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Hi all, My Maxima doesnt run very well and is very thirsty on fuel at the moment. it coughs and splutters at idle (it does not backfire or anything just misses). When you put the foot down it has a big flat spot and is not very smooth...i have to gradually increase the speed. Whats the best tool i could use to check on the problem? I am thinking it might be one of the coils causing the problem? but not sure if there is any way to test to see if that is the problem. any thoughts or ideas? Ive seen people talk about these OBD ll readers? how do they work? will my car have a plug for them? and will that pick up my problem?
Let's start with the simple...Is your check engine light on ? If so, borrow an OBDII code reader from an auto parts store, and pull the code. Yes - yourcar will have a female connection for the code reader.
When did you last change Spark Plugs/Gas Filter/Clean the MAF sensor ?
Get a code reader if you don't already have one. You may have some codes present even if the CEL is not on. Yes, your car has a plug for it. All 4th gens have it.
Before code readers or fuel injection, problems like that could often be fixed by replacing the spark plugs. We could examine, or "read" the plugs. Their condition offers clues about what is going on in the the engine. Then we could do other repairs.
So change the spark plugs. Take photos of the old ones. Especially the electode. Post them here.
The slow acceleration could be related to bad plugs. Could also be blocked cat. Caused by leaky fuel injectors. A very common issue on these. Repairable however.
thanks for that, Ive had a good look under the dash now but still can not find anything that looks remotely like a free plug that will fit. Do i have to unplug this out of somewhere or is it a free plug?
well i have some bad news by the looks. Here in New Zealand only cars that are 2006 or newer are OBD2 compliant, probably explains why i cant find the port.
So back to my problem. I shall now pull the plugs out and see what they look like and go from there.
The method of connecting a light to the Consult Port is interesting. I also have a 1992 nissan pickup truck. Pre obd2 in the USA. It's ecu has a screw on the ecu. The flashing lights indicate codes the same way as the information you posted.
If you cannot find a solution or way to read codes, and if you do not have an OBDII port, you can run diagnostic software with the 14-pin Nissan consult port. You just need a cable or adapter.
ECUTalk PC software is free to download. Also there is a free version of NDS1 for Android. Both pieces of software are designed to work with the 14-pin Nissan Consult port that you show in the picture.
Actually ECUTalk is located in Australia.
The ECUtalk cables seem to be popular with Nissan owners in Australia.
Link to the ECUTalk cable. I use the ECUtalk cable with my Android NDS1 diagnostic software.
Here's a picture of me running ECUtalk for PC on a Nissan G50 back many years ago. You can see the cable plugged into the 14-pin grey consult port inside the fuse panel.
This guy is running NDS1 for Android using a bluetooth adapter. I haven't tried the bluetooth adapter.
All these plugs have good color, not show signs of burning oil, yet look like the spark plug gap is excessive, from wear. They are NGK. Replace with same ones.
All these plugs have good color, not show signs of burning oil, yet look like the spark plug gap is excessive, from wear. They are NGK. Replace with same ones.
Did any smell like gasoline or petrol?
Did the fpr vaccum hose smell like petrol?
Uh, never mind..... noticed that these are nearly new.
Ive never replaced anything on the beast since ive owned it for the last 3 years. only did an oil change about a month ago. it has had this problem since ive owned it and the last owner said they had that problem since they have had it.
Not sure where the fuel filter is...i havent played around with motors for around 25 years when i had my 302 V8 with the 4 barrel carb ...things have changed a lot since then! ask me anything to do with old school motors and im right in there
I put it all back together this morning and took it for a test drive. It has seemed to fixed most of the problem. it is not 100% but no where near as bad as before. Next week when i get some more money ill replace the rest of the plugs and see if that solves it completely.
Now while im waiting for that I have a couple more problems that hopefully you guys can help with.
1 the RPM taco is spastic it jumps all over the place.
2 the car fan only works on number 4 (full bast) this car has no air con installed.
Ive tried swapping out the switch but that did not work.
3 the windscreen blades always jump around on the window on the drivers side when i get to speeds over 80kph and they always squeak loud against the window. I have replaced them with new units but the problem is still there.
I noticed that I had misinterpreted your ohm reading in k ohms with km on the plugs.
Which explains why the electrodes looked worn out.
Replace all the plugs, then see what happens.
The fuel filter can be replaced later on.
Please read the post called Rough start, rough idle, loud pops. This member is having injector issues.
Familiarize yourself with the concepts. Just read and learn for now.
My tach acts possessed. Usually it's pegged at 8k.sometimes it acts completely normal.
Don't know what's wrong with it. I've owned this car 11 years.
You might want to clean your throttle body.
Throttle body spray is required for this. Not carb cleaner, which can dissolve the Teflon coating. This is very similar to cleaning the throttle flap on carburetors. I scrub it with the spray and a toothbrush.
just an update on the car...took it for a good run, its not so thirsty on fuel now i noticed a big difference. but the missing is still there once the car warms right up...when its cold it is sweet.
