This past Saturday, my car was having issues starting up. Upon ignition, it would "crank" but wouldn't "catch". It would take several tries before the car would start. Had to pump the gas pedal with the ignition to get it started. Soon after on the same day, the SES light came on. The light stayed on for about 4 or 5 days but the starting problem only lasted for about 2 days. I have about 56k miles and was experiencing these problems for the first time. Both the light and starting problem are now gone, however, the car still pings a lot...as it has for about a year (since I had the ECU replaced by the dealer because it was causing problems w/the motor mount). IMHO the pinging, starting problem, SES light and "new" ECU are all related.

I would like to reset the ECU and see if it helps the pinging. I've followed these instructions: http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/ecu.asp but haven't had any luck. If theres someone who can give me any input on resetting the ECU or anything else in this post, please do so.

Heres what I'm doing to reset the ECU:
I turn the ignition to ON
Pump the gas pedal fully and release fully 5 times in under 5 seconds.
I wait 7 seconds then press the pedal to the floor for 10 seconds. At this point I should see the SES light blinking but I don't.

I must be doing somethign wrong?

 

Make sure the engine is at operating temperature.

 

Thanks for the reply, Nmex, I've tried it several times at all temperatures (after a trip, before a trip)

 

I was trying ot before it was warmed up and was about to roll it into interstate traffic, then i warmed it up fully and did it w/o a stopwatch even.

Are you performing the 1st 3 steps given in that link? Because from here, doesn't seem like it. Also, keep it ont eh throttle for LONGER than 10 sec.
Read the instructions correctly, and perform as they are written.

 

Must be the maxima.org karma or something but I was able to reset it at lunch after a few tries. One thing to note is that after step 5 on this list:http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/ecu.asp the SES light does not stop flashing.

 

It took me a few tries the first time I tried this.

 

It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold. I hope you didn't do it while the engine is working. You're supposed to just turn the key to ignition.

 

This might be a stupid question, but wouldn't simply disconnecting the ECU's power source for a good long while, say overnight, reset the ECU?

Does the 5.5 gen Max ECU remember its previous data even when not connected to a power source even for significant amount of time?

Edit: I only ask, as I did the DIY Hypergrounding on my Max two weekends ago, and had the battery off for most of the day that day. Since it's so simple, I wanna try doing this, but I'd rather not, if my ECU is already reset.

 

This will not work on the 5.5th Gen. Only works on 5th and older.

 

Uhhh...no:

 

That image of the ecu reset instructions is for the 5.5 gen. Can't tell if you were agreeing w/TXT-1 or disagreeing but...

Uhhh...yes.

TXT-1 is correct.

2002+ Maxima is a 5.5 gen. - Can ONLY Reset ECU
2000-2001 is a 5th gen. - Can disconnect battery or reset ECU

 

Oops, nevermind. I thought TXT-1 was talking about the image - as in the image, or what's depicted in the image will not work with 5.5 gens.

I guess he meant the "disconnect battery" thing will not work with 5.5 gens, and will only work with 5.0 and older, in which case, thanks for answering my question.

Doesn't matter anyhow, I went ahead and followed the instructions here last night: http://www.technosquareinc.com/350reset.htm.

Worked like a charm going to work this morning.

 

My fault for not quoting what I was responding to.

 

So whats the 'confirmation' that it has been reset?

For me, when the light starts blinking after step 3, it continues blinking as I go thru the remaining steps until I turn the ignition off...so I don't know if I'm doing the remaining steps right or if they are even necessary.

 

Ya I really do it while the car's on..

As per the FSM it states the engine coolant must be within a range of IIRC 44(?) C - 90 C.

And yes, leaving the ECU d/c'd for a few days(38 hours for me) will reset it compeltely. I had to do this when I cleaned the TB and got the high idle code.