Los Angeles area Infiniti tech for Q45 exhaust?

[LightWave]

Hi all. I've been reading around the NICO forums for a few months now and it's nice to see a bunch of Q owners who are enthusiastic about their cars.

That being said, can anyone recommend a good Infiniti certified technician or garage in the Los Angeles or Orange County area? I have a 1994 Q45a. I've had trouble lately with what I think is a catalytic converter.

Also, is it true that I cannot simply buy an OEM Infiniti catalytic converter or muffler? According to the dealer, Infiniti only sells each side of the dual exhaust as a complete whole. That is, left side and/or right side, from manifold to rear exhaust tip. This sounds somewhat odd. I would appreciate any info. Thanks very much.

Kerry

[Q451990]

How far are you from http://www.jerrytucker.net? If it's at all within reason, that's where I'd go. What sort of problems are you having? I'd be surprised if it's a bad cat unless the car has been running rich for some reason (like bad O2 sensors). You might think in terms of a used exhaust system if you can find a low-mileage one...

Welcome to NICO!!!

Heath

[PalmerWMD]

Also our very own Infiniti Online Mechanic Robert aka daedalus lives in/near LA.

Fred...

[nuQ]

probably easier to look up robert.

[LightWave]

Thanks guys for the warm welcome and the info. Unfortunately, Jerry Tucker's is 105 miles from my place. Thanks but kinda far. I'm in the 90221 zip area. Nevertheless, a tech friend of mine has suggested http://www.doctorjauto.com in Huntington Beach. I wanted to check on here first, however. Anyone know about Dr J Automotive? Also, I see that Daedalus is in El Segundo. This is not far from my place at all.

As for my problem, I started my car one day and it stalled. This never happens. I started it again and it revved somewhat high and then lowered and sputtered to a stall. Started it again and let it warm up with some extra throttle. It warmed fine and seemed to be ok. I drove around the block and then turned it off. Started it again and drove off and could barely get 20 mph out of it. I heard what I would call semi-backfires coming from the engine compartment, a kind of rolling-gurgling popping sound. I immediately took it home.

A tech friend of mine stopped by and took a look. I wasn't there but according to him, he set the throttle fairly high and placed his hand near the rear exhaust and it didn't budge his hand. So while I'm not sure if it's actually a catalytic converter, I am fairly sure, according to my friend, that there's some sort of restriction in the exhaust.

By the way, the car's a 1994 Q45a. Mileage is ~135k. 02 sensors, plenum, etc. are on my to-do list.

Thanks again guys.

Kerry

[brucepelletier]

Just my opinion, but if you're within 100 miles of Jerry Tucker's All Import Service in San Diego that would be my move (telephone 858-573- 1118).

I just drove 500 miles from San Francisco to do my chain guides and was very satisfied with the service and experience.

Outside of T3 in Atlanta this would be my choice for non-dealer but Infiniti Q45 qualified service at a reasonable price.

[DAEDALUS]

Thanks for the referrals Fred and nuQ! Without a hoist I'm definitely not equipped to deal with exhaust problems. More importantly, car work has been eclipsed by fixing up this old house we bought in July. I wouldn't recommend driving the car down to SD in this condition, and towing would be expensive. If you get a good lead on qualified indie Infiniti techs around L.A. then hold onto them, cause there can't be many. Never heard of Dr. J, but report back if you go there.

A plugged cat is indeed rare. More puzzling is that the car is dual exhaust, so there should be 1 bank putting out measurable pressure, unless the blockage is in the muffler where the lines meet. Family of squirrels?Did you or your friend open up the oil cap to see what kind of pressure is in the case?

[BadQ45t]

You should just call up Z Expert in Marina Del Rey, he's not that far from you. He's a Nissan expert but working on lots of Infiniti's now and he's equiped to handle these types of issues.

Call them up, ask for richard and tell him Jeff Leeds' recommended that he call.

His number is 310-574-0699

[LightWave]

Hi all. The car is semi-running right now. I had it towed to a local mechanic for a back pressure test. The guy told me that he wiggled some wires and plugged-in some connectors and then was able to drive it at freeway speeds. "It's fine now." according to the mechanic. When I drove the car, however, it sputtered when I took off from lights and then shot off like a rocket at mid rpm. I'm thinking that when my friend looked at it, he blew out some of whatever was blocking the exhaust. At this point, I'm simply looking for a shop to diagnose the car and narrow down the problem.

