Problem is convoluted, but I'll explain the best I can.

96 Nissan Maxima, Automatic

Car starts fine. When cold, car starts, and RPMs slowly drop over a minute or two. Car eventually stalls and kills. When I rev the engine, it maxes out at 2500 RPM. When it gets up around 2500, it struggles, car sputters, won't exceed 2500. If I let the car get warm, it seems to get better.

Thing is, this doesn't always happen. I recently let the car sit for a month, and when I turned it on, it drove just fine. (I poured seafoam in the gas tank before I let it sit for a month. It was last resort effort.) NO ISSUE at all, ran great. But the next day, started her up, pulled out of the driveway, got to first stop light, and it killed the second I took my foot off the break. After five minutes of reving and letting it get warm, I was able to get back into the driveway.

So essentially problem seems to be the frequently, when I start the car, the RPMs will drop until the car dies, unless I keep my foot on the gas. But, when I keep my foot on the gas, I can't get over 2500 RPMs.

I do have a knock sensor code. Could this be it?

I've tested votlages/resistance on MAF, seems within spec. TPS tested badly, replaced it, no change.

 

Sounds like the MAF to me.

 

Moved to 4th gen forum where you'll get more help.

Could be the MAF. It's not the KS code, that's just a byproduct of the real issue.

 

Is the check engine light on? Could be a MAF

 

Do you have a salvage yard in your area where you can pickup a spare MAF? I keep a couple of extra MAFs in my workshop for the occasion when they go out. I've read where aftermarket MAFs cause trouble so I try to pick up a spare OEM MAF from a salvage yard and test it while I can return it. There may be a member with a tested used MAF for sale in the classified section.

 

Maf.

 

Im not sure if Dealerships sell MAF's right? OEM only, and they probably will be nearly new or atleast good than going to a junkyard and risk that they are bad already. MAF's tend to be cheap. $50 from dealership my guess. than $10-15 at junkyard.

I would buy from dealership if its something small like this. then u wouldn't have to worry afterwards for a while.

 

Keep guessing on the price.

Junkyard FTW.

 

LOL at MAF's costing $50 from the dealer...
http://www.courtesyparts.com/22680-m...ml?cPath=1783&

 

oh god, hell no... nevermind then, guess dealerships always are expensive even for cheap *** parts.. -_-

 

I would give getting a MAF from the junkyard a shot. I also kept a couple of these on hand before.

I laughed at the $50 guess too.

As far as cheap parts....that would be the aftermarket ones in this case, as they tend to have issues working correctly.

 

Sounds good guys. I'm looking around for an MAF today.

And yeah, triple the guess and you're about right. Haven't found anything less than $115. Haven't tried the junk yard yet. Would prefer to know it works, or that it most likely works, before I buy and install.

I'll let you know what happens.

 

Don't get it from a junkyard get it on this forum im sure it will be cheaper than a junkyard there are many people that part out 4th gen maxima's on this forum

 

$30 at my local yard.
People charge $60 around here.

 

I've paid $20 shipped for one on here

 

Nice, but that is the exception, not the rule. About $50 is the norm around here.

 

I got busy, but found an MAF and put it in recently. I drove it right after, and car seemed ok.

But today, symptoms reoccured.

Just to restate the problem: Car starts fine. Seems to idle fine for the most part. As soon as I put it in gear, it dies. It dies in every gear except nuetral.

When I'm in park, if I give it gas it revs, but as soon as my RPMs reach 2500, the car starts to stumble hard. It won't exceed 2500 RPMs. Then if I wait a minute and try again, it usually can exceed 2500 RPMs. Another minute later and it won't.

I sat in the car for half hour today with it running, and was finally able to get it in gear. But it died several times on the way home at stoplights.

So it's not the MAF. Any other ideas?

 

For starters, was the new MAF you installed a genuine Nissan MAF, or an Ebay generic MAF?

 

MAF connector. Replace the plug with new, correctly terminated.

 

It was not a genuine Nissan MAF.

However, the car performed exactly the same with the old MAF, without an MAF at all, and with the new MAF.

 

Ive seeen many cheap MAF's junk right out the gate, b4 i do anything else id try to find a known good one(oem), the fact it ran decent for a short time when u put on the new one on, it probably crapped right out..most are junk

 

The GND wire on my MAF connector loosened 4 years ago. Soldering the wire back on solved the error.

 

All that and a bag of chips!

