Time for alot of maintenance!

[AlabamaDan]

Ok guys it's time for me to put alot of work and some $$ into my Q45. I've got about 145K on it. She's still looking pretty good and running ok. She's getting a little sluggish and just sounding old. She's also starting to leak a little here and there. She's starting to ride rough and by that I mean vibrations and stuff. So time to do something about it before it's too late.

Like most of you, I'm a big fan of the older Qs (mine's a 1994) and really feel like it's a classic. I've been pretty lucky and haven't really had to do much to her over the years since I bought her.

Here are the things I was thinking of doing and wanted your input. Most of these have been gathered as a result of developing the ultimate Q45 Maint Schedule. I think all these are DIY:

Changing Oil and Filter (of course), Changing the Power Steering Fluid Changing the Fuel Filter Changing the Air Filter Flush Transmission, Drop Pan, and Change Filter Replace Brake Fluid Fuel Rail Flush Use BG OIL CONDITIONER Flush and Replace Engine Coolant BG44K Replace Tires Replace Belts and the Idler Pullies Clean Mass Air Filter Clean Trottle Body Lubricate Properler Shaft Grease (Heard about this, but what is it?) Replace Shocks and Struts

Additionally I know I need to inspect somethings and take action based upon what I find:

Inspect Brake pads, discs, drums, linings, lines, cables Inspect Drive Shaft Boots and Shaft Inspect EVAP Vapor Lines Inspect Exhaust System Inspect Steering and Suspension System Inspect the Underbody

These are little more advanced, but probably still DIY right?

Replace Thermostat Change Spark Plugs (Big Job?!?) Replace Hoses Replace Fuel Pump Replace broken aftermarket antennea with OEM Install Transmission Cooler

Now these are a few things that probably need to be done, but probably need a trip to T3. What do y'all think?

Plemun Hose Replacement Replace Knock Sensors Replace Motor Mounts Replace O2 Sensors Replace Transmission Mounts Replace U-Joints (Driveshaft) Replace Water Pump Replace Wheel Bearings Replace Valve Cover Gaskets

If I do all this, she should be in 100% new condition right? I'm looking to buy me a little Jeep Cherokee as a runabout and could park the Q while all this is underway.

I appreciate your comments and hopefully encouragement.

[Q45tech]

"If I do all this, she should be in 100% new condition right?" NO, however you are attacking many things that cause problems.

Every component you replace brand new will be brand new, every component not replaced will still be used and old and worn!

[elwesso]

alright D-man im gonna try and go through some of this stuff as best i can... Im not gonna go into a lot of detail on each one to spare your intelligence, but if you need specific help on any one i can provide that.

Ok guys it's time for me to put alot of work and some $$ into my Q45. I've got about 145K on it. She's still looking pretty good and running ok. She's getting a little sluggish and just sounding old. She's also starting to leak a little here and there. She's starting to ride rough and by that I mean vibrations and stuff. So time to do something about it before it's too late.

Like most of you, I'm a big fan of the older Qs (mine's a 1994) and really feel like it's a classic. I've been pretty lucky and haven't really had to do much to her over the years since I bought her.

Here are the things I was thinking of doing and wanted your input. Most of these have been gathered as a result of developing the ultimate Q45 Maint Schedule. I think all these are DIY:

1 Changing Oil and Filter (of course),2 Changing the Power Steering Fluid3 Changing the Fuel Filter4 Changing the Air Filter5 Flush Transmission, Drop Pan, and Change Filter6 Replace Brake Fluid7 Fuel Rail Flush8 Use BG OIL CONDITIONER9 Flush and Replace Engine Coolant10 BG44K11 Replace Tires 12 Replace Belts and the Idler Pullies13 Clean Mass Air Filter14 Clean Trottle Body15 Lubricate Properler Shaft Grease (Heard about this, but what is it?)16 Replace Shocks and Struts

Additionally I know I need to inspect somethings and take action based upon what I find:

1 Inspect Brake pads, discs, drums, linings, lines, cables2 Inspect Drive Shaft Boots and Shaft3 Inspect EVAP Vapor Lines4 Inspect Exhaust System5 Inspect Steering and Suspension System6 Inspect the Underbody

These are little more advanced, but probably still DIY right?

