DjcmSS

Hey Guys, Just wondering if anyone could help me out or if anyone has similar problems. I have a 96 SE 5 speed and alot while accelerating in 2nd and 3rd gear the engine seems to bog down, then pick up like usual, then bog down again. Also noticed alot of times when shifting into 3rd the throttle like "buckles" down i guess you could say and then goes back to normal. What does this sound like? Possible a fuel filter or fuel system cleaning needed? Whatever input you could give me would be helpful.

Thanks

jamier2

Hi,

I have the same car as you 96 SE 5 speed, and I'm getting the same problem. I'm gonna clean the throttle body next week and see if that helps any. I'll let you know if it does.

DjcmSS

Yeh Definitley let me know then...I'm gonna have to clean mine in the near future.

Kehops

IS it original Knock sensor on the car? My 97 was bogging under 3K and I chaneg the KS 2 days ago. Difference is like night and day.

DjcmSS

I believe it still is, i got the car 10k miles ago and it now has 70k on it. I don't believe the previous owner had that replaced. I'll have to look into possibly getting that replaced too.

bg18461

iTrader: (8)

I have a 95se manual, and i replaced the ks last month, the first couple of days it definitely made a difference, but it seems to have gone back to the same issue, its like i have to run first gear up so i can have some sort of power in 2nd and 3rd. Feels like i have very little torque in the low power band of the 2nd and 3rd gears.

BOSS

NO, NO, NO, NO, and NO to all the replies at once! 99% of time the hesitations you describe occur because of nothing else but bad/defective/worn ignition coils. I am 100% positive that one, or perhaps more, of your ignition coils is/are slowly going dead since you can still accelerate.

Anyway, I experienced the same exact thing and it was the ignition coils. Ask people here and I guarantee that 90% of knowledgeable members will agree with me. Coils on many 4th gen Maximas are weak and often need replacement. I will be going through a 3rd coil very soon.

I also thought it might be fuel filter or fuel system in need of cleaning etc. - BS! A regular 4th gen Maxima should never need fuel system cleaning like say throttle body etc. Yes, fuel filter needs to be changed once in a great while but what causes the hesitations is/are bad ignition coils, I guarantee it!

PM me if you want more specific info on coils, when/how/why to change etc.

DjcmSS

Thanks for the response BOSS, how much are these ignition coils and how easy/hard are they to replace? On a side note i picked up a K+N filter and installed when i got home. Well i'll tell ya there is a very noticeable difference. My car now idles where it should, and is a whole lot smoother then before. Also there is a decent sound increase too, sounds good. There is no hesitation or shakiness while pulling out in first and the hesitation in 2nd and 3rd dropped quite a bit. The old paper filter was really black and dirty. I'm quite impressed it made that much of a difference.

Kevlo911

iTrader: (36)

96 have not been known for coil probs only some 98's and alot of 99+

i would say its either a o2 sensor ready to die or knock sensor

BOSS

If it was an o2 sensor or a knock sensor, then you would get a SES (service engine soon) light, and a code with it. I know because I replaced both. With coils, however, you almost NEVER get a code at first when the coil(s) is/are weak. It takes a considerable amount of time to throw a code generated by a defective coil, like say a few months of driving.

The reason why it takes so long is because a slightly defective coil (like the one giving him only hesitations in acceleration) is not damaged enough yet to cause a severe cylinder misfire. It is not until the coil is extremely weak/damaged, in say a few months, that it will cause the ECU to throw a code such as "cylinder #5 misfire", as mine did. Only then you know for sure which coil is bad, causing a specific cylinder to misfire.

Oh, and although not as frequently defective as in the 98/99, 95/96 models are also known to have had issues with ignition coils - it is quite common in every 4th gen Maxima. Search on the internet yourself and you will find that Nissan always had trouble with ignition coils ever since the 4th gen Maximas were produced. These direct ignition systems replaced the old ignition cable system, but because the 4th gen maxima engine was/is so powerful, some coils began give out.

What happened next was Nissan switched the manufacturer of their ignition coils somewhere in 98/99 and what resulted was a total catastrophie - the new coils were even weaker and worse than the previous; hence, more problems with them on 98/99 models. Also, look on Nissan's sites and you will find testimonials from people, frequently complaining about the coils and how they should have been recalled. Like I said, I own a 99 SE and will be going through a 3rd coil with only 59k miles.

