Okay,so I had an issue with my 99 maxima not running,after a mechanic screwed me over and replaced parts that weren't needed and he messed up the security system,I just had the dealer reset the codes and now they say it only starts with starter fluid. And at $104 an hour,I told them to spend an hour looking at it.. the car ran fine and just stopped running one day,so we put a new map censor,ignition,battery, fuel pump. Dealer just called to tell me they have no idea what is wrong with it,but can authorize them to dig in it for few more hours. Ive put alot of money into this car and im tapped out, so if anyone has any info on this I would gladly appreciate it

 

You need air, fuel and a timed spark. Sounds like the fuel is missing, so that's the system that should be looked at. Check for fuel pressure at the rail, then you look for the injector pulse. Any dealer, or mechanic, should have the basic tools to look at those two simple things and work from there.

 

U have a 99 and these are known for the immobilizer going crazy, if you go into your car right now and start it does it crank? If it does crank is the security light blinking or solid red? This needs to be figured out first beforeeeeeee we doing anything else

 

I think you should search on my ID "CS_AR" and keyword "Dealer" to read my story. I have two 99 models. Trust me I understand your situation..

I got into an expensive loop with a dealer last winter that resulted in me paying about $750 for a diagnosis that said I needed a new engine because the dealer couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't run. So I had to pay $750 to get the car released from the dealer, then paid to have it towed home so I could find the issue after roughly 15 minutes in my driveway.

I've personally experienced or know other people in my area who have been given the "you need a new engine" story at every freaking Nissan dealer within 50 miles. Fortunately the local Infiniti dealer won't stoop to that level of "hook and crook" tactic to make a make a fast buck.. In my area, technicians at the Infiniti dealer are in a whole different league with most having "done their time at a Nissan dealer" early in their careers.

 

^^^^^^^ Listen to these guys. They know what they are talking about. You might find out the fix is much cheaper than the dealer mechanics that are working on it. When I don't have the time to work on my car and I have a problem, I send my mechanic friend to this website. He has used it more than once to fix my problem and usually says thank you.

 

I've accidentally immobilized my 99 model by "trying to start" the car "more than 3 times" with the drivers door open. Once my helper accidentally immobilized the 99 Maxima while helping me run a compression test with the driver's door open. You can start the car with the door open no problem -- that is if it will start. If you can't start the car for some reason and you continue to attempt to start the car with the driver's door open, you risk tripping the immobilizer. So from that point forward, I make it a point to close the drivers door before I attempt to start a 99 model. I think there are many cases where unsuspecting mechanics accidentally immobilize a customer's 99 models during simple repair fuel system repair jobs because they don't know to keep the door closed if the car doesn't start on the first or second try.

 

If the car is immobilized, the red security led to the left of the steering column will be lit up solid.

 

Just picked the car up from the dealer, after a $500 bill the car still isn't running. They reset the codes so its not immobile anymore,but its not getting any fuel. The injectors arent working,theres power goin to the fuel pump its just not getting to the motor. Its acting like it is still immobile. This car just might end up catching on fire in the woods if I cant find what the issue is soon

 

And now to make matters worse,my work truck ( 99 f150) just jumped into 4 high and will not come out of 4x4... *** it,im buying a horse and buggy tomorrow...

 

So all they did was charge u $500 for resetting codes? What are they doing..?? Did they do any jobs fuel related? Also are u sure the light is not solid when ur about to turn on the car?

 

The light is solid red,meaning it is still immobile. I had to have a key cut and programmed then reset the,system,plus $105 an hour for labor. The fuel pump is brand new, I argued with the * manager* who looked like he was fresh out of high school. He said they checked the fuel pump for power, which it has. It just isnt gettin to the injectors. I still believe it is immobile, since the red light it solid....

 

if the red light is still solid red that means its still immobilized which means the car will not start at all, Fix that first before u do anything else. One of the reasons a 99 can be a hassle.

 

Supposedly the,dealer did reset the nats, thats there story and unless I want to spend $105 an hour for there opinion on it,im stuck with what I got.. never again will I own a 99 maxima

 

96, 97 and 98 were the best ones. 99 is the same but can screw people over with the security system and can cost the owner unnecessary $ to pay for.

 

they are good cars, but im glad i have a 98 ...you wont believe the trouble people have with the 99s security system as they get older.

 

When the car is immobilized (red security led on), the ECU shuts off the fuel injectors.

So the questions here are "why is the car immobilized and why didn't the dealer fix it?"

