need help crazy weird thing happend on trip

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 02:56 PM

ok this just happend driving back from a road trip the max decided to piss under the glove box. this greenish yellow liquid came from under there and spilled on the carpet. the liquid was hot when it came out. the temperature gauge is normal. and it on have shot out once have a towel sitting under it now and it has not done it again yet but what the hell could that liquid be? on my cell now still driving

Nismo4life07 · 01-05-2009, 02:58 PM

sounds kinda like it would be Freon... thats really weird. good luck. sorry i couldnt help more.

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 03:04 PM

that's what I was thinking cause no other liquids run through the car on the inside . does anyone know if there is a way to check the freon ?

Nismo4life07 · 01-05-2009, 03:06 PM

smell it.. its a distinct smell that im really not sure how to describe. lol. plus thats about the only liquid that is green/yellow.

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 03:18 PM

smells oily lol don't know how to describe it ether going to have to take it by the shop tomorrow. wonder if one of the hoses busted turned off the a/c. okay you know how the a/c motor normally has that loud motor now the motor isn't making that noise anymore......

Stereodude · 01-05-2009, 03:23 PM

First of all your car doesn't have freon. It has R134a in the A/C system. And, it's not a liquid at room temp. It's a gas.

I believe the liquid you're seeing is the car's coolant / antifreeze.

boris · 01-05-2009, 03:36 PM

Your heater core or the hoses need to be replaced

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 03:39 PM

yea the temperature gauge just started going up bout topull over and check my coolant. I know when I brought this car they had to fix the radiator .

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 03:54 PM

just pulled over put more coolant in the car and when I got back on the road it started spitting again. also I notice the excess coolant bottle was still full but the radiator was dry. I pulled a code for p126 something air/fuel mixture sensor . could all this be related?

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boris

Your heater core or the hoses need to be replaced

how much would that run to get that replaced?

boris · 01-05-2009, 04:17 PM

If the code is P1126, it means "Thermostat Function" so surely can be related due to the lack of the cooling fluid .

boris · 01-05-2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gold4dsc

how much would that run to get that replaced?

Cant tell you that, but its a grand PITA to get in.

jasonmax · 01-05-2009, 04:26 PM

heat core blew.

*nsnrider* · 01-05-2009, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonmax

heat core blew.

+1

it is a pain in the *** to replace since you'll need to remove the whole dash, disconnect the A/C unit (that includes vacuuming out the R134A), taking out the heater assembly in the center of the car (behind the radio), taking the unit apart just to get to that heater core. Get ready to spend some dough.

Stereodude · 01-05-2009, 04:57 PM

Oh, and you can't drive your car indefinitely without coolant, since that seems to be what you're doing.

I'm glad I'm not in whatever state you're in, while you're posting and driving.

fflint_18 · 01-05-2009, 05:53 PM

A quick and temporary solution is to connect the 2 hoses that run to the heater core together. A small piece of copper pipe and 2 hose clamps. This will bypass the heater core. You won't have any heat and defrost sucks without heat, but once you refill the radiotor and expansion tank you can drive it indefinitely.

Hope this helps

nismowolfe · 01-05-2009, 07:37 PM

Heater core ftw pita to get to usually if you bypass for now youll have no heat. If you pay someone it will probably be exspensive. Good luck.

jasonmax · 01-05-2009, 08:03 PM

I wonder how did that happen?
maybe the coolant got frozen so it expanded, which caused the heater core blew?
this is why never add water to the coolant.

Double0Max · 01-05-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nismo4life07

sounds kinda like it would be Freon... thats really weird. good luck. sorry i couldnt help more.

freon what the heck wow how old are you freon..its r 134 r 134a and they used to use r12 but r12 is found in older cars mostly early 80' and earlier but it is outlawed to by r12 with out a chemical license..

by the glove box and it came out hot it is mostly coolant you are getting a foot bath in..or the powersteering thats the only two fluids i know of that is in that general area of the car..but if it has a oily smell it may be powersteering..i only say that cause if you know if your are leaking coolant cause coolant only smells like nothing else in the world but coolant..

