Well, it’s about frickin’ time.

After about 14 dealership visits, 4 or 5 tech "ride-alongs", 2 ECU re-programs, one throttle position sensor and countless hours on the phone….the d@mn thing is fixed.

For any of you who’ve had the same hesitation/bucking problem, the fix is a brand new ECU. Not a reprogram, but a whole new unit.

Apparently, there are some defective chips/wiring out there. Nissan knew about it.. I’m not the first. But they wanted to exhaust other options before they’d warranty a new ECU.

Anyway, it was a huge pain, but I’m VERY happy. No more hesitation.

If you’re curious about any of the details of this problem, do a search for "hesitation" or just ask.

I hope this can help other people get this problem fixed without so much effort.

Now that my warranty work is done…. About that Y-Pipe… hee hee!

 

How bad is this 'hesitation' you're talking 'bout? Is this for both autos and 5 speeds?

The servers time me out when I did a search on it.

 

Hesitation was a very pronounced bucking back then "surging" forward when cruising at 3K-4500 RPMs, depending, under light throttle.

Under heavy throttle, felt like one "surge back" while passing that part of the powerband.

Only happened when it got hot, and then only during the hotter parts of the day.

Symptoms were a lot like the 2K’s that had bad ignition coils, but the ECM didn’t throw a code like it should with a bad coil.

I have a 5 speed. I assume the problem could just as easily happen with an auto.

Are you experiencing something like this?

Let me know if you have any more questions- I want to help anyone I can with this problem.

 

No. Cruising speeds for me are OK. And when the need to pass come along, all I can feel is smooth power delivery. Didn't notice anything either in the Texas heat.

Although I've noticed that it's harder to shift now and the clutch doesn't 'bite' unless you step on it almost halfway down.

Is yours a 2001?

 

That's exactly the problem I have. I can tolerate the 1st gear bucking by riding the clutch(even though I shouldn't have too!), but the surge/cut while cruising is MOST annoying. Any help would be appreciated, since I don't want to have to go the dealer 14-times to get this fixed.

Also, didn't they have to reprogram your keys and the Nissan Immobilizer in the steering column to replace the ECU?

Any help on what to tell my dealer to get the problem resolved QUICKLY would be GREAT!!! Thanks.

 

Congrats on the fix!

 

Roger that!

There are different fixes depending on the problem you're experiencing. If you've got detonation, I'd suggest you replace your coils. If you've got the condition Adboy described, then a new ECM is probably the best way to go.

 

Ice,

First of all, take out all the mods you can- they’ll blame anything they can to avoid the cost, including probably trying to blame a sweet HID conversion. (Sweet, by the way.)

Second, most of my wasted trips were because the dealership kept trying to replicate the problem on their own. As soon as I got the technician who was assigned my case in the car for a drive, everything got a lot easier- he figured out how to replicate the problem by himself, and so could tell with a test-drive whether a repair worked or not.

If I were you, I’d insist in having a technician ride along while you get it to hesitate.

Also, my dealer WAS smart enough to admit they had no idea what the problem was and contact Nissan NA immediately,

To make things go quicker, see if you can get the tech to hook up an "active" ECM monitor- this was also a big step in getting the right fix. What he did was hook a computer up to a port under my steering wheel (OBDII I presume) and monitor the car’s actions in real time as the hesitation happened on the road. He then took these findings to Nissan. (Nissan then recommended 2 more incorrect fixes before sending the ECM.)

I would also recommend contacting my service manager at Bankston Nissan in Irving, TX- He was an absolute bad-a$$ about the whole thing. Let him know you’re having the exact same symptoms as me (Travis) and any help talking to your technicians would be very much appreciated. Rodney is an awesome guy and I’m sure he’d help you out.
His direct # is 972-554-2226.
You can also try contacting the technician, his name is Dean- also a very nice guy.

Best of luck. I can’t tell you how much more I can enjoy my $27K car now that it acts like one should. Contact me with any other questions here or at tstaut@excite.com

 

Thanks!

I will put EVERYTHING back to stock before I go.

Do you know if there was something special about the NEW ECU or was it just a replacement?

Thanks again.

 

Just a replacement, as far as I know. Heard some ECM’s had "bad hardware."
I got one.

Good luck, let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.

Travis

 

Will do. I plan on waiting until I get the 2K2 clips, since I will have to uninstall them anyways. Then I will return EVERYTHING back to stock. Horns, 2K2 headlamps, SI, etc.. damn what pain just to get the ECU replaced, but it will be worth it.