Total ignoramus-with a used J30!-Help!

[DSP316]

Hello guys and gals with J30s:I just got my daughter a used 1996 J30 with 126 K miles-looks good except for some peeling of the clear coat paint at some areas-will post images as soon as I figure out how-we chose this car because that was what we found when we were looking for an used car-and my daughter fell in love with it-and then I stumbled on this fantastic forum-anyway to get to the point-I had the car inspected by the mechanic-he is a reliable fellow and I trust him-he says there is an oil leak coming from the timing cover area and he recommended replacing the cam seals, crank seal, water pump and timing belt-other minor issues he found were-map lights do not work and left rear window makes noise-which may indicate a failing motor and a slight pull to the right-so may need alignment-as far as I could determine from direct inquiry with the seller-they did not replace the timing belt (LOL!-how it ran without breaking down-I do not know)-anyway I have been testing all the controls and everything-yes even the sunroof and the Bose system work great EXCEPT I cannot defog the rear windshield-I do not feel any air blowing out of the back vents next to the rear speakers-the a/c is fine-air blows from all the other vents and it cools and heats fine-but the rear windshield defogger does not seem to work-here are my questions (at last!-please bear with me...)

1. I paid $3100-reasonable?2. Is the mechanic's quote of $520 reasonable? and is his diagnosis reasonable?3. What ails the rear defogger?4. What can I do about the peeling of the clear coat? The mecahnic recommended keeping it waxed well-any other suggestions?Thanks in advance. I appreciate any input. DanImages here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wg...ZOq_M


Modified by DSP316 at 7:23 AM 10/7/2007

[StevieRaySTL]

Hello & welcome, good to see someone local (almost). Carbondale is a beautiful area. I'm no guru, but i've owned mine for a few years, and given the right care you shouldn't be dissapointed. Read all sticky threads up top.1. Yes I think you got a fair price.2. Mechanics quote is very reasonable given he knows the J30/vg30 (same as N/A z32 300zx). Diagnosis seems sound. Def. replace timing belt, water pump, & clear up oil leak.3. Fuse? Just wishful thinking.4. Fix it or rock it till you can...It's cosmetic, same w/ window, thats common (mine has a loud window motor too).

P.S. Get her good all season tires, these cars aren't great in bad weather. Decent power to the rear wheels + no traction cont. = lotsa fun, could be a little dangerous in bad condition for a new driver though. Keep that in mind. Welcome & good luck.

[Q45tech]

A 12 year old quasi lux mobile is always a prime cantidate for a $3,000 to $5,000* rehabilitation and refreshening............why else did the $43,000 depreciate to $3,000 in 126k .........because the previous owners let too many things go to shxt.

As nice as generic techs/mechs might be they don't work on these models daily [every single day] and as such don't understand the quirks in depth.

* unless it needs a transmission and ac work then add another $4,500.

CAS fail or at least get noisey and VVT sprockets need changing.

At the very least find a 300zx specialty shop since engine, transmission and many other things are similiar.

Rear defrost is via embedded hot wires in glass no air flow.I'll bet it needs new shocks and suspension components.

Why external only photos when the internals are the expensive parts other than a $4500 paint job.

A very safe car in an accident for 96 models if seat belts are tight and crash helmet worn.

Secure an owners manual and a factory service manual and spend a few months understanding the systems.

[StevieRaySTL]

Can we see int. & engine bay pics? IMO you should remove the sticker, nothing against the Marines, I just hate seeing bumper stickers on the otherwise beautiful lines of the J. Thanx.

[DSP316]

Thanks Steve-Thanks for the input and the insights-I will be doing more reading on this forum for sure-I did get thru reading some of the stickies and 16 pages of the posts-this is a whole new ball game to me-Having owned a Taurus 5 years ago-which broke down regularly-when I could finally afford it-I ended up getting one new and one lightly used vehicles until this one-I dread dealing with any auto repairs but could not afford a more expensive used car-and this one seemed like a decent deal-but maybe not!-I have uploaded some on the internals pictures and also the underside (the older pictures are also on the same page-so you can shoose what you want to see-probably more than you want to!)-BTW-my daughter took your suggestion and peeled of the marines sticker-came off without a whimper-but the car came with a dent on the other end of the rear bumper which now is an eye sore! Oh well-you can't win-also I have uploaded some shots of the areas where the paint is peeling-tell me what you think of the innards at least look wise...BTW-I drive thru STL every month almost and continue to admire the arch-but my word!..they have quite a bit of traffic and construction...thanks for the welcome- http://picasaweb.google.com/wg...ZOq_M

PS: Do we send the guns to lawyers or use it on them and get their money?!!!
Modified by DSP316 at 1:58 PM 10/7/2007

[DSP316]

Hi Q 45 tech:I appreciate the input and insights-Here are the photos of the internals (same album with the others)

http://picasaweb.google.com/wg...ZOq_M

The nearest dealer or specialty shop is probably over 2 hours away-so I may be at the mercy of the local guy-Oh dear ...is the fix for the rear embedded hot wires in the DIY section?-I looked but I don't remember seeing it... if it needs fixed -bec. that I want to fix-as we prepare to enter winter-any idea of the cost to repair that one?...seems like the used J30 is like a hot potato-looks tasty but hard to handle ($$$ wise!)...in any event-I do appreciate your willingness to take time to share your insight and experience-please keep them coming...BTW-where can I get the factory service manual? I do have the owner's manual...thanks Edit: found the FSM through a link on this forum.
Modified by DSP316 at 2:42 PM 10/7/2007

