Goomz

iTrader: (1)

could i have a defective maf sensor even if the voltage test is in spec? i replaced mine in sept with an evan fischer one from amazon in sept (about 45 bucks)...and my cars having all the symptoms of a bad one. (bad gas mileage, erratic idle, stalls upon startup on cold motor, random lack of power on acceleration, black smoke from exhaust, no cel on dash)

the red wire read 12 volts upon the ignition turned on, the ground wire was good-read 12v when i used that wire as a ground for my meter and the pos terminal from my meter on the battery, and the output wire (white) read on a warm engine 1.45v and when i revved the motor it went to over 2.5v and it returned to 1.45v when i let go of the throttle. i revved the motor 10 times and it was consistant.

so if the resistor was bad inside the maf, would the output wire show an off reading? or would it still read correctly and just make my car run like garbage?

i sprayed it with maf sensor cleaner upon installation, and once again a few months later.

Maxima 97 SE

Call amazon and return it for your money back because aftermarket mafs like evan fisher or any other aftermarket maf will not work with the 4th gen maxima like we have. You will need an oem maf and only an Nissan original maf will work with the car. Ask anybody on the forum and you will get the same answer. I have an updated Nissan oem maf that's from Nissan that's in excellent good working condition and I no longer use and its been sitting around. If you want I will sell it to you for 60 buck with shipping included. Or you can look on ebay and type in the search bar Nissan maxima 1995-99 oem maf and you will find a bunch of listings on them. The new updated maf part number from Nissan is 22680 31U05 A36-608 E61.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the reply...i did the search on ebay and, well not for nothing but used oem maf sensors were 35-40 free shipping. but to answer in detail of my post, would correct voltage readings still mean a bad maf sensor..i read about resoldering the connections but still the readings were consistant.

Maxima 97 SE

Yes, even though u have correct voltage at idle it can still be bad because the sensor it self is designed differently and is not communicating properly with the ecu and the data it gathers for air fuel ratio is probably totally off which gives you the erratic idle. Also if u want I will ship mine for 45.00 if u want. But one thing for sure aftermarket mags don't work with our cars and it did not work on my maxima 97 which was also aftermarket from Bosch and it gave me the code for lean air fuel mixture. I replaced it with an oem and code was gone and no problems. But one thing for sure I would get an oem maf ASAP so it doesn't mess the engine up or most importantly the spark plugs.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

Thats messed up how they cant get a part correctly designed yet mass produce them. im having a rich a/f mixture but i purchased an oem one just last night after they refunded me the money back to me. I def appreciate the advice and ill reply when it comes in for the update.

Edit: also my buddy mentioned to me to NOT clean the maf with the maf spray cleaner on a warmed up motor or if im about to drive up to 30 mins afterwards because it can damage the resistor?

CS_AR

I keep two tested spares in my workshop for my two 4th gens. Once in a while I might find a wrecked 4th gen in a junk yard and get the MAF for $30 to $35. I bring them home and test them to keep on hand. For every two I buy I end up returning one that is bad.

The best bet is to pickup a "used and tested OEM" from a Maxima.org member and just keep it on hand for when you need it.

Maxima 97 SE

The ecu of the car and the mass air flow sensor are made by the same company which is unisia jecs who makes parts for nissan. So thats why I think the ecu only works with the oem maf becuase their designed by the same company to work properly with each other. Thats why i think it has a hard time reading other sensor which are aftermarket. You can say unisia jecs has made sure that only their and certain parts work with their ecu and our cars. yeah i think it says that on the crc maf sensor cleaner and when i did it it was on a warm motor and nothing happened at all. Also it made no difference in how it ran, it just ran normal with problems. I would recommend not wasting your money on the spray or cleaners as it might causes damage and it doesnt make any difference. Just get the oem maf and install it and see how it runs.

