Nismo87SE

I guess they solved the problem. Anyhow good job on the archiving . I didn't notice it was an old post till I saw DBM's post.

StephenD

I can't say I've replaced it though I did buy the WellsMfg part (which is OEM Nissan) for the shelf. It didn't bother me enough yet to switch it and it's a pain (in my opinion) to adjust it (backyard mechanic wanna-be) and would probably be the better part of $75-100 at the dealer to put in.

If you have a severe drivability problem with yours, and diagnosis points to TPS, at least the AutoZone part is only $50 but it still might not fix the problem - only replace the "worn" TPS part with a potentially better, but still not perfect "new" replacement.

My own feeling is I should have gotten the Niehoff part since it was not manufactured by Nissan so it *could* be better spec'd than the OEM (or not). But trying to track down someone that carries the part was frustrating. Autozone ended up being my only option.

The experience I had with a oil sending unit (OEM Nissan) blowing out and losing all oil in my '97 convinced me that sometimes it's best not to buy an OEM part if it's seen to be defective in some way. That sending unit is a weak link since when it fails mechanically, there's not a thing that will tell you it blew.

Getting back to the TPS. I'm not a mechanic so I don't know if other cars combine the multiple functions of the TPS into one unit like Nissan. I think Nissan made perhaps a bad design decision (combining 3 sensors into 1) that they can't back out of now - esp with an out-of-production model.

Does anyone know if Nissan did this with the 5th gen Maximas? Maybe they learned...

Stephen

goldmax

My '97 has never had this problem, but you may want to check the throttle "butterfly" valve to see if it is sticking. That part wears over time and yours may be sticking when the throttle is closed or nearly closed. You can check it by manually moving the throttle to see if anything is sticking and binding. It doesn't take much to make your car drive poorly. If it is sticking, adjust the throttle stop screw just enough to eliminate the sticking, then reset the idle speed according to the procedure found in the factory manual. Don't skip the last step since your idle speed will most likely be bumped up if you had to reset your throttle stop. Remember, when the car is in overdrive you will most likely be using minimal throttle openings and a sticky throttle will make your drive pretty bad.

StephenD

Very, very good point. Another area that needs maintenance.

I find I have to clean the throttle body around the butterfly at least once a year with WD-40 and a non-abrasive kitchen scrubber.

The black carbon buildup will definitely stick the butterfly and affect cold starting on some vehicles and also affect gas off/gas on during coasting making the throttle shock worse.

Stephen

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

That's a good suggestion as well. However, my '99 did this virtually from day one. I can distinctly remember the throttle shock occurring with under 200 miles on it. I just didn't have enough personal experience with the VQ to know for sure what was happening.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

My 97 does this as well, they said it was a Throttle sensor replaced it guess what still does it. It is a just a design flaw in the tranny.

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

You may want to try the adjustment laid out in this thread by Daniel B. or purchase a different (non-OEM) TPS. Whether it's worth the time is too speculative....

goldmax

Try checking the linkage anyway. If it sticks even a little bit you may luck out and find that adjusting it may just fix your problem. It may have been messed up from day one. No car is going to run well with at throttle plate that is bottoming out against the throttle body. It's worth taking a minute to check it. Let us know what happens.