My 'new' '94 Q! Observations/Advice

[Lakeshow24]

I'll post some pictures of my new beaut within a few days. '94 Q45, heated seats, LSD, traction control, power headrests even. Wood grain. Looks excellent. It's black on black. The previous one is in my avatar, beige on tan.

However! It's definitely got some issues. There is an oil leak that is dripping onto the exhaust causing some smoke to emit when I park. That's a fire hazard for sure. Other problems? The rear struts are completely blown, and there is a jittery feeling on many roads and especially at speeds above 60 mph. There's even a little clunk sometimes when I hit bumps, I know the rear struts make that noise but there may also be a problem up front that is difficult to detect so long as my rear struts are as shot as they are.

Another thing is that the tachometer goes haywire. Bouncing around whenever it wants to.

Lastly, the car is slow! I had a '91 Q that was crisp with its shifts and the car bulldozed its way forward with authority during acceleration. That car had 170,000 miles, my new one has 133,000 and is no way near as fast as the previous one. So there is a problem there.

No check engine lights, no trans lights, but the car just accelerates slowly. Not sure if I have a fuel restriction, or if there's another problem but it's slow slow slow. Help if you guys have been there, done that!

Oh, one more thing. When I shift between D and R, the rear end kind of plops down and back up. Hope it's the blown struts and nothing else. Still happy though.

[maxnix]

Congratulations on your purchase.

Sounds llike you are about $6K from getting it back to near as new OEM condition.

Do read all posts by Q45tech to determine what you have to do to accomplish your goals.
Modified by maxnix at 6:52 AM 12/6/2007

[elwesso]

The drive/reverse thing is normal.

The tach is probably related to the IC. I'd replace the cluster and thatll probably take care of it.

At 130k its possible the fuel pump was never replaced so check fuel pressure and ECU codes, that should get you started.

The smoke is probably coming from the valve covers.

If your engine is clean and your trans is fine, these things are only minor annoyances to what every Q owner goes through.

[AlabamaDan]

Congrats on your Q. You'll find the 94 is a little sluggish compared to the 91 you had. That's just the way it is.

The smoking oil leak is probably the valve covers. Change your plugs while you're there. I just did that.

The little clunk when you hit bumps is probably your upper links. You didn't post milage, but they probably need replacing along with all four struts. Check out a thread called Suspension Parts for Dummies. Sorry to say, but you probably need upper links, tokikos all the way around and alot of rubber bushing stuff. I'm about to do all that myself.

[96Qowner]

Congrats on your Q... Check out a thread called Suspension Parts for Dummies. Sorry to say, but you probably need upper links, tokikos all the way around and alot of rubber bushing stuff. I'm about to do all that myself.

And I'd recommend getting the third links for the front, too. They come as an assembly with the kingpins mounted and are only another $200. The third links have a tendency to bend over time (and as the other suspension parts wear) and throw off your caster. And look for one of Jeff Williams' front strut tower bars - big improvement in steering response.

As far as the sluggishness, your knock sensors may also be fried. You can check them, along with your injectors using the instructions at Q45.org:

http://www.q45.org/ohminjectors.html

Locate a can of BG 44K and run it through the tank to clean things up some - cheap and easy.

[AlabamaDan]

I thought the 3rd links never needed replacing? Why didn't you chime in on the other thread?

[Q45tech]

After you have destroyed a few sets of upper links the sloppiness eventually allows the third link to bend slightly [along with shock towers] resulting in a progressive negatization of the camber................every year it gets worse and farther away from nominal [-0.75 degrees].

Mild curb hits seem to make passengerside bend faster.

Kingpin sslop and it's socket and bearings are another source of looseness and camber.

Why we say EVERY component in the front [and rear] suspension needs replacing sometime after 100k to return to as brand new. Some are numb and frugal and just put up with the sloppiness.

[qship96]

I plan on doing a complete front end renew next summer including upper links,3rd links,lower arms,tension rods,shocks and every little wear item attached to them,tie rods,and swaybar end links and bushings-

Am I missing anything in the above list? There goes another $2000 in parts!

[Lakeshow24]

I think checking the fuel pressure seems like my best bet. Still not sure why it runs so weak, so slow, so gutless, all without throwing any trans or engine codes. My '91 was so much faster and more powerful than this one it's ridiculous. Even if the '94 is possibly not quite as fast, there's no way it's as slow as mine. I can get up and keep up with traffic, but if I have to sometimes floor the car to catch up or keep up, I know there's a problem. I never had to come even remotely close to flooring my previous Q.

