So in july i put a flow master and magnaflow cat my car.
The sound was an obnoxious, yet beautiful thing!


However, i wasn't at my mechanics just to get my muffler stuff done, but also for a regular Tune up

We noticed that the car was running on 5 cylinders sometimes rather then 6 cylinders. Sometimes it even seems like four. we tested it by one by one unplugging the spark plugs. Obviously the one that did absolutely nothing was the problem. We tried replacing the boot of the spark plug and nothing happened. MInd you, these a relatively new ngk's in the car. Anyway Is it the FUEL injector that is the problem?

Because sometimes at a redlight by RPM drops and lurches back up to normal.

Moreover, i can tell when my car has lost a cylinder cause the Exhaust sounds like a weak Gurgle.

I THINK my car is running on 5 cylinders and sometimes drops to 4 , RATHER then running on 6 going to 5.


New fuel injectors?
What's the deal..


But sometimes the car drives perfectly , with true VE power!

 

Test the resistance on the injectors with a multi meter. It could also be one of the coils breaking down causing weak spark or not working at all. Did your mechanic do a compression test on the cylinders in question?

 

jiggle the connector of the offending injector...does it change anything?

 

This sounds similar to a problem I am having with my 5th gen idle. I have a current string with vids if you want to check it out.

 

My 89 maxima is currently doing the same EXACT thing. The power is much worse and the sound is identical to what your describing and the RPM thing at red lights is also identical. There are a lot of things that can cause cylinder misfires but with the symptoms your car is showing it is almost certain it's the fuel injectors.

Get a multimeter. Set the range to ohms at the 20k marks. Unplug your injector plugs to the cylinder(s) you think is(are) giving you the problem and touch the multimeter wires to the two small metal components on the actual injector. A good injector should range from 10-14 ohms. anything outside of this range means it's bad. Here is a link that can describe everything having to do with this.

http://www.caraudiohelp.com/nissan_m...e_tutorial.htm

 

My 1990 Maxima had a similar problem. I had a couple of bad injectors and all of the contacts on the injectors and leads had a heavy coating of green oxidation.

Make sure you check and clean the contacts, also some dielectric grease will help prevent future oxidation.

 

Yea, this seems to be a generic problem. I might just end up getting performance injectors soon enough. Probably new leads too.

Do you guys notice an obvious drop in power when a cylinder turns off? Sometimes it's subtle and sometimes its like wtf

Does coke clean the oxidation well?

 

One cylinder shutting down will give you some engine shake, but you will definitely notice 2 cylinders shutting down!

Also, you can check and clean all the leads and connectors (except no. 2 cylinder) without removing the intake. The leads come off with a jeweler's screw driver to pull the wire clip, and needle nose pliers to grab the clip so it doesn't go flying!

For cleaning I used a really small drill bit and hand twisted it in the lead until I could see the copper again. I used a tiny metal file on the injector leads and hand filed down until I could see the metal. Then blew out the debris with an air hose and coated with dielectric grease.

You might also want to check the back of the boots on the leads. Mine were all cracked, letting in moisture, hence the heavy oxidation. I sealed them up with some epoxy adhesive, then wrapped them with electrical tape. Or you can just replace the leads if you don't mind some rewiring.

 

partsgeek.com has injectors for as low as $26 each! Or you can just upgrade all your injectors too new ABC Nissan, Courtesy Nissan, or Nissan parts asap.

 

Also, you can an audible check to see if the injector is working or not.

Just get any narrow metal pipe (like for a faucet or toilet) put one end on the injector and the other end in your ear. With the car running you should hear the tick, tick, tick of a working injector, but nothing from a dead one.

Then you can check the resistance (12 ohms) and connectors on just the dead injectors. May save you some time.

 

Yesterday i took HUGE risk by cleaning all the filth under the hood. I used Gunk, and cleaned all the oil and grease off my engine. I covered the intake, and just sprayed the engine bay. wiped it clean. I knew i was taking a risk, but i WAS really getting tired of smelling burning oil while driving.

Obviously there are wires and stuff in the engine bay that are somewhat exposed.

BUt today,
My rpms are really really bad, even in idle. it stalled twice within a minute

Fuel injectors seem to be the problem , gosh im so nervous about losing my first love!

Rpm problems - YouTube

 

My car is really letting me have it.
EVERY time I accelerate, the rpms keep dropping than surges power.

at for my rpms have bipolar and the lights dim sometimes. I expect a stall any time.

I'm really concerned what to do

 

People are giving you advise on what you should do. Have you tested the injectors or checked the coils or even a compression check yet?

 

I believe the problem may be that water got in somewhere it shouldn't have.

Perhaps the throttle body position sensor
Or the mass air flow sensor. Not accelerating property, engine keeps bucking.

Everyone is so helpful. Thank you all!

 

So has this misfire been happening before or after you decided to wash the engine? The TPS is quite simple to change but check the resistance on your injectors and check the coils first maybe move the coil from the cylinder in question to another cylinder and see if the misfire moves to the cylinder you swapped the coil with. Your misfire causing bucking and hesitation is most likely one of those. TPS or MAF is a little less likely but not to rule that out as of yet.

 

It was happening rarely before, i seem to have made the problem worse.

I will do these tests as soon as i can because my car is parked outside and it is quite frigid here. I can't really wear gloves while doing car engine work cause it wont be very dexterous .

I'll test it as soon as i can.

My mechanic suggested, whenever i have a sunny day I should leave the hood open, unplug electrical connections and blow them with a hair dryer and let it air dar.

 

Found the problem, THERE was water in the cylinders! Thanks!

 

haha spoke too soon! I cleaned all the cylinders, but the problem is still there!

 

I chased a rough running issue which came out of nowhere. By pulling ignition leads I found that cylinder 4 wasn't firing. Spark was OK so I suspected injector. Resistance good I though maybe faulty harness. About to pull my hair out I started fiddling with fuses under dash and found a partially dislodged "Eng Cont" fuse. Pushing it in solved the prob. There were no error codes and pulling the fuse just stopped all action. I was unable to reproduce this behaviour! The only other issue I had years ago was an intermittent MAF Meter issue which was also hard to diagnose. Car is getting to 30 years old. When all is well (which is most of the time) it goes like new. I find the worst problems come from frail rubber & plastic bits which is a worry because there is a lot of that in the Max. The other problem is with capacitors in the electronics. In the end we might all have to revert to cars made from metal, like early Volvos or Datsuns. Or become wealthy and join the trow-away society.