Hi, I'm a former 3rd gen owner posting this for my sister. She has a '96 Maxima SE auto with around 150K miles on it. Ever since she got it it's been nothing but trouble. It's currently in the shop because it would sometimes stall after she tried accelerating from a stop. Even the times it doesn't stall, there's a lag between the moment she steps on the gas pedal and the moment the car begins to accelerate. The car has been to the shop before for the same problem and they said it was just a clogged fuel filter. The mechanic now thinks that somehow it's the alternator that's causing the problem. I have no idea how the alternator could affect the engine's power delivery. Also, I'm not sure if it's related but the car also has a problem starting up. Most of the time you can turn the key and nothing will happen. Other times you'll just hear a click and sometimes, if you're really lucky, the motor will actually try and turn over. This problem has plagued the car ever since my parents bought it for her. The starter has been replaced, but I think that's about all they did. Perhaps the starter switch or something even more diabolical (faulty wiring harness, etc.)?

Something is wrong with the brakes as well (the shop replaced the front pads in April), as there's a knocking noise that you hear when you apply a good amount of brake pressure. I think that about covers it. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

The power delivery issue could be any number of things such as a bad TPS, MAF, CKPS, coils, clogged fuel/air filter, fuel delivery problem, vacuum leak. The starting issue could be a starter on its way out. Have you tried pulling codes?

 

I tried awhile back with a scanner I borrowed from Autozone. No codes were thrown at the time but I'll definitely ask at the shop tomorrow if they got any. Bad sensors or a vacuum leak were my best guesses as well. Is CKPS the crank position sensor?

 

Yes it is. Two of them, one mounted on the bellhousing and one under the crank pulley.

 

my girl has a 97 with the same stalling problem (not the other ones). but she has a code pulling up for the torque converter. hope that helps

 

So I just got back from the shop and the guy tried to explain to me how the alternator caused the problem, but his accent was pretty thick so it was a bit hard to understand him. He said something about there not being enough power for the injectors? I'm skeptical. He also said he hooked up a scanner and got no codes, but is it possible the OBD port is bad?

torque converter would make more sense to me, but I really hope that's not it. Transaxles FTL!

 

For the starting problem, check posts 13 and 18: http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...ml#post7075437.

 

starting problem could be your ignition switch or starter but you just replaced the starter so its probably the ignition switch is going bad i replaced mine and it start right up.

 

That sounds like a torque converter to me. I don't think your TCC is disengaging.

 

Back from the dead.

So after my sister got the car back from the shop last year (all he did was change the alternator), the car ran fine until last Friday when the stalling problem came back. The shop is apparently out of business now so whatever warranty she had is worthless. My mom took it to a Nissan dealer for diagnosis and they found absolutely nothing. I have no idea if the last guy actually fixed the issue with the alternator or if it was just dumb luck that the car hasn't stalled until now. If it is a transmission problem, how would you test it? Is there a separate way to pull codes from the Transmission Control Unit? Thanks again.

 

I would try replicating the problem again and see if it revs past 2500RPM without stalling. If it doesn't get past that point, its your MAF sensor. I doubt its a tranny issue as I would check this first. If it gets past, then I would say replace your FPR (Fuel Pressure Regulator).

 

I'll try driving it tonight. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to experience it. I'll ask my sister if she remembers where her revs were at but I doubt she knows. Only gauge she looks at is the one for fuel. Thanks, I'll keep you updated.

 

thats for that post, i have starting problems to but i just learned to deal with it and just keep trying til it starts. at almost 240k miles, i think it needs replacing...

 

I would check the MAF and ECTS for the stalling

 

So I drove the car last night for about 30 minutes. The problem didn't happen. My mom called some independent shop and the guy said he thinks it's the "Air flow injection pump?" I've never heard of that part before. Is that like a vacuum pump? Anyway, the tech that worked on the car at the dealership said the MAF tested good. I've done some research on the ECTS and that sounds like it might be the problem. I'm going to check the Chiltons manual to see if I can find it and check it out.

 

Clean the MAF anyways. Its like a 10 minute job and requires only removing the box that sits on top of the Air Filter. No hoses to unclamp and remember, nothing complicated. Just undo the 2 connectors to the Air flow box, unscrew the bolts, gently pull the box from the Air resonator box, spray MAF cleaner on it, put it back in and test it out.

The thing with a bad ECTS, in my experience, is that it would respnd differently at different engine temps. For instance on mine, the car started fine and ran fine at first, but once it warmed up it would idle rought/stall at stop signs.

