Chain guides. Who has had them done and who has not?

[Q_SHIP]

Well, lets see how this comes out. I'm very curious. First, choose if you have had them done than figure out what mileage range you are in. Thanks guys.

[gniknave]

I have to wait til early February. So I'm driving a time bomb like elwesso likes to say.

[Jesda]

Did them around 187k. What I saw in there wasnt pretty.

[DAEDALUS]

This thread might be of interest to you.

http://www.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=12551

[JT_MONEY_2004]

I did mine at 72k, they were in tack.

[louiegz]

I don't know if my opinion helps, but this is how I feel on the subject of chain guides. You have to ask yourself this very important question. Do you plan to keep the car for a long time? If you do then it should be the first thing that you should do before anything because once your chain fails, the car is junk. New engine. If you don't plan to keep your Q, then drive it until it dies, but don't invest any real money on the car and just be aware of the fact that when that chain fails and destroys the engine, that's it. Your Q is toast. I know that it sucks to spend that kind of money on something that was an Infiniti design error. I have a 95 Q, so I don't have this problem. I didn't know about the chain guides before the NICO, but personally, if I had a 90-93 and I found out about chain guides problems, I probably would have sold it and let it be someone else's problem. You can also look at it from the other side of the coin. If you had a car that had a timing belt, like the 1994 Honda Accord EX that I had, at 85k the timing belt had to be replaced at a cost of $900.00 at the dealer. I sold the car at 75k, so I didn't have to replace it, but I sold it to someone that I knew and warned them that it would need to be done. Chain guides cost much more that $900.00 so this might not be an apples to apples comparison, but close enough. So I go back to the original question. How long do you plan to keep your Q?

[natsoundup]

I made a decision about two years ago not to have them done. I guess the car was at about 140-142k then.

I determined that the car was worth probably 2500 dollars and the chain guides were going to cost me about 1500.

Quite frankly, I was concerned that if I did the guides the transmission and the a/c could be next.

As it turned out the transmission started slipping at 158k. The a/c went out shortly after. The a/c display then went out

That's why I gave it to my son. In the year he has had it, I have put in a new water pump (100 dollars) and a 60 dollar radiator.

He can drive it as long as it doesn't cost me much to fix.

I also still have original alternator (which should be going soon, and I dread digging out and replacing) original knock sensors and plenum hoses, and the original fuel pump ( I have heard it buzz just once)

The car runs great. I have owned it since 1993 ,it had 42k at the time. I have changed oil religiously every 3k and live in a moderate climate.

My last major expense was about 5 years ago for a MAF and two fuel injectors. Knowing what I know now...I wonder if it needed both of those... it displayed the classic MAF problems...but no one knew to wiggle the connector.

all in all it's been a decent car.

[gniknave]

I don't know if my opinion helps, but this is how I feel on the subject of chain guides. You have to ask yourself this very important question. Do you plan to keep the car for a long time? If you do then it should be the first thing that you should do before anything because once your chain fails, the car is junk. New engine. If you don't plan to keep your Q, then drive it until it dies, but don't invest any real money on the car and just be aware of the fact that when that chain fails and destroys the engine, that's it. Your Q is toast. I know that it sucks to spend that kind of money on something that was an Infiniti design error. I have a 95 Q, so I don't have this problem. I didn't know about the chain guides before the NICO, but personally, if I had a 90-93 and I found out about chain guides problems, I probably would have sold it and let it be someone else's problem. You can also look at it from the other side of the coin. If you had a car that had a timing belt, like the 1994 Honda Accord EX that I had, at 85k the timing belt had to be replaced at a cost of $900.00 at the dealer. I sold the car at 75k, so I didn't have to replace it, but I sold it to someone that I knew and warned them that it would need to be done. Chain guides cost much more that $900.00 so this might not be an apples to apples comparison, but close enough. So I go back to the original question. How long do you plan to keep your Q?

A timing belt costs about $900 (on a Honda) and it needs to be done about 2-3 times in that car's lifetime = $2700. On most V6's its about $1100 for a timing belt service x about 3 times in it's life = $3300. In a Q, if you work your sources right (Nico), you can get the chain guides done for $1200...and it only needs to be done once. There's how I justify it. It's just preventive maintenance just like any other car.

[Q451990]

My experiences don't really fall in the poll. Q1 had new guides (and one cylinder's worth of valves) after a failure at 120K. I got the car turned off pretty fast after they went - so I guess that prevented a catastrophic loss. While she was at the dealership there was another one on the dead line at 77K with holes in the piston heads and mangled valves.

Q2's guides were replaced at T3 at 47K - I didn't want to take a chance. The old ones were in as-new condition.

As best I can tell, this thing is just the luck of the draw. If you plan on keeping the car, get new guides. If you're ready to move on drive it until it dies...

Heath

[elwesso]

Or if your engine is in sorry shape, just drive it until it kills itself, then its more justifiable to get a new engine!

[Q45tech]

98 and later Lexus [4.0 & 4.3 & 4.7] V8 are interferrence with timing belts. But it is stressed in owners manual that should it break the engine will fail. $950 at 100k, $950 at 200k etc.............dealer prices are more like $1500 at each interval.

The 90-93Q [15 years is an old car] are for the most part ragged out due to mileage and owners. We haven't done a chain guide replacement in 6 months except as a part of JDM engine swaps.........even $1000 seems beyond the capacity of most current customers.........all of our big spenders have changed to newer Q or Lexus............lots of Lexus SUV......what an expensive monster to work on, this is.

Even the 94-95 are getting up there in mileage with many over 250k and 2 above 300k. We have 97-98 Q above 250k now.

My 270k is starting to look Average in the well maintained group.

[PalmerWMD]

Did not do chain giodes on my first Q a 92.Engine jumped time within 36 hours of purchase..Replament engine didn have guides in it and after spending my lifes savings on the 92, I didnt have money for even new guides on the replacemtn engine.Even if I <had> known that the guides were the cause which I didnt realize at the time.

Replacement engine jumped time a year later ( man that was a strong engine) and self-destructed beyond repair.

Not before I installed a new transmission, AC, Brakes at the Infiniti dealer.I didnt have the moeny for the new engine install.

Car was a goner and I bought a used Saab.Until a year later I got the Q45 Bug again and bought a grey 91.

This car got driven from dealer to mechanic for new guides.

As was my next 91 which went to T3 Atlanta staright from my getting it.

Fred..

[pito11213]

98 and later Lexus [4.0 & 4.3 & 4.7] V8 are interferrence with timing belts. But it is stressed in owners manual that should it break the engine will fail. $950 at 100k, $950 at 200k etc.............dealer prices are more like $1500 at each interval.

The 90-93Q [15 years is an old car] are for the most part ragged out due to mileage and owners. We haven't done a chain guide replacement in 6 months except as a part of JDM engine swaps.........even $1000 seems beyond the capacity of most current customers.........all of our big spenders have changed to newer Q or Lexus............lots of Lexus SUV......what an expensive monster to work on, this is.

Even the 94-95 are getting up there in mileage with many over 250k and 2 above 300k. We have 97-98 Q above 250k now.

My 270k is starting to look Average in the well maintained group.

Actually Dennis my boy JT money got his done over the summer at T3 and he has a 90. I firmly believe he has one of the top 10 if not 5 90-93 Q's around. Hopefully he will chime in. He has low miles also. He is working on getting it up and will probably take the 2 spot soon as far as first gens go.