Suspension Problem
May 24th, 2011 . by CaryAs my regular readers know, I’ve been trying to keep the Road Rhino (1998 Infiniti QX4, 170k miles) in a somewhat reasonably reliable running mode. As I type this, the smell of cleaner and soap is still on my hands after replacing the starter. This is another reason I wish to kill some automotive engineers. Or at least make them work on their own creations.
I have replaced the starter on this vehicle many times. I think, but I’m not sure, that this is number four. You would think that after the first three times I would remember that the bolts holding the starter to the tranny case are 14 mm and the electrical connection is a 13 mm, but you would be wrong. You would think that I would remember how to worm the starter out from next to the lower control arm on the passenger side without jamming my fingers or slamming the starter against the palm of my hand and then wedging said hand against the still warm exhaust pipe, but again, you would be wrong.
One thing I have noticed, though – I have to raise the passenger side of the vehicle higher every time I change the starter. I think the suspension is slowly going bad, and that side of the SUV is sitting lower to the ground.
(not mine, but almost identical – same color, mine doesn’t have the rear wind deflector. oh, and my paint has all kinds of aftermarket scratches … )
A big thank you to Harry, for helping procure a new starter at less than I was able to find one.
Chat ya later…
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It could be worse. It could be a Caddy, with the starter under the intake manifold.
Yep, you read that right. The Northstar V8 has the starter underneath the intake manifold.
No matter how bad it is, it ain’t that bad…
Well, that does make it a tad more interesting to change than the Road Rhino.
I thought it was bad enough with the number six plug on the back of the block, only accessible by removing the intake manifold or pulling the engine …
I’m in the same boat with 2 cars, Cary…
Fixing things as they go wrong, both cars with about 200K miles.
So long as the engine and tranny work right, they’re worth fixing. But if/when either of those go into dying cockroach mode, then neither car is worth the cost of towing it away.
And Larry, I’m boggled by how stupid putting the starter beneath the intake is. That Northstar was touted as such a breakthrough when it came out…
Sounds like “planned obsolescence” is GM’s new motto!
Luckily, the second car (TMBWitW’s Camry) is still under some warranty, and the parts are not difficult to get for it, AND I can actually do a majority of the work needed on it, too – but again, with only 80k on it, there’s not much to do to it right now.
The Rhino, though – yeah, I need to squeeze a couple more years out of it, then I can stimulate the economy a little bit with the purchase of another vehicle.
(i can’t believe none of you saw the play on the suspension issue – you know, with me getting thicker, i gotta jack the car up higher … )