Right, if the IACV isn't working correctly the car won't hold idle anytime, even after it warms up. In fact the most typical failure also damages the ECU mosfet chip, so once damaged the ECU can't control the IACV, which means the ECU can't control idle. So if your idle does work after warm up then it's gotta be something else. That makes getting the code read even more important, though you said earlier the emissions station couldn't communicate with your car, so I wonder if the prior owner dorked up the OBDii port as well as removed the SES bulb? I suppose it's even possible the prior owner set the TPS to compensate for an idle system failure, though if he did that you'd think it would work at start up, but maybe the cold weather you mention had something to do with that. I assume when you test drove the car before buying it worked, right? Just thinking out loud, maybe the cold weather is throwing off whatever the old owner did to get the car to work for the test drive.

 

Each outlet has it's own fuse. The front outlet uses fuse # 22 and the rear outlet uses fuse # 16. Both fuses are 15 amp.

Fuse 22 is in the bottom row, 2nd from the left.
Fuse 16 is in the middle row, 5th from the left (count the empty spaces)

Also, the sockets have non-replaceable internal fuses in them, so the socket itself could be bad.

 

When I test drove the car it was already warmed up, so that is how I didn't catch it. I found a video on youtube where the guys maxima is doing the same exact thing as mine. In the video he said that the code he is getting matches the code for the IACV, but he was told different things by different people. Here is the video post.

 

Could someone tell me what "complete list" of parts I would need to replace rear struts?? I am getting KYB.

Should I get new boots, mounting kit etc.??

I am getting front struts done at my mechanics place so he can do the alignment. Would like to do rear myself but not sure of all parts needed to do right!!

I don't believe I need an alignment once rear is done. If I am wrong about that please tell me.
thanks

 

I can't imagine either of you have a fried ECU, otherwise it would never be able to control idle. The IACV also seems to be working ok, and it's a motor, it shouldn't need any kind of warm up before it starts working correctly.

Do you have any idea if the prior owner replaced the IACV? Just thinking if he replaced it and problem didn't go away, maybe he sold the car out of frustration, and if you put a new one in it won't do much for ya.

There are about a dozen sensor inputs into the idle system (air temp, coolant temp, engine position, throttle position, air flow, etc). If any one of those inputs is way off at start up, it could cause the system to over adjust so much the engine just dies. However you'd think something like that would cause more codes in addition to P0505, and the utube guy didn't say anything about other codes, so idk.

Anyway, if it were me, I'd try to get in touch with the seller to find out what they might have done to fix the problem b/c you don't want to repeat what they did. Hopefully they'd be willing to fess up, though typically people clam up if they think you might want to get out of a deal.

 

With the op living in a cold climate, I wonder if the ECTS (engine coolant temperature sensor) is wacky. If it is reporting a warm temperature at cold startup, the ECM is not going to allow enough gas. There is a code for a dead ECTS, but not for out of spec. A simple resistance check can quickly prove/disprove this idea.

 

I took my car to an AAMCO and they hooked it up to the scanner and they got codes for engine, transmission and coolant. He said he thinks the code for the tranny was just because the engine was having issues. The main problem he said is that one of the coils is bad. He told me that all 6 would have to be replaced and that the spark plugs are going to have to be taken out as well. He said that the coils are almost $200 a pop and the plugs are $32. Altogether he said I am looking at almost $1400 in parts alone. I am a college student and I have no clue how I am going to afford that. If this is true I may have to just dump the car and cut my losses. I am planning to take the car for a third opinion and I was thinking about seeing how much the Nissan dealer would charge me to check the car out. All in all I am pretty much screwed . Does it sound like what he said is a reasonable diagnosis to you guys?

 

Okay now I am really confused. I called the local Nissan dealer and I explained to him what the car was doing and I asked him if it sounded like a coil problem and he said not at all without hesitation. He told me that it sounds like either a problem in the throttle chamber or a problem with the fuel pump. I asked him what about it being the IACV, and he said that that is a more likely diagnosis. But that is without him hooking it up to a code reader or even looking at the car. I want to have them check it as well, but I will have a hard time shelling out $110 just to have them check over the car.

 

Did they give you the code numbers at AAMCO? If not, go to one of the auto parts stores and ask for a code read, Autozone will normally do it for free. You can also buy one for $25 off Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...ii+code+reader), it'll read and erase codes.

I wouldn't replace any coils until I get the code so you can be sure it's really a coil problem. And the prices the guy quoted are simply asinine, $32 for spark plug and $200 for a friggin coil. OEM coils can be found on eBay from Nissan dealers for $75, and spark plugs are around $10 each. But I would only replace the bad coil, not all of them, and forget the spark plugs for now unless they have over 100k on them.

