KP11520

I'd appreciate advice on where to look in order of probability from those who know from experience!

227K. New Coil Packs! I added 7 gallons of regular 87 gas recently because I didn't need it for the generator when Henri didn't knock out power.

Thanks in advance!

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

OEM coilpacks or aftermarket? How was the car running before you changed the coilpacks? What sparkplugs are you running and when was the last time they were inspected and/or changed?

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Keith,

Is this an “at operating temp.” situation, when cold or what?

Also ... the new coil packs ... are these whole assemblies (housing + boot and spring assembly) or just the housing?

KP11520

Gentlemen!

Thank you kindly for helping qualify possible causes.

The coil packs are Hitachi fro Rock Auto. They have \been in for months running better than before I replaced them. I did get a code for 5 cylinder misfire once yesterday, cleared it and didn't return, but that can be a secondary symptom to something else, which I suspect.

I have NGK Platinum plugs with 60K on them. This is car at operating temp. I am suspecting MAF. Or something affecting smooth fuel delivery. No gas smell from exhaust. Kind of like a popping noise via the exhaust when stumbling and trying to accelerate.

When it gets to above 3K revs, it smooths a bit and it starts to pull harder.

Always a good time! LOL And Ida is urinating heavily on us through the day and night! Somebody send me a garage! LOL

Thank you as always!

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Interesting. If you take it easy and drive like a grandma, how does it behave? Like normal? If you put the pedal to the metal, does it stumble and fall on its face? If so, then that would be a tell tale sign of a failing coilpack. But it sounds like things change for the better when it goes from closed loop to open loop as you get above 3K, possibly indicating that it's not a coilpack but either MAF or injector

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Keith,

If you’ve got the OE air intake setup, may I suggest you replace the IAT sensor.

If you've modified that setup, to where exactly have you repositioned the IAT sensor?

KP11520

Thanks Gents!

I do have another MAF and I saved the old coil packs, so when this Drenching blows over and that gets cleaned up, (Lots of basements will be flooded) I will swap those out to identify or disqualify. The stumbling feels like more than one coil pack though. Really struggles leaving a Red light when it turns green. Injector? Isn't that a profanity here? LOL Especially on the odd cylinders. If it isn't any of those, IAT and maybe test Fuel Pump.

Is the Fuel Pressure Regulator changeable without pulling the top?

Oh the Pain! (Dr Smith)

KP11520

Had to go help a friend in town a few minutes away......

And like that, halfway there. It started running like nothing ever happened!

I'm sure this isn't done.... YET! LOL

But who knows when?

Going to add a bottle of Techron and run that through before refilling with Premium (93 octane). Spoiled car!

JvG

How long since you cleaned your throttle plate?

kmax

iTrader: (1)

Couldn't it be bad gas? He said he added some regular

KP11520

Hey J.....

Never cleaned the throttle plate or body that I know of! I guess she's telling me she wants what she's heard other Maxima's that are loved get?

Yeah... It's looking like it's time to do a whole top peel back and get it all like new again! Plugs, Injectors, Grommets, Cushions (which I already have), Fuel Pressure Regulator, Rail lines and clamps, PVC and while there Knock Sensor and gaskets.

And while there again.... Clean the MAF, Throttle Body, IACV and EGR mess. Fuel and return lines and Filter too. I am so NOT looking forward to it.

And kmax, I wonder if there was some varnish in the gas tanks I used for the gas? Older cars are like old people (Most anyway) temperamental. LOL

It would be easier to love her if she had a better body!

That sounds familiar! LOL

JvG

KP,
I cleaned the throttle bod y on the car.

Buy a can of CRC throttle body cleaner. You will also need paper towels and an old tooth brush.

Spray the cleaner inside the tb. Then open the throttle all the way. Spray again.
Scrub with the toothbrush. Especially on the edges of the throttle plate and where it
contacts the throttle body. . Then wipe all surfaces you can with the paper towels.

So it seems you are willing to remove the intake manifold so that you can perform the pita mid life top of engine service. I think you will love the results. My engine ran like new.

I prefer to work on cars while the weather is nice. Dealing with a leaking rear injector during a New York winter would not be fun.

