The Saga of my Q: Long

[elwesso]

Alright, well let me start out by saying that I am OK, the Q is still in one piece (IE it didnt wreck) and I am at school right now....

So as most of you know, I went down to Louisville yesterday to hang out with Fred (and to look at his Q and stuff).... I went to work at 7am, and got of at 11, promptly left for louisville, and got down there about 230pm local time. Fred meets me there, and we went with Joel, to the mall to get some grub and look at the ladies . ed....

So then we hang out for a while, and we took out the S13. Good holy God that car is FAST. We really didnt get it going up real fast (80mph or so?), but that thing is like a gocart with 270 crankHP.... Its blazingly fast, and nicely enough, he offered to let me drive, but not being good with a manual and stuff I declined (and as it turns out I'll be going back down there probably next weekend).... Since it has no AC and it was BLAZINGLY hot we went back inside....

SO then we took out Fred's Q... He has been talking to me about how it shifts at 6500 and all kinds of crap, and actually i told him if you hold the gear lever, it shifts at 7300 where its supposed to... Took it out on the highway, and man that car is SUPER nimble. Im not sure I could live with the noise of the UHP tires, but Im sure Id get used to it..... I digress again.. But anyway, as I was driving it I was like "something doesnt feel real strong about this car".. Something did feel off, so Fred says (and this is something we had planned on doing while I was down there anyway) we DEFINITELY have to race now.... So we head off to an industrial area, and all this time we had been driving my Q and it was just fine (we drove my Q to the mall earlier, and drove beautifully with AC on all the way down)... So we did 3 runs, and BTW we have some AWESOME (GOLDEN) videos of our Q's racing.... I noticed at the first run i heard a little bit of ticking, but its been on/off doing just a little feint rocker cover noise, nothign to worry about.... I will post the videos when I get home this afternoon, with more details...

So anyway, at the 3rd run (and youll notice in the video), my Q DEFININTELY didnt feel right, very weak, so I backed off and opened up the hood. Joel was with us (and for those fo you who dont know him, he's VERY adept in mechanics).. He was like "its just some rocker cover noise, nothing to worry about".... SOmething didnt feel right, and we were planning on doing some highway runs, but I told Fred I wanted to head back to his place (which was about 1.5 miles from where we were). So we head off, and the Q is just hardly running... I was making a left hand turn, and the transmission just wouldnt shift into 2nd (because it was so weak, like going up a hill), and we heard this THUDDING (engine was at 4000 rpm windows open going 40 with traffic and could still clearly hear it).. Joel is riding with me and he says "let off the gas", and i do that, and it just DIES. Goes from 4000 RPM to NOTHING in less than a second... So I pull over to the side of the road, and we restart it and we hear this THUNKING, and he said "dude thats seriously some rod knock", so i IMMEDIATELY turn off the car. Fred was about a mile away, and he parked and walked back and he thought I was overheating (we had notice my rad. cap was leaking just a little)... So we fire it back up, and its definitely a rod knock. So we assess the situation and I figure this car isnt getting home regardless, so we decide to try and limp the car home.. I fire it up, it sounds HORRIBLE, we get about 50 feet and it dies again, except this time, the starter wont even turn over the car. Battery tested OK, and the stereo still worked and everything, definteliy wasnt a dead battery..

Fortunately, (OH SO THANKFUL), Joel had AAA so we called a tow truck and within 30 mins, we towed it to Freds house which like I said was about a mile away.....

So for those of you who skipped my rambling above, here are the cliff notes: My Q is completely dead, it has thrown a rod, or is in the process therein....

So now, the question remains what I need to do with this car.. Part it out, swap in a new engine, and everything like that.....

More details with pictures will come around 3pm when I get home......

[qship96]

sludge,wes,sludge! my guess is the oil pump pickup screen is blocked with sludge,leading to oil starvation,I remember q45tech telling you to keep the RPM`s way down from redline months ago,after your posts of the oil light remaining on after startups.

[louiegz]

I'm speechless. Sorry about the Q. Find out about the engine replacement. I'd be a shame to part it out.

[elwesso]

Qship....

While that may be true, it was obviously going to happen anyway. I didnt drive the car real hard (except when racing) but it was probably best that it happened so close to Freds house rather than having it happen on my way home out in the boonies on I65....

Parting out is becoming very tempting......

