New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Topic: New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13) (Read 1968 times) previous topic - next topic

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

February 04, 2009, 05:33:09 PM

What can I say, I just can't love a small car. The Saturn was an all right car that served its purpose (45MPG during $1.50/liter gas), but I need the quiet, smooth ride of a bigger car. Not quite so big as the Town Car I had before the Saturn, mind you, but bigger than the Saturn. My plan was to find a car that needed a repair that would be expensive to pay somebody to do, but that I could do myself for cheap. I'd looked at a few different cars ranging from Cadillacs to Volvos but all I could find were cars that were beat all to hell AND needed major repiars.

I finally stumbled upon my diamond in the rough: A 1997 Nissan Maxima. I wasn't even considering a puppiesanese car (not because I have anything against them, but because they are usually priced like they're made of gold).

The good:
-190-hp 3.0 VQ30DE engine (related to Nissan's current V6 family)
-140,000 km (approx 80k miles)
-Mint body - zero rust anywhere, including underneath
-Mint black leather interior
-Everything works, from the seat heaters to the factory Bose CD system
-Factory limited slip front differential (this is a strange thing to find in a FWD car)
-Valid safety inspection sticker
-Everything I've read online about these cars is praise. I can't seem to find a bad word about them (no, this isn't a request for you guys to search).

The bad:
An axle shaft broke and tore a chunk out of the tranny. The transmission is screwed and it needs to be towed home.
Likely needs a battery. The guy parked it a month ago when the tranny failed, and it went dead. Then we had the deep freeze (-30 temperatures for several days) and the battery froze.

The really good:
I paid only $400 for the car. I've already lined up a tranny for $350 from a junkyard only five miles away. A brand new axle is $100. It'll cost $100 to have it towed here. Taxes & license will be about $50. I've looked on Mitchell OnDemand and the tranny replacement procedure looks pretty straightforward (flat rate time is 6.4 hours, compared to 4.2 for a Mustang tranny replacement). I've got the tools, I've got the shop, and I've got the skills. I figure I can get the car on the road for under a grand total.

My plan is to fix this thing, then sell the Saturn for $1500 (with four new tires, all new brakes, new ball joints, wheel bearings and a tie rod end, a rebuilt engine, and being fully loaded I should have no problems getting that). I'll end up with a nice car and a few hundred extra bucks :hick:

The only pics I have right now are the ones from the ad, but I'll be sure to post more (including the tranny carnage).

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #1 – February 04, 2009, 07:37:58 PM

Just don't put a fart can on it. Please :hick:

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #2 – February 04, 2009, 08:38:00 PM

Just for that I'm puttin' TWO on it. And a big wing. Gotta change the wheels though, to 14" steelies with $6 aftermarket hubcaps

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #3 – February 04, 2009, 08:44:38 PM

Manual or slushbox?

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #4 – February 04, 2009, 09:11:51 PM

Quote

-140,000 km (approx 80k miles)

Check the timing belt....

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #5 – February 04, 2009, 09:47:43 PM

Those fart cans are louder then no exhaust. My freinds little brother had an accord, and we found a ler lying in the street, so we decided to throw it on. The "stock" looking ler was kinda loud, but didn't sound like a honda. We pulled off the ler and reved it just for fun, and it was quieter without the "stock" ler. After we put the fart can on it, its was retarded loud.

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #6 – February 04, 2009, 09:59:27 PM

Quote from: cougarcragar;255299

Manual or slushbox?

Slushbox. From what I've read, that's actually a good thing - the manuals in Maximas are apparently weak. I don't mind a slushbox in a larger car, but in a small one like the Saturn a 5-speed is a MUST. At least I'll still have a standard car now that the T-Bird has a T5 in it...

Quote from: V8Demon;255304

Check the timing belt....

No belt on the VQ30DE. It uses a chain. I listened for chain noise when it was running today (I've had problems with tensioners in my old Nissan truck) and I'm pleased to say it's quiet

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #7 – February 04, 2009, 10:02:11 PM

Ahh. I coulda swore they were belts. Were the earlier 3.0's belts then? Perhaps that's what I'm thinking of...

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #8 – February 04, 2009, 11:03:36 PM

I hear ya on the small car being too small.

My Scirocco was great for what it was, but in the end it was too friggen small. I loved the 16V engine though...

If you can get it sorted it looks like a good daily, perhaps a bit cookie-cutter for my tastes though.

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #9 – February 05, 2009, 08:10:48 AM

Quote from: V8Demon;255316

Ahh. I coulda swore they were belts. Were the earlier 3.0's belts then? Perhaps that's what I'm thinking of...

The older SOHC V6 (VG30E) used a belt

Quote from: Chuck W;255324

I hear ya on the small car being too small.

My Scirocco was great for what it was, but in the end it was too friggen small. I loved the 16V engine though...

If you can get it sorted it looks like a good daily, perhaps a bit cookie-cutter for my tastes though.

Oh yes, it's definitely cookie cutter. It looks like any number of midsize 4-doors from puppiesan, Inc (it actually looks a lot like a 98-ish Malibu, too), and its boring colour doesn't help. Sometimes it's good to slide in under the radar though :D

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #10 – February 05, 2009, 10:04:43 AM

my gf's mom has one she loves it. they do ride pretty nice.

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #11 – February 06, 2009, 12:24:08 PM

The irony of telling Zach that the 5-speeds were weak in these cars while knowing that the automatic in this one is fvcked just occured to me...

The car is home now, in the garage. I hope to tear into it later today or this evening, so I'll try to post some tranny carnage pics. It looks like it'll take a while to even find the tranny. That VQ30DE takes up a lot of room under there...

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #12 – February 06, 2009, 07:53:43 PM

Ok, I got a start on the swap. The hole in the tranny is even bigger than I had imagined. Let this be a lesson to you all: If you suspect there is a foreign object inside your tranny (or engine), don't assume it'll settle in the bottom and do no harm. Apparently the axle broke, the guy had a new (used) axle installed, but the mechanic couldn't find a piece that had broken off of the axle. He figured it'd be OK, it would just settle in the bottom. He was wrong. I suspect the fluid picked it up and jammed it between the ring gear and the case. The case lost the battle.

The other pic is just one of the interior

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #13 – February 06, 2009, 09:26:37 PM

Interior looks really nice. My buddy has one that he has beat to hell. It is having tranny problems now too.

New daily driver (now with pics of transmission carnage, post 13)

Reply #14 – February 06, 2009, 11:29:10 PM

wow that looks, neet? pretty interesting, you don't see that kind of thing often. that's going to be a really nice car when its up and running again, noice score!