i checked the code and it the coolant temp. sensor.why would it make my car die.then only once after that my car wasn't idling right ,but that might be because i reset the ecu.what do i do .i had the a'c on and my fog;lights too.help

 

Your fuel injected engine has an Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. This
sensor sends a signal to the Engine Control Module (the computer). When
the ECTS sends a "cold engine" signal the ECM responds by instructing the
fuel injectors to deliver a rich mixture. The rich mixture helps a cold
engine to start and run smoothly during the warm-up period. This is similar
to the operation of the choke on a carbureted engine.

There are other problems which cause cold starting and driveability
problems, but the ECTS is the first thing to check. This can be done with
an ohmmeter.

On the 4th Generation Maxima engine the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor is
located in the water outlet tube close to the engine end of the upper
radiator hose. There are two sensors in that vicinity. The one nearest the
hose is for the dashboard temperature gauge. The ECTS, the one you're
interested in, is adjacent to the the gauge sending unit. There is a good
picture of these sensors in the Haynes manual on page 3-7.

With the engine cold, disconnect the ECTS and measure its resistance.
Reconnect the ECTS, start the engine, and run it until fully warmed up. Stop
the engine, and repeat the resistance measurement. The "warm" reading should
be a much lower value than the "cold" reading. These are the specs:
Engine coolant temperature 68F, ECTS resistance 2.1 - 2.9 Kohms
Engine coolant temperature 194F, ECTS resistance 0.24 - 0.26 Kohms
(Roughly a factor of ten difference.)

The ECTS is a relatively inexpensive sensor and something the home mechanic
can replace without special tools.


Daniel B. Martin
Nissan owner and D-I-Y mechanic

 

This is slightly off topic, but how do you check your ecu codes by yourself? DO you have the special tool that they use at Nissan? I recently had the same problem as you and had to take it to Nissan and they charged me $80 CDN just to diagnose the code!!!

 

Look at the top of the forum page, its headlined, "help my ECU code is on" or something, go there and how to find the ECU trouble codes, and what they mean....

 

Change the part and stop stalling.

Ken