ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

ive been posting for the past week or so about various maintenance items ive wanted to do since buying my 96 GLE last month. most people recommended KS as well as TB cleaning and plugs (my performance is "flat" and im getting like 250 miles per tank). so i ordered the double platinum OEM plugs at 11 bux a pop and a 300zx fuel filter for 20 off the internet. i took my car to a mechanic FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER today and the only code thrown was 034 (knock sensor).
this is what he said as far as costs/labor goes. i just want yalls feedback on whether this all sounds right (this guy is about as honest as they come and he claims im getting "friend" prices). im going to have him do the KS, fuel filter, TB cleaning, and MAF sensor.

KS - cost of the item he says books for 220, he get its for 115 so hell give it to me at 165.

the total would be 365 out the door for removing the manifold and getting to the KS (figured we might as well do the TB and fuel filter then while they are easily accessible).
im supplying the plugs and the FF - which i could do by myself no problem but figured its better to have him do it. theres NO way i could get the ks sensor sticking my hand through that opening.

also, unrelated, he says my battery is putting out 12v, which is very weak. he suggested alternator replacement, which he would charge me 210 for part + labor.

input please.
thank you

polvoronn

you're getting raped. I bet you can pay a local board member a 6 pack to help you out with the KS issues.

I'm sure you've already seen it if you've been researching this for the past week, but anyways ...;

http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/507

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

well the manifold is going to have to come off no question. the labor costs of that, he says, is going to be 4 hours (2 off and 2 on). so at 45 an hour (his rate) that comes to 180, plus the 165 for the KS comes to 345. seems right to me. plus hes gonna do the FF and MAF and plugs in that price. (plugs and FF that i supply)

dko

iTrader: (7)

that's bullsh!t. the manifold does NOT, i repeat does NOT have to come off AT ALL. all you need is a u-joint and a magnetic pickup as well as a set of wrenches. as stated above, find a local member near you that has done this repair and they will do it for $20 or a six pack of good beer. the KS itself can be purchased for $90 at most.

if you can hold a wrench with one hand you can do the TB cleaning in 30 minutes max. ditto for plugs. just pull up the coils, unscrew the plugs, pull them up, replace with new ones after a light coat of anti-seize on the threads.

as for the MAF, i don't know what he was going to do with the MAF, but for that price he would only be cleaning it.

andrei3333

STOP dude

Whats wrong with trying work yourself ? fuel filter is easy, plugs are easy, taking the TB completely off the IM is easy, KS is easy if u got the 2 extensions and a u-joint OR someone with small hands, don't touch the maf unless u only plan to spray it with MAF CLEANER!!

This thread goes against everything that this site stands for which is doing the work yourself and saving money. We are all here to help, the stickys are there to help, my God it really doesnt get any easier than this, unless i come and do the work for u...

I bought my KS here http://catalog.eautopartscatalog.com...2b2187b0529cfa
for $65 caanadian. DO NOT PAY ANYTHING MORE than 100 dollars for a KS its a rip off because they can be had for 65 and up

YEs if u want to torque the KS down properly the IM does have to come off, so the mech is not lying, but its very very doiable without taking off the IM and i think something like 90% of people in the 4th gen forum did it like that and their car has not exploded (yet)

Get a girlfriend (with small hands) to help u or a boyfriend (lol) sorry i had to be politically correct. But when u r at a club looking for a girl dont walk around grabbing any random females hand and asking is she can tickle ur knock sensor.

sorry that came out of nowhere, anyway, if u really never held a wrench in your life then take all this pretty money that u want to spend on maintenance, buy me a ticket to where u live and ill come and do it for free (Florida here i come)

PS: btw he should not be charging U extra for parts, meaning he is taking u for a ride, he cant justify getting the KS for 115 and charging u 165 for it, Like this is ridiculous whats he gona do to the KS to deserve to charge u more for it ? what hes gona buff it up and make it shiny or something? tell him u can get ur own KS for $65+ (tax delivery whatever but still less then his price) and dont worry about the battery and alternator for now, how does he know how much Voltage it outputs ? did he test it in front of u ?

dko

iTrader: (7)

so that's two votes for exactly what i said

andrei3333

Right man, like its friggin pissing me off here, im about to smash my keyboard, i went thru the EXACT same loop with my mech, they dont know how to use the internet, they just have suppliers and charge u whatever

tell me what justifies him bumping the price of the KS from 115 to 165 ? like why ? just because nissan charges 220 + for it so he thinks its still cheaper ?

im so pissed right now, time for the punching bag ggrrrr

dko

iTrader: (7)

well it's very simple. mechanics deal with dealerships or parts suppliers because they are local, deliver and usually have parts on hand. they don't want to go through the hassle of sourcing the parts elsewhere, regardless of how much you could save. after all, it's not their money.

andrei3333

Thats why i only go to the mech for work i cannot do myself or dont have the proper tools for

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

The fact that it's his shop and he can charge whatever he wants. If the OP doesn't want it at that price, he's free to go somewhere else or just get it for USD60 off of eBay. He's in the business to make money, marking up prices is something most everyone does.

