I have a 99 Limited, auto, loaded. I bought it used in 2000 and have been dealing with this problem from day one. The car starts great and it never dies but when I’m stopped with the car in gear it seams to miss. The longer I sit the worse it gets. When I do take off it has trouble gaining rpm. I’ve had the car to three different dealers, changed injectors, and coils on 3 and 5. New plugs and wires but nothing solves the problem. Although the dealer feels the problem on a test drives they can’t fix it.
Lately it hasn’t been doing it as much but yesterday I took it in for rear brakes so I had the dealer look at the problem again. They claim the only thing they did was put it on the computer but now the problem is amplified. It’s so bad the check engine light comes on. I’m about ready to dump this piece of junk and buy an American car.

 

you are not going to get a good responce if you make fun of our cars. i understand you are upset, but how far do you think you are going to get if you put us down???

 

Jeez dude, he's not making fun, he's just frustrated. I can understand that.

Skully, sorry, no answer for you from me. I just don't know.

 

you said that. go ahead buy the american trash and watch it fall apart on the test drive and then you will feel dumb and then you better come back with your tail between your legs and buy us some f*cking in and out burger. every member free double doubles from your dumb frustrated ***. the maximas rule, of course there are problems with every car. your first problem is you are taking it to dealers. get someone else like a mechanic. dealers are pretty boys on commission. good luck but don't post hater comments. thats just rude.

or SHIFT_YOURSELF TO ANOTHER FORUM

 

Anyone want to step in and give Skully some help?

 

One thing I have found is that alot of American cars are not engineered as well as Japanese and German cars...... The US can build some great cars, but the Germans and Japanese are the best....... My brother has a 1982 Mercedes Benz, and the thing has over 500,000 miles on it. That car still looks and drives like its brand new.... My parents bought a 1990 Honda Civic, and it still drives and operates like its brand new.... Nissan Maximas tend to be the same way......

 

Only bad thing is that I dont know what the problem is with your Maxima.... I would like to help ya if I could...

 

SHIFT_wow, that was real clever. I think you should go into marketing. Your 566 characters of garbage have added nothing to the world. Skully is not hating on anything except his crappy acceleration and misfiring engine. As previously stated, this guy is frustrated because he has a problem that he can't figure out. Why don't you follow your own advice and "don't post hater comments". Now die.

Skully, do you know what codes are triggering the CEL?

 

ECU Diagnosis Codes

Thats the link to the ECU Fault code diagnosis if you need it Skully

 

If you go back to the main 4th gen list of threads and look at the top you'll see a FAQ thread. read through it on how to look at/understand your Check engine light codes (service engine soon light) if the light is on. it sounds like a torque converter problem, but i'm not a mechanic. i would certainly consider taking it to a mechanic OTHER than the dealer. maybe someone you know personally or trust just to get their professional, expert opinion.
i wouldn't consider junking the car until you find out what the problem is. 99.9% chance itll be easier/cheaper/less work for you to fix it as opposed to replace the entire car.

but if you do want to get rid of the car, ill take it off you hands for a penny or two.

 

could be a trans problem? if gears are missing?...dont give up on the problem...

for the record, its a well known fact on average more people complain about problems in domestics than in imports...and there are more imports than domestics...

 

Your going to dump this piece of junk. Well why dont you look at consumer reports and everything and you would find out that the maxima, and nissan in general is a best buy. If you get an american can it will just lead to more problems.

 

You guys aren't getting it.
THE BOY IS FRUSTRATED!!!!
I mean, I love my car too, but leave it alone.
Imports are better cars because of all the technology, but
that makes them alot harder to diagnose and fix. Some sensor, or even just the wire connected to the sensor, can go wrong and really f* you up. Domestics are simpler.

Either way, I don't think the man is running to Chrysler if he's
askin' us what to do.

go wrong

 

A couple of thoughts, and I preface that I'm no diagnostic expert.

