92 q45 unlucky or????

[misterluzer]

in august i bought a 1992 q45.car is a 2 adult owner car that appeared very well kept.was in beautiful condition.ran great,had low miles (85k)and had about 5 years worth of service records.(new transmission,driveshaft,struts,brakes,fuel pump)and all the normal stuff filters, tires etc.now the problems.less than a week after buying it i lost my power steering(rack went).about 2weeks after that water pump went.less than a month after that alternator called it quits.about 2 weeks after that while enjoying an evening ride my headlights(yes both)burned out(alternator spike)replaced another alternator and a battery.after being good to me for about a month.the master cylinder started leaking.replaced that too.now the brake pads are worn light is coming on.and i noticed that both front shocks appear to be leaking.this really wouldn't bother me except service records show these (brakes and shocks)are not even a year old.been buying used cars for over 25 years.and gotta say i aint never had this kind of luck before.oh and in the 4 months i have it i haven't put 1000 miles on it.guys lmk if im the unluckiest sob or is this car a piece of s***

[maxnix]

The steering rack failure and master cylinder failure sound like a lack of fresh fluids in those devices. Were they ever changed? Is the ABS unit leaking?

Water pump can fail due to lack of adequate AF renewal and system flushes, or even filling with tap water, especially in areas with high mineral content. Was the lower metal connector changed also? This is a sacrificial anode for the cooling system.

Sounds like the first alternator replacement was not accompanied by a battery replacement. An old battery with a new alternator can cause exactly what you described.

Brake pads should not wear out in 1K miles, nor should dampers (shocks), and if factory, take it back to the installing dealer and be polite but firm in your discussion with them.

Fluid exchanges not performed at the major service intervals or on a biannual basis basis (whichever occurs first) can lead to major problems and system failures. Factory maintenance schedule (for any new car) is just sufficient to get most vehicles through the warranty period so you can buy another new car.

Read you service print out again carefully (for dealer performed work) and research the competence of the mechanics (dealer and independent shops) who have worked on the car. You may obtain a better picture of the level of service performed and develop an expectation of maintenance required to stem the failures.

Where are you? Where has the vehicle been used, and in what manner?

[Sopdadope]

looks like you bought a lemon. I have a '91 with 200k and I've had much better luck than you. I think you're better off sending that thing to the scrapper, sorry to say.

[DAEDALUS]

Has the car been going to the same shop for all the work? My first thought is that you've had a string of bad luck, but some things are simply not plausible. Having many components fail when they're 10 years old is bad luck if they go at once. But as Maxnix said, having struts and pads wear out that soon has nothing to do with luck. When you replace components it's important to use nothing but factory parts for most things. They might cost 2x as much, but they will probably last 5x as long. The alternator is a good example. Prostart or other cheap brands tend to fail very quickly, and not just on the Q.

[tkd_q45]

That's quite unusual for a Q! If it were an MBZ or Porsche (water cooled at least) it would be par for the course! Seems a bit strange that so many major components were changed with only 85K on the clock.

Maybe after you replace all of those things you'll go another 100K trouble free? Could be worth while if you are planning to keep the car for several years. After all the luxury level of this car cannot be matched by any other for the same price!

[Q45tech]

The only items changed more than once on my Q are things like pads and rotors [every 30-40k], water pumps [every 120k], hoses [every 70k], shocks [every 55-60k], tension rods[every 60k], and upper links [every 40k].

But my car averaged 21k/year over the last 10 years vs half that for the first 3.

Time and non factory parts can do you in in the long run, and 85k over 10-11 years is always suspect to me.

We always warn that a 10 year car is just the oppurtunity to spend the purchase price again soon in repairing things that were defective.....why the car was sold vs kept!But Atlanta is an excessive mileage area as 15k/year is the norm

[blackJ30T]

I own odd cars.

I have a "beater" '88 Merkur scorpio with 157K miles. I have never done a front brake job, and the struts are fine. But the blower motor, fuel, temp gauges, and steering rack went. The rack just leaks, so I replace the fluid (cheapskate beater owner).

The scorpio also stops much shorter than my 'J30, rides and slaloms better.

But the interior is dated and it is not as powerful :oface

[misterluzer]

back again with another problem.(you cant make this stuff up)after starting the q last night i noticed a loud rumbling or ratteling noise.sounded like it was coming from the motor.but on closer inspection.its coming from the transmission sounds like right from the bellhousing(converter).noise goes away in drive or reverse.until you start to drive the car.i had a problem that sounded similar to this on an old dodge i had.all that need was to tighten the flex plate bolts to the converter.but i dont think im gonna be so lucky this time.as i dont even see an access panel on the transmission.any other ideas?? thanks againmisterluzer

[greg_atlanta]

looks like you bought a lemon. I have a '91 with 200k and I've had much better luck than you. I think you're better off sending that thing to the scrapper, sorry to say.

Aren't all 10 year old cars lemons to some extent?? I think the "lemon" term only properly applies to new cars which have multiple problems.

