magic_max

Hello all.

My car dies at random. Coming to a stop or during acceleration. At times, I can be driving on the freeway and for a split second, seems like the air or gas flow stops and you will feel the car jerk. Other times the car sputters and dies, other times I don't feel it sputter but the steering gets tight and I know the car died---this happens when coming to a stop or driving slow so far.

I've searched for old threads on the same symptoms and I've done these simple things to try and solve the problem:

1) No engine check light and no codes using OBD-II reader.
2) Replaced fuel filter (Nissan one).
3) Removed throttle body and everything before it to the air scoop and cleaned it thoroughly. Air filter is fairly new.
4) While TB was off, shot TB cleaner into the intake manifold and at I think the IAC valve
4) Seafoam through the brake booster line
5) Sprayed the MAF sensor with Throttle Body cleaner. (I'm aware that they have a MAF sensor cleaner but NAPA was out at the time. I've cleaned the MAF sensor with TB cleaner in the past with no problems and no check light this time.)

Car info:
a) 117k miles
b) 60K tune up at ~65-70k. Did not do 120K tune up yet.
c) Auto tranny, stock air box and stock intake, disposable air filter.

What else can I check or do to stop my car from dying? Any help or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.


thanks,
magic_max

LILMAN

Try checking the grounding wires. Thats what happned to me only after changing my alternator did I find out I had a bad ground. Not sure where though. Good Luck.

Jellyfishian

Maybe a vacuum leak? Check the rubber tube on your intake for cracks or holes, too much unaccounted for air intake will cause the car to stall.

magic_max

Thanks, i'll check those out.

Looks like I didn't get much views. Anyone else?

magic_max

This is what I did so far:
1) took off the collector, valve covers, intake manifold (w/injectors still mounted)
2) took off the IACV valve, EGR guide tube
3) cleaned everything really well
4) replaced all gaskets and torqued nuts/bolts to spec
5) all injector resistance measured good = 10.9 ohms
6) replaced spark plugs
7) replaced PCV valve
8) replaced knock sensor while I was in there (easiest way to change knock sensor)
8) replaced all the coolant lines and fuel lines while I was in there
9) vacuum lines all looked good
10) after a couple drives, no leaks from gaskets so far

Put everything back together and car still stalls. To date, there is no consistancy on when the car stalls. It stalls after a few minutes of driving from being cold (water temp not up to normal yet). Stalls while driving on the freeway going around 50 mph. Stalls coming to stops, and accellerating. When it begins to sputter, car cannot recover even trying to gasing the pedal. I need to mention again, no codes on my first write up and no codes after doing the above.

Nick mentioned the black wire to the MAF should be less than 9mV during idle. I measured it and it was .2xx volts or 2xx mV. This is probably my next change. Any other suggestions? Need help bad. Don't let me send my car to the stealership which will be my only option if I can't fix it.

Thanks in advance.

buzpuck11

iTrader: (3)

Could possibly be the ECTS, often leads to stalling problems.

cbjja428

I had stalling and stuttering problems. I ordered a new MAF sensor from daveb and installed it haven't had a problem since plus my gas milage has gotten better. I have a 95 gle 155k.

tong

iTrader: (4)

Having the same issues you are magic_max, along with this other guy, in a sort of ways but mine are exact to yours, lets converge here and maybe pool our knowledge together.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=515634

JOMAN

iTrader: (3)

not to steal threads...but i've noticed that my car often dies when i start my car and put it in reverse....any1 else have that problem?!?!??!.....

magic_max

Ok, I decided to focus on the MAF since nothing I did so far worked and I was getting more than normal amounts of voltage on the black MAF wire. On Friday, I temporarily grounded the MAF to the negative battery terminal and drove my car about 10 miles without any stalls. That was the longest drive so far without a stall.

Today, I made the ground permanent. I cut the black MAF wire and soldered a new wire to it on the connector side. I crimped a ring connector to the other end of the new wire and screwed it onto the ground screw by the driver side head lamp. I capped the other end of the black wire that runs to the ECU. I took a quick drive around the block and everything seems ok. I hooked up the reader and no codes. I'm taking my car to work tomorrow so that will be the real test. I'll post again and hopefully I can put an end to this thread.

tong,

If you haven't done so already, follow Nick's thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=502009

This is a quick test to see if grounding is your problem. I used a small safety pin to back probe but I wasn't making contact so I just poked through the wire insulation and got my readings that way. I was going to do all the MAF diagnostics listed in the FSM but I didn't want to take the plastic covering off the ECM harness. The FSM requires you to back probe the ECM harness. I figured the checks would of turned out good because I drove the 10 miles and then some fine. Hope this helps, keep us posted.

willard00

iTrader: (1)

depends on whether it just stalls, or shakes pretty bad and then stalls. you can try changing the fuel filter, that might help. or if it shakes then stalls out you could have a problem with the tranny itself.

