*NOOBIES* The "I am new here,but have a question" thread..(post your questions here)
i have a question... i have a 02 maxima 6 spd, in the entire rpm range i get a weird clicking/ticking sound. the higher the rpms the louder it gets, the only mods i have done are a CAI and 2 1/2 in exhaust. the higher octane gas i put in the louder it gets. the ticking sounds are so close it sounds like its a continuous noise. im kinda worried about it. i have no loss in power at all. i added a octane booster and it just got louder. i can now hear it over my exhaust now. and my exhaust is LOUD.
Hey, was wondering if anyone knew where the ground was for the A/T switch harness was? I believe the problem to my car being thrown in limp mode is due to a short in the harness. The P light never comes on (bought a brand new switch). The C light comes on though. If you tug at the cables, sometimes the P light will come on and the car will operate normally.
Hey everyone... I just bought a '91 maxima a few weeks ago, VG, auto, 104k miles. I just replaced the spark plugs (NGK BKR6E-11) and the wires (OEM), thats all I did, nothing else. Took it for a quick spin and there is no power at all, it is very boggy feeling and rough at idle. The old wires had corrosion in a couple of the rotor holes which I cleaned out, not to mention one of the wires was deeper inside the boot that went to the rotor and I dont even know how it was ever getting any spark. And now with new plugs and wires its worse?
The old wires were OEM and the old spark plugs were Bosch Platinum Plus FP7DPX.
Help me out here guys
The old wires were OEM and the old spark plugs were Bosch Platinum Plus FP7DPX.
Help me out here guys
Last edited by 91beater; Sep 26, 2011 at 09:36 PM.
Hey everyone... I just bought a '91 maxima a few weeks ago, VG, auto, 104k miles. I just replaced the spark plugs (NGK BKR6E-11) and the wires (OEM), thats all I did, nothing else. Took it for a quick spin and there is no power at all, it is very boggy feeling and rough at idle. The old wires had corrosion in a couple of the rotor holes which I cleaned out, not to mention one of the wires was deeper inside the boot that went to the rotor and I dont even know how it was ever getting any spark. And now with new plugs and wires its worse?
The old wires were OEM and the old spark plugs were Bosch Platinum Plus FP7DPX.
Help me out here guys
The old wires were OEM and the old spark plugs were Bosch Platinum Plus FP7DPX.
Help me out here guys

It's possible you might have thrown off the timing a bit when you were cleaning the rotor.
Possibly the timing. I'm probably gonna sound like a major noob here, but I dont know much about these engines, I'm a Honda guy :P... On hondas, all you do to advance or retard the timing is loosen the bolts and rotate the whole distributor. All I did here was take off the top cap and then put it back on. Could I still have inadvertently thrown the timing off?
Well to prevent myself from doing that I took one off and put one on, took one off and put one on, but I will double check.
Possibly the timing. I'm probably gonna sound like a major noob here, but I dont know much about these engines, I'm a Honda guy :P... On hondas, all you do to advance or retard the timing is loosen the bolts and rotate the whole distributor. All I did here was take off the top cap and then put it back on. Could I still have inadvertently thrown the timing off?
Possibly the timing. I'm probably gonna sound like a major noob here, but I dont know much about these engines, I'm a Honda guy :P... On hondas, all you do to advance or retard the timing is loosen the bolts and rotate the whole distributor. All I did here was take off the top cap and then put it back on. Could I still have inadvertently thrown the timing off?
It's very possible. How does the car idle? Does it sound like it's missing? When you give it throttle is the increase in RPM a smooth transition, or rough? There's one bolt to hold the distributor in place. Just check everything you touched or changed.
I'll take a look tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a quick fix

Hmmm, just thought of something. I replaced one little vacuum hose, the one coming off the back left on the manifold by the spark plug, and the inner diameter is much smaller and had to really force it on. Could I be suffocating it possibly??
Last edited by 91beater; Sep 27, 2011 at 01:09 AM.
Im new... and I have questions... but reading this post I have another question and maybe potential awesome INFO.
My family has an auto repair shop in NY, been around since the 1960s. We have a mechanic there, whos been there many years, and a mechanic / tinkerer his whole life.
