1994 Infiniti J30 6 Cylinder from North America

Summary:

Very Good Car; High Priced Parts

Faults:

Engine Gas Recirculation Valve is out needs replacing.

Engine Knock Sensor is broken.

Sunroof Motor is broken.

Check Engine light is on due to these various parts.

Upper Leather Armrests are badly worn down and flaking.

General Comments:

This car is fabulous! Despite all of the mechanical issues. I love this vehicle's style, performance and handing. My car isn't far away from 200,000 miles so these problems aren't that big of a deal.

The down side to the car is lack of trunk space. A very very little trunk.

Also, room for back seat passengers is kinda tight.

Parts, Dealer service and service manuals are very high not a good car for a shade-tree mechanic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st January, 2005

1994 Infiniti J30 J30t 3.0L V6 210hp from North America

Summary:

Great over all little luxury sport sedan - definitely worth it's weight in... silver

Faults:

I bought this car from a guy who buys cars at auto auctions and then sells them. It seemed to have had one owner, a family, as there was some stain evidence of children, etc. In all the car seemed to have been maintained well. I have a list of things that have been wrong with this car, though they are pretty typical of this model and not bothersome to me too much.

The Bose problem of course - I tend to think the source of the problem was a short in the rear speaker system - at any rate, the main radio unit did its characteristic slow and sporadic death so I bought a used unit from a 95 Maxima, which was the same except I had to modify the wiring harness, though a simple plug in one is available. Then I discovered the back speakers were dead, which I traced to a broken fuse which led me to discover a short somewhere in the rear system, so when I have more money I will replace the rear speakers with OEM parts.

Both right windows have the "broken" motors. What this is is a stripped gear on the motor, if you pull on the window manually while running the motor, the window will close, but to fix the motor must be replaced.

I had a strange incident where the mass air flow meter's plug disconnected itself, causing the car to smoke, running way too rich, and then die. It took a month to fix this and I fixed it myself as the Nissan dealer had it pegged to the meter itself which cost $700 to replace. I bought a used part, installed it myself on their lot (they took too long) and then later discovered the problem was merely the plug had come lose, so I put back the original meter, and am still using it today, with a homemade bracket to ensure the electrical plug doesn't work loose.

The sunroof is a tight fit, and only sticks when it is very hot and the medal has expanded. When cool, or just cooled in the shade, there is absolutely no problem.

Someone had mentioned replacing the wipers - yes the aftermarket ones in the computers of many auto stores do NOT fit, so just replace the individual blades, that's what I do.

My J30 has a little leak in the seal at the bottom of the windshield that drips water when the car sits out in rain, though not when driving in it.

I also had the EGR problem, the pipes to the valve just need cleaning, but it makes the engine light come on. One of the mechanic's I took it to to fix this, simply disabled the engine light, but I was on to him ;)

General Comments:

This is a great little car, built on the European sports sedan pattern, like the Jag, and BMW's, etc. but a more affordable version. Of course that means cheaper materials, but its still a worthy car.

This car is too good. By todays standards it's not the hottest performer, but still better than almost any front wheel drive car can field, certainly in handling, and great for its debut in '93. I've driven mine over 100 many times, it jogs like a dog, it is certainly Autobahn-capable.

Handling is especially superb, the feel and road grip are as good as any other comparable car as far as I can tell. Some other posts complain of slipping on wet corners, but this is clearly a combination of driver/worn tire/road surface condition as I have never had this problem, it depends on your skill in handling this baby, but I'm a professional driver, I've spun 180's in it at will. Rear wheel drive gives you such maneuverability unlike anything you could get from front wheel drive. You just have to know how to do it, and know that auto trans doesn't mean always stick in 4th gear, you can change gears on it for the better performance of your machine!

Adding weights to the trunk is certainly a bad idea, bad for suspension, ride, gas mileage, and makes it tail heavy. The gas tank is right over the axle, this car is not light in the back!!!

One thing I have to complain about to Infiniti is that the tank is rated for 19 gallons. I'd like to see you get 19 gallons of gasoline in it! I max at 15. As far as I can tell, this is because of the fuel filler design, it enters the tank from the side, not the top, so you cannot fill the tank up to full capacity.

Overall this is an awesome little luxury sedan, or sports sedan if you have the T model as I do. 0-60 under 9 seconds is not at all shabby!!!

The interior is well finished, and mine is not at all worn except the driver's seat is wearing, but it's over 10 years old and all, so no complaints here! The sounds system is great and the a/c heating as well, burn to death in the snow or freeze in the summer, it's your choice, all while listening to an immaculate sound from the Bose system. In fact, my a/c gets so cold I have to thaw it at times by running the fan for a couple of minutes without the compressor. Of course it ain't supposed to do that... and oh man that back seat is so comfortable, and so is the driver seat for that matter!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th January, 2005

19th Apr 2005, 09:42

I have a 94 j30t as well and I have raced it numorus times with great results. My 0 to 60 7.23 sec. I've put about $3500 in aftermarket parts, but is well worth it @135 m.p.h. just shifting into 4th gear.

16th Feb 2007, 20:22

Just bought a 95. I'll be dropping a new engine into due to a defective aftermarket water pump that caused the timing belt to slip a cog. I really appreciate your common problems help, and think this should almost be a category on my favorite site carsurvey.org. I always consult this site when buying a car, or consider buying a car, but 'common problems' would be a magnet for someone looking for a used car. Thanks for the info.

12th Jun 2007, 18:18

There is a comment of a leak in the lower windshield. Where was the leak showing up. I have a 94 J30T where water drips down from underneath the passenger side dashboard. (under and behind the glove box). Can't find the source. Stood there with a hose, spraying it on different areas with no results.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Linus Sagadore

linus@techtraders.com.

1st Jul 2007, 12:49

Just bought a 94 and love the car, but not quite sure wats all wrong with it. It's over heating, and if if ever get to hot it startes to smoke. I put some Coolant in the radiator and it keeps it from getting to hot, but it still runs 3/4 of the way up the meter.

15th May 2009, 19:08

I realize this is an old post, but water leaking from under your dash would be your heater core leaking. I have a 94 J30t and I noticed a common problem with my dash lights going out. There is no fuse to repair this, however I did discover the source of the problem. It is the dimmer switch. You can replace the switch, but will likely have the problem again. A slight tap on the switch with something (like your finger) will often fix the problem. It is also easy to remove the switch and take it apart to clean the electrical contacts.

2nd Dec 2009, 20:42

I've got a 93 Infiniti j30, and just purchased a 97. Seems like they BOTH have water leaks on the front passenger side. I doubt this would be heater core leak, because there's no evidence of antifreeze. Any suggestions where to look for source? Thx in advance.

nz@atworkathome.com