I've got a 2000 Maxima SE/MT that I've owned since new. Lately, it seems sluggish, plus under hard acceleration it lags just before 4000 RPM. Sometimes it will even bog down under hard acceleration. Normally, I don't drive that hard, but make a 25 mile highway journey 2x day @ ~80MPH. I feel like I'm driving a Taurus.

Another funky thing is the idle when warm will sometimes drop to about 650 RPM, and shake the car, then return to not-quite-normal.

On rare occasions I can hear the engine knock, happens about once every 3 months or so. I do use premium gas and I've switched brands around so I don't think that's the problem. No check engine light- ever, Tire pressures are fine, new air cleaner about 8K miles ago. Mileage is fine.

Here's the dilema - Do I replace the coils in an attempt to remedy the problem? Should I look at the MAF? Clean the throttle body? I'd take it to the dealer, but I don't want a huge repair bill, if it's something I can do myself, plus the dealer I've been using has changed owners, and I'm not too sure about the service. Plus, my experience with Nissan service is shaky at best. I just hate to shell out $300 for the coils, and them not be the problem, likewise the $100+ for the MAF. Since I've got no CEL on, I don't really have a good place to start.

I've seen reports of coils being bad without the CEL light coming on - can someone who had this happen fill me in on some details?

Thanks -

Jeff

 

I would clean the throttle body first.

My car would ping from time to time before the coils just went, (the car idled and drove like it had major misbalance in the engine. That's when I had the coils replace under the extened warrenty I bought when new.

I would clean the TB, then maybe spray some TB cleaner on the MAF, just a quick spray and maybe even do an upper intake cleaning with SeaFoam or similar... like ones on this site... www.carfood.net.

You might even want to get a multimeter and a Haynes manual and check the impedence of the coils to determine if they are good or not before replacing them. That's what I was going to do before my engine stopped running right and brought the car in. I did get the code first. It was 3 weeks after the code first came up until it just died. But I started getting occasional knocks since around 30k. The coils were replaced at around 83k. When the code P1320 first appeared. It's fine now, no knocks.

 

I have the same problem with mine. My coils were replaced last year. I have heard it may be the VAIS or MAF. I haven't tried anything yet.

 

Do this as young1976 and you will see the dif.....also check into the MAF.....

 

I'm thinking MAF. Mine stopped pulling--felt like a flat spot around 3300, then it would pick back up. Intermittent pinging. The MAF did not throw a SES light but I suspected it first having read many posts here. It's possible you have some bad coils too, but if it's the original MAF I'd go there first. It's also a lot cheaper to replace than all the coils...though I should probably bite the bullet and do that on mine.

 

try replacing the PCV valve if uve already cleaned the TB

 

DAMN IT MAN i just drove car around to day and i have the SAME FREAKING PROBLEM AS U. 10 miles of driving and i burned 2 quarters of a tank....

 

I got my car after 108,000 miles so I don't know what my car should feel like, how do I know if my MAF is bad Coils etc...

 

My car does the same thing. Replaced coils and nothing changed.

 

have you checked the plugs

 

im leaning twords maf, i changed mine a few months ago due to very similar problems, except mine would sometimes die when i put it in nuetral. i think vias is a problem only past 5000rpm. plugs or colis you would likely get a ses light for a cylinder misfire.

 

I'm gonna start with replacing the MAF, and do a TB cleaning. I plan on doing this next week, after Easter. I'll post the results when I'm done. If that doesn't solve it, then I'll do the coils.

Jeff

 

I want to start a new thread but can't, just because I haven't posted 15 times. I've been registered since 2001! Arrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Now I must come up with marginal responses to other posts.

 

After replacing the MAF (part cost - $118 at my local dealer) and cleaning the TB, things are much better. Could not believe how dirty the TB was, and I probably didn't get it all. Took about an hour or so to do both jobs.

The acceleration is much smoother, without any hiccups or hesitation, which is nice. No so sure about total power being what it should be - I'll need some more time behind the wheel to tell for sure - I just took a short trip and didn't really get a chance to extensively test.

Idle seems good - no funnyness, but again, more time is needed to tell.

Coils will wait for now...thanks to everyone for their input.

 

Please change those coils you will not be sorry

 

MAF. thats exactly how my car was. maf made the bigest differance. then spark plugs, then I jsut did coils. but the ywere all weeks apart. I should have jsut stopped with the MAF.

Greg

 

This sounds kind of similar to a recent problem I've been having. I'll be sitting at a light in neutral and my idle will periodically dip from about 600-650 to about 350-400 then back up again. No A/C running, stereo is on most of the time, but usually low, middle of the day. Any ideas? Can I just turn up my idle a bit? If I need to clean out my MAF and/or TB, how do I do that (where's the write-up?).

Just over 43,500 on my Max by the way.

 

Symptoms of a bad MAF sensor are explained in the first part of his post. I know from personal experience. I honestly don't know about the coils since I haven't replaced them yet.

 

Question. What is the MAF and where is located and what does it do? sorry i just cant think of what its all about again.

 

your maf is between the throttle body and airbox, it has a screen on the air box side dont mess with the maf throttle body cleaning is fine Ihad all these problems cleaned throttle body got a little better bu it definitly needs a new maf start with the maf it is the most common problem!!!

 

where are you guys buying your SeaFoam?