The max vibrates a lot when stops at a stop sign. But if I put the transmission in Neutual, the vibration goes away. SO I wonder if it has something to do with transmission. Do I need a tranny flush?

BTW, how come my signature pics

 

Your engine is misfiring. Check the spark plugs to see if they need to be replaced or wires if you have an 89-94 GXE or an 89-91 SE. It has something to do with your ignition system.

 

When a car is at a stop sign, especially Nissans, and they vibrate alot, it's because of the following reasons:
1) Warped rotors
2) Bad engine and/or transmission mounts
3) Worn brake pads
4) Dirty Air filter
5) leaking exhaust

I am pretty sure it's either choice one or two. Have your rotors checked and resurfaced if necessary.
Have your engine and transmission mounts check because it will lead to alot of problems if they're broken. You'll basically ruin your transmission.
If your air filter is realy dirty, then your engine will struggle to breathe properly. It will try so hard to suck air through the dirty filter that it will cause hesitation and RPM's to go down.
If you hear abnormal engine noise the you could probably have an exhaust leak somewhere. This should be the last thing you check.

Check your air filter because you can do this yourself easily. If it's not that, have your rotors checked, then mounts, then exhaust.

I seriously doubt any misfiring is the cause of this shaking. This isn't an uncommon problem and misfiring is generally not the cause of it.

 

Sudesh I think he meant that when he is at a stop at a stop sign!!! When the car is not moving.

 

Yes, I know. I posted my response appropriately to his situation.

When you're driving and you approach a stop sign or stop light.

 

Now that i've read the original post again I'm going to say it's probably the air filter. I'm 99% sure of it.

You see the reason why the shaking goes away in neutral is because the transmission isn't carrying a load, the engine is free to use a bit more power sucking in air. When you put it in drive, you give it a big load which it has to carry and at the same time suck in air and everything else.

Change your air filter, that's your problem. I'm willing to bet money on it.

 

HAHA, not approaching it!! At a full STOP. NOT moving.

 

When you approach a stop light or a stop sign, what do you do?
You usually come to a full stop.

Thats what I meant, full stop.

Stop picking into things so much.

My message said: "When you're driving and you approach a stop sign or stop light."

It did not say when you're "approachING" and stop sign or stop light". It means you're already there. At a full stop.

geez..

 

OK!!!

 

Children.. shut your faces, please.

problems.
1. low idle. what does the car idle at while it's in gear? should be above 500rpm. I forget exact number.

2. worn engine mounts. if they're bad, you'll get a LOT of vibrations inside the car while there's a load on the engine (sitting at a stop sign while in gear is the most obvious case).

3. poorly running engine. i.e. clogged air filter or bad spark plugs and/or wire(s).


I'd put my money on #2 if you've never replaced your engine mounts.

 

I could see this if it was jerking and hesitating while trying to accelerate, backfiring out the rear when in idle, but not shaking at a stop.
Have your tranny checked out, it couldn't hurt to do that anyway.

 

heres 2 problems that totally ruined my idle with the exact symptoms,

a cracked distributor cap,

and using the K&N panel filter. For some reason my '90 just didn't agree with the drop-in. With the PR CAI it idled perfect, with an OEM filter it idled perfect. But slip the K&N panel in and it would try its best to stall at every light. Neutral would improve things a little and at speed there was no apparent problem.

Bets? I'll go for bad air filter/inlet leak followed closely by a bad cap/lead/plug.

 

Was it an auto or 5 speed? SE or GXE?

 

'90 VG/Auto. Aussie spec M model, kinda GXE-SE hybrid.

 

I'm not familiar. Explain to me the Aussie spec M model...

 

Hmm, no major difference to your models apart from RHD. VG's rated at 164hp but in all honesty most likely no different in spec at all, however the trans has a couple of very, very minor internal differences according to the FSM.

To look at, imagine a US '90 GXE with the colour coded early four slot grille (same as UK-spec), SE rear lights (the darkish ones), black window surrounds, fender mounted indicators, factory clear/tinted corners, SE non polished alloys and no rear spoiler. Black gauges (240km/h speedo), 4 wheel discs and SE rear muffler. No sunroof.

