hi
my 2000 maxima has the "service engine soon" light on. It goes on and off but lately has stayed on. It came on aroud the 60,000 mile mark. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be the cause? i figure it may be a 02 sensor but i really have no idea. How do you read codes on these cars? maybe one is set. i really am trying to avoid taking it to the dealer trying to save some money. any suggestions would be appreciated. car is running fine.
thanks a lot
todd

 

take it to autozone and have them pull the code for free. you could also look at purchasing a handheld diagnostic tester or software to run off a laptop which can pay for itself in no time.

 

Ignition coils, if you have questions look about half way down the page or go through 2 or 3 pages of the forum you will find alot of information on this topic over and over. Talk to Dave b for the coils at a good price

 

it could be that but please get the code pulled before you start throwing money at it. typically if a coil(s) fails then you will have stumbling, poor idle and cylinder misfire(s).

 

wow, you guys are fast on this forum with replys. after searching some old posts i think i may just buy a tester, is the obd II the corrrect one?
i will try autozone first and see if i can get it done for free.
thanks a lot
todd cerami

 

The OBDII is the correct one- $150- no point in buying one, use that money and buy your girl someting nice- for a change! Sometimes we pay more attention to our Max's (if your like me) then we do to them! (;

Firstly understand that the codes are often erroneous. You have to get a reflash and only the dealer can do that. It requires downloading new data from Nissan N. America. Often the codes p0420 will say bad cat or 02 sensor, coil, be cautioned, changing these parts- that autozone will gladly sell you will not in most cases end your problem. Coils are a common problem, but there would be noticable performance issues like hesitation and rough idle. Email me the exact code from autozone and I'll look up the the info try to help you but again, this is likely a dealer thing...about $80.00. FYI, unplugging the battery doesn't work- it'll come back on in 1 day. Hope this helped- also, FYI never get gas with the car running...it's pressurized. The gas cap also has to be on tight click...after or you'll trip the light also.