what to look for when buying a 4th
#1
what to look for when buying a 4th
I have a chance to buy a 1996 se from a friend for cheap. It has 200k miles and is an auto. The tranny is sliping so a manual swap will most likly happen.
What should I be looking for as far as problem areas?
And if the compression is good how long could the motor last being taken care of?
Thanks and im very excited to become a maxima member!
And if anyone has question on 350z's let me know, im very skilled with those
What should I be looking for as far as problem areas?
And if the compression is good how long could the motor last being taken care of?
Thanks and im very excited to become a maxima member!
And if anyone has question on 350z's let me know, im very skilled with those
#3
U gotta SEARCH man.
There are plenty of threads just like this one. Jus gotta look for them.
U will get wayyyyy more info from searching than what others will post to this thread.
That being sd,
Problem areas to look out for are:
lower rad support,
leaky or slipping tranny,
hesitation/ misfiring/ lack of power
Hard starting.
Most of this stuff is easily remedied by solutions posted on the org.
the rad support and tranny cd be deal breakers as those can cost a few coins to fix.
Either way, the max is a great car and welcome to the forum
#4
lower radiator support is the big thing to look for like evrybody has said along with the other probs said are the knock sensor and the 02 sensors. these are next to impossible to tell because more than likely the person selling the car will be reseting the system constantly if the check engine light is on.
#5
i know alot of people here are going to tell you yo search and with this topic they are probably right but to me this forum is to help other people and i think may just be easier to just answer your question
welcom to the forum
oh and if you well maintain you max it will run FOREVER it may even survive a nuclear assault
with 200k i would look out for
the lower radiator support
check engine lights and a rough idle (possible coils)
unusual suspension noise (clunks, moans, rattles)
a rotating crumbling grinding noise (timing chain tensioner)
rust on the quarter panels
and a slipping tranny (which you have)
the manual swap may not be as easy as you think. its not a direct swap things have to be cut, wires have to be eliminated, ecus have to be replaced, you get the idea
but if you have money burning a whole in your pocket and like the max buy it
welcom to the forum
oh and if you well maintain you max it will run FOREVER it may even survive a nuclear assault
with 200k i would look out for
the lower radiator support
check engine lights and a rough idle (possible coils)
unusual suspension noise (clunks, moans, rattles)
a rotating crumbling grinding noise (timing chain tensioner)
rust on the quarter panels
and a slipping tranny (which you have)
the manual swap may not be as easy as you think. its not a direct swap things have to be cut, wires have to be eliminated, ecus have to be replaced, you get the idea
but if you have money burning a whole in your pocket and like the max buy it
Last edited by maxed_out_99; 07-28-2011 at 06:58 AM.
#7
water pump! (water dribbling from under engine somewhere and it's not the air con) - it is internal so needs the whole timing side to be stripped.
engine mounts! check by watching the movement of the motor while someone tries first/reverse ... don't stand in front while doing this.
front suspension! Cost me $700 to rebuild mine, not including struts.
exhaust - what is the cat like?
check the oil! muddy = gasket trouble.
engine mounts! check by watching the movement of the motor while someone tries first/reverse ... don't stand in front while doing this.
front suspension! Cost me $700 to rebuild mine, not including struts.
exhaust - what is the cat like?
check the oil! muddy = gasket trouble.
#8
He said hez getting it cheap... you have to expect some issues.... and front suspension 700??? Woahhh i could replace my struts mounts and all that for like 350 are yours made od gold or is that with labor??
#9
water pump! (water dribbling from under engine somewhere and it's not the air con) - it is internal so needs the whole timing side to be stripped.
engine mounts! check by watching the movement of the motor while someone tries first/reverse ... don't stand in front while doing this.
front suspension! Cost me $700 to rebuild mine, not including struts.
exhaust - what is the cat like?
check the oil! muddy = gasket trouble.
engine mounts! check by watching the movement of the motor while someone tries first/reverse ... don't stand in front while doing this.
front suspension! Cost me $700 to rebuild mine, not including struts.
exhaust - what is the cat like?
check the oil! muddy = gasket trouble.
#10
As others have said:
1. Radiator support. Make sure it isn't rusted out.
2. Coil packs. If the engine is running rough or has loss of power.
3. Knock sensor might need to be replaced if the car is knocking.
4. MAF sensor, O2 sensor also may need to be replaced if CEL is on.
other then that, I just bought a 97' SE with 250k and it runs better then most cars after 150k.
These are amazing cars and in most cases worth the time and money.
As someone else said: tranny swap isn't a cake walk. There is plenty of threads on here and people who have done it just gotta search around a bit.
Welcome to the Forum. The Maxima is a car worth investing some love into
#12
That was parts and labour, guys. Pretty much everything had to be replaced. Have you checked the price of Munroe lower suspension mounts recently
and cashoit, the water pump is highly specific to the Max, as you'll discover if you need to change it ... massive job. "Ordinary" cars more often have external water pumps that go wrong more often but are easy to change.
and cashoit, the water pump is highly specific to the Max, as you'll discover if you need to change it ... massive job. "Ordinary" cars more often have external water pumps that go wrong more often but are easy to change.
Last edited by clive; 07-30-2011 at 02:15 PM.
#13
What's great about Maximas is that a lot of stupid little **** goes wrong, but there are very few dealbreakers. Find one that isn't rusty and jump on it - chances are, if something's wrong you can fix it pretty easily and cheaply. The most frequent failures are sensors and electronics, which take almost no time to replace. Suspension components tend to get squeaky, but rarely fail unless subjected to severe neglect.
In other words, you might find a total beater that needs everything replaced, but rust excepted, you probably won't find a car for which it's not worth the trouble.
In other words, you might find a total beater that needs everything replaced, but rust excepted, you probably won't find a car for which it's not worth the trouble.
#14
It's not a fictional element though. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium
#16
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