SMBA

My mechanic only changed me an hour of work ($65).

da God

Take it to nissan?? Anyone??

gscaesar

A plea for help here guys:

I have the problem described here with intermittent stalling on my 96 Maxima GLE Automatic, 143k miles.

Symptoms:
(1) Car intermittently drops to low RPMs (200 - 300) and occasionally stalls. Typically happens when I just start the car and am pulling out of a parking spot, or am coming to a stop at a traffic light. Normal rpms is 700-750.
(2) By intermittent I mean no problems at all for a week of commuting to work (18 miles one way, twice a day for a week). Then it happens half a dozen times. Then nothing for a few days ...
(3) I believe a feel power loss at lower RPMs some times (in the 1000 - 2000 rpm range).
(4) I live in Houston TX. Happens on cool (~40 degF) and hot (~80 degF) days.
(5) Happens when I just start the car for the first time in a day, not yet warmed up. Also happens after car has been running and is warmed up.


I have done the following with no success:
(1) Scanned for codes with my ScanGauge II - No trouble codes ever. No check engine light ever.
(2) Disassembled, cleaned, and ohm-tested the three phases of my IACV per Factory Service Manual procedure. Whistle clean. Made no difference.
(3) Replaced fuel filter. Made no difference.
(4) Replaced PCV. Made no difference.
(5) Replaced starter (after it went out from all the restarting). Made no difference.
(6) Disassembled and cleaned the throttle body (used the instructions in the FAQ sticky). Made no difference.
(7) Run 91 octane gas. No difference.
(8) Ran a tank with fuel injector cleaner. No difference.
(9) Replaced the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). No difference.
(10) Found and fixed a minor power steering leak dripping onto my upstream oxygen sensor (leak traveled from return hose down the wires). Made no difference. Confirmed with my ScanGauge II stalling still occurs both open and closed loop (ie - happens when this sensor is not used by computer).
(11) Found and closed a cracked nipple on the breather hose from the air plenum to my engine. (Found that one trying to evacuate for Hurr Ike the morning it was rolling in).
(12) Gave up and took car to Jimmy's in Baytown, a very good mechanic specializing in Nissans, Toyotas, Hondas. He reproduced but could not find cause.
(13) Gave up and took car to the Baytown Nissan Dealer. They could reproduce, then asked for $800 to do a wire trace, thinking it might be electrical (ie - they are guessing too). I politely declined and took the car back without the trace.
(14) Gave up and bought a 2003 Lexus ES 300 70k miles as my primary car, as I got tired of wondering if I was going to make it every time I had to make an unprotected left turn against traffic.

This Maxima has been a GREAT car, but won't pass it to somebody with this problem, and hope to fix it before selling it (I will at least disclose if I can't fix - just couldn't sleep at night). Also don't want to start changing out $500 parts on the replace-it-and-hope theory.

Help me please! Has anybody actually solved this one? And by solution, I mean it went away and they have put 100's of miles on the car since without it occurring again. I have been fooled many times thinking I fixed it, only to drive symptom free for a week or so, then have it return.

Greg

fixerupper10

heres my whole idea. i talked to my uncle whos great with diagnosis of random problems and what ive come to here and that sounds right is the torque converter. i mean its in the transmission and helps control auto gear shifts dosent it? that would explain the rough idle when stoping and downshifting to me at least. plus when its cold it does this like any time i try to move. already ive had to drive like this and drove it once when it was cold and had this happen every time i stop now every now and then my transmission feels like its "slipping" and ya its an automatic so idk my assumption is try replacing the torque converter or doing a whole transmission rebuild and see what happens. anyone else got an idea?

GCS

Low idle issues are exactly what is 'originally' being talked about. My 97 manual does the same thing once in a while. The rpms drop too low when you depress the clutch, especially when downshifting forcing you to keep the clutch in or go to neutral and brake to the stop instead of downshifting. It hasn't happened to me yet after the car is well warmed up - only when it's cold and/or just gotten up to temperature. So choke and idle issues seem to be the target. I'll be playing around with it in a week or two and hope to find the problem then.

Whyzman

I would suggest starting any troubleshooting endeavor by checking the engine control harnass grounding screws. Those on my 95 Maxima definitely needed some cleaning up. It appears that many of the sensors use very sensitive voltages and might be pulling codes for other reasons than the sensors themselves have gone south. I would begin with the grounding screws...

