I got into my 97 Maxima, started out of the neighboorhood, and got about a 1/4 of a mile and bam! It's like I shut off the ignition key, all lamps lit up and it will not start, seems electrical, but not sure where to start looking, I looked at all the fuses and fuseable links under the COVERS, is there another one I'm missing?
ALL HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! I need to go to work!
THanks
2Maximas

 

i got the same problem.. let me know if you find out anything.. thx

 

it could be a fuse ... it could also be an electrical short somewhere

 

What is that aluminum covered bar that is mounted to the front strut tower on the drivers side that is right behind the air filter box? Like I said its covered by aluminum but is ceramic about a 1/2 inch square and 3 inches long. Has a 2 pin connector going into it. I think it might be a fueable link but I'm not sure. I just changed plugs and cleaned the throttlebody and it was running GREAT ......for about 2 weeks then this. could I have banged something? or f#@ked something up? I put a stillen intake on it and it rubs on that aluminum coverd ceramic doohickie......any ideas? I checked the fuel pump fuse, and most of the others, including all that are under the hood....I'm stumped! It was just like I turned it off, it's got to be electrical.....it didn't stumble or anything like it was running out of fuel.....I don't think it's getting fire, it is under the alternator recall list and I have not had time to get it to the dealer, could that have something to do with it?
HEP ME PLEASE! all you Maxima gurus out there must have an answer for me....
Thanks
2Maximas......I don't want to go to the dealer (mucho denero!) Could the computer have stored a code?....I'll check that next.
Thanks Again
2Maximas

 

1) Do you have power?
2) Does the engine crank at all?
3) Do you hear the fuel pump start up when you turn the key?
4) Do you have gas?
5) What happens when you try to start the car now?

this should help us move in the right direction...

as for the fuseable links, I'm fairly certain that they are toward
the front of the engine bay, and in black plastic boxes...

FLO_BOY

 

1) Yes, power is available, all options work (electrical), starter turns over, and it's not slow (yet, if I keep trying to crank it I'm going to kill the battery tho) I do have a charger tho...

2) No the engine turns over but does not even try to "catch" or stumble, or attempt to run on it's own, just the starter turning it over.

3) Not sure about the fuel pump, how loud should it be? I can take the rear seat out to have direct access to it if that will help me hear it.

4) guage shows a little less than a 1/4 of a tank, BUT I put indiglow guage faces in it and sometimes they hang, I will smak the dash and make sure that the needle is not hung. (however this has not been a problem in the past, usually reads pretty close to correct and the low fuel lamp is NOT illuminated)

5) When I try to start the car now it just turns over normally from the starter motor turning it over, it does not even try to run on it's own.

It is under the alternator recall list, I have not had it in to see if it is one of the alternators that need replacing, but it has never failed to start in the past, and has always run pretty good. I did do a tuneup on it (throttle body cleaning, NGK coppers,)

What's next? should I go outside and see if I can hear the fuel pump running? Should I check to see if the ECU stored a code? Can you identify the part I described in the above post?
Thanks for all your help, I am ready to follow instructions.
Thanks Again,
2Maximas

 

If the car cranks but the engine doesn't turn over, sounds like a fuel problem to me.

 

Crank sensor or fuel pump. Sounds like the engine's not
getting any fuel or it's not sensing that the motor is turning
over.

 

Yup

 

Pleae define "cranking" and "turning over" to me if the starter is running, and the engine is being spun by the starter then it is "turning over" it's just not starting.
Remember this happened all of a sudden, no hesitation, stumbling, or other indications that it was starving for fuel. It's just like I said before, It's like you stalled it by letting the clutch out without enough gas, That is the indication I got. Just like I had stalled it. all lamps illuminated, just quit running. all almps were lit, just as if you were about to start the car, just prior to turning the key to the spring loaded position to engage the starter.
What REALLY scares me is that I'll go out there in a min. and it WILL start. Then I'll have no way to troubleshoot it. Intermittent problems are worse than steady ones because you can't determine when you have found the bad component.
2Maximas

 

If the fuel pump died would it stumble or act starved for fuel before dying? This was just like the switch was turned off. Where is the crank sensor located, Maybe I've got a bad connection, I've been under the hood allot lately, could I have accidently made the connection loose and it finally became disconnected?

