I've had a 1997 Q45 (BRG/tan) since 2000, and it has s been very good to me. I bought it with 27k miles, and now it has about 75k. It needs new rear shocks now, but aside from idiots in yellow trucks hitting me in parking lots and running away (there was yellow paint on my door, and point of impact was higher than a car bumper) it's had nothing go wrong.
Until now, but it's only a minor thing, the sun visors. They don't stay in place! If I move either one to the side, it'll spin smoothy around and hit either me or my passenger right in the head. There doesn't seem to be any friction holding it in place, it just glides smoothly and serenely all over the place. (As an aside, don't you just love the attention paid to tactility in this car? Every switch, every stalk feels perfectly balanced. Unfortunately, the new Infinitis don't have that, and if I have to replace this car sometime it looks like I'll have to get an Audi or a Phaeton to get that level of attention to detail.)
My dealer, Roswell Infiniti in metro Atlanta, is generally very much on top of things, but they had no fix for the visor. Has anyone here had that problem and fixed it?
Thanks!
Sun visor hitting me in the face!
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Q451990
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- Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
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I've never heard of the problems on a 97Q, but it's very common on the 90-96. Check out this tread for suggestions.
http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....39096
Also, since you're in the Atlanta area, you should really consider a visit to T3 on S. Cobb. We've had members drive days to get there - the place is definately the "Q Mecca" of the USA. You're very lucky to live that close...
Welcome to NICO!!
Heath
http://www.nissaninfiniticlub....39096
Also, since you're in the Atlanta area, you should really consider a visit to T3 on S. Cobb. We've had members drive days to get there - the place is definately the "Q Mecca" of the USA. You're very lucky to live that close...
Welcome to NICO!!
Heath
I fixed my sunvisor problem years ago...fixed the mount problem that is. Mine kept falling off...pulling out at the hinge. This will be real vauge cause it was so long ago but it might help.
Basically, the main object that locks the sunvisor shaft in place is a circular metal clip which when pushed over the metal shaft, has teeth that bite into the metal and keeps tension on a spring. The prongs of the clip get weak over time and the metal they bite into also becomes worn (bad design). Once this happens, the clip slides off, releasing the tension on the spring and the problem ensues.
To fix, I removed the clip, bent the metal prongs back down to the center which renewed the strength of the clip. I pushed it back on shaft so it was compressing the spring (not an easy feat btw) and once in place, I coated the shaft and the back of clip (right where the teeth bite) with JB Weld. Let it sit for a few days... It never slipped again.
Now... the lit vanity mirror which sits inside the visor is a whole nother story.... the flimsy hinges broke on those and I havent found a way to fix that. I believe Joe sells them for 80 bucks but I can't bring myself to spring that much so some chick can look at herself putting on lipstick. I just took off the flip cover so they see a mirror with no light when they pull down the visor.
...Drew...
Basically, the main object that locks the sunvisor shaft in place is a circular metal clip which when pushed over the metal shaft, has teeth that bite into the metal and keeps tension on a spring. The prongs of the clip get weak over time and the metal they bite into also becomes worn (bad design). Once this happens, the clip slides off, releasing the tension on the spring and the problem ensues.
To fix, I removed the clip, bent the metal prongs back down to the center which renewed the strength of the clip. I pushed it back on shaft so it was compressing the spring (not an easy feat btw) and once in place, I coated the shaft and the back of clip (right where the teeth bite) with JB Weld. Let it sit for a few days... It never slipped again.
Now... the lit vanity mirror which sits inside the visor is a whole nother story.... the flimsy hinges broke on those and I havent found a way to fix that. I believe Joe sells them for 80 bucks but I can't bring myself to spring that much so some chick can look at herself putting on lipstick. I just took off the flip cover so they see a mirror with no light when they pull down the visor.
...Drew...
Quote »They don't stay in place! If I move either one to the side, it'll spin smoothy around and hit either me or my passenger[/quote]Another fix, known to work (and well documented elsewhere on NICO) is to eliminate the problematic metal clip by cutting threads on the aluminum post & replacing that weak metal retainer with a simple nut.
This 'fix' is more for the probem of the early Q45 sunvisors falling down and hitting the occupants on the top of the head. Your problem is more of a side-to-side issue. Still, the consensus seems to be that the coil spring (above the ceiling line) is the tension member you're after.
An advantage of the previously mentioned fixes on other NICO posts is you can ADJUST the tension on the sunvisor coil spring by twisting the new nut and/or sanding down the old plastic collar on the visor (all above the ceiling line).
Since the interesting sunvisor stuff is above the ceiling line, the majority of the effort is in removing & replacing (as discussed on NICO elsewhere) ... not in adjusting the coil spring tension (which is pretty darn strong if you ask me).
