my 91 maxima recently is having some problems and im hoping you guys can help me point the culprit.

problem #1

car is rattling/vibrating/shaking during high speeds specifically when reaching 65 and above speeds on the freeway. nothing on idle tried it on other gear but it only does that on the said speeds.im thinking mis alignment. what do u guys think?

problem #2

my A/C before had the problem of working/not working whenever it wants to until recently it DIED and decided not to work at all. even the lights on the A/C dash isnt working. i know the best to choice is to just send this in for repair but i just want to get some ideas from u guys and to know what to expect from the mechanic when he diagnose the prob.


thanks in advance guys...

 

#1
My first thought is wheel balance. When a wheel is out of balance there is a certain speed where it really resonates and annoys the hell out of you. Above or below that speed its not as bad. Any tire shop can rebalance the tires. Poor alignment manifests itself in abnormal tire wear.

#2
If the light is not coming on with the AC switch depressed, I would suspect the fan speed switch is breaking the circuit. Mine had this problem and it would intermittently turn off the AC while on the 4th fan speed. What you can do is turn the car off, then rapidly slide the fan speed slider back and forth. This will clean off the scum thats breaking the circuit.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if the compressor wasn't coming on due to low freon etc, the light on the AC switch would still illuminate.

 

1) a tire is out of balance, or the car is out of alignment. if the tires are good, a decent tire shop can get the tires rebalanced for cheap.

2) check the flowchart in the fsm regarding AC problems, or wait for somebody else to chime in. (you did check fuses and other obvious stuff, right?)

(edit: agh!! you beat me!!! I hate being on dial-up, and away from the house!!!
oh, the joys of broadband...)

 

1. ur have bad alignment or the rim is out of round or tire is out of balance....i just had that problem a week ago and my front tires toe was out....i aligned them and my prob was fixed

2.as nismax1994 stated that ur dash A/C light is not coming and it could be braking the circuit, check the contact behind the switch..probably burned or weak connection....

 

wow thanks for the input guys..didnt expect a lot of reps in such short time...ill definitely go ahead and have it balanced/aligned first thing tomorow.

as for the A/C ill try opening it and check the connection wires and clean it as well.hope thatll fix the prob. thanks again!

 

hey wait, before going and spending money on alignment....tell me one thing...does ur car pull to the left or right if u leave the steering? if it does then u defiantly need alignment if not then its not alignment...

 

yeah it does steer to the left..... my steering wheels isnt even aligned with my wheels center (12 oclock). so what do u think?

 

i wouldn't say its caster or camber problem but it could happen....most likely toe problem....or it could be negative caster on ur right front wheel...or thrust angle is out....what i would say it could be many things..... i think these pics will explain more.....

<------- Toe

<------- Caster

<------- Camber

<-------Set Back

<-------Thurst Angle

 

A worn tire can cause a buldge in the tire and give you the same symptons. Also if you have rims with low profile tires a rim may be bent. Tires are the first thing I check then alignment and all that.

 

for the AC problem it could be fuse related even if the fuse is good, right after I bought my car the A/C kept cutting out, the fuse was good so I took it to the shop to have it looked at. It turned out the crimps in the fuse block were loose so the fuse wasn't always making connection, the shop recrimped it and it's worked ever since