Bought used '97 J30 w/55k on the odo...

[GeoFX]

Hi,

I just bought a used '97 silver/beige J30 (second Infiniti ) with 55k on it here in Houston. It was a single-owner granny car with a clear CarFax title so I'm pretty satisfied with the deal. Also I was able to get a complete service history of the vehicle from the local Infiniti dealership (coincidently the same one I service my FX35 from).

Couple of questions:

1. I know the timing belt is "good" for 105K miles but should I change it now since the car is 10 years old. It's never been changed according to the service history but I'm worried about whether the belt will degrade over time.

2. It has a built-in analog phone. May be a dumb question but how do I get the service activated if I want to?

Nice to find a J30-specific forum here. Looking forward to getting lots of info. Anyway, here's a link to a picture (it was an eBay auction from a local dealer who I negotiated the price down with)

Thanks!

[littlewillie]

Modified by littlewillie at 11:49 PM 12/23/2007

[gr8scott72]

Welcome to the site!! You have yourself a very nice J. I can't answer your phone issue. As for the timing belt, I wouldn't change it. I replaced our 95 J30 last year & it had around 140,000 miles. The belt looked brand new. It was probably stretched but there were no cracks in it. With just 55,000 miles, you should be able to drive a long time without any issues.

Willie

I disagree. With that much age, I would change it. Just because a belt "looks" new doesn't mean that it is. A 97 could be almost 11 years old!

And the phone, I don't think anyone even offers service for those old analog phones anymore.

[GeoFX]

Anyone else? The $tealership wants $1300 for the timing belt change, cam seals, water pump, belt tensioners, etc. Is all of this really needed? They also think I need to get the 60K service too...that will run me $700. I'll probably check with an independent mechanic next week for lower prices.

Haha...maybe I'll rip that phone out and sell it on eBay as a collector's item.

[gr8scott72]

The $tealership wants $1300

Time to get a second opinion.

[NismoChi]

IMO, the belt should last at least 105k miles, time really doesn't matter. But if you can afford to get it change, it wouldn't be a terrible idea , either. Even if you want to do that , take it to a good independent shop and have them do a full tune up and change the timing belt , and may be the water pump if it leak. Not cam seal or tensioner if they don't look to be bad. That should cost you no more than $500-600.

[J30Guy612]

Nice clean J30 man! Welcome!

[driverdriver]

Welcome to NICO!!!

I doubt you can get the analog Infiniti phone activated. Virtually 99% of North American cellular providers have switched to a digital cellular network.

[Defiant]

It wasn't driven very far, but do you know how often? It seems a crucial aspect of belt life isn't age, so much as how long it sits without being flexed. Most failures are from the crank sprocket shearing off teeth from the belt; breakage is usually a result of other circumstance such as guide or tensioner pulley bearing failure. The look of that speedo needle tends to show it's not had a lot of Houston's sunshine, and respite from heat will also be good for the belt. Your accessory drive belts can also be indicators, since you can check those records for their being changed.I'd ask the dealer what they say about it, particularly if it's been their baby all these years; I'd not panic about it with the mileage that low.As for stretch, belts will stretch much less than chains of similar length.

To get the cell phone working, merely enter the vehicle and yourself in a time transit machine, set to reverse about half-a-decade. Otherwise, devise new and clever usage for the phone controls on the wheel.Gorgeous car. Looks like mine. We need to compare vins, mine's the highest I've seen (but I don't have it at hand).

[GeoFX]

After driving the J30 a couple weeks and researching other info about timing belt lifespan I went ahead and got the whole works replaced including all the belts (timing and accesory,) water pump, seals, tensioner and thermostat. Better safe than sorry. There was a leaking rack and pinion assembly plus shot lower strut/stabilizer arm bushings that were also replaced. Drives like new now so I'm pretty happy. Figuring on keeping this baby at least another five years.

So far no big issues yet. I think the front strut mounts need replacing due to some squeaking but I'll wait another 10-15K miles when the struts are replaced. Also, the driver's side seat leather is squeaking...thinking the springs inside it need to be reseated or something. Any advice?

Defiant, the car was built 2/97. It has the wood inserts on the driver side door controls so I'm figuring it's a 1997.5 model.

Anyone have any J30T wheels they want to sell? Let me know if interested!

Thanks!

[Elisha]

my 93 has wood inserts on the door panel controls too.

[gr8scott72]

I have an extra set but I'm not overly eager to get rid of them. One of them is bent just a little and I planned on sending them all off and having them refinished with the spokes done in a gunmetal color and having the bend fixed. I found a place that does them for about $100 each, fixing bends and refinishing.