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Infiniti Q45 Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • elwessoelwesso Member Posts: 42
    Common problem. Dont worry about it. I dont think it effects reliability at all. My Q has been like that since ive owned and it hasnt gotten worse.

    you can try adding some lubeguard red. You can usually get it at NAPA for about $10/bottle.
  • ledheadmelliledheadmelli Member Posts: 4
    Wow! Thanks for taking the time to answer me. You might be amazed to know you have succeeded where my husband didn't have a snowball's chance.
    I was afraid it might be something more costly than shocks. I drive around extremely precious cargo, so safety is the utmost concern. Suspension it is, and I'll rethink the paint job when I have more money to play with. The champagne gold is beautiful, so I can live with it at least.
    I really want this car to have everything it needs so it will last for many years. I will contact you if you don't mind, and continue reading the forums here as well.
    Thank you so much for your advice - I will adhere to it and treat my Q like the treasure she is. You've given me confidence that the rewards for doing so will be great.
    YOU ARE AWESOME!!!
  • gatekeepa1gatekeepa1 Member Posts: 4
    Whew! I was bracing myself for bad news. Thanks for the insight and prompt reply. I love the 89-01 Q45, and I'm going to buy another one (uses, of course) in couple of years...probably an 02-06 model. Any recommendations re: which year would be better? In the meantime, I just spent $800 at the dealership keeping the Q in top form (new mats, drivers armrest, remote mirrors switch, fog light, and center console lid), because I plan to drive it "till the wheels fall off!"
  • knowspinzoneknowspinzone Member Posts: 91
    All I can say is "WOW"! I don't even know where to start. Elwesso, you can post as a book here if you want, what an informative post! Well of course I'm not just a disinterested reader, I have a '95 Q45a (Ivory, tan interior, 147,800 mi.). I bought it in 1997 when it had 30,000 miles. It listed for $59,800 new and I bought it for $32,000. Its the best car I have ever owned (and I'm almost 60 so I've owned a few cars). Before this car I had a '90 Nissan 300ZX. It was like a rocket sled on wheels, and the Q45a could keep up with it in the corners, that's how well it handles. I just bought a Lexus LS460, but I'm not giving up my Q45a. They are parked side by side!

    But first, let me address Melanie. Congrats on the new car, you bought a car you will thoroughly enjoy. Elwesso did a more knowledgeable job on the mechanicals than I could ever do. I will only add that you should not turn off the Traction Control (TCS), that will not improve the suspension and could cause dangerous wheel spin, especially on wet roads.

    Melanie, forget the paint job. Unless the car was completely neglected, a good washing, claying and polishing will bring back the shine. I highly recommend you visit Zainostore.com and order your products from them. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, take it to a recommended detailer in your area, they'll get it looking good as new for much less than a paint job.

    Elwesso, your post was so informative for me. I had no idea about charging the accumulators. My car has been feeling every bump in the road. I've checked the fluid level of the AS and its fine. I didn't realize these accumulators need to be charged. I'm going to follow up on that with a good mechanic that I use and see if its something he can do (he did replace other suspension components and bushings for me a while back when I started to hear a rattling when I went over bumps).

    I would encourage Melanie to ask your questions here and Elwesso to publish your answers here as all of us would benefit. Hey, its not like there's 20 posts a day on this thread and you're taking up valuable space, LOL!
  • coctostinsencoctostinsen Member Posts: 1
    My father-in-law just offered to give me his '93 Q45 with 90k miles. He has a newer one and the '93 has been sitting for a while. I'm a fairly competent mechanic but I'm a little leery since I've never dealt with a luxury car like this before. It needs brakes and possibly a master cylinder. I was quoted $1400 but it looks to me like Auto Zone has the parts and I'm fine with doing it myself. From the posts I've read here so far it looks like the Q might be a real gem. Does anyone have a word of caution?
  • ledheadmelliledheadmelli Member Posts: 4
    Wow, I was worried you'd all think me a major PITA who was unworthy of such a cool car! Looks like others were helped besides me, so it was worth the risk.
    No more turning off the TCS, even though we all know it never rains in sunny CA. And I have reluctantly given up on the paint - guess I'll have to settle for big, fuzzy, purple dice instead (KIDDING! I'd personally kill anyone who did that).
    What a nice little family this is - so glad I stumbled in here! Wes, your other 2 websites are excellent, too. I will be an Infiniti scholar within a month. Imagine their expressions when I walk in and tell them I need them to recharge my accumulators. I am sooo looking forward to that!
  • elwessoelwesso Member Posts: 42
    Thanks but I'm not nearly going into as much detail as I could.

