Before you do anything, here is a better, more specific diagnostic routine. I just checked this on my 2000 which I think is going to be pretty identical on your car.

Earlier I had you checking voltages on the fan motor. That does not specifically tell you if the fan control amplifier is bad. It only says the amplifier is telling the fan motor to spin. This time you will check a wire on the fan control amplifier itself.

The connector for the Fan Control Amplifier is a 4 pin connector, but only has 3 wires in it.

Pin 1 - blue/white stripe - 12 volts coming through the blower motor windings.
Pin 2 - blue/yellow stripe - control leg of the amplifier
Pin 3 - black wire - chassis ground.

the wire in pin 2 is a thinner wire than the others and this is the one we really want to look at.

Quick test - If you have the climate control OFF button pressed in, then pin 2 should read zero volts (or close to it) and the blower motor should be off. If you have zero volts and the fan is running, the amplifier is bad. But if you have voltage on pin 2, then the problem is probably the dash controls.

Fan speed setting & corresponding voltage on pin 2:
off - 0.01
1 - 2.6
2 - 2.9
3 - 3.2
4 - 8.2

Fan speed setting & corresponding voltage on pin 1
off - 11.9
1 - 7.6
2 - 4.1
3 - 1.3
4 - 0.45

 

Okay. Sounds like a good idea. Ill try it tonight after I get home from work if I have time.

 

So i went to look at a 2001 maxima se with 128xxx mi two days ago and got the car inspected before making an offer. The car has a stillen cold air intake and a greddy exhaust, new 2004 brakes in the front, no leaks and it is very clean. After the inspection, the mechanic told me the car runs very good but it would need new tires before the winter, something about the clutch master cylinder, needed new rear brake rotors, needed new serpentine belt, also he checked the computer and it gave him a air bag code #20, the abs light was on (abs does not work) and it had two unset monitors (not sure what that means). His lowest offer was 3700 and i declined because I wasnt sure if i wanted the car. What do you guys think about the price and the abs light problem? Should I purchase the car?

 

2 pieces of advice:

1 - I'm thinking that you are not a work-on-my-car kind of person and as such, you should probably walk away from ths car and don't look back.

2 - You really need to pay attention to what you are doing. This is the 4th generation forum for 1995 to 1999 Maximas. This post is not appropriate here.

 

i am trying to start working on my car by myself bbut dont have a car yet and i realized that after i posted the question and reposted it in the 5th gen sorry, i dont know how to delete posts

 

well here is what i found.

pin 1 (bue/white stripe):

off position - 11.99 volts
position 1 - 12.02 volts
position 2 - 11.97 volts
position 3 - 11.96 volts
position 4 - 11.94 volts

pin 2 (blue/yellow stripe):

off position - 0.03 volts
position 1 - 9.05 volts
position 2 - 9.05 volts
position 3 - 9.02 volts
position 4 - 9.06 volts

i did a continuity check on the ground wire (black/pin 3) with a known good grounding point and it check out ok. i did these checks with the key in the on position engine not running. i know that probably wont change anything but i thought id throw it out there. so judging by what you told me, the dash controls are good but the amp is not regulating the voltage properly. but this adds one more question, since the voltages on pin 2 didnt start out low and climb as the setting was increased could that indicate that the dash controls or auto amp are bad?

 

Yes. I guess the way I say things is not clear enough, but you have drawn the conclusion that I am trying to get across. The voltage on pin 2 of the fan control amplifier is the key to determining this.

In your situation, with the voltage on pin 2 of the fan control amplifier always being close to 12 volts regardless of the fan speed setting, we can eliminate the fan control amplifier as the problem. It is being told to run the fan. So that means whatever sends the voltage on pin 2 is the problem. And that is the auto amplifier. You did figure it out in spite of me.

I have been using the term dash controls when I was referring to the auto amplifier which is just above the radio. I guess I do this because I don't like the name. Sorry for confusing you.

 

its not your fault i was confused. i just second guess my self too much. i found a link in the forum to the fsm, downloaded it and then found a schematic of the circuit. i just asked that about pin two to make sure i was drawing the right conclusion. but thanks again, i didnt even know where to start.

 

Not really a "noobie" but figured I'd post in here instead of making a thread.

I'm going with the whole blue and white color scheme on my car, and I'm thinking about putting in a new battery. What's the best brand, and is there a way to paint the top cover blue? Also the engine hoses, what type of hosing should I use if I want to make them blue?

-Thanks.

 

Hi. Please correct me if I'm in the wrong place for this post.

