1997 Q45 common problems

[samsooka]

Hi guys,

I am new to the forum and hopefully going to be a new owner of a '97 Q45. I am thinking of trading my miata for a Q45, so I have been trying to read up as much as I could the past couple of days.
I was wondering for the '97 owners and gurus, are there any common problems for these cars? I haven't really found any, besides common car problems and / or knock sensors & turbine sensor? (not sure if thats good or bad )
The owner said he's had it less than a year and has 143k miles and haven't had to do any maintenance buy oil changes every 3k. He's willing to drive down 2 hours for the both of us to check the cars and possibly do the trade, and I would like to not waste both of our times.

- Are parts hard to find for these cars?
- Is this a high maintenance car?
- Is this gen worse than any other gen (not from what I have read up, but would like some insight from owners)
- Is this car hard to work on? (coming from a miata which is simple)

not sure if I left anything out I should know when checking this car or even just knowing about the car. I apologize for the newb questions, but I don't find much information on this car as I have with others, so I figured starting a thread might help me out. So I do apologize again for the newb questions / post.

Looking forward to this forum and possibly being a more active member if I get the car.

Thanks!

[Q451990]

to NICO!

That series of Q is probably the most reliable of the three series of Q45s. I'd say the biggest issues you'll find besides "normal car stuff" is the knock sensors and roving ignition coil pack failures. If you replace all 8 coil packs with new OEM or Hitachi parts you're usually in good shape for a long time. Hitachi is available at Rock Auto for $43 each, so not a huge deal...

Good luck!

[samsooka]

to NICO!

That series of Q is probably the most reliable of the three series of Q45s. I'd say the biggest issues you'll find besides "normal car stuff" is the knock sensors and roving ignition coil pack failures. If you replace all 8 coil packs with new OEM or Hitachi parts you're usually in good shape for a long time. Hitachi is available at Rock Auto for $43 each, so not a huge deal...

Good luck!

Appreciate the welcome Q451990. Is there a way to tell off the bat upon test driving or checking out the car if any of the follow you said is failing / signs of failure? Anything else you think I should look out for when checking this car out?

Thank You

[94Q45Beast]

to NICO!

That series of Q is probably the most reliable of the three series of Q45s. I'd say the biggest issues you'll find besides "normal car stuff" is the knock sensors and roving ignition coil pack failures. If you replace all 8 coil packs with new OEM or Hitachi parts you're usually in good shape for a long time. Hitachi is available at Rock Auto for $43 each, so not a huge deal...

Good luck!

Appreciate the welcome Q451990. Is there a way to tell off the bat upon test driving or checking out the car if any of the follow you said is failing / signs of failure? Anything else you think I should look out for when checking this car out?

Thank You

rust, brittle hoses, the normal stuff.

[EdBwoy]

Anything else you think I should look out for when checking this car out?

Steering rack. I feel like that is quite common as well around 150k.

[3Q Jay]

get an obd-ii diagnostic tool. sounds like you are new to nissan, but if you happen to have an obd-i consult- like dongle, the good news is that the 97 frame had both. the knock sensors do not cause the MIL to illuminate, but there will be a code 33 stored.
really, it all depends on how maintained by previous owner(s). it amuses/annoys me to hear anyone say 'well, all its needed is oil change'. that just means they haven't invested in the car to bring it back to standards.
since i own active g50 (1st gen), as well as the fgy33 (2nd gen), i can tell you that the fgy33 is WAAAAAY easier to work on in general. it does have it's quirks like starter removal necessitating dropping the steering back to access, and the EGR (piccolo) tube cleaning requires removing the upper plenum.
when properly sorted, the vh41de has turbine smoothness. not a bull rush of power above 4k like the g50 (vh45de).
when you drive it, if it idles good, with a very random and occasional misfire, and then partially stumbles under light/medium throttle then its the roving coil pax like Heath said.
parts are still avail from nissan, but based on the g50, there will not be parts support for this car in 5 years (unique things). very little aftermarket support if that is what you are after.
super comfortable car to drive around town or out on the highway.

[elwesso]

I mirror what everyone else has said. The 97-01 definitely isn't as quirky as the old ones, but arguably not as rewarding to drive as a "drivers car". It's probably better at being a luxury car than the 1st gen, seeing how it's got more comfortable seats, bigger back seat/trunk..

Personally if it were me, I'd get a 99-01 Q, which has the slightly nicer interior/center stack, with the HID headlights. I also like the trunk lid on the 99-01 a little better than the early ones.

[BadQ45t]

The biggie for you is the suspension, if this guy is still on the original shocks/struts those are shot. If he's replaced those, you could do knock sensors, coil packs and new spark plugs for probably $1500 and drive this for another 100k.

I have 110k on my Q and knock on wood still have only had to deal with suspension which i upgraded but there are very few aftermarket solutions left (only coilovers, no Monroe or KYB aftermarket support).

[elwesso]

Can you not get the SR-specials anymore with the espilir springs anymore?

