Help? Just bought a '98 I30 with issues. heavy vibration etc

[jodancer25]

I found this forum after I drove home my "new" '98 Infiniti I30 with 175k two days ago and experienced some pretty disconcerting issues. After reading other threads I've narrowed it down to either a MAF sensor and/or faulty motor mount, but hoped to explain the issues and see if someone had a better idea! I'm a single woman with very limited mechanical skills but I decided with this vehicle I am going to LEARN!

*The car vibrates aggressively when in gear and accelerating (it's seems okay in Park though it idles a little low....)
*I hear a little ticking or clicking noise until about 50mph
*When it's over 60mph everything seems to be fine... (except that it pulls to the right a little and still has a slight vibration which I'm pretty sure is due to needing an alignment. I also hear a strange knocking or popping noise coming from the rear drivers side that almost sounds like it's inside the car when I turn the wheel slightly in either direction)
*The day after I brought it home it wouldn't start. I had to give it gas to get it to start after a couple of tries turning the key. It started up fine the next several attempt though...

I changed the oil, the spark plugs, and the air filter.

I'm starting to think I paid way to much for a used vehicle in this condition, but live an learn, right? And in this case I AM going to learn! I've decided to use the "how to" post on this site to clean the MAF sensor to see if that fixes it, but was really hoping to get some more input from experienced Infiniti owners. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[maxhopper]

Welcome to NICO.
If you only experience the vibration when moving, I would look at the wheels. I'd start by having the wheels balanced, and the hubs checked for excessive play. I would also get the alignment done as you mentioned.

[tigersharkdude]

"*The car vibrates aggressively when in gear and accelerating (it's seems okay in Park though it idles a little low....)
*I hear a little ticking or clicking noise until about 50mph"

this could be an axle or possibly both.

When you say the car vibrates....would you say it is the steering wheel that vibrates? If so, check out your motor mounts

[NutriaforBreakfast]

Dont come to conclusions to quickly on this as it is a tough problem to diagnose;

I would first check the wheels to see if any are bent (bent wheels cause vibration)
Make sure there is no ice or mud caked on them

Inspect the tires to see if there are problems (one time my wife came to a
screaching sqeeling stop and broke the belt in one of the tires-I had a flop-flop
noise). Make sure you have the right air pressure in them.

Look at your inner and outer CV axles to be sure the rubber boots are not torn.
Look for a grease buildup as well. You will probably have to clean them before
inspecting

Make sure the car is not leaning to one side-maybe too much weight in the trunk
That might indicate a worn strut or shock

Get under the car and start to shake the steering components to see if anything
is loose. Some items should have a little play . Look and see if the rubber seals on
the components are worn or cracking.

[jodancer25]

Thank you for the responses! Yes, I do feel the vibration on the steering wheel, but the strange thing is it also feels like the engine isn't responding as it should like it is "catching", but only in lower speeds; it seems fine over 60. This is why I was kind of wondering about a motor mount. It could actually be all of the above! (The axle(s), motor mount, wheel alignment etc...) Yeesh. I am going to try fixing the axle(s) and get an alignment and if that doesn't clear it up I will move on to the motor mount. I am also going to clean the MAF since I do seem to be having some issues with consistent starting. Hopefully this won't be too expensive or I am going to feel like a chump for having spent too much on a used car with sooo many issues. On the upside I love the way the way the car looks and the leather seats and power everything. Thanks again for the responses!
~Jo
P.S. I'll check the wheels out first and make sure nothing is bent or broken. I feel a little ill equipped to get underneath the car and start shaking things since I really have no clue what I'm looking at! I know what the major components under the hood are because they're (mostly) conveniently labeled, but underneath the car? Not so much.

[jodancer25]

"*The car vibrates aggressively when in gear and accelerating (it's seems okay in Park though it idles a little low....)
*I hear a little ticking or clicking noise until about 50mph"

this could be an axle or possibly both.