They are readily accessible, slightly to the left of center, front side of the intake manifold, close to the fuel rail. I apologize that I do not have a photo. Perhaps someone could link one up?

I would suggest removing the screws and cleaning both the surface of the wire contacts and the metal on the engine where they contact. Sand the oxidation, or road junk from the mating surfaces and reassemble.

thestartingline

My car is a 96 5 speed. I have the same problem as the majority of you guys. My car will stall sometimes under decelaration. If i tap the throttle it will sometimes save it. Then sometimes as i am ideling it will also stall. Just changed airfilter, plugs, oil, and fuel filter. It seems like a fuel issue, i have an AEM fuel regulator. I kinda want to take it to the Stealer to run a diagnostic, because im no sure where to start.

killerVQ30DE

I only skimmed your list but you haven't replaced the ECTS (Engine Coolant Temp Sensor). This will cause all the symptoms you are having. Even if it doesn't throw a code if its flakey will still give you issues.

DBear

gacaesar--

I had a similar problem with idle drops, although I never actually stalled. I ended up replacing the plugs. They looked fine, but they weren't NGKs, so I put in NGKs. That solved the problem.

compro

i recently got my maxima, but have not been driving it,

it has had this problem ( the reason i got it) i haven drvien so i cant say if it has the low idle problem but it does randomly stall out, and then restart no prob. it can idle fine for quite some time and will randomly just die,

i read here first hoping to find a lead, i am getting ready to replace the temp sensor, and the knock sensor. ( knock sensor tested bad, no resistance)
and there is a code for coolant temp sensor and it is leaking out the wire (no brainer)

uf u am still having this issue afterward and i will be driving it now as i am stabling the subie so i can do some work on it.

gscaesar

Thanks for the replies. I am planning the following next - probably this weekend:

(1) Replace Engine Coolant Temp Sensor (looks inexpensive and easy).
(2) Check and clean the control harness grounding screws.

Don't think it is the transmission - it will also stall when the car is in park, which I don't think would happen if it was the torque converter.

Maybe the plugs but I'm thinking low odds. Replaced the plugs with new platinum NGK's in June 2004 at 97k miles, so only 4 years and about 45k miles on my plugs.

So i'm basically going cheap-and-easy to more expensive-and-time-consuming in sequence.

I will post with the results. Figure replace this weekend, plus 1 week of driving before I really know if it works - so week of March 23rd at earliest.

Thanks
Greg

Whyzman

I've had two recurring stalling scenarios...not related to each other. The first problem began to occur during the summer last year. I was fortunate enough to know a garage where the mechanics are honest. It appeared that the problem was a faulty AIC. It turned out to be that we were a tad bit low on coolant. Apparently, the engine coolant plays a major role in the AIC operating correctly. A coolant level not up to par can result in an experience much like an AIC gone south. Unscrupulous mechanics could easily have replaced the unit...and topped off the coolant. As it was, it cost me 1/2 hour for the diagnostic...WHEW! 'Tis good to know there's still honest mechanics in this world...

Symptoms were that the car would die coming off the freeway as soon as the clutch was pushed in. Sometimes, just coming to a stop sign would result in trying to rev the engine to keep it from stalling. Not much fun for my wife once the power steering went bye bye. It would always start back up again.

The second problem got me more involved because my wife said the Maxima would stall without rhyme nor reason. It was always after it warmed up. My wife drives the Maxima, so I didn't pay too much attention to it until I experienced it myself. It was not only a nuisance, but quite dangerous as it stalled without warning and in traffic. I decided to dig into the problem and got a first hand dose of Engine Control 101...

I've had the engine MIL on forever, and when I did have it into my favorite shop for things I didn't want to tackle myself, I asked them to have a look-see. They didn't have the adapter for the scan tool to fit the 95 so I just let it go at that. The Max was still getting pretty decent MPG so I didn't pursue. They also were unaware of the onboard diagnostic capabilities afforded to us on these cars. Pretty exciting stuff when I found that out!

I found I was pulling two codes, one for the Temperature Sensor, and the other for the Knock Sensor. The TS was the one that really intrigued me the most. The sensor itself is pretty simplistic, but according to the graph, the varying voltages it sends to the ECU through its cold to running temp are anything but simplistic. Unfortunately, I did not take the time to manually test my TS by following the shop manual. You were supposed to submerge it into water and then monitor the changes in voltage based on a thermometer as you heated it on the stove. As I mentioned, I was pulling a code on it, but I don't know if the entire TS went south, or was only misbehavin' as it went through it's range of motion. Also, it was at the same time I cleaned the crud from my grounding screws...as I mentioned in an earlier post, so I was not able to isolate one or the other.

