I have a 2000 Nissan Maxima 5 spd, the car started misfiring about 3 weeks ago. I bought brand new coils and spark plugs and i even replaced the egr valve the car still misfiring especially @ idle speed. I took the car to a nissan tech today and he still hasnt figured out what is causing the misfire. He told me the back 3 cylinders are not firing right @ idle speed and they will fire @ full throttle. Compression is fine on back three cylinders. Does anyone have any idea what could b the problem???????? Need Help ASAP!!! Thanks

 

Fuel Injectors?

 

A misfire is usually a spark issue. If it were the fuel injectors then there would be a loss of power and hard starting after the car is warmed up. NEW coils doesn't necessarily mean WORKING coils. Check the voltage across each injector before you go changing those out.

 

wierd that its the back three cylinders, maybe u have a clogged fuel rail?

 

what about one of the cables for the coils.. it might be bad.....

 

I have more info. Cylinders 1,2,&3 are dead @ Idle. But when you mash the gas they are firing properly. The machanic said the back exhaust on the motor is letting gases in rather than out. He eleminated the EGR but the car did the same thing. The back exhaust is still turning fire red!!! Again Cylinders 12&3 are dead @ idle but 45&6 are fine! What in the world could this be! I am already about $600.00 in the hole and i have'nt found out what is causing my problem. All compression checks came out fine. He did a running compression check and a regular compression check and they dont show any signs of a problem. Has anyone ever experienced this with their maxima??????? And what was the problem????

 

wow, never heard of that, wierd, how many miles you have on the car? anything related to emissions is coverd up to 80K, maybe u can take it to nissan and have them figure it out, at the very least they should be able to find the problem, if its not emissions u may pay bigtime, but at least ull have the problem solved.

 

Something is definitely clogged somewhere, not letting heat escape.

 

So there is a lack of spark @ idle??? If this is the case the ECM is shutting them down for some reason.... Your TCL or ABS light doesn't come on does it?? What if you slightly crack the throttle?? Will the mis go away??

 

The Only Light I am getting is the check engine light the throttle has to go over 2K rpms then the miss goes away. Between 0K to 2k is when the miss is occuring.

 

The Only Light I am getting is the check engine light the throttle has to go over 2K rpms then the miss goes away. Between 0K to 2k is when the miss is occuring.

 

Anyone else out their who can help me

 

Did he remove the y-pipe to check to see if it was clogged (or anything before that was clogged)? It sort of sounds like a clogged pre cat to me but I'm no expert. It could be any number of things but I'd start with the simple stuff and eliminate those first... especially if the rear exhaust manifold is turning red from heat build up.

And just a tip... red glowing metal (iron) touching (ok, there's a gasket but still) an aluminium head can't be good for the head... you may want to make sure there isn't an exhaust leak around the gasket even after the problem is fixed. Again, no expert here but that's what I'd do.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

did you get your o2 sensors replaced recently? if so, make sure that they got them pluged into the right spots.

 

I found it absolutely absurd that the mechanic cant find the problem- until I read that you are in South Carolina. Now I only "semi" believe you because I know a lot of people are retarded down there and mechanics are the least intelligent of the bunch. Its not that hard to diagose the source of a misfire. They have wiring diagrams and schematics for it.

Here's what I would do.

Start simple.

FIND OUT WHAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE IS!!!

Get new spark plugs
Swap the back coils with the front coils
Double check any work you or a mechanic has done anything before- like change 02 sensors.
Check your camshaft position sensor -swap the back one with the front- (Sounds to me one may be f'd up)
Check your crank sensors

Check for fuel pressure- I think there's a hose that brings fuel from the front injectors to the back injectors (or vice versa). Try to tap into this line to make sure fuel is flowing

Check fuel injectors- you can use noid lights to check that the injectors are getting signals to open and close.

If you want, you can also try switching the back fuel injectors with the front. Injectors rarely go out 3 at the same time but still not impossible.

Try a different ECM.

And last but not least- cave in and go to the dealer at least for a diagnosis. Then fix it yourself.

 

Got to love the polite response....busting on a southerner is somewhat ironic coming from the city where talking out your *** and not knowing what you are doing is legendary. There are other issues on this forum if you are still interested in plagerizing the haynes manual.

