What to do Now

[mikes94q]

So the Q was never able to start. All things point to not enough compression. I've never run into this problem before with compression that is close to the required and still fail to start. Usually the compression numbers would rise once everything had a chance to go through a heat cycle.

Anyways, the point of this post is to see whats next. I have pulled the motor and will do a full rebuild to freshen it up. Im going to break it down in the next few days or so and send it off to a local machine shop.

What I would like to know is if there are any stroker kits, or any other fun forms of making this daily driver a bit more fun. Since I have it this far apart (again) and have decided to spend the money to really do it right this time around I just want to make sure I don't miss the opportunity to add some fun and uniqueness to this car. I would love to do the manual swap but really just want more power.
Thanks for the advise
Tah

[qship96]

Will cost a fortune to properly rebuild the Q engine correctly- not sure it makes economic sense on a basically worthless 17 year old car???? if speed and power is what you desire, it is much more cost effective to start fresh with a smaller, newer better power to weight ratio vehicle with modern gearing {multi speed transmission}

[mikes94q]

not interested in purchasing another vehicle. This is like a toy. Sure would be nice to just go purchase a new car with all the cool s*** however, I dont care for car payments and would rather just keep the Q. Just looking to make it more fun. I do most of the work myself so its just parts. The machine work is the only out sourcing that I will do.

[qship96]

almost impossible to rebuild q motor to anywhere near factory tolerences, regardless of how many $$$$ you put into it- cheaper and generally much better results obtained by purchasing used lower mile takeout engine......been discussed over and over here throughout the years- search older posts for more info on the topic.

[Infinitiguy19]

I wish we could get away with putting a 1990-1992 Infiniti Q45 engine in 1993-1995 Infiniti Q45's (Well 1993's are the same except for the sodium filled valves missing). But adding a older model engine into a newer car is in violation of the Clean Air Act. Plus the wiring harness is a PAIN!

You can super charge the engine which is what I think is best. Change to top feed injectors, Add Sodium filled valves and replace all HLA's if you they make even the slightest of noise. And of course replace all the easy to get to stuff such as hoses, gaskets, rings...

Or you could buy a JDM Engine for a lot cheaper.

Have you done a leak down test on this engine? I am really baffled at the fact that you have low compression. You are correct that the compression does get better when the engine is warm.

[mikes94q]

so does anyone have anything positive to say.. the general responses that I keep getting on this site are the car is old junk it. I have other cars. This is for fun. I dont want to take the risk of a pull out motor that you dont know the history on, could have been damaged, wrecked whatever, and you go through all the work of installing it to maybe just have to pull it right back out. I made the mistake the first time with this car and didnt spend some money in places you can usually cut corners on. Apparently this car you can not cut the same corners.

I just want to hear from people that have positive feed back. Something interesting to say. If your state of mind is the car is old and not worth the effort than why are you on this site, why are you driving one?

[mikes94q]

yeah the leak down should bad rings. I'm interested in the top feed injectors and supercharger, tell me more. Haven't seen top feed injectors done so a link to one would be great. Thanks.. InfinityGuy

[Infinitiguy19]

I understand what your saying but Qship bought his car new I believe so he has had it for a long time and seen many things that can go wrong on this forum, Surprisingly not much on his car.

The car is old but it doesn't mean the value won't go back up again. Thats what I believe and that's one of the things that keeps me going. If you can confirm your engine is good though looking at the valve covers, oil pan, bearings....Then go for it and rebuild it. But Qship is right in saying it will be very expensive. Is it expensive enough to rebuild the engine for what the car is currently worth: Yes. Is it expensive enough to rebuild for whats its worth to you?

If it were me I would go for it if I had the time, money, space (To work in) and tools (Tools falls under the Money category).

[Infinitiguy19]

yeah the leak down should bad rings. I'm interested in the top feed injectors and supercharger, tell me more. Haven't seen top feed injectors done so a link to one would be great. Thanks.. InfinityGuy

A member named Raxephon contemplated top feed injectors, please search his posts if you don't mind.