You picked up the car from the dealer, so I assume that means you drove it home. My guess is that the car needs either the part that senses the chip in the key, called the NATS antenna amp or the NATS IMMU module.

 

^^^ Fuel Injectors will be shut off when the car has been immobilized as Dennis indicated.

Here's a REAL LIFE story that happened in July of 2011 with my first 99 model purchase in the picture below.



A lady had the 99 Model I30 with 220,000 miles in the picture for sale on Craig's list. The ad indicated the car had a bad computer. So I looked at the car and negotiated a purchase with the owner for $275.

Basically she said "just get it out of my driveway" and I think you will give it a good home.

Before I went to purchase the car, I located picked up an ECM from a wrecked 99 Maxima GLE at my local Pick-n-Pull for $30. Also I checked with my local dealer to get a price for reprogramming NATS. The dealer indicated a 2 hour minimum charge that amounted to $200. So I'm in right off my out of pocket is $505 outside of any wrecker charges that would occur beyond AAA coverage. Ok nothing ventured - nothing gained.

So I decided to take a chance with the I30. I already had a 95 Maxima SE 5MT (Max #1) and felt confident I could resolve any technical issues beyond the ECM reprogramming once I got it running.

In talking to the previous owner, the car had stopped running a couple of months earlier. Some mechanic along the way determined the car was not getting fuel. She had the car towed to Goodyear where a new new fuel pump was installed. The mechanic worked for days trying to get the 99 model to start without success. Finally, she had the car towed to the dealer. The dealer said the car had a bad ECM that would cost over $1000 to repair. So the previous owner bought a fairly new Altima and went on to sell the troubled I30.

To this day I don't know if the car really had a bad ECM or if the previous owner or the Goodyear store had accidentally immobilized the car and the dealer had just gave the lady a worst case price.

So I got the dealer to reprogram the ECM to match the original keys for $200 and drove the car home. That was 3 years and roughly 50,000 miles ago.

A couple of years later, I later bought a 99 Maxima SE 5MT that I have since replaced a faulty ECM and also accidentally immobilized the car. Again, I had to have the dealer reset the ECM to match the keys after changing the ECM.

Unfortunately, I had other problems the dealer could not diagnose at the time. Since they could not diagnose the problem(s), they declared the entire engine to be bad and told me a needed a new engine for $8,400. I didn't believe the dealer so I had the car towed back home where I found the issue in my driveway after about 15 minutes with help from Maxima.org. There is at least over 100 years of combined Maxima experience here on the org among active members. I believe now days, and due to personnel turnover, most dealers are extremely lacking in 4th gen experience.

One night while getting my helper to run a compression test, the driver's door was left open during the operation. After three strikes of hitting the starter during the test, the car immobilized and the security light turned solid red. Oh no! This can't be happening again. So I had the hood up with the hood switch unplugged, then I locked the car using the driver's door key. I disconnected the battery and left the car to sit overnight.

The next day I reconnected the battery, took the key and unlocked the car. I got in the car and closed the door. When I turned on the ignition the security light was solid red, but I hit the starter and the car started right up.

The only thing I can do is reflect on my past and often crazy immobilization experiences with 99 models. As a side note, I have recently learned a "Snap On" brand diagnostic unit named Solus (with the optional NATS support) can reprogram a Nissan/Infiniti ECM and keys. The trick will be to find a mechanic shop that has a recent copy of Solus with the NATS module and a mechanic that is not afraid to try reprogramming the ECM if you want to avoid the dealer.

I do know that original Nissan keys and ECM can be reprogrammed to match. It is the aftermarket keys that I understand cannot be reprogrammed.

 

Plus the fact that the dealer, including the manager, charge all that money and still can't see that red light is still on solid suggests incompetency on a fantastic level.

 

This morning I went out to clean the car up to sell it for parts and the security light is not on nor blinking. Maybe it was a reflection or something last night making the light red. So maybe it is another issue now. Theres fuel going to the pump, its just not going to the injectors. And injectors aren't working either. Maybe I could get lucky and it be a relay or a fuse possibly!!!!

 

Is there any way that you can run a fuel pressure test? There are inline fuel pressure testers that you can put in the fuel line between the fuel filter and the fuel rail.

This is a different kind of Nissan in the picture but the same principle for running a fuel line pressure test below.

If we can get an idea of the fuel pressure going to the injectors, then we have a place to start.

Also, there is a fuse for the fuel pump inside the fuse panel. I often pull the fuel pump fuse to keep fuel from being dumped into the engine during a compression test.

