Hello Everyone!! Are women allowed here? haha

[jenny1997]

I have learned so much about my 1997 Infiniti J30 already, just by reading these posts. Just bought it this past Monday. I am thrilled to have found this forum of people who obviously appreciate this car. I never dreamed that I would purchase a car this age, much less an Infiniti. I have always been a practical person, mostly due to a limited budget. My last car, a 2005 Mitsubishi Galant, was totalled in Feb 14 of this year. (great Valentine's present for me, right?) It was a pretty hard hit from an inattentive driver. Thankfully, I was just bruised but not broken. The Galant though, RIP... After having the car 9 years (only 90,000 miles) with not one day of trouble with it, I found myself having to find a vehicle with only the book value amount the insurance gave me. Talk about sticker shock! No way I could have a car note at this point in my life. When I saw this beautiful car for sale, I was immediately drawn to it. A pearl white 1997 Infiniti J30 with only 74,447 miles on it. Great condition! I have to say that I became terrified when I could not easily find replacement windshield wipers to fit my car. I have decided that I must educate myself if I plan on keeping myself from making costly mistakes concerning this car. So far, I have these issues that I know of.
Windshield wipers- problem solved (found replacements strips through Car Quest)

Driver's side headlight moisture and staining, High beam bulb needs replacement. No aftermarket replacement found so far for headlight. Cannot afford the 700.00 quote from Infiniti dealer to replace headlight due to very small hole causing moisture.

Most importantly, slight "burnt oil" smell after driving. Oil is clean and has been changed regularly. I am guessing worn valve gaskets. How much should I expect to pay for this to be repaired? No way I would attempt to do it myself... Just looking for advice on costs of ownership...

If you read all of this.. thank you.. I am new to this, but need to learn.

[Rogue One]

[Mkiisupra]

Unfortunately this can be a very expensive car to repair. A lot of what you need to check for the burnt oil smell takes a lot of time to get to. The PCV valves are the easiest and likely a culprit but the hoses that attach to them get destroyed when you remove them so they would need to be replaced as well. The valve covers may also be leaking which are under the intake manifold which takes hours to remove and also destroys many hoses. I recently did all this work on my J a couple months ago. It will likely cost you hundreds if not thousands to have a mechanic do the labor necessary to fix any leaks you may have.

Cost of ownership is high on these cars due to expensive maintenance cost and gas consumption. This is why sometimes its best to look for something practical, not something attractive.

[jenny1997]

Thank you very much for the advice. I have a lot to think about concerning this car.

[driverdriver]

Welcome to the forum Jenny1997!!!

There is a lot of DIY info in this forum, if willing to wield a tool and put in some elbow grease, you can do a bunch of things yourself.

I agree with Mkiisupra, price of parts can get expensive and in many cases are dealer only. The J was a performance car for it's time which shared very little with other Nissan and Infiniti products.

You may be able to find a complete headlight assembly at an auto recycler/salvage yard. If your unwilling to tackle the install yourself you can take it to any competent mechanic. Its not complicated and its cheaper then going to a dealer.

Are you using a synthetic oil or normal oil in the engine. A synthetic oil would help with a good oil filter (avoid Fram or cheaper ones-the best are Wix, Mobil1 or the mid-to-high range filters you find at NAPA stores).

Also remember to use premium gas. The VG30DE engine on this model runs best on premium (Octane 91 or higher). It wasn't designed to be run on regular or mid-grade.

[jenny1997]

Thank You so much for the reply! Because I have learned so much on this forum, I actually used premium fuel for my very first fill up. My boyfriend changed my air filter to a higher grade replacement and I already feel a difference in performance when I accelerate! The previous owner's son changed the oil before I bought it but I will replace it with the oil and filter you recommended. I really do love the car and will do all I can to treat it well! Thank you!

[AZhitman]

Welcome aboard Jenny! Lots of ladies here, including the co-owner, nissangirl74...

If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out to her, myself or one of the Moderators!

[jenny1997]

Thank you! I feel much better having knoweldgable people to help with advice!!

[AZhitman]

Several replacement headlights here: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0 ... ondition=4

$20-$50 - Can't go wrong there. If the outside is cloudy, we can help with that - although I'm pretty sure they're glass, so no polishing needed.

Your car uses a 20" and a 21" wiper blade. RockAuto.com has them for $2.63 each. ANCO Part # 3120 and #3121.

Same site has a pair of valve cover gaskets for $10. It's not a big job, and we can even hook you (or your BF) up with the factory service manual so you can do the job for a grand total of $10.

Bookmark this: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/infini ... nuals.html

[jenny1997]

Wow, I am so thankful!!! The power of the internet constantly amazes me! Appreciate you all )

[jenny1997]

Wow, I am so thankful!!! The power of the internet constantly amazes me! Appreciate you all )

[nissangirl74]

Welcome Jenny Plenty of girls around that are pretty handy with a wrench. Welcome aboard!

[jenny1997]

Haha! Hi!!! Thank you! I work for a dentist, so I am used to handling instruments... lol

[Thrundar]

I suppose me saying welcome is appropriate, although I no longer post much on this forum since I / we got most of the major issues fixed on our J30. This forum had a big part to do with me getting the information I needed and I don't believe I ever gave a BIG Thank You, so here it is. THANK YOU.
This is one of the best forums out there with good, helpful, mature people. Glad you found it.