Some people in the VH section have Super Charged a VH engine so check out that section.

See if they can move this topic there because a lot more people that know a lot about your engine are there.

[mikes94q]

Tools, space, and time I have. Money comes and goes like the wind. Usually the major cost of doing these reapairs and rebuilds is associated with labor. But so far I'm into this car for less than $300 so rebuilding it and having a nice car for a few grand. Its worth it to me. If not in the end I will trade it on craigslist for something else. But in the meantime I will enjoy having some fun with it.

[qship96]

so does anyone have anything positive to say..

I just want to hear from people that have positive feed back. Something interesting to say. If your state of mind is the car is old and not worth the effort than why are you on this site, why are you driving one?

So you only want people to post who agree with you and your idea of rebuilding a Q motor? Looking for Validation, are we?????? Sometimes the answers you are receiving {even if you do not like them} are based off of years and decades of q ownership experience.......especially regarding the futility in attempting to do a quality rebuild of a vh45de.......many q experts and techs have stated the same over and over......sometimes it is wise to learn from others that came before you instead of blindly attempting the unknown......that is why this site is so valuable,many have experienced what you currently are and methods of repair are well documented and tested........I suggest you spend 10 hours researching the posts regarding rebuilding VS swapping before you make another major blunder in your quest for getting your car back on the road...........as far as why I am driving one? I purchased my Q when it was almost brand new, and have personally put over 240,000 relatively troublefree miles on it------but lets be crystal clear, if something major broke on it{like yours}, I would not invest the $$$$ to repair it, it just does not make sense at this age when the rest of the components are well used....sooner or later it is time to start over- in your case, the time is now.


Keep in mind, a PERFECT running Q of this vintage swallows $2500-3000 per year to keep in good operating order, NOT including any cosmetics like paint, leather, etc repairs.......every year.Again, a Proven number based off 100s of long term members real world experiences, including mine

[mikes94q]

Any car of this "vintage" requires upkeep. $2500-$3000 maybe if you are sending it out for repairs at your local ripoff shop.
Mine has no where near those miles it has only clocked in 60136 miles. The trouble came from long term storage and the previous owner trying to drive it after without replacing any fluids. Even trying to run the 7 year old gas.
To be clear, I'm not trying to fight. Im not looking for suggestions that are not related to keeping the car. If I was interested in giving Up I wouldnt be on this site.
To be honest I want to know what people are doing to spend $3000 a year to maintain a car. Thats crazy.

[Infinitiguy19]

Ironically Qship96 has a post that says he spent 5K on items in one year. Its times like these I am glad I went back and looked at all there posts for Goody90Q45, Qship96, Q451990 Lino and more, finding ones that apply to me and I hope other people as well.

Qship96:
looking-back-at-the-year-2007-t302064.html

Mike, Qship is right in that it will require a lot of money but if you want to do some reading....https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5VDQi ... N2I3&hl=en

Good Luck!

[lino]

Best of luck with your project. Looks like you know what you're doing, and are going to have a lot of fun doing it. Here are a few things I saw that might be of interest:

VH45 twin turbo speed boat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_cRQhW7nj8

*It is said to be putting out 700 hp on stock internals.



Twin Turbo VH45
twin-turbo-vh45-t491817.html

A few pics of my vh45dett S13 project.
a-few-pics-of-my-vh45dett-s13-project-t211183-80.html

Q45 Supercharger Project: From Conception to Reality.
q45-supercharger-project-from-conceptio ... 01551.html

Picture below courtesy of:
http://www.vh45de.com/

[Infinitiguy19]

Way to make me look bad Lino...Just kidding.

How about 900 FT/LBS of Torque: http://nismostuff.blogspot.com/2010/06/ ... titan.html?

[qship96]

how about just successfully finding a tech good enough to rebuild motor to anywhere near factory standards???? According to q45tech, it is almost impossible here in the USA, even for $10,000 !!!!!

