Getting ready for summer projects on Q (long)

[90Q45blue]

Hi everyone,

I finish up class in a week and a half and while I should be working on projects I have other projects on my mind. I am planning on doing some serious work to my Q over the summer and want some insight as to a) what's the most important b) how to keep costs down (i.e. if anyone has things for sale, knows where to get cheap, etc.) and c) any other advice.

First of all here is all the information on my car. It is a 1990 Q45. It is a silverish blue exterior and a blue/navy blue interior. (the dealer report lists the color as dark gray with 'B' trim). The car currently has 247,900 miles on the odometer (original engine...new guides) and I should go over 250k by the beginning of June. This past August the transmission died on me (my second) so I had it completely rebuilt through Cottman Transmission and had a transmission cooler attached. The transmission has a lifetime warranty and is scheduled for a flush in August. Last August, I replaced all the rubber hoses, 6 fuel injectors, water pump and rear wheel bearings. Back in October I took my car to Major Infiniti to have a diagnostic done. The work report stated the following: Needs power steering pump Needs four-wheel alignment All power steering hoses leaking and boots Needs to replace Mass air flow sensor Needs to replace temp sensor, thermostat and fan

After this trip to the dealer I replaced the power steering pump w/ a slighty used one, replaced all four shocks w/ tokico blues and had a 4-wheel alignment done, replaced the MAF sensor w/ a slighty used one and replaced the thermal temp sensors. I also had my mechanic replacing the idling pulley on the alternator as it needed replacement. He also checked the hoses and said they were not leaking. Other problems with the car are the following: need a new armrest and glovebox, I need the center console cover as mine has the two holes drilled in for the car phone which i hate...plus it's old and has a stain on it. My sunroof does not work and has a slight leak toward the rear. As for performance issues the cruise control will not work and I think i have that narrowed down to the servo needing replacement. My car also seems very sluggish when accelerating...feels like it just needs to cough something up if that makes sense...just kind of feels congested. Also I need a new master cylinder as brake fluid is leaking.

I know this sounds bad but remember the car is about the pass the quarter million mark. I would like to know what you guys can help with as far as what to do, triage, pricing, advice, encouragement . Thank you guys for all your help. This forum has been extremely helpful in all areas.

Nick

[forecast]

You didn't mention the timing chain guides. At 250K miles either they've been done, or someone upstairs likes you. If you are not certain about their condition ... FIND OUT.

Dan

[maxnix]

You didn't mention the timing chain guides. At 250K miles either they've been done, or someone upstairs likes you. If you are not certain about their condition ... FIND OUT.

It's all in the previous posts. They were done.

[Q45tech]

By 250,000 miles it's easier to start keeping a list of things that HAVEN'T been replaced! So you can start collecting them in inventory.

You need to find a blown engine Q in the same color and buy it for $500-$1,000...........makes a great front yard decoration.

[natsoundup]

You may be throwing good money at bad at this stage.

[90Q45blue]

You may be throwing good money at bad at this stage.

I don't think I'm doing that at all. After all the time/money I've invested in this car over the years and miles there's no way I'm giving her up. Plus, you always have to look at this fact: 99 times out of 100, if you take good care of your Q, you can't buy another car that gives you the same quality of a ride and drive for cheaper then it would cost to fix your car.

So (knock on wood) I'm going to take good care of her and enjoy the next 250k.

You need to find a blown engine Q in the same color and buy it for $500-$1,000

I would love one but you know i have NEVER seen a Q with my same color options. Silverish blue exterior, blue interior. Let me know if you ever find one. I can't even get floor mats for mine.