EDIT: you mentioned AAMCO said something about a coolant code, that could be significant, notice the post by Dennis on the ECTS. Would be great if your problem was rooted in one bad sensor.


Coil problems cause misfire and in some cases very bad misfire will cause the car to shake. From what you've said up till now, I doubt you have a coil problem, or if you do it's very minor and/or intermittent, but either way, a coil problem doesn't cause the car to cut off at start up. I suppose you could have a throttle problem or fuel pump issue, but do they really fix themselves after warm up ... I doubt it, but haven't had one fail so can't say for sure. Anyway, I'd save the $110 and get a $25 code reader so you can see the codes yourself. At this point without codes we're still just guessing here.

 

I don't have anything nice to say about the capabilities of AAMCO shops or the quality of the work they do. Your experience is just another typical AAMCO experience. When they told you the prices, were they wearing a mask and holding a gun on you?

I can't add anything to what Pilm said. It would be really helpful if you would go to an auto parts store and have them read the OBD codes. There evidently are some.

If you would like to download the owners guide for your car that will point out all the indicator lights, go here:

http://www.courtesyparts.com/owners-manuals.php

If you would like to download the service manual, go here:

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/

 

I have a problem and need some opinions on what to fix. I have a 2002 maxima se 3.5 6spd. When you start the car it starts fine but dies right after but if you start the car and tap the gas once before it dies then it idles fine and runs great until you shut it off. The thing that gets me is that it doesnt do it everytime you start it. Sometimes back to back and then it might go 5 or 6 times without doing it again. I really would appreciate your help. Thanks Everyone on here seems to be great at helping out and with me being a newbie i tried to search the threads first but only found similar ones that noone responded to and were very old so decided to start a new one.

 

When i had this problem a few months ago, it was my IACV - Idle Air Control Valve, which is in the throttle body. At first, my car would die only once in a blue. After months it got progressively worse, where it would start to shut off if i was at a light too long (had it under 1000 RPM) and i would have to keep revving the engine to keep it from cutting out. Finally it was almost impossible to keep it running. My mechanic said i needed a new IACV/Throttle Body & it was $400+ from dealer. I got it from rockauto.com for $88 shipped. Also throttle body needs to be re-learned after it is replaced. If it ends up being the throttle body it is located here on RockAuto.com: 2003 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5L V6: Fuel/Air: Throttle Body: A-1 CARDONE Part # 670001

 

Any codes thrown?

 

My dealer sold me a IACV for 246.50. I initially wanted to buy a Napa or Orielly version but after performing a resistance check on those two offerings (the original had fried my ecu and I am gun shy now) found that they were wildly out of spec straight out of the box. I highly recommend the OEM part simply because the build quality is better. The resistance check of that part yielded 21.8-22.0 ohms per channel so IMHO it's worth the extra money.As previous poster asked, any codes?

 

Hi guys,

I have Maxima SE 2002 and I wanna buy a muffler, but I do not know the sizes that will work with my car ,,, such as DIAMETER IN / OUT , Center Inlet / Center Outlet , wide,thick and length. see the link below which shows you the muffler that I want to buy ,, and please help me to determine what to choose from all these options of sizes.


http://www.carid.com/universal-exhau...s-1530640.html

 

Sorry, I don't have the answers. But if you were to go look at your muffler and measure, I bet you could get the answers.

 

Thanks bro.. I will try

 

Here's a picture of the OEM muffler with an offset inlet (2") if you're gonna use the Oem Piping!!!! Here's the chronic of what you're doing.....If you aren't changing the piping then leave the mufflers alone...and add SS tips to the muffler preferably 3" SS tips for appearance and replace all the smashed down sections of pipe with round tubing to increase your flow and change over to a hi flo cat and call it the day for less than $200.. .cheap tips can be found here:http://www.discountexhaustsystems.co...&descid=gooppc

 

No it hasnt thrown any codes at all. It runs great besides the stalling part.

 

sounds like a clogged/gunked up IACV. Take it off and clean it

 

If you take it off you might as well ohm it out too, make sure you got 22 ohms for each coil. I'd guess if a coil was in the process of going bad it would probably show up in resistance and might cause flaky behavior in the meantime.

 

thanks a lot for all this info

 

so i bought this car a few das ago , didnt bother checking the radio till 2 days ago, only one speajer is working whiich is the drive side, took off the radio to see if any wires were not conncted and they all are, now i noticed, some of the wires look burnt , and butchered sorta, can someone or tell me where to start or if anyone in the nework area now what to do

 

Whoa, slow down. First, that is horrible to read. The red lines under words are misspellings. Second, there is a sub forum dedicated to audio, you should probably start there. And finally, you are going to have to provide a LOT more information. What year is your car? Is it a factory radio or aftermarket? Did/does your car have the Bose system? What do you mean by burnt and butchered? Do you have pictures of these atrocities?