Hey, I'm helping you out because I know how it feels. I was extremely dissappointed in my Maxima when my coils started going bad. I almost wanted a new car because at the time I knew very little about what caused the hesitations. Soon after, however, I found out that it is a common issue with all 4th gen Maximas and I was happy again.

Coils are expensive, range from about $55 to $95 per coil (we have 6 obviously) depending on where you buy and what manufacturer. I would go with OEM Nissan coils. But they are defective, so you ask why? Well, the new OEM 4th gen coils that you buy at a Nissan dealer are redesigned and supposedly flawless, as Nissan claims. As far as I know, there were no reported problems of coils going bad after replacing all 6 with the new and improved Nissan OEM 4th gen coils.

Finally, about the filter. OMG, what you just said is simply too coincidental with what happened to me. I also put on a K&N cone filter during the time that my first coil was going bad. And yes, the hesitations occurred less frequently after putting on the aftermarket air filter. I don't quite know how to explain it, but somehow the massive amount of extra air sucked into the throttle body does somehow accumulate for the decrease in hesitations.

HOWEVER, don't count on it. All it did was lessen the hesitations a little. You still have hesitations, like you said yourself, so you will continue to have them until you change the defective ignition coil(s). Soon enough you will realize that the hesitations are so random that all the filter is doing is transporting this randomness into a higher RPM range. That's exactly what happened to me.

ignition coils are as follows:
(looking at the engine bay from the front of the car)

1 3 5 -----> these are your "rear coils"

2 4 6 -----> these are your "front coils"

Yes, the 3 front and 3 rear coils are different.

Good luck!

DjcmSS

Man BOSS, thanks for all the advice . I know the K+N isn't ridding me of the problem but i'm still amazed at how much better my car is running since the filter change. Just took a 1/2 hour drive and i barely noticed any hesitation whatsoever. I know eventually it'll prob get worse but with lack of funds i'll prolong it as long as i can. Hopefully the extended warranty i got would cover the ignition problems? It pretty much covers everything, of course it has a 100 dollar deductible but that's no biggie. Thanks for your help again.

Maximum96

iTrader: (2)

could it be a bad MAF sensor ??

Kehops

In most cases, KS will not trigger SES light. It's ironic that you feel that your prognosis is the only one in this thread with any credibility and then you go and ruin it by saying something wacky. It's very common knowledge that the KS will not trigger the CEL, but you can still pull a code.

DjcmSS, do me a favor, pull the codes from your ECU, and if it's all clear, I'll shut up.

Kevlo911

iTrader: (36)

i have read some cases where an o2 sensor was not fully working and did not trigger a CEL. only way to find out is to take a multi meter to it and measure. Knock sensors do not trigger CEL at all

astil

iTrader: (1)

Very interesting story...I had a 99 GXE wit 40 k and the car had hesitations between 2k and 3 k, but no probs over that. I changed the gas station and started use the premium octane,and the hesitation was gone. The gas mileage was good ,so I didn t bother to check the KS. Later I changed the 99 GXE max for a 96 Se . The car has 143 k now ,and is great. I did change the Ks and O2 sensors , so I m very pleased. I had no CEL on but the mileage was not good, I had some codes.
I don t agree with Boss ,when he said that TB cleaning is not needed...Clean it and you ll see what kind of dirt (maybe some strange animals ) is in the TB. I also don t know about the coils prob...Do they all go (or get weaker) in the same time , or one by one ? Not sure what to think about that one, but ill still read your opinions...

Taken2DaMax

iTrader: (5)

I'm having the same problem with hesitation on acceleration with my 1997 se. How do you know which coil is going bad? And would it be easy to install?

BOSS

I respect your opinion, but see, unlike you, I actually have a prognosis. On top of that, the only individual who ruined anything here is you by stating absolute non-sense, issuing no help whatsoever. It's funny to hear that I have no credibility in this thread coming from someone who says nothing knowledgeable, probably having never experienced even one of the above-listed tribulations with 4th gen Maximas.

In any case, you are wrong and I am willing to bet that it is indeed one of his coils going bad. I do know that KS does not necesarilly trigger an SES light - I've been here long enough to know that, however, like you said yourself, you could get the code pulled from the ECU.

An Ignition coil going bad, on the other hand, WILL NEVER 1) throw an SES light until it is defective enough to cause a severe cylinder misfire, which always takes months, sometimes up to a year of driving and 2) you cannot pull a code from an ECU when an ignition coil is going bad and no SES light is on like you can with the knock sensor.