Nick

[Q45Viper]

Get yourself some of the replacement mats in black with the silver Q45 logo, should look great, list price around $100. One thing I've learned lately is there are a lot of people selling parts of q's, keep an eye on ebay and start collecting spares. I think Q45 Tech's advice is sound about a donor car but if you're like me ...where to put it? If I tried to stick it in the yard in my neighborhood they would boot me out! I have seen that color and it is beautiful. Also I can tell from your sunroof comment that you need a new frame rail assbly, I just did this one myself, replaced the whole sunroof assbly. from a donor car, color won't matter as you will reuse your lid. I got the whole assbly. for about $100. Had the dealer do it, very expensive, multiple hours, someone posted recently the procedure for doing it yourself, might be worth searching for. In the meantime if you always park with the nose of the car slightly uphill, it won't leak, worked for me for months after they quoted me $1500 for the job! That tactic allowed me time to find the part.

[Jberger]

Honestly, I wouldn't put any more $$$ into the care except for saftey items. Sure it may go another 100K but it's not real likely. You're probably in for some expensive replacement of a motor, drive shaft, steering rack, AC, etc. The car is just plain used up, even if it looks nice.

The part about needing a new temp sensor, thermostat, etc. is what made me draw that conclusion. If it's been even slightly overheating then you could loose the headgasket, head, etc in a moment.

250K is plenty, no sense throwing good money after bad. You could spend a grand on a parts car and still end up needing to replace the motor. Better to save up 5-7 grand and just buy a 94-95 Q. Sure they don't perform as well as the 90 (i'm a 90 owner myself) but they are just about bulletproof on the major items.

I'm about 250 miles away from the 200K mark. And while the car might go another 100K, I just can't economically justify spending a ton of money to keep it on the road. I'll keep driving it until it explodes then use all the car payments I havent had to make as a cash purchase on another car.

[90Q45blue]

truth sometimes hurts

Viper, thank you for your compliments on the color (i'd have no other ) and the insight on the rail assembly. I'm thinking maybe an autoglass shop could do the replacement for a lot cheaper than a dealer. I'll see what I can find out and let you know.

JBerger, I know I know. It's not smart to put more money into a car with 250k; however, I've already done so much I'm already sucked down the hole. A new transmission, shocks all around, P/S pump, MAF, MAF connector, injectors, etc etc. There's no way I can just saw screw it at this point. My engine is in pretty good is what I think and I've been told by mechanic and Infiniti techs alike. It still after 250k doesn't burn a drop of oil. The temp sensors were done about 5 months ago so I just need a new thermostat which isn't ultra important but I'm still doing it.

At this point I can't see myself letting go of that car and even if (knock on wood) the engine goes out I'll probably get a new engine. That's the power these cars have. They are like the girl of your dreams, you just wanna hold on to her and never let her go. I can't imagine myself in another car and since I'm in college I won't till I get that lawyer thing worked out in 5 more years.

Nick

P.S. I love my Q :ylsuper

[PalmerWMD]

I dont know Q engines can go pretty far....

If it burns no oil, still powerful(= good compression)

Fred...

[AZhitman]

90Q45blue - GREAT last post - I hope your Q lasts another 200K just to please you (and to silence the critics). I respect your commitment.

[Q451990]

As long as you don't spend more per month than you would on a payment for a newer (and probably lesser car), you're probably not wasting your money. Just remember that if it's destroyed in a wreck, or something really expensive blows up, you'll never get your money back... As long as it's partly a labor of love, then you're doing all of this for a hobby or fun - and people spend $$ on hobbies all the time, right? If we (Q owners) were just trying to get from point a to b, then we sure wouldn't be driving expensive imported luxo-cruisers!

As far as the interior parts, you can check salvage yards, but my experience is that most just don't take care of trim items... had a guy just kick the hell out of a glove box in a donor Nissan truck to get to the A/C evaporator I was buying. Ripped trim panels off with a crow bar etc... maybe some places are better. The center console will cost you $62.16 (P/N 96950-60U03) and the mat that goes in the bottom is $9.38 (P/N 96975-60U00) Those numbers are for black and are the club prices as of last summer. If the stain is just on the bottom of the center console, you could always cover the holes with duct tape or some sort of plugs - and then just put a new mat on top of it...

