I am afraid I may give up on this old car. It is still a looker, but the mechanic wants to put on a new steering rack (it's leaking pretty bad) and he has warned me that the electrical system is heavily overcharging the battery, up to 15 volts and this could cause the battery to explode. Has anyone come across this problem? He expects $650 to replace the steering rack and another $600 to resolve the electrical issue......and that is just his guess.
If any of you might help with diagnistics, it might save me from junking it. Can anyone help me??

 

By the way......here are pics of my car.....

http://www.motorcities.com/contents/...444129729.html

 

I think I'd look for another mechanic, the electrical problem requires a rebuilt alternator, no more than $125.00 installed,$89.99 at Checker and the steering rack, rebuilt, will run $173.99. Do you do any work on the car yourself?? where in Az. do you live? Earl

 

My 1988 nissan maxima runs at 15 volts Constantly 24/7 has been for 2 years , And it runs like a champ..

 

This seems to be 2 different problems, one should not be affecting the other.

I'd take the car to Autozone, etc have them test the alternator.

they can test your battery and alternator at certain engine RPMs, so you can compare the readings to the haynes manual.

Always get several different opinions off auto friends and it may be worth spending $65 - $85 on a dealer diagnostic, at least this way you'll know exactly what's wrong !!!

good luck

 

The mechanic knows that. He's hoping that 81 Max does not know that. The mechanic is looking to make a nice profit on these 2 repairs

 

I found a bunch of used steering racks from $50-$150 but he does not want to re-use that old of a part with all those old seals. Rebuilding the existing rack would still cost a bit. He was not trying to rape me, he actually thought that it was too much to spend and he recommends selling it. He was a Nissan mechanic in the '80's and seemed to know the car very well. I have used him a long time.

I am a bit fond of the car and hate to sell it. Part of the problem is that I bought it's replacement car already so this Maxima is now an extra car that the wife sees as disposable. I might check around for another repair opinion. I have some time. The leak is not too bad and the car runs fine with the electrical glitches.

I still want the Datsun for dialy chores since the "new" car is a 1986 Honda CRX Convertible with 64K. It is loud on the highway and hot in the blistering heat of summer and I don't like driving it in the winter salt. We are also "expecting" in 7 months and I like the back seat in the Datsun for baby duty. (Yikes!......am I ready to be a dad?....with a carseat, even?)

 

Hi 81MAX, With a mechanic "FRIEND" like that you sure don't need any enemy's in your wallet! Earl

 

If you are going to sell it... sell it to me.

... but if you dont sell it (and you shouldn't if you like it that much), leave the alternator, and buy a steering rack. See rebuilt rack here for $109:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISSA...spagenameZWD1V

Ask him how much he would charge to install a steering rack if you bring it in... and then, like other's suggestions here, get some quotes from other places. Some places will not touch parts the customer brings in, others dont have a problem with it.

-Chris

 

That's a nice looking 81 Max. I had a 1977 Datsun 810 that was bronze metallic that I had a lot of fun with. I'd get the rack off Ebay and let somebody else put it on unless you feel mechanically inclined and have the time, tools and patience.

You'll enjoy being a family man. It opens up a whole new dimension.

 

Thanks for the link on the steering rack. I buy off ebay all the time but didn't think to look for that part on ebay, rebuilt. I offered $90 and he took my offer. That is a good price and the mechanic said he would put it on.

I might check on an alternator too, but I don't know if that is the problem with the elecrical spasms.

This is a great resource. Thanks again!

 

Check the chassis ground on the right wheel well, at the base of the relay tray, underneath the windshield washer fluid reservoir. This is the main ground for the alternator, if it isn't solid you get a miriad of strange electrical problems!!!

-bob

 

Yup I agree with Bob, do check your chassis ground because it may be causing the problem. Also, you may just need the voltage regulator replaced as it could be causing the 15 volts being produced. I had a problem with my voltage regulator in my car where it would have six of the warning lights on at the same time while driving down the road. It was kinda wierd. Got my alternator checked out and indeed it was the voltage regulator. I had my local alternator/starter rebuild shop rebuild the alternator for me and it has been great ever since. I do also believe when I got it tested it was creating something like 14 volts. It may be possible it's your problem too, but just trying to point out another possibility. Good luck with getting it fixed and hope you do keep the car going.

Salvy

 

Oh my god dude your right, your car is such a looker, its hotter then my 03 maxima or my 04 RX8, bro im jealous.

 

Nice... I like your Maxima. Someone mentioned Arizona but it looks
as if you've got Mass plates on that car. What part of the country
are you at?

