I have a 96' Max with 192k on it. Recently the cars MIL light came on and has started cutting out/losing power abruptly while driving. The problem often persists for 5-20 seconds and during that time the car only gets "bursts" of power. Also if I push the clutch in the car will sometimes die and have difficulty restarting. I got some codes on it and they are as follows:

P0100 - Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit

P0325 - Knock Sensor 1
Circuit (Bank 1)


Any suggestions or ideas as to what the problem might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Oh, one more thing I just noticed is that I can hear a hissing noise coming from underneath the car when its running It almost sounds like air leaking out of a tire but I only hear it when the car is on and it gets louder with higher revs.


Jason

 

search....
but just a hint you will more than likely have to replace both the knock sensor and the maf.

also if you are hearing a hissing sound its more than likely a vaccum of some sort. spray some carb cleaner and try to pin point where it is sucking in. it could also be the reasoning behind why you are getting a maf cel

 

i had a Z-28 that would cut out while driving when i would push in the clutch and it was the MAF. swap it with one off another car to see if its your problem before buying it. good luck!

 

you got the codes. !!! ....replace whatever needs replacing and see what happens.

 

You mean from another maxima or any car will do?

 

Uhhhhhh, it would have to be a maf from a max. (or other nissan that uses the same maf) The knock sensor needs changed but that should be on the bottom of your short list as it will not cause the problems you are experiencing.

 

yeah mass air flow sensors are not universal so find a buddy with a 4th gen lol...or an I-ROC

 

you def need to start reading.

 

The engine cutout is due to MAF failure (fuel cut if RPM is above 2400). Don't worry about the knock sensor for now.

Before replacing the MAF, you can do the following first:

1. Clean the MAF. There is a spay can from CRC to clean the MAF.

2. Clean the MAF wiring harness connector with electrical cleaner. Make sure the connector is pushed in all the way and lock.

3. Clean the engine ground. There are engine ground points in the middle of the engine, near the upper intake manifold. These two ground points are near the front three fuel injectors.

4. Add a ground wire for the MAF wiring harness. The middle wire (black) is the ground wire. Easiest way is to splice a ground wire to the engine ground point (#3 above) and the MAF.

If you have a OBDII scanner, use it to see if the MAF can still measure airflow. Airflow is one of those operation data that can be read.

 

hmm...this might be useful since my car feels like dying sometime when its above 2400 RPM. But i'm cleaning my TB today so maybe thats it.

 

Thank you all for the replies. I got some spray today and tried cleaning the MAF. I'll let you all know if that worked, otherwise I guess I'll be making a trip to the salvage yard as Checkers wants $220 for a new MAF.

 

I missed the part about hissing noise when the engine is running. That sounds like an air leak. An air leak can also cause MAF light to come on. Better check it out and fix it, too.

 

That sucks... I usually buy parts from rockauto.com and they usually give the best prices, but their price for a remanifactured MAF is 231 + shipping. Damn, looks like the wreckyard would be the best option after all. Hope you manage to get a good one, and make a writeup for the rest of us who have never swapped MAF's

 

Amazing how almost everyone ignores the obvious. The hissing sound means you have a vacuum line that has fallen off or broken. If that line is connected downstream of the MAF (likely) it will completely mess up your fuel/air metering. Find where the hissing sound is coming from and fix the vac line before doing anything else.

 

 

theres a search function here....

 

After cleaning the MAF I don't seem to be experiencing any more problems. I simply bought the cleaning spray, sprayed the hell out of it and put it back in. So far no engine codes have popped and the engine runs great.