Continuity checked on Inhibitor switch and the PNP switch connector (looks like they are ok).

Is it on pins 6&7 again (with the probes on the multimeter) to check it gets power when the key is in the START position, right?..., the less fuses I blow..., the better! ;-)

I was just wondering now, where the ground cable in the picture should be, and if this could be the problem. I donīt think so because it was locked on the battery plate but should not be there anyway!.

A picture of it: http://pics.livejournal.com/rudder1976/pic/0000263q/g1

I am gonna jump the starter as you said. I cannot see the connector of the starter(there is little light were the car is) so I guess I will need to remove the duct (at least), right? or do you think it is reachable without removing any part?. I cannot see anything! and unfortunately I do not have many tools where the car is.

...Positive post from the battery to the connector in your picture, I will try!.

I think the starter will crank because I never had the typical intermittent problem with it, the starter never failed before.

What I have to do next if the starter cranks?

 

Well no, you'd check for power at pin 6 with the positive probe at the terminal for the relay, and the negative probe on ground.

That ground cable should be bolted to the block, right now it's doing you absolutely no good.

There's a bracket mounted to the front head, directly rear of the exhaust manifold. The ground bracket should bolt up there.

Here's a pic:


Highlighted in red is the bracket that you now have sitting next to your battery. To the right you see the upper radiator hose, to the left of the bracket you see the front exhaust manifold, and in the foreground of the picture you see the coolant tubes that go around by the radiator. Basically you're looking down directly to your left of the upper radiator hose.

You'll need a flashlight, or good daylight to see it.

For the starter, you'll likely have to remove the scoop, if nothing else.

If the starter cranks and you're getting power at pin 6 when the key is in START, then you'll have to check continuity between the engine room harness side of that wire that goes to the starter, and pin 7 of the relay socket.

Who worked on that car last? More so, what did they do? It almost seems as if they pulled the trans and tucked that main ground cable out of the way, but forgot to put it back on.

 

Thanks for the picture and the explanations!, I am really thankful!.
I will fix that ground cable too but you donīt think that can be the problem, right?.


I am not sure what is the "engine room harness side of that wire that goes to the starter", could you please describe it just a little more?.

All the maintenance has been done at Nissan (as far as I know) I am not sure what they did before I bought it (2 years ago) but I will check the records.

 

The ground cable is possible, sure.

Follow the wire from the starter back until it goes into a connector. Disconnect that, then connect the side that doesn't go to the starter, and check for continuity between that and pin 7.

 

Ok, I got it now.

Just to be sure..., I checked the battery yesterday and I got 11.97 Volts, but that is good enough, right?.

I said that because I read in another post that to check the ignition switch you have to get the following:

- With the key in the "ON" position you should get 12.XX volts at pin 1 of the inhibitor relay.
- With the key in the "Start" position you should get 12.XX volts at pin 6 of the inhibitor relay.

 

It's pretty low, but that should have enough juice to at least attempt to crank the starter.

Just replace '12 volts' with battery voltage, that's all that matters.

 

I just got a reply on how to change the tranny for my I30 and it said nothing about my ECU. my brother tells me that if i change my auto transmission to a five speed that my ecu will throw me a code. is that true?

 

Yes. Well, strictly no. It will throw multiple codes, as well as show...erratic behavior at times.

 

so would i have to get a new ecu? and if i would where could i possibly start to look for one?

 

You don't need to, it just completes the package, really. You'll throw several codes, and it'll sporadically idle around ~1800 RPM or so, with the auto ECU. Also, you'll have basically no engine braking below ~2400 RPM, due to the auto ECU making the IACV force feed the engine below that RPM.

5MT ECUs pop up relatively often in the classifieds here. You'll want to try to keep it as close to your year and emissions level as possible.

 

So put on a short ram air in my ride, and I noticed that the rpm's dropped a few hundred, so I adjusted the iacv screw till it seemed about right. I can hear the sound from the iacv hose at a decent noise level. Is this normal to have your rpm's drop so much?

Also, my brakes started to feel very soft, but they are breaking normally, however I can press the pedal all the way down to th floor the first pump, and it firms up over the next few pumps. My mechanic said this is most likely because the vacuum line is getting more air and helping to push against the master cylinder making things easier for me. Is this also normal, I don't want to have my brakes fail in a crunch time situation.

 

You did hook the IACV hose back up to the midpipe, right?

No, installing the intake shouldn't really mess with the idle at all.

Your mechanic said the booster is getting more air which helps you out? That doesn't make any sense. The booster operates off of a vacuum, not positive air pressure.

