help me

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machinehead
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 am

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i found a 90 stanza for 700 bucks. its auto with 125k miles on it, but the guy said sometimes it feels sluggish, like the power isnt all there. he says he hasnt looked at it and doesnt kno what it is. could you guys give me some ideas. Im driving it on monday.


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Cold_Zero
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Car: 2003 (3.5) Altima SE & 2005 Pathfinder

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I would check the:Plugs and wires,Air filter,Ask when the last time the fuel filter and oil filter was changed.Check for oil spots around the engine compartment and under the car. (Specifically around the valve cover).

The sluggish feel of a car can be engine related, get a compression test done and tuneup.Or it can be transmission related, check the transmission fluids.Anyone else have any ideas?

machinehead
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as long as its cheap/simple things to fix then its all good. if compression is fine then the engine is most likely ok right?

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Cold_Zero
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If the compression is fine, you would be good to go. A tune up does wonders for your car, especially at higher mileages. 125K isnt too bad. If the car has not been maintained, you may need to do one.

nlzmo400r
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i agree with coldzero, very good chance if he hasnt looked under the hood and he knows theres a problem, then he more than likely hasnt givn her a proper tune up either, i would have the fluids changed, and even tho itll cost u 1/10th of hte price of the car, have the transmisson flushed, id make him pay that, and yea a compression test is an excellent idea, of no problems, then chances are a tuneup and a lil love will get her good as new

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PalmerWMD
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Car: 2004 350Z

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Check the MAF connectors.

fred...:)

machinehead
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ok i bought it today. runs strong but one prob, its very laggy off the line or lower rpms. it does fly once you get going though. I'm gonna change the plugs, wires, filters, and fluids this weekend. gonna see if i can get a compression test done, but im pretty sure its fine, it ran too good at high rpms to be bad. the engine bay and interior are extremely clean, ill have to take pics. maf connectors are by the throttle right?

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PalmerWMD
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On my "Nissans" (Q45) they are connecting the square box on top of the intake.Yours may be differ a bit but MAF should be something right on the intake cladding/box, after the filter.And the connnector would be attached to it.that attachment point is its weakest connection.

Fred..:)

nlzmo400r
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yes please pot pics, engine is stock right, ka24e??

machinehead
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ok thanks freddy, ill check that after class. i do need a battery though, it doesnt seem to be charging(was dead at purchase), unless its my dad's shoddy charger :/. cold as heck this morning but after a couple mins it quieted down real good, made me happy :) i'll keep you guys posted, and ill have pics as soon as i finish this roll of film :D thanks guys

machinehead
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kk, the battery worked after class, thank god ;). but i stalled, i was pulling really really slowly out of a parking spot cuz some dumbass was waiting for my spot and i didnt want his gay *** 2003 civic hatch to **** up my pretty new car. car idles fine but when i drove super dooper slow like that it stalled. only time its happend though. the maf is plugged in snugly, and the air filter looks ok, but i havent taken the whole box off yet i just peaked :p. oh yeah, and i was pissed cuz my valve cover is missing 3 bolts, wtf?

machinehead
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nlzmo400r wrote:yes please pot pics, engine is stock right, ka24e??


yep

nlzmo400r
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sweet dude, i bet ur likin ur new toy eh?, any plans for mods??

machinehead
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ok heres more info, just incase all that was said doesnt fix it. after it warms up it will idle at a nice 800ish rpm. in drive it will drop down to 500 and seem a tad rough. when i hit the gas from a stop it rolls a little but doesnt start to pick up speed until after 1500, and that takes 3 or 4 seconds. people in back of me keep honking at starts lol. i plan to work on it saturday, so give me more things to look at :) thanks guys.

machinehead
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Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 am

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nlzmo400r wrote:sweet dude, i bet ur likin ur new toy eh?, any plans for mods??


nah, ill prolly leave it stock except a stereo. i need to save up some dough and would rather throw my money at a 240sx ;)

nlzmo400r
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machinehead wrote:nah, ill prolly leave it stock except a stereo. i need to save up some dough and would rather throw my money at a 240sx ;)
nice call, couldnt agree with u more, but i didnt know u were buying another car, or do u already have a 24o?, keep us posted man, and o yea, what type of stereo do u plan on installing??