    If you want, hit me up and I'll tell you where to get the accumulators recharged (I dont know about posting my source on the forum?).

    Dont bother asking your mechanic if he can do the job, because he wont know whats goin on until you actually get the parts and show him how to replace. The replacemnt is ULTRA simple, I did the main accums on an active and they take about 10 mins per corner. Its literally remove 3 screws, pull off accumuator, put it back on with a fresh O ring and screw it back in. If you're located near Central Indiana, I'm your new mechanic.. LOL!!! :)

    for all. If you guys have questions, PLEASE do not hesitate to send me an email or whatever have you. I'm here to help EVERY Q45 owner, regardless of year, mileage or condition. There isnt an issue that me and my collegues havent heard of or cant fix!
  • elwessoelwesso Member Posts: 42
    If they even know what an accumulator is and what it does, I'll be impressed!

    Ask them. If they say "it accumulates", that is not a sufficient answer.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    If you are not promoting a business of your own (i.e., you have nothing to gain by someone's following your recommendation), you can post a source here.

    It really would be best if people would post their questions and you would post your responses here. The advantage to that is then the information is available to many people forever. Um, well, at least for a very long time, we hope. :D

    If you deal with issues by email, you help only that one person that one time.
  • knowspinzoneknowspinzone Member Posts: 91
    Can you go into more detail on what is required to recharge the accumulators? It sounds like you have to buy new ones, as opposed to having the existing ones recharged. Also I guess from what Pat said you can post your recommendations for a source here. Thanks!
  • mfajardomfajardo Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2004 Q45 is there anyway to turn off the rearview/back-up camera?
  • mfajardomfajardo Member Posts: 4
    is there anyway to turn the rear view cam on the 2004 Q45
  • kpotter21kpotter21 Member Posts: 1
    I see you know a lot about these Qs. About time I found somone who seems to know what they are talking about...

    Okay I got a 1994 Infiniti Q45 with 188,899 miles on it. Car runs very quiet and Smooth. Then today I noticed that while on the interstate the car never shifted out of 2nd gear. first works, second works, but 3rd, even if i manually put it into 3rd, it is the same as second. Then Drive, Is also the same as 2nd and 3rd except when I let off the gas in Drive its as if the car is in neutral and it begins to idle. Then when I give it more gas in drive, Its as if it is in neutral until a certain rpm. The gears are not slipping and have never slipped... The funny thing is, I have randomly seen a TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION light on my diagnosis screen. Very rare, but it has happened about 20 times in about 6 months. But I ignored it, since it didn't happen that often, and I had no problems.

    What is wrong with my car...

    Thanks for the help
  • mmorgan1mmorgan1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2003 Q45 w/Premium Package. My right headlight recently quit working. I did enough research to discover that it was almost certainly the ballast. I did a ton of research to see if there was a way to buy a ballast and replace it myself. However, I never could find any good information on that. I ended up being forced to take it to a mechanic to have it repaired due to a ticket for the inspection I was putting off due to this issue. It ended up costing over $600. For the benefit of others (I understand this is a common issue on the newer Qs) and for future reference is there a less expensive way to fix this?

    Also, my tire pressure monitor is not working. And, normally if I drive my car for about 30-40 the low tire pressure warning will come on. Any idea what the problem and fix might be?

    Finally, my front dome lights are extremely dim. The passenger side is brighter than the driver side, but both are very dim...almost worthless. Any idea what the problem and fix might be?
  • caligirl3caligirl3 Member Posts: 1
    it has been given me some problems,it's a 92 Q45 and runs real smooth when it stays on, the RPM's will raise and then drop to zero and shut the car off, i have no idea of what needs to be corrected, i have been told so many things i don't know what to believe... please help
  • elwessoelwesso Member Posts: 42
    Got your friend request, not sure what I'm supposed to do after that but I'll help you however I can. fire me an email if you want.