Everything he mentioned is more or less normal and happens to every Q45 sooner or later, esp. if there was no PROACTIVE preventive maintenance by the prior owners.

Still a great car.... it's just most owners aren't prepared for that much rehab work to begin with.

[greg_atlanta]

back again with another problem.(you cant make this stuff up)after starting the q last night i noticed a loud rumbling or ratteling noise.sounded like it was coming from the motor.....

Are you aware of the timing chain guide problems in 90-93 Q45s? That could be some of the rattling noise.

Do a search on "timing chain" or "chain guides" to get a better idea of the problem...

Where are you located?

[misterluzer]

noise is coming from the converter.having the transmission flushed tomorrow.hopeing that this will take care of the problem.i know im probably dreaming.but its worth a shot.hell its less than 4 years old(under 30k).fluid does look a little dark or burnt and shows a bit of metal.when i first got the car it was cherry red.transmission never gave me a problem.not a noise a slip nothing.man im getting ready to give up.my next post might be me parting out a 92 q.

[greg_atlanta]

No reason to part it out if it runs... if it looks good, somebody will buy it for a reasonable price.

Do you LIKE the car? Or was it just a "let's try something new" purchase?

Again, where are you????????

The Q45 can be a miserable experience if you don't have a good shop (or dealer) familiar with the car, or the ability to do some things yourself.

[maxnix]

Quote »fluid does look a little dark or burnt and shows a bit of metal[/quote] Not what you want to see.

Quote »when i first got the car it was cherry red[/quote] How long and how hard did you drive it? Cherry red might have been too dark as it is really a light, bright red, or rose pink on a white paper towel. Try it with some new fluid and see how far gone yours is. May be too late to flush.

[misterluzer]

im in nyc.and as far as how i drive.just think of the slow moving old fart that you always get stuck behind.that would be me.will let all know how the the transmission flush worked.and thanks again for all the info.and to all have a merry christmas.

misterluzer

[maxnix]

Don't know much about Infiniti dealers in NYC, but do know that the fluid exchange done by Kings Infiniti left my transmission overfilled by 2 Qts.

Was told this is symptomatic of older BG machines.

[misterluzer]

well the transmission flush proved 1 thing.the convertor is shot.the old timer there said transmission looks pretty good even shifted pretty well while the convertor was groaning.i can only guess the last rebuild didn't include a new converter.any idea how much a new converter will run me.parts and labor.and were i could get the convertor.thanks again.

[maxnix]

Try http://protechtransmissions.com/index.html , www.levelten.com/ , or www.converter.com/dragon.htm if you are not satisified with stock http://www.infinitipartsusa.com/ .

[misterluzer]

will be droping the transmission this week.(does not look to difficult)anything i should know in advance?cant believe how many different price quotes i got for the torque converter.($150.-$1200)these guys are making my head spin.one thing everyone said is they have to see it 1st.they say even among the same transmission models(re4r03a) the parts are not the same.anyone ever deal with bulkparts.com.they seem to be knowledgeable,helpful,and reasonable.

[Q45tech]

Watch out for those that leave the top bolts out because they don't have a 4 foot extension for their air gun!Never had good luck with just changing the torque convertor because all the TC damage just flows thru the cooler back to the planetary gears.

Always worth a try ..........imagine how hard it is to make a profit unwelding, replacing interior, and rewelding a torque convertor even Mexico labor is too expensive.........most times they are just cleaned up and flushed operating units from junk yards not really new remanned if priced at $150-$200 around $500 would be a good quality price.

[misterluzer]

well the transmission is out(good 7 hours and 2 friends).but i need a little more help from you guys.all the converter dealers say they need the transmission tag#.say it starts with 51x**.i cant seem to find it.any ideas where it is?and im putting in a transmission cooler any particular 1 you guys recomend.will let all know how everything goes(keeping my fingers crossed). thanks again.and happy new year.

[PalmerWMD]

well the transmission is out(good 7 hours and 2 friends).but i need a little more help from you guys.all the converter dealers say they need the transmission tag#.say it starts with 51x**.i cant seem to find it.any ideas where it is?and im putting in a transmission cooler any particular 1 you guys recomend.will let all know how everything goes(keeping my fingers crossed). thanks again.and happy new year.

Good job on getting it out!!:thumbupI dunno about the tag# but about the cooler both Hayden and B&M make coolers that fit our cars and fit them well.Most feel its best to buy the largest one that fits (3 B&M sizes fit), even though some have used a small one but routed it thru the spot where the actsus cooler sits in an active model.That spot is empty in a non active.Thats also not a bad solution as it gets plenty of cold air there and wont obstruct radiator.

Most however put them right between rad and AC condensor, About the actual part #, gimme a couple hours until I am home and I will find it and edit it into this post unless someone else has posted it by then.

Fred...

[DAEDALUS]

For B&M, many members have used this one:http://store.summitracing.com/...10156

[misterluzer]

thanks again guys.oh and the tag# is 51x21.transmission will be going back in in a week or so will post the results?either way dont be surprised if the car is in the nico for sale section,in a few weeks.as my money and my patience have both met at the end of the road.