When i pulled of the ECTS (pretty easy btw, and pmohr/boredmder has a great video on youtube for it) and i tested it according to the books, the thign tested fine at low and normal temps, but once warm it didn't test in the given range. Thus, it made sense my car was only stalling after it warmed up, sense the sensor was still testing okay at low temps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j9MNH8Ukpw

I just pulled an old one of a 95 max in a scrapyard, it solved everything with the rough idle/stalling problem I was experiencing. Total cost probably $10 (the scrap yard just gives a blanket price for whatever I pull that day) and well under an hour in time. And this was pretty much my first auto "repair" ever.

Keep us posted.

 

i too have experienced stalling at stop signs and rough starts due to faulty ects takes no time to replace and cost is 20 bucks max

 

Awesome! Thanks for the video! Saved me the trouble of finding the damn thing!

 

He made the video. Also, if you olooked up his name (boredmder) on youtube you'll see he has quite a few videos on fixing of the common 4th gen maxima problems.

Hopefully he starts taking requests, I'm starting to get codes to problems he hasn't yet made videos for.

 

So I tested the coolant temp sensor with a multimeter. I got the same readings as in the video. So does that mean it's still good? Does getting a reading when the engine is cold tell you anything?

 

Did you remove it from the car. I haven't watched the vid in a while, but here's a link to the specs for testing the thing upon removal. (You have to scroll to page EC-128.)

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/1996/EC.pdf

Since you are getting into fixing your sis' Maxima, this is the main page for the Factory Service Manual online.

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/maxima/1996/

When in that main page, to find the part you are looking for, go to the IDX section (its the Index). It will tell you which section the thing you are looking for is in. Then you go back to the main page, click that section, scroll to the page number and voila.

You will fidn the FSM pretty valuable, though I find pics/vids on this site more useful. Still, learning to reference the FSM is a good idea. And a Haynes or CHilton manual is good too, if you have $20 to spend :-)

 

I didn't remove the sensor when I tested it. Thanks for the link for the FSM!

So I tried starting the car with and without the sensor connected. With it disconnected, the car cranks and cranks until it finally starts up. The idle is really high (1500 rpm) and the fans are on full blast. When I reconnected the sensor, the fan speed went down but they were still on pretty high (the engine was cold then). It also took awhile to crank, but less than when the sensor was disconnected. Idle was still high. Mean anything to you guys?

 

sounds like a MAF that what happens with the stalling

 

None of that sounded like an alternator problem. They're easy to test. The system should be around 14 volts (13.8-14.2) when running and shouldn't change much/at all with RPM. I know you said the mechanic already replaced it, but this is for future reference in case this happens to anyone else.

A bad alternator will affect power delivery, but you'll also know it's the alternator because you'll have a dead battery when you try to restart it.

 

Which sensor are we talking about...MAF or ECTS?

 

ECTS. I looked through the testing procedure detailed in the FSM and decided I don't have most of the stuff needed to test the full temperature range (thermometer, apparatus to suspend the sensor over water, pot I don't mind contaminating with coolant). I already bought the part anyway, so I might as well just throw it in. If that doesn't do it, I'll clean the MAF.

 

Odds are one or the other will solve the problem. As reference, cleaning an existing part should normally be done before ordering a new part (even if its different). Not that a new ECTS is a bad thing, but cleaning the MAF is even easier than putting in a new ECTS.

Of coruse, given the troubles I'm having with my own car, I might not want to be giving advice lol.

 

No, you're absolutely right. I knew that cleaning the MAF was the cheaper thing to do, but I had a gut feeling it was the ECTS and just went with it. Well, it looks like I may have bet my money on the wrong horse. I replaced it and nothing seems to have changed. Startup is still bad and it drives exactly the same as it did before (no matter hot or cold). Oh well. At least this sensor has a lifetime warranty, lol. I'm going out now to buy some MAF cleaner.

 

So I cleaned the MAF and the IACV (just because the idle has never been normal). The MAF wasn't visibly dirty, but the IACV did have a little bit of gunk. I put everything back together and started the car on the first crank! I tried again but didn't have as much luck (it still does that click but no crank when you turn the key sometimes), but on the second turn of the key it fired up much quicker than before. I'm going to have my sister drive it after I eat to see if she feels a difference. Fingers crossed that it's fixed!

 

Its a thin wire sensor IIRC so you won't notice too much dirt. But its so small and thin that just a little dirt can cause issues I think. The only way to check the dirt is to spray it as it lays on a white towel oir very clean surface so you can see what (if any) little bits of dirt were on the sensor.

Any new codes pop up?