Bought a new/used m45, looking for some answers!

[trance|ghost]

as the title states, I recently purchased a new to me 2003 Infinity m45, with roughly 190kms, which is about 118k miles.

the car drives very well but has a few minor little bugs I'm looking to get some help with.

first being, in ontario canada... to pass emissions, a check engine light must not be on, well this one has one.. its throwing a p0456 code, small evap leak. the older owner told me before I bought the car that it was randomly coming on an off, thought it was the gas cap, well just before he sold me the car he replaced it with an aftermarket Napa brand one.. MIL is now always on. I'm not sure where to go here.. but I hate this emission crap stuff, I had an altima that made me loose hair because of evap codes.

I plan to replace the gas cap with an OEM unit in the next few days, with that said if the engine light is still on where to I go next? I didn't realize I purchased such a rare car, (only 800ish were sold in canada alone for 03/04) which makes it impossible to find any advice really.... I'm a miata enthusiast and have a moderately modified mazda miata, I'm also a DIY mechanic for the most part... I wanted a comfy ride this winter, but have been having slight doubts with what I purchased.

second issue, the brake light will randomly flicker very dimly... its very strange.. I know if the brake light + battery light comes on = replace alternator. however.... for some strange reason its only my brake light and its not solid on, it just flickers very very faintly.. its very strange. any ideas?

and third - where do us canadians buy parts?!?!?!?!?! everything seems next to impossible to find... will Nissan specific dealerships sell infinity parts? or do I need to find an infinity dealership? my front suspension is slightly clunky... balljoints and bearings are fine, one outter tie rod needs to be replaced for sure, but struts/strut mounts def sound like they are toast.

anyways I'm hoping this forum can help me, because I'm not sure where else to look for this car, I've even searched... but as mention before, the y34 seems to be such a rare car.

here is some pics of my m45, and miata to go with the quick introduction



my fun toy

[Ilya]

Welcome to the forum.

I hate EVAP codes too. Sold an 99 Maxima because I couldn't fix it. Literally could be anything. I'd start with making sure the hoses, etc. are in check and that the canister in the back isn't punctured or anything.

For the gas cap, do you have an OBDII reader? I'd clear the codes (or see if there are other pending ones that might pop up)...if and when it comes back it may or may not change giving you an indication on what is triggering it.

You're referring to the dash brake light? Or the physical brake light? Can't help either way, but someone else may be able to. This car is rare even in the US and not many of our members have one.

Stuff like that, I'd buy the parts at your general auto parts store (Napa, O'Reilly, Advance Auto, whatever Canada has). Or online (EBay). Many US Infiniti dealerships have EBay storefronts these days.

[BlackCat81]

Make sure the metal fuel filler tube around where the gas cap seals isn't rusty. It's kind of common. If it is, hit it with some sand paper and rub a bit of Vaseline around it. The code won't clear right away unless you erase it with a scan tool. As far as the brake light is concerned, make sure the fluid level is full, and double check that the e-brake isn't partially engaged. Even having it pushed one click can cause the like to come on.

[trance|ghost]

The filler cap looks very clean and not rusty at all. The cap itself being aftermarket feels very loose, I'm hoping is the cap if I replace it with oem.

As for the brake light fluid is topped it's very wierd it only lightly flickers while driving, very randomly the battery light will quickly flash too.. I think it's most likely the alternator, which sucks because the oem unit is pricey

I'm gonna hook up a volt meter to it today to see what it's showing

My main concern is this engine light small evap code.

[Ilya]

Actually, I think brake fluid + battery light = power steering fluid...check it to be sure.

[trance|ghost]

will definitely check that!

its just odd because of how its ever so slightly flickering, ghostly like... sometimes the battery light flashes as well

going to pick up oem gas cap today, and check over most of the evap stuff.

I was always under the impression brake+battery light = alternator

[Ilya]

will definitely check that!

its just odd because of how its ever so slightly flickering, ghostly like... sometimes the battery light flashes as well

going to pick up oem gas cap today, and check over most of the evap stuff.

