New J30 1997 model questions

[JThIrtY]

Hello all and thanks for this opportunity to be a part of this community. Its a blessing.
First i want to introduce myself, the name is Jacob, im 19. I live in alabama and am going to school
full time for diesel technologies. So it a nutshell young, but fairly technologically savy haha.
Anyways I just recently transitioned vehicles from a 1980 f250 4 spd 300ci 4.9 to a 97 infiniti j30 that i
picked up for what i thought was a good price of 2k. Anyways the car exterior wise and interior wise is real
close to imaculant.. well also taking consideration i was accustomed to the 1980 haha and the engine bay is real clean.. the car has 254xxx miles on it. without any documentation i have to assume the engine and probably transmission is all original.. if thats the case then it was maintained very adequetely. anyways im not necessarily having any problems out of her yet.. more like concerns. first off its in diar need of 4 new tires and an alignment which will happen as soon as the funds are available. But anyways i was concerned about a tapping noise from the engine, personally sounds like lifters or a timing belt? im not sure and have never owned a vg30de so im not sure of what is prone to failure. anyways there are no check engine lights on and it drives fine on all cylinders and has adequete power too. also another concern is the power steering is intermitten, like at a red light it acts like it doesnt want to work then will start to work just feel really un-smooth and jittery.. anyways sorry for this long post, and am looking forward to some response. Thankyall

[Junya]

welcome!
not sure what could be causing intermittent power steering or the ticking. im assuming the fluids are all topped off for the power steering and engine oil? when was the last oil change/ power steering fluid change? and how do the 3 accessory belts look? they are fairly easy and cheap to replace

[JThIrtY]

The last owner claimed it had a full tune up and all fluids changed.. but you know how that goes.. though he does own multiple dealerships so i'd assume he was truthfull. good engine oil, good coolant, good brake fluid, power steering and transmission fluid.. though i do believe it to have a slight leak of ps from the rack and pinion on the drivers side. dont see how that would cause this problem.. it prolly just needs a new pump essentially. the
tick or ping or whatever you'd like to call it, sounds alot like valve lash.. but i was under the impression these engines automatically adjusted the valves? so that is why i would assume timing belt or belts.. and considering its an interference engine, would probably be a wide deicion to take care of those. and besides
it sounds to be coming from within the timing belt covers(you can almost feel it if you put your hand on them) but it seems to be getting better just from being driven. anyways i think she'll be a good one.. needs a lil tlc. and i have plans for your common bolt ons after making sure that i have good compression and fuel pressure on all cylinders just to be sure that the ole girl can handle it.

[EriCCirE]

Timing belt is a big deal on these engines. If yours goes, the pistons will hit the valves and you will hatch your engine. While your getting the timing belt done, you should also do the water pump, thermostat, and three bearings the timing belt runs on.

Be prepared, shop bill will run you nearly a grand.

[fourdrinie]

I recommend you buy OEM parts for the timing belt replacement. Infiniti sells a timing belt kit, which includes all the recommend replaceable parts needed. Ask any Infiniti dealer for part:

JTBelt94-

It includes:
all three drive belts (alt, ps and ac)
crankshaft plate
timing belt
o ring seal
camshaft oil seal
belt tensioner
tensioner spring
crankshaft oil seal
bypass water hose
water pump
thermostat and gasket

You might want to add the upper and lower idler pulleys for insurance!

Another project, if your valve covers are leaking, it's a good time to replace those valve cover gaskets and remove the plenum to replace all the vacuum hoses under the plenum!

A great parts source is infinitiparts usa.com @ 1-888-216-5328

[Mkiisupra]

So you have a ps fluid leak, yet dont understand how that would cause the system to fail?

[jdurrty]

So you have a ps fluid leak, yet dont understand how that would cause the system to fail?

Seriously dude? There's no reason for you to be a d!ck.

[jdurrty]

But anyways i was concerned about a tapping noise from the engine, personally sounds like lifters or a timing belt?

These cars/engines are known to have noisy/chattery lifters. I went through a dozen oil additives to try to calm mine down when I first got it, but nothing worked - I just ended up getting used to the noise. I put 100,000 miles on it like that and never had an issue.

also another concern is the power steering is intermitten, like at a red light it acts like it doesnt want to work then will start to work just feel really un-smooth and jittery

Mine also did the exact same thing, however mine went completely out one day and I was stuck with only maybe 50% power with the power steering. It was sluggish and tough to turn. I put in a new rack, electronic control unit, pump and reservoir with no avail. I wish I could help you on this one, but I was never able to figure it out.