upper link questions.

[redheat86]

I had my 1990 q45 up on my friends lift the other day since i have been having some clunking issues going on when rolling over bumps and what not.

As i had it up i noticed some play in the upper link and was wondering the difficulty on replacement, and if any of you have a lead as to where i could find one for a decent price?

Also this car has 110,000 with great service records and was also wondering if i could possibly expect this to last atleast a year or two without serious maintaince costs?

ThanksBen.

[elwesso]

Ben

Upperlinks are very easy to replace... Its as easy as taking the wheel off, taking the 2 bolts out and replacing... Shouldnt take you more than 1.5 hour to do both front ones...!!!

Get new ones from Joe of infiniti of scottsdale..... 1888 216 5328, about 100 each.....

I

Also this car has 110,000 with great service records and was also wondering if i could possibly expect this to last atleast a year or two without serious maintaince costs?

ThanksBen.

The short answer to this is no... The Q is not a beater in the sense that you skimp off... You may have bought the car for not much, but it still "thinks" its a 40k car... Thus you must maintain it as such...

Have you heard of the chain guides?? Best you look at Q45.org , infiniti articles, or do a search to find more.... Your driving a time bomb as we speak.. The engine could self destruct at any time!! If guides have not been replaced, either fix it or sell the car now... Id hate for you to get into something your not ready for..

The Q45 is a very reliable beast, i would take my Q45 anywhere (i think its more dependable than any of my parents car with less than 20k on either)..... However, I pay more in maintenance on my 10 year old car (94 Q) than they do on their new cars.. but I also paid less to begin with!!!!! Its a trade off, but im still driving a better car than they are!!!!

[Q45tech]

Upper links are an every 30,000 mile maintenance replacement item [especially the rough roadside - rightside] for those that expect a near new ride, handling and quietness. Just as tension rods are an every 60k replacement.

All these things and more [brakes other suspension [plus lux options] and drive train] add up to the 15 cents per mile maintenance cost from brand new [zero miles]..........new owners skimp and then sell, leaving the new [2nd /3rd/4th/5th owners] buyers with $3,000-$10,000 bills due at signing.

People who don't understand this get left in a lurch! Big time.

A 40k car [in 1990 dollars today $60k] will always cost 5% of new MSRP per year to maintain ~~=$3,000 per year. Why you buy them so cheap.

[redheat86]

Yeah, i told my father not to purchase this vehicle actually, but since a prior friend had owned it and done all the dealer service work, he purchased it anyways.

I have since been stressing out everytime i drive it ( im in college and did not previously need/own a car)

I have posted it for sale but am not getting any bites on it what so ever. Probably due to me being in MN and it being a RWD car.

Thanks for the information on the parts.

Ben.

[pito11213]

Anyone got pics of the upper links? I want to make sure that I know what you are talking about.

[JT_MONEY_2004]

Is the tell tale sign of bad upper links a "clunk" or a "quirky old Bed spring"? How to diagnose a bad upper link and tension rod?

[pito11213]

Well I think you could also look at the actual rubber bushings. Look for cracks or tears.

[EQwhipD]

Ben,I bought my '94 Q from Minnesota (Sheboygan) and it had 217,000 miles on it. The previous owner must have been driving the hell of it during the warm seasons because it should be almost impossible to drive the car in snow or ice because of the RWD. If you do not want the car, I suggest that you post it on cars.com or autotrader.com, so people from warmer climates can come and buy the vehicle. If they are coming from North Carolina, dont tell them that it will be a 15 hr trek driving back from Minneapolis. I did it in one straight drive and I vow to never do something like that ever again! Bueno Suerte on selling your car!

[elwesso]

Is the tell tale sign of bad upper links a "clunk" or a "quirky old Bed spring"? How to diagnose a bad upper link and tension rod?

Yes... But by then they are long gone, really they should be replaced every 30k like dennis says... WHenever you drive on worn suspension components, you place stress on other (possibly non worn) things that arent as expensive to replace.....

The tension rod busings will leak the fluid... Youll see a gooey stuff oozing out of them...

I posted a picture of the upper links in the suspension diagram..... They look like a traditional dog bone, or an I .. Probably about 6-8in long, 3-5 in wide and weigh a few pounds

[ScottJackson]

Ben,I bought my '94 Q from Minnesota (Sheboygan) and it had 217,000 miles on it. The previous owner must have been driving the hell of it during the warm seasons because it should be almost impossible to drive the car in snow or ice because of the RWD. If you do not want the car, I suggest that you post it on cars.com or autotrader.com, so people from warmer climates can come and buy the vehicle. If they are coming from North Carolina, dont tell them that it will be a 15 hr trek driving back from Minneapolis. I did it in one straight drive and I vow to never do something like that ever again! Bueno Suerte on selling your car!

15 hours? that's just a hop skip and jump. On Saturday I just got back from Phoenix to my house in Iowa. 23 hours straight thru. It woulda been nice to be in a Q instead of a beat up 91 dodge dakota with no cruise, no heat, and a bench seat. Oh yeah, the starter quit working in eastern New Mexico so gas stops required pushing the truck to a roll, hopping in and popping the clutch to fire it up. What a ride. And then there was the trip two years ago with my friend to pick up my camaro and bring it home... 38 hours straight thru with 1 fast food stop in Dallas. Good memories for sure.

[zekedog]

Anyone know the torque value for the upper link bolts? Thanks. Kevin 95T

[911/Q45]

65-80 ftlbs.

[texasoil]

The FSM gives a clear and easy method to accurately MEASURE the wear(or lack of) in the upper link end bearings. However, if you can see it move when you push/pull fore-aft on the outer end--its worn out. The FSM method takes a dial indicator ($15) and magnetic holder ($15) which by the way, are also great for measuring brake disc warp.