My 92 Q is toasted! Need advice on buying a replacement Q!

[SurfinGator]

Hey guys ... as some of you know my 92 Q over heated during the 4th vacation. Head gasket/Head is gone and it appears the rear main seal went as well. As I haven't done the chain guides yet and who knows what else the heat killed, I am going to buy another Q and use her for parts.

So I am looking for advice on what to buy. 90-93 or 94-96?

I would like to be able to transfer the maximum parts from the 92 to my new car, but also would like either the chain guides done or to not need them. Any specfic issues with any of these model years? I am buying this as a long term investment, in ten years you won't find a running early Q for less than $20K, so I would like any information on why a 94-96 is mechanically better than the 90-93.... because the first years of the Q are going to be the ones that will return max bucks. But I intend to be driving this on vacations and weekends, so maintenance costs are a huge factor.

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!

[elwesso]

I really think youd like a 94... They are slightly cheaper to own (mainly due to updated expensive parts like injectors, driveshaft, transmission, and so on) but I think youll find that Y33s arent going to be that much cheaper to own, especially if you can factor in the initial cost...

Only way to tell is to go drive them!!!

[SurfinGator]

Hey E ... I just saw the Q forum .... can you bump this over to that forum?

thanks man!

[szh]

Hey E ... I just saw the Q forum .... can you bump this over to that forum?

Done.

Z

[Rex]

Hey guys ... as some of you know my 92 Q over heated during the 4th vacation. Head gasket/Head is gone and it appears the rear main seal went as well. As I haven't done the chain guides yet and who knows what else the heat killed, I am going to buy another Q and use her for parts.

So I am looking for advice on what to buy. 90-93 or 94-96?

I would like to be able to transfer the maximum parts from the 92 to my new car, but also would like either the chain guides done or to not need them. Any specfic issues with any of these model years? I am buying this as a long term investment, in ten years you won't find a running early Q for less than $20K, so I would like any information on why a 94-96 is mechanically better than the 90-93.... because the first years of the Q are going to be the ones that will return max bucks. But I intend to be driving this on vacations and weekends, so maintenance costs are a huge factor.

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!

If you can keep your current Q as a parts resource, then I would say get another 90-93. But if you can't, then look for a good, well kept car, regardless of the year. I think the maintenance history is more important than what year model it is. Realizing I consider the guides to be part of a good history.

[elwesso]

Remember that nearly all of the 90-93 parts will transfer over to the 94s.....

[Rex]

Remember that nearly all of the 90-93 parts will transfer over to the 94s.....

With the motor being toast, I was thinking as much about body/suspension parts and electrical modules.

[SurfinGator]

Yeah E, the 94 looks newer .... a lot of people can't tell the difference between the 94s and 2000s ... so looks wise I would lean towards a 94. Everyone that looks at the 92 realizes it is an old one. Which is cool at times though, I have gotten several comments from car people about how it is the one to have .... and in ten years that would be correct. First year body styles are usually the ones to have in any collectable.

Rex ... my 92 body is good: Small dent in the front of the hood and badge ... right side mirror body jb welded ... but no rust. The interior is in excellent condition. trans has 10k miles, new maf, and 15k on a new fuel pump. So the 94 body parts are different? Just the front or the entire car? Interior the same? That would be huge .... if the 94 had a different interior, I would be fairly locked in to a 90-93. ... or parting my 92.

Also, will a 93 need chain guides? I understand it has the first gear shift and uses my 92 transmission .... which would be cool.

Regardless, any Q I buy will be clean. Lesson learned long ago ....

Don't rush to buy a used car. Buying a bad car can hurt you for many years ...

[maxnix]

Remember that nearly all of the 90-93 parts will transfer over to the 94s.....

Truth is, a lot of the parts are different, but some are not. Interchangeablity is a crapshoot.

Get a 1993 or another 92 with the work done if you want to use the old car. Else, get a 1994-1996.

[redmanfx]

Buy HeavyDuty's Q from the Infiniti classified section. It's a 91 and you can maximize all your parts. He's incommunicado right now, but when he gets back this week call him! His car is a perfect match for your parts car! I'm not going to be able to get it like I wanted, but you should investigate. He lives in Orlando Fl. and kept it up nicely. Perfect paint and smooth engine. Let him tell you what it needs....

red

[fjirousek]

Hey guys ... as some of you know my 92 Q over heated during the 4th vacation. Head gasket/Head is gone and it appears the rear main seal went as well. As I haven't done the chain guides yet and who knows what else the heat killed, I am going to buy another Q and use her for parts.

So I am looking for advice on what to buy. 90-93 or 94-96?