Nismo_Pilot

iTrader: (1)

+1 for OEM MAF. You dont know how many times ive heard, "but I just bought a new MAF, that cant be my problem". Where did you buy it? "Autozone"

300 bucks and a Nissan MAF later they are running fine. Hopefully you dont pay full retail here though

Trini Boom

iTrader: (5)

It's actually going to be over $500 OEM new these days..

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Cleaning out junkyards now!

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

wtf the dealer forgot how old the car is on some bs

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

update!!

i got the replacement oem maf sensor on wednesday, installed it. did not use maf sensor cleaner. upon first startup, it cranked for eh-maybe 1-2 seconds longer than normal, but idle was pretty steady. as i was driving, my erratic idle was gone, idle dropped back down to where it used to when coming to a stop instead of almost 250 rpm then kicking back to normal. the day after on a cold motor it took again 1-2 extra seconds to start, but did successfully. today on a cold motor it cranked, engine started up as fast as a new car, my idle dipped but caught and stayed on without me having to tap the gas to keep it running.

fuel economy...cant really say because i havent gone anywhere in the past 2 days. the next day (today) i started it up cold motor and the idle dipped down as if it were going to stall, but the car did not stall out...it "caught itself."

still no cel, actually i had one for a p0400 which went away ironically 2 days before i replaced the maf sensor and it hasnt came back. the weather was a lil warmer than it has been...could that be related to the p0400??

as for the lack of power, my car does not stumble or delay when i press the gas to speed up anymore. i may notice a small decrease in acceleration but that may be due to how rich the car was running prior. granted, i dont really drive my car over 3500 rpm (automatic) and never floor it but i can notice the hesitation gone.

i havent noticed any black smoke as of yet. car does not smell like im pis$ing fuel away anymore. it was so bad it would ocassionally make my eyes tear on a 20 mile drive.

i dont want to say it officially yet but i think its repaired...ill repost in a few days for updates! Thanks guys who replied for your insight.

Maxima 97 SE

Check your idle air control valve screw. Here the pic of the screw, its a small black plastic screw and where it should be. If it's incorrect it will cause bad gas millage and idle problems and stalling like u said. Also biggest thing of them all is to clean your throttle body if you never did with crc throttle body cleaner and clean all if that gunk that stops the air from flowing freely into the intake and causes stalling and gas millage. Once u do that you should not have
Any problems. This is where your is iacv screw should be. It's stock and factory setting.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

sorry i can do a lot of electronic work but mechanic work isnt my thing...is the cv screw the assembly with the purple harness connector?

Maxima 97 SE

No the iacv screw is the small black plastic screw that on the top. Just adjust it to how it is in the picture if its the same length then its good if it shorter than shown in the picture then use a Phillips screw driver and adjust it.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

looks like this...sorry its not a direct pic and its blown up and sideways...my work pc is a pos w windows xp...a bit obsolete


https://mail-attachment.googleuserco...w3AOZWeUU4aRTY

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Bad link.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

sorry the pic is HUGE and sideways...but does it look accurate? its never been touched in the 5 years i've owned the car

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

It won't show because it's in your google account.
If you want to hand out your log in information it will work.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

wtf all i have is insert link and image option but its downloaded from my email to the computer and i cant upload it from my computer?

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

ill try photobucket argh

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

Nismo_Pilot

iTrader: (1)

You should probably clear the mixture learning values from the ECM to help out with any residual issues. Disconnect the battery for a while then hook back up.

Maxima 97 SE

Its right, thats how the screw should be. Was it like this from the beginning or did you just do this. Also if you havent cleaned your throttle body, please do so.

Goomz

iTrader: (1)

it wouldnt auto correct itself? i can do this now, is 5 hours long enough? im at work and get out at 11.


its how it was from the beginning, i never touched it...and i cleaned the tb with spray 5 years ago it was not dirty at all whatsoever i was impressed when i was at 75k miles. i now have 196k mainly hwy miles but havent checked up on it