 

I guess you're "one of them" Nothing ironic. Nothing PlagIARized. Just keep in mind what city in what state keeps the country alive. Without NYC, and the crap we endure for the rest of the nation, there would be nothing in America.

And surely if you're an expert you could have come up with something better than check your O2 sensor connections. What do you think he connected the front sensor to the back harness? Ya mope. Be constructive or else step aside.

 

I believe it's the precats and also i've heard from a nissan mechanic that if your starter is bad it can cause the coils to give a lack of spark. Mainly on 5th generatin maximas

 

Am I the only one who caught this?

Again, have your mechanic check the precat / y to make sure it is flowing and not clogged.

 

Hey u guys all of this stuff has been checked they are all operating correct! The Crank sensors i will check again 4 good measure. Is thier a how to on how to check these sensors??? and what are the symptoms of a bad one???????? Read my post so you know where i am @.

 

When there's a misfire this usually happens. What happens is so much unburnt fuel is accumulated that eventually it all ignites at once and results in a blast of heat going down the exhaust manifold.

Still doesnt rule out a clogged pre-cat though. You might be right.

The best way to check this and pizz off your neighbors is to run the engine with no front pipe (Y pipe) and see if the miss goes away. Most of the time if a cat is clogged the exhaust finds another way to get out.

I just got my 2001 I30 and I havent had a chance to explore much. If there is a computer outside the ECM that determines spark timing, that might be your culprit.

I'm leaning more toward ignition/timing rather than exhaust.

To the original poster: What codes came up when the computer was scanned?

 

The codes that came up were P1320 and P0300 and a bad o2 sensor.

 

I just looked up code 1320 in the FSM. It's a malfunction in your Ignition Signal. That can be caused by the bad o2 sensor. Did you change the sensor? 0300 is multiple cylinder misfire.

change the o2 sensor. That'll probably fix the problem.

 

I did not change the o2 sensor because i had know idea that a bad o2 sensors could cause a car 2 have multiple misfires and cause an ignition signal problem. Please tell me more about this ASAP if possible.

 

Usually when an o2 sensor goes bad, the computer goes into fail-safe mode. It ignores the signal from the sensor and adjusts the air/fuel ratio to run rich- so the car runs.

Your sensor might have shorted out and there may even be 2 problems occurring at the same time. the o2 sensor, and ignition. You know the computer is saying the O2 sensor is bad so change it. That's definitive.

I know it sounds confusing and I keep typing different things but you have to start somewhere and it will cost money.

0300 is just telling you that there's a misfire
the other two codes are the ones pointing to a malfunction.

 

The 02 sensor is probably not the culprit. The 02 only adjusts fuel trim a preset amount before setting the mil light. Usually not enough to cuase a misfire.. Typically the misfire causing a rich condition will have the 02 try to lean it out to far which causes the 02 code...

My guess is something in the primary ignition system. I.E. coils not pushed down all the way, weak crank/cam sensor,etc.

Anyhow I'm still not sure I understand....I know there is a "misfire" below 2000 rpm. I understand that the problem goes away @ anything above 2000 rpm. My question is..............Is there any spark at the plugs below 2000 rpms????

 

There is spark from what i understand @ the plugs below 2000 rpms, but what i am told is that the cylinders(1,2,and 3) are just dead below 2K rpms. Ever hear of that?

 

I'm not sure I understand what their trying to tell you.

An internal combustion engine needs 3 things

1.)spark
2.)fuel
3.)compression

When the chamber compresses the air and adds the atomized fuel the plug then fires (spark) sending the piston downward, thus cuasing the chain reaction to ultimately make your car move.

If they say the cylinder is dead lack of compression doesn't make sence..

Sounds like it is dead for 1 of 2 reasons.

1.) the ecm isn't sending spark
2.) the ecm isn't opening/closing the injector

I'm guessing that since you are running so rich (glowing hot exhaust) that you have a lack of spark. The p1320 (primary ignition system problem) code kind of backs this theory up. Also if you had an obd-II scanner you could check the fuel trims to see if they where lean. If they where this would also back up this theory.

The reason for the misfire is probably being caused by the "dead" cylinders.
Find out what they mean by the cylinders being "dead" (lack of spark, lack of fuel, etc) and you will be a whole lot closer to pin pointing your problem.