I would like to be able to transfer the maximum parts from the 92 to my new car, but also would like either the chain guides done or to not need them. Any specfic issues with any of these model years? I am buying this as a long term investment, in ten years you won't find a running early Q for less than $20K, so I would like any information on why a 94-96 is mechanically better than the 90-93.... because the first years of the Q are going to be the ones that will return max bucks. But I intend to be driving this on vacations and weekends, so maintenance costs are a huge factor.

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks guys!

Have you given thought to getting an engine from Japan? There are several being sold on ebay if you do a search for "q45 engine". You can get a low mileage engine(30-70k) for between $600-1,000. In fact, I had found a dealer from Pennsylvania that was selling an engine/transmission for the Q for $1,200 shipped to me! Plus, you could swap any newer parts from your engine into the one you would get. It seems that this would be a much more cost effective and easy alternative to getting another car. Just my .02 cents....

[SurfinGator]

I am looking into a engine rebuild as well... but not really a swap. You should never swap an engine in an classic car.

Redman ... thanks for the info about HDs Q .... but too many miles ....

the way I look at my Q as if it is a 1986 Royale ....



and it is 1996 .... so everyone is selling theirs for 5% to 10% of what it sold for new.

another ten years and in original condition? ... it would be selling at 50 to 100% of sticker.

In ten years the original Qs will command similar prices imho. It has all the positives for classic car investment. Limited manufacture, high performance, and luxury .... throw in high build quality and the first car produced by a new manufacturer .... this car is a high value investment ....

so low miles and total original is the need.

[redmanfx]

Ok. Then I have the perfect Q for U. Ryan's! $5000 and you get the car Stillen played with. It's a first gen and only has 30 or 35k miles on it. Also in the classified section. And it's an active Q! Lots of mods and it's one of a kind.

Good luck in you hunt!

PS. IMO it would take Infiniti to go back to the original type style of the early Q to draw enough interest back to the origional for it to increase as a collectors type car. Without some kind of "thing" happening the early Q's will go mostly unnoticed as a hign value used car. Right now the Q is mostly for those who Know.......... Us!!

red

[redmanfx]

ohh yeah.... Rebuilds are not the way to go as previously talked about by Dennis and many others. The VH45 is not easy to rebuild and with all the JDM engines available it's easier and smarter to get a JDM Vh45. Q45tech has talked about what T-3 does and I agree.

The engines on e-bay are not up to snuff if you ask me. Many can't be mileage verified and only have a 6 month warranty. You can find many others that have verified mileage and a 1year warranty. Never bur a JDM without looking into very, very well. Plus the work involved with getting it ready once you have it. T-3 goes through an intensive program when getting an engine for someone and it only makes sense we do the same. I have been looking for a good JDM and I know there are good and bad ways to investigate an engine. I called and emailed many vendors and they are all different.

Just be careful that's all.

red

[SurfinGator]

thanks for the info! I hopped over and looked at the Stillen.... sweet! Not perfect for me right now .... but considering .... thanks redman!

I bought this Q five years ago from a 75 year old guy who went into shock when I opened the sunroof .... he never knew the roof opened .... dealer records from the day she was born. Would like something similar .... and have plenty of time.

This one fits .... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...wItem

but northern car ..... and from a dealer on Ebay from NYC? Bells keep going off in my head .... don't do it!

Back to my main question .... does the 93 need chain guides done? And will the transmission from the 92 fit a 90-91 or a 93? Major differences between those years and my 92?

[elwesso]

All the trannies from 90-96 are interchangeable in any direction

[maxnix]

But the

All the trannies from 90-96 are interchangeable in any direction

1st and 2nd gear ratios are different, and when mated to an TCM designed for the other different ratios, weird things happen. Not unservicable, but shift points are at the wrong rpm.

[tkd_q45]

Quatroporte was the "original" Q in my opinion - more so than say the 6.3 Mercedes. Those things sound wicked at full throttle (4 two barrel carbs)!

I'd stay 90-93 - look for a well maintained car w/chain guides done if at all possible. I know if and when I go with another Q it will definitely be this vintage. In fact I'd stay 90-92. I noticed that the 93s no longer have the two tone interior (most visible cost cutting measure, who knows what else they cut that you can't see). Being in corporation that is ALL about cost savings (at least for now) it's scary how much the bean counters are willing to cut.

I own a 92, 94 & 96 and the 92 is definitely the best ride. It's hard to explain but the car just plain drives better. Seems to be of higher quality + IMHO the seats are superior. Definitely more power. Nicer, thicker steering wheel and I hear that the racks on these earlier Qs are a bit quicker, don't know for certain but wouldn't doubt it.

