edit: Just looked at the link. I believe they are in correctly since they are only tokico springs. the tight part should have be on the bottom. With after market springs that lower, the tighter area goes up top.

 

Unfortunately earlier today I got hit on the driver's side and I'm trying to figure out how much bodywork is likely to cost. 97 Maxima


][

 

Have you called around to any body shops? That's the only place you can get a real quote, prices vary by shop and location.

You'll have to replace the fender and door, it would make no sense (considering labor to repair) to try and salvage them.

Fit a junkyard fender and door, if you're lucky and find them in the right color, you'll be done. If not, then prep and paint labor will probably come out to around 2 or 3 hours per panel, not including any blend panels they may want to do (LR door, hood, front bumper). Some places will try to match the existing paint so you won't have to blend in other panels, but that can be iffy at best. Then parts, quality materials aren't anywhere near cheap.

Get a list of local body shops, get a quote for respraying the LF door/fender, have your color code on hand. A lot of decent shops won't even want to give you a quote without seeing the car in person.

 

It happened at night so by the time all the crap was finished I didn't have time to call anybody and start getting quotes.

Thank you for the information.

 

Hi all. New to the forum but not new to the Maxima.
Just picked up a '99 (SE? Sunroof and Spoiler but no Leather) 5-spd, with an interior that looks like it's never been sat in.

Engine needs some work, however. Runs strong and idles well, but starts like crap. Here's my question, and symptoms:
-Car almost never starts on first crank. Usually it will turn over several times (RRR...RRR...RRR...RRRVroom) before starting. Other times It will crank 2-3 times and then slow down a bit. If the slowdown happens, it will usually not start, and I give up, turn it off, and restart it a moment later. Sometimes I repeat this 2-3 times, but it always starts.
-Next symptom: If I let it try and crank 3-4 times as described, I will get an electrical/ozone/Burning smell coming through the vents. What could this be?
- Final symptom: I put fresh 5w-30 in it and the idle went down to ~650rpm. Then I did an oil pan gasket and only had 10w30 lying around... using this bumped the idle up to ~975rpm. It was also 20 degrees outside all night, and the first crank of the starter would result in a godawful THUMP coming from either the engine or starter area. I assumed it was because the thicker oil wasn't able to be pumped into the engine fast enough at 20deg (F).

So I'm guessing either: bad starter, or possibly bad oil pump, or both?
The burning smell makes me think starter, maybe the teeth are shot. But the 10w30 idle speed and worse starting-thumping makes me think maybe the pump.

Thoughts?

~Adam/ Dallas

 

Do you have the SE model? Maybe. One thing that was unique to the SE was white faces in the instrument cluster. But some people would swap the instrument cluster. The real check is to look under the hood at the metal plate attached to the firewall on the passenger side. Stamped into this plate is the VIN number and right below the VIN number is an ID #. Look at this ID #, specifically the 6th character from the left. An E = GXE model, G = GLE model and V = SE model.

Your starting problem could be the starter. Get the battery tested first to make sure that it is good. The Nissan starter is a gear reduction type of starter, meaning they use a wimpy little electric motor that spins at a very high rpm. Then they use a planetary gear set to reduce the speed and increase the torque to the flywheel. The lubrication in this gear set dries up and the starter cranks slow, creating starting problems. Most places that test starters will tell you that the starter is good as long as the starter doesn't blow up in their faces. So this becomes a leap of faith repair.

As for the idle speed changing because of the oil, I don't know. 20 degrees isn't that cold for 10 weight oil, in fact Nissan says 10W30 is good for down to zero. If the temp was minus 20, that would be different. The idle speed should be 625-650 rpm when the engine is warm. The thump you talk about could be the engine backfiring. Noises are hard to describe and diagnose over the internet.

A good thing to do would be to check the spark plugs and air filter. Do you know when they were last changed? Worn out spark plugs can cause hard starting and poor idle. Also the fuel filter.

