DhaMax

I just got the 60k tune-up after 113,000 miles.(lazy) Come home find the car jerking in drive, even when engine is idling i can see the whole engine jerk.(cylinder detonating) so i changed my sparks again. no change. checked my coils replaced one of them because it was broken, the jerking was less often now but it is still there. this is seriously cutting my accelaration time. n e suggestion on what should i do to fix this problem? take it to a mechanic? replace all the coils, fuel injectors?(very expensive)
please maxima drivers i will truly appreciat any help.
thank you
d

Daniel B. Martin

The "jerking in drive" symptom sounds like an engine miss which could be caused by a sticking fuel injector. There are two tests the home mechanic can make, the sound test and the resistance test.

Sound test...
This test is performed with the engine idling. Use a mechanic's
stethoscope or a length of rubber vacuum hose, and listen to each injector.
All injectors should sound alike. If you find one which makes a different
sound (or no sound at all) you have found a problem.

Resistance test...
This test is performed with the engine off. Use an ohmmeter to measure the
resistance of each injector. This does not require removing the injectors.
I don't know the correct resistance value for the injectors on your model,
but they are typically a low number such as 16 ohms. The important thing
is they should all be equal. If you find one injector with substantially
higher resistance than the others, it is bad. If you find one with zero
ohms (short circuit) that is truly unfortunate, because the injector is bad
and it may also have damaged the Engine Control Module (the computer)
because of excessive current drain.

Measuring the resistance of the front bank of cylinders is easy because the
injectors are in plain view. Disconnect the injector electrical connector
for cylinder #2, measure the resistance, reconnect the connector. Repeat
for the cylinders #4 and #6.

Measuring the resistance of the rear bank of cylinders is almost as easy,
but it is difficult to reach the injectors. The resistance may be measured
at a conveniently located electrical connector. Notice the largest,
thickest electrical harness at the top of the engine. This is the Engine
Control Harness and it is shaped like a U, with the open top of the U at the
driver's side of the car. The U has two corners. Look at the corner
nearest the passenger seat. Just inside that corner you will find an 8-pin
electrical connector. This is connector F131. Disconnect this
connector. Now look at the male part, the connector half with the pins
exposed. They are arranged in two rows of four pins.
The pins are numbered 1 - 4 (top row) and 5 - 8 (bottom row).
Measure the resistance of:
- injector #1 between pins 1 and 2.
- injector #3 between pins 1 and 6.
- injector #5 between pins 1 and 5.
Be sure to measure the PINS, not the female receptacles.

The dealer's shop is equipped with high-tech diagnostic instruments. These are wonderful devices but they are expensive and the dealer has to recover his cost by charging you for diagnostic time. Sometimes the home mechanic can do legitimate diagnostic work with nothing more than a ohmmeter and a rubber tube.

Sexima

same problem here..

My97Maxima

I had the same problem. I have a 97 with 60k. When I changed the plugs I had a rubber boot come off the coil. I tore a small hole in the rubber boot on the end of the coil while getting it out. This caused my car to misfire in drive and in park. Once I changed the entire coil because no one would sell me just the boot, the problem when away. Hope this helps.

DhaMax

thanks all of you for the detailed info. really informative. i will take my car to the mechanics and get this test done, also i will check all the coils and make sure they are not broken. i personally think it is one of the coils.
thanks

MADMAN

iTrader: (1)

this doesnt happen all the time but when it does happens I press the gas thecar doesnt want to respond. sometimes the car dies then i have a hard time to start back up. I really need to get my car fix i got a road trip to canada in 2 weeks! I guess its time to make appointment at the dealer

NISMOPower

iTrader: (2)

I have the same problem too. It would jerk while i'm between 1k-2k rpms and then if i'm idling at like a stop sign or light, sometimes the car will stall. I tried to use the fuel system cleaner but that didn't seem to work. When it doesn't start up, I start it and imediately press the gas so it will stay on. So is there a specific problem that we know of is causing this????

DhaMax

nissan factory repaireres say if your car is over 60,000 miles and you have done a tune up, most of the times it is one of the cylinder coils gone bad. i belive in this as well, but can't seem to find a way on how to tell which coil is bad (when the engine is jerking). if anyone takes a chance of replacing all 6 get ready to pay $80 per piece.

someone has to come up with a better solution

later
dhumil

Daniel B. Martin

A bad coil will often (but not always) turn on the Malfunction Indicator Light and store a Diagnostic Trouble Code in the 0603-0608 range. Each code points to a misfire in a specific cylinder.

If you do not get a DTC but are confident that the problem arises from a bad coil, you may be able to effect a repair without replacing all six coils. The coils in the three front bank cylinders are alike, and the coils in the three rear bank cylinders are alike. You could buy one front bank coil. Install it in cylinder #2 and drive for a few days. If the problem persists, reinstall the original #2 coil and move the new coil to cylinder #4. If the problem persists, reinstall the original #4 coil and move the new coil to cylinder #6.

If the problem has not been resolved, buy one rear bank coil and follow the same trial-and-error replacement sequence with cylinders #1, #3, and #5. Removing and installing a spark coil takes only a few minutes and does not require any special tools.

Keep in mind that a sporadic misfire could also be caused by other problems such as a marginal fuel injector.