[tkd_q45]

When replacing valve covers do your plugs as well. Also check 02 sensors. My 92 was definitely a better drive than either our 94 or 96 but that said, when I replaced knock sensors, plugs and 02 sensors in my 94 there was a huge difference in power. My 94 has over 150K.

[Lakeshow24]

Well, whaddya know? Looks like the guy who sold the car to me busted himself. I'm quite confident that the reason my 'new' Q runs like shoot is because at 135,000 miles very little maintenance was performed. He assured me that he spent 'thousands' on maintenance over the years (I purchased from the original owner), but even then I knew he was exaggerating. I'm confident he just ran the car on all the OEM parts until they couldn't take it anymore.

I didn't care, so long as the engine, trans, and chassis wasn't shot, I was willing to buy this car. Still happy that I bought it too! It was too beautiful for me not to.

I'll even bet the spark plugs haven't been changed. Nor the fuel filter in the last 50,000 miles. I checked the one maintenance record he left me with, an EZ Lube receipt that reflected 112,222 miles on 9/08/04, 120,498 miles 11/08/05, and 134,000 miles on 10/3/07. The car has about 135,900 miles today, and that's with me putting 500 miles on it in 4 days. So the past two years have seen about 15,000 miles.

But it's slow and running like shoot. I believe I've narrowed 90% of the vibration problems to out of balance wheels, which I won't find out until I have time to send it to the shop this coming Sunday. The other 10% is probably bad bushings, blown struts, and hopefully nothing more severe.

The slow engine? I'm going to swap out the fuel filter, and check fuel pressure if the filter doesn't restore power.

The maintenance performed by the previous owner on 10/03/07 was a full Mobil 1 synthetic oil change (so at least he used synthetic oil!), auto trans flush and fill service, intake system cleaner service, and wiper blades all for a grand total of $208.97.

I'm imagining he informed the technicians that his Q was slower than it should be so they recommended an intake cleaning (at $59.99!) service that probably helped about 5% of the overall sluggishness problem.

In either case, I love the brainstorming and suggestions from everybody. But for now, I'll spare the talking to bring on the pics! (Numerous large pics, dialup users beware!)









THERE IS NOT A RIP ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. THAT IS A RATHER STRANGE SUNLIGHT REFLECTION MARRING AN OTHERWISE NICE PHOTO. THE PASSENGER SEAT LOOKS 100% NEW.



























By the way, did I mention that there is not a single rip or tear in the interior!(?)

The next picture is a bonus. I sold the following '91 Q the day before acquiring my black one. I missed my '91 immediately after selling it, and decided to hop on the phone to get another Q back. The black one surely is a dog in performance compared to my '91, but maybe in a few months I'll figure out why it's so slow and get my performance back. Here's my old one:












Modified by Lakeshow24 at 12:14 AM 12/7/2007

[Jesda]

1994-1996 Q45 was the quietest car in its class. You'll get used to it.

[AlabamaDan]

Nice Ride. Heated Seats. :jealous TCS. Great interior, good paint. Can't go wrong. You'll get the perf up to a respectable level. My 94 is good at 2500 or 3000 rpm.

Why'd ya sell the 91? I can't imagine you got much for it. That's why I tell my wife anyway!

[Lakeshow24]

Nice Ride. Heated Seats. :jealous TCS. Great interior, good paint. Can't go wrong. You'll get the perf up to a respectable level. My 94 is good at 2500 or 3000 rpm.

Why'd ya sell the 91? I can't imagine you got much for it. That's why I tell my wife anyway!

Thanks for the compliment on the Q. As a matter of fact, just last night I was pumping gas and some guys roll up in a dealership new Maxima. They stop and gawk at my car and tell me that I'm "doing better" than they are because I guess my car looked brand new. Little did they know their monthly payments and insurance probably comes close to what I paid for my 'new' Q.

As far as the performance of the car goes, I'm beginning to think I have a VSS/speed sensor problem. It's slow and the tachometer does what it wants to. Sometimes it reads correctly, but that's a matter of minutes before it goes bonkers and jumps around. Perhaps the VSS is causing the trans to not downshift when it should, or change to the proper gears, which is why it accelerates so slowly.
Modified by Lakeshow24 at 9:52 PM 12/9/2007

[Haitian_King]

Very nice Q. I'd love to have a black on black. I currently have a black with gray interior. Maybe on day when I'm feeling lucky, I'll try an interior swap. Shouldn't be too hard right? Just seats and carpet? Or would the headliner need to go too? What color is yours?

Bah, I forgot the sun visors. Everything else is black. I have the same wood kit in my Q too!