[mikes94q]

I Know I'm new to this scene but what is the fun in factory standards? They were meant for normal driving conditions with normal wear and tear. They were not meant for fun. Any other car that Ive put together or been involved in has not been hard to meet or beat factory standards. My goal is to make it stronger and better than it was, and induce a little more spirit to it. Apparently there are a lot of Q Fans that dont stand behind them. Such a love hate group

[qship96]

I Know I'm new to this scene but what is the fun in factory standards? They were meant for normal driving conditions with normal wear and tear. They were not meant for fun. Any other car that Ive put together or been involved in has not been hard to meet or beat factory standards. My goal is to make it stronger and better than it was, and induce a little more spirit to it. Apparently there are a lot of Q Fans that dont stand behind them. Such a love hate group

You are TOTALLY missing the point.......it is obvious you are a complete newbie who has not spent the required time to read and gather the tons of knowledge available in older posts on this board......if you did, you would realize when I am speaking of the difficulty of rebuilding the engine to anywhere near factory specs, I am referring to the inability to get the close tolerences the factory did regarding machining the block and fitting rings/pistons/valves in a way that will provide the level of quality and longevity these engines are known for.......not talking about Adding power, just rebuilding good enough to have a reliable, durable motor THAT IS worth trying to add extra power to......good luck,we see your kind come and go quickly around here, too cocky to realize they dont know enough to help themselves.......why you are now 6 months into ownership without being able to actually use your car.........over and out, I will watch you twist from the sidelines with this project due to your lack of willingness to learn.........

[mikes94q]

qship you are the reason many people turn away. You feel because I have not owned this q since near new means that I will struggle and toss and turn trying to get it running. Sorry that my Camero Project took most of my time and money. And the Q spent most of its time just sitting in my garage.
You are so high on yourself. "Too cocky to realize I dont know enough to help myself," If your not going to provide information to help other people why are you on this site . Why would I be on this site looking for help if I was so cocky. You Can Just GO F YOURSELF. Thanks for nothing.
You have nothing to add but negativity. Go bug someone else's thread if you have nothing to add.
My lack of willingness to learn????? Again, why am I here if I have no willingness to learn. Just because you have nothing to add, go let the dealership turn your wrench for you and stop acting like you are above everyone else.

[Infinitiguy19]

Mike these engines are not like american engines (350,454...) they are a bit more complex than that. But more importantly Infiniti went all out with this engine, they had no computers back then like they do today. They really spared no expense on this engine, Hand built, 6 bolt mains, Oil pan designed to not starve engine in tight turns....The intake is a master piece because its a real Cold Air Intake while being safe in the elements.

And again this engine was designed with such tight tolerances that its hard but not impossible to get back to OEM specifications. When the engine is warmed up you should not be able to hear it running or feel is running because its that good.

I know it doesn't look this way but Qship is trying to help you and prevent you from getting into debt because of this engine. But if you are that committed like I said look at the VH forum. We once had a member who had 1993 Infiniti Q45 (Unknown007) great guy but got a little over his head with the plenum job. He now has another vehicle because something bad happened to his Q but not because of him.

By The Way Mike I used to be Paul Wall on NICO.

[mikes94q]

Paul, I know. I just hate people that feel the need to belittle others on sites like this. I understand the differences between this and american cars. I have also rebuilt BMW's they are my my main passion. and they are a true work of art by every standard. I tried to do this as a budget build fix and cut a few corners and didnt get away with it.

So, know I'm redoing it. This car will most likely end up being my sons first car, he will be driving in a few months.

I am not by any means a newbie to working on cars, maybe to Infiniti but from talking to many people there are few people that are not newbies when it comes to working on these cars. Thats part of the reason I want to do something with it. To learn and enjoy. If it was just money then no I would throw this car out with the morning trash.

