AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

-Scratch all I've said before. I'm keeping the max as stated in later posts, now i need some help as I'm getting a toolkit soon


Fixed

• CV Joints
• Fuel line hose replacement (the one behind the rear driver brake disc)
• Both rear window regulators (i know of the manufactured defect

New Wheels/Rims

• G35 Stockers [rims+tires] $300

Total of a little over $1000 (that's a lot for me, a 16 y/o lol)

Needs to be fixed

• 1, possibly 2, fuel injectors
• Tune up (badly)

Well i'll just keep this thread open for the good/bad news if any on my car.

92gxe/cg2

iTrader: (2)

im another 16 y/o with a maxima. I used to look at this car and say, damn wat a sweet looking ride... maybe not tho...

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

wrong section
no price
no location

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

MIGHT be selling. Never confirmed it. I may need some 3rd gen related help because i might still do some of the repairs..as i assure you there is probably more then what i listed.

92gxe/cg2 - don't be discourage because of me i still like this car too, it's just i'd rather better my automotive career with a more suitable piece of machinery for modifying moreso then just daily driving

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

Hmm, So those three things cost you $1000 Dollars? They could probably be done for under $250 or so, and they're not very hard once you get a little know-how under your belt.

ALL cars will wear out and need oil changes/tune up's/injector's. Those are normal maintenance items and every car, regardless of age will eventually need them.

Worst case scenario you can sell your rims and tires and go back to stock and fix some of the things that need more attention such as maintenance.

Wheel Alignment is another no biggie, all cars will need it.

Aftermarket OEM style spoilers sell for $50 on Ebay.


I don't know... People always want to sell maximas because they need things that every other car is going to need, but what makes you think a car payment is going to give you a reliable vehicle?

I dunno, just my .02

Maximahappy22

iTrader: (4)

I agree with maxshima, you should sell the rims and try and fix stuff youself because buying another older car that you dont know anything about isnt going to be any better than what you have now.

Im 17 and i have 2 maxipads, get a job and learn stuff by doing it yourself. You just gotta have the ***** to do stuff, i just did my clutch and brakes and ive never done anything that big. Just get an FSM and ask people that have done what you are trying to do for help. Also the paint and spoiler arent must fix things, that is just a luxury of having a nice looking car.

my .02

Tquick

The others here are right. you're just trading the problems that you know about for problems that you DON'T know about yet if you are buying another used car. Unless you buy something brand new with a warranty, you will always have things that you have to fix. Don't worry about the paint. The rotted out spoiler support you should deal with, rot is cancer and should always be taken care of. Figure out what the bad odor / smoke was all about, it could have been something as simple as spilled motor oil burning off the exhaust. Deal with the injectors. The money you save doing the job yourself will MORE than pay for the tools you'll need to buy in order to do the work. None of us were born knowing how to do this stuff, we all learned by trying things, and making mistakes.

sublunary

iTrader: (2)

do the tune-up yourself. it is simple, inexpensive, requires only basic tools that you should have anyway, and it will help you get over the hump of working on your own car. use the autozone online repair manual if you don't have a FSM.

Gunther

I'd rather have a car where I know what is on its way out and what I've recently replaced and taken care of, then one where I don't. The transmission is the only thing I have any concern for, and is it really that bad or are you saying it to justify its sale?

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

I wanted to point out something else too...

I used to have a 94 GXE that was mechanically SOUND with a brand new transmission, and only 120,000 miles. I still wouldn't hesitate to drive that thing cross country (My cousin has it now; yay @ keeping cars in the family) But it's just not the platform I felt like dumping money into. The body needed work, the interior was all yellow and had burn marks in it from nicotine, it needed a paint job BAD, it needed a new hood, it needed new struts and springs, the audio system was farked, etc.

I knew how to fix most of those things and they weren't really top priority, but I just couldn't see myself putting money into something I wouldn't personally get anything back from. So I took my chances and got a VE Maxima Automatic, hoping to later swap in a VLSD 5-Speed.

Upon receiving the car it felt sluggish, (like 11 second 0-60mph sluggish) it leaked oil, had 139,000 miles, CV joints clacked, god awful ugly wheels, and the sunroof leaked BAD.

BUT, it was the platform I wanted to dump money in. So I replaced the main front seal, Gave it a tuneup, replaced all maintenance items, swapped my GXE rims, cleaned out the sunroof lines, put 11,000 miles on it, did MANY things to improve the vehicle and now I have absolutely no problems with it. It's quick, fun, looks sharp, has a few bolt on's, and all I have left to do is replace the tranny with my recently rebuilt VLSD 5-speed car sitting in the yard.