    Otherwise it kinda sounds like a MAF issue, but it could be other things. Im going to need more information, when it started and other historical things like that.
  • banker53banker53 Member Posts: 1
    Morgan,

    I have an 02 Q45 premium edition. My right head light went out and I had to replace the bulb and ballister for 930.00... Ouch... You can probably save about 300.00 if you go after market if you dont mind the labor or you know someone who can do it. I just let the dealer take care of it.

    My dome lights are doing the same thing except my passenger light is dim. It also makes a little buzzing noise. When I press the actual button to turn it on it works fine. I only have issues when I get in and out of the car. It is just crappy wiring nothing more. Bad connection.

    About every three months my tire pressure sensor blinks on with a low pressure warning. It is always the same tire and I believe it is a bad tire stem, nothing major. The dealership noticed it on my last oil change and tried to tell me the sensor was bad but I know it isn't that, so I declined.

    I just thought it was kind of funny our issues are so similar and thought I would say something. By the way, Elwesso thanks for your input!!!!
  • joesrjoesr Member Posts: 17
    My Son has my former 94 Q45t (which is still running strong after 205K miles!), and he got a brake pad warning light. -

    Changed pads (Infiniti factory pads) on all four wheels and light persists. - He was advised on this forum to ground the two leads on right front pad together and did so with no sucess. - He is a Marine pilot coming back fm Al Asad in An Bar Province and I am cleaning up his Q, etc.,. for him and would like to get the warning light off. - Any suggestions? - As an aside I have a 2002 Q45 with sport pkg, GPS, sun-shade, etc.,. and I now have 115K trouble free miles on it. - Great cars. Joe Woodward, Wilmington, NC.
  • damaredamare Member Posts: 1
    My wife and I are considering a 1998 Q45t with 91000 miles on it. The tires and brakes are new, the rotors have been turned, and everything else with the car seems to be working more or less perfectly.

    However, within the next few years I'll be heading off to medical school and we are looking to keep the Q for as long as we can. The reason we are hesitating is because while we are in school, there won't be a ton of money around for repairs should something go wrong. Actually... next to no money except for regular maintenance. :( So the question is, is there any issues with the 1998 or 1997-2001 model years that tend to pop up with regularity enough fr us to worry about them for the next 4 years/50,000 miles?

    I absolutely love the 97/98 styling, and the performance is no slouch either. Any help would be appreciated. :)
  • joesrjoesr Member Posts: 17
    A good friend has a 98 Q45t (bought new) and it has been totally trouble free. - Like all autos maintenance is key so if you have any info that it has been properly maintained I would not hesitate if the numbers make sense, etc.,. - The 97-2001 has a 4.1 litre V8 vice a 4.5 litre, but performance stats are comparable. - I am on my 2nd Q45. The first one was a 94 Q45t w/passive 4 wheel steering. - I passed it to my Son @ 168K and he is still driving it @ 205K. Only major expense is strut replacement which we are about to do. - I am driving a 2002 Q45 w/sport pkg, etc and I have 115K on it and only expense thus far has been O2 sensors and one headlight bulb (expensive though). - I would submit that you can't go wrong if you have any confidence that maintenance has been performed.

    Joe Woodward
  • steverineysteveriney Member Posts: 1
    I have a 93 q45 with two problems.

    1st the tail lights dont work along with the dash panel illumination. I replaced the switch on the steering column, checked all the fuses, even had a backyard mechanic check several things to no clear solution. any ideas??

    2nd my A/c stoppped working yesterday. The thing was working, but would sometimes go warm while driving. I could change to econ and back to auto and that would cure it temporarily. Now it just blows hot except when i first turn the car on it gets a little cool, but quickly turns hot. Please help

    P.S. I live in Texas and it is HOT AS HELL!!!
  • ameri930ameri930 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Q45 that now has both the abs, vdc and slip warning lights on. I recently replaced the battery and I am running different wheels on the car, that do not have the tire pressure sensors on/in them. A couple of weeks ago the low tire pressure light came on, which it has done many times in the past while running the different wheels on the car. It simply goes off when I shut the car off, and doesn't come on again unless I am driving extended distances at highway speeds. So, any ideas why both of these lights would come on, and stay on? The car's handling seems unchanged. Disconnecting the battery for a couple of minutes did not shut off the warning lights.