I was always under the impression brake+battery light = alternator

Actually I'm mixing up my alerts...I just searched and evidently AFS + Slip + VDC lights blinking = fluid. You're probably right on the alternator...but wouldn't hurt to check all the fluid levels anyway since you just got the car.

[trance|ghost]

Good news on evap code! Got an OEM gas cap, and all sensors shows ready and car passed emission test with no issue! Very happy it was simple!

Also, as for the Brake light lightly flickering, I figured out today when you TAP the cluster with your finger... it goes out, as if something might possibly be loose, however both lights came on solid today for a bit while driving. I will be keeping my eyes on this issue, and see how it progresses, and will update as to a failing alternator or not, I did have the alternator tested today as well as the battery and both came back with solid numbers

the alternator was showing 14.2ish volts.. 14.8ish should be optimal but it didn't seem bad overall..

I'm wondering if the regulator is failing.

[trance|ghost]

Nevermind, found out the voltage regulator is within the alternator, so if it is failing I would need a new alternator anyways.

took a new pic of the beast!

[Ilya]

Making progress. Nice

[trance|ghost]

battery light will dimly flicker still.. sometimes the alt light comes on... smack the dash/cluster and its back off.. super annoying

[BlackCat81]

Nissan/Infiniti are not known for having the best quality instrument clusters, haha. We used to replace them left and right on the QX56's.

[trance|ghost]

welp, check engine light came back on....

battery light/alt lightly constantly flickering is starting to annoy me, while the check engine light came on that was final straw.

will most likely sell the car as it looks to be like a maintenance nightmare, and being use to fixing simple miatas, rangers, or my wifes kia.. this car isn't for me.

[Ilya]

Sucks.

I personally never liked the Y34 M. To me, they always felt like something slapped together as an in-between before they rolled out the Y50. Having owned a Y50 (2007) and now a Y51 (2011), I love these freakin cars. But the Y34 never did it for me aesthetically or otherwise.

[BlackCat81]

welp, check engine light came back on....

battery light/alt lightly constantly flickering is starting to annoy me, while the check engine light came on that was final straw.

will most likely sell the car as it looks to be like a maintenance nightmare, and being use to fixing simple miatas, rangers, or my wifes kia.. this car isn't for me.

Back in the day, those cars were the shiiizznit. They were extremely ahead of their time and were really great cars. The downside is they are VERY difficult to work on, extremely picky and finicky, and generally aren't an ideal car for someone who it looking for a DD they can just throw gas in and go. The Y50 M's are SO SO SO much better cars in every aspect. Maybe look into getting one of those instead. One when comes in the shop for anything other than an oil change, we all run and hide.

[szh]

Sucks.

I personally never liked the Y34 M. To me, they always felt like something slapped together as an in-between before they rolled out the Y50. Having owned a Y50 (2007) and now a Y51 (2011), I love these freakin cars. But the Y34 never did it for me aesthetically or otherwise.

"To each their own" is so true!

I love the unique look of my 2003 Y34 M45. It is instantly recognizable on the road from far away ... unlike the inverted-soap-dish soft and rounded designs that seem to be the "norm" for car shapes nowadays!

I entirely agree that the look is a bit dated, but remember that the design elements had been well established in the Japanese Gloria and Cedric sedans, so wasn't as quite thrown together at the last minute. Yeah, it was an interim model till the 2006 M45 new chassis was released.

Sure the new chassis handles better too, but how often do we explore these handling limits in daily driving?

Z

[trance|ghost]

I think my biggest issue with this car is the community doesn't have much DIY at all.

I'm so use to being able to find any info I need for my Miata/240s/subarus, I've dropped motors, replaced transmissiones clutches etc with ease and a little forum advice

what I see in this section of nicoclub is basically "take it to the dealer" and not many DIY threads other then very basic things.

makes it a bit difficult to do anything, and with the car being so rare it doesn't help.

the battery/brake light that keeps coming off and on is driving me nutty! we tested everything with a proper battery/alt/starter tester and everything checks out fine!

engine light is small evap leak and is getting tested with a smoker, I love the way the car drives so I plan on taking care of what the previous owner didnt... I just hate when the car has issues that I can't find ANY info on. I can't even find a how to on removing the cluster! those kind of how toos are nice.. before I break a clip or two.

also, the car has pretty clunky suspension up front, other then a bad outter tie rod which I replaced.. everything is tight and firm, do these cars get bad strut mounts?

