Engine cutting off randomly(95max-130k miles)
 

I've had this problem perpetually get worse over time.

Seems like it started a few months after I started using stabil ethynol based fuel stabilizer. I leave the car sitting for 3 weeks at a time.

It all started with the car sitting for 3 weeks, after getting back from being out on the road driving a rig.

I cranked the car, let it idle warm up. After about say 4 or so minutes, it just shut off. Cranked it back up, everything is fine.
Gradually over time, the car started randomly shutting off, while driving or at a stoplight. Again, after a few revolutions, it would start back up, sometimes with some hesitation/putting.

I took it to nissan, to see if their high dollar diagnostics machine could find something.
Well, the mechanic said 1 of the o2 sensors was headed out, along with belts starting to crack, but everything else checked out fine.

I'm puzzled because I didn't think o2 sensors could cause a car to shut off immediately, even when cold, warming up.

I asked him about fuel pressure and he said the machine didn't detect anything out of the ordinary.

Can someone shed some light on this for me, before I start wasting money on parts?
I don't want to be sitting on the side of the road.

what codes are stored we need to start here first

read this thread on how to reteive codes and what they are http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...ere-first.html

no codes were thrown before it went into nissan, other than the useless cat o2 sensor that has kept the cel light on since I bought the car. Oddly enough, mechanic said that particular o2 was fine.:confused:

1) Stop putting crap in your gas tank. Gas takes a very long time to go bad in a sealed system. (think years)

2) Clean your throttle body and IACV

the crap is ethynol based gas. Just tryin to keep the ethynol from separating and rusting the whole system.

so, could this stabil stuff be doing something?

I cleaned the tb and iacv about a year ago when I replaced the valve cover gaskets. How often do these things need cleaning? I've only put about 8k miles on it since then.

anymore ideas?

have u cleaned ur maf clean maf and the wire connector to the maf

Could be ECTS.

i had the same prob my maf was bad but it didn't throw a code , it would start up and a couple of mins later it will shut off check maf resistance

Checked the Ohms of some sensors, to no avail.

ECTS - within specs @ 70degrees(2.49 K ohms)

Camshaft Position Sensor - within specs @ 70 degrees(Mitsubishi-2,360 ohms)

Crankshaft Position Sensor - within specs (559 ohms)

MAF - within specs (1.5v idling, cold-warming up//1.2v idling, warmed up)

And while I was checking the MAF volts, the engine shut off on me once, randomly.

Fuel Pressure Reg?
Fuel Pump?
IACV heading out?

I'm stumped, so far.

What should I do next?

hey man i think your maf is on the way out or u have a bad connector at the maf if it shut off while u were testing it start the car up go wiggle the wire that go to the maf see if it shuts off again the connector its self could be wore out u can go to the junk yard and get another maf for like 30 bucks and u can get the connector while ur there i chased a random stalling problem for a whole summer before i found out it was my maf electrical connector i would stall at stop lights start the car go ijnside and come back out it would be off i soldered the wires directly to the maf and rode like that for a month or two and didnt have any problems then i went to the junk yard and got another connector put that on and havent had a issue that was 2 summers ago

i wd say clean MAF and check MAF harness. Check IACV

Thanks for the ideas folks.

Shook the MAF wires, nothing. Shook other wires, nothing seems loose.

Will check the IACV next, but will be in a few weeks.

Mine had some similar problems... i cleaned the IACV and problem solved.. Definatley give it a good cleaning and get back to us

Took the IACV off. It looked good from the last time I cleaned it. So I polished it up on the smooth surfaces.

Can't say that solved the problem, as it did some hesitating on crank, but fired off without dieing.

Will keep this thread alive if anything changes.

Engine cutting off randomly(95max-130k miles)
 

The same thing that you described happened to me when I first got my '97 SE @ 117K. The engine would cut off unexplainably without warning while driving. It would start right back up fine and I never knew when it would shut off again. Very scary stuff, and it threw no codes and checked out fine until I looked at the (-)ground wire / connection coming off of the battery.
I changed both battery cables and regrounded, and I haven't had a problem since. Sometimes it really the simple stuff that is most often overlooked.

I will give that a shot next time back. I do disconnect the battery cables everytime I leave the car for 3 weeks, to keep the battery from discharging.

What's a good place to pu a set of cables for a 95?

Thanks for the idea. :)

Had a similar problem a short time ago, cleaned the MAF and it stopped, check engine light went off.

what would be symptoms of fuel system problems? It acted as if it had a carb loading up. Engine surged slowly before dying, then several rotations to crank, and it was fine. On engine restart, idle surged few times back up to where it was normally.

aftee all this, it drives fine like nothing was wrong. Puzzling.

crank sensor....

Just got back home from the road.

I checked it out with the ohm meter. It was in specs.

When I hooked the battery back up, and tried to crank the car(after sitting for 3 wks), it wouldn't fire up, just turn over on first try.

