need repair manual /95 Infinity J30/how do i drain the radiator?

If there is no petcock on the radiator, removing the lower radiator hose will always drain the radiator enough to remove it (if necessary). As for the rest of the cooling system, I don't have a clue... but if you are changing the timing belt, you might want to replace the water pump, too.

buy a book asap cuz you will need it for the timming belt

buy a book asap cuz you will need it for the timming belt

I'm also a woman- don't worry, cars don't know your gender and we can fix them as well as any guy.

Go to your local auto parts store. Get a manual for your specific make, model, and year, by either Chilton's or Hayne's- I prefer Chilton's as they have more diagrams and photographs. If neither chiltons or haynes is available, ask at the counter which manual is available for your car- if it's in plastic, ask if you can leaf through it first to make sure it covers your car and has what you need. The public library *sometimes* has general repair books, but not usually make/model specific.

Whatever you are fixing, read the directions *thoroughly* several times before you start. If, in reading the directions, you encounter something you don't understand or recognise, look *that* thing up in the index, or contents, and read about how to deal with that thing.

One thing you need is decent tools. Most everything you are doing can be done with a decent socket set- I swear by Craftsman, available at Sears; they have a lifetime warranty and will replace anything you break. You can get cheaper sets, but they'll bust on you at the worst possible time. Other tools you will need for that job will be listed in whatever manual you buy.

I have always maintained and fixed my own cars, and am now in the middle of an engine replacement on my Isuzu Trooper. I have the engine out and hanging on a hoist in my garage, ready to go on the stand, and the new engine is ordered. Some of this job has been a BITCH, but I'll be back on the road soon for thousands less than if I'd gone to a garage- AND I now know this car inside and out.

You can do it!!!

k wallace

Trying to do a timing belt without the manual is going to be a pain Additionally, you can DESTROY your engine if you install the belt incorrectly. And if you have balance shafts, those usually have nice little tricks that you need to line 'em up correctly, especially if you are replacing a broken belt. Your local library should have Chiltons manuals that you can check out.

According to the Gates application guide, you have an interference motor:

sitebuilderfiles/gatestbr.pdfThus, if your existing belt broke, be prepared for a valve job (likely) or forbroken pistons (rarer). There's no way to know if further damage occurreduntil you put a new belt on and do a compression check. If the compressioncheck fails, you will have to then pull the cylinder head(s) to assess thesituation, or begin making preparations to have it repaired by someoneexperienced or to find a new ride.

Hold on there! Why are you cutting into the timing belt cover?

Has your timing belt broken and your going to replace it? If that is the case then plan on tearing down your engine heads. Acccording to the Gates app chart, located here:

(there is a link to this here, click on Timing Belt Replacement Guide) the 1994-1997 J30 3.0L V6 engine is an interference engine. What that means is if the timing belt breaks then your valves get their heads bent. There's a pic of what happens on the above link.

Ted

This is not very good advice. Chiltons and Haynes manuals are useful for firestarter and lining birdcage bottoms, not for fixing cars.

For the $25 the Haynes is going to cost, you can buy a year's subscription to Alldata, here:

and you can get the complete FACTORY service manual for your car PLUS all manufacturer updates.

Or if your more patient you can go to Ebay and eventually a real factory service manual for your car will come up for sale.

Or you can go to the dealer and buy a manual.

You need more than a socket set, you need a set of wrenches and a good set of screwdrivers, pliers, and a 12v test light or volt ohmmeter. Also it helps to have an adjustable open end wrench and an oil filter strap wrench.

While you should stick with a good name brand like Craftsman for the sockets, many companies make perfectly good wrench sets that are a lot cheaper than the Craftsman sets and are also hardened steel. These wrench sets may have a fewer number of sizes of course. The Husky brand that Home Depot sells isn't bad. Ace Hardware also sells a 5 piece set of open end wrenches that aren't bad either.

Ted

I dont know enough to contradict that statement, but I used a Haynes manual for information on replacing the radiator on my 1995 Acura Integra, and found the instructions pretty straight forward and decent. And the photos were useful, once I figured out which way was up :)

irax.

I'm glad that woman are taking an interest in maintaining their cars. Everyone should at least know something about the car he or she drives. There are those who will take advantage of the unsuspecting female (or male) car owner when they can.

Haynes or Chilton are not the best books, but they are certainly better than nothing. Alldata is a good alternative for many people. In some cases, public libraries have excellent professional manuals.

thank you to all ya'll that posted replies to my email. i guess i should have made myself more clear...there is no haynes for infiniti cars& i have the chilton's for imports but there is nothing about draining the radiator/cooling system. (i am fixin'to raise the car up and and look for a plug like the one on my truck.)as for the timing belt,it is time to replace it so it doesn't break...also thanks for the 2 links-i am about to check them out! thanks again sonja

maybe the Haynes- I don't care for it as much as Chiltons. I have maintained and repaired, with the Chiltons manuals, a 1974 Toyota Corrola, a 1987 Nissan Sentra, a 1986 and '87 Isuzu Trooper, a really old Dodge Dart that i can't even remember the year for(late 70's?), a '72 Chevy Nova that still runs like a kick-ass dream, and used the "Idiots Guide" for the two VW buses I've owned. I've managed, from starting with the VW's and the Idiots Guides, to learn from the manuals pretty much whatever I needed to know. Not without points of frustration of course. I've never used Alldata, so can't recommend it. If it's as good as you say, I may subscribe myself. Is it an online medium or paper? I like to have the paper diagrams/pics in hand to compare to what I'm looking at sometimes.

you're right about a set of wrenches and an oil filter wrench (the latter if she plans on doing her own oil changes- here, it's within $5 as cheap to have it done at a local garage). In my experience, most people already have screwdrivers, pliers, an adjustable wrench, vice grips, channel locks, and a hammer- those are basic home project tools, though I've used them all on my cars, too.

Let us know what you find. Sometimes there are threaded plugs in the engine that can be removed, other times draincocks in the radiator, and at other times it is easier to remove a lower hose and drain it..

I have two Alldata subscriptions, and find them both useful. Factory manuals are usually, but not always, available for popular cars.

I subscribe to Alldata DIY (do it yourself). I use it online, but it is possible to download and print any and all pages you like. I keep a notebook.

The older cars were a lot simpler and a Chiltons or Haynes worked OK for them. But once you get into the 90's vehicles you have computer controlled electrical systems that are extensive and that change mightily from year to year and thus the one-manual-fits-10-years approach of a Chiltons won't work any longer.

Ted