I have a 2000 SE manual and it pings and knocks like mad. Particularly, in the 2G to 3G rpm range under moderate load. I only use premium fuel.

6 months ago, I installed a Stillen Free Flow air intake and exhaust tailpiece.

Went to the dealer today for the 11,250 mile scheduled service (World Nissan on Route 22 in Springfield, NJ - I'm not impressed with the Service Department at all). They're blaming the Stillen intake for the knock.

Does anyone have the same problem or can someone recommend a remedy?

Thanks, Pete

 

Your Stillen Intake should not be causing the problem. Did your car knock and ping before you installed the Stillen Intake? If it did, reinstall your stock airbox and take your vehicle back in for service.

 

Finally I found someone with the same problem as me. My car since about 10,000 miles starting pinging like mad at the most unusual times. Here's where it occurs most frequently:

70mph on the freeway in 5th - gas it to go around someone.
Up hills in 2nd or 3rd gear...etc.

It's always when I accelerate harder than your standard joe driving it but that's no excuse. I've only put in 92 octane and my dealership cannot 'replicate' the error. I have one more trip back to the dealership then I'm going lemon law.

I put in the octane boost Shogun once and the car ran better but at $5.00 per tank I can't afford to put that in every time.

 

No remedy but try the Nissan in Denville on Rt. 10 good service. Ask for Stacey(?) in service.

 

I have the same problem. After I'm done with my transmission and TCM replacement and then ecu reprogramming for the cold idle I'm gonna look into it. I'll have to put the stock airbox back on but thats no biggy.

 

Where do you have your intake air temp sensor mounted? It's the one that mounts in the air duct housing. It's used to help determine proper engine timing. If you installed the Stillen intake and left that sensor in the stock location, then it could be the cause of your problems. The intake air temp sensor should be as close to the filter as possible to minimize the difference of temps between what it reads and what temp air is actually going in the engine.

 

I measured the distance between the air temp sensor mounted in the stock air inlet and the Stillen Intake. It measured eight inches. It strikes me that moving it closer to the SI probably wouldn't accomplish much . . . except for one thing.

The air temp sensor lives in a fresh air stream when mounted in the stock air inlet. It may therefore register temperatures slightly cooler than the air actually entering the SI. What I don't know is whether a cooler air temp reading by the sensor might cause detonation if warmer air is actually entering the throttle body.

My interest isn't merely academic. I recently installed a SI and today was the first chance I had to put it through its paces. The car pulled good at WOT through 1st and 2nd gears all the way to red line. I parked it shortly after I ran it at WOT and let it sit for about half an hour. Then I started it up and began driving normally. Lo and behold . . . DETONATION! I couldn't believe it. I parked my car again and let it sit for a few more minutes. Then I took it out and drove it around. I brought the engine up to higher rpms, but not at WOT. The detonation seemed to disappear on its own.

I should note that my mechanic did not reset the ECU when he installed the SI. I suspected that might be the cause of the problem, so I let the ECU sit unplugged for about an hour. Then I poured a bottle of Techron Concentrate into the gas tank just for good measure. I figured I'd let the Techron run its course before opening it up at WOT again.

Hopefully this will solve the problem. If not, I'll either move the air temp sensor closer to the SI or block the stock air inlet to eliminate the fresh air stream. If that doesn't do it, I'll put my stock intake back on and see if that makes a difference.

 

Forgive me if this sounds insulting, but are you using premium fuel or tried different brands of fuel?

I have a Stillen Intake and Cattman Y and have NEVER had detonation or pinging. I put the Stillen Intake on myself and had no problems whatsoever. I always run premium - 93 here - and it is usually from the same place.

 

I've run premium of most any type of fuel you can imagine... its 92 octane up here in WA. Still get it... but only at 2-3k rpms under load (hills, etc).

 

For those of you with 5spds, it is my understanding that some knock is normal if you are trying to accelerate in too tall of a gear.

I think that the example given above was in 2nd or 3rd gear under moderate load. In my parking garage, I normally use 2nd gear. Occasionally, I will have to slow down while someone parks. Sometimes, I will not downshift to first but rather, leave it in second. I will get some knock as I accelerate. The engine has enough torque to accelerate from a slow speed, even in 5th, but you will get some knock while doing so.

I believe this is normal and may be what those of you with 5spds are experiencing. On the road I never have the problem because I always wind my lower gears up pretty good (if you know what I mean!) LOL.

Now, knock in an auto is another beast.

 

Does the stillen have a K&N?
If so, try cleaning the MAF meter.
Another possiblity is the Mass air transfer function may have been significantly altered by the Stillen intake geometry, and would will require a new flow test and transfer function alteration, either in the ecc or on the meter.

 

What gas do you use? 87, 89, or 92? The numbers don't tell the quality of the gas, but the resistance of knocking and pinging. I only use "92" even though all my cars have knock-sensors.

 

Ooops...I didn't read your post carefully. I see...you use premium.

 

I don't want to give Stillen too much credit . . . but it seems to me part of what they SHOULD do when designing aftermarket parts such as intake is to make certain that these modifications would not be required. (I admit, that doesn't mean they do it).

However, you can bet your @$$ that if you go to Nissan with any problem and have any modification, they are going to blame the modification.

I'm betting that most of the knocking that the 5spd people are referring to is normal. Especially since it is occurring at 2-3k rpms under load.