 

Your car is the cleanest 1st gen max ive ever seen

 

This was my grandpa's car for 18 years and I have had it since '99. He never drove in the nasty winter weather (old guy so he cant walk in the snow, so no reason to leave the house.) He still has a dead-mint '87 Stanza with almost no miles. I live in KC. I still enjoy driving the car.

The steering is now fixed thanks to you guys, I just have to deal with the random dying. It runs fine, then the rpm drops to zero and the car stalls soon after. It does this totally randomly. In rain or sun. AC on or not. Accelerating up a hill or coasting down a hill, or stopped at a light, or on the Interstate. Winter or summer. It might not happen for a week, then do it 5 times in a short drive.

To restart, I must drop the car to neutral, turn ignition key to "off", then restart. It restarts every time, so if I am coasting, I don't even slow down a bit. It is a major problem when I am accelerating from a stoplight, when I might get rear-ended because the restart process slows me down without warning to the driver behind me. This has been going on for 2 years.

 

That dying out while driving sounds a bit tricky. When was the last time you replaced your fuel filter?

 

'81 Max, It still sounds like a ground problem, and the first thing to chech is the battery cables, then the body ground below the washer tank. I had similar issues right after I bought mine, and a new set of cables, and a through cleaning of the cable, and ground pointe has cured all the problems.
The relay cluster has but one ground point, and thats the one under the washer tank, and if enough leakage from the tank has occured over the 25 years there is corrosion there.
Good luck, Earl

 

Of course you can just get a non-power rack from Nissan! Junk the pump and stuff out of the car.

 

yea thats a good idea..

 

Hello everyone, this is my first post on this board. Currently, I am an owner of a 1983 maxima L24E and an 88 200sx v6 . Well, the maximar does not start. I purchased it for 100 dollars, not a bad deal. I am fairly knowledgeable on nissans and datuns, but I am now stuck with an electrical problem and many questions. First, I need to know if the 81 - 84 maximas had a fuel pump relay ? Secondly, does the old nissan maxima have a type of sensor or relay that would cut off power to the celinoid, therefore rendering the car unstartable ? I have rigged the pump directly to the battery, and it does send fuel to the injectors. I did a test on the spark wires, no juice is going to the wires. Bad cilanoid or a fried relay ? Thank you in advance.

BTW, im not trying to hijack this thread, but the policy on this site requires that you post a certain number of responses before starting a thread.

 

Yes there are relays for everything, and they are found under a metal bracket to the rear of the battery and in front of thr right strut tower. There is an accessory relay, fuel pump relay, and a few others, but the ignition relay is probably the one that's fried. They are laid out in 2 rows of 5 each, the ones tward the fender are: Acc., fuel pump, a.s.c.d., bulb check, and horn relays.
The ones on the engine side are: ignition, e.f.i., wiper, headlamp, inhibitor.
ascd is cruise control, efi is fuel injection.
I hope this helps, but don't forget that when you get the relay bracket loose, and inverted, the relays are on opposite sides! Good luck,
Earl

 

A lot of people suggesting a new rack but doesn't a 1981 maxima run a steering box?

 

You should be since your technical expertise is limited to bolting on an intake.

 

This was very helpful, thanks. After testing all the relays and labeling each segment of this loom, I jacked with the cpu in order to get the car to start. I jumpered pin 35 to pin 17 on the ECU, which allowed the fuel pump to start, awakened the ECU and now the engine purrzzz ! This car is officially undead. On a side note, Did the 81-84 maxima(american bluebird) have fuel pump cutoff logic on the AFM, the AAR or some other open loop sensor ?

I partially dismantled the AFM just to see if the fuel pump cutoff switch was there, but nothing was found. Could it be the former owner put an afm not native to this maxima ?

Ill take pics if anyone is interested.

 

Forgot to mention that the AAR(air regulator) is non functional. In order for the car to idle normally, i had to top off valve that connects the aar to the throtle chamber. Otherwise, the idle was nearing 3500 rpms !

 

This is going full circle on this thread.....I started the thread a long time ago and the '81 Max still has dying issues. Since my last post: It has a new alternator/regulator and a new (used) engine computer. It still dies from time to time, just as before. It is in the shop right now because it just blew out the new (used) computer (again). When it blew, the car just would not start, after cranking it little heart out. I just ordered a new (rebuilt) computer. We will see if that gets it back on the road. I am betting that the car will start, but will continue random dying. And what blew the computer?

I will let your know the results in a few days......

 

Well,......I am still unable to keep this car going. We did buy that second new computer (this one was rebuilt and garanteed). Once it was placed in the car, it fired right up. The next day we could not start it and the diagnistics on the computer suggest it was not working. It worked fine the previous day and when we test all 3 of the damaged computers, the tests are the same. The car will fire up when the computer is bypassed, but then dies as soon as that bypass is removed.