Also, I figured my TS had been through a war it was not designed for. The upper radiator hose blew off on two different occasions resulting in the engine overheating. 'Twas a good thing I had the conversation with my wife regarding shutting the engine off "immediately" if you see the gauge climbing, or smell antifreeze.

Replacing the TS did solve the stalling problem.

Next on the list was the Knock Sensor. Where I really experienced the side effects of this sensor's demise was when accelerating onto the freeways. YUK! Or, accelerating while on the freeway was also really dodgy. Now, I must confess that Mr. Frugal , yeah me...runs 87 Octane in the Max. After pulling the KS and seeing the cracked housing I knew I wanted to replace it anyway. After replacing the KS, my 87 Octane Boones Farm acts like 190 Everclear. The Max is back!

If folks are pulling multiple codes, as some I've read of in different forums, I'd start there with the grounding screws. Then, I'd suggest following the shop manuals diagnostic procedure and check the connectors followed by the wiring harnass. There are also manual techniques for checking the sensors themselves. It has been quite frustrating reading in multiple forums of the folks who take their vehicles in and wind up spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars replacing sensors without solving the problem.

Pulling a code does not mean that the sensor itself is bad...it only means that that Sensor circuit pulled a code. Oxidation on our 14 year old cars is a given. Even though the Maximas have some pretty decent connectors with gaskets and all...an oxidized connector will pull a code just the same as a faulty sensor. I would suggest getting intimately acquainted with a multi meter. The 1/2 hour spent learning to check continuity could easily turn into a $400-$1000 savings, and that could be for replacing just one sensor.

There's also a Service Bulletin for the 95 Maximas that addresses the strain and potential wiring problems with a particular bend in a top mounted wiring harnass. Even with the decent connectors, wires could be oxidized resulting in bad contacts, or wires could be broken. I would submit that wiring is cheap compared to the price of most sensors. I also ran into a problem after cleaning a connector. I began to pull a Neutral Sensor Switch Sensor code...what the?? I'd cleaned it as part of the routine. When I took another look, the rubber gasket had gotten pinched as I replugged the connector and kept it from making complete contact.

I cannot begin to imagine in today's enonomy how frustrating it is to have these marvelous Maximas sitting on the sidelines after pouring out one's hard earned money. I was frustrated putting out the money I did, but at least mine's back. I hope some of this helps... especially, after I've typed it twice and when I went to submit it erased it!

WhiteA32

iTrader: (20)

My brothers car was having the similar problem with his Max.

The shop changed his Knock Sensor, Alternator and Battery. Car still stalls. Now they think its the MAF and O2...

I think I am going to buy a MAF and throw it into the car and see if it works. The car revs fine past 2.5k so I didn't think it was that. But 2 shops (Nissan and another local shop) said it was the MAF.

VenoMax647

i had this prob a while back....turns out i was getting low compression in one of my cylinders...hope ur problems not as bad but i'd check

perkman87

iTrader: (6)

ghost Camshaft position sensor code. My car has been doing this aswell. I just need to switch out the sensor. I have noooo time tho

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

Alright guys, I have the answer for ALL of you (i hope)

Last July I did my clutch on my 95 and I thought that I had to remove the sensor thats in between the trans and the motor (cam or crank not sure) so I went ahead to remove it and broke one of the 10mm bolts so I said screw it and left it in seeing that it wasnt needed out.

After driving the car for a while and coming to a stop I noticed that it would just stall. I back traced ALL my steps and remembered the broken bolt. I pushed the sensor in and slightly tapped it a bit to see if it stalled and that was the cause. I didnt havea code (actually ddnt check lol)

Now, I did however have a similar problem with my 3rd gen (VG30e) it shut off while I was at a stop light...now that car I have every single receipt for EVERYTHING spent from day one of having it so I knew everything was up to par with some cleaning exceptions. I cleaned the IACV and bam problem fixed.

CLIFFS NOTES: Check crank position sensor/Cam position sensor, check/clean Idle Air Control Valve (IACV)

gscaesar

I replaced the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor, with associated coolant drain and refill a few weeks ago. Went ~140 miles before it stalled again - then stalled four times in a row at a stop light. Though even before I got that stalling at 140, I had noticed on many occasions a slight intermittent power loss. So the problem was definately not the ECTS or coolant level.