I think thats all

 

Both Nismo and Sudesh are right. My GXE starts to vibrate when I was braking to approach a stop with <15mph. I went to jiffy lube to get ATF changed, and they said no need to do that. according to them, My ATF is in good shape although it has not been changed since I own the car (1 year).

Yes, when I shift from P to R, or from N to D, I can feel like the whole car is tightened, and the cab starts shaking, is that the probelm of Engine mount or Trans Mount? How much to replace them?

THanks for Idea.

 

Hcll the reason your car shakes like that is because your RPM's drop to low and it makes you car shake. I am going through the same exact situation with my 93 SE auto. It has nothing to do with your rotors, tranny fluid (changed mined already and it made no difference), worn brake pads, or engine mounts. NONE of the above! What I found out is that either I have to clean my throtle body and I have to get new seals because I am getting oil in my spark plugs. Check your ignition system and idle and go from there. When was the last time you changed your spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter etc.......

 

And they are NGK ( not platinum )
Plug wires and distributor cap have not been changed since I own it.
The Idle speed is >700rpm when shifter is at Parking, while is 500rpm when shifter at Drive. (After running for 10 miles). Is that normal?

 

Matt, my child, you just said everything I said in different words..so

All the guy said was that when he stops at a stop light or stop sign his car vibrate.

The problem is your air filter, or engine/transmission mounts.

It could be your rotors. Go ask a mechanic. Mr.Nismo should as a mechanic about rotors also.

Mr.Nismo..just because you were able to solve your problem one way does not mean he has the same exact problem you do. geez..

IF your RPM's are dropping at a stop light, you should change your air filter, thats the cheapest remedy. Like I said before the engine will try to suck air in and cause the RPM's to go down with a dirty air filter.

Your RPMS are not low overall or it would still be low in neutral.

My money would be on the air filter. You can change it so easily, it's so damn cheap to buy one. You'll need to replace it anyway, why not do it now? You can do it yourself. Man..just do this one.

If you find out that it is one or more of your mounts, it's best to replace ALL of them. The ones you didn't replace may seem fine, but then you'll have to pay labor to replace them when they soon break.

Anyway..i'm done with this subject..i gave my opinions. Some of you guys really act like professional mechanics, when you can't even diagnos a simple problem properly, or just re-phrase what I said.

 

Idle speed too low. The throttle body and/or IAC is dirty. The idle speed is determined by the ECU. It sends a signal to the IAC to control how much air (and resulting idle speed) is needed. When the throttle body/IAC is too dirty there is not enough range to get enough air in and the idle speed is low. You can also adjust the screw on the IAC to allow more air in and raise the idle, but you won't be fixing the root problem: dirt.

 

I have a 90se auto that has all the symptoms above and it's real intermitten. Seems like earlier in the morning(and colder in the day/night) is when the problem occurs. My air filter is new, spark plugs should be ok. I still have the problem and now i'm going to clean the throttle body...

The bad engine/trans mount card is new to my worry list. I guess I need a mechanic to take a look at that one. Anyone know of the reasonable price range for a complete engine/trans mount replacement?

Thanks for the info.

 

DAMN NEWBIES!!!! They can't get more hard headed than this one!


THANK YOU Brubenstein for that intellent answer!!!

 

Mr.Nismo
I may be new here because of the number of posts I have. That does not mean I am new to mechanics or new to Nissans in general. You may have hundreds of posts, it doesn't matter to me. You clearly display no sense of knowledge concerning the functionality of an engine. You attitude towards the subject is simply pathetic and you could not disgust me more. Go laugh all you want, I'm sure some of the more knowledgable people reading this very thread is laughing at your stupid posts. Keep on posting, you only make yourself look smarter.

What I tried to do was offer a range of things that could cause this problem. You on the other hand had to try and pick fault at everything I said from my very first post. I may be a newbie, but I certainly am not immature as yourself. I would like you to point out anything I have stated that is incorrect. You would not be able to. You just don't like looking stupid.

The only reason you like Brubenstein's post so much is because he said the same thing you said. Your originaly post was about misfiring for god sakes..how dense can you be.

"When the throttle body/IAC is too dirty there is not enough range to get enough air in and the idle speed is low"

Not engough air huh? Did either you ever stop to think that he has a clogged air filter before going to clean out the throttle body and maybe just changing that would be the easiest thing to do??...geeezzz...

