mike96

ok my maxima has had a small oil leak for the past 6 months and they enevr fixed it cuz it is really deep in there and they have to take alot of **** out meaning it would cost. Well my mom has been driving the car lately, and out of nowhere when the car would stop it will like jump and turn off so i would turn it on and it would take a while then i have to automaticly rev it and peel out it was a mission to get to the garage. They found out that nothing was wrong with it so i got it back and was driving back and it was fine untill i went to a stop sign boom aagain shut off. So in desperation we brought it to firestone and they said that the oil leak messed up all the sensors and the catelitic is f'ed up, they wanna carge me $3,000!!!!! well if anybody can give me some tips or where i can find these pieces cheaper its not a daily driver so am thinking about doing it myself with somebody that is good with cars

95jr6708

Start with sensors. Which one's? You can use firestone for knowledge and then tell them to f themselves. How is the cat messed up from an oil leak? Does the car still run? Does it jump only at stop signs? 5 spd or auto.

bhmax16

Faulty cat won't make your car jump and shutoff like that. A faulty cat will just raise your emissions and/or make some noise (i.e rattles). So I agree with 95jr6708, start with the sensors. However I'd bring it to someone more knowledgable than the guys at firestone to pinpoint exactly which sensors, because you don't want to buy and replace a bunch of sensors that are still good. It'd be a waste of time and your money. $3,000 is outrageous though for that cash you could boost or do a vq35 swap!

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Sounds like your MAF is toast. Any codes?

mike96

ok i got the description back from firestone which am not doing anything with them i just had to see what was wrong with it. It says i need C1001 COIL, Ignition ( 3 of those at $141.41) C1002 COIL, IGNITION ( 3 of those at $155.21) then i need a KNOCK sensor ($218.47), and a remove and replace camshaft position sensor. THen a mastercare plus tune up 6 cylinder ( spark plugs, labor, and a fuel system cleaner) for a grand total to $1,484.71 And that doesnt include the cat and the oil leak that is a really hard place to get to i believe under and the exhaust and some other stuff. If anybody knows of a cheaper place or any help please help me .. Thanks

bhmax16

All your coils can't possibly be shot that'd just be crazy. Use a multimeter to pinpoint which one(s) are bad but I highly doubt it's all of them. Also $218 is WAY too much for a knock sensor. I got an OEM knock sensor and harness through my former mechanic for $160 and I know you can get them even cheaper than that if you look on the net.

The camshaft position sensor is SUPER easy (as well as the knock sensor) and even if you aren't very mechanically inclined you can still do both of those yourself.

Unless you'll be using lubecontrol for your fuel system cleaner (and I know whatever garage you're going to won't) you'll just be wasting money. You should also see if you can figure out how old the sparkplugs are. I don't know if you have any old service records or whatnot from the previous owner of the car but if you have NKG platinums in there (like you should) you should get 60K out of them before changing. If you do indeed need plugs do those yourself too. You don't even need to gap them. Paying for labor will kill you with this kind of stuff when it's all simple, yet slightly time consuming stuff you can do on your own. My 2 cents

95jr6708

I agree with bhmax16 on this one. If the coils are actually out, ebay has decent deals on new and used ones for half the retail price. To save about $1,000 tell firestone to f themselves now and go buy the coils, KS, sensors and some plugs. You can have all that done in a weekend easy. If you need help with installations and stuff read HOw to's in the stickies. Good Luck.

mike96

okay thanks alot guys am gonna do some research and get that all fixed the main concern is the oil leak i dont know how am gonna get there but w/e thanks for all the info and for the cat am thinking about getting a racing cat, maybe a sp2 with it how does that sound on the max?

MaxKlinger

Don't get any mods until you fix the problems!!!

MAF could be the culprit here, need to pull the codes first. There is an explanation on how to do that in the stickies. It takes about 5 minutes and is really easy.

Where is the oil leak coming from? That's the critical factor here. It's fairly rare for a VQ to leak oil, and when it does it's usually from the rear main seal or the rear valve cover.

You have to do a thorough inspection of the bottom of the car and try to figure out where the oil is coming from. Let us know what you find out.

Good luck!

JPMax

iTrader: (10)

Go pick up a Haynes Maxima repair manual.

Replace the spark plugs and faulty ignition coils first. This could be causing the engine misfire which is triggering the knock sensor.

You can get new coils from a local dealer for about $80-100 each.
Or get some used ones from someone here on the org for about $20-30 each.
Use only NGK Platinum spark plugs. (they're about $9-10 each) www.courtesyparts.com

While you have the coils and spark plugs out, check to make sure there's no oil in the sparkplug cylinders. While you're there, clean your throttle body and check the MAF to make sure it's clean.

