Need this car to keep running.
Need this car to keep running.
Hey everyone. I have a 1996 Nissan Maxima gle. It has over 230,000 miles on it and I have been having a lot of problems keeping it running. I recently filed for bankruptcy and moved into my relatives house to try and pay off student loans. In short, I need this car to run so I can maintain my job, and job search. My mechanic ran a bypass for the security system rather than replacing the parts necessary to make it work, charging me about $100 dollars, and that seems to work fine. My "friend" mechanic helped me replace the spark plugs and run some seafoam in the intake. We also put some seafoam in the fuel tank. A new fuel filter was added. My problem with the car starting happened when we changed the spark plugs. there is one that is hard to get to and he busted the connector on the wire I think... So could this be part of the problem? Also, my transmission seems to be slipping when I give it some gas from a standstill...also... the car smells like gas.. I have a piece of rubber tubing to replace the fuel line... I am guessing it is split or cracked somewhere.... there are other problems... Strutts and something more expensive to do with that. cv joints. What should I focus on??? Remember, I just need to keep this car running until I can get some cash together. Thanks guys. Oh yeah, the rear passenger window wont roll down or up. The track is messed up somehow.. plastic parts??
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centralcoaster33
- Posts: 2634
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:41 am
- Car: 1997 Nissan 240SX #5
- Location: Central Coast, CA
Re: Need this car to keep running.
Hey and welcome to NICO Club. Sorry to hear about the rough patch. Good news is that this too shall pass.
You should focus on the running part of it all I think. Struts and CV joints can wait until the clickety clack is deafening and the bounce results in catching air on speed dips.
Gas smell could be exhaust or fuel. An exhaust tech will often inspect your exhaust for free and tell you if you have leaks that need to be repaired, then how much it will cost. That's often cheap, but maybe can wait.
Spark plugs and wires need to be in good working order. If wire is broken it must be replaced with a real plug wire, not some stereo speaker wire. Sure, get cheap ones, heck, even used, but get them. BTW - used isn't a good idea for these.
Go to Autozone or Pep Boys or whatever is local and ask them to scan your car for codes. Let us know if you have any and what they are.
Window, maybe a switch went bad. You can use speaker wire this time, run it from the battery to the window motor and roll that puppy back up and leave it up. You'll have to pull off the interior door liner to access the window motor. If power makes it roll down, reverse the wires.
Best of luck!
You should focus on the running part of it all I think. Struts and CV joints can wait until the clickety clack is deafening and the bounce results in catching air on speed dips.
Gas smell could be exhaust or fuel. An exhaust tech will often inspect your exhaust for free and tell you if you have leaks that need to be repaired, then how much it will cost. That's often cheap, but maybe can wait.
Spark plugs and wires need to be in good working order. If wire is broken it must be replaced with a real plug wire, not some stereo speaker wire. Sure, get cheap ones, heck, even used, but get them. BTW - used isn't a good idea for these.
Go to Autozone or Pep Boys or whatever is local and ask them to scan your car for codes. Let us know if you have any and what they are.
Window, maybe a switch went bad. You can use speaker wire this time, run it from the battery to the window motor and roll that puppy back up and leave it up. You'll have to pull off the interior door liner to access the window motor. If power makes it roll down, reverse the wires.
Best of luck!
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NutriaforBreakfast
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:41 pm
- Car: Nissan Maxima 1995 VQDE engine
Re: Need this car to keep running.
Sounds like the car engine and transmission work.
Make sure the CV Axles boots are not cracked. If so the grease will run out and the axle
will go out on you. At this point if you don't have a good axle you will be stuck. Generally
they will make a clicking noise when you make a sharp turn. Take a look at the floor shop
manual available through this website for more information. I have noticed I get a lot more
life from the CV axles when I change the struts every 2-3 years.
Make sure the CV Axles boots are not cracked. If so the grease will run out and the axle
will go out on you. At this point if you don't have a good axle you will be stuck. Generally
they will make a clicking noise when you make a sharp turn. Take a look at the floor shop
manual available through this website for more information. I have noticed I get a lot more
life from the CV axles when I change the struts every 2-3 years.