 

Im so sorry, um it's a 2002 se, and i would take pics ASAP, and butchered as if the didnt know what they were ding and just cut everything including ac/ heater wires and just put them back like watever

 

Factory stereo? Aftermarket?
Did or does your car have Bose Audio?
And pics would help a lot.

 

It's a factory radio and yes it's a Bose,I'll take pics when i can , im at work sorry

 

Okay I got the actual codes from AAMCO and they are:
P1320
P0740
P0217
P0403

I also went to Advanced auto and had them run a scan and he got these cdes as well as the descriptions for the codes:
P1320-Ignition Signal Primary
P0740-Torque Converter?
P0217-Engine Coolant over Temp.
P0134-O2 Sensors
P0403-Exhust Gas Recirculation (PCM?)

 

When your IACV was bad, would it run better once it was warmed up in the beginning? I have been posting on here for about a week trying to figure out what is wrong with my 2000 Maxima. My car gives me a hard time at start up, usually for the first start up of the day or after it has been sitting for at least a few hours. Once it is warm, I have no issues. When I have the issue I have to push the gas to get the car to stay on. One mechanic told me it is the IACV and others have told me that it is a lot worse. I posted a video at the top of this page of a guy on youtube who is having the same exact problem as I am having with his maxima.

 

hey guys i just bought a 2001 nissan maxima 2oth anniversary everything is good but when im driving and put on the 4th gear for some reason when i let go the gas the transmission shift back to neutral but i just need to press the clutch and shift back to 4th gear this always hapeen on 4th gear. what do you guys think is the problem

 

To start with, the codes are somewhat, but not completely, unrelated to each other. So let's take them on one by one.

P0217 Engine Coolant over Temp. This says that the ECTS temperature sensor is reporting the engine coolant is too hot. This happens to fall into my theory for your starting problem. There is a resistance check that can be made, see page 317 of section EC. If you have an ohmmeter, you can check the ECTS with out removing it. Unplug the wire harness and with the engine cold, the resistance should be around 4k ohms at 32 degrees. The resistance reading goes down as the temperature goes up. At 70 degrees, the resistance reading should be about 2K ohms. At 212 degrees the resistance is down to about 200 ohms. This is not an expensive part and you don't have to drain the engine coolant.

P0134 O2 Sensor - Bank 1 sensor 1. Bank 1 is the side towards the firewall. Sensor 1 is in the exhaust manifold close to where the exhaust pipe bolts on to it. This code will not hinder the performance of the car. It also could be because of the P0217 code, because the fuel mixture to the engine is not correct. But the O2 sensor could just as easily be bad. Fix the P0217 code and see if this one goes away.

NOTE: when you fix something that has caused the check engine light to go on, the code caused by the problem does not always go away immediately, depends on the code. You need to reset the ECU or be patient and drive the car for a while, 50 to 80 miles for some codes.

P1320 Ignition Signal Primary circuit. This code is usually multiple ignition coils going bad. Since there is no information as to which ones, people tend to replace all of them. And please do your self a favor and DO NOT get coils from e-bay. Bite the bullet and get real coils.

P0403 EGR volume control valve. This valve is evidently bad, but check the vacuum hoses to it in case a hose came off.

P0740-Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid Valve. This sucks but it is a problem withe the automatic transmission. See page 151 in the AT section of the FSM. There are a group of solenoids that are one assembly and Nissan used some low grade garbage when they made the transmission. Aftermarket solenoids cost around $200 and Nissan solenoids cost around $400. The current Nissan solenoids are quality. It is something you could replace yourself, but you better not be a novice. An experienced trans guy will probably do it in less than 2 hours.

 

Glad you (finally) got the codes. Dag, though, who'd of thought you'd have so many with a car that seems to be running fine once warmed up! Lesson learned for future car buys, always bring a code reader with ya and check the car before buying!