[luvmy94q]

Just saw all the pics of your '94 Q - I own one as well and it is also pristine -I love my car - bought it for $5200 in '04 - prolly paid too much but it was perfect --

Re the smoke, mine's in the shop as I write, having valve cover gaskets replaced -- nice pool of oil collected in there mechanic said -- but many on this site have told me was not a fire hazard -- Also, w/ the tach jumping, check the vacuum hoses and intake manifold -- computer was trying to make fuel mix adjustment and tach went haywire trying to fix itself....Also, watch the transmission -- had mine replaced this year -- notorious for probs... Hope you're a mechanic -- in three years, it has cost me close to the price of the car already but well worth it -- If I don't keep this one, will be shopping next year for exact same, maybe with HEATED SEATS this time (although I live in Florida and would only use them 2 weeks out of the year.. ha ha) Have fun!

Anyway, congrats on your Q - I'm sure you will be happy when you get everything straight -- I can blow almost everybody off the road and it rocks....

[qship96]

How much are they charging you to replace the valve cover gaskets? Are you doing spark plugs while they are accessable?

[BadQ45t]

I noticed your in North Hollywood...I'm from LA originally but moved north a number of years ago. I have/had a great mechanic that knows Q's now very well, called Z Expert located in Venice. I know it is "over the hill" but Richard the owner is just the kind of guy that would be able to figure out why your not preforming that well and he is very reasonable price wise. I think it would be well worth it to have him take a look and do some of the valve covers and a full tune-up as well as your suspension. Give him a call if you do not have a good Nissan Mechanic, he worked my cars and I still take them to him when I visit occasionally, especially for "projects" like installing new springs and shocks on my Q45 (it is a 97').

[Lakeshow24]

What I love most about the heated seats is that they cycle on and off. Just when I'm about ready to reach for the button to turn them off for being too hot, they automatically cycle off for a few minutes then back on. Very comfortable seats.

[maxnix]

Heated seats in LA, oh the decadence! My wife loves them also and is the one thing besides automatic mirror adjustment and dipping she misses on her 2000.

[Haitian_King]

You have heated seats in a '91? Lucky. I'd love some out here in NJ. My MDX has the heated seats and I'd love to have that same option in my '92.

[Lakeshow24]

Well, I've made some progress on determining why in the heck this car is so doggone slow! Something ain't right with the transmission. When I first bought it, the trans was shifting crisply, but the car was slow.

Now I've determined that if I'm easy on the throttle, the trans will shift through all gears. If I give anything beyond 15% throttle to 100% throttle, the car will skip, surge, and bog its way down to almost a halt. I literally struggled earlier tonight to go 40 mph's for a few minutes before it kind of hiccupped its way through it and alternated between normal throttle response and grinding to a halt.

It was rrrreally bad the past two days. Yesterday, I don't think it wanted any parts of the 2-3 upshift while I hopped on the freeway onramp. It was willing to get up to about 40mph, but did not want to get me from 40 to 65. I had to be delicate on the throttle to fight through the slowness before it shifted from 2nd to 3rd or skipped 3rd to go from 2-4. Tonight there was a few moments where it didn't want to give me 3rd OR 4th while climbing a hill, until I realized how I could only give the throttle like 10% or else it would bog and rev itself to a halt.

Another thing I noticed, is that I hear a popping noise and feel an intermittent tap from the engine bay as the trans and engine skips the car forward--but only if I give the throttle some 50% pressure or more. I thought it was a misfiring problem, but the speedo gauge going wacko tells me that something is wrong with the VSS. I just don't quite know why everything is going wacko at the same time (unless the ECM is failing).

I'm hoping (praying) it is the VSS (vehicle speed sensor) and nothing more. But because I'm not an expert with Q's, perhaps you guys know better.

I'd like to post 5 videos of my problems:

http://smg.photobucket.com/alb...9.flv

http://smg.photobucket.com/alb...8.flv

This is how long it takes for me to accelerate (0-60). This was the fastest I could get the car to accelerate:http://smg.photobucket.com/alb...0.flv

http://smg.photobucket.com/alb...1.flv

http://smg.photobucket.com/alb...7.flv

Modified by Lakeshow24 at 2:58 AM 12/23/2007
Modified by Lakeshow24 at 3:03 AM 12/23/2007

[Haitian_King]

Wow. I have no idea what that is. The VSS sounds like it could be the culprit, but I can't say for sure.

It was at like 4k RPM's and the speedometer needle barely budged. That's odd.

I hope you can get to the bottom of it. Good job on the videos. I should have done that instead of using colorful adjectives to describe my issues.

