Hello,

I just purchased my first Maxima a few days ago. I got a 1996 SE Maxima with about 48,000 miles on it. Unfortunately, I've begun to notice two minor problems with it. I'll describe each problem below, and if anyone has any suggestions that I could relay to a mechanic (I'm not all that inclined to fix it myself), I'd GREATLY appreciate it.

First, the car can be hard to start when warm. If, for example, I drive it for an hour, then park it for two hours, it can take up to 10 seconds of cranking before the car turns over. I've tried giving it a slight pump on the accelerator before cranking it, but that doesn't seem to stop the problem. I haven't yet tried to start the car with my foot on the gas pedal since I've always assumed you weren't supposed to do that with fuel injected cars. Once the car finally turns over, it will idle roughly for a second or two, and then idle smoothly.

Second, the car seems to accelerate a bit less evenly than my old Accord used to. I get a sudden, very noticeable, power boost just after 3000 RPM. It's as if the car had a turbo-charger. This is particularly noticeable under hard acceleration when I (A) start from a dead stop (red light) and (B) don't over rev the engine on start-up (clutch is completely out before RPM's hit 2200).

Finally, I'd like to ask for suggestions on a far less critical problem. My clutch seems unduly stiff. Can anything be done to loosen it up a bit so I don't have to shift my weight to get the pedal down?

I don't have the maintenance records for this car, but based on the mileage, I doubt too much has been done. Any input and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Andrew Eberhard

 

I have the exact same problem too. Park the car for a couple hours and sometimes it has a hard time starting. I have to crank maybe twice, and when it turns over it sputters a little bit (RPM dips very low) before the ECU compensates with a smooth idle again. It happened once to me when I was using Costco gas, and the other time was with Exxon gas. It has never happened when I use Chevron gas. I dunno if it's gas related, but you never know.


As for an odd powerband, yes the VQ isn't quite the "low end torque monster" that some people would have you believe. If I drive leisurely and let the automatic shift before 3000 RPM, the engine feels so flat that it's pathetic. In fact, it doesn't even feel like the engine is making any power until I break the 3000 RPM mark. So, for your second problem, it's not so much a problem as it is a characteristic of the engine. I think it might also have something to do with the maxima's lousy automatic. You have a 5-spd so I don't think you can attribute the funny acceleration to that, though.


Good luck. I don't think your problems are serious, since I know for a fact that many people have that odd starting problem, and my engine behaves that way too.

 

I just had the same problem yesterday. I went to Nissan service in Silver Spring today and complained about it. They found it out that my car needs a new battery. I thought it seems fine. So, they replaced it. The problem solved.

John

 

sounds to me like your starting prob is fuel related. With your miles, i doubt the fuel filter has been changed and it should be, especially if the prev owner used bad gas and ran it down low near empty alot(this allows sediment in the fuel tank to get into the fuel lines. Anyway change your fuel filter, and you may want to have your fuel pressure tested. Run hitest gas, your manual demands it. Also change your spark plugs. It's almost time anyway. Use good plugs. Most use the stock ngk r platinum plugs. These are good, but expensive (10+ ea) I used the bosch platinum +4 (about 6ea), not impressed, not unimpressed, but my old plugs weren't old, so if yours are you may notice a big improvement. Also, since you just got the car, go ahead and change your oil, tranny flush, air filter, and coolant flush in that order of importance. Find out if the dealer has done any of this. Hope this helps. i'll bet if you dothe fuel filter, air filter and plugs you'll be good to go. So far as the accelleration goes, this is pretty normal, but makes me think even more that you need a fuel and air filter because if these are dirty then the engine is pulling better once it builds pressure to overcome the blockage in the filters.

 

i guess tps, throttle position sensor, is acting up.
mine sure does!

 

One or more fuel injectors with an internal leak would produce this symptom. A fuel injector which does not close properly will leak gasoline into the intake manifold after shutdown, resulting in an over-rich mixture at the next warm start. If you wait until the engine is cold, you do not experience the problem because a cold engine needs a rich mixture.