 

Sorry, should have included that info.
It does have white gauges. Don't have time to check the VIN plate at the moment.
I did replace the battery last week. Also the fuel filter, air filter, oil filter, PCV, and Crankshaft Position Sensor (because it was leaking, not because it was related to this).
I haven't tested the plugs. By the time I finished doing the front valve cover, I had no desire to do the Maxima-reacharound to get at the rear 3.
As for the thump, I'm pretty sure it's not a backfire. It really sounds like a metal-on-metal hard-slap, and definitely coming from the front end.

I'll probably replace the starter for good measure anyway. It's only like $100, and it's pretty easy to get at. Might as well do the plugs too.

My biggest concern is really the burning smell when it takes a long time to start. Could the starter-teeth be worn down enough that they're making a burning smell, or could it be contributing to the starter motor working too hard and essentially cooking itself from cranking too long?

Thanks for the well-written answer!
~Adam

 

The CKPS' should never leak, as they are both positioned in the open, not sealing any fluids.

What do you mean 'the Maxima reach-around'? The 3 rear coils are quite easily accessible, doesn't take more than a few minutes to pull the rear coils and plugs.

The starting problem could very well be your starter. Have you tried to pinpoint the source of the smell from under the hood? You may want to run an additional ground from the battery directly to one of the starter mounting bolts, see if that helps it start quicker at all. Also note that corrosion in the positive battery terminal assembly can affect starter current draw, causing a slow start.

 

If anyone has a set of 02-03 headlight brackets/holders from the haedlight lights that they want to sell pm me, I can use them.

 

My car:

1995 Maxima SE Auto with Bose

My problem:

One days all of my keyless remotes stopped working.

The symptoms:

wireless remotes do not work (3 with fresh batteries)
Security system red LED next to power mirror switch does not flash when car is locked.
Dome light does not go on with switch in any of the 3 positions. Bulb is OK.
It is behaving as if the wireless remote system is dead on the car.

Additional Information:

Clock is working
Bose radio is working
power antenna working
visor vanity mirror lights working
Hazzard flashers are working
rear defrost is working
power windows working
power locks working
electric trunk lock release working

If it is a fuse, which fuse????

 

There are 3 possible fuses to check: #40, #12 and #19. They are all 7.5 amp fuses.

#40 is the top right most fuse in the fuse block.
#12 is the bottom most on in the middle column
#19 is the 8th one from the bottom in the middle column.

 

Hi, hey, hello..I'm Stephen, about to purchase a 95 maxima se. That needs a lot of love to be in good shape. Well first when the car is running it's has a constant like whining noise coming from the engine bay, and when it's rolling it sounds like the brakes are rubbing but they are not. I'm just trying to figure out if anyone has any idea if the whining is a problem? I did test drive it..it drives great. Just the noise is my only issue besides cosmetic stuff.

 

i just put a intake on my max and was wondering if a straight pipe for the cat back would be a bad idea i dont think it would be as bad as a full straight pipe with no cat

 

Reference message #8814 Keyless entry not working

I pulled all 3 fuses (#40. 12. and 19) and checked them with the continuity checker on an ohmmeter and they check out 100%.

Where do I go from here?

 

I'm not 100% sure. The alarm is controlled by the BCM (body control module). Maybe if you disconnect the battery for say 10 minutes to reset the module, maybe you'll get lucky.

But the dome light is interesting. In normal conditions the dome light is turned on by the BCM. Voltage comes from the battery, through fuse # 26 to the light bulb. the other side of the light bulb gets connected to ground by either the BCM when the switch is in the middle position or when you put the switch to the "ON" position. See if fuse # 26 is blown - middle column top fuse.

 

OK. Checked the dome light bulb again and when I reseated it, it started working again. Sorry for muddying up the water with that.

I disconnected the battery for 10 minutes. The security system still will not come on when I lock all the doors and the wireless remotes are still not working.

Does this sound like the BCM is the problem?

 

I don't know what to suggest that wouldn't be a guess. If you know someone with a Maxima like yours, try to borrow their BCM or put yours in their car. I don't want to tell you to go buy something based on a guess. Electrical parts usually are not returnable.

Start this your thread all over again in the main section (you don't need 15 posts any more) and more people will respond.