MaxiiMa

an easy way to check for a bad no error throwing MAF sensor is to start the engine and knock on it with a screw driver or something... if your car turns off... it's your MAF sensor... this wasn't in any of the forums... and i tried everything from the forums... i replace the MAF and it's fine... if i put the old one in again and do this test it'll turn off... with the new one it won't.. give it a try...

2da mizzax

iTrader: (4)

hmmm. perhaps you are breaking it or you are the cause of knocking something loose? please no one listen to this piece of advice. "An easy way to test if an engine is good is to run it into a brick wall. If it shuts off it was time for a replacement".

willard00

iTrader: (1)

2da, he doesnt mean slam a friggin hammer on it. he means just lightly tap it. ive heard this method before as well. if you lightly tap the maf and the car turns off, then u should replace the maf. because a bump in the road could easily have the same effect the light tap has.

nlmaxima

iTrader: (10)

It could be a transmission problem. It is possible that the torque converter lock-up is staying locked up. This will cause it to stall at slow speeds eg. coming to a stop or trying to take off and getting out of the gas for a split second. On the freeway it will arise with symptoms as a stutter or hesitation. It may or may not be a problem with the torque converter, it could be caused by the (transmission)valve body. Try and take notice on the freeway when it happens, is it when the car is trying to accelerate or with the brake on, both situations should trigger the torque converter lock-up to disengage. If you feel this is the case have a good transmission shop test drive the car and get their opinion. I am not saying you have a transmission problem but it sounds like you do have some possible symptoms. If the converter lock-up is a problem then when it stalls coming to a stop the car will shake like it would when a manual transmission stalls without putting your foot on the clutch.

JOMAN

iTrader: (3)

thnks for input..it just stalls...then dies..thnks!

magic_max

Drove the car to work this morning. While driving on the freeway, the car jerked. It jerked one more time before getting to the office but no stalls. Drove the car to lunch and it stalled while slowing down for a turn. Had lunch and made it back to the office without any stalls. Drove the car home and it stalled coming to a stop. Trying to get onto the freeway via an on-ramp, and the car stalled while on the turn going around 30 mph. Quickly started back up and the car was sputtering while trying to accellerate onto the freeway. Car was jerking bad but smoothed out. No stalls or jerks the rest of the way home.

So basically, the problem got better but still there. I'm going to buy a MAF and swap it out unless someone got other ideas?

Besides the MAF, and from reading other threads, it could be the ECT sensor, crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor and fuel pump?? This is getting really irritating.

tong

iTrader: (4)

Welcome to my world, do this though, smell the exhaust when it's running rough like that? does it smell rich? if sop pick up a coil pack and try a different plug every day till u get the right one.

nlmaxima

iTrader: (10)

A single coil pack shouldn't make it stall.

magic_max

Ordered a new MAF from Dave B and paid $385 for it. Transaction went as everyone said it would...excellent. Installed it and stalling problem gone! So, as it turned out, it was the easiest and most expensive part that was bad. My car pulls better now. I'm waiting to see if my gas mileage improves from the Knock Sensor change and the spring cleaning I did.

I'm glad I went through the trouble of taking everything apart because the EGR tube would have given me problems in the near future from clogging and one of the gaskets for the spark plug tube was leaking. The bad thing though, my front valve cover is still leaking because I didn't follow the FSM to the tee. I didn't use RTV on the corner of the covers like the books says. It should have been really obvious too because I had to scrape the old RTV off the corners. So lessons learned, put RTV on the passenger side corners of the covers.

Anyway, thanks for those that chimed in to help.

tong

iTrader: (4)

$385, ouch they're $211 at autozone, how come so much? Oh and is there a defenate way to test the MAF ? cause i'm about willing to check on it.

EnervinE

iTrader: (11)

Dave B made a pretty penny off of you

tong

iTrader: (4)

magic_max, when you first put it in did it run like crap for about 3 min? Just did mine, ran like b4 for a few minutes then ran great, I put 20 miles on it tonight just going around backroads, everything seemed fine, If so thanks for diagnosing the same problem.

magic_max

tong...was the MAF from Autozone OEM? The stealership here list price is $6xx.00 and the guy was going to give it to me for $5xx.00 (~20% off). You guys won't believe how expensive the stealership here is. I should post some prices and see if anyone can quote a place that cost more.

tong

iTrader: (4)

The autozone one was a re manufactured that's y it was cheaper.