Hello all. Finally bit the bullet and got a Z. I previously had a modded 2005 altima with the vq and the manual tranny, but FWD got old. Bought a base model 2003 Z two weeks ago.

Trusty Alti


and her replacement


After a few days of ownership, I relearned the horrors of buying a used car. The previous owner had torqued the lug nuts so tight that many were twisted and one was snapped at the very bottom of the nut. Ended up using cobalt bits and drilling through the stud until reaching through the nut at which point it simply fell off onto the drill bit. He had "recently changed the oil" which was not only low, but also the same color of a cowboys coffee.

Now on to the sad stuff. I am not used to a pressure gauge. I began watching it the first day driving the car. Much to my unpleasant surprise, at idle it seems to be around 5-10 lbs. Cruising in final gear around 2k rpms its between 30-40. On hard accelerations it will spike at 80-90 lbs. When the car first starts, oil pressure at idle is around 30. Once it warms up it drops to the 5-10 area. The motor has 129k on the clock. No strange noises/smells from the motor. Have not done a compression check yet.

Some of what I'm reading tells me I need a new motor. Others say a new pump. Some simply say that the stock pressure gauge isnt known to be accurate and that pressures are fine. Would appreciate if a veteran would chime in here.

My Altima has a confident 235k miles on it and runs like a champ. Have done basic things; sensors, alternators, etc, and she keeps purring. I know well maintained, the vq is a dream of a motor.


For those interested, plans for the car are...

Catback or cutout(normally always drop catbacks on my car but this one already covets enough attention from the local PD, I might try go stealth with a cutout)
Coilover suspension(IMO almost a must on a car for the twisties)
Good tires(possibly new wheels as well)
Standard Goodies(New HU, Speakers, LEDS, etc inside, a front lip, black emblems, subtle goodies on the outside)
Possibly headers, intake mani or spacers, or a mild FI setup(long term aka 8-14 months from now)(if the motor goes sooner, then a new rebuilt with either built/cammed NA or FI is going to happen immediately because I refuse to go through the pain of a motor replacement without gaining anything from the mess.

Anyways, for those who read all of that, Congrats!

 

I'd say the oil PSI is way too low.

Mine at startup skyrockets but once warmed up & idle lingers around 25-30.

Grats on the Z.

What size are the wheels and the tires?

 

19 and iirc 245/35s not sure on width I'm guessing around 9.

 

I can't see the pictures at work, but I will check when I'm off.

If I was you I would hold off on mods of any type and drive the car for 5-10k miles and see if anything else happens. I have an 08 and recently a lot of stuff just started crappin out at once: Diff bushing oozing, A Arms have play in heim joint, shocks are getting weak/blown, and my SES light came on regarding the Driver's side cat after the dealer replaced the passenger side the beginning of this year. I'm going into the winter season hopefully able to save some money for coilovers and bushings first thing next spring.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy RIGHT wheel drive safely!

 

Thanks! Yea I always assume another 1000 or so on fixing worn out parts. Motor going south may be more than I counted for tho.

 

Congrats on your purchase but it looks like you have a fair bit of remedial work to do in order to get it back into shape.

 

Overall she isn't bad minus the oil pressure concern. I've already installed new rotors and pads and a new set of lug nuts. She's got fresh oil in her now and everything feels pretty tidy.