 

It ran decently just once. And throughout the process, the car has had good days and bad. Occassionally I drive it all day without a problem. Sometimes it stalls once on the way home. And sometimes it's like yesterday, and it takes me a half hour of letting it run before I can put it in gear.

I'll keep the MAF in mind, but interested in any other possible theories as well, before I sink more money into MAF.

I'll for sure check the ground tomorrow.

 

I once purchased a non OEM MAF that I pulled from a salvage yard car. It looked good but it didn't work. I always wondered if that part contributed to owner frustration that sent the car to the yard.

I've purchased a few OEM MAFs from the salvage yard over the years. I try to keep a spare in my workshop. I have two duds in my workshop that I need to try to repair. I would try to find a tested used OEM MAF from someone in the classified section. Having a good working spare MAF is a good thing in my book.

 

Put another 0 after the 50 and you will get the real MAF price at the dealer.
Be careful with the Ebay MAF's , they do not always work.
I had the same issue when I had my 96 and the MAF was the issue.
Easiest way to get one is from a junkyard. Take the code from the MAF that you have on right now and go to any JY around you and get 2 or 3 so you do not have to go back if the one that you got is faulty to.

As a first step try cleaning the MAF with the MAF cleaner spray that you can find at any car parts shop.

 

try cleaning the old MAF, see if it works and you can return the part maybe, they are really sensitive and sometimes just need a good cleaning

 

Try to use Oem Parts always,The headaches of goong into a JY finding a good one is just the risk your gonna take, good or bad that's JY Reallity. The new ones are always realible. The problem still exists with a old or new maf check the Knock sensor. The revs past 2500 the problem was fixed. The knock sensor would not let you also rev high.

 

What OEM parts are a must to replace if they go bad? and what aftermarkets can go onto this car that wont effect it.

does anyone know?

 

knock sensors wont let u rev high? I can rev to 6.5k in park very quickly, when I drive and step on the gas from a complete stop I can reach to 4k RPM and then it goes down. I have recently bought a new knock sensor a week ago and I have a code for it saying its bad, I wonder if i replace it It will let me rev to the last 2.5k RPM i need to reach to 6.5k?

and got a clogged EGR 0400 code, just got it a week ago and planning to do it this weekend or next week when I find time, while putting in the new knock sensor in. only 2 codes I have.

 

VGMAXMAN - are you saying that the symptoms i'm describing could also be due to bad knock sensor?

 

(sigh) It is definitely NOT the knock sensor. I drove for ages with a bad KS. All that happens is that your fuel economy and performance are crappy. No problem with revving or anything else. As I said earlier, replace the MAF connector first, an easy simple job that costs almost nothing.

 

well yes, the main problem why his car stalls and cant rev past 2500 is the MAF, but knock sensor is not the problem causing it,

with a bad KS... what he said ^
Performance becomes crap, and gas mileage drops... But if ya replace that knock sensor, it can fix the crappy performance issue.

 

The knock sensor is exactly 50hp.The knock sensor is not detecting the pings, engine knocking and detecting slight misfires than you got a bad knock sensor,the job for the sensor is to signal the ecu then the car goes into safe mode or limp mode limited power,bad mpg. I have experience the extreme power. Loss at wot. The revs passing 2500 rpms is the maf issue.

 

How long can you drive with a bad knock sensor? Any damage done with a bad one? Cause when I drive I hear knocking at times, sometimes goes to limp mode to reduce knocking, as the knock sensor being bad, its not doing its job keeping those knocks out of the way.

Want to know If i have to do it as soon as possible or In couple weeks from now to protect the engine. Maximizing the Life-span, even though my ride only has 133k.. Still runs beautifully besides the knocking. gotta take care of this thing to keep it running the way its supposed to.

 

Replacing the KS on a fed model is not hard at all. I've found I need to use a 1/4 inch drive with a u-joint to remove and tighten the mounting bolt. In my case, a 3/8 drive u-joint will not make a sharp enough bend to turn the KS mounting bolt.

Be sure to have someone with small hands that can reach under the intake manifold to install the new KS and get the mounting bolt started. I'm fortunate to have someone in the family who can reach under the intake manifold to start the bolt. Otherwise my XL glove sized hands just won't fit.

 

burn premium and put a 25 cent ressitor from radio shack...i ran my ride for a long time til i decided to spring for an oem ks

 

I always have been using 93 octane Gas ever since April. Now I know that my car must have 93 octane, even though people say 87 is fine. I prefer 93 now and will never switch back.