The VQ30 doesn't have VVT, do you mean the cam sensor? All you really need for that is an o-ring, no need to replace the sensor itself.

What do you mean 'left steering rack moving'? There's only one steering rack, do you mean the bushing has play?

For the LCA bushings, they've likely been damaged by an oil/PS leak; fix that before replacing the bushings. I have a video on LCA R&R, have yet to do the bushings themselves.!

Check to make sure the bellows aren't wet from PS fluid, if so take the inner and bellows off your list, and add a rack. Perfect time to do the rack bushings, too.

 

Yeah it has to be a cam sensor. They had my car listed as an Altima. Good news on the o-ring though!

That's what the shop listed on the sheet of things wrong with it; left steering rack moving. I was hoping it made some sense to other people. I guess that'll be one of those things I figure out once I crawl under to do the work. I believe what he was talking about was how the bellow boot had a rip in it and road grime had gotten inside and ruined some stuff. Could that be it?

The LCA bushings have been damaged from the oil leaking from the valve covers and the cam position sensor o-ring. He also said that the tie rod was leaking PS fluid.

So you're saying just replace the entire rack if power steering fluid is indeed leaking? They sell one on fcpimport.com. Anything else that is needed for sure from the list? All I know for sure so far is LCA bushings and a gasket kit for the motor.

 

Yes, if the rack's leaking, there's no point in putting new parts on/in it. The only way to fix that leak is to replace that seal, which generally entails tearing the rack down (and good luck finding a rebuild kit for it easily available).

Rack, LCA bushings, o-ring for the CPS, valve cover and intake manifold gasket set (a head gasket set would be best, would have the valve cover, intake manifold, EGR, IAVC, TB, etc gaskets) looks like all you'd need, just based on their list.

 

Hi does anyone know how to get their hands on a S5 grill for a fourth gen max? I believe PHSINVENT was the person who sold them, but I am not sure if anyone else has any...

 

Good point! I'll buy the entire rack as seen in this link. Unless there is something better. Everything else I'll get from fcimport.com also.

They also mentioned something about the tie rod, "right inner tie rod" was their quote. Looking at the listings here, I can't tell which is the right side, but I'm guessing the ones with the castle nuts are the outer tie rods correct? Is the tie rod worth getting the individual parts or a completely new one?

The CPS o-ring I'm hoping to get locally from a dealership because the one site I found who carried it, wanted $12 shipping for the $3 part. I'll ask fcimport.com too before I go too crazy.

One last thing. Any specialty tools I need?

Thanks for all your help!

 

The rack comes with new inner tie rods, no need to buy them separately.

For specialty tools, not really. Long needle nose pliers help for removing the UIM, flex head ratchet wrenches will save some time, but basic hand tools should be fine,

 

96 auto.

Randomly the cruise will not work, then times it will. And times when it does, the cruise light will start flashing and it'll shut off.

Transmission, start the car, and the OD light will flash. Counted 16 times. Read thats the VSS. Changed it to no avail. Also, while driving, the car will randomly stall. Gotta pull over to start it bc it wont start in neutral. Itll start right up, and then the trans wont shift outta second. Gotta put it in neutral, rev it, and drop it back into drive and itll work fine.

Gear selector, as stated above, it wont start in neutral. And got into it today and it wldnt start in park. Had to play with the shift a few times and it finally started.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!!!

 

I'm no expert, but when the OD light flashes you need to fix the problem as soon as possible because your car is warning you that your transmission is having a serious problem. I had that problem and it turned out to be my drop resistor, it may be something else in your situation though. Have you scanned for trouble codes? They'll help you in finding the problem for your transmission and your stalling problem. As for your starting problems in neutral and park, it sounds like your neutral safety switch has stopped working properly.

You can take your car to autozone for free scans. Do this as soon as you can though before your transmission gets worse !

 

We had it scanned the other day and the vss and tcm/pcm were out. P0600 was the code. We also have like 5 or 6 more sensors that are out. A total of $850. But when we actually looked into it, one of the "out" sensors can also make the computer think like 3 of the other sensors are out. Its just odd it'll be working fine one minute, stall, and then it all starts wigging out.

Here are the codes
P0171 - bank 1 too lean
P0130 - O2 sensor circuit malfunction, bank 1 sensor 1
P0600 - serial communication link malfunction
P0400 - EGR
P0500 - VSS
P1105 - manifols absolute pressure/barometric pressure circuit malfunction (if thats the boost sensor code, its not hooked up bc of the retarded mechanic)

But a few of those codes could be the result of another code.