[StevieRaySTL]

Check the rear defrost fuse, if you haven't already. The service manual should be under a little panel on the left side of the trunk. As far as the paint goes, it doesn't seem too bad, I would fix the mech. issues for your daughter's safety and let her save for the cosmetics, as they shouldn't cost too much. Lawyers Guns and Money is a Warren Zevon song, they are also the three best things for getting sh*t done. In this case it seems to be the third one that you'll need. GL

[DSP316]

Thanks again- I stand corrected-about the lawyers and guns I mean!-I agree with your conclusion that my wallet may be lighter after all this- LOL!A fool and his money are quickly parted (esp. if he has a daughter with a J30 I suppose! I have not checked the fuse for the rear defrost-Like I said this is all a whole new ball game to me-so I am going to let the tech. look into that-the service manual was missing for that side panel box in the trunk-but I found one online on this forum-so I am going to pass it on to the tech...again, thanks so much for taking time to write and help...I will post back the results of the "repair" once it is done-BTW-did the engine pictures 'look' ok?

[StevieRaySTL]

Engine bay is a little dirty, I'd recommend some elbow grease to clean under her bonnet, other than that I didn't see any red flags in the pics besides the oil leak being apparent. If the leak isn't too bad, you could teach your daughter to check and add regularly while you are saving for the fix, thats what I did for my rear main seal. The only other thing I would suggest from looking at the pics is having your guy look at the suspension, for safety sake. Your wallet shouldn't be hurting too bad considering 3100 + 1000-2000ish necessary repairs puts her in a stylish car that has leather(ps, hows the interior? that tells alot), all the options you could want and over 200 hp. for no more than 5100, IMO thats a winner. Like I said before just be conscious of the rwd in bad weather. Who knows, maybe she'll find a hobby taking care of her J, sounds pretty good to me. Keep us posted. G.L. PS-- Any rust?

[DSP316]

Very helpful tips-I do appreciate it-I will post again-after the repairs are done-I told the mechanic that I have the FSM-and he was open to looking at it and following it-anyway-I will have him check the suspensions as well-the ride is really good-steering is fantastic-It does need alignment-as it veers a little to the right-Absolutely no rust I can detect.I have posted pictures of the interior here:http://picasaweb.google.com/wg...ZOq_MHave a great week!Dan
Modified by DSP316 at 8:24 AM 10/8/2007

[StevieRaySTL]

Given that there's no rust and the interior is in very good condition, I'd guess that she was garaged early on, that's a plus. Interior looks nice, I think you may have a winner there.

[DSP316]

Thanks-'the proof of the pudding is in the eating' and I just hope we can keep it going for a while at least thru her college days...

[DSP316]

Well I got the car back-all was fixed except the rear windshield defogger-the mechanic said power was going to it but it was still not working-he thought maybe the entire windshield may need replacement if the heating elements alone cannot be replaced-any thoughts?...on another more serious note-I was driving home (less than 5 miles from the mechanic's place) and the check engine light came on! It stays on now-what gives? I guess I will have to take it back to the mechanic again!! Please give your thoughts...TIA

[StevieRaySTL]

Have your Oxgen sensors and cat. converters checked out. If that's the case it may only be an emissions matter, best case scenario. Find somewhere to run an OBD test. I'd have my fingers crossed, GL.

[DSP316]

Thanks for the input-I will call the mechanic first thing in the morning-I dropped the car off at his lot again tonight.

[DSP316]

Here I am again! Good news-the check engine light the mechanic said-was due to a leak from a (vacuum or exhaust?) hose-the mechanic fixed it without any charge-it runs great now and thank God I did not have to spend more money on the car. Now-a question-how much would replacing the rear windshield with heating elements cost-or is it possible to only replace the heating elements (assuming it is not inbuilt into the glass itself)? The rear defogger is the only issue which needs to be taken care off for now-it is getting power to it the mechanic said-so it is not a fuse issue-he thought the elements may be damaged-problem was the seller had scraped off the plastic coating (which was originally on it as a sun shield tint-that had become bubbled- if you know what I mean and so with that tint on you could not see anything in the rear-I wonder whether he damaged the elements when he scraped it off-I do not see any visible physical damage to the elements with my naked eye...)Any input appreciated...Dan

[driverdriver]

Welcome to NICO DSP316, the rear deforster is built into the glass. You can try an auto recylcler/salvage yard for the part or contact Joe at

http://www.infinitipartsusa.com/

Tell him your a NICO member. You'll get an new OEM Nissan part for much less than new Nissan OEM price or what your local Nissan/Infiniti dealer charges.

[DSP316]

Aweome-thanks so much driverdriver. I will check the website out. What is the actual part name-rear glass or rear windhield (tinted or bronze)?This is a great forum. Thanks for keeping it going...

[StevieRaySTL]

How's she doin? Did you get your rear window issues cleared up?

[DSP316]

Sorry for the delay-was out of town-she's running well-I checked the price of the rear windshield online-it is almost $500-so I decided to wait for now-otherwise sometimes the transmission is a little jerky-but it is not too noticeable-I balanced it at Midas but te steering still has a tendency to move to the right-not too bad but after I drive my other vehicles and then I drive this-it feels a little more than usual..Thanks for asking...

[yodawill2000]

a jerk between 1st and 2nd gear is common when the car inst warmed up.

[DSP316]

Thanks for the tip. Probably that's it-for the most part-running great-after all at 126K miles-it's not a brand new car!