[Q451990]

I Know I'm new to this scene but what is the fun in factory standards? They were meant for normal driving conditions with normal wear and tear. They were not meant for fun. Any other car that Ive put together or been involved in has not been hard to meet or beat factory standards. My goal is to make it stronger and better than it was, and induce a little more spirit to it. Apparently there are a lot of Q Fans that dont stand behind them. Such a love hate group

To my knowledge the Q's engine hasn't been modified in any meaningful way... there may be someone somewhere that has done something with it with more aggressive cams and such, but for the most part we don't have a list of suggestions to give you like "order these headers, cams, etc"

One member added a turbo, and the engine is definitely solid enough to handle that. Maybe a bit of NOS?

Please try to keep things civil though... qship had obviously made a decision that his Q is not worth sinking more cash into and comes across a bit morbid in terms of waiting for her to die. Sort of reminds me of an undertaker hanging out in a nursing home lobby rubbing his hands. That said, his point about the difficulty of rebuilding the heads and valves to near OEM standards is a good one.

Heath

[mikes94q]

Heath,
I have no problem keeping things civil. Thanks for the reply. Maintaining factory spec is not the point I am after. You hit it with what cams, headers, etc. Thats pretty much what I was looking for. If I have the engine apart anyway might as well look to see what options I have before just settling for the stock set up. Usually if you are at the point I am it doesnt add that much to the price to add stepped up cams, etc.
I noticed alot of build ups for the s13 guys putting alot into these motors in their swaps. I just wanted to hear from Q guys, and its much easier to ask whats been done than spend hours searching and reading unrelated posts. I guess stock internals will have to do.

[Q451990]

I really do wish I had more for you...

Heath

[Infinitiguy19]

Paul, I know. I just hate people that feel the need to belittle others on sites like this. I understand the differences between this and american cars. I have also rebuilt BMW's they are my my main passion. and they are a true work of art by every standard. I tried to do this as a budget build fix and cut a few corners and didnt get away with it.

So, know I'm redoing it. This car will most likely end up being my sons first car, he will be driving in a few months.

I am not by any means a newbie to working on cars, maybe to Infiniti but from talking to many people there are few people that are not newbies when it comes to working on these cars. Thats part of the reason I want to do something with it. To learn and enjoy. If it was just money then no I would throw this car out with the morning trash.

In that case it is I who is unworthy to give you advice.

That will be a hell of a first car though when your done!

[mikes94q]

If you have kids you know that the main thing you really care about is the safety. I would rather him have a bit of power at his foot and learn how to handle it than throw him in a roller skate civic that has no real protection in the event of the unfortunate.

There is no one on this site that is unworthy. I am here to gain positive aspects of these cars. They are the past flagship of Infiniti (to bad infiniti didnt continue with a real flagship in recent years)

You obviously have tons of knowledge and have read most of the posts that pertain to maintaining a healthy Q. Thats what this forum should be about. If these cars are truely as great as some make them out to be it should be a hell of a nice car. Mine looks brand new just dont try to do a budget build for under $300. So know I will throw the appropriate funds at it and cross my fingers.

[qship96]

qship had obviously made a decision that his Q is not worth sinking more cash into and comes across a bit morbid in terms of waiting for her to die. Sort of reminds me of an undertaker hanging out in a nursing home lobby rubbing his hands. That said, his point about the difficulty of rebuilding the heads and valves to near OEM standards is a good one.
Heath

SAY WHAT?????? I have "sunk" over $500 cash in my beloved Q just within the last 30 or so days, every cent on preventative maintenance!!!! And probably close to $2000 so far this year.......no different than the last 12+ years under my ownership......I do everything possible to prolong the life of this wonderful beast and she is still a pleasure to look at and drive......but when something major finally gives out {engine/transmission/etc} it is time to retire the ole girl and start fresh.........not much different than knowing when to finally pull the plug on a very old human when the time comes.

[Q451990]

not much different than knowing when to finally pull the plug on a very old human when the time comes.

You're making my point

I know what you mean though...

Heath