By the way, my wife helped me rebuild our Infiniti transmission. She is no mechanic, but is very able to learn and help. (Yes, the transmission works flawlessly now. Even after I had to pull it back out a Second time due to the flywheel failing.! Ugh! )

Alas, our J30 is finally out of the work shop and up for sale. Thanks again to all here who helped in one form or another.

[jenny1997]

Hello! May I ask why you are selling?

[Thrundar]

Hello! May I ask why you are selling?

Basically this Infiniti we got bled us dry on money and we need to recoup the money. In the year the Infiniti was down for repairs we found a good mpg dodge neon.
Our J30 still needs a few more things done to it, but it's time for it to find a new owner/home. Us like you have a limited budget. Other things we need more so than keeping this J30.

[jenny1997]

Wow, I can understand that for sure. I am praying that I haven't made a big mistake

[Mkiisupra]

Same site has a pair of valve cover gaskets for $10. It's not a big job, and we can even hook you (or your BF) up with the factory service manual so you can do the job for a grand total of $10.

Bookmark this: http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/infini ... nuals.html

Excuse me, please do not comment on work you have never done. Have you ever worked on a VG30? The valve cover replacement is a MINIMUM 6 hour job IF you have all the parts you need, including special order pcv hoses that will be guaranteed to break apart when you remove them.

[Kompresshun]

Excuse me, but you might want to check your attitude at the door before you speak to a staff member like that. Especially the owner of NICOclub.

What exactly makes you so qualified junior? I'm fairly confident that Greg knows more than you and then some, so if you can't communicate in a more respectful manner with people then sit down and STFU. I have no problem if you think the job may be more involved than someone leads on, but I have done them personally and it's not a 6 hour job.

If you have a difference in opinion that's fine, but if I get another report of you talking to our members or staff like that again it'll be the last time.

[Thrundar]

Wow, I can understand that for sure. I am praying that I haven't made a big mistake

Relax, and if you truly are praying, that is the best line of communication there is. Enjoy your J30. ALL cars break down sooner or later, fact. Some repairs no matter the brand or make cost more than others. If something breaks, you have a good group here willing to help.

[jenny1997]

You are so right, Thrundar. Any car in the range of money I had to spend will likely need maintenance. I was fortunate to find this car with only 75,000 miles on it. Pretty rare for a 1997 of any make around my area. It seems to have been well taken care of. I took a chance. I was thinking how much I love this car. If I do have to spend more than I would care to on repairs, at least it will go to maintain a car that is worth maintaining. The car rides very well and I feel safer in this size vehicle after my wreck. That counts for a lot. Thank you everyone for your input and great support.

[Kompresshun]

Welcome aboard by the way! It's hard to find any Nissan vehicle from that era with that low of mileage. With proper maintenance and care, you should easily get 200,000 miles out of it. Good luck with it and don't hesitate to ask us for help. We've got quite a large community here to give you all the support you should need to make it last 200k and beyond.

[jenny1997]

Thanks again! I had no idea that this car would have such a great group of loyal owners. This is the very first forum I have joined ever. I am so glad I found it.

[RicerX]

Welcome aboard!

[AZhitman]

Excuse me, please do not comment on work you have never done.

You sound sure of yourself. You'd be wrong.

Have you ever worked on a VG30?

According to you, apparently I haven't. Is it ok if I call you and ask you if I took my medicine this morning?

The valve cover replacement is a MINIMUM 6 hour job

Maybe you're a little... slow.

IF you have all the parts you need

Who starts a project without all the parts they need?

including special order pcv hoses that will be guaranteed to break apart when you remove them.

Nothing special about them to my knowledge, they're straight hoses.

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/replac ... skets.html

Go back and READ my post to this young lady again. I told her where to get the gaskets, how much they cost, and where to get instructions on how to properly replace them. NOWHERE did I promise her it would be done quickly, so your freakout is unnecessary and misplaced. Please read more carefully.

Back to the topic.

[2brokey]

Hello and welcome Jenny! I just want to drop my $0.02 in here: Owning the 97 J30t that I have has been generally a great experience. Mine has suffered through years of abuse and neglect and undergone some big work as a consequence. Funny thing though - it still has managed to cost me very little to own and operate and even the big jobs weren't so bad. The only parts you may have to shell out money on if you need are on suspension parts. Don't let things fall into severe neglect and the J30 will treat you right. 10 years of tolerating me is special when it comes to cars. Also, the body on the car is super-strong and will hold up well. Mine is very tired now (especially of me :P) with around $260,000 New York City abuse miles; with some amateur drifting, burnouts, and other silly things you shouldn't do to your car done to it. Good luck - I think you will be fine! These cars are great for people willing to put in the work themselves - the ROI is great. You gain both mechanical experience and save thousands. It looks intimidating at first, but ultimately with a little patience, some research, forum advice, the service manual, and determination the car is capable of lasting years on a strict budget.

[AZhitman]

^ Spoken like a true J owner.

They really are a sturdy, well-sorted, underrated car.