Low Mileage Engines

Several years ago I sold a 3.5L engine for an Infiniti G35 to a very nice man from Mississippi. This man was buying the engine for his wife, who loved the car. As far as stories go, I have plenty of them having been in this industry for the number of years that I have, but this story sticks out. It sticks out because Infiniti engines rarely fail – and they seem to never fail on when nearly new.

“I got the car for her, and just figured she would maintain it,” the husband explained to me. “But she never changed the oil, and it’s like silly putty in the oil pan.”

We had several low mileage engines for sale at the time and sent them the nicest one we had (the car was a 2003 Infiniti G35). As far as we know, they are still driving their G35 to this day.

This family spent thousands of dollars they wouldn’t have had to had they originally maintained their vehicle. It isn’t uncommon for us to encounter this since we sell engines.

There is, however, another side to this coin.

We sell a lot of engines to families who meticulously maintain their vehicles. Sometimes their engine has failed because they’ve just worn it out. There really isn’t any way around this type of failure, since you can’t change the design of an engine you own. The only thing you can control is how you drive in a case like that (read: not like a bat out of Hell).

There can be external factors that cause engine failure.

If you drive an Infiniti, be glad that your vehicle does not use a timing belt, but a timing chain. This is one of the greatest points of maintenance overlook for many vehicles, but you don’t have to deal with it. However, you must make sure to replace your water pump. This is one of the most common things I see destroy Infiniti engines. Why? Though lack of timing belt replacement causes a lot of engines to fail, most people do eventually change their timing belt (maybe not on schedule, but they have it done). Most shops worth their salt are going to recommend a water pump replacement at the time of that timing belt replacement, since when you replace a timing belt, you’ve done 90% of the work of replacing the water pump. As the owner of a vehicle with a timing chain that doesn’t require replacement as part of normal maintenance, you have to make sure to replace your water pump. If you don’t, and it fails, you could easily overheat your engine and destroy it. When that happens, you’ll have to call us.

Overheating isn’t just caused by failed water pumps.  You have to make sure that you maintain your overall cooling system. The best way to do this is to have a complete coolant flush and replacement every two years. To actually flush all the fluid, which is what you want, you will need to find a shop that has a special machine to flush out the old coolant. You should also have the shop check your hoses for cracking, leaks, and signs of wear. If they see any of these things, they should replace that hose. They should also check your actualr adiator, and all the radiator fittings. If you have an automatic transmission, you should have the radiator fluid flushed as well. You see, your automatic transmission runs its fluid through the radiator just like the engine coolant does (through a different system) and if it gets dirty not only damages the transmission but loses its ability to cool.

If you’re replacing an engine, you should always have your radiator back flushed and flow tested. If it doesn’t pass these tests, then don’t worry about getting the old radiator fixed – buy a new one. They’re cheap, and in many instances replacing your radiator is cheaper than having your radiator tested and then repairing it.

The last thing you need to know when you buy an Infiniti engine is that you should replace any and all maintenance parts on the engine before you put it in. You should replace your spark plugs, all belts and hoses, all filters (fuel, oil, air), and all fluids. We also highly recommend that you reseal your oil pan and your valve covers, since no one warranties gaskets or seals.

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