You can usually find a new knock sensor on eBay for about $80-100.

No experience with the CPS, but if it's easy and cheap, go ahead and change it.

Take the car to a real exhaust place to check the cat. A new cat from a dealer will cost ~$600. Just get an aftermarket Carsound cat for around $100 online.

Now where exactly is this oil leak you keep mentioning coming from??

schilljr

get a new engine....real cheap and you gonna need one anyway

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Nice advice

Don't give up bro! you'll fix it.

Bobo

The oil leak could be something as common and simple to replace as an oil pressure sender unit. They cost peanuts, take 5 minutes to replace and are located at the end of the oil pan closest to the back of the car (located under the passenger seat). Check to see if it is leaking.

mike96

all the coil ignitions were replaced and the cam sensor. And the car will not maintain proper RPM and will drop to 500RPM and then it will stall out (AUTO). The only thing that hasnt been changed is the knock sensor, and the car has the same problems as before the parts were changed. Could it be the knock sensor? and the cat never showed any signs of being messed up. And as for the oil leak Nissan said that it would cost $900 in labor, I think its the rear engine seal and the motor has to be taken out so that the leak gets fixed. Any information please help me out

Thanks

mike96

also they told me that to install the knock sensor i have to remove both the high intake manigold and the lower intake manifold which is a big mission i have been told to take off... please give me some feed back

JPMax

iTrader: (10)

No experience for that type of oil leak..

But as for the KS..
The normal mechanic shop procedure is to remove the upper and lower intake to get to the KS.
However, it's been shown here plenty of times that it IS possible to replace the KS without doing all that. There's just barely enough room for some people to fit a hand in under the lower intake and loosen the KS for removal.
Go to: www.motorvate.ca to read up and see some pics of the process.

joosdawg

iTrader: (9)

first of all did u check the codes yet for the MAF? the knock sensor wouldnt do that, it really sounds MAF related to me. BTW knock sensor is a 5 min job with the right tools u DONT have to take upper and lower intake mani's off, thats what they always want you to think. Jeez dude honestly i would have wished you had been here for a while so u could have had some more knowlage about these types of things and not get screwed here.

-Ryan

mike96

okay thanks alot guys for all the help, i dont have the car with me because i hid it in a parking garage somewhere because of hurricane Wilma. But yeah i will attempt to replace the knock sensor myself which doesnt look that hard even for someone that doesnt know much about replacing anything under the hood. And for the MAF should i replace that or how can i tell if its messed up? and thanks again for all the help am gonna go ahead as soon as possible to replace that knock sensor

Bobo

I suggest you start by buying a Haynes manual before you attempt to do anything under the hood.

The MAF is the mass airflow sensor which is installed in the air intake duct. It measures the weight of air entering the engine. The sensor sends a voltage signal to the powertrain control module (PCM) which in turn calculates the required fuel injector/pulse width to obtain the necessary air/fuel ratio.

A defective MAF sensor can cause surging, stalling, rough idle and other driveability problems.

The ECU can detect several different MAF sensor problems and set trouble codes to indicate the specific fault.

All this is as stated in the Haynes manual in section 6-9.

mike96

ok i have a chiltons maxima 1993-1998 repair manual. And as for the MAF how can i get codes to see if the MAF sensor is messed up or not. And whats the average price they sell for?

Bobo

Read the stickies on how to check for codes! There are all kinds of threads which speak to the MAF sensor. As far as cost is concerned, I don't know - I suspect around $150.

How much you pay depends on how soon you need to get the car up and running properly. Phone a stealership and ask them, that is the worst case scenario. Contact Jerry Rome Nissan or Pinnacle. Go to Ebay.

Someone who knows where best to get a MAF sensor, please chime in.

