Q45 worth saving?

[madrone]

I recently inherited a '90 Q45 Sport (4WS) with only 80,000 miles. Although the car is quite clean cosmetically there are a number of issues. 1. chain guides 2. Struts (driver front clunks pretty bad on bumps) 3. needs a brake job and seems to be leaking some fluid though I have not found where 4. leaking PS hose, was told of this by dealer years ago, leaks more in winter than summer, leaks more when car is not used than when it is used! 5. Bose stereo pops and crackles so bad it will run you out of the car 6. last several years car only used for short in town trips (proverbial little old lady car), although it runs very well with a very smooth idle the car failed Texas emmision testing with high nitrous levels, car pretty much maintained by dealer and did have the plugs changed at 70,000 miles 7. driveshaft beginning to vibrate just a little

I know the car is worth very little but what would a reasonable budget be to fix it to use and drive for a few more years? I love driving it. In my younger days I was a fair shade tree mechanic and can do some of the stuff but I don't think I can do the chain guides as my back will just no longer allow me to bend over and work that much any more, I would love to find a decent Q45 mechanic in Texas.

[maxnix]

Rough guess, about $5-$6K to get it right for a DIY. Can you borrow a lift?

You will have to replace all suspension rubber and under plenum hoses. If it is a steering leak, it may only be a seal. If never flushed, you might want to throw in another $2.7K for a transmission. Look at all fluids and report back. Motor mounts are gone for sure. Driveshaft is $800 if done yourself. Look at rear subframe's silicon filled rubber mounts for leaks. Chain guiide can be done be a complete newbie working carefully (read Evan King's account under gniknave). It is nice to have a resource to fall back on. AAAcomp (Glen) is in the Dallas area, but hangs out a lot on the Infinitihelp board. Spend a few weeks reading the previous posts here and decide.

If the body and interior are in good shape, you are not that far away from an incrdible car. A keen summer project.

[squeefoo]

1. chain guides DIY $300 You can do it

2. Struts (driver front clunks pretty bad on bumps)Struts and upper transverse links Around $500.00 DIY and check ball joints

3. needs a brake job and seems to be leaking some fluid though I have not found where IT's easy ~from $50 -$1200 or more 4. leaking PS hose, was told of this by dealer years ago, leaks more in winter than summer, leaks more when car is not used than when it is used! Find a place that will crimp a new hose on $20 DIY change the fluid to M1 Trans fluid

5. Bose stereo pops and crackles so bad it will run you out of the car Replace stereo ... the sky's the limit.

6. high nitrous levels,Replace O2 sensors (talk to el Wesso), clean EGR and tube, then clean throttle body

7. driveshaft beginning to vibrate just a littleCheck the rear trans mount $100? (too lazy to look it up) DIY

Change all the fluids, most answers and tutorals are here or at http://www.q45.org find prices at http://www.everythinginfiniti.com

I've done the same and then some and have an awesome car.

[DrewQ45]

Man I wouldn't bother if I were you. That Q sounds like it's a goner. Might as well sell it cheap to me!

[madrone]

what's cheap? offers considered

[metaverse3]

lol..He's making a move on it.. That car when fixed is a work of art.. The original engine with tons of power.. benz style seat buttons etc. Hmm.. For the Q45 fanatics, a good price would be around 2k+ For the person who looks at it for what it's worth being a 15+ year old car, $1.5K

[DrewQ45]

Thanks Meta....I think you got the logic mixed up though.... for the Q fanatic, it would be worth to buy for the lower price because of the upkeep he/she will put into it. Of course that mileage needs to check out in a Carfax report.

..Drew...

[metaverse3]

Well.. I tend to think out side the box and be a realist since I have access to a garage with state of the art equipment and have seen, worked on, and driven more cars than I could care to mention. As for the logic part, fanatics also should have some deep pockets when it comes to the Q. I'll admit that I will work on a car night/day to get it running right and help others do the same if possible. Regardless, I'm not a lowballer and also have worked on cars enough to know that age always catches up. To be honest, for around 2k I would consider an older Q where I can invest some money to get it going right. However, I really do not need a V8 engine to trot around a small town as mine. I'm starting to offload my fleet of cars and downsizing vehicles more practical to my needs such as a pickup for yard work and hauling.. At this point, the only car I would consider is the Q45 and nothing else and after that it is a truck/SUV all the way..

[gniknave]

If you're not the DIY guy, get rid of it. If you are, then it's worth it.