Nismo4life07 · 01-05-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double0Max

freon what the heck wow how old are you freon..its r 134 r 134a and they used to use r12 but r12 is found in older cars mostly early 80' and earlier but it is outlawed to by r12 with out a chemical license..

by the glove box and it came out hot it is mostly coolant you are getting a foot bath in..or the powersteering thats the only two fluids i know of that is in that general area of the car..but if it has a oily smell it may be powersteering..i only say that cause if you know if your are leaking coolant cause coolant only smells like nothing else in the world but coolant..

i meant coolant/antifreeze.. i just forgot. lol. seriously. my bad.

either way it looks like you'll be spendind some good money.. good luck bro.

*5thgenmaxima* · 01-05-2009, 09:21 PM

DO NOT let the temp gauge go to hot.. I'm putting a head gasket on an in-laws car right now because he drove the car for 3 miles after the temp gauge went into the red...
If you drive an overheated car you WILL need a new motor.

BTW: Heater Core part #271404Y900....Price $197.02 for an oem one..
Labor..6.6 hours + evac and recharge A/C...Figure an additional hour for evac and recharge.....or 7.6..

Now for the heads up...Alot of shops will tach on an hour or two labor or raise their labor rate per hour if they know you're stranded...
Knowing "book time" and parts needed will help you make sure you don't get screwed at the shop..In addition to this most dealers actually charge more than M.S.R.P. for an OEM part.. I.E. our dealer pays $35 for a part from GM.. M.S.R.P. might be $95..Our parts matrix would list that part for $190.... They can sell the part for any price they wish, but you have the option to purchase elsewhere.... Call around and get estimates for a heater core. It should go something like this.
labor rate x amount of hours(between 6.6 to 7.6 hours)= Somewhere near $600-$800 labor
Parts= heater core and maybe hose clamps...between $175-$270...
Shop supplies =
1 gallon coolant
1-2 LBS R134... Somewhere near $50.00-$75.00 for "refrigerant" and coolant... Also watch out most places double dip and charge you for all the supplies plus an additional fee for shop supplies.(Another $50 just because they can).... It's a way to increase their effective labor rate.. Usually if you pick thru their estimate they will work with you on certain items to get the job...Unless of course you're car is stranded at their work..
depending where you go it should cost you around $600-$800 +$200 + $50-$75...
Low side $850 plus tax.. high side $1100 plus tax.....When you get an estimate get a break down of the price......Make sure you ask what their labor rate is and how many hours their charging you...It should be 6.6 hours plus A/C recharge/recover....Like I said most places will fudge the amount of hours or change their labor rate to a higher amount to unsuspecting customers.

*nsnrider* · 01-05-2009, 09:32 PM

^^^very nice write up, pretty much hit it on the nail.

gold4dsc · 01-05-2009, 11:20 PM

thanks going to check on the heater core tomorrow. maybe i can find one in the junk yard . fyi i wasn't driving when i was typing

fflint_18 · 01-06-2009, 04:22 AM

5thgenMax hit it right on the money. You would almost think that's he one of those guys that does all those things he knows it so well.

Anyway, if you are out of town I would suggest you jump out the core as I suggested above, fill it with collant and get it home. Then you at least shop around or go to a place that you trust. As stated above, if they know you are stranded you are done.

Good Luck

*Derrick2k2SE* · 01-06-2009, 07:30 AM

If you're on the road and can live without the heater just bypass it. You can do that your self or have any shop do it for cheap. Even a tire shop or something like that can do it.

Just be sure you don't run it dry. Even if it's not overheating yet. Also, don't run it with just water for any length of time. If you do you'll end up killing the water pump and other parts. The coolant does more than cool and prevent freezing. It lubricates and prevents corrosion.

*5thgenmaxima* · 01-06-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gold4dsc

thanks going to check on the heater core tomorrow. maybe i can find one in the junk yard . fyi i wasn't driving when i was typing

You're not going to find a junk yard to pull a used heater core..To labor intensive...You're better off buying a new one anyways...I wouldn't want to spend 3/4 of a day to find I had a bad heater core... You're going that deep into your dash, you don't want to put used sh1t in there.

gold4dsc · 01-06-2009, 10:25 PM

racepages.com/parts/heater_core/nissan.html found this core thinking bout getting then tske the dash apart and put it in while replacing the radio

gold4dsc · 01-06-2009, 10:29 PM

once i get to the heater core is it a hard repair?

