It all started when my tach started going crazy with no accuracy whatsoever. Now my car is idling rough, its very hesitant when i give moderate gas and im also hearing a buzzing sound similar to a power steering pump being low on fluid. Oh its a 96 with 164,000 miles on it. Whats wrong with her?

 

tach might or might not be important, time will tell.
sounds like an ecu going funky thought for sure.
is it a MT or auto?
last time maintenance was done? and have you even botherd to test your coils or ohm out your IACV?

 

Mine went crazy before, turns out my tach was bad! I got a different cluster and it fixed my problem. Mine has like 180k miles, Has it thrown any codes?

 

I agree with Handson. The Tach, idling and buzzing could eb 3 separate issues.

Once we have your recent maintenance performed and the codes you pull it will be easier to help.

Did all of these problems start at the EXACT same time?

 

I received four codes 1005, 1005, 0304, 0104 and by mistake i cleared my engine light. Is the light gonna pop back up?

I ran the CEL diagnostic and two codes came back egr solenoid valve and knock sensor. I also ran an A/T diagnostic and it says my throttle sensor is either shorted or d/c.

 

How do i fix these issues?

 

well, the TPS(throttle sensor) being busted means everythings gonna be off epically idle. just buy a used one from classifieds or one from me for cheap. or go new price.

the egr tube needs cleaned, there are more writeups than fingers on a hand..

and what about the other codes? didnt feel like decoding them?

 

I decoded them and after i cleared the ecu by mistake the only two that came back were the knock sensor and egrsolenoid valve. So the throttle sensor circuit is known as "TPS"? I didnt notice that after i reset the CEL my car was running quieter. I still hear this noise which im afraid is the timing chain.

 

It should be easy to tell if the sound is the timing chain. Can you tell where it's coming from?

 

Yeah.. its either coming from the belts or inside the timing chain cover. Is this common at 164k?

 

Somebody help

 

First, I would go here http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...g-dummies.html and go through the list and give your max a good tune. Replace the knock sensor, get a cheap one off ebay for 25 bucks, and get those codes handled. Yes, it is possible to have a bad belt at 164k, and they are fairly cheap. Have you inspected the belts?

Edit: But it is NOT common to have a bad timing chain... Check the belts first.

 

I dont really know how to check the belts but they look intact. Im just so worried that its the timing chain because ive been listening to other cars with bad timing chains on youtube and it sounds so similar. How do i go about checking my belts properly?

 

i wouldnt worry about your timing chain, on some random days i still get chain clatter, then it goes away. your timing chain would not go bad, its your tensioners, a simple 23$ part is needed to fix it, involves a bit of work though.

checking belts is easy, look at them, any fraying? loosen your tensioner, is the underside of the belt cracked and broken in spots? but its not very relevant to either of your problems, if your hearing a noise like the powersteering pump low on fluid, and its not, then your pump might be going bad.

Sounds- Metal objects being thrown around in your engine=Timing chain
Squealing noise-belts
pump sounding like its struggling=pump struggling.

second, ignore the knock sensor untill you do everything else needed, you can get pinging from a bad egr tube which will set it off.

im sorry to say but you either need to pay and org'r to clean your egr or do it yourself, its the root of the current issue. just go ***** deep into the project on a saturday, then when you get stuck, post DESCRIPTIVE pics, and we can all help you easily.

 

Im gonna take care of the egr on my next day off. As for the noise, i wouldnt describe it as chatter but more like an electric engine rev. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction because i dont know if you noticed but im what they call a "noob" around here..haha.

 

Can be deceptively hard but also can be easy. it really depends on how easily your bolts come off and how quickly you can hack off the bolt that is too long. Also, tag/label your hoses and what they hook onto (I did mine recently and finished it today and I have a vacuum leak that is big trouble).

I'd recoommend doing it while you have a spare car handy...in case you need to get to a store and buy stuff mid-project. I needed 2 trips to AutoZone buying stuff to loosen rusted on bolts and also something else (I forget what, maybe dremmel cutting wheels).

For the hacking of the lower EGR, if you have the tool and a stead hand, using a dremmel to hack that lower bolt is infinitely easier than the ahcksaw methid. If you don't have a steady hand though, I wouldn't, alot of stuff could get cut that you don't want to cut.