For jlcp, knocking at 70 in 5th is definitely unusual. That sounds like fuel related. I'd run the tank as low as possible then fill it up somewhere else. Also, be careful of octane boosters, it is my understanding that you can foul your plugs with that crap.

 

when I start it for the first time on a cold morning. It only last for 2-3 seconds then goes away. I think this is normal.

 

I'm still getting a knock even with the Techron Concentrate in the gas tank. But I've only driven a few miles since I first noticed the knock.

I'll baby my Max along until I need to fill up again and then I'll change to another brand of gasoline. Hopefully the problem will improve. If not, I'll pull off the SI and put my stock airbox back on. If that doesn't do it, I'll go back to the dealer.

 

how much oil is in the engine? Also how often do U change your oil and with what brand? 2nd 3rd gear ping I understand, but at 70, sounds like U R stressing your engine for some other reason. Oh yeah my stillen intake desn't have a sensor on it. I've seen some that do but mine doesn't. Wonder why mine doesn't.

 

I also have this problem. It is IDENTICAL to what you described. As best as I can tell, it is not fuel related. I always use premium and have filled up at like 10 different gas stations. All types have created the knock.

I have a JWT popcharger which I took off because of this. Removing it and putting the stock box in helps alot, but I have noticed that it has not gone away completely. With the JWT however, it was really jerky and weird acting when it was cold outside (less than 40°F or so).

I was thinking about what it could be today. MAF sensor maybe? I dunno. I just unplugged my battery for the day in an effort to reset the computer. I did not do this when I put the stock box in a week ago, so maybe it will help.

This is DEFINITELY not normal.

Oh yeah, I have a 2000 SE 5spd purchased in March 2000 new.

 

Sorry guys, but Nissans are prone to knock/ping! I had a Sentra which knocked all the time during warm temperatures especially up hill with the A/C on. I took it to the dealer MANY times and they just retarded the timing and told me it was NORMAL. What the service manager told me was Pathfinders, Maximas(pre-2000), and sometimes Sentras are regularly brought in for this annoying problem. Anyways, I still haven't found the ABSOLUTE fix, but I have found what reduces the pinging. First, I switched to ONLY Cheveron w/Techrilne(sp?) 92-octane fuel which helped alot. Next, I adjusted the timing for the season. I retard the timing for the hot summer and advance it some for the winter. The problem with retarding the timing too much is it builds up carbon deposits faster and eventually leads to knocking. Also, I've tried ALL the fuel additives and have never found a cure, except once when I added the 104+ octane booster which helped a little. The knocking is due to the design of the combustion chamber, combustion ratio, fuel octane, and how the engine management computer responds to the knock sensor. My only advice is to try to find the solution that minimizes the amount of knocking and "supposedly"(according to Nissan reps.) a slight amount of knocking even though annoying is not harmful. So, just turn up the stereo and cover up the problem which is basically the best solution my Nissan service rep. could come up with. If anyone finds a CURE please let me know!

 

I disagree with that completely. Before the 2000, I had a 91 GXE that I put over 100,000 miles on and I honestly do not recall ever hearing a single knock from that engine using the cheapest gas I could find under any conditions.

My brother has a 240SX that does not knock. My sister has a Stanza that does not knock and a friend of mine has the older hardbody pickup truck that does not knock. I don't think this is a problem for all cars that Nissan builds.

Just my two cents...

 

Yeah I think the dealer gave him the "we don't know the problem so blame nissan for it". I've had 3 Maximas B4 this one, my sister has a sentra, a 98 and a 93, Brother has a nissan Pickup, none of these cars knock. put the factory box back on and take it to another dealer.

 

I posted the message on the first page regarding my knocking - I took it to my dealership and the did the following:

- replaced 3 of the 6 coil springs (that are above the spark plugs). From what the tech said they were already shot. i've ran it hard this past weekend and it runs perfect, no knocking or pinging.

i'm still waiting for the paperwork on it and i'll post the specific details on what they fixed.

hope this helps - i am now very happy with my 2000se.

 

Looks like I'll be throwing my stock airbox back on and taking her in for this as well.

 

Well, I reset the computer yesterday, and so far...no pinging! I'm not sure what is going on here, but I question the coil thing. Seems like if the coils were bad, it wouldn't run worth a crap. Mine runs great, it just knocks sometimes. I wonder if they disconnected the battery for that procedure, effectively resetting the computer. Hmm...

 

I too thought the service rep was full of $hit. However, he turned me to only using Cheveron fuel which did help alot. Therefore, I ONLY use 92-octane in my Maxima and hope to not have any pinging this summer when it gets hot and I crank the A/C while going up hill.

 

Quick update...150 miles after resetting the computer...still no pinging. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

For what it's worth, when I installed my SI, I disconnected the battery.

 

I spoke to Adam Hume at Stillen about my pinging problem with the SI. He suggested I give Jim Wolf a call and he gave me Jim's direct number. I called Jim and gave him my symptoms. He attributed the pinging to heat soaking and suggested I either build a heat shield or have one built.

I decided against Jim's suggestion. My suspicion was that the Air Silencer Cold Air Intake (OSCAI) conversion would be just as effective as building a heat shield and cost a lot less money. I installed the OSCAI with a K&N drop-in filter and sure enough, it feels every bit as strong as the SI.

And there's <b>NO MORE PINGING!!!</b>

The Stillen Intake is on its way back to Phuong. He agreed to give me full credit for the cost of the SI. Now all I've got to do is decide what to spend the credit on.

 

i bought my car from there.

 

So did I.