Ive replaced all the plugs with new ones. This has helped for the power and fuel but the missing is still there once the car has warmed up. It is not as bad as before but it is defiantly still there. I have noticed at night with the lights on and if it is raining with everything running it will get worse so im thinking maybe something electrical?
I am thinking to check the coils next. How do i test those? can i whack a multi meter on them? if so what am i looking at?
My 92 Nissan pickup had that issue. Cause was corrosion inside the wiring harness where all four injection wires met one of the wires from the ecu. The problem would be worst after a rain storm. It would pretty much go away during our dry summers.
I repaired and soldered that connection. Rewrapped the harness, and all was well. That said, I don't recall that our maximas have thst issue.
I live in a moist climate, with a long rainy season.
Like NZ I suspect.
I would inspect the injectors for corrosion, also the wiring connectors for those.
Also look at any ground wires on the engine.
Remove the retainer screws, sand with fine grit paper till shiny.
I have a problem. I took the air filter box off to get to the throttle body to clean it, i also took the throttle position sensor out to have a look at that as well. I cleaned the throttle body with throttle body cleaner spray and Ive put it all back together but not it will not run smoothly at all. at idle it is okay but as soon as you put any amount of revs into it the car will rev up then the revs drop back down then go back up again. it sounds like you are reving the motor up ready for a drag race but i am holding the throttle at the same place, as soon as i disconnect the throttle position sensors the reves will go up a little high but the motor will run like it should.
I saw the guide on how to set it up again. it says when the motor is at running temp disconnect the throttle position sensors and turn the idle down then plug it back in again. The only problem with that is there is already a big gap between the idle screw and the adjustment arm.
What do i do now? i can not drive it like this.
Here is a photo of what i mean. am i looking in the right place?
well ive seemed to have fixed the problem. i took the throttle sensor out and put it back in...this time i moved it to the other side of the cam that is inside the throttle body this has seemed to have fixed the problem...however that gap shown in the picture is still at the same place. So no idea about that.
just an update on my problems. Over the weekend the car has suddenly gotten a lot worse it is now one extreme or the other, there is no more a little miss here and there. the car will either run like a dream or have a huge flat spot and as soon as you take your foot off the gas it will want to cut out. this means as soon as i get to traffic lights and stop the motor will just stall out and cut off. it will start right back up again,.... but if it is in gear i have to have one foot on the gas and the other on the brake to keep the revs up or it will stall..i have also noticed when it does this is spews out black smoke from the tail pipe. and this is random! it will run without a problem then suddenly crap out...then it will fix itself as if nothing happened. but this is happening more and more over the last three days. it did it once on thursday coming home from work then fine for two days, then total crap over the weekend and it is fine again now. any ideas?
Sounds like a bad MAF (Mass Airflow Sensor) to me. I'd try to find an OEM one from a friend or something. One you know is good from another car, so you can swap it and see if the problem disappears. Another thing to check would be coil packs (the electrical plug things on your spark plugs). Sometimes they will start to go bad and be ok when cold, but start misfiring when hot. Again, I'd try to find OEM for these as well. I have heard a lot of people complain about aftermarket parts store coil packs and MAFs. I have also had issues myself. OEM Nissan/Hitachi seem to work much better, more consistently, and last longer. Other sensors don't seem to be as big of a deal to get from parts stores. Probably more info than you wanted. Hope this helps and you figure it out ASAP! These cars are awesome when they're running right!
If it's not the injectors dumping gas into the cylinders causing black smoke or a whif of strong gas. Don't worry about the injectors but if the maf is crapping out it won't run properly and the car will stall out and hesitate and missfire on take offs. The maf also won't allow you to rev past 2500 rpms.
so i pulled the MAF apart and re soldered the connections. ...but...truth be told when i was cleaning the MAF sensor about a week ago i unscrewed the little plate that the plug goes into and broke the three points of contact when i pulled the cover off. I dint know to access the unit you had to cut the seal and take that big square cover off to get at it so i put it all back together and it ran fine...but im thinking maybe this is the cause of it. I will keep you posted.
To fix the problems i had to do the following.. Replaced the spark plugs, cleaned MAF and re soldered the connections, cleaned TPS. replaced the air filter. She is running as good as new again
To fix the problems i had to do the following.. Replaced the spark plugs, cleaned MAF and re soldered the connections, cleaned TPS. replaced the air filter. She is running as good as new again
Thanks everyone for your help!!
Glad that thsee repairs worked out for you.
Seems that you had several issues going on at the same time. That makes it more difficult to diagnose the problem and then to suggest repairs.
Several of us had different points of view, which helped as well.
Sometimes I'm amazed how well our members can cyber-fix cars we can't see, hear, or touch.
Whether elsewhere in North America, or in New Zealand.
Last edited by JvG; 10-19-2017 at 12:40 PM.
Reason: Spell check
09-17-2017, 06:43 PM