 

OK -- my $0.02...

1) Check for codes!!! Do this NOW!!!
2) If it's not a pain in the ***, add fuel -- doesn't hurt.
3) have someone turn the ignition while you stick your head in the
engine bay. don't crank the car, just turn the key to "ON". You
should hear the fuel pump make some noise (not sure how to
describe it, but, if you hear nothing, its bad.
4) Alternator isn't the problem...not if your car is trying to start OK.
5) I had similar problems...turned out that I had a really really bad
connection to my coil packs...mind you, even when my car would
shut off, it would start again immediately.

hope this helps,
FLO_BOY

 

I've always defined "cranking" as the starter doing its thing (errr errr errr), and "turning over" is when the engine catches (vroom). Maybe I'm wrong but thats the way I learned it when I was a kid. I heard my dad saying "the engine just won't turn over" and he implied it would not start. We would have to crank and crank and crank and eventually that old Datsun would start!

 

If your fuel pump went out it would just die all the sudden like
you described. The pump would shut off and no fuel would make it to your engine. I've had this happen on my old car, I was just driving
along and all of the sudden the car just shut off, just like I turned
the key. When I tryed to start it again it would just crank over and
not fire.
Another time I went out to start my car and it would not start, same
symptoms as before. I thought my fuel pump had went out again but
it was a bad crank sensor. The car would just keep cranking and not
fire because the computer didn't sense that the engine was turning
over (trying to start) so the ignition didn't send a spark.

 

Well I know this sounds wierd but a friend of mine had a car do the same thing to him. It turned out to be the battery of all things. Starter motor would turn the engine over just fine but it wouldn't start. He even argued with the guy and told him "it's not the battery, the starter turns the engine over just fine" Well guess what, it was the battery. So I figured what the heck I have nothing to loose at this point. Checked the cells and they were REAL low. filled them to the ring with distilled water and put the charger on it and guess what. It's damn near dead as a doornail!! So it's out there charging right now. I called the Dealer and I'm first in line on Monday to have my alternator replaced under the recall and if it's not running by Monday they are going to send a tow truck over here to pick it up. I live on an island and the dealer is on the mainland. So I'll have to suckup that cost as well as what ever else they find wrong. I hope the battery will do the trick, although I'm still doubtful. I'll let everybody know what they find. and I'll let you guys know if the battery charge did any good.
Thanks for all the help, if anyone has anymore suggestions, please send them my way!
Thanks
2Maximas

 

Something definately wrong with the battery, won't take a charge correctly, schumacher charger will get almost all the way to the left, then jump up and then drop back down. This in volts is 12.85 then jump to 14.5 then back down to 12.85 WTF?
Thanks
2Maximas

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 2maximas
[B]

What is that aluminum covered bar that is mounted to the front strut tower on the drivers side that is right behind the air filter box? Like I said its covered by aluminum but is ceramic about a 1/2 inch square and 3 inches long. Has a 2 pin connector going into it.

(This is a resistor for the transmission which assists in the shifting.)

I think it might be a fueable link but I'm not sure.
(Nope)

I just changed plugs and cleaned the throttlebody and it was running GREAT ......for about 2 weeks then this. could I have banged something? or f#@ked something up?

(No, sounds more like a bad battery, or an electrical short.)

I put a stillen intake on it and it rubs on that aluminum coverd ceramic doohickie......any ideas?

(Relocate the resistor to one of the free areas nearby on the strut tower.)

I checked the fuel pump fuse, and most of the others, including all that are under the hood....I'm stumped! It was just like I turned it off, it's got to be electrical.....it didn't stumble or anything like it was running out of fuel.....I don't think it's getting fire, it is under the alternator recall list and I have not had time to get it to the dealer, could that have something to do with it?