I can understand you wanting another car, regardless of the condition if it's what you have your heart set on. But if you like the max, don't throw it away because it needs some work.

sorry about the rant


ps: dibs on the wheels if you decide to sell ?

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

$1000? for just these 3 things????


You really should learn how to work on your vehicles yourself...

If you cant or don't want to,then you should buy a new or much newer car and be done with older cars..They(old cars) will kill you in labor charges if you don't do your own maintenance.

mikekantor

iTrader: (5)

I was in a similar situation about a year ago. After looking around for other cars, I quickly realized that to get anything even remotely decent that will last, you'll be spending at least $8K. Going under that, you'll either have a car that doesnt make you happy but will probably do the A-B commute, or something that will need its share of maintenance just as the Max does right now... except parts will be more expensive.

IMO until you are ready to spend the proper money on a car that doesnt have much history and can be well maintained under your ownership, you might as well keep the max going.

For comparison with my SE auto: since summer '06 I've spent about 2500-3000 on tools/equipment, parts, upgrades, and the little bit of labor that I didnt do myself. The labor I did do myself was entirely due to preparation from reading the .org and the fsm. That being said, I was also very eager to gain experience with car repair because I want to have a project car later on.

If I had sold the car then for 500-800 in its past condition, and then spent that whole amount of money, I would end up with another crappy car. Or I could've spent more but would be left with a large loan and insurance payment.

So you've got options. And hey, you're 16 so if you decide to do some repairs, the downtime wont be a huge deal since I'm sure most of your friends drive and you could get rides to school and whatnot.

Regarding your Auto tranny, drain the fluid a few times, then remove the pan and clean it on the inside. Its not a difficult undertaking, and you will notice a huge difference in the transmission, at least I did. If you decide to take that up, I’d be glad to write some step-by-step notes for you.

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

I never said i would buy another older car. Even if i had the money, mom won't allow it because i was talking to her about 94-97 240sx's and 300zx's and she was all "Don't talk to me about these old cars" and cut the conversation from there.


What's FSM? I have the original owner's manual if that's what you are implying..

Well, it still gets me from point A to point B but it slipped a few months ago (i was driving then outta nowhere it just shifted to N on it's own, then i wiggled for about 10 seconds then it came back [i know it's probably the mount/bushing]) and now it just feels like it's conking out. Whenever i put it from Park to Drive after it has already warmed up in the cold, even during the heat it did this, the rpm gauge would go BELOW 500rpms with a rough vibration for a brief second and would then idle AT 500 or 475 rpms. I have a video that i'm going to upload in a few mins to show you what i'm talking about. and after driving it for about 30-40 mins, when i come to a light or a stop or something, i'll hear(have to turn off radio to hear it fully) and feel the rigorous vibration [not over exaggerating] When i put it from Park to Neutral (like if im sitting at a light also) the idle for that will be at 600 then will just go down to about 200-300 (like it's about to cut off) every 5-10 seconds..i put it in N sometimes because i get annoyed by the vibration if it's just sitting still Drive..rebuilds/swaps/repair costs for tranny's aren't exactly pocket-friendly.. and mom just loves when i ask to get something that needs to be fixed, fixed on my car /sarcasm; she hates it.
oh trust me, i hate the thought of wanting to sell it but I'm unemployed..no one has called for an interview..i get money every week but it's just pocket change.. I don't know..i'm still thinking this all through.


BTW: found another problem

Raw gasoline leaking from exhaust FTW..lemme guess..could be bad cat? or could be related to injecters? maybe?

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

MyGreenMax94 & All

Sorry forgot to include the price of getting the new wheels in the $1000 expenses.

So it was only $700 for the real maintenance stuff. Wheels were just accessories.

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

All your rich running/ stumbling/ low idle/ shaking sound like you just need to replace the Coolant Temperature Sensor.

I had ALL of those symptoms and replaced the $20 part and no more problems

AIM me if you want pics/how-to

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

ok cool, you'll be getting a msg soon

Gunther

Or it's those bad injectors.

mikekantor

iTrader: (5)

Or its water vapor and he is overreacting, or both.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

you sure it's raw gas?
it's more than likely just condensation which is fairly normal depending on the weather

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

I assumed it was thick and smelled extremely rich...

mikekantor

iTrader: (5)

Factory Service Manual. Details every nut, bolt, and wire of the car, and has procedures to diagnose and repair any issue.

