So my wife has a 1996 GXE Maxima with 121,000 miles, and when the car sits for about 8 or more hours and she tries to start it it will turn over, fire, and then die. Turn the key again, and the engine will catch, but in order to keep it running you have to give it a decent amount of throttle for a few seconds. Then it will idle fine and run fine from then on out. During those first few seconds though, the exhaust is blackish in color.

This doesn't always happen after sitting overnight, but it has been happening more and more frequently. What's the deal? Any ideas/suggestions/fixes?

 

Not sure, but mine has been doing that lately too.

 

Check the standard things like:
1. ECTS
2. Clean TB and IACV
3. Filters (fuel, air)

What's the maintenance history?

 

i got a 96' SE with 110,000. I have been getting the same problem but only when it has been getting cold at night.

 

We've had the car for about 9 months now, I recently changed the air filter and regularily changed the oil filter, but not the fuel filter. The car doesn't seem to have impaired performance once it's gotten past that first rough stage, so would it still be something like a fuel filter? What's with the black exhaust for the first few seconds of start-up?

The problem has only recently come up, and it's decently cold in Spokane (low 30's and 40's). But in the first two weeks of December we almost set a local record for most days below freezing and it didn't have the problem frequently or at all then. I just had remote start installed on the car, but I don't see how that could be causing any problem.

 

Lots of these coming up..

Personally, changing the spark plugs did the trick. I had the same problem. 200k+ 96'

 

had the same problem here.

take a toothbrush and some throttle body cleaner.

take off the intake and scrub the throttle body. mine was all gunked up (111k on mine)

i haven't truely tested it, but when it starts it idles much differently than when it did before i cleaned it. it's gonna get cold here soon, then i can really test it.

 

mine does the same thing (131K). im just gonna replace the spark plugs and clean the throttle body.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. The first thing I am going to do is check for any codes, then I will try using some BK44 fuel injection cleaner. Then manually cleaning the throttle body and finally the plugs. Anybody have better idea?

 

My car has been doing the same thing the last couple of weeks....155,000 mi.