Him (95%) and I built my LT1 3rd gen camaro with lots of custom work needed to make it all nice.
He ASSURES me .. I only need the Injector, and the upper plenum gasket for him to replace it.
I have a 93 SE that needs an injector replaced, one of the ones near the back of the engine
My family has an auto repair shop in NY, been around since the 1960s. We have a mechanic there, whos been there many years, and a mechanic / tinkerer his whole life.
Him (95%) and I built my LT1 3rd gen camaro with lots of custom work needed to make it all nice.
He ASSURES me .. I only need the Injector, and the upper plenum gasket for him to replace it.
I have a 93 SE that needs an injector replaced, one of the ones near the back of the engine
Well it wasnt the vacuum hose. I advanced the timing at the dizzy, which seemed to help with the idle a bit, but still no power under acceleration.
Could it be the spark plug gap? They are suppose to be pre-gapped to .044. I guess next I will put the old plugs back in and see if that does anything.
Could it be the spark plug gap? They are suppose to be pre-gapped to .044. I guess next I will put the old plugs back in and see if that does anything.
Well it wasnt the vacuum hose. I advanced the timing at the dizzy, which seemed to help with the idle a bit, but still no power under acceleration.
Could it be the spark plug gap? They are suppose to be pre-gapped to .044. I guess next I will put the old plugs back in and see if that does anything.
Could it be the spark plug gap? They are suppose to be pre-gapped to .044. I guess next I will put the old plugs back in and see if that does anything.
My 1st car was a 90' 240sx and it had the EXACT same thing happen... My dad and I decided to change the plugs one day, so we did... Damn thing ran like &#!% so we ended up putting the old plugs back and said eff it! But I would definitely make sure that the gap is correct!
On another note.... It's odd that we are both noobs on the forum and had the same exact idea for a username.... Can't believe these usernames were even available still haha
91
hello all,
i have a Nissan 1991 Maxima SE 5spd..and i do kinda need help..i don't know how to do the transmission oil change can some one please tell me how to do it and were the plug is?also what type of Trans oil do i use?keep in mind mine is a 5spd.i don't need the answer asap b/c i have to redo the axle and manifold..this is my frist car and i only have xp in engines not trans...thank you.
i have a Nissan 1991 Maxima SE 5spd..and i do kinda need help..i don't know how to do the transmission oil change can some one please tell me how to do it and were the plug is?also what type of Trans oil do i use?keep in mind mine is a 5spd.i don't need the answer asap b/c i have to redo the axle and manifold..this is my frist car and i only have xp in engines not trans...thank you.
intermittent shudder from a stop
i figured i would ask a second opinion on what this may be before i tear into it. a few days ago my car started having an intermittent shudder to it. it is noticeable at idle, under acceleration, deceleration, or constant cruise. but it only happens sometimes, when its warm mostly. it will go away for a few minutes, then come back. i just replaced an injector that died, and a coil as well. before i go and dig into it i just wanted to see if that may be the case again or if i should check for other things. engine model is the VE30DE. so, ideas please? Thanks.
Having a problem, seems to be fuel related. Parent's Maxima (I think it's a 94) won't start. Turned the key, engine turns, it has spark, pulled a plug and looked down into the cylinder with the plug out and didn't see fuel when we turned the key. Removed the fuel hose from the filter, put it into a jar and turned the key, the pump definitely works and the filter isn't clogged. So, is there some sort of a relay that would stop the injectors from working? Otherwise any other suggestions?
By any chace do you know if it's a GXE or an SE? The GXE has a VG30E motor and the SE has the VE30DE motor.
I suggested to check for the vacuum leak first because that would be the easiest step to check a car not starting. There is no relay that controls the injectors. The camshaft position sensor takes care of the injectors so check the connection. Also, get a noid light and plug it into one of the injector connectors to make sure the injectors are getting a signal. I don't think it would be that easy to notice fuel mixed with air.
I suggested to check for the vacuum leak first because that would be the easiest step to check a car not starting. There is no relay that controls the injectors. The camshaft position sensor takes care of the injectors so check the connection. Also, get a noid light and plug it into one of the injector connectors to make sure the injectors are getting a signal. I don't think it would be that easy to notice fuel mixed with air.
