maxima97stock

contrary to my user name, i now have a 99 maxima since the 97 had been hit twice (first time by a school bus!). The 99 is giving me a very frustrating issue where it will crank and crank and drain the battery and it won't "catch". Did basic troubleshooting (fuel, spark, compression). Fuel is ok because when it does start and run, which is infrequent, the engine runs fine, although months before this issue the idle "hiccupped" a bit. Spark was inconsistent across coil packs. I replaced two coil packs, cyls 2 and 4 with no improvement. My mechanic thought it was either wiring or ECU. He started by replacing the battery positive connectors with no improvement.
Things I have tried myself:
- coil packs from 95 for cyls 2 and 4
- crankshaft position sensor (got P1335) no improvement
- leak test bank near radiator was 10 to 15% My mechanic doesnt think its a mechanical issue. I didnt do compression test before I towed it to his place.
- my battery is weakening but when fully charged would turn the engine with pretty good speed
- starter is new (replaced after problem started) and gear has 11 teeth.

I'm suspecting the ECU since the wiring had never been touched before the problem surfaced, but I don't want to spend the money yet, just getting ready. This model has the immobilizer. If I get a replacement ecu, how hard is it to reprogram for the keys? Is it just a matter of finding the procedure for reprogramming keys ? i Have seen those somewhere.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Check the ignition switch. It can be removed and the contacts cleaned up. It's actually a common failure item as our cars age.

maxima97stock

Thanks for the pointer. I will tell my mechanic on monday. Certainly somethig to try considering the copy key i use sometimes refuses to rotate in the lock cylinder.

Mrn951951

When I went to the mechanic with this same hard to start problem, they replaced the MAF sensor, O2 sensor, and Fuel Pressure Regulator to correct the concern. That was $405 without labor. Hope it fixes your problem!

Outatime28

Check the fuse for the fuel pump. I was doing a fuel filter when I had the 99 and I had the fuse out to starve the line and I forgot to put it back in. It would crank forever and then run fine, interestingly enough. Check the fuse and don't rule out a bad fuel pump, or injectors for that matter...

ac max 92

iTrader: (13)

You stated in the things you had tried yourself that your battery was weak but when charged it would crank over fine. have you tried testing your battery under load or testing your altenator aswell? Maybe time for a new battery. Another thing that i noticed wasnt stated is your timing? maybe worth checking that aswell. If it cranks over fine when your battery is fully charged like you had stated i doubt it would be fuel related.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Wow.

Welcome to the org.

I hope you use this place to save you tons by fixing your own ride.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Drag0n97

iTrader: (4)

Add a ground from oil pan to bell housin or drop tranny and clean the matin surfaces

maxima97stock

Battery definitely needs replaced but it was tested as having 500 cca so it should b enough to start, which it did a couple times at the shop. If it was a timing issue the engine would run like crap, but it would run fine. Both my mechanic and think it's an electrical issue. We just had not thought abt the ignition switch bc I have been living with the quirky key since it was made. After all anything that moves and makes friction will wear out over time. The wiring I don't think is likely since it's still factory original.

maxima97stock

That's an interesting suggestion that also came up when my mechanic searched his "mechanic's forum" . We couldn't figure out how a deficient ground would happen over time. Will try it if the ignition switch doesn't help

Drag0n97

iTrader: (4)

I did it to mine I start now but the nasty between the tranny isn't helpin either

ac max 92

iTrader: (13)

That doesnt seem to make much sense. You say it definately needs to be replaced? and What do you mean by being tested as having 500 cold cranking amps that's the rating on the battery. What you need to do if you dont have a battery tester is take a multi meter and see what the voltage is on your battery should be aleast 12v then have somone crank the engine over to see what the voltage drops to with the battery under load then test it with the car running aswell should be atleast 14v. Could very well be electrical and just because its an original factory wiring doesnt mean that it wont corrode or wear over time especially if theres any exposed wires or tight bends in the harness. Did you wind up checking your ingition switch?

maxima97stock

And the winner is ......
Battery negative connector

Took the car back from my mechanic after he told me 120 to install an ignition switch. He figured out how to start it by turning it back to the on position right when it sounded like it was going to catch. I decided to install my optima battery I had lying around in my garage (lol) and the engine turned a lot faster and started with no problem. Then I started it for the second time and I heard something pop and everything turned dark... Turns out the negative connector popped off the battery. Replaced the connector with a new one and voila , no more hard start. Only issue now is the engine needs a rebuild. Hhmph, no end to the problem of driving an old car. Btw, replacing the switch didn't make any difference.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Rebuild?!

Swap it instead.

maxima97stock

Have not had a good experience buying a used engine or transmission. A quick look at car-part turned up engines for around $300, which is not too big a deal, but you can't tell. The one with 70k miles is about $800 and quite a number of miles from where i am. At least when i rebuild it myself i know i'll be putting in all new seals and stuff.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

I wish you the best of luck in your mission, but I still hold ground on swap>rebuild for your money unless you have some future plans for that motor that I didn't know about.

If your going to put in the time to do that, why not have some fun and do a VQ35 in there?

maxima97stock

swapping a vq30 straight is not much of a challenge. a vq35 swap on the other hand would have been well worth it back when the body had not started rusting. Would have been nice to pair the vq35 and 6-speed together back maybe 10 years ago. For now I just want to keep it running as a family hauler.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)