Thanks for ur response!!!

 

No problem. So did you just decide to pay the $850 and fix the problems? If you did how is your car running now?

 

We both hve no job so cant change em all. Also, the tie rod ends and ball joints just HAD to be replaced. Another almost $300 that we dont have. Also had to put new tires on it. Ughh. It runs rough randomly. And it stalled on me once today. We have a random wire hanging on the driver side near the trans. Im thinking the neutral safety switch cld be unplugged. What u think? Ima get under there maybe tomorrow and check it out.

 

P0171 and P0130 are both most likely caused by the rear upstream O2.
P0600 and P0500 are both most likely caused by a bad speedometer, or could just be a loose mounting screw.
Yes, P1105 is the MAP sensor (says 'boost sensor' on the sticker). Hook it up, the code will go away.
P0400 is most likely just a clogged up EGR guide tube.

The first thing I'd check is the wiring harness where it runs by the right strut tower, they are known for wire breakage in that area. Wiggle the wiring harness, see if you can make the engine stall or any other problems to occur. If so, open up the harness and repair any damaged wires.

If it was unplugged, you wouldn't be able to start your car. If it's a single wire with a female spade connector on the end, it's just the trans ground cable, connects to a male tab on the end of the trans case.

 

Its an actual plug. Thanks for that. Any idea if a bad NSS will affect shifting??? Also, cant hook upthe boost sensor, as the stalk thing the vacuum line hooks in to at the motor is broke. NO idea how that happened. We had NO problems with the car other than the head gaskets being bad before we brought it into the shop.

 

IIRC with the inhibitor switch unplugged, you'll be limited to park, reverse, neutral, and third.

 

Ok. As stated earlier I have quite a few engine codes and a transmission code. My concern is the car keeps stalling. I do a lot of fast paced city driving and it's dangerous and highly inconvenient. I can just about repeat the stalling anytime. If the A/C is on while crusing and I come to a light/stop sign, it will do one of two things or a combo of both. One, when approaching light, RPM will drop anywhere between 400 and 200 them go back up to about 700-750 then repeat for a couple seconds. Two, before coming to a complete stop, car will completely stall and since my neutral safety switch is bad I'm, I'm assuming, I have to stop, put in park, release brake, then crank. Car will start with no problem. The combo normally occurs like so- RPM fluctuates during the stop and car will stall when stopped. Now that being said, with A/C off I have less stalling but it still happens occasionally. No A/C on a cool day doesn't bother me all 4 windows work and I'm not afraid to use them. But days that feel like 80+ degrees is starting to annoy me. All I really want right now is to know what sensor(s) is making it do this. Please help and thanks to all who do.

 

Clean the TB and IACV. Also, if you haven't plugged the vacuum line going to the MAP sensor, that isn't helping either.

So it won't crank in neutral? Also, the brake switch has nothing to do with the starting circuit, so if that actually is affecting whether or not the engine cranks, you have bigger issues.

 

I would plug up that line but the piece on the solenoid is broken off. I will try to get a new one from pull a part and see if that helps. I will clean the IACV and
TB.

About the EGR. Where is it and where is the guide tube that would need cleaning. A pic would really help.

 

Seen other threads where people were bashed for reviving old threads so here's my question:

While driving today, my car suddenly wouldn't go past 2k RPMs so I pulled to the side of the road. A quick google on my crap internet phone didn't help so I just turned the car off and turned it back on. Everything acted like it was back to normal so I continued driving. A hour later, the problem recurs and I solve it by turning the car off and back on.

What could this be?

I disconnected the MAF sensor while car was idling when I got home and the car cut off, but was able to stabilize when I cranked it with it disconnected. The fans didn't turn on immediately but after awhile they came on when idling.

How else can I tell what it could be, whether it's the MAF or the Coolant Temp Sensor?

My CEL does work but did not come on when the car was cranked and idling.

 

A - Some people here love to bash others because they have nothing better to do.
B - Some people will revive an old thread and what they type in is not relevant.

It sound like the car went into "limp" mode. There are many things that can cause that. As far as I know, any malfunction that causes limp mode will turn on the check engine light.

The car will always die when you unplug the MAF. The cooling fans are thermostatically controlled, so they may not come on when you start the car. The only exception is the fans come on immediately when the air conditioning is turned on (if the air temperature is above 35F).

