Last month my '97 SE CEL came on and the car was sputtering and smoking terribly out of the tailpipe. My neighbor recommended a shop and they diagnosed it as a bad ECM (per a Technical Service Bulletin) and replaced it - $900!!

This was before I found maxima.org. Wish I knew about it before then. Now, the problem has apparently resurfaced. Today, same symptoms occurred. I ran the trouble codes and came up with 0701 - multiple cylinder misfire (no other codes). The car will run fine for a few miles, and then begin sputtering and holding a VERY low idle speed. There is a very distinct fuel smell. Also, the CEL began flashing. I reset the ECU and I'm unable to trigger the CEL again even though the symptoms are still there.

Any ideas? Max has 66,000 miles and was just getting ready for a tune up. Could this possibly fix the problem? Any chance the mechanic took me to the cleaners last month?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

-Michael

 

Make sure your sparkplugs are properly gapped and the tips are not bent. I had a cylinder misfire from a sparkplug tip being bent, easy $11 fix.
-Cyrus

 

At 66k, the car is in need of a major tune-up anyway. Just worn sparkplugs could easily describe your symptoms, combine that with a clogged fuel filter and dirty TB and it's not hard to create these problems. Of course, it may very well be something else, but since your car needs these things, I would start there and see what happens. Most of the info on what needs to be done and the writeups on how to do it can be found by searching the forum here. You should be able to DIY for a parts cost of around $100.

 

YUP - He took you to the cleaners alright.

You are in need of a tune up as per Nissan service intervals, however I don't think it's going to "FIX" your problem. It may mask it until things get worse. You probably have a few coil packs starting to get weak. If you get a Haynes manual or search this forum you'll find how to measure and test them to locate the weak ones. Even at 66K miles, Platinum Tipped plugs should fire just fine. I've seen some cars, including my Dads 94 Maxima go 120,000 miles without a tune up. When I discovered this I did give him $hit about it, but bottom line is you have a problem developing that has to be fixed first.

I'd also go back to your Mechanic and tell him that what he replaced did not fix your problem. Tell him what he replaced wasn't broken and ask him to back up his work and prove to you that your old ECU was broken. $900 bucks for a repair that didn't fix your original problem would be enough for me to drag a lawyer into the picture. I'd want my money back for that job for sure!

And find another mechanic please......