Engine running rough after replacing the fuel injectors
Hi all,
I would like some help if I could with a problem. I have a 1993 Maxima GXE (SOHC). It has 140k on it, and I recently replaced 5 of 6 fuel injectors with reman'd ones. the 6th was replaced about a month ago with a new one (got a deal on the reman'd). Now I'm having an issue with the engine running rough.
The engine seems to have a loss of power, bad fuel economy, and a hesitation when hitting the gas. At idle the thing runs louder, but not at any higher/lower of RPMs. I checked vacuum pressure, and that was in spec. Then replaced the plenum gaskets with better (Fel-Pro) ones.
All the injectors test at very close to 12ohms.
It passed emissions with no problem, and I can post the results if you like.
It is not throwing an error code, and does not run differently in different situations (hot, cold etc.)
The fuel filter, and O2 sensor were replaced about 50k ago, the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor were replaced about 5k ago, and I'm just lost on where to go from here. It is going to a shop that I trust sometime this week, but I'm open to suggestions as long as I can test the part, and they're not guesses that have me throw parts at the car.
I was starting to think it could be a vacuum solenoid, or that one of the injectors O-rings leaked, but I'm not a mechanic, and could use some suggestions on testing methods.
Thanks!!!
I would like some help if I could with a problem. I have a 1993 Maxima GXE (SOHC). It has 140k on it, and I recently replaced 5 of 6 fuel injectors with reman'd ones. the 6th was replaced about a month ago with a new one (got a deal on the reman'd). Now I'm having an issue with the engine running rough.
The engine seems to have a loss of power, bad fuel economy, and a hesitation when hitting the gas. At idle the thing runs louder, but not at any higher/lower of RPMs. I checked vacuum pressure, and that was in spec. Then replaced the plenum gaskets with better (Fel-Pro) ones.
All the injectors test at very close to 12ohms.
It passed emissions with no problem, and I can post the results if you like.
It is not throwing an error code, and does not run differently in different situations (hot, cold etc.)
The fuel filter, and O2 sensor were replaced about 50k ago, the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor were replaced about 5k ago, and I'm just lost on where to go from here. It is going to a shop that I trust sometime this week, but I'm open to suggestions as long as I can test the part, and they're not guesses that have me throw parts at the car.
I was starting to think it could be a vacuum solenoid, or that one of the injectors O-rings leaked, but I'm not a mechanic, and could use some suggestions on testing methods.
Thanks!!!
Last edited by mjbabb; Oct 10, 2011 at 06:34 PM.
Hello,
I have a problem with my dash lights and tailights, I currently installed a jvc after market stereo and when installing I found that there was an extra wire which did not match up to the wire harness adapter I purchased. It was the illumination/dimmer wire. I dont know why but I connected it to my power, thinking worst case scenario, it will be on full bright all the time. but instead my dash light and tail lights stopped working. I checked all the fuses and non seem to be the problem, I searched and many are talking about the dimmer switch needing to be replace. Is the dimmer switch the swith on the right side of steering wheel with lightbulb, or the one one left used as turn lights and headlight switch. Also will this be my problem. I dont know if there any other fuses I might need to replace, cant seem to find the one for tail lights, my parking lights/brakelights and headlights work fine. Also What should I do with the illumination wire? should i just tape it by it self, or hook up to dimmer wire? or ground?
Please help and thanks in advance for your time and help.
I have a problem with my dash lights and tailights, I currently installed a jvc after market stereo and when installing I found that there was an extra wire which did not match up to the wire harness adapter I purchased. It was the illumination/dimmer wire. I dont know why but I connected it to my power, thinking worst case scenario, it will be on full bright all the time. but instead my dash light and tail lights stopped working. I checked all the fuses and non seem to be the problem, I searched and many are talking about the dimmer switch needing to be replace. Is the dimmer switch the swith on the right side of steering wheel with lightbulb, or the one one left used as turn lights and headlight switch. Also will this be my problem. I dont know if there any other fuses I might need to replace, cant seem to find the one for tail lights, my parking lights/brakelights and headlights work fine. Also What should I do with the illumination wire? should i just tape it by it self, or hook up to dimmer wire? or ground?