    Thanks for any ideas. I would like to avoid taking it to the dealer until I know it needs that level of attention.
  • willoworkwillowork Member Posts: 2
    HELP!!! Elwesso and all other Repair GURUS...I sure hope someone out there can help me and my baby!!!! I have the world's most wonderful '95 Q45 and am just heartsick!

    I ran out of gas last Friday (a week ago) and things just haven't been right since. This car has 62K original miles and has been meticulously maintained. It was given to me as a gift by the original owners who considered it their 'baby'. It's latest emmissions report still looks like it just came off the showroon floor....and now it's a hugh mess.(or hopefully, maybe not)

    On Monday AM I started calling the dealership and all Infinity shops throughout town All different answers and no 2 the same. I even asked if I was the only Infinity driver who had ever run out of gas....and was answered with a resounding,' No, not by a long shot....however you are the only one I (service mgr at dealership) know whose ever had such problems afterwards.'

    Until the moment I ran out of gas the car was in absolutely perfect condition!!!!

    OK Here's what's happened once I ran out of gas:
    After adding a half tank of gasoline (yes, always the super premium...I used Shell when it ran out of gas) it was running really rough, but would get down the street...and then die when I'd come to a stop in traffic. I could then restart it in neutral, hold the tach evenly to 1000rpms, then drop it into gear to move forward. The battery didn't like this much, but things were ok-ish.
    In gear it tries to bounce between 500 and 1200 rpms(and propel the car forward even with my foot on the brake) before it gives up. In neutral it does a little better and just doesn't bounce as much, and the engine stays on a little longer before it dies).

    The next afternoon (Sat) I had the fuel filter replaced. I drove/limped it straight home and parked it for the night.(still with the same holding the tach up and dropping it into gear). It would not stay in gear and remain running. When in Neutral or Park it would try to hold it's idle much longer, but eventually would die. Sunday AM when I started it, it ran just as rough and suddenly had black smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Monday I had the spark plugs replaced. The black smoke was no longer there. I thought it might be better and tried to drive it down the street to get more gasoline but as soon as I got out of the drive and down the hill I realised it would't hold compression and it smelled/s real 'gasoliney'...but clean. We've had some rain this week and when it's rainey and air quality is more humid it's even weirder. I cannot drive it back up the hill (or at all) because it will not rev to more thann 2000rpms at all...and will not hold compression.

    Now it is Sunday a week later, weather drier, The car starts right up, tries to hold compression at about 1000 rpms about 15-20 seconds, then drops to 500rpms, then dies. Now there is some whitish smoke out the tailpipe. My Infinity friend will come over tonight to drag it back up the hill to my house.

    I've nursed and limped through so far with the help of my 'Infinity guy' friend and a couple machanic friends of his here, but we're all stumped. I have read the owners manual Section 9 on Systems and How They Work until I am blue in the face and stilljust don't know.

    At first it ran too rich (sucking too much air)when I refueled after running out of gas and now it seems too lean (sucking fuel like crazy) since I changed the spark plugs. When I first ran out of gas, I put in a gallon then filled it to about half a tank. I have driven it about 30 miles (just getting gas and the filter change at the shop) (plugs replaced at home) and it has used all but 1/8 of the tank. (Had about 10 gallons, now I have about 2).

    I have read about all those sensors and control modules and I feel that something is not reading info right or has allowed something to remain open. Somebody mentioned replacing the fuel pump....and a long time ago with 302 v-8 Mustang, white smoke indicated a head-gasket problem.

    There have been two mechanics (not Infinity mechanics) who got in and revved up the engine (by punching the accelerator) and I cringed and insisted that they stop immediately. I know that is never good for any car and I don't understand why people do that!!! Anyway, from my reading the manual, I wonder about the idle air sensor and if that could be not reading something correctly or possibly something in the mixture control system thereby either not maintaining appropriate pressure to the injectors or can an injector stay stuck open? I only have the owner's manual to go by and that doesn't offer much detailed information and I am not a mechanic...

