95MaxTampa

I don't get the exhaust smell.

THEJEFFERATOR

it runs really rich, black smoke out the exhaust.... seems to be doing it more often lately, it's goin back to nissan again next week.

mugenmtx3

God we have all the same problem is anybody here can tell us what we should do about it'

mugenmtx3

can you give us the code for the knock sensor,we need your help if that will fix that problem
Thanks'

95MaxTampa

I had the knock sensor replaced and the Air Flow Meter replaced. So far, it seems to have fixed my problem.

THEJEFFERATOR

so now it's been at nissan all day, my friend took it cause he works across the street. it's about a 30 mile drive, he said it ran like sh$t the last few miles...of course, the mec. said it sat and idled for two hours and was fine, took it to lunch, fine !!!asked to leave it all day tommorow. my boy gets in to leave, starts and stalls immediatly, and 5 more times !! when the srvc. mngr. finally got the mechanic over, he fired it right up and it ran fine....i hate this sh$t. now im stuck drivin his slammed altima with a loud a$s ricer exhaust for another day, but at least it runs right....

95MaxTampa

I had to finally break down and take mine to the Nissan dlrshp as I took it to other mechanics and, like your situation, it would run fine for them. I got tired of stalling at nearly every stop. Hopefully, the Nissan techs can properly diagnose your problem.

THEJEFFERATOR

so far, they just let it sit there and idle, took it to lunch, burnt up all my gas and took a crow bar to my wire harness !!!! hell of a diagnostic check for 90 bucks !!

tomandre

Well, my car has now been with mechanic for almost five weeks. He finally gave up and suggested we do what the dealer wanted to do -- replace the EGI harness. Course it will now cost me more since he spent so much time on diagnosis. Not happy about that fact, but I really wanted to get a second opinion before I shelled out so much money.

Oh yeah. I hope those of you with similar symptoms don't need to replace your harness, because it is bloody expensive. The part alone is $1,900. There is a service bulletin on the harness problems (it's in the stickies). Basically says if you are having certain problems that are described in the bulletin, it could be a short in the harness at one of the bends. If the short is in an unshiedled cable, you can splice in a new wire. If it is in an unshielded cable, the answer is replace the entire harness.

The mechanic seemed really sorry about the cost of the harness and suggested I contact Nissan to see if they might help. Problem is I already did, and they refused. Their response was basically "parts wear out". I can buy that argument when you're talking about brakes, or other moving parts like in the engine and tranny, etc. But a bunch of wires? When's the last time the electrical wires in your house just failed spontaneously? This to me is just a poorly engineered part. Nissan just won't admit it. I bought this car new nine years ago. I guess they dont' give a hoot about people like me that that don't buy cars every 2 years.

Anyway, when I get the car back, I will post whether or not the new harness solves the problem. Of course if it doesn't, I may not be able to post, since I could end up in the loony bin...

THEJEFFERATOR

you must really like that max to shell out 3g's on a harness as a guess. you can probably get a whole other max for a parts car for less than 2g's. sounds like a big risk but i know how aggravating this problem is. it could be the mafs or tps crappin out or some other sensor. another common prob could be bad contact at the mafs plug from all the use it gets. good luck !!!!

stoneman

I had the very same problem with my 95, idled ok but would stall at times when I stopped. Took it to mechanic and they replaced fuel filter and cleaned throttle body, still not right, said I need to replace wiring harness.
I then spent some time on this sight and decided to do it myself.
To make a long story short, I jerked hard on all wires I found, I wiped the wire cage in the MAF, had some soot on it, reset the ECU then ran codes again and got the KS code. I ordered a new KS and while ideling the car I floored it for 30 seconds. Carbon blew out the tailpipe and onto the floor.
Put in the new KS, reset the ECU and it runs like a charm.
I don't exactly know which thing I did that actually fixed the problem, I'm guessing the carbon build-up, but the new KS did make it run better.
Happy in Atlanta.

qbvu911

I have had this problem in the last three months that costs me $700.00 for plugs, one coil, 1 knock sensor, coolant flush, trans fluid flush, coolant temp sensor, throttle clean up, IA clean up, etc ... (not much waste, the car is 105K and due for these anyway). Today, I'm pleased to let you know that the problem is resolved, cost $15.00 and 2 min to do. The part number 11826-31U00, called hose-air inet. Open the hood, it's in the passenger side, right on the top, that connects the engine outlet and the intake. Mine, too old (95 SE), was cracked at both ends. When the temperature changes, the crack changes and causes black smoke, random stalling, hestitation, sputtering, you name it. So inspect this hose, temporarily, you can tape it to see if it helps.

