paracha3

I have 1997 Maxima, 5 speed with 52,xxx miles on it. I have two questions

1)The problem is that since i bought this car, when i turn the "Cruise control" button ON. The green light on the button goes on. But when i try to engage the cruise, i hear a click under the dash board and the cruise doesn't engage, also the "Cruise" light (under the feul indicator) starts blinking. What is wrong? is this something that costs 200+?

2)Sometime my car knocks in 2nd and 3rd gear. I have noticed (may be i'm wrong) that this doesn't happen when the car is cold. One of my friends told me to put 87 or 93 grade feul. I did that but same problem. Air filter is clean. Engine oil doesn't leak. Do i have a timing problem? what should i expect the problem to me?

Thanks ya all.
paracha3

Daniel B. Martin

The click under the dash is normal, it is a relay "picking". The blinking Cruise light indicates that the ASCD (Automatic Speed Control Device) control unit has detected a malfunction. There may be a problem with the wiring between the ASCD control unit and the Combination Meter. There may be a problem with the ASCD pump or its circuitry. The dealer will have to charge you for diagnostic time and the total repair bill might very well exceed $200.

Daniel B. Martin

Nissan recommends 91 AKI fuel. Fill up with premium fuel and see if the problem persists.

Pinging, also called engine knock, has a sound often described as an unpleasant irregular metallic rattle, similar to shaking a coffee can full of marbles. Pinging is pronounced when the engine is under load, such as climbing a hill or rapid acceleration.

Causes of pinging include:
- fuel AKI too low
- ignition timing too far advanced
- lean mixture
- carbon deposits in combustion chambers
- EGR valve stuck closed
- EGR passages obstructed with soot
- EGR vacuum signal hose(s) split, broken, or disconnected
- engine running too hot

There are other vehicle sounds which are similar to pinging. The most common example is an exhaust system heat shield which has become loose and rattles or buzzes, especially at certain engine RPMs.

Your Maxima has a Knock Sensor which detects pinging and signals the Engine Control Module (the computer). The ECM responds by retarding the ignition timing to eliminate the pinging. For this reason... if your Knock Sensor is working... you have never heard your Maxima engine pinging.

Sonic

I went to alldatadiy.com and got information for you. They have a flowchart that states that a blinking cruise light should follow diagnostic test 8:


Diagnostic Procedure 8 is a diagram:






Locations of Cruise control related parts:




The cost for a new ASCD module on a '95 is ~$390, a relay ~$13. I don't know the cost for the other parts.
I don't know if this is 100% accurate for a '97 however.