[Ilya]

DIY for the Infiniti M picked up with the 2006...some of them being basic, but DIY nonetheless (I've written many of them). This car is rare, hence the lack of DIY for the Y34.

Have you downloaded the FSM for this car? Might help you with stuff like speedometer removal. See the FAQ in my sig, should be a link to the FSM's in there (might have to change directories to get to the Y34 M).

As for suspension, I never replaced the mount on my 2007, but my swar bar links would go back every 5kmi like clockwork after lowering on BC coilovers...even though they looked good, etc. At this mileage, a suspension refresh might be in order.

[trance|ghost]

Little update

still have the ongoing intermittent battery+brake light going on, so I removed the cluster complete and noticed while moving the wires around the same warning lights would flicker on and off... or tapping the cluster would do the same thing, which now leads me to believe the car has a bad cluster.

check engine light comes and goes, which doesn't bug me anymore.. I've come to the conclusion that the car is just a giant piece of s***, with electrical gremlins out the wazoo.

it runs and drives ok for the most part, other then needing new front top hats/shocks.. which are also priced out the wazoo.

I've owned quite a few 240s, to which I all mostly loved... I also had a nissan altima, which was absolute trash, and this m45.. which is following the same trend.. this will probably be the last used nissan product I will ever buy, I wish I went with my gut and purchased an gs/ls lexus. cheaper parts, and better reliability with a large following.

[EdBwoy]

... this m45.. which is following the same trend.. this will probably be the last used nissan product I will ever buy, I wish I went with my gut and purchased an gs/ls lexus. cheaper parts, and better reliability with a large following.

Sorry to hear about your issues fellow member. Owning a used y34 is indeed a labor of love; but so is purchasing any used car. At an undetermined age in a car's life, different components need to be replaced. As a wild example, some original owners get rid of them before this point. Some 2nd owners also get rid of them before this point. Sometimes the 3rd owner gets the car right at the failure stage, and if you stick with it, you will have a new-ish car in old sheetmetal after replacing so many things.
This M45 will do a lot of things other 03 v8s will not, while being very reliable and easy to maintain as well. Parts can be costly due to the short model run and sometimes unconventional components. However, I think you just bought it at one of the crests of the maintenance cost wave.

That being said, try to run the VIN by your Infiniti dealership to see if there is a recall that would address your cluster. The US vehicles had fuel gauge issues that were corrected by cluster work or fuel sender work (I can't really recall).

Have you tried to read the engine codes when the light comes on? I have a hunch on what it could be, but will wait to hear what codes you pull this time.

Are you still considering selling it?

[trance|ghost]

I just purchased 4 new tires for it, so I'm probably keeping it... I was quite angry when I posted that, because the car is causing me grief.

the code is a p01456, your typical small leak code.. and yes I've replaced the gas cap, which did not make a difference.. I used an OEM one as well from infiniti. I have a new canister and evap purge solenoid coming from florida in a few weeks. the SES light I'm not to worried about because I know at least what to look for to fix it

the brake+battery light is what is driving me nearly up a wall.... as I have done multiple tests to the battery/alternator.. constantly check everything with a volt meter and everything always checks out fine.. I read about the recall for the cluster but I always assumed that was only for the faulty gas gauge.

like I mentioned when I pulled out the cluster and wiggled the right side wire connector around it would cause both lights to flicker... or go on and off.
so I'm ASSUMING the cluster must be at fault, I just need to source either a used or even new one out, its just more money I don't want to spend on a used car.

I'm a huge car guy, I'm just not use to the rarity this car follows. I do enjoy driving it however. its the complete polar opposite of my miata, and is extremely comfortable.