Please help and thanks in advance for your time and help.
Hello,
I have a problem with my dash lights and tailights, I currently installed a jvc after market stereo and when installing I found that there was an extra wire which did not match up to the wire harness adapter I purchased. It was the illumination/dimmer wire. I dont know why but I connected it to my power, thinking worst case scenario, it will be on full bright all the time. but instead my dash light and tail lights stopped working. I checked all the fuses and non seem to be the problem, I searched and many are talking about the dimmer switch needing to be replace. Is the dimmer switch the swith on the right side of steering wheel with lightbulb, or the one one left used as turn lights and headlight switch. Also will this be my problem. I dont know if there any other fuses I might need to replace, cant seem to find the one for tail lights, my parking lights/brakelights and headlights work fine. Also What should I do with the illumination wire? should i just tape it by it self, or hook up to dimmer wire? or ground?
Please help and thanks in advance for your time and help.
I have a problem with my dash lights and tailights, I currently installed a jvc after market stereo and when installing I found that there was an extra wire which did not match up to the wire harness adapter I purchased. It was the illumination/dimmer wire. I dont know why but I connected it to my power, thinking worst case scenario, it will be on full bright all the time. but instead my dash light and tail lights stopped working. I checked all the fuses and non seem to be the problem, I searched and many are talking about the dimmer switch needing to be replace. Is the dimmer switch the swith on the right side of steering wheel with lightbulb, or the one one left used as turn lights and headlight switch. Also will this be my problem. I dont know if there any other fuses I might need to replace, cant seem to find the one for tail lights, my parking lights/brakelights and headlights work fine. Also What should I do with the illumination wire? should i just tape it by it self, or hook up to dimmer wire? or ground?
Please help and thanks in advance for your time and help.
If it's still a no-go, I would warrant the theft ecu is toast. Happened to me, once, back when I was a total n00b. (I think I'm graduating to n00bish, soon)...
cover the end of the illumination wire with electrical tape, don't use it.
Soooo question....
Just bought a 94 Max.. Definitely needed a starter, so I order one up today from a parts dealer that I deal with at work... Told him I needed it for an automatic. They drop it off and without even thinking about it, I throw my car up on the lift after work and pull the old started. Grab the new one and realize it's completely different! After a little research online, my starter looks to be from a manual transmission car?!?! Does anyone know why I would need the manual trans starter? Were there 2 different motors available or is it possible that the motor in my car was swapped somewhere down the line?
Just bought a 94 Max.. Definitely needed a starter, so I order one up today from a parts dealer that I deal with at work... Told him I needed it for an automatic. They drop it off and without even thinking about it, I throw my car up on the lift after work and pull the old started. Grab the new one and realize it's completely different! After a little research online, my starter looks to be from a manual transmission car?!?! Does anyone know why I would need the manual trans starter? Were there 2 different motors available or is it possible that the motor in my car was swapped somewhere down the line?
Soooo question....
Just bought a 94 Max.. Definitely needed a starter, so I order one up today from a parts dealer that I deal with at work... Told him I needed it for an automatic. They drop it off and without even thinking about it, I throw my car up on the lift after work and pull the old started. Grab the new one and realize it's completely different! After a little research online, my starter looks to be from a manual transmission car?!?! Does anyone know why I would need the manual trans starter? Were there 2 different motors available or is it possible that the motor in my car was swapped somewhere down the line?
