thank you^

 

A few days ago i posted about my knock senor and crank position sensor throwing codes. Well I already had one CPS replaced a few months ago and the light was still on so I finally broke down and replaced the 2nd yesterday morning. To my surprise, its still throwing a code for the CPS and the knock sensor. I know the knock sensor will be there as long as the engines timing is off. Finally frustrated, I took it to the nissan dealership this morning and they're saying I need to replace the main engine wiring harness. But why wouldn't I have more codes than just those two if it were the whole wiring that was bad. Any suggestions on my next move? Should I see if the wiring is bad leading to the cps' and try to splice them together or start looking for an entirely new wiring for the car?

 

Question: Ok to start off I'm not very car smart when it comes to anything under the hood. The other day when I was checking my oil and was just looking around under the hood I noticed a small tube sticking up and only one end attached to anything and now I'm wondering where it goes and what it's for.

Bottom tube (of the two in the mid of the photo) in this photo:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

and this is how I found it:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

 

Because the safest route for them for avoiding comebacks and recurring issues is to replace the entire harness. Yes, you could open it up and just fix the wires that are broken, and any that are getting there.

The reason you're only getting that one code is likely because the only wiring that's failed so far is in the CPS circuit.

FWIW, this is why we do actual diagnostics when there's a problem, and not throw a part at it (2, in this case) just because that code came up. As you see, there are several different issues that can cause a code for a specific part. When the first CPS didn't work, why did you think replacing it again would solve the problem?

Your links don't work, most likely you haven't correctly set the permissions.

This comes up near-daily, and most everyone is talking about the trans vent tube. Has a 90 deg bend at the top, it's not supposed to be connected to anything.

 

Ok fixed the links, if you could still just look at the photos so I can know for sure it would mean a lot. Thanks

Bottom tube (of the two in the mid of the photo) in this photo:
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

and this is how I found it:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1017059...15943570669426

 

No, that one should connect to the bottom of the MAP sensor, visible at the very bottom of the second picture.

 

Hey my rear right speaker on my 95 has gone out. I was wondering if anybody thought I should just replace the speaker or change my whole sound system? I still have the stock radio and speakers in my car. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on a better sound system with price in mind. Thank you.

 

Well, that's the difference between you spending $5 on speaker, or who knows how much replacing everything.

Are you happy with how it is? Replace the speaker.
Not? Start upgrading.

 

Lol I'm having trouble understanding the second part of your post. But I guess you're right it would be more financially sound just to get a new speaker, but then again I never thought mine was up to Bose quality and standards. So I was just asking in the event I do decide to change what system would you guys recommend I get.

 

To pmohr: since there are 2 CPS' I was thinking it was the 2nd, which is the recent one I replaced. I've been doing some reading and I saw a few people had this problem after they're clutch was replaced. Mine was replaced about 3 months ago, when the problem started. How does replacing the clutch have any relation to the CPS error and what could that have caused? Thanks in advance for the enlightenment.

 

There's only one CPS, reading the bank two primary cam gear:


Are you referring to the crank sensors? Those are the CKPS', a position sensor at the bellhousing, and a reference sensor at the crank pulley:



What exactly is the code? It's possible the timing ring was damaged during the clutch install, CKPS POS wiring damaged, or other possibilities.

What path to follow really depends on which code you have. Are there any driveability or other problems, or is it just throwing a code, with no other issues?

 

What I was saying was that if you're happy with the audio system as it was before the speaker died, then just replace the speaker.

Otherwise, lots of information available here: http://forums.maxima.org/audio-electronics-21/

 

I was referring to the crankshaft position sensor (ref) right next to the oil filter, (sorry, terminology was a tad off). My mechanic replaced The car has a slow crank, which it improved, but isn't normal, when I changed out the crank position sensor (pos) and it also has a lot of hesitation on acceleration, especially around 2500rpms. There's also a slight missfire, which i'm assuming might be the knock sensor since i've had my coil packs replaced as well as the spark plugs.

 

btw the code is P1336

 

code P1336 is the sensor at the flywheel. Check everything in that area closely, the wiring, the sensor itself and the flywheel like pmohr suggested.

 

Is there a way to find out when to change the timing belt on my 4th gen?

 

Never, the VQ doesn't have a timing belt.