Anyway, DennisMik has done half the work looking up all the codes, now all you have to do is put in parts. I'd start with the ECTS sensor, test it and buy a new one if bad, cause seems like that might cure your start up issue. Might want to also check fluid level and test the fluid just to be safe, make sure it's not all water or something crazy. Once fixed, reset the computer and check codes again, see which ones return. The EGR can also cause misfire or idle problems, even a dying engine, so that's probably the second thing to tackle. For the misfire, what I did last time I had P1320 was to buy one front and one back coil, and just swap them around till the code didn't come back. Of course if you have multiple bad coils then this might not work, but normally they don't all go bad at once. However since you just bought the car it's possible you have several bad ones (who knows, maybe the seller put old ones in so he could resell the good ones). Reason I like doing two at a time is the parts are $75 each, so getting 6 new ones at once will run around $450. Hopefully by time all these codes are cleared the O2 goes away, though that's not guaranteed. I agree, the transmission code sucks, though it seems like the car drives ok except if driven hard, so maybe if you drive cautiously you don't need to fix immediately, but I'm not sure, you'd have to check to see what the consequences of driving on it might be.

 

I am debating if I should even get this car fixed or not. It sounds like it is pretty certain that I am going to have to pay a lot of money to fix everything. Would at least $1500 be a reasonable assumption for repair prices?

 

If the coils are $75 that would be a much more reasonable repair than the $195 per coil that AAMCO quoted me. Is there any chance that the transmission code is a fluke?

 

Looks like you can get left or right Hitachi coils on eBay for $60 plus $6 shipping (these are the parts I bought last time that I know work)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hitachi-Auto...898e24ccd#shId, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hitachi-Auto...e25d5e&vxp=mtr

Like I said, you could buy 2 and try that, or buy all 6 for $400.

From what I've seen your transmission code is most likely a bad TCC solenoid valve, and the numbers DennisMik quoted sound about right, plus install cost, so that alone will probably run around $500.

O2 sensors aren't cheap, maybe $150 or so, and there are four of them, so these could run you $150 to $600 depending on how many are bad (or maybe $0 if you luck out and the code was caused by a defective coil pack).

The ECTS sensor is around $35, and the EGR valve maybe $170 (though it could just be you need to clean it??).

So it seems like you could be spending anywhere from $500 to maybe $2000 (or much more if you take it to a dealership). It all depends on what's ultimately bad, and unfortunately you don't really know till you start fixing stuff and see what codes remain.

BTW, have you looked at the radiator support on this car closely, cause if it's rusted out, you could have an even bigger problem on your hands.

 

I've been doing some research on these voltage stabilizers ever since a friend of mine has been raving about his (Mega Raizen). He even showed me an Import Tuner test of them to "prove" his claims http://www.importtuner.com/tech/impp...n/viewall.html
One thing I've noticed with these things is that they all (for the most part) include a grounding kit of some sort. My gut is telling me that this thing is nothing more than a big three upgrade with a rice box. Anyone use these and could compare to the results of just a basic big three?

 

Grounding kits and big 3 upgrades are NOT a myth. They ARE worth doing.

Just not worth paying for the kits. DIY. Fast cheap and easy to do.

 

Wasn't my question... but thanks for the EMOTION in your response. I know the benefits of grounding. I was asking about voltage stabilizers vs. a big three. Looking for someone who's actually tried one on here.

 

I had never heard of these before and I started to wonder exactly what theses things might be/do. A voltage regulator seemed to be the most logical thing, but then I asked my self WHY? The alternator can produce 18 volts and the automakers already have a regulator in it to keep it down to about 14 volts. You can't keep the voltage down at 12 because the battery needs a higher voltage than what it produces in order to charge it. Scratch the voltage regulator idea.

Then I thought about the "pureness" of the 12 volts. The alternator produces a voltage with ripple, meaning the voltage has small fluctuations. If you hooked up an oscilloscope, you would see a saw-tooth waveform. If you have a good enough voltmeter, set it to ac volts, the 2 volt range and you will get a reading. It most likely will not be an accurate reading, but it shows you that there is ripple in the voltage.

So what is used to get rid of ripple in voltage? Capacitors or, as the mechanical world likes to call them, condensers. Then I read the article in the link posted by JWatZ. In the first paragraph was the magical word - condenser. So now I understand that you are buying a box with a couple of capacitors in it.

But I don't understand how these boxes can improve the dyno results that the article showed. Maybe the voltage ripple affects the ignition coils. One coil fires when the voltage is 14 volts and another coil fires when the voltage is lower, at say, 13.5 volts. Would that be the reason for the different dyno results?

Then, in an area I'm not going to touch, we have the audio guys that add capacitors because of the subwoofers. So do these guys have the equivalent of a voltage stabilizer?

Something to think about.

 

You know what, the next time I have $70 to blow I'm going to try one out. Going to ground out (big three) with some 4gauge wire I have around then do this later down the road. Either way I'll post some results.

I get the whole concept about "smoothing" the electrical flow, but I thought the concept behind the big three was the same (well, sort of anyway).