Official 1990 Q45 mutilation thread

Post by **3Q Jay** » Mon Apr 25, 2022 7:12 am

No1Dad wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 23, 2022 9:34 pm
Looks like there's no use fouling those new solenoids! 150 miles later pan drop #3 is not promising. Id say the patient is living on borrowed time. This one is definitely the worst so far.
RIP @97k

Icing on the cake is some chain noise at 5k RPM (down from 7k). Luckily its the driver side tensioner so its not that bad. AND a couple of struts just went out. Might have to take a brief hiatus for morale. I expected a stupid amount of work but its like playing whack - a - mole

Agreed on your trans. Remember that you have the wide ratio gear set. Not to be a vulture, but if you are scrapping that trans, I might be interested in the 1st and 2nd planetaries if they are salvageable.

yeah, it's tough to make a 30 year old car into a daily driver. Not saying its impossible, and a Q (or any car i suppose) that sits too much will also develop issues. I make it a point to drive mine at least 1x a week.

Post by **No1Dad** » Mon Apr 25, 2022 1:00 pm

Well, right now the plan is to salvage the existing transmission if possible. However, I can't get my mind off the swap Wes had done. I know fuel economy isn't really a consideration when driving these vehicles (at least not for me), but i feel like its way better off with an additional gear at highway speeds. Just coasting at 70-ish and being around 4k rpm is ridiculous.

It's only going to be a weekend cruiser/hobby. Not sure if I would trust a vehicle this old for anything other than that. Speaking of which, I wish I was joking but I just had another window regulator fail. The motors are still chugging along so I'm assuming its due to some brittle plastic piece. I wonder if it's not something I can fix myself especially if i can save $400+.

Post by **Ryantzer** » Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:25 pm

Your highway rpm doesn’t sound right. My 1990 is only turning 2700 rpm at 80 mph and 3000 rpm at 100 mph. Maybe yours isn’t shifting into 4th gear?

Regulators are common failure points on the Q45, and numerous other vehicles as well. It’s not difficult to replace if you’re semi-mechanically inclined. You can still get OEM regulators through Amayama.

Post by **No1Dad** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:08 am

Ryantzer wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 25, 2022 2:25 pm
Your highway rpm doesn’t sound right. My 1990 is only turning 2700 rpm at 80 mph and 3000 rpm at 100 mph. Maybe yours isn’t shifting into 4th gear?

Regulators are common failure points on the Q45, and numerous other vehicles as well. It’s not difficult to replace if you’re semi-mechanically inclined. You can still get OEM regulators through Amayama.

Thats news to me! Its always driven that way. It makes sense but i just dont have another reference point. I genuinely thought it was just THAT bad. I remember seeing the gas guzzler tax on the window sticker and thought wow its really living up to its rep!

Yes i know they're not that big of a deal to swap out its just astounding having a vehicle fall apart like this. Thats a first for me.

Post by **Q451990** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 9:34 am

Agree that 4K at 70MPH isn't right. I'll have to check mine the next time she emerges from the garage for another reference point.

Post by **Ryantzer** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 10:16 am

No1Dad wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:08 am
Yes i know they're not that big of a deal to swap out its just astounding having a vehicle fall apart like this. Thats a first for me.

When I worked in the service dept. of an Infiniti dealership in 1993-1994 the techs were replacing window regulators in Q45s on a regular basis - that was here in Phoenix though, where the heat is exceptionally hard on any plastics. That said, my 1990 Q45 spent it's life in the Northeast until I purchased it 1-1/2 years ago, and it came to me with a broken right rear window regulator, so it's just a common failure point.

Post by **No1Dad** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 12:07 pm

Thank you both for the valuable insight..... Now im really worried! If the trans has been failing to that extent the entire time and I didn't recognize the symptoms of the damage taking place; Im not too optimistic about the internals being usable.

