erik2000

I have (actually my wife has) a 2000 Maxima. As of about a month ago, the car has started stalling when it idles....at stop lights, etc. Doesn't seem to be any problems when driving at normal speeds on the highway or anything.

I'm no mechanic by any means, but it seems like a fuel filter/fuel pump problem? Somebody I talked to suggested changing the fuel filter, but according to the research I've done...seems it's no easy task for somebody not mechanically inclined.

Before I take it to the mechanic and get raped, I figured I'd try getting advice here.

Anybody ideas?

Thanks,
Erik

5 spd

iTrader: (2)

hmm, I would try checking the air filter, pcv valve, and if replacing them doesnt work(if needed), then replace the vacuum lines. after that I wouldn't know where to go. you might also consider cleaning your throttle body.

when was the last time you had a tune up?

erik2000

Well...last time it had service, besides an oil change, was I think at 30,000, whatever the first dealer recommended service was...I can't remember. Cars got 58,000 miles on it now. So that was probably 2 years ago.

Besides the air filter, are those other things you mentioned pretty easy to do if I had the manual or something? I can change an air filter...the oil, and I've done brakes before on my old Honda Civic. But thats about the extent of my auto mechanic abilities so far.

5 spd

iTrader: (2)

as far as what I had mentioned, those things are pretty easy to do. air filter replacemnent is easy. the pcv valve replacement is easy, you just have to look for it(check your manual). as far as vacuum lines go, it is a little far fetched that these things could be bad, but you live in arizona, so I figure the heat would wear them down a little qwuicker than normal. if you replace these, make sure you replace them ONE AT A TIME.

I think if you clean the throttle body, you would at the very least notice an improvement, but I dont know if it will cure your stalling problem. to do this, you will have to remove the ducting to the throttle body, then remove the throttle body itself, and wipe with a rag. do not spray into the intake manifold with carb cleaner. take the throttle body off and clean it. that should help, a little if not significantly.

there have been many threads on cleaning the throttle body, comb through the pages or it may be in the stickies thread(faq) and you will sure find it.

erik2000

Thanks for the advice. Now that I'm looking through the "stickies" I found a thread from a bunch of people having the same problem.
Sounds like it probably is the throttle body.
I search through the threads to find how to do that.

Thanks again. Let's hope that fixes it.

erik2000

I can only find instructions on how to clean the throttle body of 4th gen Maxima here http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/517

Are those instructions close to what it would be for a 2000 Maxima?

optimus310

iTrader: (1)

not sure if its possible to check for codes on 5th gens, but you might be able to take it some where to check for codes.
You can also check your battery terminals and make sure the battery is giving enough power.
If you are close to 24th and Greenway Rd. I recommend going to Gab's Autoshop. You can pm HitmanSE for more details since he works there. You can visit azmaximas.org for more local help. good luck

labrax

Erik2000 - I sound like I have the exact same scenario as you (2000 auto, 63K miles). My wife's car was stalling when coming to a stop light, or when pulling into park. The car was also pinging a bit when under load. I found this site and read through the 'stickys' and some of the pages and saw that others seem to have the same issue. Rather than fork over the mortgage payment to the dealership to replace a MAF, O2 sensors, or coil packs I figured that I'd clean the throttle body out to see if that would solve the issue. Well, I did clean out the throttle body and got a bunch of tarry looking deposits on the end of the Q-tips. I put everything back together and was faced with what seemed like an even bigger issue. The stalling issue was fixed, but now the car was having problems getting over 3000rpm, the acceleration was dead in spots and the car was very rough shifting (auto transmission). The end result was no power in spots, which made it dangerous to drive when pulling out or merging into traffic. I took a trip to Autozone to see if there were any codes even though there were no check engine lights. I took everything off, checked the hose connections, replaced the air filter - then figured out the PCV location and took that out. The old PCV was stuck and not moving freely, so I was hopeful that the new one would correct the problem, but it seemed like a stretch to have a PCV valve cause such a dramatic loss of power, rough shifting, hesitation. Replacing the PCV valve seemed to do the trick for about a 1/2 day, but there now there was a sulfer smell. The sulfer smell is intermittent though. Now I don't know what to do - I was wondering what you ended up doing. I have a Jetta myself - and just had to replace the MAF on that (junkyard $70 - 6 mo. warranty vs. $325 online/$450 dealer), so I was leaning that way. I have an appointment at the local dealer, but I might try to get a MAF from sources on the board here and then go to the dealership only to get the ECU flashed. Good luck with your issue - please respond back if you have found a solution.

Thanks,

Pete