Hey guys, I haven't been able to find anything to help me with my problem with searching, so I'm making a new thread.

My car is running VERY rich, to the point of the exhaust pops bad when I rev it past 3000 rpm, and there is gas in my oil. I have the Air Intake Temperature Sensor code, but only when I drive it hard. That's the only code I get. Could that cause everything? The car used to run fine besides burning oil from the rear valve cover. I've had to fix the MAF, and I cleaned the EGR, IAC, and rear catalytic converter to see if that would help, but it didn't. The only mods are a CAI and Magnaflow muffler with reso delete. I've read that the coolant temperature sensor could also cause my symptoms?

Does anyone have an input to help?

Thanks.

EDIT: The car is also hard to start up after it sits for a while, but it has no problem after that first time.

 

the AIT sensor is not causing this.

you probably have a faulty leaking injector.

 

But for it to happen so suddenly? And it do it to the extent that it does? I plan on cleaning them all when i done the valve cover, but don't want to put a new valve cover on just for it to be destroyed. I've listened to them with a stethoscope and they sounded ok. Is there anything else that could cause it that I'm just overlooking?


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

 

Fuel in your oil is usually a sign of a bad head gasket, or rings.. unless there is somewhere unique to this engine that the two can come into contact with that I donf know about.. maybe someone with more experience can chime in, but I would say to check your coolant and see if there is anything in their also..

 

A bad fuel injector is more likely than the head gasket. It is probably stuck open. Even though you can hear the clicking of the solenoid, that is not a guarantee of a good injector.
Take the spark plugs out and one of them will be wet if the engine hasn't been shut off that long, but the porcelain tip will be black. A good plug is a light tan color.

 

WTH does fuel in the oil have to do with coolant?

This seems to be pretty common on maximas.
Bad injector orings pop up often and cause this.

 

Alright, thanks you guys. I'll take out the plugs to check them after I get done working on the transmission.

And I think he was still referring to a blown head gasket with the coolant. But i know it's not a blown headgasket.

Thanks for all of the input. Is there anything else I can check that could cause it? I've read the coolant temp sensor can cause it, and I know on another Maxima I had, it's bad, and it runs worse than mine on start up. Just trying to make sure everything is covered before putting on new stuff.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

 

your behavior is the opposite of what i had when i had bad ECTS wiring. maybe ECTS can manifest itself in different ways, but what you describe is not how mine acted with an ECTS problem. mine would start fine when the engine was cold, but when it warmed up, it would become undriveable and then die completely, and you could not start it again until after the engine had cooled down sufficiently.

don't listen to the guy who suggested headgasket. he is way off base.

 

Yeah, i knew it wasn't head gasket, but I'm still grateful for his input.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

 

If you have a volt/ohmmeter, there is a resistance check you can do on the ECTS. And you don't have to remove it from the car to do it. Unplug the wires from the sensor and and measure between the pins on the sensor. You just need to know the temperature of the engine coolant when you check it and compare the ohms reading you get with the chart in the FSM.

 

Thank you Dennis! I wont be able to check it for a while, but when im able to ill post back on what i get.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

 

if you do end up checking the ECTS you need to check its wiring also. in my case the wiring harness was bad, the sensor itself was fine.

 

Because oil is not the only thing flowing inside the engine. There are oil passages and coolant passages. Many times the only thing that sperates them is a gasket. And seeing as I have never personally rebuilt this engine (maybe you have) but I don't know exactly how close or far away they are from each other. In some engines coolant runs on the outside of injector cups, and if one gasket is weakened internally, things that shouldn't mix can. I didn't think unscrewing an overflow cap and sniffing was an excessive amount of work to be done to help narrow down your search before someone just starts buying parts.. that's called " just throwing money at a problem" which I'm sure you have never done yourself.

 

How many years have you spent in technical school, and professionaly working as a mechanic? How many engines have you rebuilt?
An over fueling issue will cause gas to wash oil from the cylinder walls and pass by the rings into the crank case to mix with the oil. Even with a blown head gasket, the fuel will not mix with coolant in a amount you or I could detect. Injectors are mounted in the intake manifold and inject into the intake runner, there is no gasket separating the injector from any other cavity or passage.

 

listen guy, for the record - the word "professional" only means you get paid for what you do. it does not mean you are any good. i offered suggestions from personal experience, with other cars , which is what everyone else here does.


also - just about everyone i know that went to "techinal" school to work on cars, left their respective schools with certificates , student loans, and the same minimun wage job changing oil they could have gotten by just walking in off the street.. so please dont start throwing creditials around.

 

Guys, please don't argue on my thread. I respect and appreciate any opinion I get, because at least they're trying to help. So please, don't argue. Just let it go.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

 

This thread reminds me of when a few years ago, my #6 injector o-ring was somehow lost(maybe sucked into the cc but I'm not sure). This cause a hydro lock on the interstate no less, and I was lucky that I was exiting in neutral, so my RPM was only around 650 when I heard a big *** clunk. I thought I threw a rod! I had to tow it and I made the mistake of towing it to the dealer, and they basically kept my car overnight and tried starting it over and over until it finally started, and spewed much fuel into my exhaust. They said I had a problem. I asked what it was and they said they needed to dig deeper into the engine. I was like screw that I'm taking it home (more like towing it home). They still charged me $180 for their 'trouble' and they didnt solve/fix anything. Back at home, I pulled all the spark plugs, pulled the injector fuse and turned it over, and a big geyser of unburned fuel just shot out of #6 about 15' straight up!! Anyways I know I'm way off topic here lol sorry about that but this thread just reminded me of that time. Anyways, I still have the same engine; these engines are little miracles LOL.
I hope you fix this Aflion, please post up your findings.

 

Haha. Thanks for sharing your story. And I will. Right now I'm digging into my transmission to rebuild it. Then I'll figure the rest of whats wrong with my car out.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

 

Ah. Transmission rebuild=FUN

 

I dont care about credentials. The purpose of my questions were to ascertain your level of experience and competence. To someone who knows about cars you dont sound very knowledgeable.

 

Was there a solution to this problem. I'm having it now. 😧

 

After 11 years, I sure hope he solved it.