Just bought a 92 Q45

[jimbyjimb]

This is my first Q, third V-8, and second Japanese car. What a well built machine, so quiet inside. I would have never thought a car so nice could be had for 1800.00, I almost bought an S.H.O. Taurus!

Couple of things. One, I know about the plastic guide issue on the cam chains. Does anyone know if it is standard practice at the dealer to replace these with metal guides? Was there a recall? The reason I ask is that this Q has been maintained to a "T" and I know the cam chain has been replaced at a regular service interval by Barrier Infiniti in Bellvue, Washington. So if it is standard practice, that's one less thing and half a day I don't have to spend with my car torn apart and greasey knuckles. Just checked the brakes today and planning to change the fluids Monday as well as have that dreadful suitcase removed from the tailpipes. It needs to sound like a V-8.

This is my first V-8 newer than 1970 and non-american, the previous contenders being (of course) a small chev, which I didn't care for, and the second a 64 Studebaker 259. That Stude was a machine, but just isn't near as capable as an all-around the board vehicle. Not much good has come out of detroit recently, and even less came in 1992. It's sad when imported Japanese automobiles can out-america supposed "American" cars. This Q seems like it was built specifically to please me, and only me, while having the side effect of pleasing everybody else in the car as well. It kind of makes me think of an old Chrysler, in that it has more nuts than it needs, has plenty of room for more nuts, and can hold half the population of Guadalajara with ease and comfort.

In any case, I'm looking forward to a whole new level of motoring in a car that is all go-fast luxury full-sized goodness. The best bargain for a used car, period.

[Jesda]

You have SO much reading to do. Start with the stickies on this forum, the NICO articles section, Q45.org, and search for archived posts by Q45tech, elwesso, tangalora, and others.

Do chain guides before driving another mile.

Enjoy the ride!

[lino]

Welcome to Nico! Just like Jesda said, there is a lot of interesting reading to do. Here are some of the links Jesda was suggesting you check out :

http://www.q45.org

http://www.nicoclub.com/subpag...l#q45

http://www.vh45de.com/

If you don't have one or haven't already done so, download the Factory Service Manual from the following link. It's for a 1994:

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Q45/1994_Q45/

[Haitian_King]

This is my first Q, third V-8, and second Japanese car. What a well built machine, so quiet inside. I would have never thought a car so nice could be had for 1800.00, I almost bought an S.H.O. Taurus!

Couple of things. One, I know about the plastic guide issue on the cam chains. Does anyone know if it is standard practice at the dealer to replace these with metal guides? Was there a recall? The reason I ask is that this Q has been maintained to a "T" and I know the cam chain has been replaced at a regular service interval by Barrier Infiniti in Bellvue, Washington. So if it is standard practice, that's one less thing and half a day I don't have to spend with my car torn apart and greasey knuckles. Just checked the brakes today and planning to change the fluids Monday as well as have that dreadful suitcase removed from the tailpipes. It needs to sound like a V-8.

This is my first V-8 newer than 1970 and non-american, the previous contenders being (of course) a small chev, which I didn't care for, and the second a 64 Studebaker 259. That Stude was a machine, but just isn't near as capable as an all-around the board vehicle. Not much good has come out of detroit recently, and even less came in 1992. It's sad when imported Japanese automobiles can out-america supposed "American" cars. This Q seems like it was built specifically to please me, and only me, while having the side effect of pleasing everybody else in the car as well. It kind of makes me think of an old Chrysler, in that it has more nuts than it needs, has plenty of room for more nuts, and can hold half the population of Guadalajara with ease and comfort.

In any case, I'm looking forward to a whole new level of motoring in a car that is all go-fast luxury full-sized goodness. The best bargain for a used car, period.

I hope you have an extinguisher handy. You may get flamed for removing the suitcase. Some of the more conservative trolls are against anything that makes the car look or sound unique.

I'm happy you got got a 92. Same year as mine. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it. I got my guides done as well. Much better than waiting for them to fail.

Glad to have you on the board.

[maxnix]

This is my first Q, third V-8, and second Japanese car. What a well built machine, so quiet inside.

Couple of things. One, I know about the plastic guide issue on the cam chains. Does anyone know if it is standard practice at the dealer to replace these with metal guides? Was there a recall? The reason I ask is that this Q has been maintained to a "T" and I know the cam chain has been replaced at a regular service interval by Barrier Infiniti in Bellvue, Washington

It's sad when imported Japanese automobiles can out-america supposed "American" cars. This Q seems like it was built specifically to please me, and only me, while having the side effect of pleasing everybody else in the car as well.

Well, wait until you restore it. Barrier Infiniti hasn't been around for at leaset a decade, unless you account for its successor Infiniti of Kirkland. In any case, you will have to check the guides unless you have concrete evidence to the contrary.
Modified by maxnix at 11:08 PM 4/6/2008

[jimbyjimb]

Thanks for the responses! I'm alway glad to find the network of support for unique vehicles, as I am a master of none but a student of all. I haven't had very diverse vehicles myself, but I have spent much time as a dealer mechanic, and mainly on my own time, working on anything I can get my hands on. I had the same support with my 64 Stude, many good people with years of experience to share. I'm seeing the same here, and thank you.