Just bought a 94 Max.. Definitely needed a starter, so I order one up today from a parts dealer that I deal with at work... Told him I needed it for an automatic. They drop it off and without even thinking about it, I throw my car up on the lift after work and pull the old started. Grab the new one and realize it's completely different! After a little research online, my starter looks to be from a manual transmission car?!?! Does anyone know why I would need the manual trans starter? Were there 2 different motors available or is it possible that the motor in my car was swapped somewhere down the line?
do you have a GXE or SE? if you have a 94, a SE has VE30DE and GXE has VG30E, you probably got the wrong starter
i can 99.99999999999999% guarantee nobody swapped your engine, to go from a VG30E to VE30DE, you have to swap alot of wiring and such and only very few people have done it
ok did my first ever engine swap on a 90. car sat for a year before i got up the courage. turns out the crank shaft snout twisted off on old engine 110,000 miles. So far So good, got a couple questions... the J Y engine i swapped had no thermostat, that shouldnt have hurt the engine before right?, i did install a 180 degree into it. And should i baby this thing for a while, cause i Really miis it and i am chompin at the bit to turn her loose a little...
do you have a GXE or SE? if you have a 94, a SE has VE30DE and GXE has VG30E, you probably got the wrong starter
i can 99.99999999999999% guarantee nobody swapped your engine, to go from a VG30E to VE30DE, you have to swap alot of wiring and such and only very few people have done it
i can 99.99999999999999% guarantee nobody swapped your engine, to go from a VG30E to VE30DE, you have to swap alot of wiring and such and only very few people have done it
I have no idea if it's a VG30E or DE... How Can I tell?
Ok, so now i'm going crazy!!! I got what looked to be the correct starter... Bolted in the same as the one that came out. But the starter is just clicking when I try to start it... (Sounds like the starter is just smacking the flywheel).. Now it is not starting at all though, where as the old one would click about 3-4 times and usually start by the 5th time. I tried taking it back out, cleaning off the mating surfaces and re-installing, and still nothing. I also bench tested the brand new starter and it spins perfect. I wonder if the starter is wrong, I'm debating returning it and getting one from Nissan and crossing my fingers that it works!
Last edited by 94beater; Oct 14, 2011 at 04:02 PM.
I have no idea if it's a VG30E or DE... How Can I tell?
Ok, so now i'm going crazy!!! I got what looked to be the correct starter... Bolted in the same as the one that came out. But the starter is just clicking when I try to start it... (Sounds like the starter is just smacking the flywheel).. Now it is not starting at all though, where as the old one would click about 3-4 times and usually start by the 5th time. I tried taking it back out, cleaning off the mating surfaces and re-installing, and still nothing. I also bench tested the brand new starter and it spins perfect. I wonder if the starter is wrong, I'm debating returning it and getting one from Nissan and crossing my fingers that it works!
Ok, so now i'm going crazy!!! I got what looked to be the correct starter... Bolted in the same as the one that came out. But the starter is just clicking when I try to start it... (Sounds like the starter is just smacking the flywheel).. Now it is not starting at all though, where as the old one would click about 3-4 times and usually start by the 5th time. I tried taking it back out, cleaning off the mating surfaces and re-installing, and still nothing. I also bench tested the brand new starter and it spins perfect. I wonder if the starter is wrong, I'm debating returning it and getting one from Nissan and crossing my fingers that it works!
Mine is the 2nd one. And the battery is ruled out. I had a fully charged jump box hooked up just to be sure. Also cables are all tight and clean... no corrosion anywhere to be seen
if youre sure you installed it correctly, its possible you got a bad starter, ive seen it happen before
does it to nothing if you turn the key to start it? long shot, but your shifter bushing could be shot and the tranny isnt really going into park. a couple of years ago on mine sometimes it wouldnt even crank if i turned the key, i would have to rock the car back and forth and something would click and it would start. one day even that didnt work, new starter didnt help because sometimes it wouldnt even crank again
shifter bushing was gone and it wasnt fully going into park hence it not cranking, new shifter bushing fixed it. extremely small chance but that could be your problem as well
does it to nothing if you turn the key to start it? long shot, but your shifter bushing could be shot and the tranny isnt really going into park. a couple of years ago on mine sometimes it wouldnt even crank if i turned the key, i would have to rock the car back and forth and something would click and it would start. one day even that didnt work, new starter didnt help because sometimes it wouldnt even crank again
shifter bushing was gone and it wasnt fully going into park hence it not cranking, new shifter bushing fixed it. extremely small chance but that could be your problem as well
if youre sure you installed it correctly, its possible you got a bad starter, ive seen it happen before
does it to nothing if you turn the key to start it? long shot, but your shifter bushing could be shot and the tranny isnt really going into park. a couple of years ago on mine sometimes it wouldnt even crank if i turned the key, i would have to rock the car back and forth and something would click and it would start. one day even that didnt work, new starter didnt help because sometimes it wouldnt even crank again
shifter bushing was gone and it wasnt fully going into park hence it not cranking, new shifter bushing fixed it. extremely small chance but that could be your problem as well
does it to nothing if you turn the key to start it? long shot, but your shifter bushing could be shot and the tranny isnt really going into park. a couple of years ago on mine sometimes it wouldnt even crank if i turned the key, i would have to rock the car back and forth and something would click and it would start. one day even that didnt work, new starter didnt help because sometimes it wouldnt even crank again
shifter bushing was gone and it wasnt fully going into park hence it not cranking, new shifter bushing fixed it. extremely small chance but that could be your problem as well
yep thats what mine did too, its related to the bushing. also the shifter felt sloppy.