[Q451990]

Wes,

I'm sorry to hear about your Q. Your case goes to show that even excellent maintenence later in a car's life, can't overcome bad maintenence by the previous owner. I was afraid this would happen when I saw the sludge pics...

If you're interested, Q1 awaits

Heath

[maxnix]

Damn. A Seafoam victim? Did you ever have the mechanical crankcase flush done? A sad story, but at least a dissatisfied buyer isn't all over you!

Surely another rehabbed JDM take-out engine is the way to go.

[AZhitman]

Wes, first of all, please accept my condolences. I know it sounds cheesy, but I know how much you love that car. I'm sad for you (and her).

Now on to the heartless reality: If the interior and exterior aren't fairly cherry, you may be better off parting the old gal. You're fairly adept at assembly/disassembly, you may do well if you put everything on ebay and NICO.

Again, sorry about your car. Hope your folks are being supportive and gentle right now...

[pito11213]

Wes I am extremely sad to hear about the Q. Hopefully you can make a smart decision. You know the price of a motor swap versus getting another Q. Being that you have the expertise and space maybe parting out is a good idea.

If it is holla at me for real.

[Rex]

It's a sad sad day in the NICO-nation. We've lost one of our own . I can say I saw her the weekend she passed and how fittingly she passed during Labor Day as she was Wes' Labor of Love (I know it all sounds corny, but the poor fella loved that car).

Wes, I gotta ask, what's the folks thoughts?

[90Q45blue]

Man Wes, I couldn't believe it when Jesda posted about it last night. I feel terrible for you and your Q. As Rex said, it would be important to see what the parents think is acceptable as far as car plans go. Let me know if you need any help with anything.

Nick

[Jesda]

If I had a NICO flag, it would be at half staff today. I loved that Q.

[pito11213]

Since my power antennae is broken I will consider that at half staff.

[SFBayQ45]

It's certainly sad to see a NICO Q depart...best of wishes to you Wes. But my guess is that you'll be back with another Q...maybe even a 2nd gen. Even though this G50 may be your "labor of love", I think you have already fallen out of love with it and hence the reason to sell. With all the cosmetic things that you're already dissatisfied with on the existing car, I doubt you'll put in a new JDM engine.

Just out of curiosity, what could have caused any engine to "throw a rod"? Does it show any telltail signs before it actually happens? Maybe it's all in the description you wrote above, but I haven't grasp the facts. What do you speculate could have contributed to the thrown rod...too many WOT? I am curious whether there's any logical explanation, such like one discussed about possible chain guide failures (ie. fatigue, oil change intervals, etc.).

[pito11213]

I believe that Wes's thrown rod could be rooted to his oil light situation as qship96 said. It makes sense about the oil starvation causing all kinds of friction issues in there.

I also dougbt the jdm swap simply for the money. But at least his parents are there to lend a hand.

[rydwhite]

Man, sorry to hear Wes. It is a sad day in NICO Nation.

Personally, I think you should part it out. I think you'll get more money out of it that way.

[Clipboard]

Wes, sorry about your Q. Here's an old f***'s advice. Parting her out is tempting now especially if you'll need money for a replacement ride, but look at it this way: at least it wasn't the transmixer (mine ran $5k by the time everything was added up - more than a replacement Q!) it was 'just' the engine. There are two ways to go there - a replacement engine off eBay or a rebuild of yours (which depends on the condition of the crank/rod/cylinder wall/head. It might be better to clean up a replacement engine and install it in your Q, and, if no core is required, strip yours down and dissect the problem - if unrebulidable, part out the goodies like electronic bits (or keep as spares). I didn't hesitate to rebuild my trans, replace the driveshaft and radiator when mine went simply because there is NOTHING like a real Q. Good luck and all the best.john

[squeefoo]

Wes... Total mega screaming pi$$ off.Bummer, Dude.

[louiegz]

I agree. Perfect opportunity to learn your Q engine inside and out. How used is the typical JDM engine. 40, 50k. You get another Q, it will probably have over 100k with dubious service records. If your transmission is strong then go for the JDM. I think that would be better than another Q.

[elwesso]

Wow I got a lot of support on this... Thanks everyone!!! Anyway, I will reply to everyone and then I'll make another post of the pictures (and videos).... I am so proud of the old girl, she treated me so well and was running so good for a month or so....