Take, for example, a computer supply store. I used to work for CompUSA in particular. A USB or IEEE1394 cable that sells for ~$30 to the public, we got for ~$2.50, and that was still far above cost. It's just like going to a retail store, it doesn't matter what price they get for parts, most people will up the cost.

I worked for Midas and SAC, you know the rule of thumb there? Midas - gets the part at discount from auto parts stores, charges retail. Sears - gets the part at discount from auto parts stores, and charges 150% retail.

Now I also worked for Nissan, but I won't get started on their pricing schemes...

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

The manifold should come off in order to apply proper torque to the KS.

black_maxed95

iTrader: (41)

+1 on doing everything yourself. nothing here is hard to do with simple basic tools. get the ks on ebay for $65. they are oem nissan too. unless you are loaded and real real lazy i dont understand why anyone would have a mechanic replace the fuel filter and clean the throttle body. ks only takes at most 15 minutes also (i did it without taking the IM off)

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

i know i sound like a bich and this goes against the entire founding principle of this forum.

like i said, i had originally planned to the TB cleaning and fuel filter by myself. and i know how to do the plugs because i did them on my 93 SE back in 2004. i even bought CRC throttle body cleaner for the job or ordered the parts to my house....

about the KS though, i dont want to fck around. im not going to be able to find anyone who is able to do it without removing the manifold. i dont know any nissan techies around here - all i know is generic mechanics who are gonna do sht by the book.

on a side note, how many hours should removing and replacing the manifold take?

regardless of all this, im not really in a position to be playing around with my car. plugs, FF and sht like that im confident in doing myself. but i NEED this car to get to work. i moved to florida for rehab last year and was "released" in february. i have no family down here, no one who i could rely on if i lost my car for a week or two. this 3500 i just spent on this car is ALL I HAVE SAVED since getting out.
if i try to just wing it based on the instructions of motorvate.ca or some online instruction, i run the risk of doing it wrong and causing serious damage. without someone to showing me whats what, its probably not worth it.
i grew up in NYC, i dont know jack sht about cars. everything ive learned is since 2000. if my car breaks, or i need to order some new part cuz i broke something and i cant get to work im FUCT. if i had a nissan knowledgable friend who could oversee my work, then i wouldnt hesistate but thats not an option. theres too many variables for someone like me to just start undoing things in my engine.
how the f*ck am i gonna know the torque setting on the KS, or measure it for that matter? i dont know the first thign about removing the manifold (yea yea motorvate.ca....like 4 ******* pictures and 300 words is gonna help). i have NO TOOLS - i sold everything i own (including my 93 SE) for drugs over the years. id ont know where im really going with this. im guess im a little pissed this guy is overcharging me so much. though, midas said 600 for this job....

i dunno. if any of you know any maxima.org'ers that are in southern florida, ill give them 100 bux to come up to delray beach with their tools and show me wtf to do.
ill supply the parts and do the work !@ !@ !

andrei3333

man thats a tough position you are in, if i could afford it i would fly/drive there from toronto just to help you out. could use a vacation anyways. but im broke right now too

yes things may go wrong, but its kinda hard to screw up doing this maintenance. i droped a bolt one time into the engine and that scared me, luckily i saw it with a flash light and knocked it to the ground with a long stick i had nearby. I learned from that to take my time and do things slowly the first time.

Screw it, you said the total for the job (KS, FF, TB removal) is $365 all in ?
if this hesitation in 2nd and 3rd really bothers you that much then do it, get it done and have the peice of mind that it was done right, in the end, thats what counts. but be careful because a mech can take u for a ride. also make sure he actually REMOVES the TB and not just cleans it like motorvade shows. and if u can then be there for the whole process so the mech cant screw with u, tell him that u want to learn about ur car or something so he will talk you thru the job process and show u how its done, think of this as a tech lesson for 365 dollars...

as i said i would gladly explain in detail with pictures of these jobs that u want done,because ive done them myself.

oh and yes u do have a family everywhere u go, as long as u got internet access, good luck with your choice man

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

im gonna attempt this job myself after reading all your responses...

i just want to make sure this is all done right.

this is probably a stupid question, but how do i measure 15-20 foot pounds of torque on the KS? or should i not even worry about it if im not removing the manifold?

what are these tools i need. what is a U JOINT ? i assume the magnetic pickup is just to remove the old KS ? and what "wrench set" are you talkign about? just a ratchet set?

what else do i need for the other jobs?
is anti-seize neccesary for the plug threads? is there a torque setting for them?
also today i noticed that my fuel filter has a very specific clip it sits in. i ordered the 300zx TT filter based on yalls recommendation, but it doesnt look like it would fit if its that much bigger. will it? do i have to bend or break that clip off?

also, these plugs DO NOT need to be gapped right? i know the gap is .44 but it says on some thread i read a while back that the OEM double platinum plugs come premeasured.

im probably not gonna fck with the MAF

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

the terrible gas mileage bothers me more than the pickup.
and yea i never ever let a mechanic work on my car when im not there.