Here's a shot of the entire assembly removed from the Q and placed on my kitchen floor for repairs. You can't see it here, but both sunvisors have had the retainer replaced with threaded nuts in this photo. If desired, I can post a closeup of the parts involved.
This 'fix' is more for the probem of the early Q45 sunvisors falling down and hitting the occupants on the top of the head. Your problem is more of a side-to-side issue. Still, the consensus seems to be that the coil spring (above the ceiling line) is the tension member you're after.
An advantage of the previously mentioned fixes on other NICO posts is you can ADJUST the tension on the sunvisor coil spring by twisting the new nut and/or sanding down the old plastic collar on the visor (all above the ceiling line).
Since the interesting sunvisor stuff is above the ceiling line, the majority of the effort is in removing & replacing (as discussed on NICO elsewhere) ... not in adjusting the coil spring tension (which is pretty darn strong if you ask me).
Here's a shot of the entire assembly removed from the Q and placed on my kitchen floor for repairs. You can't see it here, but both sunvisors have had the retainer replaced with threaded nuts in this photo. If desired, I can post a closeup of the parts involved.
Here's what a repaired early Q45 sunvisor looks like (looking down from the roof to the ceiling).
Notice the nut can be twisted down a thread (about 1mm) or two or three to adjust tension of the sunvisor assembly.
To be honest, the bigger problem for me was there was way too much spring tension to start with. That's probably why the weak retaining clip mechanism failed & that's why I needed to follow the NICO suggestion of sanding down the plastic escutcheon collar a few millimeters so as to be able to begin securing the new nut on the now-threaded post.
tangaloraP.S. An 'escutcheon' is, to me, anything I don't know what it really is called.
Notice the nut can be twisted down a thread (about 1mm) or two or three to adjust tension of the sunvisor assembly.
To be honest, the bigger problem for me was there was way too much spring tension to start with. That's probably why the weak retaining clip mechanism failed & that's why I needed to follow the NICO suggestion of sanding down the plastic escutcheon collar a few millimeters so as to be able to begin securing the new nut on the now-threaded post.
tangaloraP.S. An 'escutcheon' is, to me, anything I don't know what it really is called.
Here is a shot of my modified driver-side sunvisor assembly next to the as-yet-unmodified passenger side escutcheon. Notice I was able to get away with much lower spring tension than shown above because my initial threading job was better at the tip of the sunvisor post.
Notice the right-side escutcheon collar was also shortened a few millimeters which served to lessen initial sunvisor spring tension.
Basically, with this arrangement, the new nut allows me to adjust sunvisor spring tension from hard to soft with a few simple turns (each complete revolution being about a millimeter in vertical distance).
Again, the hard part isn't adding or twisting the nut to adjust tension; the hard part is the proper R&R of the sunvisor assembly. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't follow the factory method (in the TSBs). I'd just cut the wires and not bother with removing the front ceiling garnish because the wires have to be cut anyway (for this particular fix).
Oh, to have perfect foresight.
Notice the right-side escutcheon collar was also shortened a few millimeters which served to lessen initial sunvisor spring tension.
Basically, with this arrangement, the new nut allows me to adjust sunvisor spring tension from hard to soft with a few simple turns (each complete revolution being about a millimeter in vertical distance).
Again, the hard part isn't adding or twisting the nut to adjust tension; the hard part is the proper R&R of the sunvisor assembly. If I were to do it again, I wouldn't follow the factory method (in the TSBs). I'd just cut the wires and not bother with removing the front ceiling garnish because the wires have to be cut anyway (for this particular fix).
Oh, to have perfect foresight.
See link for JB Weld... It's basically an excellent epoxy. You can get from Home Depot and other locations. I have used it to fix leaky radiators with excellent results.
http://www.jbweld.co.uk/
No, JB weld would not be able to hold the spring in place by itself....what it does is hold the retainer clip in place so it does not slip or move. I believe that over time, slight shifting on the clip leads to the eventual failure. Your threading idea is also excellent but one would have to be careful about how deep those threads go...in your pic, there seems to be a hollow center to the shaft, it this so? Memory fails me.
JB Weld is a good glue but cannot be used to replace metal before threading (no matter what the claims...lol) An excellent product for that would be Alumaloy.. http://www.alumaloy.net/. Come to think of it, you could use alumaloy to weld the whole thing into place (minus fusing the spring of course).
My JB weld fix would only be effective on a unit that was not too far gone...as in missing so much metal that the clip stands no chance of gripping. What I did was bend the clip's teeth back down to center so it would bit harder and I also scored the area on the shaft that the teeth would bite into. That gives the clip a firm hold. Once all that is done, apply JB Weld to the clip and the shaft protruding from it. I didn't have to take much apart to do this and it's held it for years.
http://www.jbweld.co.uk/
No, JB weld would not be able to hold the spring in place by itself....what it does is hold the retainer clip in place so it does not slip or move. I believe that over time, slight shifting on the clip leads to the eventual failure. Your threading idea is also excellent but one would have to be careful about how deep those threads go...in your pic, there seems to be a hollow center to the shaft, it this so? Memory fails me.