1 Replace Thermostat 2 Change Spark Plugs (Big Job?!?)3 Replace Hoses4 Replace Fuel Pump5 Replace broken aftermarket antennea with OEM6 Install Transmission Cooler

Now these are a few things that probably need to be done, but probably need a trip to T3. What do y'all think?

1 Plemun Hose Replacement2 Replace Knock Sensors3 Replace Motor Mounts4 Replace O2 Sensors5 Replace Transmission Mounts6 Replace U-Joints (Driveshaft) 7 Replace Water Pump8 Replace Wheel Bearings9 Replace Valve Cover Gaskets

If I do all this, she should be in 100% new condition right? I'm looking to buy me a little Jeep Cherokee as a runabout and could park the Q while all this is underway.

I appreciate your comments and hopefully encouragement.

For jobs that are iffy, I will rate them on a scale of 1-5.

1- Easy lemon squeezy, no or few/simple tools, no experience needed2- Pretty easy, may need some tools, but still little know-how is needed3- Moderate, may take a few hours and some various tools, but still very doable with an afternoon and patience 4- Moderate, but may neeed more know-how and tools5- Something you never want to do again, either because its very tedious, labor intensive, and/or tools required.

1. OK2. No biggie, just suck out the old stuff with a turkey baster and replace it. Do this once a week for a month or so (youll probably go thru about 2 quarts of fluid in this time) and youll have brand new fresh fluid..... Then just replace whatever is in the resovoir everytime you change your oil and youll never worry about it.... Use ATF3. Easy, no explanation necessary, but use OEM.4. Same as 35. Not really hard, maybe a 2.5 on the scale... It would be a 1.5 or a 2 if you had a lift or a way to raise the car highish.6. Easy, just get a one man brake bleeder kit ($6 at autozone) and bleed each caliper.... You shouldnt even have to take the wheels off, but youll need to jack the car up.....7. about $100 at the dealer. be sure to tell them to use a higher than normal pressure part way through (around 50 PSI should do it) to blow all the crud out... Another alternative if you want to take the plenum off is to send then to deatche works and have them refurbish each injector to OEM new.8. OK, do yo umean using the BG quick clean or what?9. no biggie, good thing to do in conjunction with a Tstat change (which ill get to later).... Just drain/fill the radiator a few times and you should be all set....10. The dealer will put that in after the rail flush if thats what you decide to do.11. OK. In bama you shouldnt need dedicated winter tires, so i might suggest getting some 16 or 17in rims so you can get an adequate performance tire.12. Not hard, but you dont need to REPLACE The idler pullies, but rather have new bearings pressed in. NAPA carries said bearings and can press them in for you. Its like $15/pulley vs $100/pulley for OEM new. The pullies dont go bad, just the bearings. For a belt/pulley job, id say probably a 2 on the scale.13. OK14. OK, your best off to take it off, youll need a 6mm allen socket.15. You cant really do this.16. OK. You cant really replace shocks and struts because the car only has one or the other . New tokico blues all the way around... Its not a job i like DIYing due to the use of a spring compressor, you can rent them, but I prefer to spend $150 and have someone do it. ALL other suspension stuff I will do myself. You can even have someone put the old springs on the new shocks and then do the R/R yourself. Thats fine, and ive done that. be sure to get new mounts and boots with the purchase of the shocks.

moving on..... all that other stuff you listed 1-6 on the next list is all stuff that your already technically doing while your in doing all these things....

moving on again...

