im having a slight skip and kinda an erratic idle, i never feel the skiping or shaking at higher rpms but always do when at a red light or when just cranking the car or in reverse. u can really hear it skippin bad tho when u go to the back and listen to the exhaust. took it to a guy and he listened to it and said it sounded like an exhaust valve had burned out, but this guy was also about 80 and looked semi cenial lol. Do ne of u guys have any input on what this guy said? Plus how much would u think this would cost to get repaired if this is the problem? thanx in advance for any input

 

1. Needs a tune up...

2.Bad injector...

3.Both?

 

wat u mean by tune-up, i mean wat all is involved in that besides like oil and filter and all that good stuff? cuz i have brand new plugs, wires, oil and filter. plus if it was an injector wouldnt it b more noticable? like more violent shaking and an extreme loss of power?

 

True,injectors usually fail all together...It could be a corroded injector wiring harness connector or two causing the skip....

A burnt plug wire could also cause it..[One could have fell against the engine,causing a burnt spot]

Try popping the hood and looking around in there,you may find the trouble right away...

 

isnt that fuel cleaner stuff u put in ya gas tank sposse to clean the injectors tho? i put the lucas brand in it every 3k miles when i change the oil, does that stuff actually work or am i wasting like 8 bucks a bottle on it? il check the wires but for some reason the thing the crazy old guy said seems to kinda make since, i mean with the sounds it makes. Its very distinct tick or skip that u can hear from outside of tha car from even 20 or 30 feet from tha car from the exhaust, im just hoping its not that exhaust valve and st like a $2 spark plug lol.

 

I had a similar problem, even though damaged valves for a wrong timming belt instalation, but the car is working fine but a intermitent fuel injector that is probably not receiving energy. So good luck

 

Is it a tick like two metal things hitting each other or does it sound like a cyilder isnt firing and making the engine idle smooth?

The tick would be a broken exaust stud, which you could see a bolt missing and not holding the bottom right exaust manifold on, (thats the most common place, it happens other places too)

The miss is a spark plug, wire, cap and rotor issue or an bad injector.

~Alex

 

in my case is not making tickin noise
just a piston that has fire for the spark plug but no current for the injector

 

yea it kinda sounds like metal in a way but i really dont think it is, its jus kinda hard to explain a sound on the internet, know wat i mean? but it makes the sound im thinking with each turn of tha crank. like one in good workin order would go da da da da da through the exhaust, but mine goes tick tick tick tick lol, i know that kinda sounds strange as an explanation but its hard to explain. it dont seem to much like its losin power just kinda an erratic idle with my steerin wheel and hood and tha whole front end basically kinda vibrating to this sound. Do yall think i should take it to the shop and pay the 65 buck charge to run the computer or what?

 

The O-rings on the injectors usually start to leak over time. probably not a valve.

 

do u think the problem will show up on the computer if i get it tested?

 

a normal exhaust leak has that quote" da da da " sound. most maxima leaks since they are the exhaust manifolds has a tick tick sound. if your manifold is leaking enough then if you listen to the exhust coming out of the muffler it may sound cam'd out lol( or sound like its missing). well at least people keep asking me if i have a cam . but change cap rotor wires and plugs just in case.

 

can an exhaust leak make that shaking feeling to it tho?

 

You can go to Nissan and get a power balance check using the consult diagnostic tool. They can check to see which cylinder is not firing 100%.

But like I said, since you have the VG engine, your problem would not be ignition coils, but rather fuel injectors. You can check the resistance of each one, they should all be about the same value (11-14 ohms), that will tell you if they are electrically in spec.. But most likely they are leaking through the o-rings. I replaced all my injectors and my max idles like NEW

 

how much would u guesstimate, tha power diagnostic should cost, iv heard the dealership refered to as the stealership, i just havent really dealt with them b4, so enlighten me to the truth on that lol. also if it is an injector, wat degree of skill would that take to replace, iv heard of them costing alllot to replace a shop. thanks!

 

in a single cam it took me 4-6 hour and i had to do it twice since other injector were in bad shape as well, it complicated with an spark plug that broke and had the car runing with 5 cylinder, but now got all 6 cylinders running smoth
good luck....

 

so yall think i should take it to the dealer and have them run some tests or what?

 

IMO.....If you don't think you can do the work yourself,then yes take it to a good shop...

But really,you should learn to diagnose and fix your car yourself,if you dont then you will stuck paying high labor charges if this car is going to be your daily driver...

You could probably make 2 or 3 car payments[or maybe more] on a much newer car with the labor charges that the dealership would charge to fix the car if it is the injectors...


Long story short....If you cant fix um,buy new..

 

are you capable of doing any work yourself?
if you only hear it fromthe tailpipe it's probably an injector gone bad

 

i mean i am capable of working on it, i took auto tech in school for a half a day for a year so i know a little. I just dont want to get something off and not get it back on, know wat i mean? lol i guess i just lack confidense in my ability even tho i know its not hard or nething.

 

Here is a little maintinence guide to help you...

http://aarc.epnet.com/application/8961/8961.htm

 

so what could i do myself to determine if its the injectors? take each out? and thanks mygreenmax, that will come in verrrrry handy one day lol

 

pull the plug wires off the plugs one at a time. 1 or more cylinders will NOT affect the way the car is running those will be the bad cylinders. Pull the spark plug(s) out from the dead cylinders and check them to see if they still look useable, heck if you can't remember the last time the plugs were replaced just replace them all.
once you have eliminated the plugs as being the issue, check the cap / rotor for unusual wear. lastly check the wires (resistance across each one should be pretty close to one another).
if all of the above passes inspectionthen chances are it's an injector.
you can also measure the resistance across the injector terminals to check for an electrical malfunction.
hope that helps