You may want to check FSM section EC for diagnostics.

Do you hear the fuel pump hum or make noise for a second or two as soon as you turn on the key? The fuel pump is located under the rear sear.

Remember to keep the drivers door closed while attempting to start the vehicle.

 

There is no fuel pressure in the fuel lines. I double checked what the dealer had checked, theres power going to the fuel pump, just not getting any fuel :/. All my problems started when I replaced the ignition. I didn't do my research on the car,and had put alot of parts that weren't needed on it. So not realizing it was immobile at the time,I had a New fuel pump installed,maf sensor,battery. The car ran perfectly fine up until I replaced the ignition. So im really thinking its just something simple or crazily stupid. Its 102° right now,so ill look at it when the sin goes down. Lol. But it is not immobile anymore,the light is not on, all codes have been reset so im really hoping it is an easy fix. I dropped alot of $ on my wifes other car last night and stayed up till 4 am working on it. Im so burnt out dralin with these vehicles. If insurance wasnt so expensive in Florida,id just get a new car and be done with the hassles

 

Let's talk basics of the Nissan fuel system.

One important thing to understand is that if the engine is not running, the ECU will shut the fuel pump off. For starting the car, the ECU will run the fuel pump for a second or two and then the ECU has to get pulses from the flywheel crank sensor or it shuts the fuel pump off.

The fuel pump gets the power from a relay located behind the driver's side kick panel in the footwell. One side of the relay's energizing coil is connected to 12 volts. The other side is connected to the ECU that will apply a ground to the coil to make the relay energize.

When the relay is energized, 12 volts is sent to the fuel pump. When the relay is not energized, there will not be 12 volts at the fuel pump.

So I don't fully understand how you can have 12 volts at the fuel pump if the engine is not running. And if you were to have 12 volts at the fuel pump and not have fuel in the lines (assuming the fuel pump is good), I don't understand that either.

I'm going to look at the schematic and see if the 99 added something else to the circuit and I will update this post.

 

Ok thank you. If that relay is bad or any relay or fuse blown,would it still give power to the pump,just not enough for it to pressure the lines?. Im looking at the Chilton manual now for any more ideas or solutions. At this point im thinking its either a default pump, which is,brand new, or a simple fuse/relay issue.but it's very puzzling that power is at the,fuel pump but its,not doin anything. I can hear it buzzing when I turn the key

 

Also should I disconnect the battery to check fuses? I dony want to take a chance at shutting the nats down again

 

There are 2 fuses involved. Fuse # 17 is used to energize the relay. It also powers other things besides the fuel pump relay. Fuse # 32 is used to power the fuel pump. It is not used for anything else.

If either fuse is bad, you will not have 12 volts at the fuel pump.

But if the relay had bad/burned contacts in it, it could be possible to have voltage but not current flow to the fuel pump.

The buzzing you hear is the fuel pump running. But if the engine is not started, the buzzing should stop after a second or two.

I looked at the 99 schematic and there aren't any "surprises" added. Here is a link to the Nissan service manual. The fuel pump schematic is on page 525.
http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/1999/EC.pdf

Here is another link to a thread where I was describing how to test the fuel pump circuit. I'm being lazy and posting the link instead of re-typing.
https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...-problems.html

But there is something in the back of my mind that is bothering me. Maybe you have a problem with the flywheel crankshaft sensor, CKPS(POS). If this sensor isn't sending pulses to the ECU, the engine won't run. These pulses are used for ignition timingand the firing of the ignition coils. Maybe you have a bad wire connection to the sensor that might make it intermittent. Or maybe you have too much crud built up on the tip that senses the flywheel teeth.

 

Lol. Ill gladly take a link and not consider that being lazy. It just puzzles me that it ran perfectly fine and now isn't. It ran like a brand new car, I hooked up a,push button start because of the slag in the ignition,and that's when it went immobile and started my issues. The push button is gone,all the wires are back to original. Im goin to check fuses and relays shorly and read the links you gave me and see if I can figure the issue. Thanks

 

Update: I just went ahead an swapped all the fuses and relays to eliminate those. Fuel pump has 12v, injectors are clicking. But arent getting any fuel. I talked.to the mechanics who w
Initially worked on it and the said they cleaned the iac valve, they beleive thats what it was. The (triangle thing) as they called it with carb cleaner. Not sure if thst was smart or not, every thing is hooked up and looks normal,I just wonder if that could be an issue. I disconnected the fuel filter bcuz I couldn't find a bleeding valve to check for fuel coming in and no gas is coming thru, so my nxt step is to pull the pumo out and make sure it was installed correct

 

Im laughing my *** off at this moment, I got the fuel issue solved... the guy who installed the fuel pump put it in upside down,so it wasnt picking up any fuel.. soooo, now that that issue is solved, it starts right up but dies when I give it gas.... does it sound like the iacv? I read in another post that a guy had the same issue and thats what the problem was.im 50% relieved at this moment

 

Wanna bet that is where you car was immobilized? I think he owes you a credit for your trip to the dealer to get the immobilizer reset.

