Ok, at a loss on this one... with my 98 max equipped with an auto. was cruising down the highway the other day and she just cut out as if someone just shut the ignition off " first as a buck as in starving for fuel " and progressively got worse until the engine stalled... was able to restart the car after about 15 minutes of checking the common fuses/relays and finding nothing! Booked it home once she started! Since then I have checked the Crank Pos sensor, Cam Pos sensor, Fuel pump, Fuel pump relay behind the ABS module on the kick panel, fuel pressure regulator, all the grounds, the eccs relay, all coils fire when swapped to another car, and even for good measure "even though its new; the *fuel filter*". I have determined thus far I have a no spark issue which in turn leads to my no fuel issue, and ZERO trouble codes! She will crank as though were no tomorrow and a puff of ether in the intake has no effect... * tells me I have no spark* all sensors thus far are good. Fuel pump will prime for just a second and not turn on again until I shut the ig switch off and turn it back on again... something I'm missing?

 

How did you go about confirming that the crank and cam position sensors and their wiring circiuts are good? Have you cleaned either one of them, like remove metallic bits the magnets in them might have attracted.

 

I checked for 12v when ignition on/ run position to red wire on crank pos, missing the >5v ref to white wire, cam phase sensor was checked for >5v signal also missing... sensors are brand new OEM units. I have NO patience for cheap afmkt junk sensors that I have to take out after only a week or two of running. They were also double checked on a spare car to verify proper function. Obviously signal is not being sent from ECM to sensor... the Eccs relay does not click and the fuses have been checked with continuity tester to verify signal transmission. I normally; am not one to condemn an ECM because under normal conditions an ECM doesn't just arbitrarily go bad unless something makes it go bad. I am still working on the harness to verify no breaks in any signal wires. I have not gotten to verify full function of the instrument panel junction block as of yet...

 

I had the same symptoms. Turned out to be a bad MAF sensor. There are lots of threads about cleaning them, and OEM v. aftermarket replacements. If you want to try to fix it yourself, look at this: https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...ml#post7963527. I ended up getting a used replacement from someone on the org, and later did the re-solder on my original.

 

I certainly do not doubt that my MAF is showing signs of age and/or wear; I sincerely do not think the MAF would prevent a startup. As we speak I am dealing with a good Crank / No spark issue that JvG has suggested I revisit. The MAF is definitively used for calculation of the air fuel ratio. I will certainly look at it once the no spark issue is solved. Thanks for the suggestion

 

Ignition switch?

 

No spark - You seem to have made this diagnosis in a round about way, stating - "all coils fire when swapped to another car" and "a puff of ether in the intake has no effect". This could be a correct assumption, but it would be better if you actually checked for spark on your car. If the engine was flooding, you could have spark and the engine won't start. Ether wouldn't help in this scenario either. Pull a couple of spark plugs and see if they are wet.

I don't understand your point - "I have a no spark issue which in turn leads to my no fuel issue". Not having spark has nothing to do with whether the fuel pump runs or not.

Fuel pump - "Fuel pump will prime for just a second and not turn on again until I shut the ig switch off and turn it back on again". That is the way Nissan designed it. What is needed for the fuel pump to remain running are pulses from the flywheel crankshaft sensor. Those pulses will happen from the cranking process as well as the engine running.

MAF - DBEAR suggested you check the MAF. A bad MAF can most certainly prevent the engine from starting. If you have a MAF problem, unplug the wire harness from the MAF and see if the engine will start. Nissan says the engine is supposed to start. I did try this on my two Maximas and they did start. But when I dropped it in drive, the engine would die.

I think you should check into the no spark situation further. First, check that you have 12 volts at the ignition coils. Every ignition coil has a red wire going to it with 12 volts on it. Check a coil on each bank because each bank has a separate supply wire. The ignition switch must be turned on.

If you don't have 12 volts, there is a capacitor in the 12 volt line for the coils that can go bad. It is in the wire harness on the engine, on the corner by the battery.

Another possibility is the ignition relay. It is located on/in the fuse panel in the dash just to the left of the fuses. To even see the relay, you have to take the panel on the bottom of the dash off. You will see 3 relays. The middle one is the ignition relay. Swap it with either one of the other two (although I have a preference for using the top one) and see if the engine starts.

 

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There should be "Won't Start" sticky and this should be Post #1.

Thanks Dennis!

 

**Update*** Thanks for the input Guys! Problem has been been found and it was a broken Red wire *12v* signal that powers up the Crank Position sensor, It certainly explains the manner in which how she just Quit... Had to yank the engine harness out of the car to locate it.