 

Im new to the forums and I have my first car, a 1996 (4th gen) Nissan Maxima SE, and the thing won't start. I want to avoid taking it to a shop because, being a teenager, I don't have the money to pay a shop. I have a cousin who's a car guy who can help me fix things, and he's teaching me how to fix up my own cars, but im out of ideas on what to do on this thing. I've had the battery checked, cleaned all connections, cleaned and re-positioned the ground wire, checked all fuses and relays, checked and replaced all the spark plugs to be sure, i've replaced the fuel filter and double checked fuel flow and pressure through it, replaced the crank sensor, and still nothing. The engine cranks and cranks and cranks, even backfires a little and chugs, and it gets so close to starting up, but it just won't start. I've tried hill starts, jump starts, and starting fluid as well to no avail. The last thing im down to is checking the timing (my project for today) and hoping to god it doesn't need a new timing chain. Any other ideas?

Thanks guys

 

You need 3 things for the engine to start - air, fuel and spark. Which one are you missing? Pull some of the coils and see if you are getting spark. Use a meter and see if you are getting the signal to fire the fuel injectors.

I doubt that your air filter is plugged solid but you might as well check that as well.

 

I know I'm getting fuel from the couple times I've tested that, I know I'm getting spark because I've tested the new plugs I put in (as well as the fact that the car will backfire and do other such things that require fuel to be ignited), and I've replaced the air filter, which is what leads me to believe that its a timing issue

 

Then let's run after timing. Get a timing light and see where the timing mark on the harmonic balancer shows up.

 

Alright, I'll hopefully get to that tomorrow then. Also, the engine does seem to be cranking a bit slow as well.

 

I'm also going to check some wiring with a multimeter today. The slow crank but good battery leads me to believe that some wires somewhere need replacing.

 

Slow cranking can also be a starter problem. The Maxima starter is a gear reduction type starter and the lubrication in those gears dries up and the starter cannot run at full speed. If the battery is good, a poor ground to the starter could cause the problem, but the starter itself could be bad. Sometime you can open the starter and lube the gears, but many times too much wear has occurred.

 

That is one thing I've heard about and one of the things on my list to check. Also, in my frustration with this project I realized I never checked that all 6 ignition coils had spark, turns out I'm not getting spark to all of them. Got too dark to finish testing those, but I found 1 of the front 3 doesn't have spark with brand new spark plugs, so now I'm taking a step back and re evaluating.

All the symptoms:
At least one coil pack w/o spark
Slow crank (CKPS is new, battery is good, battery ground is good)
No start

From where I stand, I need to go and finish checking all the coil packs. The slow crank makes me think that either the starter is bad, the ground to the starter is bad, or there is some bad wiring involved with the battery. Tomorrow I will be testing all the coil packs as well as checking some wiring with that multimeter and then pulling out the starter and testing that. I will have an update tomorrow on how all of that stuff went. Thanks for all the help btw, and for putting up with me and my teenage-ness

 

Oh, and I've also heard that on very rare occasion the ECU and get shorted out and could cause the lack of spark and other problems. Might that be the case, or is it more likely that its something within the ignition system?

 

The ECU (just like a lot of parts) could cause a problem. But on the list of probabilities, the likely-hood of the ECU doing this is way down the list.

Something you need to check is the battery voltage while you are cranking the engine. It should not go below 10 volts and even then 10 volts is lower than normal. I know you've said you have a good battery, but do this anyway.

An earlier post said you were going to check wiring. Usually this is a waste of time. Wires don't go bad unless humans have been involved. But never rule it out, though. Until you can isolate a specific item failing, wire tracing is like a Hail Mary pass in football.

One thing I don't recall you mentioning was if you ever hooked up an OBD code reader. Checking for codes is always helpful.

Another question - has this car ever run since you've had it?

Missing spark on some cylinders could be the timing chain off one tooth. This does happen when people change the water pump. The water pump is driven by the timing chain and has to be loosened.

 

Yes the car ran when i bought it. It ran great on the test drive and everything. A few days later it started to start hard, and it'd need to crank for a while or sometimes I'd have to crank it, stop, then crank it again and it'd start, then after I replaced the fuel filter it stopped starting at all. I haven't been able to get a hold of a code reader yet, however I'm wondering if I'll have any codes at all with how many times I've disconnected the battery and what not over the past couple weeks. My cousin has a reader and when he gets back in town in late Jan. my plan was to borrow it if I hadn't already got my car running.