1. Tstat is an easy job, probably 2 on the scale and wont take you more than 20 mins to do it..2. Plugs are probably a 3 to 3.5 on the scale... its not hard per se, its just very tedious and time consuming. Ive done it 3 times now and i still cant get it done under 4.5 hours... if your car has TCS it will add more time on the drivers side because theres a lot of crap to move out of the way.... Its a good DIY project, but plan an afternoon just for the plugs.3. Hoses are gonna be covered under the plenum hose thing...4. Probably a 3 on the scale, not really too bad to replace it. Have charcoal on hand to absorb the gas smell.5. Easy, probably a 2 on the scale, hardest part is taking the motor cover off and getting the old mast out... Other than that its realyl easy...6. transmission cooler is EASY.... 2 on the scale... Just be sure you have plenty of hose on hand, youll probably want at least 6 feet on hand. I think the B/M kit comes with like 4 feet and I was a little short... better to have extra. Bypass the stock cooler and filter all together (people will disagree, but thats what I recommend for simplicity. you will not decrease the life of your trans by taking the filter out).

Now onto the more complicated stuff.

1. Doing the plenum (with hoses, KS, and sending the injectors out for cleaning if you want) isnt too bad, its just very time consuming... If you factor out the time that it will probably take you, the actual work involved is probably like a 3 on the scale.... Its just things you need to keep track of and know how to follow diagrams.

2. the KS can be done at the same time, and proabbly only add 30 mins of labor once the plenum is off.

3. motor mounts can be done at home, but you probably dont have a way to support the engine from above....

4. o2 sensors are easy to replace, youll need both an o2 sensor socket and a 7/8 crows foot wrench (for the driver and passenger side, respectively). Do the drivers side from the top and the passenger side from the bottom. I can do the entire job in less than an hour. 3 on the scale because you have to go buy those tools, but as far as actual job its only a 2.

5. transmission mount is easy, 2 on the scale. you dont have to remove anything to get it out.. You just have to support the trans and you can do that with a floor jack.

6. the OEM driveshaft does not have replaceable U Joints. Any vibration your having, replace the transmission mount first and then go from there. 84 driveshafts dont go out too often.

7. water pump is easy, great time to do it is when you have the belts off. probably only adds 20 mins to the belt job.... 2 on the scale.

8. why do you want to replace your wheel bearings? No reason to replace them unless their making noise.

9. kind of a PAIN job... its not complicated, just a lot of stuff to mess with on the side of the engine. Once the coils are out its not too bad to pull the covers off, and teh gaskets arent too bad... you definitely want to combine this job with the spark plugs..... Id say its probably a 4 on the job to do both sides. But, after its all said and done, after you complete the job youll be glad you didnt pay someone $700 to do it.... its gonna probably be 4-5 hours per side. book time is 8 hours for both sides..... the spark plugs are no brainer to replace once you have the covers off, really doesnt add any time at all...

[goody90q45]

Do the transmission mount and exhaust hangers first. Simple job with the most reward. You'll really appreciate the new ride. Wes' rating of 2 is spot on.

How did you drive your Q for so long without doing any of this maintenance? You're driving on borrowed time (LOL). Have fun fixing her up.

[AlabamaDan]

Wes thanks so much! You make me feel a little more confident that I can do these things, especially if I work my way up from Easy to Moderate. By the way goody94q45, I have been lucky. I've just been so caught up in my day to day world that before you know it all this piled up. I've got to drive to Virginia next week and I realized I'm a little leary of putting my old car on the road that far. So, now I'm gonna fix her up and be ready for the next road trip. She hasn't complianed and I haven't given her any attention really. Sorta like taking your wife for granted I guess. Anyway, after Wes's advice I thought I'd organanize this into five projects because they seem to logically go together and work their way up into difficulty. What do you think Wes? Too bad you live so far away. I could use a mentor to teach me and help me drink my beer.