2nd try, still wouldn't. It would just turn and turn. So I pressed the accelerator many time, and it finally started to catch, then finally fire up. Once it fired up running, the idle fluctuated between 1k and 1.5k rpms for about 3 seconds, then finally started the idle up procedure. Didn't do it again after.

When was the last time you changed your fuel filter? You could change that if it has been awhile.

Been a little over a year.

Replace your FPR man. If you have to give the car some gas for it to start, that's your problem right there. It is not holding the required pressure it needs in the rails for it to start.

Whats the best way to test the FPR?

It cost just as much as buying a new fuel pump. I want to be sure. And from what you said, it sounds like the problem.

Would the FPR going out, cause the car to shut off going down the road?

Disconnect the vacuum hose at the bottom of the FPR. Check to see if the vacuum line has any gas in it. If not, you have to get a pressure gauge and attach it to the line between the fuel filter and the FPR and test per FSM readings. Yes, it can shut your car off as well but where are you getting this FPR that it costs just as much as a fuel pump?? Although you tested your ECTS within spec, if you never replaced it, I would suggest replacing it anyways.

I checked the price for a FPR, and it was about $100.

The ECTS did check out each time I checked it. But will prolly replace it sometime then.

Thanks for the info. When I get back off the road, Ill check it out.

Back from the road. Replaced the Fuel Pressure Regulator.
About 3 min after it was running, it cut off like it did before.

Drove about 70+ miles with no problems afterwords.
Also drives better now.

Will find out tom morning if this did the trick.

Welp, took few cranks to start, idled to warmup fine, and hesitated once but didnt cut off, on a short 3 mile drive.

My guess is, the fpr was failing, but something else is going out too.

Any ideas?

might be your fuel pump thats actually going. Usually when a fuel pump is on its way, it'll be fine for a while, and then stop working, hard to start, and sometiems stall on you. If it keeps happening more frequently. I would suggest getting the fuel pump checked out. Not really sure how you check it, but replacing it isn't that hard. As i recall, you take the back seat out and there should be an opening for the fuel pump. You don't need to drop the tank in this car.

Yeh, this is what it's starting to sound like. I grounded the starter to the neg term with 4 gauge wire, still takes a lot of time to crank it on first try(3 sec).
Then it runs super.

Last thing will be the ects replace, check the ohms on the pump.

If it is the pump, bosch or airtex brand? Im not rich.

i would save the money on the ects and replace if necessary after the fuel pump. You already spent money on the fpr in which you probably shouldn't have. Change the fuel filter while you're at it. And i would not go with airtex or bosch. Go carter. yes, its more expensive, but it'll outlast the other two. Airtex is probably the worse one to go with. From reviews i've had, airtex will go out within a year or two. Bosch is a lil better. But i would def go with carter or oem. You could go cheaper and see how long it lasts considering you don't have to drop the tank to replace the fuel pump. But don't say i didn't warn you. remember, this part is constantly soaked in gas, its not like any regular aftermarket parts where a lil quality here and there doesn't matter much

Checked the Ohms on the pump, they are in spec (.9 ohms).
Checked the FP Relay, it's good.

Put the New ECTS in, and now it fires right up, everytime.

I wont know for certain if this did the trick until tomorrow morning.

If this is it, then the ECTS is more important than prev. thought. We will see.

I didn't read every post in here, but is the engine cutting off like you're turning the switch off?

Thought to replace the ignition switch? Just the electrical portion. Sounds like what my GSR used to do before I replaced it.

No, it was stumbling, and or dies immediately, dash bulbs still on.

This sounds like an engine coolant temp sensor problem. Check it, and check the wiring to it. I had a very similar problem about 2 years ago that I couldn't nail down, finally discovered that the ECTS itself was fine, but the wiring to it, right at the harness connector, had cracked insulation, and the wire had corroded and broken. Fixed wire and that fixed the car. Check that out.

No problems whatsoever this morning.

Cranks right up, no hiccups.

I believe it was the ECTS going out. The old one ohm'd out, but that was just at 1 temp(about 68 degrees). It was the original, so now folks know, the problems listed in this thread were because of a faulty ECTS.

I wanted to add that one more symptom that the car had, was on a morning start(engine cold), the radiator fans would come on randomly, while the engine was warming up. So this is another sign.

If something changes, I will post.

Thanks for the help folks! :)

that's ECTS for sure. radiator fans come on because when the ECU loses ECTS signal it assumes worst case scenario (that the coolant temp is off the charts hot) and just turns on the rad fans full blast.

My 95 Maxima is stalling out also after driving a mile or two.
 

I pulled the codes PO325 knock sensor ,O2 sensor but didnt say which one. PO300 random misfire and PO125 insufficient coolant temp. This might be because I was low on fluid due to a leak. I need to replace my radiator now also . dealer wants over $400 for the radiator. I tried the JB water weld and it did not hold.

What should I start with first? I know the radiator. Do you think if I change the Coolant temp sensor that would stop the stalling out? Did the knock sensor code come up because the engine misfired and that it not needs to be replaced? The car is not worth much so I hate to put alot of money into it.

Thanks