Again, thanks so much for any help!! I really like this car, but it's somewhat scarey knowing nothing about them! I know it can also be a better machine than what it is, and I'm pretty excited to get it into shape. I just want to make sure it's done right and well. Feel free to also respond to my email; [email protected].Thanks again....
New '93 J30 Owner w/???'s
New '93 J30 Owner w/???'s
Good afternoon! I recently ended my search for a '90 - '94 BMW 7 series when I came across a heck of a deal on a '93 J30. Bought it for $700 because it needed a new transmission, which I got installed, with a 3 year warranty for $2000. Another bonus is that the previous owner was unaware when she got the car the timing belt needed to be replaced BEFORE it broke. So the car also has less than 20k on a NEW engine. There's no way to guess the car is 10 years old judging by the interior, which was extremely well kept. There are some minor exterior issues, which I will get to when I get to the many questions I have.Needless to say, I am very pleased with my purchase. I had not considered Infiniti when I set out, only because they tend to be a bit out of what my price range was. When I found this car, I called a few random mechanics, who all replied with nothing but good things to say, and two even stating they were the best cars they had ever owned (and they were not Infiniti/Nissan specific mechanics). BUT, I know NOTHING of these cars! One reason for my direction towards BMW was the fact I have a friend who is a BMW Cert. Mech, and they were relatively easy for my DIY copilot. None of my mech. friends can work on Infiniti, and giggled when I asked if they could. The only car I have ever owned has been Volvo. None of my friends have an Infiniti. My husband opened the hood and replied with "Oh sh--t" ( but we obviously still bought the car!). So, I'm pretty clueless.I do have a ton of questions, and MANY THANKS in advance to those of you who take the time to read and respond to this. Any imput/thoughts/ideas/suggestions/direction will be greatly appreciated!!!I guess I will start off with obvious questions with hopefully easy answers. Then I'll go to issues the car is currently having, to minor things. Overall, in general, how easy/difficult are these cars to maintain by a DIY person? I know some things are going to require more than basic, but just as a general idea. The responses we have had so far with mechanics and friends have us wondering if we've purchased a high performance machine that will always need to be serviced by Infiniti (which we were trying to avoid). Today, while researching a current problem, I pulled out the handy dandy service book from the trunk. Now, I have not spent a lot of time with it, but am I right in that you can self diagnose it's system (some things) without being plugged in to an Infiniti dealers CPU? If so, where are some good resourses on how to use this??This car sat for some time before we bought it (about 6 months) and we have not yet taken it in to have anything done other than the transmission (no oil changes or anything yet). I think we have gotten the 'cobwebs' out, but I do have a couple of concerns. When the car is given gas, it somewhat hesitates before it goes (and not just from take off). There's no sputtering or anything like that, it's more like it takes a couple of seconds before the power kicks in. I won't 'jump out' into traffic. I would assume this is not normal, but I'm not really sure where to begin for diagnosing. The book is pointing me in obvious directions, but any thoughts you may have would be great. And I have been using 91 octane.I guess that's really the only major issue we currently have. So on to the others...There's a problem with the back drivers side window. It will roll down okay, but makes a terrible noise when it would go up. Today when my husband forgot about this issue and rolled the window down, the noise stopped, and the window will not go up now. Nothing happens at all. The book will likely be helpful with this, but he's not sure how to get the panel apart. ?????I think there may be some electrical gremlins. The drivers door does not always unlock using the remote (and now battery for the remote appears to be dead and has not been replaced yet). But that's not the only problem with that door. Sometimes I can only open it from the inside. And the other day I couldn't open it at all, inside or out. It just fixed itself somehow, and the problem comes and goes in different forms. I'm guessing it's an electric something in there because the power mirror control isn't working right. BUT that also looks like it may not be seated in there right. I dunno! Most of the time I have to open the drivers dor by opening the bacj door and reaching through. Hassle, but not a bid deal. However, it's a pain when the door won't open regardless. And as I'm writing this, I'm wondering if maybe door was previously taken apart and just not put back quite right because the door lock on the inside sometimes acts 'sticky'. Hmmm.Another thing going on is that sometimes when I corner, the drivers side speaker goes out but only when it's on CD. This can be remedied by turning the power to it off, then on again (or by a bump in the road). If I were to turn on the radio, it's fine, so I believe it's just a CD issue.That's not too bad consiudering these are my only complaints! Though my husband did say today he thinks it's leaking some oil. And the air does need charged (must do soon