I plan on calling I of Kirkland tomorrow for the lowdown. I don't know what the average lifespan of the guides is before they fail, but this motor has 177,000 miles on it, so it's either a ticking bomb about to blow, or, as I hope, they've been done. It's not a huge deal to me to do the guides, as I have the time and it isn't rocket science. If I do, I'll just do the chains too, along with plugs and maybe some bigger injectors and, of course, that pesky knock sensor. I do have a factory service manual. The cutest little thing I've ever seen in a cute little box.

As for the custom mods, anybody who has anything to say about my bastardizing of the exhaust system can go to mesostopheles. Some people say, in articles I've read, that there is no room for improvement. BAH! There is always room, as, on their best day, 2" pipes are just not going to cut it for any decent mod to be done to a slightly-larger-than 270 cube engine, period. Especially with cats. I really don't care about anyone's theories that cats don't impede exhaust flow, it just isn't true in my experience in testing the flow through a cat. Bigger pipes help, to a point, and this engine will either benefit now or later and probably both. And the suitcase does no-one favors, unless you like pure stock cars or enjoy not hearing the beautiful stories an un-corked V-8 has to sing. I love VVT, but I wish for the lope of a large cam. I'll have to buy another classic for that. I have some plans for this car, not HUGE plans, but I definitly see at least 100hp of nitrous on the way on either this engine, or round 2. As I've read, properly maintained, these things last well over 200,000, so heres hoping.

[Haitian_King]

Have you seen sijoko's Turbo-ed Q? Shane (qsiguy) has a sweet rear mount setup too.

[jimbyjimb]

No, I haven't, I'll definitly need to see that. I bet that surprises alot of sports car owners. I used to love the look on peoples faces when my beater Chevelle roasted them. Kudos to anyone with the balls to drive a 4,000 pound car like a featherweight.

[maxnix]

I hope, they've been done. It's not a huge deal to me to do the guides, as I have the time and it isn't rocket science. If I do, I'll just do the chains too, along with plugs and maybe some bigger injectors and, of course, that pesky knock sensor. I do have a factory service manual. The cutest little thing I've ever seen in a cute little box.

As for the custom mods, anybody who has anything to say about my bastardizing of the exhaust system can go to mesostopheles. Some people say, in articles I've read, that there is no room for improvement. BAH! There is always room, as, on their best day, 2" pipes are just not going to cut it for any decent mod to be done to a slightly-larger-than 270 cube engine, period. Especially with cats.

As I've read, properly maintained, these things last well over 200,000, so heres hoping.

You will probably have to verify the chain guides yourself in lieu of documentation to the contrary. If you read more here, unless the camshaft timing chains have engaged the aluminum around it, they are fine. The tensioners and oil pump chain are another consideration.

By reading Q45tech's posts, you will realized your theories about the VH45DE intake and exhaust are not spot on. And you way underestimate the engineering of Nissan catalysts. Even the muffler does not impede performance. However there is a faction that thinks all V8 need to sound like mustangs.

200K is mid-life for a properly maintained to OEM specified VH45DE. Abuse will surely shorten its llife. But who knows by how much?

Modified by maxnix at 8:52 AM 4/7/2008

[jimbyjimb]

I don't doubt the engineering behind Nissan's cats one bit, I just haven't seen ANY cat, high flow or not, that didn't impede flow even a minute amount. That goes for high-flow cats too. They may not impede flow as bad when new, but these are fifteen year-old units that rattle when I hit bumps. I've also heard the adage that cats have an infinite lifespan (unless an engine running rich kills them), which through flow testing, isn't true either. Old cats certainly impede flow, in my experience, and if anyone has the cold hard evidence to prove otherwise I'm open to hear it. I'm not saying the system they made was bad or inadequate for what it is, I'm just saying it's inadequate for my expectations of what I want my car to be. One of the reasons I settle for worse fuel economy is the sound of a V-8. And I was hoping for more of a sixties factory muscle car rumble than your typical "5.0" Stang.

Thanks for the info. Just got done reading all about the chain guide swap and plan on checking things out tomorrow. Still crossing my fingers, or else I'll have something useful to post tomorrow instead of my pointless ramblings and stiff necked views. Maybe this will be the one car that proves my stereotypes wrong. Wouldn't that be nice?

[96Qowner]

You're right about the exhaust restriction, but it's miniscule. The correct way to mod it is full headers and stainless exhaust - a couple members have done it. Once you get used to the search function you'll find actual data and pics on all sorts of mods.

The injectors are already oversized - no improvement there.

Check out the VH and VK Forum for engine discussions:

zeroforum/193

[Q451990]

Does anyone know if it is standard practice at the dealer to replace these with metal guides? Was there a recall? The reason I ask is that this Q has been maintained to a "T" and I know the cam chain has been replaced at a regular service interval by Barrier Infiniti in Bellvue, Washington.