tomandre

I can't say I really love it, though it's been pretty reliable up till now. But, it's almost 9 years old and only has 83K miles on it. The stupid thing ought to be good for at least twice that. I was planning to drive it a few more years. I just figured that as much as I hate spending that much money, I'd spend more than that on car payments the first year if I bought a new one. The mechanic I brought it to did quite a bit of diagnostic work. He was driving it home with the scope on it, and while he could see what was happening (computer telling injectors to pour in gas at idle), he couldn't find what was causing it. He put in a new MAF, even though I had changed mine a year or so ago. He swapped a lot of parts with other Maximas to try and isolate it. He swapped 02 sensors, and swapped something on the TPS. He even swapped computers with another car. He had it a couple of weeks before giving up and going with the TSB recommendation.

This has been like a bad dream. This mechanic had it over 5 weeks, partly because Nissan sent the wrong harness. Now, we're getting a totally different trouble code. In this case, he swapped the computer again, and the sensor that throws the code. Still get the CEL, which could mean....
... the new harness is bad!!!

You were having a similar problem. Have you resolved it???

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Check the engine coolant temperature sensor.

THEJEFFERATOR

nope, still no luck. i noticed the other night that the dash lights slightly flickered a bit when it was trying to stall. i'm really starting to think it could be the alt failing or a bad ground. but i've been testing and haven't come up with any bad readings yet.

THEJEFFERATOR

thanx, but i already changed that...

AGRECORDS

crank sensor...look up the REF sensor....ask.com

tomandre

I've had my car back for three days, after it was in the shop for five weeks. Basically, it still has problems, but seems to be different ones now. It has a CEL, but different code now (0308). Mechanic was waiting for info from dealer, because he tried swapping the computer and the supposedly problematic sensor, with no success. That would seem to imply the new harness is bad. I took it home, because mechanic wanted me to drive it, and see there was any change regarding the original stalling problem.

I haven't had a stall in three days or any uneven idle. I'm feeling much more optimistic, but won't feel really confident until I've run it a couple of weeks without problem. Of course, the fact that I'm still getting a CEL does not make me too ecstatic. I think the mechanic is suggesting to the dealer that they gave him a bad harness. So, now the dealer wants to look at it. I'm going to be without my car again, and the thought of it is driving me crazy.

Bottom line is, it is starting to look like the EGI harness was indeed the problem with my car. For all of you having similar problems, I hope your problem is caused by something else, because this has to be one of the most expensive fixes out there.

Maximized Jiggs

iTrader: (1)

I dont know about the others but it sounds like the car is misfiring. I would check the injectors, check the stickies. Why not check them, two of them went bad on my car and would make the car to puff out black smoke. I also had to press on the gas so the fuel flow was intact.

THEJEFFERATOR

i'm not rulling out bad injectors...the front three seem to be clicking at a normal, even rate. can't really get to the others. it's hard to say whether the car would completly stall from one or two bad injectors. i've had multiple coils unplugged at once and the car stays running...like a$s, but stays running.

i WILL figure this out soon but,
anger and frustration at a whole new level !!

tuner001

not sure but you may have asome oil seeping into your cylinder bay, which would point to valve seals

THEJEFFERATOR

thanx but....

plugs are clean, smoke is black= gas/rich mix .......oil smoke is white, it only does it once and a while and it would take a whole lot of oil to make an engine stall.

THEJEFFERATOR

did fuel pressure and leak down tests yesterday, everything seems to be ok, no rapid fuel press loss, car stalling while testing..no changes in fuel pressure prior to stalling. also, dissasembled mafs plug and repaired to secure better connection, it was slightly loose and effecting idle while wiggling plug. car still rapidly stalls, runs rich, rpm drops randomly while holding steady acceleration, will check crank sensors today.....

konak85

iTrader: (10)

you should have a individual mechanic look at it.