Shrout1

All y'all never remember my tribulations with the crank position sensor:

https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...no-code-3.html

I have no idea why I came back here but I ended up selling her in April of last year. Sad to see it go but I wasn't about to spend the time solving electrical problems. Have a 2018 Civic SI with a 6 speed now Figured I'd finally get something that didn't crap the bed every 3 months har har har har har

So yeah check that crank position sensor. That was the super weird thing for me that didn't throw codes and didn't seem like I could ever figure it out.

KP11520

Y'all...... Already? That didn't take long to speak Alabamian! LOL

You were supposed to send me the front fenders! Damn!

Glad you can drive confidently again! I still know the pain!

Hope you all are staying happy and healthy and the little one is growing like a weed!

And yes, I will look into a new sensor after I replace everything else. LOL Isn't that what we all do?

Stay well CS!

JvG

Shrout1 , thanks for mentioning the crank sensor and that there was no code. Information like that can save a member a LOT of grief.
It's part of old fashioned diagnosis by symptom like we did in the old days before fuel injection. Trail by fire and experience.

Turbobink

iTrader: (2)

Ahh. the good old days.

Does anyone remember 4-barrels?

JvG

Not to mention replacing or regapping distributor points once a year. Along with replacing spark plugs every 12k miles.

Shrout1

Lol! The clear coat was all gone off those fenders by the time I got rid of it anyway :P Good to the last drop haha! The final nail in the coffin was just knowing that I would have to find and then sand / repaint ground points until my problem *hopefully* went away. The little one was only about 6 months old at that point and my back was *killing* me so... It was time to say goodbye. If it had been something mechanical or a single component that could have been swapped out then I would have done it... but nothing was making sense so I finally gave up. Electrical problems on a rusty, 21 year old vehicle are the stuff of nightmares hah. I do miss driving it though, it had a unique feel and it really did well on the road after all the work I'd done to it. When it was running anyway :P

And the little one is *definitely* growing like a weed! She takes after me... She's going to be very tall. It's a cruel joke that when you're tall (I'm 6'3") you tend to have more back problems *AND* bigger kids... Who thought of this?

Good luck with your New York winters and all that rust It's gonna be like the ship of Theseus soon - all new metal everywhere!
I hope it can help! I'm not quite sure how someone would troubleshoot that particular problem; probably need something that can read live OBDII data and check for a missing or erroneous crank position value. Either way I hope that it can help eliminate something else from KP's set of problems.

Thanks again to all of you for the help through the years! I learned a *ton* working on that car, though it was a lot more work than I was expecting lol. Turbo, KP, TheWizard, CS_AR, 95Max_Rider and JvG (hope I didn't miss anyone!) you guys are like the core community that keeps this generation of vehicle alive. You helped me through every major battle I had. I hope that I will find such a dedicated community for my next rust bucket A lot of these projects feel easier now than they did in the past though as I've gained some hard earned knowledge.

So good luck to all of you!

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

I don't think I saw it mentioned yet, so I'll ask- how old was the fuel that came from your generator? If it was really old I could see it causing problems like these, but it would probably be a constant rather than intermittent problem. If you think it's fuel delivery related, do you know when the fuel filter was last changed? It's a cheap and easy thing to replace.

KP11520

So Today is the start of doing everything on top of the engine to run like new as JvG experienced! So many annoying things on a 99 to remove before we can remove the Intake Plenum.

Ad while doing so, I was removing the plug connector from the #5 coil pack and it was on loose!

DOH!

All the clutter above the coil pack and spark plug had me focusing on that instead of making sure the wiring plug clicked into the coil pack properly.

SLOPPY SLOPPY SLOPPY!

I'm going to take myself out back and kick my own BUTT! Cause that's what I get.

Intermittent and really a HUGE impact. Failing coil packs were nowhere as much of an anchor! They worked somewhat I guess.

I hate when that happens!

Started late AFTER receiving the last products delivered today. Then it got DARK! What's up with that?

I'll start a new thread as I go through with questions. Which I already have!

Thanks for all your help Gentlemen! As it turns out.... it was ME!