    I hope this is clear enough to make some sense you go-to-guys. Anyone who can help , please reply to the group as soon as possible or you can write me direct. My Infinity friend will be over here after 7 tonight TX time to drag my car up the hill and home. He is also a part-time manager of a parts store, and can help me get the right parts...Infinity's are his passion. I really need to get my car up and running as soon and as cost effectively as possible....because, you know, if I'm not working, I'm not getting paid! Thanks to any and everybody.

    Sincerely and Hopefully...
    Pamela/willowork
  • willoworkwillowork Member Posts: 2
    HELP!!! Elwesso and all other Repair GURUS...I sure hope someone out there can help me and my baby!!!! I have the world's most wonderful '95 Q45 and am just heartsick!

    I've never posted on a forum or thread before and this is sort of long, so I apologize in advance if this is redundant or posted multiple times or in the wrong place.

    I ran out of gas last Friday (a week ago) and things just haven't been right since. This car has 62K original miles and has been meticulously maintained. It was given to me as a gift by the original owners who considered it their 'baby'. It's latest emmissions report still looks like it just came off the showroom floor....and now it's a hugh mess.(or hopefully, maybe not)

    Until the moment I ran out of gas the car was in absolutely perfect condition!!!!

    OK Here's what's happened once I ran out of gas:
    After adding a half tank of gasoline (yes, always the super premium...I used Shell when it ran out of gas) it was running really rough, but would get down the street...and then die when I'd come to a stop in traffic. I could then restart it in neutral, hold the tach evenly to 1000rpms, then drop it into gear to move forward. The battery didn't like this much, but things were ok-ish.
    In gear it tries to bounce between 500 and 1200 rpms(and propel the car forward even with my foot on the brake) before it gives up. In neutral it does a little better and just doesn't bounce as much, and the engine stays on a little longer before it dies).

    The next afternoon (Sat) I had the fuel filter replaced. I drove/limped it straight home and parked it for the night.(still with the same holding the tach up and dropping it into gear). It would not stay in gear and remain running. When in Neutral or Park it would try to hold it's idle much longer, but eventually would die. Sunday AM when I started it, it ran just as rough and now had black smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Monday I had the spark plugs replaced. The black smoke was no longer there. I thought it might be better and tried to drive it down the street to get more gasoline but as soon as I got out of the drive and down the hill I realised it would't hold compression and it smelled/s real 'gasoliney'...but clean. We've had some rain this week and when it's rainey and air quality is more humid it's even weirder. I cannot drive it back up the hill (or at all) because it will not rev to more than 2000rpms at all...and will not hold compression.

    Now it is Sunday a week later, weather drier, The car starts right up, tries to hold compression at about 1000 rpms about :30 seconds, then drops to 500rpms, then dies. Now there is some whitish smoke out the tailpipe. My Infinity friend will come over tonight to drag it back up the hill to my house.

    I've nursed and limped through so far with the help of a couple Infinity guys here, but we're all stumped. I have read the owners manual Section 9 on Systems and how they work until I am blue in the face and just don't know.

    At first it ran too rich (sucking too much air) and now it seems too lean (sucking fuel like crazy). When I first ran out of gas, I put in a gallon then filled it to about half a tank. I have driven it about 30 miles (just getting gas and the filter change at the shop) (plugs replaced at home) and it has used all but 1/8 of the tank. (Started with about 10 gallons and now I have about 2).

    I have read about all those sensors and control modules and I feel that something is not reading info right or has allowed something to remain open. Somebody mentioned replacing the fuel pump....and a long time ago with 302 v-8 Mustang, white smoke indicated a head-gasket problem. Gosh I hope not....YIKES!!

    There have been two mechanics who got in and revved up the engine (by punching the accelerator) and I cringed and insisted that they stop immediately. I know that is never good for any car and I don't understand why people do that!!! Anyway, from my reading the manual, I wonder about the idle air sensor and if that could be not reading something correctly or possibly something in the mixture control system thereby either not maintaining appropriate pressure to the injectors or can an injector stay stuck open? I only have the owner's manual to go by and that doesn't offer much detailed information and I am not a mechanic...