Revs2Hard · 01-07-2009, 01:52 AM

^ yes its a 9 out of 10 on the scale. You have to take the dash out.

fflint_18 · 01-07-2009, 04:36 AM

Lots of stuff in the way. Hard to put back together. Huge PITA.

But don't believe that a shop will do it better. Unless you've used them before and really trust them. Most shops just don't care as much as you think they do so when they put stuff back together and it's not exactly right they won't worry about the buzz or vibration that you now get. You can't believe how many extra fasterners a tech will have on his tool tray after one of these jobs. And some don't care. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of good guys out there. But even they will not go back if they forget a fastener if they are 3 steps beyond and it won't matter in the operation of the vehicle. Their bosses would kill them.

If you do it yourself (Try to find someone on here that has done) and document it step by step.

Take lots of pictures. Buy a box of plastic lunch bags and put the fasteners in groups and label them. Nothing sucks worse when you use a screw that fits and then later down the road you needed it for something else.

As you disconnect cables use a piece of masking tape to out the same number on both sides of the connection so you make sure you get everyone back together right.

Try to use the pictures you took and put everything back in exactly the same order you took them apart even if you think you can do it a different quicker way.

I know this all sounds like a giant collosal waste of timr, but in a couple week when you don't have a virbration or buzzing from underneath the dash you will forget about all the extra time it took to do it slow and careful.

I know that sound tedious, but in the long run will be worth it.

Lastly, no matter how hard you or a shop try it never may be exactly the same as it was. That dash was originally put inwithout anything else in the vehicle. And it's been through several hundred heating cycles so now it is shaped different than it was at the factory and is really custom fitted for your individual car. Bending and torqueing things out of the way was never planned on.

Good Luck

vinco · 01-07-2009, 05:07 PM

For the love of all things holy, be SURE to disconnect at least the negative battery cable before you get into the dash.

FWIW, it's the same procedure for many Nissans. I had to do it on my '95 240SX. I did a little write-up on the procedure for the S14, but it should be much the same on the Maxima:

So, the revised FSM procedure for this operation (and I do mean major surgery) should be as follows:

1) Unhook Negative Battery terminal
2) Remove dashboard from vehicle
3) Hire one (1) anorexic, pygmy, double-jointed contortionist for disconnection of heater hoses at underhood firewall connection.
4) No, we're really not kidding: the entire eff'ing dashboard, completely out of the car.
5) Remove Cross-bar behind dashboard in order to just barely wiggle the heater box out from behind it.
6) Don't see the crossbar yet? Refer back to step 4 with greater emphasis.
7) Remove old heater core from heater box, and compare with the hard-fought part you got from the junkyard for only ten bucks, on the sworn testimony of your parts-store buddy that it's the same part number from 1989 all the way through 1998.
8) Place telephone call back to parts-store buddy to inform him of his computer system's incorrect parts cross-reference information, while remembering the reason you went looking in the junkyard in the first place. (OK, so maybe I'm just a cheap bastage, but I've bought new heater cores for dozens of different vehicles in my life, and the most I've EVER paid for one was about forty bucks. Try $171 for the cheapest one of these little jewels that I could find.)
9) Close up the car for the night, 'cuz you aren't getting any farther on it.
10) DOH!!!!!!!! Not so fast! You have to get the heater box back in place so that you can get the cross bar back in place, so that you can close the door.
11) Lord, help you if you had the windows down before you started. You've got 25 loose plugs, 600 wires, and an airbag or two staring you in the face. Go ahead - Make My day. Hook that battery back up!
12) Find and install adequately-sized tarp, in the event that Step #11 has occurred.
13) Installation is the reverse of removal.

gold4dsc · 01-07-2009, 06:14 PM

ok so i think i'm going to try and tackle this . the write ups on here and I went around checking prices was 600 small local shop 875 local chain shop 1000 firestone 1300 nissan dealer. I can get the part for 70.00 125.00 200.00 . labor cost at the shop is 6.6 hours 538.00. I got a lot of free time so might as well save money fix it my self and take the time to make sure it gets sealed up write. wish I knew something else I can do to change things while the dash is out like that so I only have to take it apart once.