Lets wait until this guy finds the root of his problem and lets us know what it was, we'll see who's worth anything.

 

OK, you sit here and wait. Let me know when you find out ok?? I've owned three 3rd generation Maximas, 2 second gens and 1 4th gen. Go figure!!!! 9 years of pure Maxima experience!!!! This is your first Maxima as I can see. We'll see!!

 

I am also a "newbie" however I have had my maxima for nearly 5 years, and whenever it starts to shake it has always been the injectors, my dad is a Nissan mechanic and says that they have always been bad with injectors, I may be wrong but from my previous experience that would be my suggestion.. Mine would run really rough at idles or at stops, and it would be very sluggish to accelerate.. Just a thought.

 

SHaking doesn't go away. The only difference I can notice is that I get 600rpm when idling with shifter at "Drive". THis reading was 500 before the filter change. RPM with shifer at "parking" is still ~730.
My old air filter is not very dirty, and I had it only for 9 months.

Hope this info helps a little.

 

Do I really care? The answer is no. For the amount of cars you have gone through you don't display any experience at all. For heavens sakes you don't even think warped rotors can cause vibration!!

His problem could very well be what you suggested. My problem with you is that you have no respect for other peoples' opinions. I listed a couple of definite things that would produce the symptoms he has, and you have to act like a jack a$$ from my very first post. Your first suggestion was misfiring, geez..

We'll see.

 

I have the same problem with my 89. I did a general tune-up,(wires, plugs, cap and rotor, air filter, PVC and fuel filter),and it didnt help the problem at all. A friend of mine, who is a mech., told me it was an injector problem. He says that Nissans are famous for bad injectors. I had an 87 truck with the Z24 motor and both injectors went bad on me. Im going to test the injectord next week. I`ll post my results soon. If anyone else has had this same problem chime in, I`m curious to know more.

 

Ok, as long as you got the RPM's up it shows that your engine isn't breathing. Now you can look into cleaning out the throttle body like mr.Nismo suggested. 9 months is a pretty long time without changing the air filter. I wouldn't know how long a regular one lasts anyway, ihave an open element filter that can be cleaned and reused..so i have no need to buy new ones.

Mr.Nismo, seems like the air filter helped, but didn't complete the job, now your solution will add the finishing touches.

 

If you're getting a hesitation or shaking when you're acclerating..look into your exhaust system..you could have a leak.

 

Mr. Nismo, please.. shut your mouth before all the air escapes from your head. You have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.

now.. for things the CAN cause idle vibrations while the car is sitting in gear, STOPPED.

1. IAC

2. MAF. actually, the car should idle okay, but will die the second you give it gas.. if it does run, it won't go above about 2200rpm.

3. worn engine mounts. (YES, This WILL cause vibrations). I've changed 4 sets on 4 different cars in the last year. one was a 3rd gen GXE, another was an SE. so don't tell me they don't make a difference.

4. bad spark plugs, plug wires, distributor/rotor. this will usually be noted int he case os a "stumbling" engine and unstable idle- not just more vibrations than when the car is moving.

5. dirty/clogged air filter.
6. dirty intake system. i.e. throttly body and intake manifold
7. bad fuel injector. this will usually be seen while driving too, but can sometimes be noted only at idle- when the injector is only pumping a small amount of fuel. if it's clogged, it won't pump any fuel at idle, and give a bad idle.
8. can simply be a low idle that needs adjusting. (IAC again)
9. warped brake rotors will NOT cause any vibrations at all while the car is stopped at a light. it will only cause vibrations while the car is moving. whether the brakes are applied or not doesn't matter. it will be worse when the brakes are applied- but that could also be signs of a poorly balances tire on the front of the car.


Now which of these problems is the case on any particular car and situation is completely different. the owner/mechanic must determine which of these apply to them and fix it.


So, Mr. Nismo, do I still sound like an idiot? I've rebuilt and replaced enough cars on enough Maximas (and other cars) that I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.
If you still don't think so, take a look at the plethora of pictures on my website.
http://www.ee.utulsa.edu/~mblehm/pics/
look in the old_max directory for several directories of the top half of engine in pieces.
look in the /car/ directory for the pics of my current engine/tranny in pieces. I've changed all the engine and tranny mounts in this car in the last 2 months and I can tell you it makes a HUGE diference in the idle vibrations.
thank you, drive through please.