[cruzad3r]

so when i first bought my 06 M35x, I was in the same shoe as your. As in, i couldn't find anything related to how-to/tutorial/diy posts. Also the community is fairly small and not a lot of true car enthusiast. Most buy these cars and take them to the dealers when things are bad. back in the early days, there were some true car nuts who have done so many things and post their progress. now, it's very spotty.

my only piece of advice is to download the service manual and dive in. you stated you've done numerous break fix on different cars so you already have the head start. you just need to get use with the new engine If you were to have issues with the VQDE35 engine than i can shed some lights.

[szh]

There were about 8,500 cars (maybe a bit more) of the 2003/2004 M45 sold in the USA ... so not a lot of people still have them!

My 2003 is just over 175k miles, about 13 years from date of manufacture (Dec 2002) and doing okay. Not perfect, but the combination of power and luxury (albeit a bit worn now) are still worth it to me to keep running this car longer if I can.

Z

[Larz]

Those years of the M are classics to me. The sloping roof. The angle of the tail section. Absolutely beautiful. It can't be mistaken for any other car because it never looked like any other car and it still doesn't !

[szh]

Those years of the M are classics to me. The sloping roof. The angle of the tail section. Absolutely beautiful. It can't be mistaken for any other car because it never looked like any other car and it still doesn't !

Thanks! Indeed, it's unique look is exactly why I bought it back in 2003 and what I love about my car ... you can instantly recognize it from quite far away. Not the "modern" upside-down soap-dish shapes being sold by just about every car manufacturer today.

Z

[szh]

Back in the day, those cars were the shiiizznit. They were extremely ahead of their time and were really great cars. The downside is they are VERY difficult to work on, extremely picky and finicky, and generally aren't an ideal car for someone who it looking for a DD they can just throw gas in and go. The Y50 M's are SO SO SO much better cars in every aspect. Maybe look into getting one of those instead. One when comes in the shop for anything other than an oil change, we all run and hide.

Although I love my Y34, the handling of the Y50 was a lot better when it was introduced - the chassis and suspension were improved dramatically. So, the Y50 handles far better on bumps, curves, etc.

Basically, the Y34 is an older Nissan design ... based on the Nissan Cedric and Gloria and is definitely dated. Albeit I still love its unique looks, it was a stop-gap model introduced and sold only for about 1.5 years (2003 and 2004 models) to deal with the fact that the higher-end (luxury wise) Q45 was being removed from the line-up and the Y50 was not ready yet. The 2003 M45 and the Q45 of that era shared the same 4.5L engine, but with the smaller size of the M45 (length and width and weight), it was faster and less soft. More of a muscle car than the Q45 had evolved too.

I periodically take my Y34 to an Infiniti dealer (Frontier in San Jose, CA) for alternate oil changes and any work that needs to be done. And there is only one guy there (Bernie) who I trust to get things right on my car, so my Service Consultant always gets him to work on my car - no matter what the issue is. Bernie is a car nut too and has been working on my car for many years now.

For example, Bernie knew what I was talking about when I asked for the fan fluid to be replaced ... stumped others there! They had never heard about it.

Z

[Double E]

Hi, I'm Brian and I'm a Y34 addict.
Just totaled my second Y34 (actually wife did it). Going to pick up my 3rd very soon.

Search my posts for good Y34 info.

[trance|ghost]

I don't mind the car. my biggest gripe is this BATTERY + BRAKE light that keep coming on and off... if the damn cluster wasn't such a christmas trees of lights I would love this car...

Ive done so many damn tests on the alternator/batter.... multiple battery tests... constantly checking the voltage.. and they ALL check out.

yet when I smack the dash, or flick the cluster.. the lights will turn off.. then flicker back on etc.. sometimes they stay off for an entire drive.

I rather something go wrong so at least I know what to fix, not deal with this bullcrap. I've removed the cluster plenty of times already too.. everything that I can visually see looks fine.

oh and as of today my blower motor has become aggressively loud.

[retho78]

I don't know anything about this car but just a thought that came to mind, have you checked to see if any solder points are bad on the cluster?