 

we have a chain IIRC (just learned what IIRC means. =D)

 

Greetings. I own a '98 GLE, purchased with 98k miles last December, currently at 99,450. It's currently in the shop, and I had a couple of questions before I speak to the mechanic again.

Now, obviously, I am not a car geek. I'm not an idiot, but cars are not my thing. I love my Maxima (also previously owned '99 Altima) and just want to make sure I understand what's going on and am not getting taken for a ride.

Exhaust problem - during recent oil change, indicated that needs new exhaust system from converter back. I don't doubt this, given the fact the muffler is rusting/peeling and the car is abnormally loud. The estimate is $996, based on $98/hour labor. Reasonable? Is there anything in particular I should know?

Leak - I have noticed drops of unidentified fluid where I park. The initial look from the mechanic during oil change indicated "timing case leak" and said it would take three hours of labor just to disassemble everything to even being the diagnosis phase. I searched on this site, and read all the relevant FAQs and stickys -- I did see threads discussing what may be this problem, but I'll be honest, a lot of the discussion went over my head because like I noted above, I'm not a gearhead. It also looked like there were a few different problems that could be possibilities. I just want to know what the most likely problems are and how much I should expect to pay to have them fixed. Doing this myself is not an option. Although I am fairly mechanically inclined, I neither have the time nor the tools to even think about doing much work on my car myself.

Mechanic - I live in the area of Rockville, MD. The car is currently at a generic shop, but one that is AAA approved. Does anyone have recommendations for people in the area who have a lot of experience with Maximas? My apologies if this is a verboten question, but I didn't see anything in the rules about not asking about mechanics.

But because I did see that "thanks" replies violate the rules, I will thank you all in advance for your assistance.

 

That price seems high to me, but it may be high because of the brand of muffler parts. I would ask for an itemized quote to find out. You could also ask a muffler shop or two what they would charge.

The valve cover gasket is more likely a source of the oil leak than the timing case. When you look from underneath the car, they both drip from the same point. I would definitely want a second opinion.

AAA rated... not necessairly worth the paper its written on.

My uncle owned motels that were AAA rated and when I was younger, I would help out during summer vacation. When I was old enough to understand things like AAA rated, I asked him what the requirements were. He said he had to send them a check every year that did not bounce. I told him I didn't believe him and to stop pulling my leg and he swore he wasn't kidding. I asked him how often the AAA came by and inspected the place and he said never. As I got older and was working the back office, I found out he wasn't joking. If you paid your money and AAA didn't get too many nasty complaints about you, you were good as gold.

 

i just got my 1997 maxima GLE and i think its a bad *** car i just have a couple of questions!

Q: What MSD parts can i add to my car to enhance its performance and speed?

Q: Is there a legitimate place online where i can buy a FULL lip kit?

Q: what kind of spark plugs would i need to get if i bought the MSD wires?

Q: My check engine light is on and after i took it to get checked they told me it was a hose that had a hole in it and it would be hard to find... what is the best thing i can do to fix it?

Thanks!!!

 

MSD? Why specifically MSD? I believe they may have coils, but OE coils are just fine.

Have you googled for the parts you want? There are plenty of online aftermarket shops that will sell products like that.

Wires? You won't find MSD wires for this car, or any type of wires. There are no spark plug wires. Just use the OE NGK copper or platinum plugs, depending on how much you want to pay. No Bosch, no E3, no Superduperultraspark fancy plugs, just standard NGKs.

Well considering you've told us virtually nothing about the problem, I'd say it'd be extremely hard to find. Do you have an estimate from the shop for what exactly needs to be fixed? What is the code?

Before you go after this 'performance and speed', you really need to get the maintenance up to date, fix any current issues, then think about modifications.

Could be quite a few things, the only way to really know exactly what is leaking is to clean it all off, let it run, and check to see where it starts. UV dye helps a lot here, too.

In Maryland, Frank Hill is your man for anything VQ related.

http://hillsgarage.net/home

 

fer sure thanks! ^^^^^^^
i'll try to find out what exactly is making the check engine light turn on!

 

hello everyone, will 96' glass headlights fit on 97' maxima?