I'd be all over that white one on ebay!!!!!!!!

[szh]

I hear that the racks on these earlier Qs are a bit quicker, don't know for certain but wouldn't doubt it.

Yes, definitely! The 1995 Q45 I owned definitely had sloppier steering than the 1991 Q45 I had earlier!

One time, I had to replace the 1995's steering rack (under extended warranty) and I remember kicking myself afterwards because I forgot to tell them to use a rack from the 90-91 years! It would have been a clean fit and given me back the steering quickness that I had lost.

Z

[SurfinGator]

Quatroporte was the "original" Q in my opinion - more so than say the 6.3 Mercedes. Those things sound wicked at full throttle (4 two barrel carbs)!

Exactly bro. I think the Q45 has two things over the other Q in terms on income potential ..... 1) build quality ..... you can't drive a Quatro Royale 8,000 miles without spending two thousand in "regular maintenance" and if anything ever breaks, your parts are coming from the Ferrari factory in Italy .... Ouch!

and 2) First model of a new high end brand, that will be here for another twenty plus years.

Now whether the Q45 turns into a high dollar classic car, no one can 100% say.

But it has all the attributes to do so.

[SurfinGator]

and yes, I am possibly all over the one on Ebay ....

[Rex]

Rex ... my 92 body is good: Small dent in the front of the hood and badge ... right side mirror body jb welded ... but no rust. The interior is in excellent condition. trans has 10k miles, new maf, and 15k on a new fuel pump. So the 94 body parts are different? Just the front or the entire car? Interior the same? That would be huge .... if the 94 had a different interior, I would be fairly locked in to a 90-93. ... or parting my 92.

Also, will a 93 need chain guides? I understand it has the first gear shift and uses my 92 transmission .... which would be cool.

Regardless, any Q I buy will be clean. Lesson learned long ago ....

Don't rush to buy a used car. Buying a bad car can hurt you for many years ...

Looks like you're going to be looking for a 92 or parting out. If you decide to part out, please first read all the threads in Inf Classifieds about that now, and make sure you see how much time and patience it will require to get "any accumulable" amount of money.

As for a replacement engine, Q45Tech/T3 is the best way to go. It's not cheap, but as you've said been there, learned that. And with the Q, the engine itself is only about half the swap costs.

IMHO, your best bet (and it's a long shot) would be to find a Q of the same color that's been well cared for by it's owner, but recently been in an accident, only experiencing slight cosmetic damage ... I said LONG shot.

Don't be quick to pull the trigger, and (IMHO) HD's Q looks like a good possibility since the interior would swap over.

[elwesso]

To be honest, if we were talking about expensive cars here, itd be one thing. but everything we're speaking of costs under 5,000... I say, pick up that white Q, and then youll have body parts. My guess is that even though the Q paint is very good, it will still be faded to a degree and wont match just right.... So you would have non matching body panels that you would end up wanting to repaint anyway...

I say, trash the 92, pull off stuff thats easy to get to and failure prone (MAF, ABS unit, driveshaft, etc etc etc) and the body parts and dump the rest...

Parting out a Q45 is not something you want to do unless you have a LOT of time on your hands!

[SurfinGator]

Thanks guys .... a lot of good information. I think I have my plan down. I have a place to leave the car intact out of the elements. I will keep it there for a few years, using the parts off her for my new car. In eight or ten years, when all the early 90s Qs are gone, I'll part whats left.

Thanks again guys!

Surfin

[3Q Jay]

Gator- first off, sorry to hear about the overheat--next, have you considered just doing heads (and guides)on your numbers car? this seems like it would address all of your concerns [although admittedly--i don't know the condition of your (overheated) short block]. As for good used vs. rebuild, personally, i don't subscribe to the 'numbers match' nirvanna. I admit this is a big thing on '60s musclecars, but i think at least in part that is because with all the different engine/trans options that detriot offered--numbers were a way to ensure that a stage1 455 GS really was, and not just a (former) 350 car tha someone put the stage 1 motor in.

anyway-in the end its up to you--i'd just hate to see you mothball a car that you otherwise really like because the shortblock id won't match...

[Q45tech]

I keep reminding members that an old all aluminum V8 needs a separate HEAD TEMPERATURE GAUGE or a special overheat warning system not related to oem inside temperature gauge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spending $50 and some effort sure beats spending $5,000 for an engine.

[jamesmost]

I keep reminding members that an old all aluminum V8 needs a separate HEAD TEMPERATURE GAUGE or a special overheat warning system not related to oem inside temperature gauge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spending $50 and some effort sure beats spending $5,000 for an engine.

what gague do u recommend ?