Im expecting a call from a local trans wholesaler that was going to piece together a master rebuild kit for me. He wasn't sure if he could even source anything. The solenoids/shift kit i bought last week were the last they had in stock and covered in a nice layer of dust. This website appears to have everything in stock minus the torque converter

https://www.oregonperformancetransmissi ... 3A-RB.html

Post by **Ryantzer** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 3:55 pm

No1Dad wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 25, 2022 1:00 pm
The motors are still chugging along so I'm assuming its due to some brittle plastic piece. I wonder if it's not something I can fix myself especially if i can save $400+.

You might try these guys to see if your regulator can be repaired: http://www.onetobuy.bizland.com/index.htm

Post by **Q451990** » Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:29 am

Ryantzer wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 26, 2022 3:55 pm
You might try these guys to see if your regulator can be repaired: http://www.onetobuy.bizland.com/index.htm

All of the links in that site redirect to a "do you want to buy this domain?" type of page. Could be worth calling the number on the site though. The pricing on amayama wasn't as bad as I expected. Honestly, if it was my project, I'd hold off on window regulators until the big stuff is sorted out. You may need to put together a big order to amayama or another importer to get her back up and running, and you could save some cash on shipping ordering all of it at once.

Post by **No1Dad** » Sat May 07, 2022 8:39 pm

Alright, so I wanted to start the rebuild on the trans but I'll be moving shops in a few months and i dont want to start a major teardown and have the vehicle be immobile. I also dont want the pressure of racing against the clock with something this delicate.

I jerry rigged TF out of these actuators and I got them all working. Every single one was broken in the same way and if you can find a few nuts you too can save hundreds.

The common failure point seems to be this plastic rectangle that encapsulates the stud on the steel wire. 1 half breaks off and BAM, the window is no longer operational.

I solved this by finding a nut that would fit in between there, slicing it open on one end with an angle grinder and then just weaving the cable inside the nut. I personally decided to weld it in place; although I'm sure an epoxy like JB weld would work just fine.

The second issue i came across only happened to 1 actuator but in hindsight I should have "reinforced" the other two while I was in there. Oh well

:

This "fix" is especially egregious but it worked much better than anticipated.

As you can see the plastic retainer, this time part of the cable guide also split in half and i once again used a nut trimmed to size to hold it all together. I lathered this one in some epoxy as the pièce de résistance

Im sure i could manufacture a steel one in the future if need be. Why shell out the money for the same failure prone plastic parts?

Post by **No1Dad** » Sat May 07, 2022 8:59 pm

Another angle for your viewing pleasure

Post by **Q451990** » Sun May 08, 2022 9:21 pm

Interesting. My cable was so badly mangled up around the wheel, that I gave up on a fix - but I wish I had spent a little more time trying to take it apart. I ended up drilling a hole through mine and putting a screw through it to use it as a way to keep the window up until I can order a new one from Amayama. I have a pretty major leak (probably rocker covers) that I need to fix too.

I finally changed the oil for the first time since July of 2020. It had about 700 miles on that oil change. I usually try to not let it get past a year no matter the mileage, but Monday turns in to Friday, turns in to next month, and the next thing you know there's 2 year old oil in my car.

Post by **No1Dad** » Mon May 09, 2022 9:55 am

Q451990 wrote: ↑
Sun May 08, 2022 9:21 pm
Interesting. My cable was so badly mangled up around the wheel, that I gave up on a fix - but I wish I had spent a little more time trying to take it apart.

Do you mean it was just tangled or was the cable actually frayed? It was not difficult to untangle one of mine you just need to guide the cable into its spot and manually activate the motor with a battery/power probe. Do you plan on throwing it away?

I also never knew about the oil change intervals for low use vehicles. I did some reading on that and it makes sense, just not something that I would have taken into account.

I've been looking at some used transmissions that have supposedly been tested and are sold in "good working order". The thing that threw me for a loop was the cherry red torque converter. Is it supposed to be that color from factory or would that be an indication of a possible rebuild?

I know what you're thinking and I agree, I just want to enjoy this car ASAP and I don't mind having an extra transmission sitting around. In fact it's better that I have a spare ready to pop in if/when the used one blows.

