tarun900

Hi guys, I have a 97 Maxima GXE, about 148k miles. It sometimes starts like **** in the mornings. For a while, I thought it was a dying battery but I think the battery is perfectly fine. I am now under the impression that it is dying/worn spark plugs, which explains why the car takes like 4 seconds to start when its colder outside in the morning.

Does anyone have any recommendations for doing a tuneup on this car? I am able to find some platinum spark plugs for cheap on autopartswarehouse.com for $5 each, and I have a friend who knows how to do repairs like this, so I'll get him to do this. Any other recommendations?

And another issue, I've noticed this for a while at night. Whenever I brake, all the lights in the compartment dim a little. Or at night, I lower two of the power windows at once, all the lights in the compartment (odometer, tachometer, air/radio) all dim just a little. It's barely anything but I have a really keen eye for noticing **** lilke this. Should I be worried about this?

Thanks again for any advice.

bob-lee

if the car is idling when you notice the dimming problems i'd definitely go get a battery and alternator test
as for the tune up what type and body oil you use i have 138 on my max and i use high mileage 10w 30 it helps with the cold starts............................................ ...

cashoit

U got a couple questions.

First off all maxi dim a lil. Get a yellow top duralast and that shd really help. Or at least thats what i did.

Car taking longer to crank can be a variety of different things. A SEARCH would have yielded a lot of info. So ima leave it to u to search for specifics but i give the general stuff...

First off do the MAF, TB cleaning as per how tos. If problem persists, replace ECTS, PCV, and Air filter. if problem persists, get started tested. Check CPS and CKPS (tranny side) per FSM. If either is ridiculously fouled wipe off with damp cloth/or replace. If problem persist, check coils and plugs per FSM, replace as necessary

If none of that do the trick then u got a real problem and see a mechanic

tarun900

Thanks will do. And I do have a yellow duralast battery lol i think it has 875 amps cranking power or something

cashoit

the yellow top is good.

Clean yur ground points. Espcially, the two on the intake manifold, the one near the coolant reservior, and the battery ground.

tarun900

Sorry, please talk to me like I'm a complete beginner. Not too knowledgable about fixing things around the car ha. Would you mind providing a picture for me? And I already cleaned the connections on the battery with WD40 earlier...there wasn't much grime there anyways. Where are the ground points on the intake manifold? (picture would be helpful, if you can)

Thanks!

cashoit

I cant post pics man im @ work and company firewall. I told u the locations u really cant miss them. A ground point is basically any place where a wire terminates on the chassis or engine with a bolt. The bolt can be rusted or dirty or the wire can be worn/brittle. Clean and/or replace.

95franklin

Get a copy of the FSM. In the electrical section, near the end, are a bunch of pictures with locations of components. Look for the ones labeled ground or body ground. The FSM will really help. Good luck.