yeah the finally done it now... i brought my 01 max in cause i guess the iacv acting up they ended up giving me 1850 worth of damage? they said its the iacv, o2 sensor, and the ecu. My question is: is the ecu required? i didnt see any problems iwth it before? If i only fix the iacv and o2 sensor will the ses light stop showing?

 

ecu or computer i forgot but i dont tihnk i see aproblem with it wheni was driving it before

 

I'd get a second opinion... Years ago in my first max the dealership said I needed an ECU, when in reality it was just a wire that had been snapped (mouse). You would probably see some more issues if your ECU wasn't functioning.

 

Like not running at all?

I agree with you - a second opinion is needed.

Check electrical connections first. Bad data going to the ECU will make it do funny things to how your car runs. For all you know re-seating all the connectors is the right fix.

IACV issue: you get random idle speeds or stalls at idle? High idle, dead spot around 2000 rpm or something?

I'd tackle this, assuming the diagnosis is indeed correct, in order of repair cost. O2 sensor is probably first - did they tell you which one?

Then I'd see if the IACV issue goes away. If not, pull that and see what's wrong with it.

 

what would i see if the ecu was giving me problem. the car stalls out whenever i start it except like sometimes it does start... should i just tell them to fix the iacv and spark plug? or take it somewhere else completly

 

iacv: i was driving down on a street i hit a stop light and the cars rpms went form 1000 to 500 then to 0. then stalled... i started it back up and no ses light then it did it again down the road and a ses light came on. i drove it down to the dealer and it died in the parking lot.

the guy told me this: there are a few issues.. 1 the iacv needs to be replaced. 2 the ecu and? the computer are acting up a little and need to be replaced 3. there is a faulty o2 sensor giving us a code somewhere. 4. your spark plugs are looking a little dull you need a tune up soon. he also said like all together itll cost around 1875 without the tune up and 2300 with tune up plus tax

 

Like homeyclaus put it, depending on the serverity of the ECU issue, the car probably wouldn't run. Autozone can pull ECU codes for you to give a better idea of what is going on. Is the car dead at the dealership now?

Definitely seems like an IACV issue. See what gets pulled at Autozone (if possible) and talk to a mechanic outside of the dealership.

 

the car runs it takes a couple tries though... i cant drive it anywhere cause of that reason and it can die anytime im driving. i know the icav is the problem but like i said the ses came on the second time it stalled out i really cant see the computer getting effed up i really cant... i drove it down to the dealer myself how can the ecu be messed up?

 

I would get another opinion, but be aware that there is a history with these cars where a "failed" IACV caused the associated power transistor array in the ECM to overheat and fry. I also would not change any 02 sensor (which one?) until the IACV issue has been fixed. There are basic troubleshooting procedures in the FSM that should be followed on this issue, but I'll bet the dealer may not have followed them, but simply went by the fault codes found on the system scan. IF the ECM has to be replaced make sure that the IACV is serviceable or replaced first.

 

on the diagnostic report it says that it says that the iacv needs to be replaced and it costs 1875 (wtf!!!) and another 200$ fix forthe 02 sensor. from what i see they found the codes for the iacv and then the code for the 02 sensor

 

Get a used IAC solenoid on ebay and change it yourself. Assuming that is the problem. What part of the IAC system were they replacing for that kind of money? Everything. Perhaps get the diagnostic trouble code and post it on here.

 

There's one point a lot of you have missed. More often than not, if the IACV goes, the ECU circuit for the IACV will be toast too. So if that is the case, and you put in a new IACV valve, it will die right away because t will short out. I'm not saying this is definitely the problem, but it is very common. I talked to Dave B about this about a month ago and he warned me of this as I was asking the price for a buddie's 01 I30 which has a faulty IACV. So they are quoting you for everything.

Best thing would be to have the ECU pulled and open it up and check for the burned out circuit. Dave B mentioned it is so obvious that a 5 year old kid would see "one of these things is not like the other". If you see a bad circuit, you need a new ECU. If not a new IACV would probably be ok to replace on it's own.

 

cani ask thme to replace the iacv and check if the ecu really needs to be replaced? then find the o2 sensor? or would they just laugh in my face and tell me the whole thing needs to go

 

Not really sure. They obviously want to charge you the maximum amount they can. That's how they do business. But like I said, if they put the new IACV in the car and the ECU circuit is toast, they will fry the 400 dollar IACV which they won't want to do. So it is safer for them to replace the ecu at the same time. I'm not even sure if they would be willing to open the ECU to tell you the truth. It's something you would have to be willing to do yourself, or have a friend help you out. Then you can confirm for yourself that it is good or bad. Then just buy the IACV and swap it yourself. IIRC a new ECU is in the 1K range, the IACV is in the 400 range, and the o2 is in the 140 range. Plus labor. So that quote is about right if the ECU is done. Then when they swap the ECU they have to program it to accept your keys and your key fob.

 

My IACV fried, took it to the dealer, and they said the ECM was fried as well. Check out my thread:http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generation-maxima-2000-2003/555439-engine-stalling.html How many miles do you have on your max? If your <80k the ECM is covered by Nissan under warranty.

 

as said before, sometimes when the IACV fries, it kills the ECU, in my expirience with a bad IACV, i replaced it with a new one (OEM) and did the re-learn procedures and all was well.

I had a customer who put off replacing the IACV for a long time (over a year) and ended needing a new ECU.

Good luck.

 

The OP should get a used ECU for around $100. It would be cheaper than paying someone to diagnose this.

 

Unless he's under 80k and the dealer covers it under warranty.

 

Under warranty?
Doesn't sound like it for $1800.

 

I wouldn't put it past a dealer to not disclose that warranty. I was pleasantly surprised when my dealer told me though. I am very thankful

 

They always pull the "ECU" problem for anything. Don't go back.


I had to get my NATS reprogrammed and they insisted I needed a new ECU because the NATS never "resets" itself. Yea right... 5 minutes with the Consult-II and my car was running again.

 

Thought this might be of interest:

E-bay item # 230421561690.