# how reliable is your b14?



## Guest (May 21, 2003)

hi guys,

My 96 200sx se is totally bone stock with 122k miles on it. Was wondering with this much mileage what things are expected to be replaced. besides oil changes, changed plugs and a new clutch recently. Anything I should be expecting or should be aware of? How good is the stock block for? thanks for the info!


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## Katana200sx (May 13, 2002)

block shouldnt be a problem...ive only replaced the clutch, front main seal, and passenger differential seal. besides the maintanence stuff. ive got 133,xxx miles


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Well,
At that mileage the suspension has to go. Yes it may work fine, however it is nowhere near the way it was when it rolled off the factory floor. Your back and firends will thank you.

Seth


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## Guest (May 22, 2003)

yea the suspension still feels OK, but im sure it is beging to be replaced soon. i might just go replacement oem spec struts/shocks unless i decide to lower it i guess.It's no beast, but Its been a great daily driver and comfortable, I still avg 35-36 MPG (gotta love that).


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## Katana200sx (May 13, 2002)

yeah my suspension was gone awhile ago...stock 133,000 mile struts/shocks on tein front and eibach rear springs


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## dry (Oct 21, 2002)

129,750 miles on mine, have replaced the oil and clutch... oh and tires.


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## himilefrontier (Jan 21, 2003)

Drivetrain should be fine.An uncle of mine had 320k on his B12 with a GA16i and no real problems.Nissan uses high nickel iron in it's blocks and are very resistant to cylinder wear because of that. Unless your car hasn't had regular maintenance I think it will continue to give you reliable service.


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## Sherb (Sep 8, 2002)

If the CV joints hasn't been replaced, expect that to go out anytime (no worry, you will hear warnings and its drivable). Check the exhaust for rust spots/holes. And some other things like the battery if still the original.


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## 7875 (Apr 3, 2003)

my b14 just hit 59k miles today!


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## xLyricistx (Jul 26, 2002)

Speaking of reliability..... has anyone ever changed their timing chain on their B14...if so how many miles did you have?
I currently have 94,000 miles on mine and it's just like when I purchased it with 5 miles.........gotta love the B14 GA16DE...


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## stealthb14 (Apr 30, 2002)

I have a 97 B14 GXE, bone stock (Except for audio equipment) with only 73,000 miles.

Here's what I've had done since I've owned the vehicle (I'm the second owner)

-Starter at ~69K
-CV Boot at ~65K
-Fuel Injectors at ~50K
-Plugs and wires at ~50k
So much, that i can't remember the rest.


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## Guest (May 22, 2003)

Good reliability... have replaced
Starter
Trunk lock cylinder
One axle seal
Rear O2 sensor rusted out

And of course the usual brakes and tires. Have 125K and climbing...


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## Guest (May 22, 2003)

xLyricistx said:


> *Speaking of reliability..... has anyone ever changed their timing chain on their B14...if so how many miles did you have?
> I currently have 94,000 miles on mine and it's just like when I purchased it with 5 miles.........gotta love the B14 GA16DE...  *


They said timing chain should be good at least 200k for stockers like ours I guess. Now if it was a timing belt (thank god its not) woulda been a different story. I am the second owner of mine, and even the original clutch lasted 120k hehe, I think I might want to start looking for a battery as mine is still stock. I think a big part of its long life is because I dont have an alarm or nice system setup that I play on ACC mode. But heck 120k on a stock battery is more than impressive already.


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## nissan1995 (Mar 30, 2003)

i had to replace my timing cover gasket,chain because i was driving it one day and all of a sudden it started to smoke in the front of my car. What happened is the gasket blew and the oil was squirting out on to the alterantor. I have a 130,000 on mine.


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

I'd say above average reliability. Only has failed me a few times.

Usually I can feel confident that it will start and run fine. Recently I had some starting problems but that turned out to be a dead starter. Now im back in business at 87,000 miles. 

I think as long as you do the regular maintenance and keep and eye and ear on things it should be a fine car. Pretty much like everyone else said your CV boots will begin to go, you can just look under hte car and check those easy, brake pads eventually and I've run into starter and distributor having to be replaced. 