Without a check engine light, I don't know how to tell a bad MAF. The ECTS (Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor) can be checked with an ohmmeter. You have to know the temperature of the water as the sensor is a variable resistor. If the car has been running and is at operating temperature, the water is about 200 degrees. Remove the wires from the ECTS and check ohms across the 2 contacts. You should get a reading in the range of 230 to 260 ohms. However, the ECTS is more known for causing hard starting than the problem you are having.

Take the car to a parts store such as autozone and ask them to check the codes. There are codes that don't light up the check engine light.

 

edit: Made it to one, and the limp mode didn't activate til i actually made it home.

First Code was P0100

Second Code was P0325

 

Hi I have one question.

Our Maxima has been eating a lot of fuel. It has 110k miles on it. From our estimates, its eating 17 mpg for city and highway combined. My dad drives the car calmly and normally, he's the only driver.

What could be causing this heavy fuel consumption? People here mentioned it could be the O2 sensor or the ECTS.

a. How many O2 sensors are there and which do I have to check?

b. How do I check the O2 sensors?

*I already know how to check the ECTS.

 

Depending if you are Cali or Fed Spec...either 3 (Fed IIRC) or 4 (Cali Spec IIRC) O2 Sensors. Here is a link to the FSM which should tell you how to test them http://www.boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/ (Credit to pmohr for the FSM link) But, you SHOULD get a check engine light if they are bad. You didn't say but I assume you do not have a check engine light on??? Does the bulb work for the Check Engine light?? Have you checked the ECU by turning the screw in it and decoding the number of flashes yourself to see if you have any codes?? Have you had a garage or auto store check for codes?? Report back with answers to these. Also, what year Max?

For bad fuel consumption, I would start with the general tune...plugs (NGK ONLY), fuel filter, Air filter, clean Throttle Body, clean MAF, clean IACV.

EDIT: I just found this post you made a while back...did you fix these codes? Did you replace the knock sensor yet?

 

I have a 1996 SE. Yesterday I ran a 0-60 time of 9 seconds flat. This is terrible, especially considering I have the 5 speed. I read my codes for my check engine light and it says I have a bad speed sensor. Could these things be related?
It may also be worth mentioning that my fuel filter, air filter, and oil filter are all BRAND new. Perhaps I just need a tune? A while back my car felt like there was a horrible misfire, but this problem seemed to disappear after i replaced the fuel filter. It still chugs and jerks slightly at low rpms though.

 

we have a 1998 maxima. the check engine light is on at the moment... it goes on and off from time to time. The last time i read the codes by turning that screw, i got those 3 codes that you mentioned from my earlier post. we didn't do anything about those codes. i should turn that screw and see what codes it gives now... to see if they changed.

we did not replace the knock sensor... we have been getting the knock sensor code for a long time, for the past 9 years. could a bad knock sensor effect fuel economy? we dont hear the engine knocking ever... it works smooth.

assuming that when i read the codes again there will be no codes for O2 sensors, what do i do then about teh bad fuel economy?

we never changed our fuel filter, could that affect mpg too? how do we clean the MAF, could it affect mpg as much as we have in our case? and what about the IACV, does it affect fuel economy too?

my dad mentioned that he thinks the car eats a lot of gas on city driving and at idle engine speeds... so this is another clue... any ideas?

 

The ks will affect mpg ($10 on eBay). Change your fuel filter...its like a $15 part. I think that a combination of all things (dirty (probably) MAF??, dirty (probably) TB?, Old fuel filter, bad KS) will definetly put you very low on your MPG.

Change these out, check for codes and clean tb, MAF and iacv then report back. Here is the link to the 4th gen how to's http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...on-maxima.html that explain how to do all of the stuff I have just told you to do. None of these things are very hard to do. The ks is probably the biggest pain just because of where it is but member pmohr has a ton of videos of how to do a lot of things. Look at any of his posts and you'll see at the bottom, in his Sig, it'll say how to videos which should be helpful. Here is the link to his videos to get you started http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...E3C3345DC2C64F

Basically we need to know what you currently have for codes and get them taken care of in order to keep troubleshooting.

 

I have finally found the part I need to replace in order to clear this code. The fsm calls it the canister control solenoid valve. The service bullentine calls it the canister control cut solenoid valve. They are one in the same. Alot of posts state that it is the valve in the rear attached to the canister, but on a ca. emmisions 95 there is no valve attached to the canister. The fsb states code p0443 on a 95 is either the canister control cut valve or the canister purge volume control valve located on top of engine towards rear. I have already replaced this part but still get code after about 10 starts. I want to replace the other part mentioned in the fsb but cannot find the part number to search for one to buy. Anyone with a part list for evap components for a 95 max please help. Location of solenoid valve is towards front by intake and to right of egr valve solenoid.