LOST

my car does this, but no smoke runs pretty good other than stalling. codes i have are knock sensor and egr valve. i really dont know what to do. i love my car but cant have it stalling. a friend said it could be a vacumn leak. any input is helpful. thanks LOST

THEJEFFERATOR

could be egr vac selenoid, what is the egr code? there are a few different ones. egr valve could be sticking open from carbon build-up, this would be more likely if the car is stalling. you can reach under the egr and push on the diagphram and work it up and down to try to break away any carbon. make sure engine is cool, egr very hot!!!!knock sensor code most likely because of egr problem.

maximaman10

Check to see if you have cloged or bad fuel injectors

vortechpower

iTrader: (1)

Have a 99 cali spec. I was experiencing stalling upon start up and when coming to a stop along with retarded idle issues/ hesitation (5 spd). I replaced the lower intake manifold (plenum) with a fed spec ( no butterfly valves) and cleaned the intake manifold and throttle body. Car now idles perfect and drives alot smoother. I am missing alot of power and cant even break traction. I pulled a gohst code lastnight for a knock sensor so I am hoping that will give me all my power back!

THEJEFFERATOR

when my ks was bad, i had very low power and pinging. definatly worth a shot to protect your s/c motor from a lean/rich disaster !!! as soon as i get some extra time, im going to pull off the intake and clean everything cause there is some build-up, since it's got 180k....

shqipe

replalce the TPS throtle position sensor.

I had to go through a lott of headache befor if fixed mine.

TPS controls the air flow.

Try it what else u are going to loose.

PEP BOOYS ->>>> TPS = 53.50 with free shipping.

shqipe

if u have sudenly loss of idle from stady idle to 3000
the idle drops an goes back to 3000
then i garantee u it is the TPS.

THEJEFFERATOR

can i have that guarantee in writing...j/k
idle doesn't automatically go back up, i have to give it more throttle to clear it out. if it stalls from it at a stop, i have to rev it up and power brake it in drive to keep it it running ????

it's on my list of things to try after checkin everything else. im not buyin anything til im convinced.. ive checked it, but since the prob is intermitten i never know when to check...thanx

LOST

ok guys i got my codes checked again, this time a knock sensor and idle air control. I am stumped. car runs strong. if I take it out of gear<say 3rd 4th 5th> idle drops to normal if I do it in 2nd it stalls. i checked them again an hour later no codes. PLEASE HELP ME, I need it, also the only mods are a k&n filter and the speed sensor are cut[you know the one no more stopping at 110] thanks again LOST

tomandre

I absolutely agree, and I did get a "second opinion". I've had times before where I paid to have something replaced, but the original problem remained. That is way too much money to spend on the hope it will fix it.

Some of my later posts detail what I went through, and all the diagnostics the second mechanic performed. Eventually, his recommendation was to replace the harness, because there was no obvious cause, and the TSB does fit my situation.

He replaced the harness, and so far the car is performing flawlessly. I am so used to it stalling (it went on for over a year) that I get a little nervous when the idle drops down to around 600 RPM when it's warm. But, so far it has been fine.

It is very responsive when accelerating off-idle. That "peppiness" was something I liked when I bought the car new. But, I can't remember the last time it acted like that. It's been hesitant coming off idle for so long. Some of the performance improvement may also be related to replacing the knock sensor. But, the lack of stalling, and rough running I would attribute to the new harness.

It took me over eight weeks to get this fixed, and most of that time my car was in the shop. Much of the time was wasted due to Nissan's fault; first they had to ship the harness cross country (a few days). They sent the wrong harness. So, they had to send another, wasting a few more days. You might think they'd try to make up for their mistake by offering to overnight ship the replacement. But no, they didn't. That's not the end. The new harness is the right part, but is causing a new CEL condition. Eventually, the mechanic got the dealer to look at it and it turns out one of the connectors on the harness is wired wrong. They corrected it, finally.

I tried at one point to get Nissan to give me a break on the part. $1,900 for a bunch of wires is crazy, especially since they are prone to failure (read that "poorly engineered"). They refused. My original post ended with "Sayonara Nissan". Obviously, I didn't get rid of the car, but given how Nissan has handled this, I have no desire to buy anything from them again.

THEJEFFERATOR

after all this time and effort....A used mafs for $66 on e-bay seemed to do the trick. idles better, better throttle response and no stalling or rich conditions. thanks for the input. now it's time to mod !!

19maxima95

iTrader: (1)

I'm having the same exact problems, cleaned TB, changed fuel filter, changed TPS, and just recently bought a new ECT.

Anyone have a final solution to this problem?

19maxima95

iTrader: (1)

still no idea on what it can be. Anyone else?

lilaclucymaxima

iTrader: (16)

Same thing happened to me last year. It was my fuel injectors.

THEJEFFERATOR

read post #75...thats what fixed mine....mafs

dmg

Had the same problem with my 92 max. Dealers tried but gave up. Turned out to be a faulty coil (you could see the arcing in a dark garage). Replaced the coil....problem solved.