while youre in there just replace it, i think now its $3 from Nissan. a month ago at work a 3rd gen came in and the guy said it wouldnt go into park well and i said do the shifter bushing and sure enough it fixed it. just have to remove the heatshield and its a easy thing to replace
moving the shifter while turning the key might not help, with mine i always had to rock the car hard back and forth to get it into park. moving the shifter didnt help
while youre in there just replace it, i think now its $3 from Nissan. a month ago at work a 3rd gen came in and the guy said it wouldnt go into park well and i said do the shifter bushing and sure enough it fixed it. just have to remove the heatshield and its a easy thing to replace
moving the shifter while turning the key might not help, with mine i always had to rock the car hard back and forth to get it into park. moving the shifter didnt help
yep thats what mine did too, its related to the bushing. also the shifter felt sloppy.
while youre in there just replace it, i think now its $3 from Nissan. a month ago at work a 3rd gen came in and the guy said it wouldnt go into park well and i said do the shifter bushing and sure enough it fixed it. just have to remove the heatshield and its a easy thing to replace
moving the shifter while turning the key might not help, with mine i always had to rock the car hard back and forth to get it into park. moving the shifter didnt help
while youre in there just replace it, i think now its $3 from Nissan. a month ago at work a 3rd gen came in and the guy said it wouldnt go into park well and i said do the shifter bushing and sure enough it fixed it. just have to remove the heatshield and its a easy thing to replace
moving the shifter while turning the key might not help, with mine i always had to rock the car hard back and forth to get it into park. moving the shifter didnt help
Welp rocking it didn't change anything... Starter is just clicking away 
I'm going to call the parts store and have them send me a replacement to swap out... For now i'll inspect that bushing while the car is on the lift at work... maybe it's so bad that even rocking wont help.. I wish I still had the starter that came off the car... at least that one worked after about 5 tries!

I'm going to call the parts store and have them send me a replacement to swap out... For now i'll inspect that bushing while the car is on the lift at work... maybe it's so bad that even rocking wont help.. I wish I still had the starter that came off the car... at least that one worked after about 5 tries!
Welp rocking it didn't change anything... Starter is just clicking away 
I'm going to call the parts store and have them send me a replacement to swap out... For now i'll inspect that bushing while the car is on the lift at work... maybe it's so bad that even rocking wont help.. I wish I still had the starter that came off the car... at least that one worked after about 5 tries!

I'm going to call the parts store and have them send me a replacement to swap out... For now i'll inspect that bushing while the car is on the lift at work... maybe it's so bad that even rocking wont help.. I wish I still had the starter that came off the car... at least that one worked after about 5 tries!
It's clicking, meaning it's getting power, but not enough to spin the starter motor under load. this means severe lack of voltage at the starter. check the list above (instead of ignoring it), your bound to find your problem.
Last edited by BenStoked; Oct 15, 2011 at 05:54 AM.
I didn't ignore it... I stated in another post that I had a fully charged jump box hooked up to the car.
Waiting on another starter right now.... Looks to me like the starter gear was definitely hitting the flywheel... Not sure if they are giving me the wrong starter or if the starter was built with the wrong gear it it.... Ugh I hope the next one works!



