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Hey everyone – this is my new-to-me '04 145K sedan 6MT that I bought to tote my new baby girl around in (sometimes) and likely take to a few local drift/autox/whatever just for fun. I'm officially owner #3 including a lease return, got it for under $6K, and believe it was kept up quite well by the previous owner. Not perfect, but that's exactly what I was after since I wanted it to be reliable enough out the gate BUT also treat it as a toy & learning experience.
Ultimate goal is just to just have fun with it, so it'll definitely get heavy maintenance, reliability mods, and coilovers, but who knows from there! Hate the bottom tupperware though, so I do the rational thing and swap to 05+... or I may even get a different body kit and learn to paint or wrap! Maybe slap a big wing, livery, and massive fart can on it in the process, lol!
Already stalked this forum for a while and learned a lot, so thanks everyone!
Last edited by theredcapediver; Feb 23, 2024 at 08:45 PM.
Reason: EDIT: should probably mention this isn't my only car, so I'm not being an irresponsible parent, haha!
Nice ride! Those are getting harder and harder to find, and it sounds like you got a fantastic deal on it. That thing is almost too nice to mess up. . . .
Nice ride! Those are getting harder and harder to find, and it sounds like you got a fantastic deal on it. That thing is almost too nice to mess up. . . .
You know, I've been thinking that too – you can't tell in the pic, but the front & rear bumpers + trunk are horribly painted with a one-stage, and it has some heavy wear on a few engine parts, the weather seals, and stuff from living coastal for a bit. That said, it is in good shape overall, so while I joke about crazy mods, I'll probably be conservative with it and just try to make it as nice as possible while having the fun I was after.
Related question – if this is at 145K and has been relatively well-maintained, are there any maintenance items I should actively be considering to eventually join the 200K+ crew with this engine?
So far here's my consideration list with notes for what I've done or am actively doing soon:
Fluids – oil, trans, diff, coolant, all your standards
Brakes – pads & rotors needed, so doing SS lines and new fluid while I'm at it
Plugs – possibly valve gaskets at the same time if this one spot is leaking like it seems to be or there's oil on plugs
Suspension – want some coilovers for fun so will likely do all the supporting arms & sways at the same time since some bushings are meh
The valve covers are the issue with oil on the plugs. They are notorious for the seal around the plug eventually leaking.
Lots of threads on the issue. Search them up. New OEM covers are $$$. There's procedures to drill out the plug seal and frankenfix with new seals. Not sure about the dependability or availability of aftermarket covers. Maybe others with experience will chime in.
If you're a new VQ35 owner, keep a close eye on your oil level between the first few changes. These commonly consume a fair amount of oil and it's easy to run really low if you're not watching out for it. This is the kind of thing that could keep you from getting to 200k if you got a bad one and don't keep it topped off. Once you have a few thousand miles of varied driving, you'll know how your engine is and if/when you need to check and add. You should check the level before you do your first change and see how it is now if you haven't already. And empty your first oil change into an empty container so you can see how much comes out. Good luck and have fun.
The valve covers are the issue with oil on the plugs. They are notorious for the seal around the plug eventually leaking.
Lots of threads on the issue. Search them up. New OEM covers are $$$. There's procedures to drill out the plug seal and frankenfix with new seals. Not sure about the dependability or availability of aftermarket covers. Maybe others with experience will chime in.
My bad, I meant valve covers and gaskets, not just the gaskets. Read a few threads here and in the various Facebook groups, and it sounds like the Amazon MITZONE aluminum ones can be pretty solid sans a few QC issues around the threads. But hey, that's what free returns or tap and die sets are for! Thanks for the POV!
If you're a new VQ35 owner, keep a close eye on your oil level between the first few changes. These commonly consume a fair amount of oil and it's easy to run really low if you're not watching out for it. This is the kind of thing that could keep you from getting to 200k if you got a bad one and don't keep it topped off. Once you have a few thousand miles of varied driving, you'll know how your engine is and if/when you need to check and add. You should check the level before you do your first change and see how it is now if you haven't already. And empty your first oil change into an empty container so you can see how much comes out. Good luck and have fun.
Thanks for the POV – definitely check this weekly out of pure paranoia, and so far it's been looking good!
Age and mileage wears the seals and such. If you have an inspection camera, I would highly recommend popping off the water pump / timing tensioner covers and inspecting the timing gallery gaskets.
when these go bad (they push OUT) the engine loses oil pressure and engines blow. Super common in these older VQ’s.
