2000 Q45 has problems, not sure what the best solution is

[MarshallQ45]

I have a 2000 Q45 with 115k, recently started making an awful whining sound, sounds like possibly a water pump but I am not sure. The car also has other problems which from reading on here could be, knock sensors and/ or spark plug coil wires. The car also has 2 blown front struts and they are the electronic dampening ones.

I looked into replacing coil wires, about $680 in parts or 78 each
The knock sensors arent too expensive, but a bigger job to replace also have smelled gas in the car in the winter last year, so I fear there is a hose or maybe 2 that might need replacing.
The car also has an exhaust head leak so a gasket or two is prob needed, might as well if I plan to do all this work
And including the possible water pump and the struts (275 each, and cant install myself as I have no spring compressor) this is looking like it could get really expensive.

My question is, what can I do with a car like this? kind of stuck because if I sell it the way it is now I could expect maybe 2 or 3k? fixing it is looking like it could cost 2500 easily and then the car would be worth or sell-able for around 4500 (has a few dings)

I am thinking if I do put the work in to fix it then 115k this car could last a while, maybe I could get 4 or 5 yrs out of it or more? Just am not sure what the right move is, and would like some input from other q45 owners, is the car worth fixing? or should I just take my lumps and sell it? since I bought it in 2005 ive prob put almost 20k into it.

any info is very much appreciated,

Thanks

[loystock]

A properly maintained Y33 is very reliable. You can restore it and keep it for as long as you like instead of buying another car and making monthly payments,

Start with a free OBD II scan from Autozone and the likes and get a printout of all the trouble codes.

Check/replace the air filter, clean the MAF sensor (with zero-residue Contact Cleaner or CRC MAF Sensor Cleaner) and Throttle Body (never spray carb cleaner directly, use rag to clean).

The whining sound may be from a failing belt tensioner (there is one near the alternator). You can use a stethoscope or improvise with a long screwdriver to verify. Water pump failure is not common with Y33. Most likely, you just need the pulley portion of the tensioner and some members have just replaced the bearing in the pulley.

Ignition coil failure is common with Y33 but I have a 97Q with @ 115K miles with original coils. So check if you have misfire code before replacing coils.

Knock Sensor problem will not turn on the CEL but will generate fault code P0325. The Knock Sensor is the same as with I30 and 4th Gen Maxima. I was able to buy OEM one from eBay for our 99 I30 for < $50. Unlike the G50, you don't need to replace the KS harness in Y33. There is a very good write up about intake plenum removal/installation posted just recently.

Fix that exhaust leak as it may be the cause of that gas smell. The leak could have 'fooled' the O2 sensor into thinking you have a lean air-fuel mix causing the ECM to provide a richer-than-normal command. Unfortunately, such rich mixture when left for extended period can damage the O2 sensors and catalytic converters.

There are several threads about strut/shock replacement. You can borrow spring compressors from Autozone (rent-free).

[MarshallQ45]

thanks for info, very helpful

[loystock]

It's our pleasure to help and welcome to NICO. BTW, if you have not done so, you might as well replace the fuel filter located in the rear RH wheel well (need to remove the wheel for access). Make sure the fuel line is empty - FIRE HAZARD, before breaking the fuel line. With engine running, pull the fuel pump fuse (driver side) until the engine dies and then crank a couple more to ensure the line is empty.

[MarshallQ45]

I searched for strut replacement but it was unclear, is it best to replace with oem? or should I just find aftermarket?

[loystock]

I looked around but the aftermarket parts I've seen have almost the same pricing as the discounted price from IoS - infinitipartsUSA.com.

http://www.infinitipartsusa.com/partloc ... atalogid=0

[lino]

Welcome to Nico.

You can download a copy of the FSM (Factory Service Manual) here:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/

I'm so surprised to here how much money you've invested in your car. Most FGY33 owners have found their cars to be very reliable and not very demanding on repairs/maintenance compared to us G50 owners.

I would make a list of all that you have to do and see what the total cost is going to be. From there you should know where you stand..whether to repair or bail.

Like loystock said, check out I.O.S. (Infiniti of Scottsdale) for genuine parts as they are very competitive on pricing. For example:

STRUT KIT-FRONT SUSPENSION - $221.11 each
COIL ASSY-IGNITION - $84.94 each
KNOCK SENSOR - $142.32 each
PUMP ASSY-WATER - $99.81

[MarshallQ45]

thanks, 20k invested is because I bought the car for 12,999 + the loan cost 3500k (first car loan) then I installed a double din dvd/nav, got some nice exhaust, tein s techs, and at one time had 22in deep dish wheels with 30 series tires +0 offset they looked nice when the car was nice and new looking but got tired of the look and went back to stock 17in alloys and the teins and installed some slotted crossdrilled rotors with nice pads

all in all, ive wasted a good 5k on this car as far as maintenance its not too bad, I replaced a bad o2 sensor it was $120 I think and only took an hr or so, and I replaced the alternator, about $240 for a refurbished hitachi and another 3 hrs, and then oil changes, etc


I am going to price everything to get this thing back into a good running condition and most likely just go ahead with repairs because really there isnt any other car I would want that I could get for under 10k, so I might as well keep it and learn a lot about it.