I had the spark plugs changed and timing adjusted a few weeks back, and the car seems to run ok except for an occasional jumping (like the timing
was off, or bad gas or something)...but it was a
constant occasional jumping that didn't seem to
affect the car as long as it ran above 1000 rpms.

The amount of power has dropped a little since the
timing was adjusted also.
Could the timing have been adjust wrong ?
I saw that the timing was adjusted by turning
the distributor clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Would raising the timing a little bit harm the
car at all ?

Now the occasional jumping has gotten worse and it
is hard to even get the car to start or idle in
the morning.

When cold, the car will just continue to cut off
due to the occasional jumping.

After you get it started and keep your feet on the gas for a while and the idle gets above 1000
rpms then the car is fine and the jumping doesn't
affect it to the point where the rpms will slowly
drop and the car will cut off.

any ideas what the problem could be ?

thanks...

 

Please refer to the following link to properly set the timing and idle (cut and paste) http://i7.yimg.com/7/713b94e2/g/5f908689.jpg http://i7.yimg.com/7/713b94e2/g/f3e52d9a.jpg. What kind of gas are you using, if your using anything less than 91 octane do not advance the timing or the engine will ping. If your car is suffering from bad idle during cold starts its probably the air regulator that is going bad.

 

where would the air regulator be located and how
easy is it to replace ?


thanks...

 

I forgot to mention a couple of things:
I have an 87 Nissan Maxima SE.....
I had oil leaks just recently, and the PCV valve
was completely clogged and had to be replaced
after find oil covering the interior after I would
pop the hood.

the oil was jumping out of the Oil stick hole,
and the distributor was leaking oil also.

Not too long afterward, I got the distributor
o-ring replaced, and sparkplugs and wires replaced.

This problem with the idle began after the oil
leak and the PCV valve clogging.


thanks..

 

I went to the auto parts store and there was no Air Regulator listed
for the 87 Maxima....
Is that the name for the part ?

thanks...

 

Ok,I talked to one of the Auto Parts people and they said that due to
the oil leak and clogged PVC valve that I had, I needed to clean out
the throttle body, and I did that with some spray they recommended...

THe car starts ok now, but still cuts off after a few minutes and will
not idle until the rpms reach above 1000 rpms....

I was told it could be the Air Flow meter....can this be fixed or
cleaned ?
Where is the Air Flow meter located ?

any ideas now ?

thanks

 

The air regulator is on the rear of the intake manifold, look for a rod shaped thing that has 1 big hose and 1 small hose running into it. It is right in the middle on the back of the intake plenum.

 

I found it....a rod about 2 inches long or so...

the parts store called it an "Idle Air Control
valve", and it's not cheap unfortunately...

I would hate to replace it and not fix the problem.

can I repair the old one by blow compressed air thru it ?

thanks..

 

As long as your car gets you from point A to point B, I wouldn't worry about replacing the air regulator. Wait till you got some extra cash on hand and then replace it. Mine has been broken for about 10K miles now. I didn't know what was wrong at first, but when I took it to the Nissan dealership to have the fuel injectors replaced, they pointed out to me that the air regulator was bad and that's why I was having a rough idle during cold starts. They also said that it wasn't really mandatory that I get it replaced, as it only functions to keep the idle up when the car is cold and doesn't affect the normal operation of the car. Sure, it can be annoying sometimes, especially when it's really cold and the car stalls out, but I'd rather put up with it and spend the $100-$200 that the part costs on something else.

Also, as for the mass air flow sensor, it either works or doesn't work, you can't tell when it's about to go. When it does go bad, you won't be able to rev your engine past 2000 rpm and your car will run like major sh*t.

-C-