I have a 1998 Maxima, with 54,438 miles on it. I bought it used in July with 48,828 miles on it. It's a daily driver.. mainly to take my daughter to school (2 blocks from home) and an occasional long distance driver.

Today the "service engine soon" light came on. I called the dealer and made an appointment. He said it could be anything, but wouldn't comment on any one thing it might be.

Anyone else have this problem with the Maxima? Especially the 98? I had a 96 Maxima with a little over 90,000 miles.. and didn't have any problems. I traded it in on this one.. because I was worried about this exact problem on a car with alot of miles.

any help would be great..

 

Human nature dictates that every time that you see that 'Check Engine' icon light come on, you become worried. Some times it's something really simple, and some times it's not. It really does depend on the results obtained from the scan. I can tell you this though... I'm one of those people that has that 'hard starting' problem and I just had it checked out by the dealer. They found a bad starter that is draining my battery, and thus I will replace it myself. The other thing they mentioned was that I had very little miles put on the car for the last 2 years. They recommended that at least once a week I fill up with premium gasoline (which I always do anyways), take it to the hwy, and give it hell to stretch her legs. They said that gas sitting in the tank for a prolonged period of time does become 'flat'. Something to consider I guess!! But as far as the service engine light, just wait for what they have to say and take it from there. Let us know what happens. Maybe it can be resolved right here in the post.

Hope this helps...

Later,
Peter

 

Check these out:

http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/ecu.html

http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/ecudecoder.html

 

Sticky: ECU Diagnostic Trouble Codes

 

I ran this test this morning.. and the error codes that came up were 0704-EVAP Emission Control System Pressure Sensor.
0215-EVAP Canister Vent Control Valve.

So I'm assuming it's the EVAP Canister. lol

I'm going to pull it off tomorrow morning, and see if it's full of water. We have had alot of rain this winter, and alot of large puddles (flooded streets) to drive through. If that doesn't clear the problem up. I called the dealer and they have the EVAP Canister on the shelf for $52.00. I'll just replace it.

Thanks so much for all of the help. I do believe you have saved me alot of money.

 

you seem like a guy who knows what he is doing or know whats going on with his car.. good luck.. let us know how it turns out..

 

This error can also be caused by something very simple...the gas cap is not tightened properly. I would check that before disassembling the EVAP canister components. Tighten the gas cap, reset the ECU, and see if the code comes back.

 

Speaking of the Service Engine Light, mine was on last Thursday due to a similar problem (0903 and 0705) I had reset it and it came back again (then the light started flashing alot and thought something else was wrong, but ECU was just not turned all the way back (Thanks Medic!!)) anyway, my mom had taken my car up north and drove through some(?!) mud and water and that is when the light started. Now it is gone about a week later, so it seems that water or mud (in my case) can affect the canister and probably the sensor/connections to it. . . what do y'all think?

 

Glad I could help. Don't know if driving though water will do that, but its always possible.

 

hehehe.. I'm a 32 year old female Puts a whole new perspective on things doesn't it.

Should see the 67 Chevy Camaro I rebuilt.

The gas cap was as tight as possible, It has a full tank of premium gas.. so I don't think that was it. But it's possible.. I removed the cap and replaced it before I did anything else.

Not sure how water would get in there, but by looking at the codes.. it seems like the most likely thing wrong. I will see what happens after I remove it. *keeping fingers crossed*

 

My dad got the CEL and went to the dealer and they replaced it. He has a 98GLE as well. Man, I keep telling the guy if he has problems to check with me first but the dude never listens to his punk kid. He didn't know you could check codes yourself. Anyways, hope you get the thing rectified...