    I hope this is clear enough to make some sense you go-to-guys. Anyone who can help , please reply to the group as soon as possible or you can write me direct. My Infinity friend will be over here after 7 tonight TX time to drag my car up the hill and home. He is also a part-time manager of a parts store, and can help me get the right parts...Infinity's are his passion. I really need to get my car up and running as soon and as cost effectively as possible....because, you know, if I'm not working, I'm not getting paid! Thanks to any and everybody.

    Sincerely and Hopefully...
    Pamela/willowork
  • dapark1dapark1 Member Posts: 4
    Anyone have instructions how to program the Smart Key? I was able to buy one on ebay, but no instructions.
    Thanks
  • rhollenbeckrhollenbeck Member Posts: 1
    elwesso, I have a question for you. In previous posts (and perhaps in other forums) I interpreted that you recommend shifting manually as a normal driving habit, and not shifting into "D" (Drive) until at highway speeds.

    Specifically you said something about starting off in second gear and then shifting into third gear until above 50 miles per hour or so. I don't remember the exact speeds you mentioned.

    Question: Can you elaborate on this? Is the reason related to longevity? performance? gas mileage?

    By the way, I really appreciate the way you share all this great information with everyone!
  • elwessoelwesso Member Posts: 42
    This is a good question. Here is what I do.

    when in the city (below 50-ish MPH) I leave the car in "3". When I reach highway speeds I shift to D...

    Basically what this does is it wont let the transmission shift into 4th gear (or OD). This is the same thing as pressing the "OD OFF" button on other cars, because most other cars have P-R-N-D-2-1, not P-R-N-D-3-2-1.

    At any rate, the reason I like to keep it in 3rd gear at lower speeds is because

    1. The VH45DE is not a motor that likes low RPMs. In other words, it HATES being at 1200 RPM at 40MPH with the TC locked. It would much rather be at 2000 RPM. Unless your motor is PERFECT shape (new knock sensors, SPARKLING CLEAN PLENUM, etc etc etc) it may even lug (start bucking like it wants to stall).

    2. Since the RPMs are slightly higher, there is more torque available at any given time. Thus, when you are driving around in the city in D (or 4th), you will be constantly making the torque converter unlock, shift into 3rd, shift back into 4th and then relock the torque converter. When you drive in 3rd, many times the TC can stay locked. the short story on that, is that the transmission shifts MUCH less.

    on that note, the increased RPM's also allow more flow of Trans fluid through the cooler, increasing longevity.

    3. Gas mileage is not effected. The Q gets crappy gas mileage in the city anyway (as does ANY 4000lb V8 vehicle)..

    Once you get past the fact that the RPMs are higher than you may be used to, its much better for the motor. This motor is a high performance motor, high RPM motor, not a low RPM torque monster that domestic single valve motors are. They also dont make 300HP out of a 274CI engine, which is pretty impressive for a stock motor.

    A VH45DE should be below 2000 RPMs very seldom.. 2000 and up RPM is where its happiest...
  • q45tq45t Member Posts: 1
    What's up. I got a question I hope you can solve.I have a 94 q45t infiniti.first thing that went out was the idle control valve i replaced it and everything was fine for a while.Next i put a 1600 watt rms amp in it and in return it fried my battery and eventually burnt out the alternator.I bought a alternator at pep boys and had it replaced i also took out the brutus hiphonics amp so no more massive drainage.2 weeks ago my starter went out so I had that replaced.Just today 4 days after putting a new starter and a new duralast battery in it the low battery charge went on and the car just shut off while i was parking.i restarted the car seconds later and everything was fine.i checked the charging system and everything is in place as far as the new belts being on and fitted. does this mean that an alternator that i bought 5 months ago is already damaged? does it mean that i need to drive my car for longer periods to charge the system up properly?whats going on?
  • nforbesnforbes Member Posts: 2
    Can someone tell me how to correct a Q45 problem?

    After putting premium gas in the car, I had not driven a mile, and it started missing. It would barely run, even with the accelerator to the floor.

    I noticed that liquid was coming out of the tailpipe, and I am afraid that it is gas.

    After driving only 15 miles, it had used 1/2 a tank of gas.