Earlier today, I cleaned the MAF with CRC Mass Air Flow Sensor Cleaner after reading some similar posts on another site. Car ran great afterwards.

The real test is another 1-2 weeks, 150+ miles of city driving.

I'll post the results.

Greg

IlyaK

iTrader: (47)

I'm also experiencing something similar lol.

My car will sputter at lights (not always) and sometimes while cruising/trying to accelerate.

Plugs are new, I've tried three different coil pack SETS, tried another MAF. TB and IACV were cleaned not long ago. ECTS is new. All vaccuum hoses were recently re-done (after I de-00VI'd I was missing a lot of them).

I'm going to take out both crankshaft sensors and the one camshaft sensor and clean them. They have magnets and sometimes the magnets get too dirty.

I am also going to remove the IACV and look at that again. I'll be checking the EGR tube (top near the UIM) again in case there is a leak there. Should there be a gasket there? I have RTV there.

I'll also check the coolant level, in case that is effecting the ECTS and making my car run the way it is.

The one code I do have is P1320 (primary ignition circuit).

I will report back on how the car runs after I do all of that.

IlyaK

iTrader: (47)

Well I just came in from outside. Took me all of 5 minutes to find my problem.

The two grounds at the front of the upper intake manifold on my car were VERY loose. I guess we didn't tighten them down good when we were de-00VI'ing my car. I cleaned them and tightened them down properly, ran and idled the car and everything was as it should be.

Hopefully, this is the last thing I have to fix for a long time. The rest of my car is 100% properly maintained and working.

suryoyo

My 95 SE is having the very same problem now. I had a code several months ago for the IACV and less severe, but similar symptoms. I disassembled the IACV, cleaned it, and reinstalled it. I also removed and cleaned the MAF and Throttle Body. Everything has been running fine since then, but the check engine light came back on immediately.

When the symptoms began to return a few weeks ago, I ordered a new IACV with a new gasket for it and the TB (I had reused the original gaskets on both the first time). Of course, the symptoms almost disappeared once I got the parts in the mail, so I delayed installing them until a few days ago. The stalling and sputtering suddenly returned, worse than ever, a few days ago, so I installed the new IACV and the new gaskets. I reset the ECM and adjusted the idle and everything seemed 100% okay for about 2 days.

Yesterday, everything was fine in the morning and lunchtime, then on my way home from work, it all came back the worst it has ever been - sputtering and dying on every deceleration under about 30 mph and very hard to restart. When it did restart, as soon as I put it in D, it tried to die. i happened to be a couple of miles from my regular mechanic, so I limped it into his shop with quite a bit of trouble, but I finally got there.

He first checked for any air leaks (loose clamps or broken hoses & connectors) around the air intake system where I did the work. Also checked all of the electrical connectors and wiring. He finally decided it is probably the fuel pump, especially since the ECM is not reporting any problems; he said the fuel pump is just about the only component that does not report to the ECM, so there is no Check Engine light when it begins to fail.

He has the car right now and is going to hook up a fuel flow pressure guage to test it while on a test drive. Hopefully that will be it. I already have new injectors, new coils, new plugs, new seals & gaskets, new motor mounts, new radiator, all new belts, new O2 sensor, new EGR, new muffler...basically everything. I hope this is the final engine component to fix it for good. I am ready to move on to the front suspension (lower control arms, bushings, tie rod ends, etc.) and then repair some minor bumper damage and small dents so I can repaint the whole car (the roof and trunk are fully oxidized).

I just flipped 201K April 2009 and I bought it used w/42K June 1998. It was built April 1994, but is a 1995 model. This has been the best car I've ever owned and I hope/expect/plan on keeping her at least until she flips 300K which my mechanic says is very realistic after having removed the engine and replacing all the seals & gaskets and other components I listed above.

I will update this thread once I find out about the current fix later today. Hopefully, it is just the fuel pump. We will see...

suryoyo

Just talked to my mechanic who I consider to be a guru with Japanese cars after more than ten years with him. He says that my fuel pump is 100% okay.

He could not reproduce the sputtering and stalling that I drove in (limped in) with yesterday and there is still no CEL, so no codes. He also plugged in and got no codes on his device.