 

I just found two ecu's on ebay that seem to match my car. One has 8X on it and the other has 3G. Do you know what the difference is? They also have the VINs with them.

 

Nope, no idea what the ECU ID numbers mean.

 

What if I ran the VINs for these two ecu's to see if the same PN comes up that i got from my nissan dealer? Can I do that on courtesyparts.com?

 

I fixed the ground cable, then tried to start it but still nothing.

Then took the scoop out and connected the positive post to the thin starter cable. I just saw a small spark on the terminal but I couldnīt hear the solenoid and obviously the starter didnīt crank.

I was thinking then to apply positive to the main post in the starter instead, but I wanted to ask you first. Is it a bad idea? or this would isolate the problem (assuming the motor winds).

Now what I understand is that probably I only have a faulty solenoid. Do you think that both the solenoid and the motor can die at the same time without showing any warning?.

I think I should try to dismantle the starter now. Is it difficult?, any recommendation for a dummy like me without special tools?. What I need to remove, just the duct to the air filter, right?.

Assuming it is just the solenoid can I buy it separately (not the whole starter motor)?, and if so do I need to look for one on a 4th gen Max, on any Max or maybe on some other Nissan models?.

Do you think it is worthy to get a new one?, on this case I think one from a junkyard would be good enough, right?.

Should I perform any additional test now?, could still be a problem with the grounding?. Thanks again for the help!.

 

FAST will only show what part numbers are applicable, not what they came with. Could always try calling Dave B, he might be able to help you out.

The main post on the starter gets a constant B+, so unless that wire isn't connected or the fuse is blown, putting power there won't help anything. A good thing to check, though.

Unless you mean crossing the B+ input to the wire to the motor, in which case you could do that, will tell you if it's a solenoid issue.

IIRC you can get a solenoid (if that is an issue) from most starter/alternator rebuild shops (few and far between, now). Some auto parts stores might carry them. Unlikely to stock them, though.

They're not hard to take apart. This isn't really a guide, but shows some of the innards: http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/516

And of course, obligatory FSM image:

 

Yes, I am sorry, I meant to cross the B+ input to the wire to the motor.

I checked that positive was connected to the main post and also checked the starter fuse (I think 7.5A) on the fuse box was ok. Any other fuse to check?.

I will take the starter out. Thanks for the guide.

A repair shop called me before and told me that my best chance is to look for a solenoid from a Nissan Primera starter on a junkyard???, but they didnīt sound very confident to me.

Sorry, what "IIRC" stands for?.

 

IIRC == If I Recall Correctly.

Did you check to make sure the B+ wire actually has power to it?

 

if by midpipe you mean the intake pipe behind the maf, then yes... could the iacv have anything to do with this probem since the vacuum line goes through it... I think?

 

The booster vac line isn't near the midpipe (as then it wouldn't do to well at constantly getting vacuum like it should), it's on the opposite side of the UIM.

If this only occurred after you installed the intake (which isn't going to do much if any for power, FYI), look back over everything you touched.

 

I want to change the head unit and I need to find out the size of the 4th gen stereos.

will this fit? (it's a 7" LDC DVD Player)
- Panel Size: 172(L)*28(W)*105(H)mm
- Install Size:180(L)*165(W)*100(H)mm

 

i Just read in a thread that you posted in(pmohr) that you can hook up the 5th&5.5gens headers and Y pipe to our engines.and i didnt want to thread jack so,
small question. i know that the majority of the 5th gens HP increase was due to its intake and exhaust but would swapping the headers and Y have any sort of increase on a 4th gen with stock intake?
sorry for the simple question but im going to the JY tommarow and wanted to know if i should pick those up if i find any in good shape

 

You mean the stock exhaust manifolds (not headers)? No.

Note, I specifically mentioned aftermarket.

The stock exhaust manifolds/Y from the A33 on up are more restrictive than the A32's, not less.

 

Sorry to bump this, but if any body with suspension knowledge could help me out, I would GREATLY appreciate it. I would hate to throw money into a bunch on unknowns to fix this damn sound. My original reply is quoted above.

 

Hey guys still trying to figure out the starting/stutter issue with my car. The starting has been getting worse taking longer to crank over. So today I decided to pull my starter and check it (even though it was supposedly replaced just last year. Anyways the solenoid looks new but the Yoke assembly which contains the armature looks old and it's also kind of difficult to spin? Should this piece spin pretty freely or is it suppose to be a little stiff?

 

I realise that a short ram only give a couple hp, I plan on a y-pipe, lo-flo cat, and cat back from pacesetter... which I feel would be an insult without a short ram.