My car is running rough i have code 51 (Injector Circuit) and 34 (knock sensor)

car was good before the above happened right after taking the intake plenum off and replacing the valve cover gaskets, rotor on the distributor, plenum gasket, all vacuum hoses and cleaning most of the intake parts with Seafoam.

all 6 spark plugs are alive and kicking (firing good sparks)
all 6 injectors have 13.4ohms at each injector and after the plugs on the wire harness

i did the power test and unplugged each cable and noticed my number 2 is not changing the way it idles.

I have no Noid light but it's on the way.

 

You are in the wrong forum. This is the 4 generation forum for 1995 to 1999 Maximas. You have a 3rd generation, 1989 to 1994. The 4th generation cars used a new engine design, the VQ30, that was based on the 3rd gen's VE30 engine.

Putting that aside, cylinder # 2 is "dead". While the ohm reading on the fuel injector is good, the injector could still be bad, the mechanical workings inside it could be messed up. There isn't any way of testing the injector that I know of other than swapping it.

Run the car for a minute or 2 and then take the spark plug out of cyl #2. If the spark plug is wet, that means the injector is squirting gas into the cylinder, but the spark plug is not firing.

Another thing to check is the spark plug wires. They can go bad. You can swap the wire with another cylinder fairly easy to test it. I had a bad distributor cap on my 94 and I discovered it by accident. I opened my hood one night while the engine was running and saw the spark on the distributor cap.

Don't worry about the knock sensor code until you get all cylinders working. It may very well go away with the cylinder fix.

 

im new here from new york in need of a wiring diagram for my 4th gen max my headlight wiring caught on fire last night thanks ahead

 

See EL-38. http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/1998/

 

thanks a million i was wondering if there was one the shows the whole car wiring this fire was bigger then i thought it started under the driver wheel were all the wires come out the cab its bad

 

Yes, EL covers most of the wiring in the car. Some wiring diagrams are in their own section, for example Brakes (BR), Engine Control (EC), etc.

 

what do think i should do just got this car like 2 to 3 weeks ago and now i had a list of problems happen since i had it i just been putting more then what i paid for it 800 and put like almost 2000 dollars now this and my car is overheating with out the thermostat in it how can i get the whole wire harness from the fuse box forward the overheating is another issue i changed the water pump and put a new stat in and it started to over heat i took out the stat and put the housing bac on now the temp goes up and down its funny when im driving it good but when traffic it goes to the h

 

A wire harness from the dealer is very expensive. Your best bet is to go to a pick&pull junkyard and get one out of a car there. Another possibility is to check our for sale listings here on Maxima.org.

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...-1995-1999-43/

The overheating is possibily low water. MAybe you didn't get all the air pockets out when you changed the water pump. When the engine is cold, take the cap off of the radiator and check the level. The radiator should be completely full, no space for air. Another possibility are the radiator fans. When the engine is hot, both fans should be running. A good test is to start the car and turn the air conditioner on. Both fans should be running, even if the engine is cold.

 

my a/c doesnt work i disconnected the plug on the a/c and got a smaller belt cause my a/c pully was making alot of nosie a friend gave me the belt it fits but i was wondering if it cold be cause of that i brup the system almost everyday it keeps getting pursure in the hoses i had it check to see if it was head gasket but they say no i changed water pump 2 times coolant switch thermostat and still overheating i had to take the stat out just to make it to work i dont wanna stay stuck

 

Ok, so there's adhesive on the back. It can't be the worst first post ever...can it? I'm looking forward to stumping the group with some more brain teasers.

 

If you have to burp it every day, that's not right. Maybe you should get a pressure test done on the cooling system to see if you have a bad head gasket. Who is this mystical "they" that says you don't have a bad head gasket?

Are your radiator fans running?

I don't think the fan belt is your problem IF you have the correct size.
To bypass the a/c compressor, you need a 6-rib belt.
If the size is in metric, you need a 920 mm length belt.
If the size is in English, you need a 36 in length belt.

 

code po138 and po 139 (rear o2 sensor)
code po325 (knock sensor)
no other codes

With the above info. what would be the most likely cause of my 99 maxima intermittently misfiring (bumping) in drive while stopped. I've heard that neither of these parts could cause this, yet no other codes to tell me. I've got 110,OOO miles and in the past year the throttle body was cleaned and an induction fuel injector cleaning performed. From the service records of the previous owner the car has the original sparkplugs. Runs great otherwise. If it was plugs or coils wouldn't I have a code telling me which cylinder? Parts are expensive and I don't wont to randomly replace parts. RPM's are steady, just a little jump when the car bumps. This hidden "gremlin" is very frustrating.

 

I recently replaced the starter in my 98 Max and ever since then when ever i try and start it the starter makes a high pitch whining noise and sometimes takes multiple times to actually start. I have noticed that giving it gas at the same time helps as well. I am unsure if this is a problem caused by the mechanics or a bad starter or what the issue could be, Also i dont know if this could cause any future problems. Thanks in advance

 

q45 brakes (calipers, pads rotors) straight bolt on?