This is the kind of guy that can just listen to the engine and almost instantly know what is wrong, that is my experience with him, so now I don't know what to do. I guess I will pick it up and drive it until it happens again or breaks down completely. It was so bad yesterday as I was driving to his shop that I expected to have to call AAA for towing service to get it there, so how can it suddenly be okay now???

I'm very frustrated with this

vikter1

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like your MAF sensor. My was doing that and I never got a code. I bought a used one and it fixed my problem. I haven't stalled out or sputtered since. I bought it like two months ago.

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

Do you have any equipment to datalog with? That would be the best way, to get a recording of before, during, and after.

As vikter1 said, the MAF is a possibility...though so are the CKPS'/CPS, IACV, the engine harness, etc.

Shake the engine harness where it bends around the right strut tower, see if you can reproduce the symptoms at all.

Have you checked all connectors, made sure they're all fully seated and locked in?

You said the CEL came back on immediately after performing work on the car, what was the code?

Did you do anything to the car prior to any of this happening?

suryoyo

Thanks for the responses, Guys! It's funny that we are thinking alike; I was also thinking about it being the MAF, though I kind of ruled it out since it hasn't coded yet. i will keep an eye on it now that I know it may not trigger the CEL.

I was also thinking about how nice it would be to have something to continuously log all the data; I remember seeing such devices in photos of test track vehicles. Unfortunately, I don't have anything like that available.

We did try jiggling all of the harnesses and connectors. I cleaned all of the connectors with canned air and hit them with a blast of zero-residue contact cleaner, so they should be good. Also checked all the lines and hoses on the air intake components; Everything is connected, tight, and leak-free.

The CEL came back on on a few months ago when I initially disassembled the original IACV, cleaned it and reinstalled it. At that time, I also cleaned the MAF and TB. After I did all that, the original stalling problem disappeared, in spite of the CEL being on. My mech checked the code again and it was still the IACV failure, but I decided to leave it since it was running fine again and I had already smogged it.

All was good until a few weeks ago when it started stalling again. It wasn't too bad and I continued driving it since it only happened once or twice a day, but I went ahead and ordered a new IACV and a new gasket. the stalling actually disappeared again while I was waiting for the gasket to arrive and I procrastinated a bit longer.

The stalling returned again a few days ago, much worse this time, so I installed the new IACV with the new gasket. I also replaced the TB gasket which I had reused back when I cleaned it originally. I got it all back together with the new gaskets and IACV installed, reset the ECU, and set the idle.

It ran perfectly that night, the next morning, lunchtime, and most of my drive home until when I hit the rush hour stop-and-go traffic. That's when it all came back worse than ever, so much so that I had a lot of trouble getting it restarted and moving again. I was just about three miles from my mech's shop, so I struggled to get it there and finally did. It last died as I turned into his shop driveway and stopped in front of the first bay.

I gave him the details, we rechecked everything, started the car, drove it around a bit, and everything was okay again. He kept it overnight and drove it today with a fuel pressure guage hooked up to checked the fuel pump, but nothing. The fuel pump is working fine and they could never reproduce the chugging and stalling that I experienced. I picked it up and drove it home today, again with zero problems and the CEL is still off.

I'm planning to drive to work tomorrow morning, but I would be lying if I said I'm not nervous about doing so. I am already planning to order a new MAF and I may install a new fuel filter. I got a new one last year, but it is cheap enough that I want to do it just to rule it out.

Is is possible that the ECM had to go through some sort of self-adjustment that may have caused the symptoms and that it may now be okay? I'm just guessing and hoping about that, but since nothing else seems to be the cause, who knows? I'll see how my drive goes tomorrow morning.

Thanks again for all your help. I've been lurking on maxima.org for a while and I'm very happy to now be a part of such an active community.

Thanks, Guys!

suryoyo

Drove the car 17 miles to work this morning, surface and highway, with zero problems. It sat parked for 6.5 hours until I left for home. Less than a mile out, the RPMs dipped once when I started out from a full stop at a light. I stayed on the surface streets, adjusting my speed to avoid stopping at red lights and then, when I did have to stop, I let the idle get the car moving before easing on the accelerator. It helped some, but it did die several times and chugged along a few times for as long as 20 seconds before smoothing out again.

The intensity and frequency seemed to increase with time during my trip home until I finally coasted in to my parking space after it died the last time. It hesitated a couple of times when I restarted it, but finally smoothed out again. I noticed the idle is a bit higher now, about 900-950 RPM in Park, even though the car is completely warmed up. It is normally about 650-700 and about 1K for a few minutes when I first start it in the morning.