The UIM... it connect to the vacuum line somehow, so is it possible that if my RPMs dropped (for whatever resaon), and I raised the IACV screw to bring it back up, and now it's sucking in a lager volume of air, is it possible that it is effecting the brake system?

I tried to relearn the idle, but when I pulled the brown and grey plugs my rpms shot up with 2,500 the died out, repeatedly, althought I haven't tried since I raised the rpms.

My main question at this point is really about the brake system, is it possible that the pressure in the vacuum line has increased making the brakes feel softer, or is this the sign of a problem?

 

I just bought a '98 Maxima this past weekend. How can I tell what version I have (GXE/SE/GLE)? The car was listed simply as a Maxima. Also, from the VIN and the engine id number, is there a way to tell if the engine in the car is the same one that rolled out of the factory? Me a& my neighbor think that it is a different engine as the mounts, fuse boxes, struts, & radiator all look pretty new as compared to other components.

 

Please read the stickies... see link, post #3.

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...e-updated.html

Don't know about your second question. How many miles on your Max? Did you carfax it before you bought it?

 

As The Wizard said, check the stickies. Always look there before asking a question.

For the second, the dealer should be able to match the ESN up to the VIN.

Just because all of that other stuff look 'pretty new', why do you suspect the engine has been changed? Quick and easy way, look for a fair amount of broken wiring harness clips, look for tool marks on the crossmember-body bolts, the through bolts for the engine mounts, etc. Not exactly definitive, though.

First, 'lo-flo' cat? Why are you trying to make the exhaust more restrictive?

The intake isn't going to add 'a few HP' unless you're referring to BHP. Search, the best intake for 90% of cases is the stock intake. Pretty much anything else is just sound.

You're not forcing any more air into the brake booster vac line than normal. It's always gotten no more than 14.7 PSI(a), that's just how it is.

Is the booster holding vacuum? Does the pedal feel like a spongy system, or like there's no vacuum in the booster?

It'll be a little tight to turn by hand just due to the brushes, but the armature should spin within the yoke without any major turning force required.

Clicking on turns, my first suspect would be the axle (especially if it's original). Could be the strut mount bearing as well, of course.

 

I would like to know if it is okay to downgrade the oil weight on my next oil change?

I just bought this 98 Maxima with 88k miles on it. The last owner used Castrol Syntec with a weight of 10w30.

I would like to change my oil to Mobil 1 5w30. Would this be okay or would i be better off sticking to 10w30?

 

It doesn't really matter.

 

ah thank you i did not notice that part of the post.i shall search more carefully next time.

 

Will a 97 - 99 Maxima take a grill from the same year Infiniti?

 

Prior to test driving & purchase I ran a Carfax check & it showed the car as "SALVAGE TITLE/CERTIFICATE ISSUED" on 06/29/2001 and then "SALVAGE TITLE/CERTIFICATE ISSUED REBUILT TITLE ISSUED" on 08/16/2001. But there were no obvious signs of any major body work previously done, and it ran great (ran as good as the '08 Infinity they loaned me while waiting for it to go thru inspection). It was when I got home with it and my neighbor was checking it out and I told him about the Carfax report that he thought the engine may be newer than the car itself. As he said, "If all of the mounts are new, then you know the engine was pulled for some reason. Plus the new radiator and fuse boxes, chances are the engine may have come from another Maxima that was totaled and then put in this one." I'm just curious, and would like to know for if I should look to sell in the future.

And thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'll search more carefully before I post in the future.

 

Infiniti what?

 

First, 'lo-flo' cat? Why are you trying to make the exhaust more restrictive?

The intake isn't going to add 'a few HP' unless you're referring to BHP. Search, the best intake for 90% of cases is the stock intake. Pretty much anything else is just sound.

You're not forcing any more air into the brake booster vac line than normal. It's always gotten no more than 14.7 PSI(a), that's just how it is.

Is the booster holding vacuum? Does the pedal feel like a spongy system, or like there's no vacuum in the booster?


It feels pretty spongy, but the brakes are still breaking normal, although I really haven't had to put them to the test yet.

and I meant a high-flow cat. typoooo....

I think I'll just find a cheap shop to look at me brakes. I'm not sure if I'm up to a wild goose chase.

 

you know....the four door..."S" series..coupe that is..

 

runs fine..drives fine..why worry??

maxima engines last a very long time with regular care..

 

Gentlemen, how do I remove the bolts coming out of the aluminum oil pan into the bottom of the timing chain cover.