Post by **No1Dad** » Sat May 14, 2022 3:42 pm

The rear main is still holding! Im pleasantly surprised. I found a used trans with the weird little add-on micro cooler (per a TSB?) and the pan drop wasn't terrible so i took the gamble. Even if its not great pretty much anything would be better than the original trans. It was getting worse by the minute so i decided to pull the trigger on having a rebuilt spare ready to roll.

Post by **No1Dad** » Sat May 14, 2022 3:47 pm

Also, if you're ever in a bind and need to service the trans ASAP, you can use a filter from a '93 pathfinder. They're the same thing. All you have to do is trim off the bottom lip.
AutoZone PN TF322

YouTube · Post by **J30tChumpCar** » Sat May 14, 2022 9:52 pm

Hi, its been years since visiting, not many here know me, but have extensive experience endurance road course racing a j30 repowered with vh45/r03a ( early planet, 1st gr start, level 10 valve body) controlled by a wes switchable stage 2-3 ECU...

If anyone wants to know more of the things learned from reliably romping this setup from 2015 to current(approx 30,000 race miles) I am a open to answer the best I can.

Seeing I stumbled into this thread mid trans change, this stuff is incredible, because racing has me believing, all personal & customer cars/trucks get it: amalie Universal-Synthetic-Automatic-Transmission-Fluid. I encourage everyone to research.

Look up the channel multicrazycar on youtube to see some of what we do.

https://youtu.be/lqnLm_Z1aQ8?t=745

Post by **No1Dad** » Sun May 15, 2022 4:36 am

J30tChumpCar wrote: ↑
Sat May 14, 2022 9:52 pm

If anyone wants to know more of the things learned from reliably romping this setup from 2015 to current(approx 30,000 race miles) I am a open to answer the best I can.

Welcome back!
Do you run any additives or just straight ATF? Ill eventually think of more questions thats just the first that came to mind

Also the fluid seems to have decent reviews and the price is right. I think I'll try it. Do you have other suggestions? I dont plan on racing or doing anything crazy with the vehicle but it still needs to perform when I ask it to

YouTube · Post by **J30tChumpCar** » Sun May 15, 2022 7:40 am

No1Dad wrote: ↑
Sun May 15, 2022 4:36 am

J30tChumpCar wrote: ↑
Sat May 14, 2022 9:52 pm

If anyone wants to know more of the things learned from reliably romping this setup from 2015 to current(approx 30,000 race miles) I am a open to answer the best I can.
Welcome back!
Do you run any additives or just straight ATF? Ill eventually think of more questions thats just the first that came to mind

Also the fluid seems to have decent reviews and the price is right. I think I'll try it. Do you have other suggestions? I dont plan on racing or doing anything crazy with the vehicle but it still needs to perform when I ask it to

While there are no more q45 here I have had 5-6 over the years, I would drive them long enough to evaluate, tune up, get running on all 8 then strip it for everything good. I would do the same with J30 and 300z as I have a eclectic mix of all 3... One j30 and one q45 got driven a year, nice cars!

No additives, no issues flushing dozens of customer transmissions, as long as the unit is healthy, it will shift as it designed. Never tried to bring one back but 3 of the parts cars had bad units, one came back on its own and worked for 2 weeks after beating the crap out of it, the q45 driven a year, was never right, but also never officially quit. (4th band was burned when used for parts) the other never got driven.

Any other suggestions? You already did the chain guides, I have one set of china guides that have been in 2 engines, I never changed the chains, kept the OEM tensioners, just new guides. Engine oil used here in hot south florida has been rotella t4 conventional 15w40, the car always gets a warm up as its a bit thick, but so far its the only oil that does not show bearing glitter between oil changes (every event, 1000 miles)

Other random thoughts:
The stock driveline & engine/trans electronics are very robust, never lost a shift solenoid, sensor ECU or TCU without something self induced/stupid like a shorted harness or water intrusion(no windows)...

Yes early z32 300zx injectors fit but you need to make sure they are from a turbo model, at least that is the way it works with the late injectors we run. (different flow rate)

Struts appear the same from q45 to 300z but have never actually tried swapping between chassis, Im sue someone here knows.