    One sensor has been replaced.

    What can I do to fix this problem?

    Thanks
  • donnaqdonnaq Member Posts: 1
    Hello,

    I'm having similar issues with my 91 Q45. Did you get an answer to your post?
  • padudleypadudley Member Posts: 4
    My car is leaking motor oil right out of the middle of where the engine and the transmission are bolted together. its leaking really bad, can someone tell me what needs to be replaced in order to stop this leak! all your help is greatly appreciated.
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    Could be either a rear engine seal or oil pressure sender ...

    "94 Q45, 158,000 miles, was looking under the car today and the oil appears to be leaking from the area that the tranny mounts to the engine, it's definetly oil."

    http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=127359

    or even a leaky oil pan ...

    "Today I pulled the transmission to eliminate what I figured was an oil leak from the rear main seal or the oil pan. Ended up being the oil pan".

    (near the bottom) http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=173146

    Best to wash off the entire area and see where the leak appears again.
  • cavan004cavan004 Member Posts: 1
    Help! The 2 right side power windows on my 94 Q45 suddenly stopped working. The fuse diagram by the driver's left knee does not show a corresponding fuse location. Does anyone know where the fuse is?
    Thanks Guys!
    Eric in Atlanta
  • elwessoelwesso Member Posts: 42
    The power window fuse is in the underhood fuse box.

    I dont think that a fuse is to blame. Either you got REALLY unlucky with both LAN modules going out, or you have some switch issues...

    If you want to check the fuse in the underhood thatd be the first step...
  • 92qpilot92qpilot Member Posts: 4
    My 92Q with 148,000 miles all of a sudden started runing very rough, at idle and even rougher under acceleration. Feels like the engine is missing big time. Plugs and tune up were done in 2003 with about 120,000 miles on the car. There was no slow progresion, just smooth one minute, and the next time the car was started rough as heck. Power is definitely missing and I've parked the car because I'm afraid of doing permanent damage. I'm in a small town and the nearest dealer is 75-80 miles away so not sure where to start.

    Second isue relates to sudden appearance of creaking and groaning noise coming from the left front of the car. Tokiko Blues installed at about the same time as the tune up in 2003. Any suggestions or places to start looking for the issue would be much appreciated.

    Thanks.
  • padudleypadudley Member Posts: 4
    ok, i posted a feww days ago sayin that i thought the leaky oil was coming from where the tranny and the engine meet, turns out to be coming from a little circular rubber seal thing right next to the starter. it sprays on the exhaust pipe and causes the oil to burn off as smoke! can someone please tell me what that little circular rubber seal's name is so I can replace it, thanks!!! pictures are included, you are looking at: to the left is the transmission and the rear of the car, the right is the engine and the middle of the picture is where the engine and the transmission meet. right by the starter if you look in the first picture you'll see the back of the starter.




  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    Sounds like iffy injectors. They can be fairly easily checked according to instructions here:

    http://www.q45.org/ohminjectors.html

    The creaking and groaning is probably an upper link - maybe a tension rod bushing.
  • soncerriasoncerria Member Posts: 2
    I think my 96 @45 is having transmission issues. When it's properly warmed, it will hesitate a few seconds, then go into gear when I put it in drive. Reverse works just fine, but the occassional skipping it does bothers me. Does that sound like a major problem or should I just change out the filter, fluid and gasket.
  • 92qpilot92qpilot Member Posts: 4
    Thanks a lot. I'll take these instructions to someone I trust and have it checked.

    I appreciate it!
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    Q45 transmissions aren't terribly sturdy - easily ruined by bad maintenance habits.

    Have you checked the fluid? Is it a nice red or an ugly brown? You should at least have a BG or Sun flush performed on it. Transmission shops will usually not want to remove the pan and filter, but there are rarely any problems doing that on a Q45.

    Ideally, you'd get the kit with gasket and one-use bolts, pull the pan and clean the filter and put it back together. Then you'd flush it with a cleaner at BG or Sun. Often that works great.