 

There is a testing procedure for the canister solenoid valve per the FSM. Test it.

Next, take some time and review ALL VACUUM lines. Yes u heard me right, ALL OF THEM. Using the FSM, trace the vaccum lines and blow into them to make sure nothing is blocked up. once u have done this, and still get the code, replace the solenoid.

I had the same issue as u and did this. good luck

 

96 with keyless entry.

All I have a question about is the driver door. I can lock it with both the keypad and door lock but it won't unlock with either one. Any ideas on what that could be.

 

when you say doorlock, do you mean the key or the button that is indie on the armrest with the window switches.

If you mean the button on the armrest, then you may have a problem with the solenoid that moves the mechanism, it could be binding. Another possibility is that the master window switch in the driver's door is not sending the unlock signal.

 

Not sending the signal just to that one door? if i'm not mistaking there isn't any noise like a strain when u electronically unlock the door. If that helps any.

 

The driver's door window switch is a little more hi-tech than most people think. It has a microprocessor in it! There are 2 data lines (or data busses) that come from the BCM (Body Control Module). Data Line 1 is for the left side doors and Data Line 2 is for the right side doors. The power window switch in each door decodes its command from the data line. The driver door window switch also controls the light in the door that goes on when the door is opened. Anyway, it is possible for one door lock to not work.

If the mechanical mechanism is binding, I don't know if you would hear any straining type noise. I think that the solenoid only gets a short duration electrical pulse and the solenoid gives the mechanism a quick little punch.

There are also sensors on the door locks to report whether the door is locked or not. A bad sensor is another possible cause of your problem. There is a self diagnostic that you can run on your door lock sensors. The procedure is in the EL section (ELectrical) of the FSM. It starts on page 222 of the 1996 manual. I have never run this diagnostic, so I can't say how good it is.

If you don't have the FSM, you can download one from here:

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/

 

hello everyone, a couple months back I posted a question about my knock sensor because the code came up for it 3 weeks after i bought my 99 maxima se. auto. well i bought the sensor from eBay and 2 days before the part came in my check engine light went off so i never bothered to get it replaced. well its back on again and with the same code. so ive looked up knock sensors in the past and it looked easy to do but on my car i couldn't figure it out so i took it to my mechanic because i need to get my cv joints done anyway so i figured i'd see if i could throw that on top of the bill and see how much he would do it for. so he looked up the diagram and it said it would take 3.6 hrs. also the intake manifold would have to come off ect. I'm really confuse because i thought they were easy but just a pain in the but to get at? could anybody tell me if this is right?

 

They are easy just a pain to get to. Search the .org for knock sensor replacement. There are tons of threads here about it. You do not need to remove the intake manifold to do it. Scroll up through this page and look for a post by pmohr. Look at the bottom of his post and you'll see "how to videos". Check those out, he has one for knock sensor replacement.

 

Hello all, I am brand new here due to my recent purchase of a 1999 Maxima ES. I will be getting the car certified in a few days, and will likely be needing a new windshield (small crack at the base), and a new flexpipe. I live near Oshawa, Ontario (Canada), and am looking for any input whatsoever on where I could go to get the cheapest possible price, and what (roughly) that price would be. Fixing anything myself is unfortunately out of the question due to serious time constraints.

Thanks.

 

so i have a 1997 maxima gxe and i want to get rid of the stupid speed limiter. now i was told you can either cut the wire to the speed limiter or you can swap to a 1997 se ecu. is it true that you can just swap or do you need a new wire harness? id really like to do this for the better fuel air ratio and such as well

 

So i have a 1997 maxima gxe and i want to get rid of that stupid speed limiter. now i was told you can cut the speed limiter wire or you can swap to a 97 se ecu. now i really want to do the ecu swap cause of the better fuel air ratio and such as well. now is it just plug and play or do i need a new wire harness as well?

 

you dont need anything...you just cut the wire and call it a day

 

do you know what wire it is?

 

Answer to your question
Speed Limiter Removal

Answers to a lot of other questions you may have
http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...on-maxima.html

 

Since cutting the wire gives you a permanent check engine light, you would have a problem with the annual vehicle inspection that many states require. To get around this, connect the ends of that wire to a switch. That way you can turn the speed limiter (and the CEL) on and off.