Most of that is probably due to your engine performance issues and mounts. If you drain/run/refill the tranny about 3 times you'll notice a huge improvement. If the shifter bushing was never changed, thats also an easy repair and you will notice the difference right away.

Aren't you in school? I wouldnt think its that hard to find a part-time job these days.

If your mom is up for getting something new though, that sounds like your best option. You would end up with a good car if you fix up the max, but it doesnt sound like you or your family want to put more money into it... and its especially not worth it if you're paying for labor.

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

I dont know about that...anyone else disagree with that beside myself?

AM, when was the last time you or your mother did the transmission flush/fluid change on your Max? If its been more than 80k miles then its probably best not to touch the fluid.

By the way, where are you located?

mikekantor

iTrader: (5)

I've heard this as well, so I'm merely going by my own experience.

There have been many threads on the topic, so without needlessly delving into it here, I'll just say that you HAVE to clean out the pan and filter within a week of replacing the fluid. Whatever does shake loose will be there, and the magnets do a good job of keeping harmful fragments from circulating in the tranny.

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

Well i checked it about 3K miles ago..it looked fine, so my mechanic said, i don't know when was the last time it was changed..and it was still red

I live in Maryland.


mikekantor: P/T Jobs aren't as easy as i thought they were to find.. Sent an application to 4 jobs 1 week after another..no calls back. I refuse to work in FF restaurants..anything else basically i'll go for.

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

thats your problem right there. You dont wait for them to call you back. If within one week of applying you dont get a responce, you pick up the phone and call them. Just say you're calling to check the status of your job application. Simple as that, do it 1 week after applying if no callback, then do it every 2-3 days after the first call until they give you a definite answer. Persistance shows your interest and interested employees is what companies want.

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

aha! this is where i failed, D'oh!

Thanks a lot will be calling all the companies afterschool

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

Sweet, be sure to have a nice resume unless you've got no experience AT ALL, If not, you might need to either volunteer somewhere so you can put that in your resume or just try to start with the lowest job you can get just to gain experience. Gotta crawl before walking, unless you own a fine bluetooth headpiece

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

No prior work experience but plenty of volunteer work..

and i do own a fine Bluetooth headpiece

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

Sweet, so I've made up my mind for your car. You're gonna keep it. You're gonna get a job, you're gonna make at least 100 bucks a week. You're gonna save up 25% from every check in a new savings account you're gonna open up and the rest for for gas, repairs that YOU will do yourself with the help of the org, and the rest is for getting some vahgeenah. Is that clear?.

List your repairs again and we (at the org) will sort them by highest priority to lowest so you know what to start knockin out.

mikekantor

iTrader: (5)

Where are you in MD? I used to live in Waldorf.

Got any computer/photography skills? I still have contacts back there and might be able to recommend you, assuming you're an upstanding individual and all...

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

I live 10 minutes north of waldorf
PC skills : i'm good w/ installing/removing programs, using software, etc. (the basic stuff)

Photography skills: I really like taking pictures and a lot of people tell me i take good pictures as well. and define upstanding lol

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

ahh that made my day. Okay, that'll work..as soon as i get a job, that'll be my guide to success..

mikekantor

iTrader: (5)

Well the upstanding thing goes back to the whole "job experience" issue. Me chatting with you on the org doesnt mean that I know you well or anything, which makes it problematic for me to list off your accolades and get you through the door. The same thing goes for the strangers to whom you drop off applications, since they have few previous employers to talk to.

I'll ask the photographers I know if they need part-time assistants.

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

sweet! thanks

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

Dude the org rocks, it can help you fix your car, get a job, how to spend your money, hell even how to get laid

Got pics of your car?

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

speaking of Hectic.......


aaanyways. Yeah there's a couple things that the org has done for me. I have intake spacers... and matter of fact, a couple VG guys have intake spacers because of the fact that I found the org. I also have managed to fix a couple other things because until i joined the org i had no FSM. Not to mention the ability to ask major-league retarded questions and actually get answers.

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

lollers at Hectic related comment


As for the retarted questions, you should do an advanced search and find all threads started by ColombianMax/BlooToof, then you can even more about my retarded posts

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

has nothing to do with repairs/maintenince? shouldnt be on this list....

AM_BlackMax

iTrader: (1)

yes it does. I was needing new tires anyways which would equate to about $400-500 so this was actually a money saver in the maintenance.

Prophecy99

iTrader: (1)

makes...sense now...just ...wasnt explained above...