I do worry though when going up large hillls, worried that im gonna blow my car up from gunning it up the hills. Its hard when your trying to keep up with a car with 6+ cylinders in front of you


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## wickedsr20 (Aug 8, 2002)

I'd look at the motor mounts and all the bushings if it were mine. And the earlier mentioned suspension upgrade, but you'll probably want to drop it soon anyway.  
Motor and tranny should be fine if properly maintained. I've witnessed 200k+ SR20's. Just gives me more of a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that reliability is there.


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

RGS50 said:


> *yea the suspension still feels OK, but im sure it is beging to be replaced soon. i might just go replacement oem spec struts/shocks unless i decide to lower it i guess.It's no beast, but Its been a great daily driver and comfortable, I still avg 35-36 MPG (gotta love that). *


Damn, I only get 24-25... what a POS.


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## phrostbyte47 (May 19, 2002)

i have a 96 b14 with 117k miles. i've had to replace the clutch, starter and alternator. no real big problems.


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## Purple B14 (Dec 13, 2002)

I'd say it's "above average" reliability as well. I got 85K on my 95 GA16DE, and far as I remember, here is what I have done
-Starter
-battery
-alternator
-things like spark plugs and air filters

It did fail about 2-3 times, but I figured out that it's all the awful auto body shop's fault ~ 

Very reliable !

Michael


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## Katana200sx (May 13, 2002)

forgot i replaced both axles bc of torn cv boots at around 100k. had grease all over my 17's and car. after i installed the es shifter bushing i noticed my motor mounts are shot. like everyone said..just routine stuff mainly.


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## Rama (Mar 8, 2003)

ok so thats the reason I am getting grease on my front right rim the cv boot needs to be replaced. How much do those cost or is there something else that needs to be attended to I was afraid of major damage. How much do cv boots cost and what do you need to do to replace them actually what the hell are they? I haven't seen them before just heard about them?


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## Rama (Mar 8, 2003)

Nevermind I did some research I know what it is now I just cant get under my car to check if thats it. How difficult is it to replace if that is the issue?


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## Guest (May 24, 2003)

Dynamitega said:


> *Damn, I only get 24-25... what a POS.  *


Really? is it because its an automatic, or something different with the 98 1.6? Well either that or you just drive it a little harder than normal hehehe. I have about 60-70% freeway 30% city.


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## Dynamitega (Feb 24, 2003)

I have 100% city driving... that's probably why, lots of stopping and going. I also have automatic.


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

That'll do it. I blow through a tank of gas in less miles in my auto Sentra than in my manual Eclipse. Maybe it's because I granny drive the Cheese-clipse. The clutch feels a little slippery, so I don't get on it very hard very often. Or maybe it's because I cruise around the city in 5th gear with my RPMs hovering at 1500...  Only downshifting when I need to accelerate. It's fun to slam on the gas in 5th gear doing 25 MPH and watch it go absolutely nowhere.


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## Cyb (May 23, 2003)

I have 160K+ on mine. I have replaced all the wheel bearings, the CV joints and the front main bearing seal and have replaced the motor mounts. Keep in mind that was over the past 3 years and when I was over 120K. Great car. I wouldn't give it up for the world, except for the color. (That girlie azz baby blue)


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## goldie (Sep 10, 2002)

Rest assured.....
233,000 miles on my 96 and am currently removing the running engine. It's begun to leak and burn oil, but who could blame it at this mileage? ALL suspension components are factory originals and the body roll is equivalent to no other vehicle I've driven. This car is a slow sumbitch, but I'll keep it another couple years. The engine I'm removing I'm gonna rebuild and sit on until it's time to swap it back in. Your car's just a baby, don't worry, it'll last.
allen


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## Guest (May 26, 2003)

Hi everyone,
I bought my 1998 Sentra SE new, and so far the fan speed switch has went bad, a chrome trim piece on the rear driver's side door has fallen off twice(still under warranty), the clock/radio light quit, one of the sun visors broke, and the trim around the windshield made a buzzing sound when driving above 55mph (and THAT'S just the things I remember!). Now I'm having trouble filling the gas tank. I took it to the dealer and they said it would cost $566 to fix the gas problem. I'm glad I found this forum, cos now I'm gonna order that $35 part and fix it myself. I had a '92 Sentra and it was tough as a tank, but after this car I'll never have another Nissan.