First - what about the IACV? There was an interesting post a few weeks ago on how the IACV was affecting idle under load (like when you're sitting at a stoplight, in gear.) Second - crappy PCV valve? In the same post, there was discussion about how a bad PCV valve might cause stumbling or idle trouble. I'd search for the thread but don't have access to the search function. Finally - what about a vaccuum leak somewhere?

Hope these suggestions might point you in a different direction.

Good luck,
TOM

 

so when you rev it in neutral it doesn't have a problem?

 

alright, you say miss in your thread. and then you say, injectors/coil packs/plugs and wires, which would lead me to believe you mean like a misfire. and then you say,"when i do take off", which i think is confusing some people into thinking it is a tranny problem.
but from reading your post, thoroughly. it sounds like maybe a bad coil, or plug. why only 3 and 5? and what do you mean changed your wires? you need to describe the miss better, ie. is there a noise, is it a hesitation, does it get better when you push harder on the accelerater.(fyi technically the brake pedal should also be called the accelerater. Acceleration is defined as a change in the rate of speed, be it a negative or a positve shift.)anyways im reffering to the gas pedal in case i confused anybody. describe the the problem in detail more.

 

I have had the same problem and found the most unlikely culprit!

After replacing all of my injectors, fixing every possible vacuum leak and testing and adjusting every possible I found the problem!
Attached to the EGR valve is what I think is called the EPR or EVCR
valve. It essentially senses exhaust pressure levels and acts as a vacuum valve for the line that controls the EGR. The way it does this by dropping a diaphragm when exhaust pres. is low causing a vacuum leak between the EGR valve and the intake.
When it goes bad it cause an idle only vacuum leak. (low exhaust pressure causes the control valve to open, like AT IDLE)

I bypassed mine (which causes another problem you don't want) and the rough idle and even my gas mileage problems have vanished. Ok so, I have some surging on light acceleration... but I can take that until the new valve shows up.

PS: You can do a quick test to see if this is your problem by disconnecting and plugging the vacuum line that comes out of the very bottom of your throttle body. You will likely end up with a code 36 error if you drive like this for long but it will tell you if this is the problem. (code 36 is the EGR temp sensor... and I don't think it caused a chk engine lite.... but it does log the code in the ECU )

Good luck!

PSS:
Ford=Fix Or Repair Daily
GM=Glad Mine is a Maxima

 

If it had a carb, I would say your choke is sticking.
Maybe it is running rich. If your tail pipe has thick black soot in it, it is running to rich at idle.

If your CEL light finally came on, you may now be able to figure it out. Perhaps a fuel system or emmision unit was failing, finally died, and generated a fault code.

Good luck.

 

GO ahead! Get an American car! Go turn your back on your Maxima, on us (your family) you bastard! See how long you last in that American pile of garbage! (*%#$(* (#*%(@*#^% (#@*%&(* !!!!!!!!

 

i beg to differ:

my 99 SE-L has OBD-2, plus the ability to diagnose and reset the ECU myself.

My gf's 02 sunfire has only OBD-2, and sketchy OBD-2, at that. Unless you have hands the size of a baby, you're better off removing the wheel to change the oil filter.

I've had my car for one year in july, and the only problem i've had with it that i didn't cause myself was the alignment.

She had it a year in march and so far:

1 O2 sensor
4 bad hubcaps
3 problems with the window actuator
2 problems with window switch
2 problems with door lock switch
And now a rattle in the dash
Plus, since she bought it, the paint looks like ****, compared to my 3 year old paint which looks as good as the day it rolled off the lot.

My dad's 96 camry hits 220,00 miles on it's original 4 cylinder engine soon. And even though it's a 4 banger, it still had great pick up, and still retains that today. My aunt has an early 80's benz, and sometime this year, it will roll over 700,000 miles. Find me an american car that can do that.

Granted this isn't a debate over domestics VS imports, but the point is, that if you have a problem with a good car, don't give up and settle for a car made with less quality.

 

 

bump..