[Lakeshow24]

This car is rrrreally messing up now. So long as the rpm gauge is not registering properly, I am going to start cheap before I grow into expensive solutions. A bad VSS can cause this problem, so I'll start by swapping that out.

However, I just went outside to check the transmission codes, and the furthest I could get the A/T diagnostic to do was for the screen to stay on "AT Check." I followed the procedure in the tech articles, but the screen stays fastened on "AT Check." Am I doing something wrong, or did the car not store a bad AT code? Last night, while the trans was acting up I would coast at some 60 or 70 or 80 mph and snap the ignition off then back on while coasting to try and test for any electrical or computer problems but the car stayed acting sluggish.

But I did manage to trigger a very brief "Transmission Malfunction" on the display, so I'm hopeful that it stored a code. I'm just not able to pull it for some reason.

[Haitian_King]

Did you do exactly what it said in the FSM? After AT Check, you'll see a blinking box for a bit, and then it'll give you a code. Either a number, letter, or Transmission Malfunction. There's a code legend in the FSM.

[Lakeshow24]

Did you do exactly what it said in the FSM? After AT Check, you'll see a blinking box for a bit, and then it'll give you a code. Either a number, letter, or Transmission Malfunction. There's a code legend in the FSM.

It didn't do anything beyond "AT CHECK" for me. I tried over and over and over and over again and I got no results.

[goody90q45]

However! It's definitely got some issues.......No check engine lights, no trans lights, but the car just accelerates slowly. Not sure if I have a fuel restriction, or if there's another problem but it's slow slow slow.

.......At 130k its possible the fuel pump was never replaced so check fuel pressure and ECU codes, that should get you started.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^The master speaks. Take heed.

I think checking the fuel pressure seems like my best bet. Still not sure why it runs so weak, so slow, so gutless, all without throwing any trans or engine codes.

I'm going to swap out the fuel filter, and check fuel pressure if the filter doesn't restore power.

This car is rrrreally messing up now. So long as the rpm gauge is not registering properly, I am going to start cheap before I grow into expensive solutions. A bad VSS can cause this problem, so I'll start by swapping that out.

The symptoms you describe sound an awful lot like FPCU and/or fuel pump issues. I keep hoping to see a post where you've you've put in a new fuel filter and checked the fuel pressure. Before you start pulling and replacing the VSS do a bit of simple testing and rule out fuel system problems. Anyone who has been in this forum for more than a few months has seen owners fooled by the same symptoms you're having. Here's what you need to do to rule out fuel delivery issues:

> Change the fuel filter (<$20). Don't worry about using OEM for now but do put a new one in. > Check the fuel pressure. Tee in an inline pressure gauge just past the filter. It should read > 40psi. Have you been hearing a swarm of bees in your trunk/gas tank? If so your fuel pump is going south. If you're not mechanically inclined and don't feel like you can put together a pressure tester then skip to the next step for now.> Check the FPCU. IMHO this is the easiest and cheapest test to do and will tell you the most. Fab up a jumper wire with an alligator clip on both ends. You'll need to file the teeth on one of the clips (to fit the FPCU connector as shown in the pic).

To get to the FPCU: Remove the rear trunk panel to expose the gas tank. Unplug the connector from the FPCU and examine for burns. (You can see the FPCU in the pic forward of the parcel tray.) If there is any burning you've found the culprit. Jumper from the connector to an unpainted chassis location and go for a test drive. Jumpering takes the FPCU out of the circuit and runs the fuel pump on high speed only. If the transmission problem goes away your FPCU is fried.



Change the fuel filter and perform this test. It won't cost much more than about $20 and will take little more than an hour. When you're done if it doesn't point to any fuel delivery problems then you can move on to looking at transmission issues.

[Haitian_King]

That's odd. I don't know what to say to that.

[Lakeshow24]

Bump!

Oh yeah! Btw, the problem WAS the fuel pump. Just an fyi, because I left my problems dangling.

[Q45tech]

I'm on fuel pump number 3 now [18.5 years] and have a brand new spare sitting waiting for failure.

Normally the pumps last 8 years and 120k+ but you never know with changes in fuel composition. My second new one only lasted 4 years and 62k even with annual filter changes.

All it takes is a little water to eat/corrode the pump commutator [copper/brass] and its done!

If 30k of driving consumes 1666 gallons times 6.2 pounds or 10,333 pounds of gasoline even 99.99% pure contains a POUND + of dirt.

Weigh you fuel filter [after blow drying] to see how much dirt you buy between changes.

Is gasoline cleaner than tap water you better believe it, just ask my kitchen water filter used only to make 180 pots of coffee before its clogged.