JB Weld is a good glue but cannot be used to replace metal before threading (no matter what the claims...lol) An excellent product for that would be Alumaloy.. http://www.alumaloy.net/. Come to think of it, you could use alumaloy to weld the whole thing into place (minus fusing the spring of course).
My JB weld fix would only be effective on a unit that was not too far gone...as in missing so much metal that the clip stands no chance of gripping. What I did was bend the clip's teeth back down to center so it would bit harder and I also scored the area on the shaft that the teeth would bite into. That gives the clip a firm hold. Once all that is done, apply JB Weld to the clip and the shaft protruding from it. I didn't have to take much apart to do this and it's held it for years.
Quote »one would have to be careful about how deep those threads go...in your pic, there seems to be a hollow center to the shaft, it this so?[/quote]Sorry for not answering sooner; I was on a long trip cross country. And, thanks for the JB-Weld information (it will come in handy; everything does to a do-it-yourselfer).
Definately there is a hollow shaft for the sunvisor vanity mirror wires to feed juice to the light bulbs.
I found there's no problem with thread depth for 8 mm by 1.25 threads per millimeter dies & for 5/16 inch by 24 threads per inch dies (I did the drivers' side with an inexpensive metric set and the passenger side with a better made english set due to reasons stated elsewhere on NICO).
Each cut provides about a thread per millimeter of additional coil spring tension (see previous photos).
The hardest part was getting the nut on (as the spring is VERY STRONG). Perhaps yours is flaccid and needs to be retightened?
The whole job can be done in an hour if you cut the wires (no need then to remove the front roof garnish which requires removal of the a-pillar garnish which requires removal of the b-pillar garnish).
Just unscrew the sunvisors from the a-pillar garnish; cut the two wires for each; cut threads on the post; replace the clip with a nut; sand down the plastic collar if necessary to get the nut to bite the first thread; and twist the nut, as desired, each 360 degree turn providing a millimeter of additional tension on the sunvisor coil spring.
Definately there is a hollow shaft for the sunvisor vanity mirror wires to feed juice to the light bulbs.
I found there's no problem with thread depth for 8 mm by 1.25 threads per millimeter dies & for 5/16 inch by 24 threads per inch dies (I did the drivers' side with an inexpensive metric set and the passenger side with a better made english set due to reasons stated elsewhere on NICO).
Each cut provides about a thread per millimeter of additional coil spring tension (see previous photos).
The hardest part was getting the nut on (as the spring is VERY STRONG). Perhaps yours is flaccid and needs to be retightened?
The whole job can be done in an hour if you cut the wires (no need then to remove the front roof garnish which requires removal of the a-pillar garnish which requires removal of the b-pillar garnish).
Just unscrew the sunvisors from the a-pillar garnish; cut the two wires for each; cut threads on the post; replace the clip with a nut; sand down the plastic collar if necessary to get the nut to bite the first thread; and twist the nut, as desired, each 360 degree turn providing a millimeter of additional tension on the sunvisor coil spring.
Ah yes, you are right! I forgot about the wire running through the shaft.
What made it so easy for me to forget is that my car's previous owner had already clipped the wire due to a recurring problem which kept blowing a fuse. While wading through a stack of service records dating back to the early 90's, I found that an Infiniti tech had simply cut the wire because the owner deemed it unnecessary after 3 tries! I figured that if the tech was having trouble, who was I to go trying to fix?
You are also right about something else, that spring is very difficult to compress, I think I used a small deep throated socket to push the clip down...eventually. Not flaccid at all, it was tight as a virgin! (hehehe)...grew new wrist muscles after that one.
My fix was easy and virtually painless (aside from the spring) but yours seems to be the most bulletproof solution and probably something Nissan should have done in the first place.
...Drew....
What made it so easy for me to forget is that my car's previous owner had already clipped the wire due to a recurring problem which kept blowing a fuse. While wading through a stack of service records dating back to the early 90's, I found that an Infiniti tech had simply cut the wire because the owner deemed it unnecessary after 3 tries! I figured that if the tech was having trouble, who was I to go trying to fix?
You are also right about something else, that spring is very difficult to compress, I think I used a small deep throated socket to push the clip down...eventually. Not flaccid at all, it was tight as a virgin! (hehehe)...grew new wrist muscles after that one.
My fix was easy and virtually painless (aside from the spring) but yours seems to be the most bulletproof solution and probably something Nissan should have done in the first place.
...Drew....