Heath, your so right.... And Q1 still is considering... However, my parents are absolutely terrified of higher mileage cars... On the way home from school (I have to be picked up now ), she was like "there is no way we are putting a new engine in a car with 130,000 miles....

The thing is, like Greg said, its not worth it to put a JDM engine into it, with the cosmetics not being real great IMHO, and the interior being shot... Parting it out is surely its fate...... However, I WILL be back in a Q someday, maybe not anytime soon, but SOMEDAY.....

Parting it out seems like a viable reason for 3 reasons.

1. I can really tear that thing apart2. EVERYTHING is good, except the engine. Everything ON the engine is good (Sensors, injectors.. Hey poorman, I'll sell you my plenum hoses!!! )3. I **think** I have the space to do it....

My dad seemed to think that putting in a used engine might be OK, but he doesnt understand the concept of rehabbing. He doesnt understand that its best, while more expensive and time consuming now, to do a ton of work to the engine. And due to time constraints, that may be a non issue!

But whats really weird is this..... It was running GREAT, and within a mile (maybe less) it DIDNT run... The starter will BARELY crank the engine... it didnt overheat or anything..... Ive said it enough... But in my next post will be some pictures of the whole ordeal......

Fortunately, with all of our family members with extra cars, transportation isnt a big issue......

[gabossie]

That sucks, I was wondering why your sig said RIP. Good luck and best wishes with whatever you decide to do.

[louiegz]

At least it went down in a blaze of glory. Racing another Q.

[PalmerWMD]

Its rare for VH45de's of that MY to have mechanical problems of any kind.

Likly ther ersults of poor oil change habits prior to Wes' ownership and resulting blocked oil galleries.

Fred...

[louiegz]

If your parting the Q I'd like dibs on the Strut bar. Let me know.

[AZhitman]

Fred's right - Likely poor maintenance in the first half of its life.

Old hot rodders will tell you that an engine will run better thanit EVER has, JUST before it loses its lunch.

Great way for her to go out - Ears laid back, stretching her legs, getting in that one last 7200-rpm shift.

[elwesso]

Alright, as promised here are the pictures...

Well first hte videos... These are AWESOME, and as you can see my Q got progressively weaker... At the 3rd run, I didnt get past 2nd gera becuase it was just doing so bad..... Full directory at http://www.q45.org/Q

http://www.q45.org/Q/102-0211_MVI.AVIht ... 13_MVI.AVI

ANd now for pictures





THat picture really set the mood... I had everything open on my Q since we were blaring the tunes... I mean we're just sitting there..... We had Limp Bizkit's "behind blue eyes" going....

The last mile my Q ever saw..... It was so close to 131k





This is my driveway, and the faithful spot where the old girl use to sit.

I didnt mention this, but it couldnt have been better.. The place where the runs took place was about 2 miles from Freds place... After the 3rd run I heard the knocking, so I decide that we should take it back home and let it rest..... BARELY made it through the stoplight before it died..... Like I said, Joel had AAA so a free tow, and Fred also desevers ALL the credit becuase he drove me OVER HALF way home..... Props to Fred on being such a great guy!!!!

[PalmerWMD]

Great footage Wes, that pic with the sundown belongs into the Nico History Gallery ( if we had one).

Fred...

[elwesso]

Thanks Fred... ANd I cant thank you enough for all the stuff you did for me yesterday... DEFINTELY beyond the call of duty... you may say its just all normal stuff, but its really not..... You really had to go out of your way...

[AZhitman]

I just watched the first video...

I gotta say, either your Q was REALLY feeling loose, or Fred's is down on power since I drove it.

I'm assuming you have a 160-lb passenger doing the filming, Fred's passenger seat looks to be empty.

Both 94 Q45's...

JWT ECU + 4.08 rear + heavier wheels/tires SHOULD theoretically put a whuppin' on a bone stocker with 160 lbs of passenger. That was a dead heat if I ever saw one.

Good run Wes. Fred, what's up with the Q?

[PalmerWMD]

Watch the second vid.despite red Q's brake torquing a win.

Fred..

[AZhitman]

Brake torquing = slower times.

Plus, Wes said she got worse as the races went on...

Big Green shoulda put a larger whoopin' on the "Pie Pan Express" than it did...

Time to go get some 1/4-mile times.