Above all, 99% of problems with knock sensor result in knocking and different type of acceleration problems. The specific micro-second pauses (hesitations) in acceleration are always due to defective coil(s).

Shift_Power

Hey Boss, ease up. You and I both know its almost 99% a coil problem...you and I have posted before stating this fact for people just experiencing these problems. We both agree with each other...now if some don't agree with you, screw them, they can replace as much as they want and eventually they'll realize its coils. Coils will throw a CEL, but only when they deteriorate extremely far as Boss says...I had one that did this and one that didn't. Now, if you check your engine, you will likely find a KS code (I had one) replaced my KS and it did nothing. Not until I replaced my coil did it solve the problem...lesson: Bad coils can cause a KS code, but its not the KS that's bad...its a secondary part like COILS.

You don't know which coil is bad, you can yank them out of the car while its idling to see which ones do not make the engine sound worse those are bad ones (likely). This is your only way short of a CEL. Diagnosing with a voltohmeter does not work and not very helpful. Coils are extremely easy to install, a drunk monkey with one hand tied behind his back could do it, let me know if you want specific instructions...but buy a Haynes Manual.

jamier2

Well, I can say that cleaning the throttle body did nothing for the slight hesitation in acceleration. I'm gonna look to replace the coils next. Actually, on a side note, my throttle body was sparkling clean, and my Max has 146K on it.

As for the coils, doesn't anyone make aftermarket "hot" coils for the Maxima? I know that it's a common upgrade for the V8 cars I used to have, and I'd like to do that to the Maxima too. If not, I guess I'll just replace with OEM.

I know this wasn't my thread, but you guys have helped me understand my problem too. Thanks.

paul2112

jamier2 ,

If you buy coils, call around. One nissan dealer in NJ sells them at $75 a piece. Another charges $90 for front and 80 for back. There's no rhyme or reason to pricing. Also, put them in yourself. It is ridiculously easy.

BOSS

I called about 10 Nissan dealers (there are lots of them around Chicago) before I found one that sells coil packs for 4th gen Maximas for $72 a coil. I bougth the front coil, whereas the rear one was like $73.XX. Anyway, at the other dealers it went for anywhere between $90 and an astonishing $120!

wickedmax

hey DjcmSS the K + N filter you got, was it a drop in replacement filter or was it the cone. And BOSS, your cone filter, was it an easy install, did you have to do any cutting or anything? and hows the sound with the cone?

BOSS

I had a K&N cone filter, with the stock resonator, which is extremely important to leave in place IMO. The filter is a very easy install (10 minutes tops) provided that it comes with some kind of adapter, which holds the cone with the MAF sensor part. Installation should not require any cutting whatsoever and if it does, you got ripped off.

I also have a custom made sheet-metal bracket, which many of the stillen cone filter kits come with so that the intake doesn't sag all the way down - I've seen this done by tying a shoelace around the cone filter and keeping it up that way but it just looks very ghetto IMO.

Jatan

iTrader: (3)

Let me guess, Star Nissan was $120 for each coil? $7.05 with tax for a damn oil filter...

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Bad coil packs should show a loss in performance across the board, not just at specific RPM intervals. Bad coils also cause excessive ping which he is not getting either. Bad coil packs are usually associated with late 98, 99 and 2000 models, he's got a 96. They way I look at it, the coils packs are not at the top of the list of things he should look at first. It could be a very expensive mistake to start replacing them.

I'd be looking at the KS and the O2's. O2 sensors wear out and cause poor performance prior to setting a check engine light. A clogged fuel filter will show a power loss in the higher RPM's and at higher throttle and engine load conditions.

When was the last time the engine had a complete tune up? Plugs, new filters and a fuel system cleaning could very well solve this problem. All that could be done yourself for around $120 bucks.

jamier2

Well, it's had a complete tune up within the last 1000 miles. I didn't change the fuel filter yet (it's still in the trunk - I ran out of time). I did change both front O2 sensors, and I'm waiting for the Knock sensor in case it was a ghost code.

As for overall performance, I am not complaining in the least, it's doing great and has plenty of power all the way. It just hesitates when I'm driving like my wife (pokey), and it gets on my nerves a little.

As for the coil pack pricing, when you say $xx for front, $xx for back, are you meaning that price for each of the three front/rear coils? There are 6 coils, right?

Unless it's suspension (pressing in bushings, etc) I do all my work myself. When I changed my spark plugs, I removed 6 coils to do it (or so I thought).