considering it's black on black!).We do intend to have some things done to it soon as far as maintainence. I'm sure it's screaming for a tune up, too.Now I do have some questions as far as the body. It looks as though someone got a bit too agressive with buffing it or something. The clear coat is poretty scratched in some places. Some have suggested a rubbing compound, and before I have any of this done, I wanted some suggestions. There are some paint chips and other things to be expected with a car its age. And someone also suggested that new wax with dye in it, but I was wondering if that would be good or not??? And what works best to get the brake dust off the rims?!?! The interior is awesome. There has been very little sitting in anything other than the drivers seat, so the leather is kind of stiff.l I have already used saddle soap, and bought some mink oil to use. However, the kind I bought also has silicone in it, which I'm not sure about. What are some of you using for leather care??The carpets aren't so great, but I'll be keeping an eye on Ebay for replacements.I think that's it for now! I'm sure soon we'll be posting for info on higher performance and such. I imagine these cars can get up and go pretty well considering the 6 or so Nissan drivers I have had toying with me! Last night my husband was already searching through the forums researching performance chips and mods! Again, thanks so much for any help!! I really like this car, but it's somewhat scarey knowing nothing about them! I know it can also be a better machine than what it is, and I'm pretty excited to get it into shape. I just want to make sure it's done right and well. Feel free to also respond to my email; [email protected].Thanks again....
Again, thanks so much for any help!! I really like this car, but it's somewhat scarey knowing nothing about them! I know it can also be a better machine than what it is, and I'm pretty excited to get it into shape. I just want to make sure it's done right and well. Feel free to also respond to my email; [email protected].Thanks again....
Congratulations on your new J30 and welcome to NICO!!
You will find a ton of information on your car here and be able to talk with many Nissan/Infiniti enthusiasts.
My first piece of advice is to use the Search button at the top right. It is an invaluable resource as so many things have been covered before.
The J30 is very do-able for a DIY'er. We have quite a few that do all their work themselves and plenty of knowledgeable techs to walk you through things.
When you get your oil changed switch over to synthetic oil. It will prolong the life of your engine and give you better performance. Running a MOBIL 1 15w50 or something comparable would be nice. I'm sure plenty of others will chime in soon. Remember to use the search and have fun.
Nick
You will find a ton of information on your car here and be able to talk with many Nissan/Infiniti enthusiasts.
My first piece of advice is to use the Search button at the top right. It is an invaluable resource as so many things have been covered before.
The J30 is very do-able for a DIY'er. We have quite a few that do all their work themselves and plenty of knowledgeable techs to walk you through things.
When you get your oil changed switch over to synthetic oil. It will prolong the life of your engine and give you better performance. Running a MOBIL 1 15w50 or something comparable would be nice. I'm sure plenty of others will chime in soon. Remember to use the search and have fun.
Nick
Thanks! The engine has tasted only synth oil ( I believe Valvoline Synpower or something like that; not Mobile). BTW, I have heard nothing but great things about Royal Purple and have seen more than a couple of dealers using it now (someone asked about it somewhere in the forum).I have searched out some info, and have already found some great stuff that should prove to be helpful, though much of it will make more sense to my husband than myself! Kind of spooky though; I have been reading pages and pages of 'car stuff'! 
Actually, I'm more of a car freak than my husband!Thanks again!
Actually, I'm more of a car freak than my husband!Thanks again!your window: most likely the regulator. do a search for carlos knology, his J30 website has a tutorial on this subject, and many other common pitfalls.
leaking oil is not common, although i had a rare occurrence of valve cover oil leakage.
your bose radio: sorry to break this to you, but bose blows. almost every J30 owner has had some quirk or problem with their stereo, as either the head unit or separate amplifiers go south after about 10 years. Replacements can be bought, or they can be sent to be repaired...but in my opinion, a better option is just to get a completely new aftermarket system. My stereo is still operational, but i have experienced a few of the telltale signs, like yours. So, you can live with it until one day it just stops working, and then go aftermarket or get it repaired. unfortunately, the stereo repair is not DIY.
sounds like you have the repair manual. with it, most repairs are DIY, just hook yourself up with one of the dealership suppliers which offer the NICO dscount.
common for black J30s to have swirl marks, but again, its an old car. I have yet to find a solution, but it have to believe that a pro could get them out well, as long as there isnt too much oxidation.
carlos' site also has info on the door problem you might be experiencing. battery for the remote can be found at walgreens.