When you say the car vibrates....would you say it is the steering wheel that vibrates? If so, check out your motor mounts

I finally found the inspection sheet from when I had the car looked at before I bought it and it does say that it needs a "drivers side axle", among other things (passing side lower balljoint, complete tune up and fluids, front sway bar links, alignment and front and rear pads and rotors, AND valve cover gaskets and real main seal... I wasn't sure how trustworthy the mechanic shop was because when I said I was not the owner of the vehicle (before the inspection) he told me that I shouldn't buy the car because it was in "poor condition" and then tried to send me down the road to his buddies used car dealership, but I am thinking he was right about the axle.) So my question for anyone willing to help out on this is what all does an axle typically entail? I live an hour from the nearest town and I found a mechanic through a friend who is willing to install the parts but I have to buy them and have them with me if I want it done the same day. I started researching online and I didn't realize until now that there are many parts that make up an axle. I really should have hung out in my high school bf's garage more often so I wouldn't be such an cliché "dumb girl" when it comes to this stuff.

My former mechanic always used to make me replace the rotors every time he did the brake pads, which I now know is overly cautious and not necessarily imperative for performance or safety. Is an axle the same kinda thing? Do I for sure have to replace the axle shaft ($219 *gulp*), or maybe just the axle assembly ($49 *yea*). Is there anyway I can tell? Things I should look for? I've only driven it a couple of times since I bought it but I am definitely noticing it feels like it's getting worse. I did successfully clean the mass air flow sensor all by myself though! So proud... Though it didn't really seem to help much. I'm still experiencing inconsistent starting and rough idle. But I digress. So many issues so little time. Though while I'm at it, how important are the passenger side lower ball joints? Should I be worried? How do they affect the performance? I've been trying to research but the more I read the more I realize I am in a little over my head.

Anyway, i thank anyone in advance for any insight.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

If you have tools and are an intermediate auto hobbyist I would attempt the axle. If you are
new with no tools dont try it. A friend of mine very mechanically inclinded tried to change out the rubber boot part of the axle rather than the whole axle and it required too much expertise (ball bearings were falling out all over the place) so pay the $249.00. He was able to put on a new
axle. If you put on a new axle be sure to install a new seal where the axle connects to the transmission.
If your axle goes out you are stranded.

As for the MAF sensor; first start the car. Then unplug the sensor as the air intake area. If the car runs better you probably need a new sensor (or you didnt clean it very well). If you learn how to
use a multimeter you could check voltage and resistance. Be sure to clean this part with electronic
cleaner. A clean air filter will help keep the MAF clean.

If your front end parts are too worn you will never get a good alignment on your car without replacing
them. Also your brakes and front end parts are so important I cant begin to express this!

You also need to READ and RESEARCH the floor shop manuals which NICO provides. See the link
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/

and good luck!

[jodancer25]

Thanks for all the help people! Thought I would update this post for any users with similar issues... This is what I did:
Replaced drivers side front Axel
Replaced passenger side lower ball joint
New sway bar links
New brakes and rotors (unrelated to this issue )

I still experienced some vibration which was actually a misfire... Finally had a mechanic diagnose the problem. Turns out the person who owned it before me must have replaced the fuel injector and it wasn't connected properly. It runs great now!

Except for the fact that I am having problems starting the car which I think is the ignition switch. Grrrr. Going to research other posts on here and see if I can find out if it's possible to just replace the ignition switch in the I30 without going to a dealer and having the whole lock and key replaced. They quoted me $675 for parts and labor and I just bought an ignition switch from the auto parts store for $32. Hopefully I can do this and still have it work with my current key. I'll check back later and see if anyone posted on this thread otherwise I'll start a new one if I can't find any info.

[jodancer25]

Oh and total cost for parts and labor was about $570...

[NutriaforBreakfast]

you got good deal in my opinion
I got my ignition switch fixed for about $150