babell

I have a 1990 SE with 150,000 miles. The engine sounds fine to me, and it still has plenty of power. But . . .

The car intermittently "lurches" while moving. I can be crusing along at 2200 rpm, and the car bucks momentarily, the repeats it for a minute or two. Then it's OK for a while.

I first thought it was an ignition problem and took it to the dealer. They replaced the plugs and wires a few other secondary ignition parts. $300, but absolutely no difference in performance.

I then thought it might be a fuel problem and replaced the fuel filter (the dealer told me the fuel pump would fail completely, so it wasn't the problem). No better.

The check engine light never goes on when this is happening. The tach holds steady, so it doesn't seem to be a slipping clutch or a drop in rpms of the engine.

Is it possible this is a drive line problem? Or what? I'm at a loss to do anything except drive it until it breaks completely. There seems no point in going back to the dealer; I don't think they could diagnose a flat tire!

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

Change your tranny fluid.

babell

I appreciate the suggestion, but why? This is a manual transmission.

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

You should still change the fluid, since you ask why?, I'm guessing the fluid is as black as the stuff that comes out of my **** .

babell

OK, let me rephrase. How does the condition of the transmission fluid, which did get changed some time back when a gear had to be replaced, connect with the symptoms I described?

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

Since you don't think its your engine, then I can only assume it has to do with your tranny. Then the most basic thing that you can do to your tranny is to change the fluid (ususally cures the most common colds). Since your tranny has a lot of miles on it another common failure are the syncros going bad, but you might wanna wait for someone with a 5spd to give you some more advice.

4DSC1989

My car (5speed stick) had a problem something like that, replaced torn engine and tranny mounts. No problem now.

Dark Lord Bunny

iTrader: (5)

Does this happen at a specific gear or speed??? Cause I had the same thing. At around 3rd gear and 40mph it would lurch while the tach would hold steady no matter how hard I mashed the throttle. But... putting in Chevron 91 fixed it.

babell

Once it starts its dance, it'll do it in all gears. Yesterday it lurched and bucked for about 15 minutes on a twenty minute drive. I parked it for an hour, then it rode smoothly for the ride back. I'm pretty much at my wits end, having taken it in for service twice with no change except to my wallet. I've owned Datsun/Nissans for 23 years continuously, but I'm about to call it quits because I can't find reliable service where I live.

I appreciate the various suggestions as to the possible cause, but how much money can I pour into the car before writing off my losses?

--Bruce Abell
1970 Datsun 510 (1970 - 1990)
1985 Maxima (1985-1995)
1991 Maxima (1991 - ?)

maxima_man2002

Try checking the fuel pump connections under the access panel under the back seat. My car was doing the same thing and one of the connections was loose and grounding out just a thought hope it helps.

babell

I'm willing to try checking the connection, but how do I get access to the access panel? From the trunk? Or do I have to remove the back seat, and if so, how?

CandiMan

iTrader: (1)

I've had that problem before. It has happened very often in the past, but for the last couple months it hasn't been happening. For the time being it has stop without me trying or changing anything different. I know exactly what you're talking about with the jerking action. I have a auto so I don't think it's tranny related. I was pointing to a possible faulty MAF sensor but never had the time to swap it out with a used MAF that I have. It's quite annoying, but rest assure it has never caused "my" engine to stall. Sometimes it'll happen for 30+ sec other times couple secs. The time when it has happen for a while I tried changing throttle position to see if it stops or changes and regardless of throttle position (when it's acting up) it kept on jerking. So that leads me to believe it wasn't caused by a faulty TPS sensor. You have a VG and I have a VE so both engines could have this problem

NismoDrew91SE

so black tranny fluid is bad.... i was looking at mine, looks dark could solve some issues.
how would i change that in a manual?

babell

OK, I'm eager to try tightening electrical connections on the fuel pump. But for the life of me I can't remove the lower rear seat to get access to it. I can't find any tabs or loops that supposedly anchor the seat, and no matter how hard I pull, nothing budges. Any suggestions, please?

Izzrock

Hey Babell,
I've got the exact same problem and haven't figured it out yet. Are you still having the problem or did you fix it? If so, please let me know what you did. e-mail: Izzrock@msn.com

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

you really need to let your doctor see that...

babell

No, not fixed. For a few days it's like the car was brand new and as smooth as ever, then the next day is bucking like a rodeo bull. If it would do something consistently I'd get it to a mechanic for a diagnosis, but meanwhile I suffer.

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

its a long shot, but did they check the injector resistance??

babell

Not to my knowledge. The dealer just did a brainless replacement of some secondary ignition parts. Would a problem with injector resistance produce the kind of problem I've described?

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

could be, the injector probs I've seen on these cars (and had on my own) are intermitent. for exmaple on mine #3 and 5 injector were out of spec...for about 15 minutes the car ran like pure crap, sputtering,etc....few miles later its running like a charm. turn it off let it sit for a few hours and back to the problems again! personally I'd try to get your diagnostics done somewhere else other than Nissan if possible.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

I have had a similar problem and I have called three service departments and checked other sources. A main culprit in stalling and "bucking" in 3.0 nissan engines (all across the board) is the camshaft position sensor. This may or may not be your problem, but it is something to consider. The part is pretty expensive (over $500) too.

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

Candiman brought up a good point with the MAFS. Personally I cut off the stock connector and use new push terminals, it wasnt a super easy job b/c it a bit dangerous to short out any of the termianls.

There is actually a technical service bulliten on this issue. It has to do with the fact that the terminals corrode, and also that when the connector is pushed on, the connectors inside the plastic actually push back off their tabs.

So what I reccomend is that after cleaning the terminals real well, to install the connector and then to actually push on the individual wires towards the MAFS. You can do this easier by pulling the black rubber cover off the wires and then pushing each wire into the connector.