Anyone has leads on this? Mine is a '00 SE 5-spd, 45K on the odo. Mostly happening when upshifting under 3K, open throttle, i.e. on onramps, esp. uphill. But happens intermittently, usually at half tank or at low level. I have tried switching gas brands but does not seem to solve the problem (some brands do lessen the effect, though). Yes, it does make acceleration more sluggish also. I only use 91 octane. Is there a TSB for this (umm, I did search but can't pinpoint one)? Thanks in advance!

 

i had the same problem for a while. I decided to upgrade my gas choice and so far the problem was eliminated. Except when my whife drives , she puts any kind of gas in there. but i suggest getting your injectors flushed. That seemed to work even better on my last car.

 

I know it's been said a hundred times before, but I've recently solved just that problem, and it was an intermittently bad ignition coil. No codes were stored in my ECU, and the problem only occurred when the engine was under load (going up hills, etc.). If you are willing to either replace the coils or just get one new one for the front and/or one for the back and start swapping them out, the difference should be noticeable instantaneously when you hit the right coil. I had done a lot of other things first, like cleaning my throttle body and MAF, but to no avail. The coil swap fixed the problem right away. There is a TSB about this, it's NTB01-059.

 

spark knock sucks!!!!!

 

Consider replacing the fuel filter, whether you save yourself all the trouble and go to the dealer, or take the plunge and do it yourself. Even though Nissan doesn't list the fuel filter as a maintenance item, IMHO it's necessary to change it. Especially if you're experiencing pinging under load, especially if the pattern is related to fuel level.

 

where does one get the fuel filter from?

 

i also noticed that if i go over my 3k interval for changing oil mine does it, and im using mobile 1 syn 10/30 oil ???? but once i change the oil it goes away

 

A Nissan dealer. Installation specifics are covered in this thread-- http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=276627

From DAVEB (Dave Burnette) at South Point Nissan (his number should be in the stickies), it's around $25 shipped for the Fuel Strainer Assembly (aka fuel filter) and a replacement O-ring for the lip of the fuel tank. The replacement procedure is a real b*tch because the fuel filter is integral with the fuel pump--the fuel pump actually sits in the center of the fuel filter.

 

Replace all 6 coils if you haven't already done so, since you'll have to do it later anyway. Also try new plugs and a combustion chamber cleaning, and a new fuel filter as above.