TLM

My car has the typical hard shift, occasional stalling. I took it to the dealership, they seem to be pretty honest, and the diagnostic test showed no codes.

For people who changed their coils and had the diagnostic test, did the coils show up as the problem on the diagnostic test?

I'm so irritated... I just want this fixed.

TLM

any body?

A92se?

I spoke to several mechanics (only 1 from the dealership) and each of them told me that the only way to test coils is to replace them one by one. This of course can be expensive...I was lucky enough to have a friend with a Max who let me swap out parts. Luckily, I only had one bad coil and it cost $65 bucks to replace. Parts at Richardson Nissan in Dallas (search for them online, they always have online deals!) Good luck!

TLM

Thank you so much. This makes me feel a lot easier that it is just the coils and not the tranny.

unocivil

Don't know why the coils would cause the hard shift.
My stalling problem was diagnosed by the dealer as bad coils. I replaced them all with used ones because the dealer was too lazy to tell me which one(s) were bad. That and a new MAF sensor solved my problem.
Are you stalling during shifting?

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

Hard shifting can be the throttle positioning sensor.

Wow, the dealer didnt do a 'power balance test'?? For them just to say that the car in'nt putting out any codes is pretty laim b/c we can do that ourselves.

Also as I've said many times, the coils should be replaced every 70-80k miles as apart of a regular ignition system tune up.

TLM

I'm basically typing what is on the bill:

Hard Shifting:
Technician road tested and found the shifting normal. Technition used the scan tool and found the system working normally.

Stalling:
Technician road tested and was unable to duplicate the stalling. Technition checked the electronic control module and found no stored codes. Technition visually inspected any related parts that may cause this symptom - nothing abnormal.
Advised customer of checkout.

TLM

I usually stall when I'm coming to a stop. Of course it can never be recreated by anyone else except me.

How did the dealer diagnose the coils?

My shifting feels like it gets stuck and then bucks forward... sometimes it doesn't, other times it bucks hard.

unocivil

Your shifting sounds like a clutch problem. Have you have the clutch adjusted or looked at?
The ignition coils are hard to diagnose cause its an intermitant happening. Sometimes they are fine and other time all hell breaks loose. My dealer put the car on a machine which told him it was the coils. They wanted $1150 to do the job. I got 6 used coils and did the job myself for $160.
Suggest you buy 2 coils- preferrably used (one front, one rear) and try replacing your old coils two at a time and see what happens.

A92se?

It's amazing how the dealer can never recreate the bucking...Keep in mind that used coils nd even new coils can be bad! The best way to determine if the coils have something to do with your stalling and bucking is to use coils that you know are good...i.e. find a friend with a 3rd gen Max who'll let you borrow parts. You will know the difference in less than 24hrs, when your car is fine and theirs is jerking up and down the block.