So I've had this problem. My car bucks when accelerating to or holding at 85. I've also had it happen infrequently at 80 in fourth gear, and once at 55 in third. If I hold the speed constant anywhere between 80-90 (which is often), the car is bucking constantly. The problem only happens when it's at least warm, worse when it's hot. Only happens in the heat of the day/late afternoon- never at night, never in the morning.

Well, I tried to take it in to the dealer- surprise surprise, they couldn't replicate the problem. Part of it is that their techs are unwilling to go that fast- which I understand in a "they've got families, don't need tickets, etc." sort of sense. But, the end result is the dealer won't help me. Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this and how to fix it?

they did a diag. on the ECU and it didn't throw any codes.

My only remaining guess is maybe a bad plug...

Any help would be appreciated, as I've saved up enough for a y-pipe and intake but can't mod until this problem is fixed.

thanks for any ideas,

Adboy.

 

im not a einstein with 5 speeds, but i think you need to get the TSB for fuel-cut.

 

bad coils? some have had problems with bad ignition coils that casued pinging...

 

Hey.... sounds familiar.

I have that problem if I cruise at 90 (or 3K) on the freeway. My ECU threw a Camshaft Position Sensor code.

The probable causes are:
1) Bad coils
2) Bad plugs
3) Screwed up ECU
4) Whacked cams

Try doing 1 and/or 2 first. My problem isn't fixed yet.

 

Does 5sp have ECU or could have a screwed up ECU....I am pretty sure its # 1 cuz i remember somebody had kinda of the same problem like 8 months ago and he said it was the coils

 

They can possibly have a screwed up ECU. The chances are slim, but it is still there.

y2kse told us about the bad coils, that's why I suggested to get them replaced first... and I'm too lazy to do that.

 

However, the new ECU did fix the fuel cut issue.. so that was cool.
My hesitation problem went away by replacing one bad coil.. however, I occasionally still get pinging under hard acceleration..

 

You're alive!!! Thanks for the update (even though it's a few months late).

Do you know which coil they replaced?

 

Yup, the one with the big X on it marking it as the bad one!

jk. Actually, it was coil #1.. the front right of the engine if you are standing in front of the car facing rear.

 

Thanks! I'll check that out.

 

If you had an early model 2000 Maxima, I'd suggest having your ECM reprogrammed first. But the fuel-cut issue was resolved by the time the 2001s were released. And I doubt you have a bad coil unless your engine is detonating. The coil issue was also fixed by the time the 2001 models were released.

What it sounds like to me is the flip side of the fuel-cut fix. Some have said that all Nissan did in applying the fix was to move the bucking/hesitating up into a higher rpm band. If that's the case and the fuel-cut issue is to blame, you should be able to duplicate it in ANY GEAR.

Here's what I'd recommend. Take your car up to the speed that you normally encounter the hesitation and note the engine rpm when the problem occurs. Then drive your car in 3rd gear for awhile at exactly the same engine rpm and see if the problem reoccurs. If it does, then the fuel-cut fix is probably the culprit.

Unfortunately, Nissan doesn't have a fix for their fix. So if that turns out to be the source of the problem, you may be stuck with it. On the other hand, if you can duplicate the problem at a lower speed and demonstrate it to your dealer, they may be willing to open a case with NNA.

Good luck.

 

Are you talking to me? Sound like you're talking to Adboy, but you have my reply in your post.

 

Nope. I was talking to Adboy. But while I've got you, Steve Thomas indicated that the bad coil could occur in ANY cylinder. So unless you're lucky enough to find the coil with the big X on it, you may be in for a bit of an adventure.