EDIT: here edumaciate yourself http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm

 

Can someone give me some info on the symptoms of a burnt valve or bad cam lobes or even sticking valves on a maxima??????

 

You'll hear a lot of noise like a very loud tick if the valves stick. worn cam lobes would result in lower or no compression. I don't know what anyone means by a burnt valve. They are metal. dont really burn. They can bend if the forces on the valve seat are large enough and prolonged enough.

Again this would all affect compression.

I think you're thinking wayyyy outside the box.

 

I don't really think this is an internal mechanical problem. You need to find out what "dead @ idle" means.

 

I hear a tapping or knocking noise @ low rpms but it goes and comes along with the misfire

 

I have more info on my problem guys. The machanic told me today that the cylinders 1, 2, & 3 are dead at idle. He said that they are getting spark at idle but the cylinders are not responding until you give it gas or go full throttle. He also told me the #2 exhaust manifold outlet pipe is turning fire red. Can anyone help me determine what is causing this???????? The compression checks on the cylinders were all @ 200lbs except for cylinder 2 it was @ 190lbs. Your input and advice would be greatly appreciated ASAP!!! Thank you all in advance! I know someone can help me solve this problem i have been fighting now for over a month.

 

gat any newzzz?

 

oh, so cylinders 1,2, and 3??? is it just one bank?? I'm not sure how the Nissan's set-up is, But I know on some engines there is a variable timing chain that goes around each head to adjust the secondary cam's timing.

This is a long shot but......
Maybe the chain on the head is just loose at idle and as soon as you crack the throttle the tensioner tightens up and allows proper A/F. Without physically looking at it I'm kinda at a loss, sorry

 

Wait what year is your car? The INTAKE is turning fire red? I find this unbelievable. That means fuel is making its way past your valves into your intake manifold and igniting there.

Somebody is jerking your chain. Take it to another mechanic who knows what they're doing.

I would believe that the #2 exhaust manifold outlet pipe is turning red. This might be because thats the only cylinder that's getting fuel.

I still dont know what "dead at idle" means. You said the compression when the car was running was good right?

A difference of 10psi isnt that much. If one cylinder was 200 and the other was 120 I would worry.

I still think your problem is electrical ignition in origin. Might be fuel.

 

Seems odd to me. Kind of why I'm at a loss, but compression is good and the intake is somehow glowing red.

I also thought ignition system problem, but the "mechanic" says he's getting spark.

 

I have more info on my problem guys. The machanic told me today that the cylinders 1, 2, & 3 are dead at idle. He said that they are getting spark at idle but the cylinders are not responding until you give it gas or go full throttle. He also told me the #2 exhaust manifold outlet pipe is turning fire red. Can anyone help me determine what is causing this???????? The compression checks on the cylinders were all @ 200lbs except for cylinder 2 it was @ 190lbs. Your input and advice would be greatly appreciated ASAP!!! Thank you all in advance! I know someone can help me solve this problem i have been fighting now for over a month.

 

This STILL doesn't make any sence??? What do you mean by they are not responding?? The injectors aren't kicking on/off?? It doesn't mean it's not sparking.. It doesn't mean the piston isn't moving??
This is most likely due to a very rich condition. I.E. no spark....But you are getting spark, and if it's turning red, then "the cylinder not responding @ idle" can only mean the piston isn't rotating correctly..I can Guarantee you this is not the case...
1.)compression is good. 5% variance is def within spec, even for a relatively new motor..
2.)I don't think anyone here will be able to pinpoint your problem without more/correct information.

The glowing red "exhaust manifold" @ idle to me sounds like a leaky injector, but you are throwing a p1320, so I'm going to assume the p1320 is correct and am going to say it's an ignition problem.
I'm also going to assume you have authorized a few hundred dollars in diagnostics???
If so I'm going to assume the tech spends every penny of the diag fee to figure it out. (Just a suspicion that you are getting butt raped.)

 

I know he means that cylinders 1,2, and 3 are misfiring @ idle and they are not misfiring at full throttle.
I will get more info and i will make sure it is correct and post it tomorrow!!
I am getting a P1320 and a P0300!!!! That is correct
No money spent in diagnose yet i will gladly pay when my problem is found!