Back to New Q?

[Haitian_King]

Got my Q back from the shop today. I want to throw a party. Guess who's in possession of some 100% intact plastic old style chain guides?

That's right. This guy.

I kept the old ones as a trophy.

I don't know if it's the new guides, plugs, tightly sealed VC's or the new self sealing bolt in the ATF pan but goddamn boy! My Q is WICKED! I could barely control it today on I-295. I let it rip a couple of times and the effect is AMAZING! I couldn't do too much because my dad was following me and it was near the tail end of rush hour.

I'm still running on the 92 ECU and it's great. I can't wait to put in the NICO one. Keith gave it the ok. He didn't notice any transmission issues other than a leaking corner (the bolt) and he fixed it. Whatever gremlin was there must have been "Chuck Norrised" by Keith.

I had a feeling that one of my injectors was going bad and Keith confirmed it. Stupid me, in a rush to get over to the shop, I forgot my box of injectors. He did a powerbalance and it shows that the #6 injector is the culprit. The Q passed the test cold, but after being tested again after warmup, it failed. So, that's that.

Other than that, my Q is GREAT! All that's left to do now is transmission cooler, new driveshaft (get rid of the vibes), transmission mount, and that damn injector. Then I can work on getting new tires (and possibly wheels) and suspension. If everything pans out the way I need it to, I'll be able to join the ranks of mechanically wonderful Q owners.

Keith is amazing. For everything, I came out of pocket $1489.32. Labor and some shop supplied parts.

$804 for parts from IOS and Holman Infiniti.

All well worth it.

I'll take pictures of the guides when the sun comes up.

I'm so giddy. I just want to DRIVE!

[qship96]

Way to go!!!!!! Now,drive it like you stole it!!

So, exactly what did you have done besides guides and plugs/reseal covers? Did you get underplenum hoses/knock sensors or other stuff done?

[Haitian_King]

Way to go!!!!!! Now,drive it like you stole it!!

So, exactly what did you have done besides guides and plugs/reseal covers? Did you get underplenum hoses/knock sensors or other stuff done?

Same thing Keith said.

The underplenum air hoses were done. I talked to Keith before he started and he said that it would be best to just do the air hoses and he'd check everything out once it was open. If he saw anything amiss, he'd just order it and install. When I picked it up today, he said that the coolant lines looked as if they had been replaced before. I just didn't know about it.

All in all, I'm very happy. I expected to spend over $3k for just this job, but it came out to be less. Finally, I can breathe easier. No longer does my sphincter pucker up during ignition.

I really feel the 93 first gear start now. I think I left torso impressions in the seat.

[Jesda]

Having a Q45 expert near you is like having God on speed dial.

[Haitian_King]

Having a Q45 expert near you is like having God on speed dial.

So true. But he's so busy sometimes. I can't really stay and just talk Q. I was lucky enough to spend about a half hour talking while signing papers. He was kind enough to let me hang out for a bit even though it was almost an hour and a half past shop close.

[96Qowner]

Congratulations, Haitian!

Now you won't have to listen to the old farts carp at you anymore. Good job.

Tell me about your driveshaft - I think mine's going bad. Do you get a shuddering vibration at around 21-26mph? I get it in any gear.

[ddrumman]

Congratulations. I bet you will do a few WOTs for $hits and giggles just because you can. I'm sure you'll do well with the wheels and suspension, and before you know it you'll have one of the nicest Qs out there.

Enjoy!

[maxnix]

Another testament to a resotred G50. Enjoy.

Never understand why new owners want to "mod" these cars before restoring them or trash them instead of maintaining them.

[IceCubeFoSho]

Its kind of funny though, on my old 1991 Q45, I racked up over 100K miles, but due to never knowing about this site, I never got the chain guides done, and I never had a problem with it. heheheheheh, I feel bad for the people I sold it to now though.

[superuber]

Yes, interested in your driveshaft issue. Are you going oe or aftermarket?

[Haitian_King]

Congratulations, Haitian!

Now you won't have to listen to the old farts carp at you anymore. Good job.

Tell me about your driveshaft - I think mine's going bad. Do you get a shuddering vibration at around 21-26mph? I get it in any gear.

Yes. It comes as a relief, but I may miss the attention.

Driveshaft? Yeah, mine was diagnosed the first time I went to Keith's. He said that it was a common problem with the 90-93 Q's. They were replaced under warranty constantly. All of the old threads I saw here about the G50 driveshaft said that most of the issue was caused by that rubber bearing that was considerably thinner in the 90-93's and was upgraded to a thicker one in 94. I believe Tech said that the OEM shaft was designed for 100k. My Q is at 91.7k miles, so it's almost time. I don't know if Mark (xr4racer) still has his driveshaft from the 92 he was parting out. He was going to let me have it for $100. It had about 10k on it so it should last another 90. I was undecided on whether to go with the slightly used 92 shaft or just get the brand new OEM shaft with the thicker rubber.

Yes, interested in your driveshaft issue. Are you going oe or aftermarket?

Don't rightly know. I'm leaning more towards OEM. It really depends on the price difference. If the difference in OEM vs Aftermarket is huge (durability factored in as well) then I may go with one or the other. If the price difference is small, I might as well go OEM, just for the peace of mind.

Congratulations. I bet you will do a few WOTs for $hits and giggles just because you can. I'm sure you'll do well with the wheels and suspension, and before you know it you'll have one of the nicest Qs out there.

Enjoy!