[samsooka]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! This has definitely helped a lot on what to look for when checking out the car. I am definitely new to the Nissan scene and somewhat new to the car scene in general, as my Miata is my first car. I asked a few more questions and some pics and he says the suspension is tight. No rust on the car except for pinch welds. He says I might have to replace the passenger tie rods (his friend noticed he might need to do so after doing an oil change for him) The guy will be driving down 2 hours to me just to do this trade, and I don't even want to waste both of our times..which I told him, basically to let him know if the car is beat we're obviously not doing this trade. It must be some what of a good sign if he's willing to drive the car that far? Does the knock sensors affect the driving?

BadQ45t -- To do the tune up (knock sensor, spark plugs, coil pack) would cost me $1500 with labor? Because the parts I've found is def a lot cheaper, not sure If they are aftermarket or not. As far as suspension, I'm gona go aftermarket -- most Likely BC's since I own them now and enjoy the ride and stiffness (pause?) which I've also been looking up info for because I read it's not plug and play.

Are there any other questions or even pictures I can ask to help with this trade. Like I said if I can avoid wasting time for the both of us, I will.

I really appreciate all of the responses / help from everyone!

[MovieMaestro10]

Welcome Samsooka, I echo everyone's thoughts here. I'm actually selling my 97 soon, stock, tons of maintenance already done on it, super clean, 127k miles. Located in LA. Let me know if you're interested if this other one you're looking at doesn't work out.

[samsooka]

Welcome Samsooka, I echo everyone's thoughts here. I'm actually selling my 97 soon, stock, tons of maintenance already done on it, super clean, 127k miles. Located in LA. Let me know if you're interested if this other one you're looking at doesn't work out.

Hey, thanks for the welcome and as tempting as that sounds, I am located out in NJ. Also I will be doing a straight up trade for my current car. If you don't mind me asking, whats the reason for selling the car? Was it a high maintenance car?

Thanks again

[MovieMaestro10]

I wouldn't qualify them as "high maintenance" in the same way that a 20 year old Saab or Jaguar is, in that it needs endless repairs all the time.

It's more like a Q45 needs some love to "get right," at which point it's quite reliable and strong for years to come as long as fluids are switched out when they should. Any 20 year old car will need a thousand or two set aside each year to keep it going, and the Q45 is the same way.

I'm selling mine because I just need something smaller, and I miss having a stick shift. We have our small, fuel efficient car and we wanted a big, comfy cruiser for occasional long distance use. Now my wife doesn't work from home anymore and we're driving both cars all the time. Around town I wish I had a zippier, easier to park vehicle.

For what the Q is, though, it's a wonderful car. If you're getting one, enjoy it for what it is.

[3Q Jay]

I wouldn't qualify them as "high maintenance" in the same way that a 20 year old Saab or Jaguar is, in that it needs endless repairs all the time.

It's more like a Q45 needs some love to "get right," at which point it's quite reliable and strong for years to come as long as fluids are switched out when they should. Any 20 year old car will need a thousand or two set aside each year to keep it going, and the Q45 is the same way.

I'm selling mine because I just need something smaller, and I miss having a stick shift. We have our small, fuel efficient car and we wanted a big, comfy cruiser for occasional long distance use. Now my wife doesn't work from home anymore and we're driving both cars all the time. Around town I wish I had a zippier, easier to park vehicle.

For what the Q is, though, it's a wonderful car. If you're getting one, enjoy it for what it is.

well put

[samsooka]

Thanks for the insight! so I just purchased the guys car fax since the day is getting near (Monday). This owner didn't seem to have it for that long (since Jan 2016), however the last owner was the one to really do all of the maintenance. The last big maintenance was done at 114k in 2012 with a full fluid flush (transmission, oil, filters, power steering) along with fuel system cleaning and replacing spark plugs. It is now at 145k and since then has only gotten oil changes every 3k or less.
The only down side to the car is theres a crack on the front bumper by the grill which isn't bad. But overall clean title.

[my12by60]

I bought a 2000 AE last December that had about 109,000 miles on it when I bought it. The car needed a bunch of little stuff that was not too expensive (if you can do it yourself) and a few more major items that I had done by third parties.

Here is the run down:

Small DIY Projects -
replace antenna mast $11
shim sunroof so that air was not whistling at freeway speed $0 (used some washers on hand)
door checks (doors would not stay open) $120 ($40 per door; did 3 doors; rear passenger door was ok)
replace fog light (cracked and non-working) $30 (part from ebay)
hood struts (hood would not stay up on its own) $30
replace VTC solenoid (leaking oil) $40 (part from ebay)
replace oil sending unit (leaking oil) $12 (part from Amazon)
repaint wiper arms (faded to silver) $5 (can of spray paint)

More Major Project Completed by Third Parties -
valve cover gaskets (leaking) and spark plugs (replaced factory originals) $400
recover front seats (driver seat had tear in leather) and center console (worn leather) $250
body work and repaint on bumper skins (both front and back were dinged up badly) $500

I also did a bunch of other things myself that I would label as maintenance vs. repairs such a changing various filters (fuel, cabin air, engine air) and various fluids (transmission, rear diff, engine oil).

