# Just purchased a 94 Maxima and have some quesitons



## Ratt119 (Aug 17, 2004)

I just purchased a 94 Maxima for my son. This is a replacement for an 83 Mazda RX-7.

Here is what I know:

V6
Auto
236,000 miles (the engine is a used low mileage replacement)
VG30E

The car starts, runs, and drives fine, but I have some questions and concerns.

When the car idles it sounds good, but when the engine is reved it makes a clicking sound. This doesn't seem to affect performance as the car seems to have good acceleration. I have a Ford Explorer with a V8 so I can't really compare the two. I have been reading a lot about the Maxima and using high octane gas. I was going to try it with the higher octane, but I just wanted to get some opinions on this.

When accelerating there is another sound that reminds me of a car I had way back when I was a teenage that had an exhaust leak. The leak was where the manifold connects to the exhaust pipe. Turned out to be a bad gasket. I'm going to look for a leak this weekend but I was wondering if there are any areas that are prone to leak on the Maxima.

The speedometer, odometer, and tripometer do not work at all. Any info on this one would be great. This car is for a teenage boy and we know how they drive with a working speedometer so getting this fix is a high priority. 

The clock works intermittently.

The lights in the shift lever do not work (I'm assuming there are lights in it)

The radio is a Clarion I believe and I want to replace it with the CD player and 6X9 speakers that I pulled from the RX-7. Can I buy a harness or will I have to just cut and splice? Will the 6X9's fit under the rear deck? I looked at the existing rear speakers and they appear to be 6X9's. The front speakers are toast. In the process of replacing the front driver’s side window regulator, I noticed that the speaker was crack and the wires disconnected. Can I buy a reasonably priced set of speakers to replace these?

Are there any others areas/things that I should check/replace?

Thanks for any information you have.

Hugh


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

all very common problems..

exhaust noise...
exhaust manifold studs are broken-- the ones that hold the manifold to the head.
they need to be drilled out and replaced. it's a 6-8 hour job for me.. probably a full weekend job for the first-timer. parts are about $60 per head. also get all new Y pipe (exhaust) gaskets, as you have to remove it to get to them. rear head requires removal of the engine crossmember and dropping the engine a couple inches for clearance. it's a bear of a job, but it's doable. a shop will charge about $500 per head to fix it because of the labor required.

speedo issues... speed sensor has failed. another common problem. I think they're around $120 new. it's a simple swap. about 10-15 minutes, minimal tools required.

clock.. bad solder joints in it. pull it apart, remove components and resolder them on the board. another DIY thing if you know how to solder.

Radio.. you can buy a harness at just about any car stereo shop that will plug into the factory harness. be sure to buy a Diversity Antenna adaptor as well. they run $8-20 each, depending on where you go (call around to audio shops for best price). tell them you have a 94 non-bose maxima, and they'll get you fixed up with the right parts.
speakers can all be replaced with regular aftermarket stuff. the rears use a 6.5 or 6x9. fronts use a 4x6, but you can shop the speaker pod apart and use a little 'southern engineering' on them and fit a 6.5" speaker in it without problems.
the factory head unit has an external amplifier for the rear speakers, and you'll have to bypass it when you replace the nead unit. very easy. just look on the bottom of the rear deck and you'll see a hockey puck shaped box. 

here's the instructions to bypass it. wrote them several years ago... they're crude, but it gets the job done: http://mattblehm.com/faq/rear_amp_bypass.txt


That's pretty much the major stuff on the car, honestly. If the CV joints haven't been replaced, do those as well.

If you don't feel up to any of this stuff, feel free to shoot me an email. I'm in the Houston area, so I'm not too far away. I've done all of these jobs several times for various people and have excellent labor rates. My email is [email protected] if you have any more questions or are interested in me doing the work for you.


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## Ratt119 (Aug 17, 2004)

Thanks for the fast response.

I don't think I'd have a problem doing the head bolts as I replaced the clutch in the RX-7 myself. Wasn't a fun job but I saved at least $600. Should I do all of the head bolts or just determine which ones are broken and if they're only broken on one head then replace them?

Thanks again

Hugh


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

do 'em all. it's a common problem and there's no reason not to replace them while you're in there. it will take 3 minutes to replace one that's not broken, and costs about $3.

here's the parts you need:
http://mattblehm.com/pics/car/clutch/MVC-027S.JPG
http://mattblehm.com/pics/car/clutch/MVC-028S.JPG

for each head, you need 6 of each stud, nut, and washer.. one gasket per side.
should run you just over $100 total.

for parts, call up Courtesy Nissan in Richardson. 1-800-527-1909. Ask for Kaleb. tell him I sent you and he'll get you fixed up on the parts. tell him he owes me a beer.


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## Ratt119 (Aug 17, 2004)

As I noted earlier this car is my son's car and I want it to be as reliable as I can get it.

He called me a little while ago to tell me that on the way home from school today the car stalled twice. He said that when he would stop at the stop light the car would stall and it would take about 20 seconds before it would restart.

Any ideas of why this is happening?

Thanks,

Hugh


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

could be vacuum problems, could be fuel pressure/injectors, could be ECU...

I have a friend in Richardson area that's really good with these cars.. if you'd like, I can give him your number and see if he's willing to help out.


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## brianw (Feb 25, 2004)

Hmm. Yeah, if you're in Dallas, go hit up Courtesy Nissan for parts. Plenty of guys down there to help out. Had you been in Arizona, California, or other states with major Nissan discount parts dealers, there would be other recommendations to shop at.


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