Is there anything else that I should be aware of for my model year Infiniti? It is possible that his mechanics did all of the maintenance on the vehicle and might have overlooked the common preventive issues inherent to this vehicle!
My girlfriend recently purchased a 1998 Infiniti I30. Same question here – Is there any common preventive issues inherent to this vehicle? It was purchased for the original owner a woman in her 60’s from Beverly Hills. This car is immaculate!
Regards, Gary
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maxnix
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1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45
Timing chain guides
The best time is now. Failure cannot be predicted. Call Joe Tesensky at infinitipartsusa.com or Tom at Infiniti of Lisle.
Do a search on this forum for more information. Sounds like a great find!
Do a search on this forum for more information. Sounds like a great find!
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Mayhem_J30
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- Location: Louisville, KY
mictouch wrote: whatever it needed in way of preventative maintenance, it got!
except for a transmission flush apparently. i would still be careful and stay on top of all your fluid changes.
98 I30. The 95-99 I30's seem to be bullet proof. No major mechanical failures(common that is) seem to be reported. The timing chain apparently never has to be replaced either. Some have had O2 sensor problems but that's really no big deal. The EcU seems to be more picky about things then the Q or some other early Infiniti models, but that's a good thing if you don't mind getting some CEL's. There was an alternator recall on some particular year of Maxima's. One symptom was headlights dim when applying brakes. I don't know if this affected the I30 or not. You can go to http://www.nissanusa.com for nissan product recalls, but I'm not sure about Infiniti products.
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Q451990
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- Contact:
Earliest guide failure I've seen was at 77K - typical is in the low 100s. I've heard of very rare failures in the 40s. There's no real advantage for putting off guide replacement - the new guides of an updated design should be good for 200,000+ miles. Like I said, some cars last in to the 180+ range with no problems, but the failure is common enough at lower mileage that it's a real concern.
To tell you how seriously I take this, my Q with 47K is in the garage undriven until I can replace the fuel lines (damaged in shipping when I bought her) and then take it to T3 for new guides!
Glad to hear that the transmission flush helped! Given that it did help, I'd keep an eye on the fluid color wiped off of the dipstick with new fluid. When it starts changing colors, you might want to change it again. Sometimes you need more than one flush to remove years of varnish.
Heath
To tell you how seriously I take this, my Q with 47K is in the garage undriven until I can replace the fuel lines (damaged in shipping when I bought her) and then take it to T3 for new guides!
Glad to hear that the transmission flush helped! Given that it did help, I'd keep an eye on the fluid color wiped off of the dipstick with new fluid. When it starts changing colors, you might want to change it again. Sometimes you need more than one flush to remove years of varnish.
Heath
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Q45tech
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1995 G20t 5 speed 334,000 miles 16" 2002 wheels - 205/50/16 Sr20ve vvl
Just remember a 12 year old car even with 70k can be as trouble some as one with 180k due to deterioration of rubber hoses, rubber isolated suspension, and electrical connections.I get scared when a car has low mileage as 6,000 miles a year means it may have only had annual oil changes. If the transmission was not serviced make sure all the OTHER fluids are TOTALLY changed and have the AC vacuumed down, replace the dryer,and recharge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have the dealer give it a PAID total examination and list everything they find. Get an alignment.
Not knowing how it behaved brand new makes it difficult for buyers to determine problems.
Even the most pristine ones will need $3,000-$5,000 in R&R to make up for 12 years.
Driveshaft, fuel pump, transmission mount, plenum hoses, chain guides, valve cover reseals, upper links, tension rods, brakes, ABS, O2 sensors, mastercylinder,.......lots of things will go in the next 30,000 miles -----find out what items have been replaced already!
Have the dealer give it a PAID total examination and list everything they find. Get an alignment.
Not knowing how it behaved brand new makes it difficult for buyers to determine problems.
Even the most pristine ones will need $3,000-$5,000 in R&R to make up for 12 years.
Driveshaft, fuel pump, transmission mount, plenum hoses, chain guides, valve cover reseals, upper links, tension rods, brakes, ABS, O2 sensors, mastercylinder,.......lots of things will go in the next 30,000 miles -----find out what items have been replaced already!