YouTube · Post by **J30tChumpCar** » Sun May 15, 2022 7:43 am

J30tChumpCar wrote: ↑
Sun May 15, 2022 7:40 am

No1Dad wrote: ↑
Sun May 15, 2022 4:36 am

Welcome back!
Do you run any additives or just straight ATF? Ill eventually think of more questions thats just the first that came to mind

Also the fluid seems to have decent reviews and the price is right. I think I'll try it. Do you have other suggestions? I dont plan on racing or doing anything crazy with the vehicle but it still needs to perform when I ask it to
While there are no more q45 here I have had 5-6 over the years, I would drive them long enough to evaluate, tune up, get running on all 8 then strip it for everything good. I would do the same with J30 and 300z as I have a eclectic mix of all 3... One j30 and one q45 got driven a year, nice cars!

No additives, no issues flushing dozens of customer transmissions, as long as the unit is healthy, it will shift as it designed. Never tried to bring one back but 3 of the parts cars had bad units, one came back on its own and worked for 2 weeks after beating the crap out of it, the q45 driven a year, was never right, but also never officially quit. (4th band was burned when used for parts) the other never got driven.

Any other suggestions? You already did the chain guides, I have one set of china guides that have been in 2 engines, I never changed the chains, kept the OEM tensioners, just new guides. Engine oil used here in hot south florida has been rotella t4 conventional 15w40, the car always gets a warm up as its a bit thick, but so far its the only oil that does not show bearing glitter between oil changes (every event, 1000 miles)

Other random thoughts:
The stock driveline & engine/trans electronics are very robust, never lost a shift solenoid, sensor ECU or TCU without something self induced/stupid like a shorted harness or water intrusion(no windows)...

Yes early z32 300zx injectors fit but you need to make sure they are from a turbo model, at least that is the way it works with the late injectors we run. (different flow rate)

Struts appear the same from q45 to 300z but have never actually tried swapping between chassis, Im sure someone here knows.

Post by **No1Dad** » Mon May 16, 2022 1:23 pm

I may have lost on that gamble! Initially I was getting an open circuit code for the revolution sensor and it felt like the trans was in limp mode. Ok nbd ill just swap the old one and go from there.

However once I did there was no change in the way it drove. I figured maybe the TCM went bad again, I popped in a known good unit and it still handled the same. No more codes, and all ok on the self test so it must be the transmission itself. The data shows the supposed gear changes while driving but its stuck in 3rd. I haven't done any more troubleshooting or a pan drop but at this point I dont have reservations about condemning this trans. My next step is going to be checking out the solenoids, possibly a valve body swap in case the frictions are ok on this one. We'll see.

Post by **3Q Jay** » Tue May 17, 2022 7:41 am

I've lost lock on which trans you have presently installed. But in catching up on this thread, I was already thinking "replace your rev sensor" when reading your most recent post.
I would do it preemptively when the trans is dropped regardless (as long as you have a known good one), just because you will either drop the trans later to replace a bad one, or cut a hole in your trans tunnel under the console in order to access it....
PS--the back side of your block looks amazingly clean! check those screw in 'welsh' plugs in the heads. they are known for seeping.

Post by **No1Dad** » Tue May 17, 2022 9:40 am

3Q Jay wrote: ↑
Tue May 17, 2022 7:41 am
I've lost lock on which trans you have presently installed.

Right now I have a different transmission in there, not the original which I had planned to overhaul and keep as a spare.

Luckily it was the rear revolution sensor. Trust me I had a sinking feeling for a couple minutes thinking it was the turbine revolution sensor up front LOL. In my infinite wisdom I opted to trust the recyclers and just shove in a used unit without checking any sensors. Obviously they have a different definition of "tested and in good working order". Or maybe it just sat for too long. Whatever the case might be ill check back in after testing line pressures and solenoids

Post by **No1Dad** » Thu May 19, 2022 12:46 pm

Quick update, I had 2 codes appear during this last check, 01 and 08.
01 again for the revolution sensor, however I checked the input and it reads perfectly fine according to the service manual. 0 volts at a stop and 1 volt at 20 mph

08 was the new one but that didn't turn out to be useful either. I got battery voltage at the specified pins and the temperature sensor is reading fine both with the scan tool data and reading it manually with a multimeter.

