my maxima is broken. as i have an entire thread about... im stranded at home with no job but a decent (but FRAGILE) lump sum saved up from the Army.

im trying not to spend $1000 worth of parts that MIGHT fix the car, and then still being broken. what makes this 95 maxima such a pain is that there's no CEL.

im either about to buy a MAF or a OBDII code reader. i know the CEL works because it turns on in the display panel pre-ignition. but its off once car is started like the car has no problems at all but yet my car still bogs and dies after a little warmup. (i live in hawaii, 75 degrees all day. so "Warm up" means cold engine to operating temp).

if theres no check engine light, can the ECU still tell me whats wrong? or am i still gonna spend $$$$$ taking shots in the dark .

with no job, and no transportation to get one... this is a very bad situation. please help forums.

 

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

 

but will it give codes even though its not even on?

 

yeah, theyre called ghost codes

 

Yes, like maximus92 said. The ECU will store codes that don't trigger the CEL light. Knock sensor code is a big example of a ghost code.

 

Most auto parts stores will plug in an OBD code reader and tell you what codes you have. You can also make the ECU tell you the codes by making the CEL light blink. Watch this video:



To decode the blinks, either look it up in the FSM or go here:

http://boredmder.com/ecucodes/index.php

Here is the link to a bunch of how-to videos:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...E3C3345DC2C64F