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## wadegreene (Jan 12, 2003)

Well, mine would be reliable if i drove normal and didn't autocross and race up mountains all the time.here is a list of what i've broke so far 98 SE-R 124,000m.

1engine,1tranny,3 clutches,3ps axles,4ds axles,1ds hub,2 ds wheel bearings,1 ps wheelbearing,1tie rod,1 a arm,1 starter,2 sets of kyb's.

I drive hard


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## sentra2nr (May 26, 2003)

*Damn*

188270 on the gague and still going strong. just replaced the oil pan and valve cover gasket, alternator, plug wires.
Am looking into timing chain and piston rings to breathe new life into car.


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## Ickys SE-R (Sep 2, 2002)

Hey look at it this way...When I got my car at 98K last yr and it still had all originals...Including Cap,rotor,wires,plugs,battery,Clutch,Trans Fluid..(A girl owned it)The manual dosent even have a Log entry in it from when it was bought..Now its at 123k and it has no given me any big probs..
--Only 2 clutches since the original went at 108k(Dont buy CHEAP)
--Both CV joints(Were already clickin when I got the car,Then I killed them)
--My Rear Defr. switch light comes on when it wants to..
--I did have a door locking prob(Locked me out when I was in 18in of snow tryin to get the car out..It was running)
Oh and a LR wheel bearing at 103k..It was BAD

And even after all this I still havent paid what the car was worth when I bought it....So HELL YEA I will continue to support Nissan financially...My Future car will be a G35 coupe,and my girl gets the FX35...FX45 if she's good....


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## WRXrob (Jun 4, 2003)

Ickys SE-R said:


> *Hey look at it this way...When I got my car at 98K last yr and it still had all originals...Including Cap,rotor,wires,plugs,battery,Clutch,Trans Fluid..( *


I'm looking to buy a 96 200SX SE with 130,000 miles, and all originals, including everything you mentioned. I still can't believe the stock battery lasted that long.


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## whiteb14 (Jul 7, 2002)

my car is at about 86,xxx and the only problems were the cv joints/boots and a small oil leak (both fixed), but now i have a power steering leak


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## landlord (Jun 11, 2002)

Tim said:


> *Hi everyone,
> I bought my 1998 Sentra SE new, and so far the fan speed switch has went bad, a chrome trim piece on the rear driver's side door has fallen off twice(still under warranty), the clock/radio light quit, one of the sun visors broke, and the trim around the windshield made a buzzing sound when driving above 55mph (and THAT'S just the things I remember!). Now I'm having trouble filling the gas tank. I took it to the dealer and they said it would cost $566 to fix the gas problem. I'm glad I found this forum, cos now I'm gonna order that $35 part and fix it myself. I had a '92 Sentra and it was tough as a tank, but after this car I'll never have another Nissan. *


damn dude, you must have got a friday car.


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## codydabomb (Jun 28, 2002)

the engine may and all that other junk may be reliable, but the body is damn near tin foil. just hope u never get hit, ur car will turn into tiny lil a paper weight with u in it.


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## WRXrob (Jun 4, 2003)

codydabomb said:


> *the engine may and all that other junk may be reliable, but the body is damn near tin foil. just hope u never get hit, ur car will turn into tiny lil a paper weight with u in it. *


So you are saying we are driving death traps......








....... that run forever


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

codydabomb said:


> *the engine may and all that other junk may be reliable, but the body is damn near tin foil. just hope u never get hit, ur car will turn into tiny lil a paper weight with u in it. *


For "tiny lil paper weight with u in it" they did pretty damn well in NHTSA crash tests (especially the 200sx, thanks to its low-mount seats).


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

/\/\
Those tests say nothing about how the car holds up, just the passengers. So the car does turn to tin foil, but you walk away.