With all the data that checks out and 2 codes that shouldn't be there according to the inputs I'm a little stumped. I think the odds of having two bad TCMs that give the exact same symptoms would be astronomical so there must be something else going on here. Possibly an intermittent condition.... I would appreciate some more troubleshooting tips! The pins are clean btw.

Also the ABS modulator is dry. I cleaned it up a few weeks ago and it hasn't been weeping since. No clue what the deal is there either. Maybe it was a success after all

Post by **3Q Jay** » Thu May 19, 2022 1:31 pm

ABS looks good!
Maybe the scan tool is interpreting the turbine sensor as the rear rev sensor (Have you checked the turbine sensor raw signal)?
I wouldn't sweat the temp sensor one. My recollection without a detailed re-review of the material is that it mostly affects locking out 4th gear until the trans is at operating temp.

Post by **Ryantzer** » Thu May 19, 2022 2:02 pm

3Q Jay wrote: ↑
Thu May 19, 2022 1:31 pm
My recollection without a detailed re-review of the material is that it mostly affects locking out 4th gear until the trans is at operating temp.

This might be related to the issue of high rpms at highway speeds though - maybe the trans just isn’t shifting into 4th due to a bad temp sensor.

Post by **No1Dad** » Thu May 19, 2022 6:25 pm

3Q Jay wrote: ↑
Thu May 19, 2022 1:31 pm
(Have you checked the turbine sensor raw signal)?

No i have not but thats a great idea .

I threw a hail Mary and it landed. Sort of. I swapped the valve body (after breaking the gasket and having to buy a whole seal kit) 1-3 are good, the shifts are ok and it stays in gear while flooring it but ive got no 4th now. Fine by me. I am relieved with how it turned out considering its previous state.

Post by **No1Dad** » Thu May 19, 2022 6:27 pm

Ryantzer wrote: ↑
Thu May 19, 2022 2:02 pm
This might be related to the issue of high rpms at highway speeds though - maybe the trans just isn’t shifting into 4th due to a bad temp sensor.

I didn't know this was a feature. Right now it's about 5,000 RPM to hit 70 mph and redlining to hit 80. Granted I forgot to clear the codes before heading back out but I'll look into it. Thank you.

I vaguely remember reading something about the line rise probablem burning out clutches but this just isnt shifting at all.

Post by **No1Dad** » Thu May 19, 2022 7:35 pm

Nevermind, it isn't shifting past 2nd now. Could've sworn it was earlier but maybe thats just wishful thinking. I followed the instructions in the manual for reassambling the valve body but i obviously missed something. Anyway, 2 gears are better than 1

I'll be glad to finish playing with broken s*** and get down to some real driving when I reman the other trans!!!

Post by **No1Dad** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:07 pm

Electrical gremlins

I don't want to jack myself off but I honestly really enjoy doing electrical diagnostics and am fairly decent at it. It's been a large part of how I make my living but this car has got me second-guessing my abilities.

I had not touched my Q for a while and decided to work on the power seats just as a way to relax and take care of the smaller stuff while I get ready for the big move. I know for a fact I'm not insane because I have an earlier post documenting that I did not have battery voltage at the yellow wire for the seat switch. That day when I jumped the yellow wire with my power probe the seats were working normally. Fast forward to today; I have miraculously regained battery voltage at the switch but now there is no seat movement.

This isn't the first time this vehicle has funky Electrical issues but how do I even begin to address this? I guess I could order another switch? There doesn't seem to be any output on the wire which goes to the seat control module not that there's any reference in the manual as to what kind of signal I should be getting.

Feel free to chime in if there are any rituals I can perform. Maybe some sage would help?

No1Dad wrote: ↑
Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:58 pm
power to the seat control suddenly gave out. I was close enough to the shop where I decided to check it out real quick and there is no voltage at the yellow wire but the fuse is fine and it has batt voltage. Great whatever nbd.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:24 pm

Do you have the Auto Positioner or no? I can get you the OE diagram for either one, they're a lot more descript.

Official 1990 Q45 mutilation thread

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