I've tried. I'm a little chicken though. I don't really have much open road with which to enjoy my newfound performance. What little open/low traffic roads I do come across, my paranoia kicks into high gear and I'm afraid to go for it for fear of a hidden police cruiser armed with a radar gun.

I'll be less afraid once I get a radar detector though. And new tires. My rears aren't in optimal condition and I'd rather not have them fail at high speed.

[Q45man1]

Congrats HK and we're glad to hear you're so excited to have your Q back good form. Last week I just cut my muffler and installed straight pipes with magnaflow tips. It sounds so good. I'll posts pics and video next time.

[superuber]

Glad to hear you are so happy. Nothing like having your Q up and ripping!Someone makes a lighter aftermarket drive shaft. I was just interested if you may do that. But I guess cost is a factor. I think Wes or James is running one. If memory serves I think it is $1200 or so. Anyone with info please post up. If anyone in the Pa area needs a transmission let me know. Mine is sitting at the shop. I was going to list it on ebay but I may as well give it to a Q friend.If your local and want it let me know. 85K, worked fine, no torque converter. Pick up only.

[Haitian_King]

Glad to hear you are so happy. Nothing like having your Q up and ripping!Someone makes a lighter aftermarket drive shaft. I was just interested if you may do that. But I guess cost is a factor. I think Wes or James is running one. If memory serves I think it is $1200 or so. Anyone with info please post up. If anyone in the Pa area needs a transmission let me know. Mine is sitting at the shop. I was going to list it on ebay but I may as well give it to a Q friend.If your local and want it let me know. 85K, worked fine, no torque converter. Pick up only.

I don't remember the poster's name but I know he's in Norristown. He had posted about having a 94 with a bad transmission. (I think he didn't flatbed for the tow.) I haven't heard from him since. I let him know that my school (and Q) were close by if he needed a hand, but I never really got anything back.

Maybe he can use it.

$1200 for the driveshaft? What sort of benefit would I get from it? Drastic improvements in acceleration? I'm not really interested in hitting low-14's. I'm perfectly content with burning chumps on the street. My Q does it pretty well. I had so many kills that I decided to stop counting. I'll be more selective now. I beat the brakes off some gigantic pickup with a super loud engine. He really tried to beat me. I wasn't even paying him any attention until I realized he was trying to prove something. Wiggled my toes and dusted him. All before hitting 45.

[maxnix]

All of the old threads I saw here about the G50 driveshaft said that most of the issue was caused by that rubber bearing that was considerably thinner in the 90-93's and was upgraded to a thicker one in 94.

Actually, I believe the later (and now standard replacement) ones eliminated the center bearing. Read Q45tech's posts on 3rd party driveshafts. Wes may have or had one.

Imagine how it will run on 8 OEM spec injectors.

[superuber]

So if I buy a oe one from joe it will not have a center carrier?

[maxnix]

I think the new ones are one piece. Don't know if the old ones are still availble. Check with Joe.

[superuber]

I like the idea of a one piece. I would think it would put more torque on the ground. I can't imagine it being more than $1200!

[Q45tech]

" believe Tech said that the OEM shaft was designed for 100k. My Q is at 91.7k miles, so it's almost time."

In US we equate time and mileage as interrelated, so 100k is roughly equal to 10 years of sitting still without moving, so 7-8 years mixed was the life of the rubber center bushing depending on local temperature and ozone conditions.

We see even the new design start to vibrate after 10 years but not as severe as the earlier design...............but a 5 year improvement is nothing to complain about.

Almost nothing made of rubber last more than 10 years except the door/trunk and window/glass seals.

[maxnix]

I like the idea of a one piece. I would think it would put more torque on the ground. I can't imagine it being more than $1200!

Think they were in the $700 - $800 range.

[Haitian_King]

Think they were in the $700 - $800 range.

From Joe? Or the Aftermarkets?

[elwesso]

Little bit of confusion!

The new driveshafts you get from Joe are the 94-96 driveshafts. They are basically the same except they have the meatier center bearing. As far as i know, theres no other difference.. With that being said, its VERY POSSIBLE you could get away with replacing just the center bearing.

The driveshaft I have in my car is PTI unit. I went with it because it doesnt have that flex joint in the front (instead has a U joint), and all the U joints and bearings are replacable which really arent in the OEM one...

The PTI unit cost me about $500 (I could have got it for $300 if i would have lied and said i was a wholesaler)... It was a really clean unit, and it was about $200 cheaper than the OEM one 2 years ago.

IMO one piece driveshafts arent worth it, especially if you value smoothness. If I ever did any modifications that would solicit the use of a new driveshaft ( ) I would just modify my PTI driveshaft and keep the 2 piece design.

The 1200 driveshaft you guys are thinking of is the one sijoko has on his car, the 1 piece carbon fiber driveshaft, from ACPT.. Theyre probably way more expensive than what he paid because carbon fiber has gotten way more expensive since he got his "back in the day".

[superuber]

You see, thats why you the man Wes! Thanks for clearing that up for us guys who know very little!So you don't think I should waste my time on a driveshaft?Smoothness is pretty much gone! atleast when I hit the nitrous!

[elwesso]

I do what I can...

BTW, Rick call me later this week, i wanna hear first hand how this PTI trans is... I think you still have my number, if not you know where to get it!

[Jesda]

IMO one piece driveshafts arent worth it, especially if you value smoothness. If I ever did any modifications that would solicit the use of a new driveshaft ( ) I would just modify my PTI driveshaft and keep the 2 piece design.

Agreed. Ford made this change in the later years of the Lincoln Mark VIII and Ford Thunderbird for this reason.