Next time you attempt a warm start, crank the engine with the gas pedal floored. Wide Open Throttle while cranking is a signal to the Engine Control Module to "clear a flooded engine". If your engine starts readily with WOT, that is evidence of sticking fuel injectors.

Another way to test this hypothesis is to measure the fuel pressure. This can be done by installing a T fitting in the rubber fuel line, just downstream of the fuel filter. The fuel pressure should jump to something like 30psi within one second of turning the ignition switch to ON. When the ignition switch is turned OFF the system should hold pressure for 24 hours or longer. If the residual pressure bleeds off in only one or two hours, that is evidence of a leak somewhere.

As a second possibility, consider a bad Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. If the ECTS always sends a "cold engine" signal to the Engine Control Module, the ECM will always attempt to start with a rich mixture. That will make it difficult to start a warm engine. Cranking a warm engine with the accelerator pedal "floored" counteracts the rich mixture.

With the engine cold, disconnect the ECTS and measure its resistance. Reconnect the ECTS, start the engine, run it until fully warmed up. Stop the engine, and repeat the resistance measurement. The "warm" reading should be a much lower value than the "cold" reading.

The Chilton Maxima shop manual gives these specs:
Engine coolant temperature 68F, ECTS resistance 2.1 - 2.9 Kohms
Engine coolant temperature 194F, ECTS resistance 0.24 - 0.26 Kohms
(Roughly a factor of ten difference.)

 

Your Maxima has a hydraulic clutch actuator. The problem lies in the pedal mechanism, the hydraulics, or the clutch itself.

(1) Lubricate the pivot point at the upper end of the pedal mechanism. If that doesn't help,
(2) Bleed the clutch slave cylinder and replenish the reservoir with clean brake fluid. If that doesn't help,
(3) The problem is likely to be with the cluch itself. That's an expensive repair, so just "live with it" until the stiffness becomes intolerable or the clutch wears out.

 

So far people have suggested I do the following:
0. Use higher-octane gas
1. Replace fuel filter
2. Test/Retest fuel pressure
3. Check operation of Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor
4. Change plugs to new NGK R Platinum Plugs
5. Major tune up items including: change oil, transmission flush, air filter, and coolant flush
6. Spend a little more time in the gym working my left hamstring and quad. (RE: stiff clutch)

I've been so used to filling up the old Accord with 85 Octane gas I never thought about the car needing more than that. Something I read in my XTerra manual made reference that at over 5200 feet (I live in Denver) I shouldn't need the higher-octane gasoline, but I'll certainly give it a try next time.

One person suggested one or more fuel injectors with an internal leak would produce my symptoms. Since this would lead to a flooded engine on warm starts, he suggested starting the engine with throttle fully down. Unfortunately, I tried this on several occasions but it didn't fix the problem. I’m tempted to think that the engine isn't getting enough gas rather than too much (I’ve never smelled any gas or strong exhaust when it’s hard to start).

Another person suggested I change my battery. I not sure this will fix the problem as the car has plenty of CCAs to keep turning the engine until it turns over (10+ seconds at times).

Let me know what you think...

Thanks,
Andrew

 

Do as i say for i am always right. Really though, if the WOT thing didn't work then your injectors are fine, this is unlikely anyway. Do the stuff that needs to be done anyway, especially if you just bought the car. Replace the fuel and air filter, and change the plugs. These are things that are overlooked by many owners and have prob been neglected so they need to be done anyway. Furthermore, they are dooityodamnself and under under 60 bucks for all three. Did i mention you need to do this stuff regardless of problem, and if you live in denver you really should run premium.

 

yes. use premium gas
everything else seems like a tuneup
#3 will cause the "check engine light" to turn off if no good but could be colorado altitude causing the bad acceleration.

*snip: summary*