Also, maybe you can get one from an autowrecker for a reasonable price.

mike96

ok am going to first change the knock sensor since i already have one and if the car is still running the same then am going to attempt to get the codes from te ECU and see what else can be wrong with it which hopefully is the MAF. I will get back to you guys when i install the knock sensor and see whats up

bhmax16

Why not get the codes before changing the knock sensor? Would save you a lot of trouble rather than doing something that may not be necessary

Bernie

When my 'Service Engine Soon' light came on, I extracted the codes from the ECU, and had 0304-Knock Sensor and 0804-LAN between TCU and ECU. The KS does not trip the service light, so I focussed on the second problem. The LAN refers to the data connection between the Transmission Control Unit and the ECU. If no data passes on more than one occasion, then 0804 is stored. The problem could be bad connectors, shorted, open or bad TCU. I checked out the automatic transmission according to the manual. It uses the Over Drive light to display the codes in the TCU. Everything checked out OK, so I assumed the TCU was functioning. Finally I removed and reseated the connectors for both the TCU and the ECU, and reset the service light. All has been well since. It must have been a bad connection at either the TCU or the ECU. I reckon I saved a bundle bu not taking it into the dealer. As for the KS, I recall having the car knock once about a year ago on a long drive, and so would expect the code to be stored. I won't do anything with the KS yet.
Hope this helps.
Bernie

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

Wait you replaced all 6 coils? you wanna sell your old ones?

mike96

lol i wished you would of told me that earlier i dont know if my dad threw them away because he helped me install them. And as soon as i get the car am going to attempt to get the codes from the car. My job has been crazy lately so havnt had time for much.

THEJEFFERATOR

you bought new coils without knowing if they were bad...and threw out the old ones !!!!! how much do you make at best buy ? kidding...
anyway, i'll agree with the mafs suggestion, i have the same problems, and have narrowed it down to that. output voltage goes crazy and the ecm starts dumping extra fuel. i'm waiting for i got one off e-bay.

as far as the oil leak, it would have to be an internal leak to f-up your o2 sensors, and a really bad one to damage the cat.

mike96

i was just so fed up with the whole problem that i got so pissed off so i bought all of them and no i still have the other coils and i will sell them if you want them

mike96

and no the o2 sensors didnt get messed up, but the cat i have no idea how the heck it got messed up and they told me before that the leak was very small that i would need probably a quart every month or 3 weeks and not worth the 600-900 in labor to fix it

GodStr3ngth

start by fixing the damn problem

mike96

ok i finally was able to bring the car from the parking garage today due to the extensive damage to my house thanks to wilma. Ok when i started it a little bit of white smoke would come out of the exhuast then it got worse as we drove( other car behind the max). Then the black smoke came out. The car was running like pure ****. Shes really sick and its killing me seeing her in that condition. Maybe after these different symptoms somebody might have the solution. Any information would be gladly appreciated.. Thanks!

mike96

i have a feeling that the K sensor isnt the problem, i tried fitting my hand in there and i cant even touch the screw

C MAX

iTrader: (4)

where are you leaking from internally or externally, because how does a oil leak externally reach all of these parts. if its a internal leak which i assume it is, you need to fix that first. your maf is probably wet from all the oil causing an erratic idle and the knock sensor has nothing to do with idle it just makes you burn more gas and lose overall hp.

mike96

ok i did a diagnostics test and i got code 03 04 and thats the knock sensor so am planning on installing the new ks today, does that mean that my MAF sensor isnt messed up because when i did the test i only got the ks error

MaDMvD

iTrader: (16)

Man, if you just lived a little closer to Tampa - Orlando maybe - I would drive there and help you out. It's frustrating to see someone in need of help and not being able to do a damn thing.. Whatever you do though, don't go to a dealership to get work done - try and read up as much as you can and try doing it all yourself! Good luck man!

THEJEFFERATOR

for 3 months i tested and checked everything, no codes. changed the mafs and the car is fine now. very hard to tell if the mafs is malfunctioning. ks code is most of the time triggered by another problem. there doesnt have to be a code if a part is slowly failing. most sensors only set codes when there is a circuit failure or major malfunction. there could be somethin "silently" failing, like the mafs. see if someone in your area will swap mafs or look for a used one. and try to get a multimeter to help you test your sensors.

mike96

there she is sitting sick =*(, i just took the picture right now and am waiting for my dad to come back from discount autoparts to get a 12mm socket... so i can check and see if the MAF sensor is bad by using the multimeter?

P.S hasnt been cleaned in 2 months hehe

THEJEFFERATOR

you have to backprobe the white wire to check output voltage. watch for excesive jumping of voltage. mine would idle around 1.29 vlts then jump to 1.85 back to .75 and fumble around, then the car would stall. this was only detectable when the car was running VERY badly. read up on testing the mafs in the stickies or in your manual. the multimeter is your best friend !!!

mike96

i fabricated a tool and i got the knock sensor removed in 1 minute in the dark with a flash light. , the old knock sensor had a big crack on across the black shield.. it will only take me 2 minutes to install it tomorrow with my special tool

JPMax

iTrader: (10)

Cool. Take a picture of this "special tool" for taking out the KS and tell us how you made it.