As for me doing any type of diagnostics or repair on the car, I simply cannot. I'm in a wheelchair and I'm unable to manage.

Thanks BadQ45t!! Marina Del Rey is not that far at all. I'll give Z Expert a call in the morning.

Anyway guys, thanks very much for being so nice to a long-winded new guy. I really do appreciate it. I'll post updates.

Kerry

P.S.: After a search for Z Expert, I found this "Good Z Mechanics List" page for California. Perhaps someone can use it.

http://showroom.floor.palo-alt...te=CA

[LightWave]

An EDITED update (see end note):

Took my Q45 to Z Expert on Monday 1/5/04. I talked with the owner Richard. Nice guy. Told him about the sputtering problem that I've detailed above and the possibility of an exhaust problem per my friend’s inspection of the car.

Also, after checking around the NICO forums, it occurred to me that it could be a possible fuel pump problem. I'd run my fuel tank to bone-dry a night or so before the sputtering problem began. I honestly did not know that it was bad to run on a low tank of fuel. I had suspected that the fuel pump was semi-dying, as it had begun to hum somewhat. A new fuel pump was on my to-do list.

Got a call from Richard at Z Expert on Wednesday 1/7/04. I'd been told initially that they were very busy, so I knew that it'd be a few days before they could get to it. Not a problem. According to Richard, my Q had a bad fuel pump. I ok'd the replacement of the fuel pump and picked up the car that night.

My first impression was that the interior reeked of fuel. Oh well, I had my Q back. It would air out. The car appeared to run fine. No sputtering at take off. On the way home, I got on the freeway, however. Wide open throttle on the freeway onramp. The tachometer topped out at approximately 4500-5000 rpm and that's it. No power and no shift. When I let off of the throttle it shifted fine. Normally my Q shifts at approximately 6500 rpm, even with the bad fuel pump.

Gave Z Expert a call the next morning, Thursday 1/8/04. We agreed that I bring it in on Monday 1/12/04, as I wanted to go through a few clean tanks of fuel. I've driven the car a bit. Same problem. No power. I've noticed that the temperature gauge rises somewhat now. Normal position for the temperature gauge is between 3.5-4 "o’clock". The higher temperature position for the temperature gauge is an even 3 "o’clock". I’m leery of the temperature increase and I'm not driving the car anymore.

Perhaps I'm nit-picking but the rear seat back does not appear to be installed properly against the rear deck. Honestly though, I am not sure about this, as I don't recall exactly how it looked beforehand.

Quite frankly, I am not very happy with the service. According to the owner, Richard, one of the shop's mechanics replaced the fuel pump. That's fine. The fuel pump was definitely bad. Good diagnostic work. Nevertheless, I did expect a more careful and a more thorough inspection and repair of my car. I am not saying that Z Expert is a bad shop. They’re very courteous and helpful. However, I'm not so sure that it's the best place to take anything other than a Z. I will take the car back to Z Expert on Monday and see how I fare. I’ll post updates.

Kerry

NOTE: PLEASE READ MY NEXT POST. AFTER WRITTING THIS POST A SECOND TANKFUL OF FUEL HAS COMPLETELY CLEARED UP MY LACK OF POWER PROBLEM.

[DAEDALUS]

Kind of a coincidence here... I was just there this week with a coworker who just bought a '95 Z. Up until now, I had heard nothing but good things about the shop, so I actually had recommended it to my friend. Another buddy with a 300zx often goes there. We talked to Richard for about 10 minutes regarding issues with the car, and got some price quotes. After thinking about it for a few days, I think my friend is going to try to change the timing belt on his own versus the $6-700 quote Richard gave. I offered up my garage and my tools, plus whatever knowledge I have. Richard shouldn't have too hard a time figuring out your problem since he has a Consult. Actually though, I didn't ask specifically if he had the Infiniti cards or not. He did mention that he's doing more and more Infiniti work. Where does the car top out at in neutral? Hopefully Richard used a factory pump.I'll look forward to your updates, and I'll pass on any comments to my buddies. One guy just bought a 350z (NICE) and gave his wife the 300. Some people have it good

[BadQ45t]

Go back to him and he'll make it right. I've used him for over 10 yeras, just had him tune-up my wife's new 99' Sentra. He wil get it right, give him the chance. He works on way more than just Z cars, sounds like your car has a series of problems and he'll solve them if you give him the chance.