I am wondering now about the idle adjustment screw; is it possible that it is way off? I mean, initially, when I installed the new IACV, the opening was about the same as on the original one, and required only 2-3 turns to set the idle. Could it be that it is so far out of whack that the idle appears okay, but the air mix is actually off? Just an idea that came to mind.

Again, any input is appreciated. Thanks!

EP95SE

iTrader: (1)

Just started a thread about my issue, and then read through this thread. Seems like I might have the same issue as everyone else on this thread, so I thought I'd chime in.

Does anyone have a picture of the "two grounds at the front of the upper intake mainfold?"

Here's what's I posted in the other thread descibing my situation:

I have a 95, auto tranny, with 162k. I pulled the dreaded 03/02 code, EGR System Hi/Low Flow, a couple weeks ago. After reading previous threads, I checked the egr tube, but it wasn't blocked. So I cleaned out the EGRC solenoid valve as suggested. After cleaning the EGRC, the check engine light went off and has not returned over the last two weeks, but something new started right after I cleaned the EGRC. The car started to idle rough sometimes. It's not constant. Sometimes I pull up to a light and the rough idle starts, it then will either stall or start running smooth again. Othertimes when I stop at a light, there is no rough idle and everything runs smoothly. If I keep the RPMs high when it starts idling rough, I can prevent it from stalling. Today, I looked under the hood and started her up and when the rough idle started there was a small amount of smoke coming from under the throttle body area, in the egr valve area, but I can't tell exactly where its coming from. When the engine started to run smoothly again, the smoke stopped. Also, I took a stethascope to the fuel injectors and they are all clicking away just fine.

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

thestartingline

I cleaned my IACV, TB, and MAFS. The problem went away for about two months and is back again. Next im going to replace ECTS and KS. Well see how it goes.

jason_10

My car is also stalling before coming to a stop. CTS is roughly two years old. I noticed a crack at spiral looking hose at the Throttle Body and at the PVC valve hose. Could this be the culprit?

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

Which 'spiral looking' hose? A vacuum hose of some sort?

Or are you talking about the coupler to the resonator?

It's possible, but most likely it would cause issues at all times.

Are we to assume that you've followed all of the suggestions above?

suryoyo

I continued driving my car after my last post and discovered a few things.

I made a connection between heat and the chugging/stalling issue. If I drove the car in the morning, after it sat overnight, or after it had been sitting during the day, especially in the shade, it usually ran fine for a while, even making it all the way to work. If the car sat in the hot sun and I just got in and started driving, the problem would start after about 5-10 minutes. I figured out how to park it in the shade and to drive it very gently with slow accelerations, long coasts to red lights, and slower than usual cruising speeds. These techniques allowed me to drive with very little trouble. If I did start having the problem, I stopped somewhere in the shade, raised the hood, and let the engine cool off for about 10 minutes before continuing.

I did all that just to be able to drive the car while waiting for the new MAFS to arrive. I got it in the mail last Thursday and installed the next morning. I have not had any of the problems since installing it, but I still have not had a full test of it since I have not driven it fully hot yet.

I have noticed a change in the acceleration power curve. I'm not sure if that is the correct term, but it seems right. At the low end, when I start to depress the accelerator, the acceleration seems a bit flatter...even a bit smoother as the car starts out from a full stop. I'm pretty sure the 1st to 2nd shift occurs a bit earlier than before too. At higher speeds, acceleration seems more normal...almost the same as before, but I feel like the car has a lot more power if I floor it now. It was enough to make me smile and say "wow" when I did it the first time. Overall, I would say the low end change is not bad and the high end is definitely nice, but the whole acceleration power curve and the power/speed/accelerator-position relationship is noticeably different now. It's not bad, but after driving the same car every day for 160K miles over the last 11 years, the comfortable feel I was used to is now gone and I just have to get used to the different feel.

I really hope the problem is fully resolved now. I will try to push her a bit more tomorrow to see if she really is okay now. If so, I will start planning the suspension repairs (lower control arms & bushings) that I have been procrastinating on. I am also looking forward to seeing if there is any increase in my MPG now since the car seems a bit more powerful and seems to require less accelerator to cruise

EP95SE

iTrader: (1)

I also have noticed that the car only stalls once it has warm up.

