What is wrong with my Q45??? Please Help

[don dizzle]

I own a 1995 Infiniti Q45. I am currently plagued by an unknown issue.

When I stop at stop signs and stop lights, my car will sputter and die. It usually starts right back up. I have poor accelleration and a sluggish performance. Using electronics such as AC, stereo, and lights seems to exacerbate the problem. When I left my car sitting for 3 days, the battery was dead and had to be jumped twice that day. It seems that something is draining the power when the car is off and on.

I took it to one place and they told me I need a knock sensor. The next place said I need fuel pump. They both said that eachother's claims were bogus. Both places quoted over 750$ to fix these seperate items.Despite these high numbers, both of the places said they were not certain this would fix all my problems. Neither place knew why my car has a dead battery when it sits for a couple days.

My alternator and battery are both brand new and just fine. They said they checked everything and could not find anything that is draining the car's power. I cannot afford to pay $700 or $800 right now and am in great need of a solution to this problem. The fuel pump makes sense, but I'm pretty sure the knock sensor suggestion was a scam. PLEASE HELP......

[jltibbs]

Welcome to NICO!

In all honesty, you need to look long and hard;

a) for an Infiniti Certified Tech that has excellent knowledge in Q45's, or

b) at whether or not you are going to be able to get this thing back to the standards needed to maintain it.

From what I can tell you, I have spent roughly $4,000 in just two years of ownership, and that was skimping. There's plenty of info on this site that can get you and your car where they need to be.

I'm sure someone will post in here soon more directed to your question. Be patient and search, too.

[qship96]

Every 90-96 must have dead original knock sensors by now unless replaced by owner or previous owner at least once.$750 is about the average going rate to have a pro replace each of the above mentioned items.Take Q to someone familiar with them,either a specialist or dealer with a old master tech.

[elwesso]

welcome to NICO!!!

First off, I can see how both people came to their conclusion.. The first person probably scanned the ECU codes and saw that the knock sensors were bad.. Common problem, but would not cause the issues you listed.

Fuel pump certainly would seem to explain your driveability issues... especially if theres no record of it being replaced anytime. very common issue with the things you listed...

However, I am not totally convinced that your battery and alternator are "ok".. Using electronic devices that makes the problem worse seems to point toward the charging system...

heres what you need to do. call up the shop that said its a bad fuel pump and ask them why they came to that conclusion. Post it up and we'll tell you if it makes sense.

Do you have any aftermarket equipment in your car like a stereo, alarm/remote starter, etc....?

[maxnix]

If you really want to know what you need to do to restore your G50 to good working order, take it to Beaverton Infiniti and let Erik look at it. He is one of the very few Senior Techs in the NW, and a very good one also.

[maxnix]

My alternator and battery are both brand new and just fine.

Presume the battery meets Infiniti's minimum specs and the alternator is OEM remanufactured?

As a heads up, if you cannot afford $1K now, I assure you there is at least another $2K that needs replacing in parts alone. Might think about a 4 cylinder economy car.