    Here are a few threads I found on the subject:

    Drain and refill Q45 transmission

    Homemade mechanical Tranny flush

    Transmission flush
  • soprano823soprano823 Member Posts: 1
    hello,

    I am having the exact same electrical problem on my 91 Q45. Did anyone help you yet?
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    The problem with tail lights and dash illumination could be caused by a bad taillight socket and/or non-OEM bulbs - common issue.

    The A/C problem sounds like a broken mix door - it's stuck on heat. Here's a similar problem where it was stuck on cold:

    No Heat - Broken Mix Door?
  • dmaretdmaret Member Posts: 1
    My son has in infiniti which simply will not turn over. The battery is good. Up until it quit the starter and everything else worked fine. The vehicle makes absolutely no response when the key is turned. i suggested replacing the battery cables and having the battery load tested. Any other ideas out there?
  • waliswalis Member Posts: 35
    Hello to ALL Q-45 Techs. You guys are awesome and very helpful. Thru here, I learned to do chain guides, valve cover gaskets, water pump, knock sensors, and several other things on my '92 Q. I love this car but I'm having repeated issues with my injectors. I can't afford new ones so put some used ones to replace some dead ones. A month later,I had to go back under the plenum to replace some dead ones again. So I decided to have 8 used ones I got off a wrecked '92 Q45 cleaned and re-conditioned thru DeatschWerks. They did everything including rail service so I won't have to deal with putting them in the rail myself....the part I really dread. Anyway, to cut the long story short, 3 out of the 8 I had just gotten cleaned and serviced have gone bad again within a month. Now my question is this,I have some injectors I pulled off of a 1996 Q45 that are still within specs, the wire harness...can they be used with a 1992 Q45?
    Also, after I did all the work mentioned in the beginning, my car seems to burn more gas than before. Is there something I can do to correct this?
    thank you so much for all the help you've all provided here in this forum and thank you for all the help you are going to be providing.
    THANK YOU ALL!
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    It could be very bad news, unfortunately. You need to read about the chain guide issue:

    http://www.q45.org/techhelp.html

    Read everything under " Chain Guides (CRITICAL for 1990-1993):"

    Sorry. See if you can get juice directly to the starter, or manually turn the engine.
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    The 96 injectors won't fit into the 92 rail without a little modification with spacers, but it can be done. Deatchwerks makes a kit:

    Phase 1 vs. Phase 2 fuel rails

    Also read texasoil's comments in this thread:

    Fuel Injector Woes at TexasOil Garage
  • jmkendrickjmkendrick Member Posts: 1
    Our '94 Q45 has 130,000 miles on it. The "check engine light" sometimes comes on while we are driving it, but the car doesn't seem to have any engine problem and then the light will go off for no reason. It has been going on for more than 4 years. We took the car to the dealer for other repairs during this time and they didn't notice any engine problem.

    About two months ago, the "break pad worn" light came on a few times. We did not change the pads, and the light has not been on since.

    Today the "headlamp inoperative" light came on while I was driving it and the headlamp was working fine. The light came on and off several times, each time for a minute or so.

    Does anyone have any idea why those lights came on and off while the car didn't seem to have those problems?
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    It's not terribly unusual for the display to occasionally give you false warnings. If the check engine light comes on, you can read the code later, even after it goes off. The other warnings are probably incorrect, as you thought. The brake pad warning was probably a glitch in the circuit and the headlamp warning could be from a slightly corroded socket, or a lamp about to fail.

    But sometimes these things are early warning signs of an alternator that's going bad. If you're concerned, you can have it tested at an experienced alternator shop. It has three diodes, but will function on two of them for a time, if one burns out. This can confuse the car's electronics.
  • sheikhnbakesheikhnbake Member Posts: 3
    I have a '97 Q45...engine is smooth as silk, can't even tell the engine is on when it's idling...97K miles... but there is some loss of acceleration power. Diagnostic at th edealer shows knock censor needs replacing. Dealer cost, $1000. Can a good generic workshop do the job without screwing up my engine?

    Also, does a '97 need to do takeoffs and city driving in 2nd gear? Thanks....
  • 96qowner96qowner Member Posts: 10
    A good generic shop can easily handle the knock sensors on your year Q45. The previous years require removal of the plenum - a complicated job.

    2nd gear takeoffs? A '97 will take off in 1st - can't skip it.
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