Thanks again for all the advice.

DjcmSS

Just the drop in replacement...took 1 min to put in...I wasn't even aware of a cone filter when i got the drop in doh.

DjcmSS

At least for me i know the previous owner had the 60,000 service done, the car has 70,000 on it now. Hopefully most of that was taken care of from the service.

BOSS

ummm, not true at all. It is only when coil packs are about to fail completely (major cylinder misfires etc.) that you get a loss in performance across the board. Until then, worn coil packs always cause loss in performance across specific RPM intervals, and at random times. I went through 3 coils by now and I know that each time it had a specific RPM fail-range. However, it's not really the RPM range at which coils cause misfires, it has more to do with the heaviness/intensity of acceleration like say going WOT.


usually, yes, but all 4th gen Maximas had problems with ignition coils ever since they were developed. Nonetheless, 95/96 not as frequent to coil failure.

jamier2

Are you saying that you got the front 3 coils for $72, or each front coil for $72 for a total of ~$210?

Isn't the coil mounted over each spark plug, the thing you remove with two bolts to change the plugs?

Just trying to figure out how much this might cost me if I end up replacing them.

Thanks,
Jamie

BOSS

no...haha, I wish! It was 72 per coil. And yes, the coil is mounted over each spark plug so it should take an average individual no longer than 10 minutes to swap all six with the right tools around.

jamier2

Oh well, I knew it sounded too good to be true.

h0ldem_8o8

Hi guys I have a 97 nissan maxima, my car was cutting out when at an idle. I thought it was the alternator, but a mechanic told me to change the idle air control valve which I did. This fixed the engine cutting out problem, but now the car has a bad lag in acceleration, and unstable idle speeds ranging form 100-800rpm. We read the codes and it was saying MAF sensor and a temperature sensor. I did not replace the MAF but sprayed it with a MAF cleaner. I also changed the PCV valve too. What could be causing this erratic idle speeds and acceleration lags? I narrowed it down to either the alternator since it reads around 13.2V, ignition coils, MAF sensor, O2 sensors, or a vacuum leak??
~Thanks in advance

BenL

Just out of curiosity: have you tried simply cleaning your cam and crank sensors (primarily the crank sensor on the transmission side)? If not, try pulling that specific sensor and wipe it clean with a soft cloth (if it has a lot of metal shavings on it, that can dramatically affect the ignition timing, DO NOT use a magnet to clean it), see if that helps at all.
I only mention this because I had a very similar issue earlier this year and cleaning that sensor fixed it immediately.

T_Behr904

8 year old thread bump... smh

h0ldem_8o8

Oh no I did not clean those sensors, I will clean them first before I do anything else.
Thank you

h0ldem_8o8

All right, I cleaned the crankshaft position sensor (POS), and yes there was metal shavings on it. I have yet to clean the crankshaft REF sensor too. But I tested the POS sensor, and it proved to be faulty, but I just cleaned it and reinstalled it and the car is working w/o problems SO FAR....I also tested the alternator and MAF sensor and they r fine. SO all that's left is the crank/cam sensors, oxygen sensors, and a faulty intake temp sensor. Also could a faulty absolute pressure sensor cause hesitation and engine cut off??

BenL

If it's running fine now, I personally wouldn't worry about anything until it starts having trouble again (if that comes around)... it's quite possible that by replacing sensors that you can actually introduce more problems (not to mention cost yourself a lot of $$).
Also, some sensors will fail tests and still be perfectly fine... of course on the other side of that, some can pass tests and be faulty (MAF is one of those).

maxed_out_99

gettin my bump on...

i dont understand. members get mad for not searching and this n00b clearly searched and still got flamed??


anyway thats not why i bumped i actually have a question,
when the knock sensor takes a **** is it usually cracked? or can it fail with out being physically damaged?

i have a hesitation upon acceleration and what feels like a missfire while warm
i am doing my VI swap on wednesday so that eliminates the rear coils i may just replace the fronts as well

how likely is it that its my KS?

99 228K KS was replaced at 170k 2 of the 6 coils were replaced at the time the KS was.

18 mpg

any input is appreciated THANKS ORG

infinimax96

It doesn't really have to be cracked on the outside to fail. You can pick one up for about $35 off the internet. Since you are going to have the intake manifold removed for your 00VI may as well get one and replace it. Even if nothing is wrong with it, it's better to replace it while you have the LIM off the motor since it's a ***** to get to with everything on. Just my 2 cents