 

hey im new as well and this is my first reply to a post but i have a 5.5 gen maxima with a 3.5 motor i have no mods because i have just recently purchased the vehicle. i figured i would start small and throw a SRI on my car. everything was great, until one day my car would bog down and sound like it was not getting enough air. long story short i bought a new MAF and the same thing just happened again.... can i not have an intake on my car or what because i have already purchased 2 sensors now and i would like to keep the intake on is there a HP MAF i can buy or what??? help PLZ!

 

They'll bolt on, but they won't fit correctly with the grille.

This is the 4th gen section. That being said, are you sure it's a bad MAF, or are you just throwing parts at it? Are you using an oiled filter? If so, are you soaking the damn thing, or actually following the directions?

 

i just got a 99 max and wanted to join this forum so I can ask questions about the car...

I used to have a 91 maxima back in the day and finally got a new car...

this is a very good forum so far and i've had two problems solved by using this forum... i just wish i can start a NEW thread.. but not yet...

 

thanks. are there any glass headlights available for 97 maxima?

 

There seems to be alot of how-to's and othergreat articles.. I cant seem to find a wheel fitment guide, that would be awesome. If anyone knows please share

I'm looking to possibley get these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/18-Wh...#ht_3502wt_960

 

Generally speaking, what is considered an acceptable amount of markup on parts for a repair shop? Like, if a part (we'll call it a Walker resonator) is $160 on the Internet and ~$250 at AutoZone, what is the upper limit of what a shop should be charging before it's considered gouging?

I feel like I should know this stuff better - I spent nearly a decade living without a car in NYC so I completely lost my sense of what is reasonable when it comes to auto repair.

 

Hi, I recently bought a '98 Max GLE and it has an aftermarket head unit; however, when the key is in the on position or the ACC position everything will work fine, but randomly when I start the vehicle or while driving the head unit and clock will cut out. I'm not sure if there's a plug behind the dash that could be loose or not, and I'd rather not tear the entire dash apart unless I have a good idea what the issue may be.

Any help is very appreciated.
Thanks

 

I went to the auto store to get my check engine light looked at and when they ran the codes they gave me these two
CODES:
P0136 and P1447

For the first code being the P0136 they told me it could be fixed with a tune up, but im not to sure

For the second though it didn't say anything specific just purge flow monitoring so if anyone could help me by explaining the problem and if they know a way to fix it.

Thanks!

 

No, 97-99 are plastic. You could use the 95/96 just fine, it just wouldn't look perfect.

It really depends on the shop. Some will do minimal markup, somewhere around 50%, others will do 200% or even much more on some parts.

If you jiggle the key, can you reproduce the issue, or bring them back when they've gone out?

I wonder how they got the idea that a 'tune up' would fix an O2 sensor fault. You should really test the rear O2, but generally speaking a P0136 is indicative of a failed sensor. The quickest and easiest way (if it's not rusted in) would be to pull it out and shake it, see if it rattles (it shouldn't).

Code: P0136 | Description: O2 sensor fault


As you can see, the EVAP system has quite a few components that need to be checked out. Probably first thing I'd go for is pull the charcoal canister and see if it's coming apart internally, which will muck up the entire system.

Code: P1447 | Description: EVAP Purge Flow Monitoring

 

I haven't tryed jiggling the key yet since it hasn't happened yet today but if I shut the car off and restart it it seems to come back on about 50% of the time.

Update: I had the radio cut out this afternoon and tryed jiggling the key which caused it to come back on. I'm thinking it's a loose 12v switched wire on the ignition cylinder now.

 

Where is the Charcoal canister on the car?... and if its not the source of the problem what would be my next step to finding the real problem?

sorry if im asking a lot of questions but i just really want my car to fixed!
thanks again!

 

Just a worn out ignition switch, $30 part and takes 10 minutes to replace:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ykT9...el_video_title

The charcoal canister is by the LR tire:


Failing that, I'd start looking for hoses that are cracked and leaking, wiring that may be damaged, valves or hoses that may be blocked (which would only really be caused by a bad charcoal canister). It would be best if you had a smoke machine to test for leaks, though.

 

I picked up a 96 maxima auto 140k mi. a few months back and have encountered a few problems with it. I have owned three A32's and have not ever encountered these problems before. The engine is smooth and has been tuned up recently. I.E. New NGK plugs, fuel filter, grounds cleaned, MAF cleaned, etc.