(Could be, my alternator died a few months back.. the lights all went dim though and it hardly ran, but it didnt die, i just drove it back home lightly because flooring it didnt do any good.)

Hope this helps,
Dave

 

OK.. The maxima will run without a batttery if you can fire it.. I doubt this is your issue.. I have seen this issue 2 times before...

On the pos. lead to your battery should be a ton of little wires..
1. One time one of these wires randomly corroded off.
2. Follow these wires up the driverside (By the gray box you discribe which is automatic tranny item)... These wires have all sorts of jacks and then run into the fuse/relay box up there.. One time I took these apart and I failed to put them back together well and they worked themselves apart..

#1 is VERY likely so search carefully for a wire that came off and probably fell down.. also consider that it may be broken but still look attached.. Make sure it is corrosion free.

 

If it's only the battery, why did the engine die spontaneously while you were driving it?

 

I don't know, I just know that the battery is definately screwedup, and have had a friend have this happen to him before, battery would turn the starter but not crank the engine. What about the impact sensors that are supposed to cut the fuel during a crash? I had that happen on my Mercury mountaineer, rest it and the car started right up. I'm going to check on that too....

 

Stop your grinnin and drop your linen, FOUND IT! Rear crank position sensor! The *******S that out on my Y pipe didn't do it the way I told them, the o2 sensor cable is also heald by the.......you guessed it! rear crank position sensor bracket. The F*&KING thinbg was broken in HALF! I have no Idea how it was working up untill now, unless the stress from the O2 sensor cable, abd maybe running over a stick that just happened to smak it in the right place cracked it in half. But it's most definately BROKEN. I hope it didn't screwup anything else, there are some metal shavings on it (it's a permanant magnet pickup) Well anybody got one? It's Saturday and the parts stores don't have it. You know what that means.....dealer part S*IT! and the dealer parts dept. closed till Monday..........F*&KED again.
Thanks for all your help
2Maximas

 

Man, Closed til monday? That sucks, what kind of town are they in?
The local Nissan Dealers here, the parts departments are open
Saturday and Sunday until 5pm!

Dave

 

Rinky Dink little South Georgia town,(Brunswick, Ga.) and on top of that I live on an island off the coast of this little town......St. Simons Island. EVERYBODY'S off on Sat and Sun. These dealers here are the pits for everything, I've had Fords, Chevys, Nissans, and every dealership here stinks. I called Jacksonville Florida and they have open parts dept. but this item is not stocked, I can't even drive 100 miles and get one!!!! I got a price tho....$104.00 for a circuit board the size of your thumb nail and a magnet WHOOOOOOHOOOOOO hi tech part, but lets screw the owners of our cars and overcharge for parts. It's worth about 20 bux tops! I may try to fix the one I have, I'm military qualified at micro soldering, and I think I can fix it. I'll use liquid steel to put it back together after I solder the leads back, then use silicone rubber as a potting material to cover the electronics......
2Maximas
Oh, call and see if your dealer has one in stock, I'm curious, Jacksonville dealer said that is a non stocked part. I'd rather find one in a junkyard but ........you guessed it they are closed 8 to 1 on Sat!!!! I could probably get it for 5 bux from a junkyard! Anybody know of where I could get one of these beasts? a lockedup engine, or maybe a wreck? I'd be happy to pay overnight shipping and it would fit into one of those overnight FedEx envelopes.
All help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again for all the help.
2Maximas

 

I called Future Nissan and talked to "The Bill" here in Roseville, CA at 916-786-7878.
I wasnt sure if your car was manual or auto so i said AUTO.
(not sure if the part is the same or not)

They have the cheaper item in stock but not the other one,
i guess thats the one you prob need too.

Crank shaft Position Sensor
(Located Below Crank Pulley in front)
$89.65
Part #2373131U11

Crank shaft Position Sensor
(Located on bell housing)
$122.. didnt get the exact price.
Part #2373135U11

Hope this helps,
Dave