Recent Work
Last week, I went in and dismantled the EGR system. I checked all the rubber tubes associated with the EGR and none of them are blocked or have leaks. I also took out and checked the brass egr tubs and none of them are blocked or have leaks either. I cleaned the PVC valve with throttle body cleaner. I also checked out the EGR pipe and opening connecting to the pipe on the plemun and they are both clear from any blockage. Put everything back together, and the car was still stalling.

Then I cleaned the MAF sensor, the two grounding screws, and disconnected the battery for about a hour to reset the ECU. I've driven about 100 miles and the car has not stalled at all or even idled rough at stops. However, my check engine light came back on and I'm getting the 03/02 code again. Before I had this stalling problem, I had the 03/02 code and I cleaned the EGRC sensor. The 03/02 code went away and the stalling started immediately after. Now after the recent work, the stalling has stopped and the 03/02 code is back.

Next Steps
So I'm thinking that maybe the EGRC solenoid valve cleaning didn't do the trick and I should just replace the part. I'm also thinking of replacing the EGR valve itself as I read on the Org that if the valve is stuck open then it could choke the engine at low speeds. I'm able to push up on the underside of the EGR valve and cause the engine to idle rough, but I'm thinking that it still might be stuck open and might not be closing all the way.

I also need to clean the crank and camshaft pos sensors as I read on the Org that this might solve the issue and check the coolant temperature sensor (although the CTS was recently replaced about 6 months ago).

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

blah888

Mine is 99 SLE with 78K miles on it. I'm the original owner so I thought I'll look smart to replace the spark plugs. I went to Autozone bought a set of Bosch Platinum and the Max started to rough idle badly as soon as I did the test drive afterward. After few reviews on this site, I went to Nissan bought me a new set of OEM plugs. For couple days, I had'nt had the idle problem. Then the problem started to happen occasionally.

I noticed too the idle RPM drops to around 500 when the car start to shake. If I put it into N, then the normal idle speed 650 kicks in and it'd stop shaking.

From this thread, sound like might be a MAF problem? Why did this happen after I replaced the spark plugs? I'm pretty pleased with my Max. It's still drivable, but I like to fix this problem before it becomes a bigger problem.

pmohr

iTrader: (26)

SLE?

Yes, Bosch on a VQ ==

Are you sure you reconnected all of the harness connectors for the coils securely? Have you cleaned TB/IACV and properly reset the idle?

suryoyo

My Max has been much, much better since replacing the MAFS; no stalling at all and none of the revving/chugging that was happening. The change that I last called a "flat spot in the acceleration/power curve" has gotten worse, so much so that I began to suspect the TPS was bad. After a bit of research, I decided to test it.

The voltage test seemed okay at about 5V, but the resistance range was about 380 Ohms (closed) to 1.4K Ohms (open). I knew a simple position adjustments would not take care of the high end of the range, so I pulled it off and got some high pressure electronic cleaner into it to wash out the pot wipers and the tracks. The unit looks like it is completely sealed, but there are small openings around the post and inside one of the connector ports, so I was able to get it in there and then drain it out.

Unfortunately, it made little difference in the total range of resistance. After remounting it, I was able to adjust it for 500 Ohms (closed) and 1.6K Ohms (open), but that was it. The switch side seems to be okay and matches the correct action description from the manual. I went ahead and ordered another one on eBay for about $40. It is used, but supposedly tested and pulled from a Max with under 40K miles. Hopefully it will be fine, but it does have a guarantee just in case.

Driving the car today went fine, just a definite "dead spot" in the accelerator, but no problems on freeway or surface streets. It seems strange to me that the IACV, MAFS, and TPS all went bad together, but each new part has made a very significant improvement so far, so I don't feel like I've wasted money just swapping out parts. I hope the replacement TPS is the final piece of the puzzle.

A little off topic...I am considering buying a 97 Altima GXE w/105K miles off a neighbor for around $1500. The engine has had a tuneup and passed smog even prior to that. The body and interior are near perfect and the A/C and power all work great. It has a slight front end vibration on the freeway, but the tires are old and starting to rot. I expect new tires and maybe an alignment will take care of that. Also, they said that the engine does stall from idle sometimes. Can I expect to solve that the same way as I have on the Maxima? Any input is appreciated. I do like the car and I think it is a good deal as long as the problems are not bigger than I believe they are.

Thanks, Guys!

96GXEr

DEFINITIVE ANSWER FOR MISFIRE FINALLY!
OK I have a 96 gxe I got a good deal on it cause the owner could not find the cause of a bad misfire that comes and goes. He had swapped coil packs one at a time with a new one, checked codes, ruled out fuel pressure (48), and fuel pump. He checked everything he could think of and he was a mechanic. I bought it brought it honme and retraced everything and redid it all. Turns out it was the spark plugs. It had autolite double platinum in it, i threw those out and dropped in some NGK VPOWERs. Instantly the miss was gone, and shes running smooth as silk with over 220,000 miles. I spent all night reading most all of the posts here on this subject. The bottom line is this. My cause had a TERRIBLE miss at idle, and while cruising under light throttle, but if you get down in it it smoothed out until the rpms dropped below about 2000 at highway speed. The plugs werent in bad shape, but it seems the resistance is too much to pass through the plug at the right time resulting in a dead miss under light throttle. I put in the NGK and immediately the miss and jerk and pop in the exhaust was gone and has not come back under any throttle or load conditions. WORD to the wise, use NGKs in your max, period. I swapped a new coil to each cyl, no change. Listened to the injectors with a long piece of wood (works better than a screwdriver, more resonance) nothing wrong there. I drop in the plugs, and boom, done. Im a NGK believer with these cars.

Let me get this straight,your Honda has 1.5 litres, where as my bottle of MT. Dew has 2?

suryoyo

just waiting on my new TPS to get here. The weather was cooler and wetter here today and the Maxima ran a bit rougher all day. It even choked up a bit, more of a hiccup than a sputter, but the CEL came on. The shifting was definitely off today and I had to play with the accelerator a bit to get her to shift into the right gear (auto). Still, she's hanging in there and getting me to work and back home with little trouble. Maybe by tomorrow night, she'll be purring smoothly again and I can turn my attention to her dented nose and sunburned roof. Gotta have her running well before any makeover.

jrw95

I bought a 95 Max for my son a few weeks ago. It appears to be in very good condition and only has 102k. BUT, it has this dreaded random stalling problem. Usually runs good. Slight hesistation during light accel. It just occasionally stalls or chuggs very rough and smokes rich gray smoke when the problem is happening. It does it cold or hot. I have researched this great forum, but have seen all kinds of replies. Here's what I have done:

1. IACV – cleaned, no noticable help
2. Throttle body – cleaned, dirty inboard of butterfly valve
3. MAF – cleaned w/ CRC MAF cleaner, did not look dirty
4. Spark plugs – installed new NGK’s
5. Fuel filter – new, previous did not appear old
6. Air filter – clean

After doing items 2-6, idle increased from about 800 to about 1400. Had to adjust to 700 (had to screw adjuster in numerous turns). Still stalled after a while.

1. Ground connections at front of intake are tight and clean
2. ECTS – monitored with DVM, smooth voltage change from 3.5V to 1.0V, even during stalling spell. Coolant level is full.in radiator and overflow.
3. Could not cause any problems by siggling/stressing the wiring harness. Note, most of the cable ties that hold the harness to brackets have been cut.
4. Started yesterday, idled okay, but ran funky (sluggish?) while revving around 1500. Some smoke. Turned off and unplugged MAF. No difference, but stalled when put in D. Reconnected MAF, ran fine in D. Repeated with same results.
   1. Bad MAF sensor connection?
   2. Checked today. Basically reproduced, except didn’t always stall.

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I am getting really confused so I hope there are some answers to my questions...

1. I read if the MAF is bad, you can unplug it and the car will run better. True? If so, mine stalls more repeatedly with it unplugged.
2. can you diagnose the TPS by unplugging, looking for improvement during the stalling spell?
3. I get a knock sensor code, ohmed it and it is open. I have left it unplugged and it still stalls randomly. Am I right in thinking this could not cause the problem? I will replace it once I figure out what to order to fix the stalling. I think this will help the hesitation.
4. I was going to pull the trigger on a MAF sensor until I found out they cost $200!

Thanks for any help you can provide. Reading all the problems and very few solutions is getting very discouraging. I cannot afford to throw money at this car.

IlyaK

iTrader: (47)

^^^

Get a MAF sensor used from one of the parts guys on here for like $50 shipped. Maxima_Joe and Teaner come to mind.

jrw95

Thanks, IlyaK. I will PM them and get some advice and details. does it sound like a MAf problem to you? Have you had problems like this?
Thanks again.