So I'm not sure what it is about the 5.5 gen or maybe this one but I noticed that in my 5th gen I would not have any problems when stepping on the gas it would feel great I would feel the g force pushing me against the seat but with the 5.5 gen I somehow cannot obtain this.

However, I am able to obtain this when the car has been started and it has just reached working temperature (Not as great as the 5th gen but it's a start) (I would not try this when engine is cold I don't want to blow my heads) but the longer the car works kinda feels like the more sh*tty it be comes. I know it's not overheating and my temp gauge stays in one spot (a little bit under the middle)
Now there's a catch I noticed sometimes (not all the time) if I step on the gas pedal (the high part of it) I manage to obtain the force I really like but very rarely. (again it's not as great as the 5th gen but it's a start)

It almost feels like the car is restricted (perhaps a dirty throttle body?)
I noticed that sometimes I would step on the gas but the rpm would move up but slowly as if I was stepping on the gas gently but I'm almost flooring it.

Any input would be appreciated as I've had to deal with this problem for a while and I can't seem to find much on it.

 

I hate stuff like that... My 2002 was doing that for a while but seems to have gone away after I've tinkered with some things.

Have you tried anything at all so far?

 

I tried cleaning the fuel system with seafoam also through the brake booster.
Changed intake to injen and re-oiled it
premium gas 91 only
clean the maf

I think that's it.

What exactly did you change around to get rid of it?

Forgot to mention it's an 02 gxe

 

MAF is always the 1st thing to replace haha.

If it's over 100k miles old, then it probably just shot. Even if it's completely clean.
A rarer problem part (on ours) would be the knock sensor. It has the same symptom.

I recently switched to another maf I had and perf pop back along with MPG.

 

well it is an 02... you know what they say about the mafs lol

I only got 61k miles (98k km)

I may look into another maf however recently i've thought about selling the car since i got a g35

 

I'd also go with MAF because my 03 still slams me into the seats. Plenty of power...

 

I felt the same way like I felt my 00 could kill the 03 like press on the pedal hard and barely anything but my problem was a the rear Cat was done for after that I was like Damn!!

 

Yeah, forgot to mention that if your cats are clogged....but I've ranted enough about that haha

 

I'm actually having the same problem with acceleration. My 03 maxima has 70,000 miles, and I'm considering cleaning my MAF this week because the car doesn’t accelerate the way it did when I first purchased it back in October of 2009. Once in a while from a dead stop I will try and floor it to see if it will accelerate properly, but maybe 1 out of 5 times will the tires actually spin out (TSC off), and the rest of the time it will accelerate slowly as if I’m only pressing the gas pedal half way. So I want to clean my MAF and see how it goes.

 

It may be a bad cat. When a cat begins to exhibit problems it can be affect acceleration, however, have you diagnosed to see what the computer is registering?

 

Anyone know how to replace a knock sensor on a 2001 maxima? I cant seem to find any DIY, only for the 4th gen....

 

New plugs, NGK plats (stock)
New air filter
Redline SI-1 fuel system cleaner
Sunoco Ultra94 gas (previous owner never used premium, which is annoying)
Replaced MAF with one I pulled from a wrecked G20 and swapped the IAT sensor. No difference.

My car gets great mileage, sometimes over 435 miles plus to a tank to be exact. But every now and then it just won't pull strong.
The odd thing is, its intermittent. Obviously the colder the better, but sometimes even when its really warm out, she still pulls like crazy. Other times, it feels pretty limp. I never change brand of gas, and I give it plenty of highway miles, and high revs now and again to help prevent clogging of the exhaust system. (high revs under load can help blow junk from the exhaust system)

I'm considering replacing my knock sensor next. Only real reason I suspect it in my case is the previous owner never used the correct grade of gas.

 

My automatic 2000 Max SE hesitates on acceleration, usually between 3000-4000 RPM. It has a hard time shifting from 3rd to 4th unless I let up on the gas, then press down again. I mainly notice this on hills and freeway on ramps accelerating from 30-70 MPH quickly. I've taken it to transmission shops who said the auto trans is fine.
In doing research I found that there is a problem with a relay or electronic component that can cause these symptoms.
One shop thought it was catalytic converter related but an exhaust shop that does catalytics said that wasn't the problem.
I was told by independent shops to take it to a dealer to diagnose. I'm holding off because of the sky high prices dealers charge.
Has anyone heard of a similar problem? What is the fix for it? thanks

 

get your maf sensor cleaned

 

As bob-lee said, just pull your MAF (2 torx bolts) out of the housing and spray it liberally with some CRC MAF sensor cleaner. Re-insert and take it for a drive.

 

thank gof is not a corolla. But it should still be ok..

 

quick question,, i have the same problem with my 03 max.. whats MAF stand for?

 

Mass air flow sensor


but yes I've tried cleaning my maf. I should really change it but still hold off for now because (like I mentioned) I'm in the process of getting a new car (g35 in the repair shop) and I don't want to go around hunting a maf and spend like $100 bux if I'm planning on selling it soon. We'll see.


-Also I've noticed after driving for a while, I would stop and pop the hood open and it would be very hot (I think this is normal though anyone care to confirm?)
even the aluminum injen pipe would be hot to the touch. Any thoughts on this?

 

Alright so I finally had the time.
my g35 the maf tube was cracked and needed replacement and the junk yard would not sell me just that without the MAF so I ended up getting a new maf for my g35 and I grabbed the old MAF and put it in my max.
Not sure if it was compatible or not because the sensor was about 1 inch longer than my 2k2 max but the connector was the same and it also fit well inside my 2k2 max maf housing.

so i put it on and WOW my car is awesome I can actually step on the gas and make some front rubber burn while my slip light blinks. who would have thought a crappy piece of plastic can make all difference.

 

Most likely it is at least one of the cats, the precats are notorious for going bad. Replaced both of mine with low mileage used ones and the main cat with a test pipe and the improvement in acceleration was very noticeable.

 

just in case you did'nt do it already http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you..._a_2000_Maxima

 

i was having the same exact problems but mine was also bogging down all the time. figured it was my maf changed it with a new OEM one same exact thing. i got a wild hair up my a$$ and checked my fuel pressure i only had 15 psi the min is like 35. i took out my sending unit and D*A*M*N was it nasty. i bought a new pump and screen and got a used sending unit with low miles put it all in and there she blows just like new