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Cold_Zero
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I just thought of one thing. You may want to check the Oxygen Sensor on the car. Also, when you are having idling problems is the defrost on? I have found that when the defrost or air conditioning is on, it will drain some power during acceleration.

machinehead
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nlzmo400r wrote:nice call, couldnt agree with u more, but i didnt know u were buying another car, or do u already have a 24o?, keep us posted man, and o yea, what type of stereo do u plan on installing??


well, i orignally wanted a 240, but my car has gone to the big junkyard in the sky and i didnt have enough to get a 240 so i bought the first cheap car i could find. i wanted an rb25 :p. as far as stereo i havent decided yet. depends on how much i let myself spend. i also know numerous shops and competitors and i get decent deals on their extras so it depends on what they got ;)

machinehead
Posts: 101
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 am

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Cold_Zero wrote:I just thought of one thing. You may want to check the Oxygen Sensor on the car. Also, when you are having idling problems is the defrost on? I have found that when the defrost or air conditioning is on, it will drain some power during acceleration.


nopers. im feeling better though, cuz today i talked to some friends and 2 of them had the same thing wrong and said it was fine when they swapped plugs

nlzmo400r
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machinehead wrote:nopers. im feeling better though, cuz today i talked to some friends and 2 of them had the same thing wrong and said it was fine when they swapped plugs
well thats gotta be a relief, and about ur stereo, mi assuming ur gonna do it all in one pop, i was jus curious how big of an amp and subs u were going with, im debating about jus getting better 6x9s in my car, or jus put a couple of 10s in the trunk, but i dont want my trunk to rattle at ALL, sounds so cheap, and also, i dont want to add to much weight to my car

machinehead
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well, i know lots about stereos, they are my first lvoe ;) 6x9's suck *** no matter who makes them. 2 tens would be much better. every trunk rattles unless ur running low *** power, which gives you 2 options: 1) live with it or 2) sounddeaden ur trunk with something like dynamatt or expanding foam. i had 1200 watts and a 5 cube box and NO rattles what so ever in my old ride ;). as of right now i dont kno how much watts or what subwoofers im going to run. depends on my funding ;) as far as weight is concerned, you can always take the box out if u want to run the 1/4 or autox. 2 cheap 10's in a box will be around 50-60 lbs. for reference, a case of snapple weighs 40 lbs lol. ill right a better reply lata i gotta run to lunch or ill miss my class......

machinehead
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Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 am

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btw does anyone know what the spark plug gap is for me

nlzmo400r
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machinehead wrote:well, i know lots about stereos, they are my first lvoe ;) 6x9's suck *** no matter who makes them. 2 tens would be much better. every trunk rattles unless ur running low *** power, which gives you 2 options: 1) live with it or 2) sounddeaden ur trunk with something like dynamatt or expanding foam. i had 1200 watts and a 5 cube box and NO rattles what so ever in my old ride ;). as of right now i dont kno how much watts or what subwoofers im going to run. depends on my funding ;) as far as weight is concerned, you can always take the box out if u want to run the 1/4 or autox. 2 cheap 10's in a box will be around 50-60 lbs. for reference, a case of snapple weighs 40 lbs lol. ill right a better reply lata i gotta run to lunch or ill miss my class......
thanx for the tip man, i run into a lot of redlight races, tonite i raced an bodykited 6cyl accord and got em, however i did get pulled over about 30min later for some 'illegal' lights i have on my damn car, i hate ******* cops

machinehead
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Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 am

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Update:

changed plugs, air filter, and wires. its still not happy. i did however find something odd when i changed my air filter. theres some sort of insulation crap in the air box under teh filter, wtf is that crap? i put some fuel injector cleaner in but i doubt that'll help lol. changing my fuel filter later on today.

nlzmo400r
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i thought abot putting iridium plugs on my car, and changing the wires and putting a k&n on it too, but i dont know if i can, as im sure itll void my warranty, and i also dont know if im safe going with an oil based filter, as ive heard of people ecus going crazy cuz of the oil getting into the intake and throwing the MAF off

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Cold_Zero
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Nlzmo, Talk to Ezcheese about pulling the plugs and voiding your warranty. To be on the safe side with Nissan, don’t mess with anything under the hood or above it for that matter!

Machinehead,Did changing the fuel filter help with your sluggish power problem? That insulation crap in your air box may be from an old filter that heated up in the air box and the plastic fell apart. Either that or part of a filter coming apart. I would have to take a look at it to make a better guess. Did you inspect the Mass Airflow Sensor and clean it? Also, you may have a catalytic that is clogged or an exhaust restriction. Not sure how you would test for a clogged catalytic converter.

nlzmo400r
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ye a iknow issan is very damn picky with all of their warranty stuff, ive heard of someone voiding it by changing their spark plugs, dont know if its true or not but i heard it a while bak

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Cold_Zero
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I think that Ezcheese has created a list of "the top 50 lamest excuses Nissan can give you on why they warranty your car."

nlzmo400r
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Cold_Zero wrote:I think that Ezcheese has created a list of "the top 50 lamest excuses Nissan can give you on why they warranty your car."
lmao, ill search for it, thanx

machinehead
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Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:01 am

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didnt get to do the fuel filter yesterday, i fell asleep after work lol. ill do it after class today. im also gonna take that insulation crap out and look at the maf again. i looked at the muffler and it looks like the bottom of it is rusted, could that be a problem? the internals of it could be rusted to hell.


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