*5thgenmaxima* · 01-07-2009, 08:16 PM

REMOVAL

1.)Drain the cooling system. Refer to "Changing Engine Coolant".
2.)Disconnect the two heater hoses from inside the engine compartment.
3.)Remove the Blower and cooling unit.
4.)Remove the steering member assembly.
5.)Remove the heater unit.
6.)Remove the heater core.

INSTALLATION
Installation is basically the reverse order of removal.
When filling radiator with coolant, refer to "changing Engine Coolant".

STEP 3: (blower and cooling unit) with automatic climate control
REMOVAL

Discharge the A/C system.
Disconnect the two refrigerant lines from the engine compartment. Cap the A/C lines to prevent moisture from entering the system.
Remove the glove box and mating trim.
Disconnect the thermal amp. connector.
Disconnect the intake sensor connector.
Disconnect the fan control amp. and blower motor connector.
Remove the blower and cooling unit.
Separate the blower and cooling unit case, and remove the evaporator.
Remove the three bolts and then remove the motor from the blower case.
INSTALLATION
Installation is basically the reverse order of removal.
Recharge the A/C system.

gold4dsc · 01-07-2009, 09:08 PM

ok that doesn't seem that bad just have to find the right procedure to take the dash out and get right tools for it

gold4dsc · 01-09-2009, 03:45 PM

could it be the evaporator that iss leaking i went to the junk yard and pulled out the evaporator cause it looked like it was in the same place the leak was coming from

*5thgenmaxima* · 01-10-2009, 08:38 PM

Refrigerant is very cold to the touch..
1.) If your evap core or a hose blew it probably wouldn't leave that much fluid on the ground. R134 has a boiling point somewhere far below freezing (or below the temp in your car) when not under high pressure.. By the time the line blew the refrigerant would have boiled (evaporated) away and you most likely wouldn't have been left with a puddle....maybe a florescent greenish color from the A/C dye..But not enough to cause a huge puddle.
2.) Your A/C having an issue would NOT cause your car to overheat. It would also not cause your radiator to be empty..You said after you topped off your radiator you started getting more fluid on the floor...That pretty much proves that it's a heater core.

If you have to get home or to a shop you can take the two hoses going to your heater core from under the hood and run them into each other like stated above..

I don't want to rain on your parade, but you're probably better off taking this one to a shop.. Interior work is a major PITA. I fix cars for a living. Anytime a dash rattle, heater core, etc comes noone wants to do the job..
This kind of work sucks.. I don't know about nissans, but if the WHOLE dash has to come out in one peice if gets tricky. You have to have the dash ready to be removed. Then you get it unbolted and get a friend to help you pull it out of the car... But watch the door seal and all those small EXPENSIVE pieces of trim.. Make one wrong move while pulling the dash and you end up with scratched trim pieces, a ripped headliner, messed up shifter knobs, chaffed wires or just scratches on the dash...I don't know if nissans are as hard, but in some cars you literally have the heater core inside the back of the dash. You have to take the dash out of the car and then remove the heater core from the back of the dash....It's a huge PITA... If the mechanic scratches the trim or dash then the shop is liable to replace it. If you scratch it, then you have to pay for all that stuff yourself... If there is a dash rattle when you're done you have to tear it apart and find the rattle. If they create a rattle they have to fix it for you...Not to mention that if you get 1/2 way thru the job and decide you want a shop to fix it, a shop won't dare touch the car until you put it back together so they can remove the parts themselves..
I'm not trying to be a d1ck, I'm just saying if you're not knowledgeable enough to know if it's coolant or refrigerant I wouldn't attempt to tackle this job....If you do decide to tackle this job, good luck.

gold4dsc · 01-11-2009, 03:09 AM

kinda did some practice on one thats in the junk yard. took apart the dash and got athe old heaater core out and its not that hard to get the dash off. and i can get to the heater core once the dash and glove box is off.

gold4dsc · 01-11-2009, 10:46 PM

iight so i started working on it here the link to the thread
Heater Core repair day 1