He has worked on my Z, Maxima, my wifes Sentra (just bought) and buddies 200SX, Altima's, etc. He will work until you're satifified, I assure you of that.

[LightWave]

A GOOD update:

After reading DAEDALUS post, I was really curious to see where my car tached-out in neutral. I went out, started it, and let it warm up. After warming, I revved the motor and, unlike before, the motor seemed pretty strong with no tachometer limit. I decided to take her for a spin. Mind you, I had a quarter of a tank of fuel from the full tank that I had added immediately after getting the car back. I put in a second tankful and went for a drive. Again, the car seemed to lack its normal power. However, it did seem somewhat better than the anemic performance that I encountered initially. I took it on the freeway, set the cruise control and drove. Temperature was normal with no fluctuations. Occasionally, I’d wide open the throttle. After about a half of a tank, it really started pulling hard and smooth. Yes!! She’s back!! Great performance! As for my earlier post, what can I say? I simply jumped the gun. My apologies to the Z Expert garage and its owner Richard. I would and will definitely take my Q45 back to Z Expert. They diagnosed and replaced my bad fuel pump like champs.

In my own defense, nevertheless, I did expect her to run at 100% when I first got her back. I had no idea that bad fuel could cause such terrible performance. My car’s interior still smells of fuel. I’ll air it out. I’m sure that the fumes will dissipate. As for the rear seat, I’ve looked more closely and it’s definitely not attached properly. Then again, this minor problem was/is the least of my concerns. I’m sure that if I mention it to Z Expert they’ll attach it properly.

Lastly, thanks to everyone for your help and support.

Kerry

[DAEDALUS]

You should be able to mount the rear seat in about 10 minutes with a large phillips screwdriver. The bench is clipped in at the bottom, and the back is resting on 2 hooks from above with 6 screws holding it down.Nothing wrong with expecting your car to run 100% right out of the shop. You're certain it was bad gas? Wait and see what happens when you get down to 1/4 tank again.

[maxnix]

If the tank wasn't removed and steam cleaned, or the fuel filter not replaced, I would suspect contamination. A complete job is seldom something for which customers wish to pay.

[LightWave]

DAEDALUS, no I am not certain that the lack of power was caused from bad fuel. I’m simply surmising from the way the 2nd tank of fuel seemed to drastically improve performance. Are you suggesting contamination in the lower part of the tank? I hadn’t thought of that. Guess I’ll take another road trip tonight and burn some precious petrochemicals.

As for the replacement parts:

Bosch OEM fuel pumpInfiniti OEM fuel filter

The work order says nothing about the tank being removed and cleaned. I’m pretty sure that it was not.

Anyway, I’m off for another drive. Thanks.

Kerry

[DAEDALUS]

I hadn't thought of contamination either. It would seem you would've had the symptoms sooner if the gas in the tank was bad. Doesn't make sense that the problem would go away on its own either, unless it's an electrical thing (melted solder on FPCU board?). I dunno. If it runs fine hereafter then that's great, but if the symptoms come back when the fuel drops then post back.

[BadQ45t]

One thing about Richard, he WANTS your car to be perfect if that is what you want. I have a 1984 300ZX that is nearly perfect mechanically. The digital dash works 100%, the car starts and rusn like it is 1984, but I tell Richard that is the way I want it. Anytime I am not happy, i tell him and he says "bring it back, we'll get it right". This summer I had him mount some tires on some rims that I bough in LA (that Richard stored for me for 9 months). He balanced them on his machine, but I wasn't happy with the balance. He took the car back and spend an hour of his own time using his machine to balance the tires on the car. When I asked him how much I owed him, he said nothing. I brough back a bottle of good scotch....bottom line, there are few mechanics that CARE if their customers are happy, I am picky about my car so that is why I drive from San Fran to LA to get my car worked on there.

If your back seat isn't right, DO NOT fix it yourself, take it back to him and he'll make it right.