1). I have two codes. One is the VSS and the other is the Knock sensor. I have replaced both with new OEM Nissan sensors and harnesses, but it still throws the same codes even after I reset the ECU. I have a scanner, I use it to reset and pull codes. I can also monitor the timing, AFRs, and other EM info on my scanner.

Question: What should the stock timing be @ idle and WOT? Reason for asking is so I can determine if the ECU is allowing the timing to advance as per a good knock sensor or is keeping the timing retarded due to the lack of signal from the sensor. I’m getting about 24mpg. Indicative of retarded timing. Did I miss this info in the FSM?

2). My tach is acting like a boost gauge. It jumps around like crazy. Sometimes it just bounces all the way to redline and stays there. This was my main reason for replacing the VSS, which changed nothing.

Question: Whats up with my tach?

3). OD light blinks 15 or 16 times once in a while when I start it after it has warmed up and been driven. Does not occur on cold starts. Trans shifts smooth, has a new drop resistor as well. OD switch functions correctly.

Question: Am I looking at a bad TCM?

4). Cruise control works only in the morning when it’s cool, and only for a short time. The switch on the dash illuminates and the "cruise" indicator in the instrument panel also works. The cruise seems to work for a short time then I get a blinking "cruise" indicator on the instrument panel, the cruise then stops working and the light stays blinking.

Question: What’s causing the blinky cruise light?

5). If the car sits directly in the sun for more than two hours, it won’t start for a while. I can hear the relay behind the dash working but I get no power to the starter for a while. Eventually it will start but only after turning the key 20 or 30 times. Starter is new OEM Nissan. Battery is new Optima red top. All wires and contacts are clean and have continuity. Battery shows 12.3v with the engine off and 14.5v running. I found an aftermarket alarm system under the dash and found the "brain" which I disconnected. This made no difference. Problem remains with alarm brain installed and uninstalled.

Question: Maybe I should get a new ignition switch? Pull apart the alarm system and reconnect the wires where they were in an OEM sense?

Thanks for reading and hopefully someone can point me in the right direction/directions.

 

1. Did you do any diagnostics, or just replace the two sensors because of those codes? Base timing is covered on EC-33.
2. Why would you replace a VSS for a faulty tach? The two systems have nothing to do with eachother. Chances are the screws on the back of the cluster are loose, causing both your VSS and tach problems.
3. Not necessarily a bad TCM, no. The flashing OD light is trying to tell you there are TCM code(s) set. Retrieve the code(s), see AT-47:
   
4. The cruise light blinking just indicates a general error, you'll need to go through and do your own diagnostics to see what the problem is, see EL-143. Since it's heat-related, it's likely to be the actuator or pump under the hood.
5. If you jiggle the key around while holding it in the start position, can you get it to start reliably? If you pull the ignition switch and turn it manually, does the problem still exist?

 

Pmohr, Thanks for the reply.

1). EC-33 Got it. Guess I missed that. Yes, I replaced them without testing them. I didnt ohm out/test resistance/ check for continuity on the old sensors to see if they were within spec. My other maxima's were spot on when they threw codes for various reasons and my response was to replace the sensors and their respective harnesses. Steep learning curve I guess lol. Oops.

2). For some reason I was thinking that the VSS was where the tach picked up the signal. Thanks for the correction on that one. I'll disassemble the guage cluster and check for loose screws.
Out of curiousity where does the tach signal come from? Crank pos. sensor/ timing ring sensor?

3). Ok, AT-47, thanks again. I got a new code, PO600. Serial com link malfunction. It seems this code is set when the ECU/ECM recives the incorrect voltage from the TCM continously. Havent gotten this code previously. I guess I'll go throught the troubleshooting procedures concerning that as per the FSM as well. Geez.

4).EL-143 Gotcha. That seems pretty straight forward.

5). No ammount of jiggling or pressure in different directions will make it start in a reliable sense. I will have to disassemble the switch and wait for a hot day to test that. My instincts tell me that it may have the same problem with the switch removed. However, Im not gonna buy a new one untill I have conducted the test you suggested.

Thanks again.

 

Anytime u separate the tranny and engine, u need to sand the mating surfaces being reinstallation or u are gonna have starting issues.

U can try adding a 4awg wire from negative battery terminal to the tranny housing. that should work. If not replace the rear CKPS as well.