I have a 1997 GXE with 60,000 miles I just changed spark plugs and put a new fuel filter on...and sometimes here lately...when I turn the key it turns over fine...but willnot star....then I turn it over agian....it turns over and won't start and on the third turn it fires up but it is slow..like I have the mash the gas to "help" it catch..any ideas......thank you...William....starter?,injection?...what?

 

You may want to test your Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. This is easy enough, requiring only an ohmmeter.

On the 4th Generation Maxima engine the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor is located in the water outlet tube close to the engine end of the upper radiator hose. There are two sensors in that area. The one nearest the hose is for the dashboard temperature gauge. The ECTS, the one you're interested in, is right next to the the gauge sending unit. There is a good picture of these sensors in the Haynes repair manual on page 3-7.

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 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.)