 

Your problem has been confusing. But I am now thinking that the slow cranking has to be resolved first. If the engine cannot crank over fast enough, it will not start even if everything else is perfect.

We have talked about batteries and talked about grounding, but what about oil? Do you know what viscosity oil is currently in the car? Oil thickens up when cold and the engine won't crank as fast. It is winter and I don't know if you live in a cold climate. Nissan says that 10w30 is good down to 0F/-18C. Below that you should use 5w30. If the starter is in marginal condition, this only compounds the problem.

 

Hello all. My question is just a quickie. I just want to know if the following two are a good match.




I'm a noob when it comes to car audio and noob to this site.
Help would be appreciated!

 

No to the amp. You should get something with the same or closer to the RMS power of the sub.

 

Would you mind giving me an example?

 

So I'm having a little bit of a problem with my '99 maxima. A few weeks ago I got in an accident, blah blah and had to replace the hood, right headlight, and radiator support. Since then My hood has been sitting high on the left side, and low on the right side. Any ideas as to how to fix it? Its actually becoming a big problem. When i drive on the highway, because it doesn't sit low enough, air gets underneath it and the entire car shakes.

 

New to this forum and new to owning a 1998 GLE. I have a Buick Rainier that is finicky with regards to the brand of spark plugs used (misfires and rough idle). Was wondering if this carries over to the Maxima platform? What is everyone using when changing out their plugs? Iridium or Platinum? Brand specific? My Maxima has 85K miles. Thanks and look forward to learning tons from this forum.

 

Nissan recommends the NGK PFR5G-11. It is a platinum plug and works well. Some people will get the BOSCH or Nikko-Denso equivalent that also seem to work well.

Iridium plugs are a little newer and their claim to fame is that they last longer than platinum plugs, the reason being is that iridium is a harder metal than platinum and therefore does not wear out as fast. The downside to this is that iridium plugs require a more powerful (higher voltage) spark than a platinum plug. The Nissan ignition coils provide a more than sufficient spark power level, so you can use iridium plugs if you choose to. Another downside to the iridium plug is that if you start to develop a weakening ignition coil, you will experience misfires earlier than you would if you ran platinum plugs.

Personally, just stick with the Nissan recommended NGK PFR5G-11. That's what the car was designed to use and they work fine.

 

I recently purchased a 1998 GLE that needs a new CV assembly. Advance auto parts lists one with and one without LSD. Was limited slip an option on these 98's and how do I recongnize if I have the LSD option? Thanks.

 

It's not VLSD unless the trans has been swapped out. Go for the 'non locking' axle (FWIW, on the passenger side axle, it doesn't matter).

 

NGK only, really. I prefer the coppers due to cost, but they have a shorter life than a precious metal plug. They're so simple to change, doesn't make much of a difference.

Have you tried adjusting the hood stops? There should be two rubber posts on the upper radiator support that screw up and down to adjust closed hood height (and they tend to be falling apart by now). Failing that, have you tried adjusting the hood where it meets the hinges?

Note that since you have been in a front end collision, the radiator support itself may be damaged and causing your body panels to not be lined up correctly.

 

hey guys i've decided for the time being untill i finish the turbo project, i'm gonna custom build a cai. my question is, there are some hoses coming from the resinator box to the cams and a small vacuum hose, when i build the intake am i able to get small air cone filters and omit the box and the hoses? or should i end up getting like one of those ebay things that have an aluminum pipe for the hoses to connect to? im thinking as for as when i really start putting the turbo in my car, would those hoses be good to have or would it affect the boost negatively? im new to the whole turboing thing so as much help as i can get would be awesome so i dont blow my engine or somthing, thanks guys pm me responses please so i get them easier

 

Thanks for info. After reading further, I realize that a LSD was only offered on the Canadian variant. The one I purchased was driven by 1 owner from NY. I guessed correctly after spinning the front wheels on jack stands.