Dad turned on the engine in his 98 Maxima SE on the way back from grocery store, and engine started shaking the whole car. I read the codes by turning the ECU screw, and it says 0603, which is cylinder 6 misfire. Went and got a new platinum spark plug from AutoZone and put it in... problem remained the same.

He tried disconnecting coil electric connectors one by one to make sure its cylinder 6, and it is in fact #6 that is not working.

What could it be, and how do we fix this?

 

It is likely a bad coil but the wiring could be bad as well. Test the connector first before you buy a new one. If the coil is bad then only put in a Nissan coil. Either new or pull a part will do. Several members have tons of used ones up for sale so go ahead and post a WTB in the classifieds if new is too expensive for you

 

How do I test the connector?

 

as per the Factory service manual that you can download here https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B4...yNjE5OGJi/edit

The easiest way to check if the coil is bad is to unplug it while the engine is running. You already know it is cylinder 6 so the hard part is over. If nothing happens then it is bad but if the misfire gets worse then it is good and your wiring is the issue. Then, just to be sure, switch the bad coil into another cylinder(such as 4 which is right next to it). The misfire code should then move to cylinder 4 and you can buy a new coil and know you are not wasting your money.

 

^ do what shocknawe said

 

do wat shock and awe said and if that doesnt solve it, u may have a bad fuel injector

 

Thanks, this is exactly what my dad ended up doing and it is in fact the coil that is not working.

So you are saying we have to only use coils made my Nissan? My dad went to a used parts place and the guy said a used one will be 30$.

Does anyone know how much a new Nissan one costs? Amazon, AutoZone, and Pepboys don't seem to have a Nissan one online.

 

About $100

http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1814_1815.html

 

Last time i bought a coil at "az" it was 2 years ago and was $85. It was a b&a i believe. I just checked the app and it list only duralast right now for $74.99

 

I say go used. I stockpiled some and have about 15 sitting in my storage.. No more bad coil packs for me

 

^ this also is a good idea. I use to have a few i picked up a yard. Gave them to the guy that bought my old max. Definately have plans the hit up some yards and stockpile some items in the next couple weeks and more over time now that i have another max

 

Why do I have to get a replacement Nissan coil? Can I use a coil by another manufacturer, which will be less expensive?

My dad got a temporary coil, but I think it's from another car, not a Maxima. It works though.

 

Because aftermarket coils are poor quality and don't last long. I installed eBay coils 3 years ago and they only lasted 2 weeks. Do a search in this forum for 'aftermarket coils' and you'll get dozens of threads stating how poor they are.
After that go to your local JY and pick a few coils or put a WTB posting in the 4th GEN classifieds.

 

Thing is if you can get good used nissan coils at a yard, then why not? It will be cheaper than the aftermarkets and 9 out of 10 will still out last it. You can probably get atleast 3 maybe 4 nissan coils at a yard for the same price as a "am". If you have a pick and pull then probably all 6