Active Suspension re-charged.

[ERicincal]

Well, after months of thinking about it and toiling over what to do with my 1994 Q45 A, I made a decision, and decided to take a gamble and install recharged accumulators in my Q. I was planning on doing all of the units, but I couldnt find a dealer or someone who knew how to or had done the changes. I used the recharges from TEXASOIL.

Anyhow. I went to Peyton Cramer Infiniti in Torence CA, and had them installed ( 4 mains ) They said they had never seen a cleaner and better mainted Q45 in their entire time there. The past owner only serviced at the dealer, ( me too) and had all the hoses replaced, gaskets done, etc. The car drive so much nicer than before. Evidently the rears were almost completely out. Im not sure what to compare the current ride to, but its far better than it was before. The ride is much more comfortable and unless there is a really huge dip or bump, its very smooth on the freeway.

the dealer charges $1500 dollars for the parts and install.. I know a lot more money than a garage.. but I wasnt too concerned about the money.. but more about the quality of service. ( not only that.. but I got a G35 on loaner for a week, that I drove out to vegas for a short vacation and put 1800 miles on it, LOL). they also gave me a 10% discount.. so all in all $1,350 for the fix. Well, that plus the 105,000 service, belt replacement, and some other ods and ends.. total : $2,200 bucks. Was it worth it? time will tell. I think there is a 12,000 mile warrenty, so Ill post in and let you all know how well they hold up. the car has 108,000 miles on it now, and now that I think about it.. I probably should have just traded it in and gotten a G35 coupe. Well, I guess now Im keeping it for at least 1 more year. If I can get 135,000 miles out of it, then I think Ill have done quite well. Im just hoping the injectors can last that long, cuz Im not wanting to spend any more money on this thing.

One thing I gotta say.. is this car costs one hell of a lot more than my NSX to drive!.. next thing on the to do list.. find a way to fix the drive shaft ( it vibrates a little at 50 mph)

does anyone know of a place that can balance them? or do you have to replace them if there is vibration?

thanks!

[PalmerWMD]

That's great that you can enjoy your car so much more now!

Does it make you drive more aggressively now?

Fred...

[ERicincal]

not really.. As much as I love the Q, Im just not comfortable flogging her. Even though she is just as old as my NSX, I worry a lot more. Even thought everything has been done, the I still worry about the transmission and the injectors. So.. I just drive her like a my grand mother would. nice and easy.... and I LOVE going about 10 mph... at exactly 1500 rpm, becuase thats where the Stillen exhaust makes the MEANEST growl.

Just the other night, I was driving around some neighborhoods checking out some real estate, and I could swear I could see people poking their heads out of the windows to see what the rumble was.. that and the fact it looks like some Japanese Yakuza mobsters are drving their black car around and "casing the joint" ! LOL

ok.. Ill admit... I open her up on the freeway....

(big file!)http://images.radcity.net/4058/259028.jpg

[ERicincal]

Sometimes I still wonder if I did the right thing by spending $2300 dollars on a car I probably cant sell for $9500, ya know? but it is really a nice car and still looks great..

[texasoil]

try banging on each cross of the driveshaft u=joints with a 3# hammer to shake them up. They often get 'notchy', which is another way of saying 'stiff'. What happens is the grease gets hard and stiff right at the edge of the normal travel limit and eventually causes a little 'hitch' every time the joint moves there. You can either disconnect the shaft and exercise the joint by flexing it fully, or try banging on them to break up the hardened grease so the remaining oil will flow properly into the soap matrix that has hardened around the bearing pins.

Another alternative is to heat the bearings with a heat gun or (carefully) propane torch to remelt the grease. 450F is just the right temperature in the bearing to do the job. This is much more tricky than banging on them obviously.

[maxnix]

One thing I gotta say.. is this car costs one hell of a lot more than my NSX to drivethanks!

Really? Last time I priced NSX dealer services, they were in Porsche territory. It is, after all, a highly stressed engine.

Do let us know about the driveline vibration at 50 mph. I have a similar roughness right at that speed, but I am wondering if it is exhaust hangers. Need to get it on a lift.

[ERicincal]

Quote »Really? Last time I priced NSX dealer services, they were in Porsche territory. It is, after all, a highly stressed engine.[/quote]

Not at all.. I think the NSX has been the most cost effective car I have ever owned, afterall it is just a honda. I bought it with 35K on the odometer... from that point.. the 15K services run about $299, and the 30K services run about $650 or so. I have done the timing belt water pump (preventative maintenance), and a new clutch ($2500 total ). And with the oil changes Ive probably put in about $3500 dollars total in over 3 years. But the coolest part is given the rarity of the cars ( mine is number 49 of 128), last I checked my car was selling for about 3,000 dollars less than what I paid for 3 years ago ago..

So all said and done.. with maintenance and depreciatio I am driving a hand built, all aluminium, limited production car for $6,500 for 3 years or a cost of $180 a month. I also average 24/27mpg (city/freeway) . I couldnt have even leased a honda civic for that much money! I think its one of the best kept secrets out there.

[ERicincal]

Quote »try banging on each cross of the driveshaft u=joints with a 3# hammer to shake them up. They often get 'notchy', which is another way of saying 'stiff'.[/quote]

Hmmmmm... I guess I can try this.. Now I just gotta figure out how to find the cross of the driveshaft. Do I jsut crawl underneight the car, or do I need to jack it up. Is the drive shaft exposed? or will I need to remove any covers? Obviously I know VERY little about cars, I guess thats why I go to mechanics.

but I think I can handle any type of service that simply requires me to bang on it with a hammer. Also... are we talking small little taps? or hits hard enough to put in a nail? and are we talking direct contact? or put a towel there to soften the blows?

I think my VCR has a bit of a noise coming out of it too.. I might try the #3 hammer technique!