Help please...weird thing happening, car dies with no warning
 

I just changed my coils packs, brake pads and rotors, and oil over the weekend. I'm sure the brakes and oil have nothing to do with this but here it goes...

I do my 1st long drive since changing everything (about 60 miles) and all seems fine this morning. During lunch I hop in my car, turn the AC on and go like 100 ft through the parking lot then notice that the engine just shut off. I put it in park restart it and think nothing of it and proceed to the post office about 3 miles. Everything is fine getting there but on the way back was bad.

I figured the AC might be a problem so I keep it off. Then the RPM would drop below 1000 as soon as I took my foot of the gas and die with out indication or warning when it hit 500. The motor wouldn't even stutter, it would just die. After a couple times the CE light came on. And I can't check it because I'm at work.



Anyone have any ideas? I tried looking around but no luck. thanks!!

Have you checked the alternator?

not yet, you mean pull the neg while its on test?

you can do that, although some people say it risks frying your ECU when you re-connect. IMO, if the car shuts off, and you turn the key to off position before reconnecting, it isn't much risk.

Or you can rev your engine and see if the headlights get brighter.

Any humming/whining/grinding noises coming from the passenger side of the engine bay?

Any dash lights been acting up?

okay.

can't tell if the head lights get brighter, its very sunny right now.

no noises

and no weird dash lights, it just totally dies like someone pulled a plug or something

Does it die at idle or with acceleration? You should probably get the code at Autozone/Pep Boys and post back again. Might be your MAF. The code will tell you

Okay, i made it home...I checked the code and I got PO505 - Idle system malfunction (something like that)....what the heck do i do now??

Search, buddy...it's been answered many a time. One of the more unfortunate codes to pull. :(

http://forums.maxima.org/search.php?searchid=559790

iacv, ecu, or maf

i know...my bad...i'm just freaking out right now.

I reseated the throttle cables, cleaned the maf, and cleared the ses codes, and did the idle relearn.

I really hope its not the iavc - especially after i just dropped a couple $$$ on it over the weekend.

i'm a little confused after looking and searching through the posts... everyone with iacv problem is saying their idle would go crazy and jump up and down. Mine doesn't even do that. actually at idle it looks fine. It hovers around 650 ~ 700, and always did even before the car started dying and after i checked some of the stuff last night.

Unfortunately when I got in it this morning the code came up again so I opted to use a different car. This is quite frustrating because that code has so many things to look at.

In defense of myself. I read the owners manual and it's pretty vague as to why this happens. Also, this is the 12th or so car I've owned in my lifetime and the maxima is the only car that's ever done this. I don't think it's THAT absurd that someone like myself, who's owned a maxima for 3 months, might question this odd thing.

You're committing a felony you sick bastard.

I also posted this reply in the wrong thread. Is it Friday yet

Try cleaning your throttle body and the IACV, make sure there is no carbon build up around the throttle plate and the IACV breather, its true it can fry the ECU but you might be lucky. I had this problem and the ECU was OK , cleaning the throttle body and replacing the IACV sorted mine for that problem.Take out the ecu, it is a pig to get at but at least it doesn't cost anything but time, its under the centre dash and held in with 4 awkwardly placed 8mm bolts ,open it up and have a look for blown chips and smell for burned electrics if not its just the IACV at worst. I bought a 5th gen maxima in 2016 and it has given me nothing but trouble I've had ECU out more than once at this stage just to check because of other issues but its fine I have ruled it out at this stage I'm currently resealing the rocker covers due to a small oil leak right over the bank 1 manifold causing the car to stink when I turn on the blower. you could run some basic diagnostics. Check for 5V ref, grounds and 12V power on the IACV. hope it helps good luck

If you have p0505, look for a thread called ECU... fried in seconds.

LOL, more necro lovers!

Did you test the Alternator ?

I would hope the OP got his issue fixed in the 10 years since he made that post. :cool: