Javelin

Hi All,

I am not having much success dealing with my idle issues on my 84 AT. The car starts fine when cold and goes through all of its warmup procedures as normal. However, when I start the car after it has gotten hot, my idle begins to surge up and down significantly. If I race the engine for a minute, it settles. If I don't race the engine, it will surge up and down and sometimes stall which makes it hard to get started again????

I have given it a tuneup, replacing wires, plugs, cap and rotor.
I have checked all the vacuum lines and replaced a couple that I thought were finished.
I also checked my timing and replaced the fuel filter. I also pulled the air regulator and filled it with carb cleaner for a half an hour to see if it could be sticking. I can see through the gap in the regulator when it is cold which means the bimetallic is opening the shutter to air when it is cold....

Any Ideas?

The car also has a rough idle to begin with and hits a rougher spot at around 1500-2000 rpm when the car first starts moving. After that, it seems to even out.

Thanx In ADvance

Javelin

Wow,

Not one single response?
This site is pretty dead!


Hmmmm?

Anyone know another site where I can get some answers?

Thanx

Charles Bisel

Well, I wouldn't blame the site for your troubles, this is probably as good as it gets for the first gen Maxima.

Fact is, not many people own that car, hell, I've only seen 2 of them in the past 5 years (and I think the one was dead), so I don't think there are many people in this world that can answer your questions.

Maybe you should buy a newer car?

-C-

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

My uncle had an 84 Maxima, but the only work I've seen on it was changing out spark plugs. One problem is since it has the L series motor, so it has a completely fuel injection system. So it makes it harder to figure out the problem.

S

Javelin

Not Disgruntled - Just Needing Answers - that's all



I like this car, soooooo I guess I'll keep it!

This section is for 1st and 2nd gen Maximas right?

Just checking

Thanx

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

Yup your in the right spot. You know what would be helpful, if we got a reponse from Bleach and John L. They are the chief 1st gen experts here. Haven't heard from them in a little while, but they are around here somewhere.

S

claytonc

I was once driving my '81 and stopped for gas in East St Louis. It was a hot day, and when i went to start it, it turned over but didn't fire. I had to wait about 30 minutes for it to cool down before i could go again..... one of those things i might blame on that mystical "vapor lock". FI is a strange thing on the older cars. One thing I did to my car recently was to adjust the mass air flow sensor to have the effect of enrichening the mixture. It really helped with the idle and runs cooler than before so may help with the high temp problem a bit. The problem I was having was mainly when it was cold, though, so it might be a totally different problem. Nevertheless, it's another variable to explore. Let me know if you want more info on how to mess with this.

maximase86

iTrader: (24)

One really nice feature the 85-86 maxima's got to combat vapor lock was a injector blower fan, that would run after the car shut off for a certain time until the injectors cooled to a certain temp.

S

Javelin

Thanx for the post on my idle issues folks. I am not sure what to attribute my hot start problems too yet! The car idle pulsates up and down between 500-1000 rpms. It will just keep doing it if I don't step on the gas to "clear its throat".
I may start swapping out some bits to see if I can get lucky. I think I may start by pulling the airflow sensor for a check and maybe cleaning. I am also thinking about vacuum advance problems on the distributor? I guess I will have to rely on some of the manual procedures to help track it down. Hopefully, one off the 1st gen gurus may chime in at some point to offer up some solid diagnosis direction.

Thanx Again

claytonc

Before you start replacing things that can be adjusted, try testing things. You can test the MAF by (1) taking off the air filter and reaching in and opening the valve manually, and (2) by using a multi-meter to make sure the resistances on the terminals are within factory specs (not sure what those are off hand, but they're in the Haynes manual). I was about to go spend $200 on a new one (before I dicovered the incredible recources that are junk yards), but i looked at it after pulling it off and within 15 minutes I had fixed a problem that the car has had for the last 5 years at least. Not sure what else you're replacing but check it first.