11th Mar 2010, 15:55
I bought my 2000 I30 in 2005, and have been in love with the car from day one. That is not to say I've been without problems. Replaced the starter, alternator, coil rods, spark plugs, and other things I can't remember.
I've had the "SES" light on a few times, and it always seems to be around State Inspection time. Yet again, my tags expire this month and the SES light came on again. Took it to the shop and said the codes were from the knock sensor and cap converter. To replace the knock sensor, they wanted $900 bucks and that did not even guarantee the light would shut off. Thought it best to wait and check on the Internet. Was told the cap converter would run around $1500 to have all 3 parts replaced. This is crazy!
I had been having a small coolant leak for the past month. They could not find the leak and told me I should replace the water pump. I thought it best to wait, and that's when the SES light came on. Thinking it was in fact the pump, I took it into the shop and that's when I learned of the mentioned codes above. Is there some kind of connection? Car runs great and gas usage is about the same.
Again, I love the car, but it has cost a bit to maintain. That's what you get with an Infiniti I guess...
17th Mar 2010, 08:59
My aunt & uncle in law both own Infiniti cars. He has a 2007 G-35, she has a 2000 I-30. The issue with the SES light coming back on after changing coils and spark plugs is this...
If you don't special order the den-so iridium plugs, then you will not have a hole in the spark plug top for the tiny coil spring to fit tightly and securely into. Thus your spring that secures constant connection will actually bounce up off the spark plug, giving you a misfire and an SES code of for instance p-0325, which is the firewall bank of coils. Finding out which one is as easy as disconnecting one at a time, and read your rpm gauge on the dash. Every other spark plug that Auto Zone, Kragen and Pep Boys tried to pawn off on me had no hole in top of plug for the coils spring to snap into.
If you live in s. California I am a mobile mechanic with my own electronic code reader and a lot of common sense my e mail is:
cdonster7@yahoo.com and by the way folks you're welcome...
Donster.
21st May 2010, 16:04
I just bought a 2000 I30, and it currently doesn't have any problems showing up, but it does have 110,000 miles on it. After reading the posts about the MAF sensor, O2 sensors, ignition coils and potential alternator issues, is there anything I should just replace now to avoid damaging the ECM, since apparently it doesn't have fuses to protect it, as I learned in a previous post. I have no way of knowing what previous service work was done on the car. Should I just wait for the problems to begin, or should I replace the sensors and cross my finders on the coils and alternator? Or should I be trying my best to find a new sucker?
22nd Jun 2010, 12:36
My comment is on the 2001 Infiniti. Before you guys start spending on all these Infiniti cars, change your oil and transmission fluid regularly with a good auto center like Jiffy Lube or AAMCO first. Then, instead of taking it to these unfaithful local mechanics, take it to expert like AAMCO and other good ones. I have a 2001 myself. The biggest problem is the Catalytic Converter Bank 1 or 2 and Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS). Let them locate the right one to be changed using their computer, not by guessing like the local mechanics do. If they tell you the transmission slips, just go and replace the fluid before wasting your thousands of dollars. Instead of wasting $2K plus over these cars, sell it off and go and get better cars that'll be economical to repair, like Honda, Mazda, and Toyota!
27th Jul 2010, 11:21
Don't worry about reliability -- you've had nothing major go wrong with it, just minor stuff that can and will happen to just about anything...
These cars have a good track record. They sometimes need ignition coils which can be pricey, but that's about all that should normally go wrong.
28th Aug 2010, 23:12
Wow, I am surprised to see a lot of comments about the I30. I do have a 2001 I30 that I purchased from a salvaged yard in Philadelphia back in 2006. Car had 69000 miles when I bought it. It now has 110000 miles on it. Bought the car with SES light on, and it is still on today.
Only thing I've ever done to this car was to change the MAF sensor (in 2007) and the starter (in 2009), which I got from a Maxima at the junkyard for $125. Other than that, just regular oil, air and filter change every 3 months that I've been doing myself for the last 4 years.
Took car to Autozone, and was told O2 sensors needed to be replaced (cost $125 each). Well, it doesn't affect the drivability of the car, so I say scratch that. Car runs excellent. Transmission fluid hasn't been changed yet either. Word of advise; (if it ain't slipping, don't tough it) Always use your trusted local Mechanic. In these hard economic times, try looking for a local junkyard where you can get parts for dirt cheap. Word of advice: "Fix what you can, leave what you can't for the pros".
3rd Sep 2010, 23:18
I am considering getting a 2000 I30, and have seen that they may have a common problem with the Engine Control Module (the brain), which can cost $800 just for the part. Has anyone heard of this?
30th Dec 2010, 19:40
I have 2000 Infiniti I30. I changed more parts in this car than all of the cars I ever owned combined. O2 sensor, MAF, all ignition coils one at a time, starter, alternator two times, belt tensioner and list goes on. Now I have p1320 code, which is not fixable with changing the ignition coils. It was a bad decision to buy this car.
18th Feb 2011, 15:45
Hi, I have been having my 2000 Infiniti I30 for almost 3 years, and just now beginning to have mechanical problems with it.
As you all have already mentioned, I have the check engine light that wants to go off. I have changed the MAF sensor, all coils, filters, oxygen sensors, spark plugs and more. I love Infiniti, but this car has given me a headache.
I even took this car to an Infiniti dealer, and they couldn't find the problem. The car runs great at this point. I'm getting one more thing fixed in the ignition, and two oxygen sensors under the motor, and I'm done. Has anyone found out the problem? If so, please let me know. It's not the catalytic convector; had that checked with two different muffler shops.
20th Apr 2013, 00:01
I have had my 2000 I30 for almost 7 years now. Replaced the starter, alternator, high pressure power steering hose, radiator, coils, O2 sensors, motor mounts, IAC valve, MAF, and I still had an idle and stall problem when cold. The car still ran rough when the weather got cold, and gradually got worse and worse, even in warmer weather. My Infiniti dealer could not find the problem. It was the upper intake manifold gasket. $40 part/labor and bam, runs like new. I researched and found several people having this issue. The gasket was old, and it was sucking in air directly into the the intake manifold. Unless your Infiniti dealership sees lots of I30s/I35s, this problem is very easy to miss. I never had an engine light, which made things even harder to track.
27th Aug 2013, 17:18
To all Infiniti I30 and Maxima drivers, the SES light will come on periodically if you do not use premium gas like the manufacturer recommends.
25th Sep 2014, 06:51
Yes it's true, I have an 01 I30t and my E VM was fried and the throttle body had to be replaced, because they work as a team. That cost me roughly 2400.
2nd Jan 2018, 21:33
I have a 2000 Infiniti I30 with over 160,000 miles on it. The car has been great with very few problems except now it is unable to pass the California smog test. There is no sensor light showing on the dashboard, but when the mechanic puts this little small handheld device under the steering wheel, he gets a code that indicates the catalytic converter is not ready. I am told that the car needs to be driven in order to get the computer to change to ready. We have driven the car for many miles and my husband and I even tried going through the Infiniti drive cycle to get it to change to ready, but nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do to get the car to pass the smog test?
22nd Feb 2010, 10:10
What is the MAF?