OK 4 weeks ago my check engine light came on and I checked the codes and it came up 0903 my evap canister vent control valve..I tooked it into the shop they replaced a part and said they fixed it. 3 days later my light came on again and then went off 2 days later...then came on again 3 days after that. Then it stayed on steady, I checked the code same 0903. I took it back to Nissan they ran another Diagnostic and said that it was now never my evap problem, but a wiring problem which they said they saudered some wires together and replaced a module. Well as soon as I got the car home from Nissan the engine light came on again. So I just took it back to them today, now there saying my ecm computer is shot and thats whats causing my problem and it needs to be replaced. They said It will cost me for the parts alone $754.15. I asked them if I don't get it fixed for a while will it do anything to my car, they said not at all that my engine is very sound and good cond. But If I want to smog it which is coming up in Sept I wont be able to if my check engine light is on. Well a question for all of you who live in Cali with our strick smog rules..If I disingaged the check engine light...then can they smog it if its not on? Also should I even trust Nissan on this? They were the ones with all the other times saying it was something else and they just took maybe 30 minutes today to look at my car and now its my computer? The check engine light it off now? I need good advice here from all you other maxima owners who maybe have had this problem before or any mechanics out there that might have some opinions. Heres the nissan part numbers they say I need:

23710-54u13
2371m 16re

Help!!!!!!

 

hmmm... I'd say it all sounds a little strange. What I would do in your place is to find some other maxima owner that has the same ECU as yours and exchange only for a day or so and see if that makes any difference. If it doesn't then that Nissan mechanic is full of SH*T just telling you anything to get rid of you

 

Yeah the funny thing is that you can get an ECU from a junkyard for $50-25 or better yet jack that **** and run!!!

 

Disabling the light will do nothing. When inspection checks smog they read the codes from your ODBII port. You'll fail immediately, light or no light.

I think you'd better find another mechanic or pull the codes yourself and post them here for some advice from fellow org members.

 

If I were you I'd get a 2nd opinion on replacing the ECU, sounds like the stealership wants to milk you for all your $$

 

Okay well then what the code keeps coming up is a 0903 Evap Canister vent control valve....But Nissan said its working properly, that its the computer giving off false codes.

 

Well,

Take it from me you cant just go to a junk yard and pull one out of that car and throw it in yours. You have to match it up exactly, some people have replaced theirs with a mis match and it worked but I went to two dealers and they both told me that swapping out an non-exact match can cause serious dmg.

ANyhoo

You should get a second opinion, and if its still a problem with the ECU then check out these companies for a guarented refurbished exact match ECU.

1) http://www.autoecms.com/ 299 after you deposit your core for your ECU. These guys are pretty good.

2) Ecudirect.com (Avoid these guys unless there is no other option) They have horriable customer service and most import ECU's they dont have so you have to send yours back to them for 2 week repair and return time period.

Its about 239 after core deposit with them.

Good luck

Proph

 

0903 and the EVAP vent control valve is a very common problem with our cars. The valve is located behind the left rear wheel right next to the EVAP canister. It's in a nasty location and is prone to contamination which causes it to malfunction. Many on here have simply taken it out and cleaned it up with WD-40 to get it working freely again or just replace it.

Do yourself a favor and stop visiting that dealer. This is an easy fix.

 

Wow - I've had 4 different ECU's. I even had a 96 JWT chip in my 95 ECU. (My car is a 97)

Here are the ECU's I've had:
Stock 97 Auto ECU
96 5spd ECU
95 5spd JWT ECU
95 5spd ECU w/96 JWT Z32 MAF Programming

None of these ECU's caused any "damage" the 95 JWT ECU didn't even throw a CEL - but it did throw an EVAP code when checked (no CEL) because the EVAP system is different on a 95.

The Dealer is just trying to get rid of you. If an ECU is dead, it's dead. It doesn't just throw 1 code. That's such BS.

And matching ECU's up exactly is crap too. You may get a code, but it won't break the car. I know this from experience.

GOD I HATE stealerships.

My car will NEVER see the inside of a dealer's shop again. I tlaked to a Nissan Mechanic guy I knew and asked him what sort of credentials their shops are required to have by Nissan.

a 6 week long course and 1 year of previous experience. In this course they are trained only on how to do regular maintenance and how to look things up in the FSM. They are not taught anything about troubleshooting theories, engine theory, etc,etc....