Anyone have any ideas why this is blowing computers? The new #4 computer will arrive on Monday and I would like to find the error before this computer is blown, also. What should we be testing that might not be too obvious. This mechanic is good, but he is unable to find the problem. Thanks!

 

I hope you're not doing this with Standard motor products ECUS or your mechanic will be getting a call from me (engineer at standard) telling him he needs to do the work required to determine an ecu is bad before replacing it.

The ECU will not energize the fuel pump anything other than the initial prime unless it sees a good signal from the distributor.

Has anybody scoped that signal at the wires near the ecu?

 

He has checked everything and the car wont start at all, even with the new computer. He is starting to guess that the problem is elsewhere (dah!), even though the tests suggest the problem is in the computer. He has a friend that owns a 280ZX and is loaning him the car so he can pull parts off the running 280ZX and placing them on the Max....sort of a parts swap until the broken part is replaced by the good part. In theory, this will tell him what is wrong and he can order that part. Anyone have any theories on what to test?

The car has been in the shop for 8 weeks. I'm starting to forget how much I like it (sorta like an old girlfriend) and my eyes are starting to wander to nicer and newer cars. Someone slap me!

 

i would check ground

 

So my situation is this: My battery tests at 12 volts, the power getting to the solinoid when the key is turned is 14 volts( though Im not educated as to how or where it picks thoose 2 volts up at) The sarter and solinoid tests good at a parts store drawing a little over 8 amps. When I try and start the car all I get is a click at the solinoid Id imagine. It acts as if its not getting enough power, but by my voltage tester I am. Any thoughts, or further questions for me?

 

Put your volt meter across the battery and then try to start the engine. If the voltage drops down below 8 volts, you've got a bad battery!
Earl

 

I will try the test as soon as I get home, I would like to post this before I leave work today though. I read last night in my chilton, that if the car wont start, and the soleniod is known to be good, then they say to tighten my ground wire on my "contact point assembly", by tightening the screw, or it says the "contact point assembly" might be bad, and need replaced. I cant find anywhere in my chilton anything thats says or mentions anything about a "contact point assembly" I also called a parts store, and they could find nothing even close to that. Any thoughts?

 

Ok I have now tested the battery while someone was turning the key. Result is no drop in voltage at the battery. Though I now know what is making the clicking when I try to strt, I believe the solenoid is, but also many of the relays are, some only when the key is turned to start the car, and then I press and depress the clutch, and only one that clicks when trying to start the car, it has the same electric signal as the one the parts store sold me as being the ignition replay which is 3/5 open and 1-2 closed. The one the store sold me looks like many of my relays, and many of them have the same electric symbol, and they all have 4 flat prongs coming out the bottom. But this one thats clicking, has 2 connectors that go in from the bottom, and have wires coming out the bottom end attached to the wireing harness. Im thinking this one odd big (possible relay) is the ignition relay, and the parts store gave me the wrong part. Any thoughts from here?

 

Check your negative battery cable where it has a ground point spliced into it.

If you see either a bunch of corrosion or the cable swelling under the insulation, the cable will cause what you are talking about.

I've seen this before.

 

Well saw that splice point and thought the same thing. So I have already replaced the negative battery cable, and did not add the splice point this time, just straight to the motor point. I forgot to mention in the last post...If I remove the hot wire from the solenoid, and unplug the other wire from the solenoid, and then take a screw driver, and touch one end to the hot wire from the battery, and the other end to the back of the starter, the starter will spin, as long as I hold it there, but there is no turning of the motor, I dont know if this is because I bypass to many things this way or not, because I was thinking that mabey I could attch a couple wires down there, run them into the car, and use a switch to start with. This is just very frustrating. Thankx for all the help.

 

Ok so I was sitting in my car again turning the key, and notice that I hear some clicking inside the car, I pull the cover under the steering whell off, and see 4 more square 4 pin relays, one of which has the same electrical symbol as the ignition relay I was sold, so I pulled the one out and put the one I had got in (which I had placed many other places before with no results), I turned the key, and nothing but clicks like before, so I was cleaning putting the tools away, and noticed that I had the left the wire plug undone to the solenoid (for a previous test I was doing), so I pluged it in, and turned the key, and the sound of the car starting was the sweetest thing ever, never have I had a problem for so long that I couldnt fix, so for future reference (sence the chilton doesnt tell you) the ingition relay, aka ignition coil relay, is located under the steering wheel and to the left near the fuse box. Sweet sweet sweet, thankx for everyones time, hopefully later I can some of you out.

Peace

 

You have to use the splice point unless you have supplemental ground straps that go from the engine to the body.

My point is that the cable can carry current to the starter just fine but you're not getting it to the body.........which is what determines how much voltage ultimately ends up at the S terminal on the starter soleniod.