“Easy Lemon squeezy” MaintenanceChanging Oil and FilterChanging the Power Steering FluidChanging the Fuel FilterChanging the Air FilterRun a can of BG44K through Clean Mass Air FilterClean Trottle BodyInspect EVAP Vapor LinesInspect Exhaust SystemInspect the Underbody

Suspension, etc. ServiceReplace Brake FluidReplace TiresInspect Brake pads, discs, drums, linings, lines, cablesInspect Drive Shaft Boots and ShaftHave New Struts InstalledInstall Anti-Sway Bar from Jeff Inspect Steering and Suspension System

Transmission ServiceFlush Transmission, Drop Pan, and Change FilterInstall Transmission Cooler Replace Transmission Mounts

Minor Engine ServiceReplace Thermostat Replace Belts New Bearings for Idler PulliesFlush and Replace Engine CoolantReplace HosesReplace Water PumpReplace Fuel Pump

Major Engine ServiceChange Spark PlugsPlemun Hose ReplacementFuel Rail FlushReplace Knock SensorsReplace Motor MountsReplace O2 SensorsReplace Valve Cover Gaskets

Does this make sense?

[elwesso]

Dan, that looks a pretty dang good. This is a great maintenance thread, and we could eventually make an article out of this.

The first group looks good... Id probably put coolant flush with that....

Second group looks good.

Third group looks good.

Id probably put the o2 sensors with the minor stuff....

Are you going to send your injectors off to deatche works and have them professionally cleaned? if thats the case, i woudlnt bother with 44k until after that.

[AlabamaDan]

Now that I've got a plan....I wonder how much all this is gonna cost?

Are you going to send your injectors off to deatche works and have them professionally cleaned?

I dunno. Can you tell me a little more about it?

[elwesso]

basically a rail flush hooks a machine that forces a gas/solvent combo... themotor then runs on this combo for a certain time (until it runs out)....

The injector cleaning where you send them to deatche works, they sonic clean them so the injectors get cleaner than a fuel rail flush is capable of cleaning... Plus they flow match them.

[redmanfx]

I don't feel alone! Dan you can do all this work, just take your time. Pulley bearings do not easily come out but you can get them out and get the new ones in with some basic tools. They don't have to be making noise to need replacing! Hoses are a pain if you get them mixed up, so don't get them mixed up.

Since you'll have much of top motor off, plenum, valve covers, etcc... clean everything very good, like all the EGR system, and the car will thank you when you get it all back together.

[AlabamaDan]

Well, I've had the Q parked since last Fall when I decided that I've been living on borrowed time. I didn't want to push my Q into the grave. But things are looking up. Along with Jeff Williams' (Great Guy!) help we've done a little on the resurection.

Replaced the Fuel FilterCleaned Throttle BodyCleaned Inside PlenumCleaned EGRChanged Spark PlugsNew BatteryReplaced Valve Cover GasketsInstalled Jeff's Strust Tower BraceReplaced the Hood Lift StrutsHeavy Duty Cleaning of the Engine DepartmentNew Michelin Filled with Nitrogen

Next step is to go through my brakes, maybe this weekend. I've got all new OEM pads from Joe. Need to change the fluid, really go over the calipers, etc... What's the best brake fluid?

I have the Tokico Blues all around, but have to save up money for the other suspension maintenance that goes along with them.

Sure has been alot of fun bonding with my Q. You really don't develop a true love of your Q until you start doing things like this. I just thought I'd share.

[maxnix]

What's the best brake fluid?

I and a couple others like the ATE Blue or secondarily the Castrol Syntec.

DOT4 is the best, but since it is more hygroscopic, you will have to replace more often. Motul 600 is over the top and not good long term.
Modified by maxnix at 10:56 AM 8/8/2007

[Q45tech]

DOT 3 was used by Nissan BECAUSE it has the longest useful life. A less than stellor grade, but good enough for the average owner who might wait 30,000 or 60,000 miles between flushes.

After all brake fluid fade does scare the [normal somewhat intelligent group] of owners into doing something unless the car is totalled first.

[Skibane]

If you ever get around to replacing the water pump, you might want to also consider replacing the fan clutch at the same time (and the fan, if it has any significant cracks in it). This also makes a perfect opportunity to replace the belts, coolant hoses and thermostat.

About the only other parts located in that area that might still give you trouble later on would be the ider pulleys and the alternator.

[AlabamaDan]

Before this round, I'd already replaced one belt, one idler pulley and did the fan while I was at it. I'm not sure what it is with the Qs that causes the fan to crack like that. Must be all that power