Hello-

First of all I am happy to say I am the extremely proud owner of a 1997 Maxima SE. The Maxima has always been a dream car for me and the ability to finally afford even a used one is a dream fulfilled! The only drwaback is it is an automatic (and of course, a 5spd came available a wek _after_ I bought it!)

I love the car but there a few minor problems I am experiencing that I was hoping someone could offer advice on:

1)Startup - I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but when my car has been sitting overnight (unforntuately I do not have a garage) and I turn the ignition, the car starts really strong but dies almost immediately unless I rev the engine a bit. It seems to die when trying to return to idling speed. Once I rev it a bit though, it is fine and is fine for the rest of the day. It only appears to happen when the car has been sitting for an extended time. ANy idea what may be causing this?

2) Right passenger door rattles and vibrates alot if I have the stereo turned up. It is only coming from the interior door trim and I can actually feel that the trim is looser around the area near the mirror above the tweeter. Does anyone know of a way to resecure the interior trim to prevent rattling and vibration? It's not a serious issue, but it detracts from the incredible stereo system in the car when it rattles and vibrates.

ANy assistance anyone can provide with these problems would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you,

Daniel J. Noah

 

Perhaps the fuel rail lost its residual pressure during the idle period. Try this experiment. Turn the ignition key to ON, wait 15 seconds, then turn the key to START. This brief delay gives the fuel pump some time to build normal pressure. If your car starts readily and runs well after this brief delay, that will confirm this fuel pressure hypothesis.

Possible causes loss of residual fuel system pressure include
- an external leak anywhere in the fuel loop
- a leaky check valve
- a bad fuel pressure regulator
- one or more fuel injectors which sticks open

 

Hello

I tried the experiment you recommended (Fortunately, the car had not been started yet today). I turned it to ON for about 15-20 seconds and then turned it to START. Again, the car started very strong but died almost immediately when attempting to return to idling speed.

 

Okay, the engine passed that test. Here's another one. This one is for the Idle Air Control Valve - Auxiliary Air Control valve.

You may make a quick test of your IACV-AAC in the following way. With the
motor at normal operating temperature, and at idle, switch the A/C from
"off" to "maximum". Keep your eye on the tachometer as you do this. The
idle speed should dip momentarily and then recover. If it does this, the
IACV-AAC is working. If the idle drops and does not recover, the engine
may stumble, falter, and stall. The IACV-AAC may require cleaning,
adjustment, or replacement.

The correct idle speed is...
- 700 +/- 50 (automatic transmission, in Neutral)
- 625 +/- 50 (5-speed)

 

Before I get into the results of your recommended test, I want to thank you for the assistance you have provided. It has been greatly appreciated!

I tested the IACV-AAC in the manner you recommended. The tach dipped a bit but immediately recovered without an noticable problems. There did not appear to be any form of faltering whatsoever from the engine itself.

Thank you again for the ideas!

 

Here's another test you may make. It is a bit more complicated insofar as it requires an ohmmeter.

Your fuel injected engine has an Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. This sensor sends a signal to the Engine Control Module (the computer). When the ECTS sends a "cold engine" signal the ECM responds by instructing the fuel injectors to deliver a rich mixture. The rich mixture helps a cold engine to start and run smoothly during the warm-up period. This is similar to the operation of the choke on a carbureted engine.

On the 4th Generation Maxima engine the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor is located in the water outlet tube close to the engine end of the upper radiator hose. There are two sensors in that vicinity. The one nearest the hose is for the dashboard temperature gauge. The ECTS, the one you're interested in, is adjacent to the the gauge sending unit. There is a good picture of these sensors in the Haynes manual on page 3-7.

With the engine cold, disconnect the ECTS and measure its resistance. Reconnect the ECTS, start the engine, and run it until fully warmed up. Stop the engine, and repeat the resistance measurement. The "warm" reading should be a much lower value than the "cold" reading. These are the specs:
Engine coolant temperature 68F, ECTS resistance 2.1 - 2.9 Kohms
Engine coolant temperature 194F, ECTS resistance 0.24 - 0.26 Kohms
(Roughly a factor of ten difference.)

The ECTS is a relatively inexpensive sensor and something the home mechanic can replace without special tools.