 

Hcll, obviously you have a VG engine. Check your wires to see if they need to be replaced, check your spark plugs, check distributor cap and rotor. Since you have never replace these part you may have a miss somewhere due to old ignition parts!! May I recommend Nissan OEM parts, they seem to be of best quality. When was the last time you replace your fuel filter??

 

 

I must of missed this one

Hey Matt, let me teach you a thing or two here. Listen up!!
Here are my answers.............

1.)YES
2.)NO!
3.)NO!
4.)Wrong. I just fixed my friends car, 98 I30 with this problem.
5.)We just found out that wasn't the problem!!!!!!!
6.)YES
7.)YES
8.)YES
9.)NO

I don't remember calling you an idiot?? Did I??
I just had to respond!!!!!!!!!!! Moving on................

 

you didn't exactly call me an idiot, but you sit here and argue with me when I tell you what I've doen to my own cars and seen it fix the problem described. You seem to think you know everything about these cars and insist that it's one particular thing, when you really have no clue without driving the car and seeing exactly what they're talking about. vibrations at idle can be caused by dozens of things from a bad tranny to bad engine mounts to low idle to poor ignition to etc etc etc. You keep INSISTING that the stuff I've presented aren't problems when I know for a fact I've had those problems on my 93GXE (same engine and tranny as this guy) and that they've fixed my problems.
You also argued with every other person in this thread trying to insist you're right. If you are, then so be it. The other members were offering suggestions as to what the problem was based on their experiences also.
Obviously brake rotors aren't it because the car is stopped, but all the others were valid suggestions to look at- yet you continued to blast and insult the other posters because you've owned and worked on more maximas than we can count. Well buddy, join the club. I've owned a couple myself, worked on half a dozen in the past, and I'm rebuilding the top end on another one this weekend. and these are all 3rd gens with VEs and VGs. a 98 I30 with a VW has almost ZERO similarity to a VG engine. completely different principles of design and technology.

So stop insisting that you're better than everyone else. you may have experience before, but you haven't had ALL of them. You can't speak positively about what some things will or won't fix a certain problem.

 

At idle the engine uses a minute amount of air. A dirty air filter effects the engine at large throttle openings, where large amounts of air are used. A soda straw flows enough air for the engine at idle.

Try thinking about how an engine works before fixating on one of the few things that you know.

 

Matt, Matt, Matt.........I'm going through the same problems Hcll is going through with his car. All I'm trying to do is cut his time in half.

Just to let you know that I'm not letting all the air escape from my from my head this is what I have done.

1.)I have replaced my tranny fluid, with synthetic, still shakes
2.)I have replaced my air filter, almost no difference
3.)I have inspected my tranny mounts, they passed
4.)I have pulled out every spark plug and discovered that they have oil on them*, haven't fixed this problem yet
5.)I have checked my o2 sensor, no problems with it
6.)I have adjusted my idle, still shakes

I don't have spark plug wires and a cap and rotor so I recommended that Hcll checks in to that because he has never replaced them. Who knows how old they are and what condition there in??? Cleaning the throttle body and checking for bad fuel injectors is the way to go.

GOOD LUCK HCLL!!!

 

Oil on the spark plugs? On the threads or on the tips? Could be the cause of your shaking perhaps.

B

 

hmmm funny.. look at #4 on my list, suggesting the ignition system has a problem. (bad plugs/wires/etc). you have bad plugs, yet you tell me it's not the problem. nice.

changing the tranny fluid will do nothing if your tranny is in its last stages of life. vibrations won't go away if you just put clean fluid in it..

Tranny mounts and engine mounts are NOT the same thing. 90% of the engine/tranny weight is on the engine mounts. the tranny mounts are really only there to keep the engine from rocking back and forth laterally. (the CV joints also help to hold it in place there). at least 90% of the energy under the hood is absorbed by the engine mounts. the tranny mounts don't do squat, unless you're dumping the clutch on a hard shift. I actually drove for a week with my rear tranny mount out of the car and it didn't feel any different unless I really beat on the car.

low idle will still cause some vibrations, even if it is up to factory specs. if it's much lower than spec, it'll cause a bunch of vibrations.

O2 sensor will do basically nothing at idle.