hello

im new here......but i have an issue with my maxima

96 SE

was changing the spark plugs the other day. everything seemed fine until i got on the car and went out for a drive. i did everything according to spec and the car just didnt seem right. the engine did not want to idle right. it feels as if it misses. when i accelerate the cars hesitates. i step on the gas and the car may or may not jolt forward then it seems to simply stop accelerating then start accelerating again. i have checked and rechecked the spark plugs, coils, and looked around for any vacuum leaks....and nothing.......i checked the harness and there is voltage getting to the coils.....so im very confused in why this came up. all it did is make me feel bad about the first time i work on the maxima. Anyways........there is one thing.....when i adjust the idle...(as specified by the haynes manual) there is a hissing sound that goes away if i screw in the idle screw in.....and if i turn it counterclockwise it sounds louder......i think this is correct but thats about the only thing i can hear.

from what ive been reading ......from other people it might be the coils......but how the hell could they be so damn sensitive.....i barely touched them???

anyone ....help

 

is your check engine light on? did you try checkin your ECU for codes? and if you already checked your ecu make sure you reset it correctly. a lot of people (like myself) didnt/dont reset it correctly and it feels like the car has no power and a VERY low idle. rpms are like at 250.

 

the check engine light is not on and i did check for codes....none just 0505...which is good

the feeling is as if a coil is not working properly but i checked them all.....so ive no clue of where to look now.

 

You need to reset your ecu.

 

If ur ecu is reading all clear, then I'd suggest you take all coil packs out...and extend the coil pack's spring out...basically making them longer. You can check the resistance of coil packs and fuel injectors, but if they all look good...then look at the simple things. I've been thru it.

Or...if it's misfiring consistently...u can start pulling the connection to coil packs while the engine runs. When I had a misfire problem...I found it consistently misfired when I put the car in Drive or Reverse (auto tranny), and of course had the ebrake on. When I did this, I could pull coil pack connectors and feel when there was no change. When there is no change when pulling the connector...you've isolated the screwy cylinder. It could be either a bad fuel injector, coil pack...or if they check out with an ohmmeter...it could be the simple spring in the coil pack that has contracted over time.

 

im surprised nobody asked this but what plugs did you use in your car? i heard a small % of max's dotn like bosch platinums or some non-NGK plugs

 

hehe...yah...guess we just all ASSumed.

Tho...i replaced my ngk's with some POS bosch coppers ($1 at pep boys..and replaced them for TB'ing purposes), and it still ran the same....for how long it would run the same as the NGK's...i dunno.

Anyway...need some more beer.

 

Take out all of the plugs and make sure they're gapped to .044"

 

I gaped mines to .55, but dont try this at home, i have a secret. SHhh if i tell i have to kill who ever reads it!

 

thanks alot u guys....i have checked all the vacuum hoses and everything there is ok....i did extend the springs on the coils...but not much....what i did find was some tiny tears on the coil insulator....i read somewhere that the spark might be escaping through those tiny cracks and the article i read suggested to use electrical tape and wrap the insulator with it.....im going to try this because according to the OHM meter the coil is working fine.....so im reallly thinking its the cracks on the insulator that is buggin me......


oh yeah....the plugs.....i did try the bosch....and u know what...they sucked .....the car worked beautiful....then at 4k rpm it stopped going up....that was very weird.......so i changed the plugs back to the ones it had before and that wasnt a problem anymore.......


oh and the ecu has been reset...so no problem there...

im hoping the electrical tape works.....if it does.....then im Sure its the coil pack......so ill tape it up for now and buy the coil as soon as i can......


anyways....this forum is very helpful......i just wish i didnt have to read through tons of stuff in order to find the good stuff.......being able to search would be helpful....once again....thank you

 

The best cheap plugs you can use are NGK copper v. They are a little less than 2 bucks each. The only downside is you will need to replace them every 10k. I'd say get the oem NGK laser platinum plugs they are good for 60k.

Here is a link for the oem plugs http://www.courtesyparts.com/A32_maint.html

Hope this helps

 

Coppers need to be replaced every 30k miles, not every 10k. Since they're pretty cheap, just replace them every 20k-25k