I don't think anyone has addressed this yet, so here goes. There was no published replacement interval for the timing chains... they were supposed to be for the life of the engine. Most dealerships throughout the country will not even acknowledge the issue... mine knew about it in the late 90s and downplayed the probability of it happening. By 2005 no one there even knew about it... they don't see enough old Qs to be educated on it. I don't think Infiniti ever officially acknowledged the problem in a TSB and certainly never recalled it... they just upgraded to the newer style guides in a rolling change sometime around 1993.

So as has been said by everyone else, you will have to just check to see unless you can get your hands on some paperwork that proves they have been done.

If I had to pin an average on the guide failure mileage, I would say about 120K, but we have seen some make it to 200K, and others not get past 75K. I believe one of the techs at T3 saw one in the 40-50K range once...

Good luck and welcome to NICO!

Heath

[jimbyjimb]

I'm searching the forums for answers now, but is the best way to check the guides just to flat-out pull off the front cover? I read about the porthole on the pass side, but as I understand it the guide on the slack side doesn't look all that different, so am I just out of luck here or is there an easy step? It probably doesn't matter, I'll probably end up having to do them today or tomorrow. If I get the parts from the dealer am I just asking for the guides out of a 93 model, or are all guides for the older models now backed on metal? Thanks again!

[96Qowner]

Nah, we never found an easy way to check 'em. Gotta take the cover off.

[jimbyjimb]

See you in 5 hours! I think I'll throw on a transmission cooler while I'm at it.

[Q45tech]

While you are at it remove and use compressed air to clean radiator and condenser you should remove a few pounds of dirt/animals. By now or long ago the rubber air seal surround that seals rad air [from looping] will have turned to powder and need replacing.

Be sure to check all belt idler pulliey bearings for quietness and replace front main seal and rad hoses when you have the cover off.

Even a simple 5 hour inspection turns into real auxillary work.

[jimbyjimb]

Just got price quoted at 900.00 at the dealer for these parts. Any deals out there? I think I'd rather bide my time than spend a grand on tensioners and guides for an engine that has 180 grand on it. Yikes!

[maxnix]

Probably a bad decision as the engine could easily go 400K with the updated guides. Only about $400 in parts from Joe if you do the laobor, right?

http://www.infinitipartsusa.com

[jimbyjimb]

400 in parts I'll do, calling him now. Just saying 900 in parts is half of what I bought the car for. That's alotta dough for some plastic and steel. When the parts get here I'll do the job. I'll order the filtran in line filter and B&M trans cooler while I'm at it.

[maxnix]

Just saying 900 in parts is half of what I bought the car for. That's alotta dough for some plastic and steel.

Usually http://www.summitracing.com has great deals on the B&M coolers.

Surprised a few hundred is a concern when you were contemplating thousands for intake and exhaust modifications with less gain in reliability.

[jimbyjimb]

My exhaust guy will do a complete 2 and a quarter or 2 and a half inch system with new cats and mufflers for less than 600 dollars using premium name-brand equipment of my choice. The only intake mods I've even thought of were a Throttle body and possibly injectors, haven't price checked them yet. I don't trust K&N to effectively filter any engine better than a factory-spec air filter, so skip on that gimmick. I've seen some "reusable filters" with holes so big they could throw a cow down your intake. Nitrous is cheap, if you know how to do it, and that will be far down the road. Just use a plate kit behind the throttle body which can either be purchased used or made by me. One of the joys of having a CNC machine available. These equate to hardly thousands. Maybe one-thousand. Not everything needs to be purchased new at an obviously over-inflated Infiniti dealer price. Anybody, and I mean anybody who disagree's with the fact that 900 dollars is insane for cam chain guides must have way too much dough laying around. The price Joe sells the kit at is much, much more doable and reasonable, especially considering his kit comes with many more parts than the quote I recieved from the dealer. I should have that kit on order before mid-week. I'm still reading alot and doing much research on the deal, so I'm finding more out as I go. I did not know about Joe's kit until you said something about it, then ran across his phone number in looking through the chain guide posts. I called him and priced it out at 571.00, which is still steep, but much better than the 900.00 I was quoted by Infiniti of Kirkland. Value is in the eye of the beholder, and I have never heard of anything so rediculous as 900.00 for a guide and tensioner set for anything short of a Mercedes. Aftermarket performance maods are usually expensive, one enters into that knowing it. But never in my life have I seen such a lofty dealer price on tensioners and guides. I should have come into this knowing that the aftermarket for Infiniti's would have been almost non-exisitant, which is what drives these dealer prices so insanely high.

[Haitian_King]

400 in parts I'll do, calling him now. Just saying 900 in parts is half of what I bought the car for. That's alotta dough for some plastic and steel. When the parts get here I'll do the job. I'll order the filtran in line filter and B&M trans cooler while I'm at it.

I paid about $400 for the kit. Not a bad investment IMO. If I can stretch my VH to 400k, my Q is in its infancy then. Compared to a lot of the higher mileage ones, my Q's a toddler. Just cracked 92k last week. I plan on holding on to this car until surface driven vehicles are outlawed.