i just took off at a green light, went up to about 4k (6 speed) and all of a sudden it just started jerking and bogging down. I pulled over and tried to figure out wtf just happend. if it's just idling and i give it gas, i can hear the intake sucking like crazy but the rpms wouldn't go past 2,500 rpms, it's as if i was hitting the rev limiter. i drove it home somehow, and shut it off. i started it up again, and now the rpms don't even want to go passed like 800, the intake is still sucking air. the motor sounds really hurt. i got a frankencar on it. could it be the maf sensor? anything else? also, the ses light didn't come up till i unplugged the maf, now it stays on. if it was the maf, wouldn't it come on right away? i don't know if ill be able to sleep tonight. i appreciate your guys' help
thanks
konrad

 

Sounds like the MAF, indeed.

 

that's what i thought too, but why didn't the ses light come on?

 

Maf, Maf, Maf

 

thanks fellas. i found the thread about the mafs started by steven88 about switching to the 2k1 or 2k3, so thanks for the confirmation, guess i gotta go shopping. but like i said, someone posted a thread saying that it's not the maf since the ses light didn't come on, so that's why i was a little confused.

 

MAF same thing happened to me and since i was under warranty dealer covered it all for free just make sure you put your stock air box back in if you do take it to the stealership

 

alright, im going to go and change the maf right now. what about the ses light. can i just disconnect the battery and have it turn off by it self or do i need to follow the http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/ecu.asp site's instructions. if i do it that way, this won't change the cars performance or fuel economy or anything like that, will it?

 

i just switched the maf to the am600. back as new, but i couldn't get the ses light to shut off.
thanks...

 

Well if the light's still on, what codes is it spitting out? Last time I pulled codes, I got 4 different DTC's. Even though 3 were for the same damn o2 sensor.

 

There is a thread in the How-to sticky that will tell you how to get the codes out of your ecu and also clear them.

 

if you know that you fixed it, you can just drive it for a little while and the code will cycle out. different amount of time for every car, but mine usually takes around 300 miles to cycle out. that way you dont have to do any relearns or anything.

 

most autozones will reset the codes for free. assuming they are just sitting in the ecu's memory. if the codes are being tripped continuously, as soon as you reset, they will come back.

 

But why didn't his SES light come on if it was the MAF? Is that common?

 

yeah, i still don't know why the light didn't come on right away even though it was the maf, that's what confused me, but that's what it was. i just got back from my buddies. he reset the light for me with that little handheld computer and the light didn't come back so far.

 

Check Ebay for a new MAF. I got one for $68.

 

When my MAF died, my car wouldn't even start! There was no SES light, it only came on AFTER I unplugged the MAF so I could get home.

 

so when the MAF goes bad, the car is pretty much undrivable, but if you unplug the harness from the MAF, you can drive it?? just curious for the future if it goes bad again.

 

The car isn't always undrivable. Sometimes it just won't rev past a certain point, or has no power, etc. If you unplug the MAF, it is strictly LIMP HOME!!
Car will barely drive, anything more than very mild throttle and it just won't respond. But if you take it VERY easy, it will get you home.