my oil of preference is Mobil 10W30 full syn, but there are many huge discussions on the subject archived here, just search and be amazed, some of the members here are petroleum/refinery pros.
use lexol for the leather seats. they will become more supple over time through repeated application.
there is an onboard ECU diagnostic for both the engine electrical system and the transmission, the manual covers it and how to access the error codes. (A home version of nissan consult may soon be available, see engineering forum for progress)
hesitation could be from any number of things. best to first run both engine and transmission diagnostics.
the J30 lacks torque below about 3000 rpm, and it is nearly 2 tonnes, so it might simply be that. hard to tell based on verbal description, drivability issues must often be solved with a test drive done by the person doing the repair who knows how the car is suppost to perform.
if your 0-60 is on the order of 8 seconds, you are probably fine.
leaking oil is not common, although i had a rare occurrence of valve cover oil leakage.
your bose radio: sorry to break this to you, but bose blows. almost every J30 owner has had some quirk or problem with their stereo, as either the head unit or separate amplifiers go south after about 10 years. Replacements can be bought, or they can be sent to be repaired...but in my opinion, a better option is just to get a completely new aftermarket system. My stereo is still operational, but i have experienced a few of the telltale signs, like yours. So, you can live with it until one day it just stops working, and then go aftermarket or get it repaired. unfortunately, the stereo repair is not DIY.
sounds like you have the repair manual. with it, most repairs are DIY, just hook yourself up with one of the dealership suppliers which offer the NICO dscount.
common for black J30s to have swirl marks, but again, its an old car. I have yet to find a solution, but it have to believe that a pro could get them out well, as long as there isnt too much oxidation.
carlos' site also has info on the door problem you might be experiencing. battery for the remote can be found at walgreens.
my oil of preference is Mobil 10W30 full syn, but there are many huge discussions on the subject archived here, just search and be amazed, some of the members here are petroleum/refinery pros.
use lexol for the leather seats. they will become more supple over time through repeated application.
there is an onboard ECU diagnostic for both the engine electrical system and the transmission, the manual covers it and how to access the error codes. (A home version of nissan consult may soon be available, see engineering forum for progress)
hesitation could be from any number of things. best to first run both engine and transmission diagnostics.
the J30 lacks torque below about 3000 rpm, and it is nearly 2 tonnes, so it might simply be that. hard to tell based on verbal description, drivability issues must often be solved with a test drive done by the person doing the repair who knows how the car is suppost to perform.
if your 0-60 is on the order of 8 seconds, you are probably fine.
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AZhitman
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1) Welcome to NICO! Everyone has already given you some GREAT advice, so I'll add a couple from myself...
2) Bose amps can be repaired DIY. I have the process, but I'll have to dig it up at home... email me via my profile to remind me.
3) Joe at Scottsdale for all your parts needs - big discount for NICO members.
4) Swirls? Zaino. Check http://www.zainobros.com, esp for a black car. You'll be amazed or I'll eat my tires.
5) Lexol is good, Leatherique is the best. Buy online or at a local Benz dealer. Throw the mink oil away, it's not for car interiors. Actually, the saddlesoap isn't so great either - Zaino also makes a good leather cleaner.
6) Keep in mind your car has the same engine as the 300ZX, many parts are interchangeable.
Did I mention welcome to NICO?
2) Bose amps can be repaired DIY. I have the process, but I'll have to dig it up at home... email me via my profile to remind me.
3) Joe at Scottsdale for all your parts needs - big discount for NICO members.
4) Swirls? Zaino. Check http://www.zainobros.com, esp for a black car. You'll be amazed or I'll eat my tires.
5) Lexol is good, Leatherique is the best. Buy online or at a local Benz dealer. Throw the mink oil away, it's not for car interiors. Actually, the saddlesoap isn't so great either - Zaino also makes a good leather cleaner.
6) Keep in mind your car has the same engine as the 300ZX, many parts are interchangeable.
Did I mention welcome to NICO?
and since noone has addressed the brake dust...
I like to clean the rims off with Simple Green Foaming stuff. it should be available in most stores everywhere. its a very powerful product. you can also get it in a little spray bottle which you can mix amounts with water to clean certain things.
spray or foam... its really your choice. foam is easier for me
I like to clean the rims off with Simple Green Foaming stuff. it should be available in most stores everywhere. its a very powerful product. you can also get it in a little spray bottle which you can mix amounts with water to clean certain things.
spray or foam... its really your choice. foam is easier for me