For the master cylinder, the best price I found was from Importcarparts.com for a Tokico N3000-52312. It was $117.71 last summer, but their site is showing $139.90 - so you may be as well off getting it from Joe now...

Good luck!

Heath

[maxnix]

Wait until you save a pile of cash if you don't want to step down in quality. If the body is good and has no corrosion, I would keep it.

[forecast]

Blue!

Big storm rolled thru Louisville last night. This morning I went to change my fuel filter (big waste of time, the old one seemed fine), but as I opened the fuel door to open the gas cap, I saw rain had collected in the little pocket - that's right the rubber drain hose is clogged somewhere.

Of course I immediately thought of the blue dog boy in Kansas - about your leak in in rear of the sunroof. My prediction is you've got a constriction in one of the drain lines. Testing that would easy - but fixing it might be a little tough. When you get around to checking that out let me know what you find.

dan

[90Q45blue]

Forecast,

Thanks for the information. I will DEFINITELY check that out. If this works I owe ya a beer. It won't be till the weekend as I'm finishing up finals but I'll let ya know what I find out.

Thanks,

Nick

[90Q45blue]

Heath,

Thanks for your advice. I will look into just getting the mat but will probably end up getting the center console as I want it to look perfect. I am very, very anal.

Also, on the master cylinder...thanks for the pricing. I'll be calling Joe in 2-3 weeks when I start my project.

One more thing, I desperately need some blue floor mats but Joe doesn't have any. Any idea if I could call Infiniti warehouse or something? Or if maybe 94-96 floor mats would fit?

THanks,

Nick

[90Q45blue]

bump

Can anyone help on the floor mats issue?

Nick

[maxnix]

The later (1994-1996) mats will fit, but you may have to go custom after-market to match the color.__________________Brian1995 Q45 & Q45t

[Q451990]

Brian's right... the 90-93 mats are discontinued. Joe may be able to search through the system to see if he can find some of the old ones, but they've been out of production for several years. I think if you're going blue, you'll have to go aftermarket or possibly choose a contrasting color.

I have lots of relatives about 75 miles south of you in the metropolis of Iola. My mom grew up on a farm about half way between Iola and Moran near a wide spot in the road they call Gas City. I bet you don't pass yourself often out there! Most everything I see on visits is either GM or Ford. Had to buy a tire for a Maxima once and you'd have thought we pulled up in a Ferrari or something...

Heath

[JT_MONEY_2004]

I tried to seal my sunroof w/ a clear epoxy in the center rear where i have a very clean rip, almost like a cut w/ a knife...who knows. It still leaked recently. I then cleared the front drains today, hopefully it'll help some. I'll try to conjure up a way to get to the back drains, maybe just a wire hanger. Are the drains just like regular plumbing...a hollow pipe? DONT LAUGH, but will drain-O, hurt anything if i pour it down there w/ water...just a bit!--OH, has anybody ever had a wet/damp rear seatbelt?I went home to NY and left my car in the airport lot for a week and a 1/2. When i came back my baby was going to put my baby into his car seat and when she pulled on the seatbelt to secure the car seat, she said it's wet, i came over and felt it and damn it, it was wet. I also had a small puddle in the center arm console. Sucks because i didn't know this car leaked like this, I bought it just days b4 when it wasn't raining. since i'm on the topic of leakiness, when i went to see the car b4 i bought it, there was water in the trunk, under the spare, no where else in the trunk was wet or smelled moldy or stagnant. seals around window are good and trunk lid sit well, no adnormalities there. Any ideas how water could have accumulated there w/ out just leaving trunk open while the good lord blessed us?

[AZhitman]

JT - I'd recommend copying and pasting into a new thread for better response...

Glad to have you aboard!!!

[ardvarkus]

Had to buy a tire for a Maxima once and you'd have thought we pulled up in a Ferrari or something...

Heath

L...M...A...O...

!!

Ard