Seth


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## LIUSPEED (May 29, 2002)

i have changed 

coolant temp sensor ( twice )
changed starter
wires and plugs

and my brake pads and rotor get changed quite often.
( wish i can afford bigger brakes )

that all i have so far and car is at 100,879


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## WRteam200sx (Mar 15, 2003)

well ... if you wanna know how good they hold up .. i got pics of my old one after it was hit from a yukon .... i would say it did farly daayum good , seeing as the only thing that i got was a swollen eyelid , and walked away!


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

sethwas said:


> */\/\
> Those tests say nothing about how the car holds up, just the passengers. So the car does turn to tin foil, but you walk away.
> 
> Seth *


Of course. But who cares about how the car is if you get hit hard enough to crumple it? Regardless of what car you're in, if you get hit that hard it will cause internal damage of some sort. At that point, you stop worrying about the car and start worrying about your life... and if the B14 can still keep you intact after a collision that severe, you have no reason to deride its chassis design.


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

RIght,
THere's just a fine line. Some cars are designed that in a certain impact that would total the car anyway, just let the whole car absorb the shock and be destroyed while saving the passengers.
This is why for example an E-class mercedes on a high speed frontal collision gets major rear end damage because the 'wave' flows through the body and terminates at the trunk. All the while skipping the middle.
Makes sense. But its a case where the totalling has no effect on shock absorbtion.

Seth


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## himilefrontier (Jan 21, 2003)

I bought mine as a collision victim, and was impressed with it's design.It has a series of 3 progressive front crumple zones that will get harder to crumple the further the frontend is crushed in. The radiator support and metal piece under the battery are designed to fold up easily under impact, but the lower framerail won't and the upper rail is the progressive one.


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## codydabomb (Jun 28, 2002)

well our b14's do a lil extra crunchin up
i got rear ended and my car got so compacted my trunk broke my drivers seat in half


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## codydabomb (Jun 28, 2002)

to my last comment 
i will admit i didnt have to go to the hospital


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## LaRon (Aug 22, 2002)

99 b14 200sx SE
91k miles

replaced the following since I bought it a year ago:
battery terminal connectors ($5)
alternator ($90)

My clutch is starting to slip a little.. so I'm about to have to change it, but no worries cause that just means I'll get me an ACT stage 2 clutch 

I've given my car total hell in all honesty too. I bought it with 66k on it a year ago and it's at 91k now. I love my car and no worries of my motor because it's dependable as hell and I know it'll last me at least a year and if it goes out after that then no worries for me cause I'll have the money to do my SR20DET GTI-R swap


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## AnthMC (Jan 4, 2003)

57,000 miles on my '99 and no real problem.... I had the Power Stearing Fluid leak and busted a bolt under my passenger side... that was around 40,000 and nissan covered and fixed it. Other than that, just regular maintance and I give it a bath under the hood ever once in a while...... so far so good!


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## richm2256 (Jun 13, 2005)

sethwas said:


> /\/\
> Those tests say nothing about how the car holds up, just the passengers. So the car does turn to tin foil, but you walk away.
> 
> Seth



Isn't that the whole point behind crash testing???

BTW, just purchased our daughter a '95 200 SX with 108K, and it's reassuring to read that the 1.6 should give us many miles of reliable service and she'd most likely survive a decent collision in this car, small as it is.

Thanks for the posts, folks!


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## thecolonelcm (Mar 28, 2005)

91 B13. Just sold it for 500 bucks. It had 350,000mi. Oil changes every 3k. Routine maintenance and easy driving. I have a 98 200sx now. Shes got 65k on her. Ive only had it for about 6k miles, but it got me from DC to MO and back. Best damn cars ever!!


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## DraftEm98 (Jun 29, 2004)

139k and still ticking. Had to replace the timing chains and guides around 120k, but that seems to be pretty standard on these cars. Recently had to swap out the head and cams because of "interference" issues. The exhaust cam's gear retainer pin sheared and threw the hole thing into a world of shite that i've never before experienced. Other than that, i've only had problems with cv boots. Brakes don't seem to wear fast and the battery lasts damn near forever.
Anybody ever try to reassemble their vacuum hoses according to the diagram on the underside of the hood? That crap is too complicated for me. Only 'power' mod that I have is a PR CAI, which I felt right away. Everything else is pretty much stock. Great little cars. Gotta love em!