 

I just looked it over again and the maf sensor was unplugged,which was why it was stalling out. It idles a little loopy, under 1k. Its burning rich and sputters. It died on me when I got on it. Also I tried backing it in the garage and it stalled if I didnt 2 foot it. Sound like a AICV issue to yall?

 

He will definitely be seeing me bright and early monday morning.

 

Where did the new MAF come from? Do you still have the original MAF?

A properly working IACV can be adjusted. There is a black plastic screw on the top side for adjustment. I would search on here for IACV adjustment. Check for vacuum leaks also.

Note: When I had my Maxima towed home from the dealer, I found they had left the fuel line clamp (on the top side line from the filterl) loose. I guess they removed the line to run a fuel pressure test and forgot to re tighten the clamp afterward. That could have been bad because I started the car and drove it around for a couple of days before I found the loose fuel line when I took the engine apart to refurbish the injectors and reseal the timing cover.

 

What a bunch of BS. Everything that was touched was messed up. You need to double check everything that the mechanic(s) touched. Hope you give 'em hell come Monday. Between stories like this, and my own personal past experiences are the reasons why I became my own mechanic.

 

The maf sensor came from a company I found on amazon. I played with the black adjustment screw and it helped a little, I had autozone pull the codes on it and the air temp sensor thats under the black intake tube is bad, its actually broke and taped together (not my doing). Maybe that could be an issue also. Its definitely an air/fuel ratio issue bcuz I can smell it burning rich. At this point im just glad its running, now I dont feel so stressed about having to put so much $ in it. Just gotta dial everything in and hopefully drive it till the wheels fall off.

 

With proper care, it should run till 300,000 miles or more.

If you still have your original MAF, you might try it.. I'm not saying your new MAF is bad.

However, I do know the company in Japan that makes the ECM is the supposed to be the same company that makes the OEM MAF. Aftermarket MAFs have been reporting having trouble communicating with the ECM. Usually when a MAF goes bad, we recommend a member purchase a used one from a member selling used MAFs in the classified section or pick up a used OEM from a local salvage yard. I try to keep a spare MAF in my workshop (that I get from salvage yards) for the occasion when one goes bad.

 

That guy completely screwed me over,ive never meet a mechanic with 20 years experience,put a fuel pump in upside down. Theres a plastic piece that snaps on top of the pump to hold it in place, that wasnt put on,it was just sitting in the tank. And the pick up was pointing towards the top of the tank.. I have all receipts for the work and parts done to it, so if he won't reason
And accept he messed up, ill place a lean on his business. Ive done it before with others who tried screwing me over. Thats the pleasure of florida law, if you own a business and any services are performed incorrect on equipment related to the business,you can place a lein on them. Ball will be in his court come Monday morning

 

Usually I do the work on my vehicles myself,but business has been crazy busy and I didn't have time, ive deffinatly learned my lesson on this car. My wife was so happy when it turned over. Now I just gotta get the fuel/air ratio right and it will be good as new. Then gotta find out why one of my work trucks is stuck in 4 hi, electronic 4x4 shifted by itself and.wont come out. One problem at a time though :-)

 

The maf sensor that I replaced was busted. Someone used hot glue to hold the plug into it. Lol. Im telling you this car has been a nightmare from day one. Ive got close to $3,500 in it. And ive drove it maybe 3 weeks out of the 3 months ive owned it. I paid $1,800 for it. Its a nice car, any it is perfect for my wife and kids, or else I would have junked it along time ago

 

What brand is the MAF you purchased from Amazon? Where are you located in FL?

Do you have a Pick-n-Pull or Pull-a-Part or U-Pull-It in your area?

Work with us here and we can save you some bucks on parts..

 

There is a pull a part junk yard, I live near Clearwater,Florida. As far as the brand of maf sensor ill have to check in the morning. It don't show a brand name in the invoice they emailed me. When I get up in the morning ill have.to look at it for a brand name. It just says oem sensor from parts galaxy