Nissan dealers in my mind are probably the worst service dealerships of any car company.

It's sad that Nissan makes such awesome cars then falls seriously short in the mechanic department.

When I did take my car to a stealership (twice while under warranty) - they diagnosed the following.

1) Told me I needed a new engine when it was really an axle!
2) Told me my engine was blown because it was making a loud whining sound and I had an EGR code. <This is after I told them even that it was SC'ed when dropping it off!> - turned out there was a vacuum leak at the back fo the manifold from the MEVI install.

Once I took the time, I dagnosed both problems myself in about 1 hour.

Oh, and worst of all! - My cousin who doesn't know anything about cars had the engine replaced on her 95 because the Knock Sensor was bad! She paid $3k for a friggin Knock Sensor! <And it still has the 0304 code> - I wish she talked to me first.

fu<king idiots!

 

OK so then can I go to a Pick & Pull and get another ECU and install it? One person said no it wont work unless its a exact match another says yes? I bought the Chilton book for MAx 93-98 it seems pretty easy to install the ecu and I noticed that it doesnt point out that each year max has a diffrent ecu..So is it universal through those years? Also is all I have to do is really just unplug the old one and throw in the new one? Also the person who replied about my code that keeps throwing out 0903..I did get it fixed and it still keeps throwing out the same code thats why Nissan told me its my ecu...Also even if I get another ecu like one said and it gives me a false code in California where I live I heard that if you try to get your car smogged which mine is due in Sept with the check engine light on or throwing out false codes they will fail you immediatly?

 

No - I said that a 95 ECU works in my 97 - but I get codes. With a 96 ECU, I get even more codes.

I wasn't saying any ECU will work completely, I'm just saying the car runs fine with other ECU's, albeit with a CEL, debunking the idea that a wrong year ECU will destroy the car.

If you got an ECU, you need to match it up with your year, your transmission, your Spec (Cali or Fed), and if possible manufacturer date. On your ECU is a sticker with some numbers on it - try to match these up if you can. If you can't, then try to just find what I just typed above.

But I don't think you need an ECU - I think you need to find someplace that will really fix the EVAP properly. I'm 90% sure they said they fixed it, but they didn't do it right or maybe didn't do it at all.

Dealerships suck was my main point.

IanS

 

IANsw, no offense but I think your full of %*)(&#$ because most companies will not sell you an MT ECU for an AT Car.

You can say whatever you want about dealerships but they have nothing to lose by telling to get the right part. I mean hell I bet you 100 bucks you call some heads up in japan and they will tell you the same thing dont mix/match ecu's besides it may not cause physcial dmg to your car however i m sure it didnt perform as well.

Oh well.

Proph

 

ok well maybe I'll just get a second opinion and hopefully it really is something to do with my evap canister and not the ecu..If it really is the ecu then I think I'll just buy one from http://www.autoecms.com I got the part number from nissan and it shows they have it. Too many diffrent opinions for me to just go with one. But thanks for everyones input much appreciated!

 

also my car is running just fine for the ecu to be dead like the nissan dealership said...If I was to get a ecu that didnt really match up I would just keep mine instead because it keeps just throwing out the 0903 code...But will go to a non-dealer place and see if it really is my evap or not.

 

www.car-part.com <---- I did have to call 2 places because the first one wouldn't do it, you're right. But the second one didn't care.

My car performs awesome with a 95 MT JWT ECU. Not sure why you think I'm full of anything. It's common knowledge.

I converted my car to a 5spd, and now have a 5spd ECU - bought the first 5spd ECU (97) from a junkyard, then I got the JWT ECU (95). I bought that from Brodaigia on this board instead of sending my 96 ECU to JWT because it was a good deal. They don't make a 1997 JWT ECU - so I had to put a 95 in my car. Works fine.

Then needed a Z32 MAF Program for my 95 JWT ECU because I'm boosting 12PSI and am a little lean up top. So I bought a 1996 EEPROM chip from someone and put it in my 1995 JWT ECU. Car also ran OK - unfortunately I've got some issues with the placement of the Z MAF, so it doesn't boost well - but that's not the ECU's fault. I did get a lot of CEL's at that point, but the car ran.

So tell my why you think I'm full of $#@!.

Simply put - See my Dyno below for performance results with a 1995 ECU in my 1997 Maxima.