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Man, my battery is from the factory. Still the stock "Distributed by Nissan" black battery. 9 years old, lol. My car hasn't given me much problems, except for a weird-ass starter that acted up and wouldn't let me start my car for a week.. didn't replace it, and after a week it worked again. Strange stuff. But yeah, it's a reliable car. With any automobile, you just can't let the maintenance go to the wayside. A Nissan with maintenance will get you easily over the 200k mark and beyond.


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## Insert Name Here (Feb 19, 2004)

Im at over 150,000 miles and its been, great other than an accident i had and I had to replace the tranny, its just been regular maintance up keep, a starter, and three altys (but the connection was bad on the second one). But so far so good, I think that I need to change the motor mounts and all will be good again.


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## 98Midnight (Apr 23, 2004)

98 XE with 97,000 miles

It's a good car but not as reliable as my 01 Corolla with 101,000 miles


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## TooDLeZ (Apr 28, 2005)

Just about to hit 70K replaced battery, clutch, drive belts, front exhaust pipe, and an the O2 sensor(cali spec).


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## b14_200sx (Feb 11, 2005)

My 97 200sx SE is close to 92k miles, and i havent had any major problems. The car was very, VERY pooly maintained by the previous owners (I bought it at 85k), but still the most expensive thing I've had to do was a set of (2) $150 transaxle mounts. Also, I had to replace the battery, brake rotors (Did it myself cost less than $125 for rotors and pads), the rear wheel bearings and four tires. I've spent most of my time on that car getting out the dog/cigarette/dirt/pee smell that the hicks who had it before me left behind...pigs...


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## sfhellwig (Feb 4, 2003)

Almost 100k on the 200sx and nothing major yet. Upkeep and a battery but as far as real reliability it has never stranded me once. Back when it was new and my girlfriends car it had a fuel sensor something that wouldn't allow it to start but never once for me. I know EVERY time I get in the car it's going to start. Once while traveling the idle jack up for a while but it drove fine and I found it was a stuck EGR valve but nothing else. Having said that I have some maintenance to do to make sure it keeps its impecable track record.


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## 98Midnight (Apr 23, 2004)

TooDLeZ said:


> Just about to hit 70K replaced battery, clutch, drive belts, front exhaust pipe, and an the O2 sensor(cali spec).



What do you mean you replaced an O2 sensor Cali spec?


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## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

Pretty much means a California emissions specifications vehicle. Some cars are the California Model, others are the Federal.


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## infazorak (Jun 18, 2005)

1996 Sentra GLE with 1.6L & Auto. 

Bought it used last week. No idea what's original and what has been replaced. Know the car was in a little fender bender ($3500 worth... you know how much those body shops cost). 

Car's got 108k, needs a few minor "Saturday Mechanic" work. I figure as parts wear out, we'll replace them with performance parts. 

For comparison, my father had a 1981 Datsun 200SX that he drove daily for 12 years as a commuter. He put well over 200k (I don't remember the exact miles) on that car, although in it's last years, the heat constantly blew, and the E-Break didn't work. But, he's a firm believer in constant upkeep on cars. Sold it to a family and we occasionally saw the little car around town for another 5 years until we moved. 

Any chance of our engine going over 250k without any major repairs needed? Timing chain at 200k, right? 

Thanks guys! 
*Zorak Out*


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## sfhellwig (Feb 4, 2003)

infazorak said:


> Any chance of our engine going over 250k without any major repairs needed? Timing chain at 200k, right?
> 
> Thanks guys!
> *Zorak Out*


We don't usually do the timing chain, just the tensioners and cover seal. As long as you take care of the engine and don't do anything to damage the valves or the piston rings I have heard stories of people hitting 250-300k without ever opening the engine up. I guess we're in the B14 section and what I just said goes for the GA16 but I imagine the SR20 should be similar. I think you don't here so many high mileage stories because people are usually beating on that engine harder.


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

97 gxe purchased new. 75K 
All items replaced due to wear or failure are:- 
Tires and front brake pads. 
Battery 
front timing case main seal. Belts when replaced front seal.
...... 

Thats it. Rear shoes still original. original starter, Alt etc. 
Clutch slipping /weak since 50K, 

rest is optional, see sig.


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