Turns out that there was a recall that has never been done on my Maxima.

Camshaft Position Sensor recall/replacement

So I made an appointment to bring it in Friday and let them do it.

Hopefully, one less thing to worry about.

Just had this done on my Max when I had the axles replaced. Make sure they do the recall on the LCAs too if it hasn't already been done.

hmmm

I asked about the LCA's and they said it was not listed for my car, so either it had already been done or I was outside the VIN parameters.

BTW, I corrected the OP, I think it was the Camshaft Sensor that had the recall, not the Crank Position sensor.


Hmmmm, it might actually be both sensors, looking at online information.

what does the CSS look like? is it on the timing chain cover?

I finally got this done by the local Nissan dealership.

They replaced the Camshaft Sensor,
the Crank Sensor, and and the Sensor Assembly mag (?)

No charge for anything, two less things to worry about for awhile.

Nice

You are brave men.

No, just cheap. Pretty hard to mess up the install of 2 sensors, especially since they now have had about 7 years to figure out how to do it right.

wise choice getting them changed. Both my CPS and CSS went bad last year, causing the car to randomly shut off in the middle of traffic---very scary. Do you think Nissan would reimburse me for the expense?

I doubt it, but you might talk to a Nissan service dept if you have receipts. You also need to check the VIN to make sure it was not already done if you are not the original owner.

I'm sure that what happened to you is the reason for the recall. Anytime a failure can randomly shut the car down in traffic, they have huge liability.

I had a camshaft sensor fail several yrs ago and it would turn off while rolling!!!!! Pretty scary once your engine dies and you have no power steering ......

So dealerships should take care of this recall no matter how many miles you have on your Maxima? I havent been to a dealership in a while and am curious if my VIN is included in this particular recall. Also, everything should be free of charge, correct?

Yes to both answers.

You don't even have to go in. Just call a Nissan dealership, ask for a Service Writer, give him your VIN.
He will run it through the system and tell you if it needs it.

This recall is only for Gen 5.5, correct?

I think this particular issue only applies for the 2002, but either way... a simple phone call would answer your question.

This thread sure has me interested in giving my VIN to my dealership for a recall check. If my car weren't at the mechanic's today (damn EVAP), I'd do it right now.

I hope you don't get dinged for that. EVAP parts are expensive, and pretty much useless.

The 5th gen solenoid appears better built than the 5.5 gen one, I have an AE canister on my car now (with solenoid) and EVAP codes are long gone.

The recall applies to 2003 as well. Go here to check it out

http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/index.asp?year=none&tsb=non

Yikes! My VIN falls within the range of affected cars for the Camshaft Position Sensor!

I just called Nissan, and they need to re-open my VIN history to their national database, because it's been archived. (Huh?) They looked up my VIN, and it came black blank. Something about a 4 year window on VIN inquiries. They couldn't even tell me whether or not I had this done 8 years ago. (Which is entirely possible, but I don't remember it)

Anyway, I was asked to call back Monday-Tuesday when it's registered again into the system. Weird.

Trooplewis... good call on this thread.

Following up on this CPS recall...

Now that my VIN has been "reactivated" (or whatever), NISSAN records do not show my car as needing attention for this recall, which doesn't fly according to the TSB on affected vehicles.

So then I had them cross-reference my service record, and sure enough... my dealership replaced both Camshaft Position Sensors back in 2004 during my 15K mile checkup. Maybe they told me, maybe they didn't, or maybe I just heard them say "Nnnn nnn nnn sensor, blah blah" and drove home without a care in the world.

Fascinating little bit of research. Still glad you started this thread, Troop.