(yes) (no) (maybe so)???
thank you

 

One possibility is that when the pinion gear on the starter engages the flywheel, it may not have enough clearance. This could be from improper installation, wrong starter or bad starter.

With rebuilt starters, anything goes. When something is not right, it is going to fail, usually right after the warranty expires. Get this taken care of.

 

what do you guys think of this car? it has 122000 miles

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/2581395983.html

 

Hey guys, I have a problem with my 95 maxima. There is a clicking sound coming from the passenger rear end. The sound goes faster whenever i accelerate and stops when i hit the brakes. Took it to check and they said it was a broken strut. Just wanted to find out if this is right cause they weren't able to lift my car to get it checked but said it most probably is the strut. I would really appreciate the help on this issue.

 

I don't think the noise if from your strut unless it has fallen over into the wheel. I doubt if the strut is broken, either. It is part of the suspension that holds the car up. Maybe they meant that the strut is leaking.

Since the clicking is related to the car's speed, it could be something with the brakes or a wheel bearing. Take the car to a real mechanic.

 

I've been randomly having a problem with my 98 4th gen. What will happen is at idle when the engine is at operating temps it will occasionally drop down to 500rpm instead of the 800-900 it usually idles at. When this happens it will start to buck and sputter like it has a miss but once I start to accelerate it will go away, and after hard acceleration it will usually stay away for a while before eventually returning. It's happened about 5 times in the last 3 weeks and I can't seem to figure out what's causing it because it's not throwing a CEL.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have researched everything i can find on this problem and I cannot find the proper solution.

I have a 99 I30 140k miles never had a problem before. A few weeks ago the engine started chugging on the same day the radiator broke. Along with the engine chugging was heavy white smoke and fuel smell.
the engine did not get too hot and I do not think they are related but, who knows. well the codes were p1320 and p 0301 and the first thing i did was change the ngk iridium plugs out to new ngk oem platinums, no change,
then changed all 6 coil packs no change.
tested compression and all cylinders were fine,
changed crankshaft position sensors 2 of them , knock sensor no change

changed fuel injectors in cylinders 1 and 2 and the smoking and fuel smell went away but chugging and cel codes remain the same.


what else can cause this problem? I wonder if there is a wiring problem and if so how do I check it.


Thank you for any assistance

 

The P1320 says that one of the ignition coil packs is not firing. P0301 says that the coil pack on cylinder #1 is not firing.

Evidently the coil pack on cyl 1 has gone bad. You are running on 5 cylinders instead of 6. This explains the "chugging" that you are referring to. To check this out, unplug the wire connector while the car is idling. On a good cylinder, the engine will idle worse. On a bad cylinder, there will be no change. You could swap the ignition coil from cyl 3 or 5 and try the wire disconnectring process again and see (hopefully) that the problem has moved.

 

i have a 95 maxima, i just got this one about 2 days ago and when i was letting it run i seen white smoke coming out from the exhaust and it started overheating. should i change the oil and check the thermostat? if it continues to overheat is it my head gasket thats blown??? it doesnt have a sweet smell to it. it stinks i will post a vid if that helps

 

how manny miles? 150Kish

 

im at 184k miles. i havent done a tune up yet. i didnt notice it that night because it was cold outside and it looked like regular smoke. i put antifreeze in the car already. im hoping like hell the head isnt messed up or im gonna be pissed

 

Is the radiator full of coolant? Check when the engine is cool by taking the radiator cap off. The radiator should be completely full, no air. also check to make sure that BOTH radiator fans are running. Checking the head gaskets are a bit tougher so lets check the easy things first.

 

im sorry i should have mentioned that; the fans run and no its not filled all the way to the top im kinda new to the mechanics thing but im learning fast but its not filled to the top

 

i contacted the guy who sold me it.he said he hasnt changed the thermostat in it ever and he owned it for 4 years. might that be a issue as well? i dont mind draining the coolant out because i have a box of coolant lol i just hope it something simple thats all

 

that might be a waist of time, check the oil, is it milky? that is another sign of a blowen head geaskit

 

its dark brown. i feel kinda stupid for havving to use a pic from google as a refrence of milky oil color. i checked a few times its dark brown what should i check next?

 

Fill the radiator and the overflow tank and then check the level to see if the coolant is disappearing. When you take the cap off of the radiator, there should be absolutely no air in there.

If you are not losing coolant, the thermostat is a possibility. An old trick is to hold on to the upper radiator hose to see if it gets hot. When you start the car, it will be cool. When the thermostat opens to allow the coolant to flow through the radiator, the hose will get hot as in 200 degrees hot.

 

if its mixing it would look like a mix of coffee and creamer


or pull the t.stat and toss it in boiling water with and you should be able to see it open