ANY ORGERS IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA? PM ME or email HERBKILLS@yahoo.com

andrei3333

ok u caught me at the right time cause im extremely bored

Once u put the new KS in and hand righten the 10mm bolt (or 12mm cant remember), use the set of extensions and u-joint to tighten it to approximately 1/4 of a full turn

this is exactly what i used to get it done, it was a bit of trial and error:

this is what a u-joint is:



if you are planning to do the TB by completely removing it u will need to buy the gasket from the dealer, its the top one in this picture should cost like 5-10 dollars and its made of thick paper. ( the second gasket on the bottom was used when i took off the IACV which u r not planning to take off so it doesnt matter.


No i dont recommend it because when anti seize dries up and lets say in a certain amount of time u change the plugs again that dry anti seize will become like a powder and fall insidethe engine thru the spark plug hole.

the metal clip will bend/expand/open up and hold the larger filter with no problems, if u have doubts then get some plastic zip ties and attach it to the braket that way as well

correct, platinum tipped plugs do not need to be gapped

Also for the TB, use only TB cleaner spary not any other spray as it can hurt the teflon coating of the TB walls inside it

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

Any powder would be burned off or just exit with the exhaust gases, but personally I have never seen antiseize dry up under any real-life conditions. Anti-seized my plugs once, after 20k miles I changed them and it was still...not quite 'wet' but the same as when I put it on them. Same for backing plates for brakes, on the hat of a rotor, etc etc.

GStrength

iTrader: (4)

would you take off the manifold for a knock sensor?

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

I have, so yes.

GStrength

iTrader: (4)

No No nO, man just get a little brother, or a girl with little hands to stick there hand in there, place the socket on the bolt, you pop it loose, and have him or her stick they little hand under the manifold and pull it right out. It took me less then 5 minutes to do with my girl's little *** hand. I tried and only got my hand like wrist deep, my girl comes through and sticks her arm in down to her ELBOW lol hahaha what more leverage would anyone need for that job lol.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

ill give you 20 bux for your little girl

used parts

iTrader: (3)

I use a shorty 10mm racheting combination wrench(gear wrench)and remove the egr solenoid. Then it's much easier to get your hand in there.

also, i have knock sensors and sub harness for $150 shipped.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

theres nothing that i would have to calibrate if i removed the EGR solenoid and replaced it>? also where is it ? i assume its near the entrance to the underside of the manifold.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/cata...1211432k319760

the cheapest KS i could find was like 130 till i found this page
why are there such discrepancies in the prices?
will the 60+ dollar one do the job?

andrei3333

mine was 65 and its working fine, the pic looks like mine exactly, OEM even down to the box.

1chewabacha1

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, that $60 one looks just like the one I just installed. I'm really glad that you're going to attempt this yourself. It is simple maintenance stuff that they're trying to rip you off for. On top of that, you get some tools for any other projects, and you learn something new.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

if that 61 dollar works fine, why the hell would someone spend almost twice that for the next step up? what do you think it does or does better thats worth an additional 60 ?

GStrength

iTrader: (4)

Wow these funny *** forums threads. The so called 60 dollar one and 120 dollar one, doesnt make sense cause the only difference is the price. You dont benifit more from either one except the money you save. You can get a Genuine Nissan knock sensor for your maxima for around 60 dollars off ebay. It's worth the buy.

Maxima-4DSC

iTrader: (1)

the manifold DOES NOT HAVE TO COME OFF !!!!! tell him to go stick it up his ****. he is raping you over and over again !!!!!! I have successfully as well as MANY other org members done this with little more than a long extension on your socket and a universal joint. and i did it on a 99 se cali spec in 30 minutes.....now what.

papo99

iTrader: (33)

you can do it if you set your mind to it and don't really have to pay a mechanic to do nothing they are all rip offs i know my dads a mechanic

Product_Of_Korea

iTrader: (8)

in all honesty it is a simple fix. that is where the maxima is most problematic imo. i understand your situation. hell i put off putting new rubber on my car till yesterday and my wires where showing for a while. i didnt want to do it myself either considering i usally go though my fathers machanic and he is not big on jap cars. so i decided to do it myself. took maybe 30min and some bloody hands but i did it with out taking off the manifold. it maybe would cost you 15 bucks in tools and the cost of the knock sensor. honestly it would save you money in the long run just to sweat it out and do it yourself. i know working on cars can be fustrating hell i got fustrated puttin in my ks but after it was all said and done i saved myself money and i got more importantly confidence to work on my max. and now i cant stop! its a hobby\ fetish. i want to do all kinds of stuff to my max now. just need the bank roll but i wish you the best of luck.

andy