I know all of this may look like a ton of stuff, but the dollars have not been very large. The bulk of the dollars was for two cosmetic projects (seat recovering and bumper skins) that are non-essential. I still have a small oil leak from the front timing cover area that is too minor to warrant dealing with at this time. I also have a power steering rack leak that will be covered under warranty as the prior owner had the rack replaced just before I bought the car. My advice would be to open and close everything and to do a hard look for leaking fluids. Also find out where the suspension stands as that can be expensive if you need to replace all four corners. The prior owner had redone the suspension on the car that I bought so I have not had to spend any $ in that area.

Good luck with your potential trade.

[samsooka]

So..I am now a new proud owner ( for now ) of a '97 Y33! Everything went pretty well, I hope. But nothing seemed to be an issue besides the knock sensor, and the fact he had this leak on some sort of hose right underneath the front bumper..the entire area was dry, So I am assuming / hoping its just a bad hose or clamp, because like I said the surrounding area to the left & right of it was dry. He drove 2 hours down to me, so I think thats ample enough time for any leakage to show. Besides that, the car idled fine and pull great. All of the electronics worked..except for the passenger heated seats I believe. Theres a small crack on the front bumper and broken headlight tabs. The paint and exterior besides what was mentioned is pretty damn immaculate. So far I am happy with the trade and I guess only time will tell whether it was a good one or not, but I pretty much think I got the better deal. I would really like to thank everyone who helped me out with this and shared their knowledge and input! Looking forward to this car and being part of this community.

BTW: where can I get a front bumper? Seems pretty hard to find!

Thank You!

[3Q Jay]

congrats!
check the power steering cooler hoses. there are two right behind the grille.
transmission cooler hoses are at the very bottom below the radiator.
on your bumper might check with a good body shop first. usual method is to repair via plastic weld, etc.

[my12by60]

You are probably talking about a crack in what is usually called the bumper "skin", which is a big piece of plastic that covers the actual bumper, a straight piece of steel under the bumper skin. As 3Q says, find a body shop or craigslist mobile body repair operator (cheaper but possibly riskier in terms of finished product) to get some estimates to fix the crack(s). One of the members (AZhitman) here that also lives in the Phoenix area gave me a good recommendation and he fixed both of my bumper skins for $500 total, which was a good deal because both skins were beaten up pretty badly. As I recall, the cost to purchase those skins new was about $1,000 each. Then they would need to be painted, the old skins removed, and the new skins installed. Doing all of that through a body shop would probably cost almost as much as the $3,500 that I paid for the entire car. If you only one have on crack in one area of the skin then you might get that fixed for $150 to $300.

[samsooka]

Thanks for the reply 3Q Jay & my12by60. I'll definitely look into that leak, it seems like its underneath the bumper, but right behind it. As for the crack, it is on the bumper cover by the grill and it seems like the passenger tab is broken as well.

I was wondering if the leather arm rest on the driver door is replaceable? It's pretty worn down and looking nasty, besides that, the interior is pretty awesome. Been driving around today and I love this car (much more than a miata)

[3Q Jay]

haha i had that same problem on my armrest where the fuzz started busting thru the so called leather. it's actually the 'pleather'. most auto upholstery places will be able to do it up nice for you.

[BadQ45t]

Funny my 97' had that exact spot worn out in 2000 when I bought the car with 42k on it. The dealership replaced it under warranty, it was an Infiniti part, but at this point the easy way to fix is upholstery shop, I would guess $50 buck at most to fix....who knows if Infiniti even has that part anymore and if they do it is probably way too much.

[HansCC]

Got this 99 with 41k on it - and have put 9k already since March 2016 - Fixed the two o2 sensors aft and fixed the 33 error and its been running like a champ except once in awhile it stumbles and mis-fires once in awhile so I know it's a coil pack.

[3Q Jay]

looks good Hans!
another bloke who was here very briefly mentioned replacing the coil boots and not the coils themselves.
I see logic in that theory and would try it first (lot cheaper)! remember to use small amount of dielectric grease on the porcelain section only.

[HansCC]

Thanks 3q - just got done fixing the coilpacks all 8 with Hitachi - running nice - changed plugs, fuel filter, cleaned fuel rails and injectors - nice power all the way from idle to power band -
I bought these off eBay from this seller -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-HITACHI-Ignit ... D100102%26

[sheikhnbake]

I had a '97 that my ex-wife now drives with 160K miles on it. I had knock sensors and the non-slip traction function go out but this all happened in the United Arab Emirates (it was a Texas car that I shipped to the UAE). What's the connection? The weather. Rather extreme swings in temperature and and humidity every day, plus bad streets up north of Dubai. Once the car was back in Houston in '07, there haven't been any problems with it.

[HansCC]

Wow - it doesn't like sand! - Probably humidity but that is just a guess -