Here's my take: A shop would normally clear the OBD codes only after making a confident repair to see if they return. Knowing they made no repairs and clearing them would be a disservice to the next person that would need all the codes, including ghost codes, to help troubleshoot the failure.

The OEM Nissan sensors are made by Bosch. Save some money and just get Bosch if you must get OEM. I went with Denso on my Cali-spec and replaced both pre and post Bank 2 and have been very pleased. In fact it felt like the Max gained a few horsepower.

 

Ok: I got the codes cleared, the light came back, and I got it rescanned.

P01320- Undefined
P01320- Unknown

(Yes, the same code twice. And now the p0139 and p0430 are gone.)

Do I still go for the rear O2 sensors first?

 

P01320-Ignition Signal Primary
Is a summary fault from the detectable line that returns to the ECM. Basically, the ECM told a coil to fire but it did not return confirmation from the primary side of the coil, so it believes you are still getting misfires.
Did your notice if the CEL flashed before going solid on? Is the engine running with no vibration?

You might need to wait for the drive cycle monitors to complete for the O2 sensors before the Cat/sensor codes return. But then you won't know till you do another scan since the light is already on.

 

Around 10 miles the CEL came back solid, no flashing. I've driven about 60 miles since the codes were cleared, and I have noticed that the engine is progressively becoming more jerky. Especially during acceleration in 2nd or 3rd gear. This wasn't happening last week..

I guess my question now is, do I go one-by-one and check the Coils for the bad one(s) and replace? Or is it still likely that my o2 sensors are bad, but just have not kicked their own code yet?

Thanks

 

Short answer:Yes and Yes....

But the first order of business is to fix P01320. This is where having a code scanner handy would pay off. If you got any code from P0301 to P306 you could nail it down to the actual cylinder misfire. But if you don't have a scanner, use the excellent write-up on this org by a member to test your coil on the bench. I would check the ones you removed back in November first. If you find a good one of each type, then swap them in two at a time until the engine runs smooth again. Then check the two that you removed last to isolate the bad one. When you are confident with the repair, then clear the code. Of course noting all existing codes first.

You probably want to keep in mind the original OEM coils without the gray dot. Use them only to troubleshoot.

 

Awesome information within this thread. I'll be doing the antifouler method and see what happens.



And to throw in my $.02, topgear10, when you do replace any coils, replace the coils with OEM. I went through the headache of unreliable aftermarket coils, wasted money, and should have just went with OEM from the start. I thought I'd save some money with aftermarket, but in the long run, I've already spent more than I would have purchasing OEM.

I'm not saying that aftermarket is necessarily bad (I currently am running a few working aftermarket coils mixed with new OEM until I pony up the cash to replace the rest of the aftermarket coils...) but OEM coils seem to be more consistent in their quality after an extended period of use.

 

Great info!

Didn't have much time, but I did the quick unplug/plug vibration test
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...tion-coil.html
and I found that ALL 6 cylinders appeared to be firing. I will try the out of car test w/the Hitachi's I pulled out, and the Prestolites from November '11.

I also took a look under the car to get visuals on the O2 sensors, and I found 4 in the pattern described in the TSB for California/01-02 models. My car was stamped 5/00 so I find that kind of fishy because I am the second owner (in NJ..the original owner purchased the car new in NYC).

But I am getting ahead of myself, I will recheck the coils.

 

You have a cali spec 2k. I have the same and mine was manufactured in 11/99. This is normal.

 

Ok so I think I've learned my lesson with $45 generic coils!

Took F1 off tonight to test it w/the ohmmeter. Went to take F2 off, and the boot fell off, sticking inside around the spark plug. Looking at the plug connector on the coil, it was severely bent and broken.

I swapped it out w/a grey dot Nissan coil (old one, untested from the original set), and it runs way better.

Oddly enough, when I ran the engine and tested that "new" coil by unplugging it, there was a noticeable drop in RPM. I am so frustrated with this car now...I could care less about performance or gas mileage at this point, I just need to pass inspection.

Does anyone know how to shrink photos? I'll fix that

 

Sounds like you just need to bite the bullet and replace the bad coils with the grey dot OEM. Personally, I would replace all six, but if you are strapped for cash you can replace the ones that fail the OHM test.

Once you have this one diagnosed and clear the codes your misfire codes should stop popping up and you can focus on the O2 sensor / cat codes.

 

I think this holds true for anything electrical such as sensors as well. You may get away with O2 sensors not being OEM, but things like crankshaft position sensors and the like your best bet is OEM.

 

I've read about the spark plug non-foulers solution mentioned here:
http://forums.evolutionm.net/evo-how...cel-light.html

But that one seems to be for the Evolution.

Does the same HELP brand 42002 spark plug non-foulers work for the Maxima 2001 ?