I purchased a `92 max serveral years ago for my daugter. The car has ran fantastic up untill latly. The engine seems to stumble on take off acceleration... and I hear this strange "putting" noise from the engine. I sounds like George Jetsons space car. We have even named it the Jetsonmobile. Other than that it seems to run fine. I have changed plugs, fuel and air filters, The "noise" seems to be coming from the rear of the engine.
Any thoughts?

 

Same thing happened to me adter I hit a large puddle. Mine problem seemed to go away after a few weeks.

 

Broken exhaust studs?
Common problem on the MAX

 

is there a loss of power

any vibration at idle

most commonly it could be a fuel injector

 

Subs is right. Probably you just need to clean your injectors or if your luck is really bad you're gonna have to replace them

 

hmm. the sound might be the exhaust studs or even a vacuum leak of some kind. I'd have to hear it.

stuttering on acceleration are likely the injectors, the coil packs or the spark plugs.

Did you use Bosch plugs? Those have been known to cause problems in the VE (DOHC) engine.

Check all of your coil packs for cracks.

Run some fuel injector cleaner and have the injectors' resistance tested. Someone here can tell you the specs on the injectors.

 

It's probably the VTC's...is it a ticking noise?

Try this:

http://www.geocities.com/bracecraig/maxima/vtc/vtc.html

 

is it the GXE model?? (sohc) if it is than its the studs on the exhaust manifold. you dont want to know what you have to do to fix that. my leak didnt become really bad for almost a year. i looked at it and drilling out the studs was ummmmmmmm not happening. either yank the engine or rip the heads off, your choice. i got lucky in a way, snapped the timing belt and blew the engine. now i have a 93 vg motor and no more exhaust leak(YEAAAAA). oh yea sorry , like they above said, if its a SE with the DOHC motor, than its the VTC's. but anyways, ask a local mech to put the car on a lift and look at the rear exhaust bank and you will find out it thats what it is.

 

VTCs dont sound like that description. VTCs make a clacking sound (ticking).

 

I am having the exact same problem as you I think. Pull your coils out and check the top of the body on them, if they have cracks in them, they are arching to the block instead of through the spark plug. Randomly you will feal the car jerking during acceleration, the putting sound is the unburnt fuel exploding in the exhaust system instead of when the spark plug is supposed to blow it up. all 3 of my front coils were like this. Oh, and this is assuming you have an SE with coil on plug :-)

 

Thanks for the replies folks. Yes I took care of the VTC problem by grounding out the selinoid. It seems to idle fine, but upon acceleration or going thu gears(it a 5 speed) it seems to stumble. And I think I did put Bosh plugs in it. What king of plugs are recomended? I get a ohm meter this weelend and check the resistance of the injectors and coil packs. One thing though, Do you have to remove the intake plenum to get to the rear injectors and if so , how difficult. I not bad with a wrench.

 

Don't just check the resistance of the coil packs, check the body of them for cracks. Resistance wont change if they are cracked, but they cracks are easily seen.