Bank 1 Long Term Fuel Trimis is higher that it should be. If you compare Bank1 to Bank2, there is always a difference and Bank1 is always high in your case. I am little surprised to notice that your ST+LT of both banks is close though. You might have either slight leak on Bank1 or O2 Sensor1_1 is getting lazy.

Your MAF, ECT, AT readings are normal. To look at the O2 sensor data, look at the Mode 6 (continuous tests) from the scanner. To really assess the health of O2, you will need a scope.

I have 2000 Maxima and I drive very sedately and mostly on highway. My winter mileage always goes down by at least 25%. Depending upon how you drive and where you drive, 18 mpg is NOT out of ordinary at this time of year.

Questions:-

Have you ruled out vacuum leaks? Spray throttle body cleaner around all the area and look if you notice any changes in RPM.

If you are game for changing parts, start with O2 Sensor 1 Bank 1 first.

Put nice double dose of good and strong fuel system cleaner such as 3M, Techron, Regane HM for a tank and see if readings are changing.

I re-read your replies. Given that the car runs great for a while after you disconnect battery for few hours, I am now suspecting that car is getting poor feedback data. The only feedback that car gets is from primary O2 sensors i.e. BankN_Sensor1.

- Vikas

 

You are making a ton of sense. I will check the scope on the software. Anything im looking for when looking at it? gonna be hard to post the results for that.

Is it ok to go aftermarket on the o2 or should I do oem? And how much of a ***** is the rear upper bank one to replace? Bank 1 is in the rear right?

 

Here goes one boring video of a 12 min obd run in my car. If anyone has some time to spare that can look at this and confirm a lazy or dying o2 sensor or if anything else looks odd. I would really appreciate it. I started local roads then took the highway for I would say about 5 min got off the highway then 5 min back. I did downshift during this recording also.

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lHwN2cKuis8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lHwN2cKuis8?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

 

That didnt work out so well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHwN2cKuis8

If you are bored check out some of my silly videos me and my buddies used to do. Just select realeztace other videos. Thank you all for now.

 

The software scope will not be helpful because the rate at which data is supplied by car ECM is not fast enough in our version of the protocol. You can work around somewhat by telling your scanner software to only record B1S1 voltage and B2S1 voltage (add either TPS or Speed, so you can correlate it). Hopefully you might get a decent data rate. It is worth a try. Then have the software plot that data, either continuously or have it store for later analysis by other software such as Excel.

You want to see nice switching of both the sensors from low to high. You also want to look at the rate of rise of the voltage but that will definitely need real scope and real hook up to O2 sensor.

Stick with NGK/Denso OEM sensor. I don't think those would be that expensive if you buy them from Rock Auto. Removing them without right O2 sensor tool might be difficult though.

I just looked at your youtube video. If you have raw data, can you plot the S1 O2 sensor voltages? I don't think they are switching as fast as they should be.

- Vikas

 

p0011 poped today but I think its because of being low on oil. I will check but im thinking maybe replace cam shaft sensor also.

 

so far I have sprung the p0011 3 times first time being low on oil. I know being low on oil can bring this light on but I dont think this is my case because the light has come on 2 additional times with the oil level being fine. The car is getting worse. It feels like I am on and off the pedal constantly when I am about half throttle. the top end is nothing at times. almost all the time it hesitates when accelerating but at time the top end crawls just as slow or fast as the lower rpm range. I am really tired of this car as of right now. I dont know at this point if I should still point towards coils or cam position sensor crank position sensor cam solenoid or whatever this damn car wants from me. Anybody have any insight on this?

 

I have read about a recall on crank and cam position sensors. When I got my car in jan I checked with dealer and nissan usa for outstanding recalls and they said the car had all done. Any chance that is false or if it did have the recall performed the parts they used are also faulty? other possibility is then thinking my specific car did not need the recall when it does. Anyone know the details on that recall?

 

I know I checked my car with the dealership for any recalls and my Vin was not listed, however just because your Vin is not listed to have a faulty CPS doesn't mean that yours given the age it is now is not beginning to fail.

 

FAIL-SAFE MODE
NFEC0824S01
When malfunction A or B is detected, the ECM enters fail-safe
mode and the MIL lights up.
Detected items Engine operating condition in fail-safe mode
Intake valve timing control The signal is not energized to the solenoid valve and the valve control does not function.

Since I am only poping the code for bank 1 does this mean only bank one wont fire up the signal for the intake valve timing? It sounds like this mode would do more harm rather than being fail safe.

Has anyone experienced a similar issue that could share there results if cleaning or replacing a part solved it. I dont know if I should start with cam position sensor, crank positions sensor, or valve solenoid.

 

I am looking at the fsm and they outling a crap load of troubleshooting steps for the check engine code. I just dont understand why they dont have codes for specific issues.

I need a consult 2 in my tool box.

Answered my own question... car makers design cars to be hard to diagnose so we are subject to opening our wallets to the dealer. I am honestly debating taking it the dealership for trouble shooting. I just did a upper control arm and a lower ball joint on my girls tl-s. I am beat and getting lazy to work on my own car.

 

At the point you are at with the car, I believe you should take it for a full diagnostic I know how you feel when you have so many sensors that it could be but no code to point straight at which ones are causing the issues. Back in the summer months I also had the P0300 multi misfire code and that was all I had to go on. The engine sounded like it was fuel starved and I too had let my oil level get very low (but didn't get any warning of it being low), I started by running seafoam through the gas tank and of course an oil change. After a 1000km I used seafoam in the crankcase and followed with another oil change, by allowing the oil level to become low I had read that this allows the sludge in the oil to get pushed up into the upper parts of the engine and foul up the "Variable Timing Solenoid" as it has very narrow passage for the oil to flow through. It took 4 oil changes each at about the 1000 km mark with seafoam being used just before each change and several cans of seafoam in the multiple gas tank fill ups. The only code I ever got was the P0300 multi misfire which I kept clearing, after almost 6 weeks of the car running like crap and feeling like it was limp mode if finally started to shows some signs of life from all the internal cleaning. My timing returned to normal and the car sounded and drove like it did before all the trauma began. Like you I just couldn't get pasted the point of understanding why no other codes and after reading that allowing the oil sludge to get pushed around inside the engine could cause the P0300 code I was convinced that a strong internal cleaning was needed. Its now 6 months later and the car is running quiet strong once again and I continue to change the oil and filter ever 3000km. Your car does sound like it is developing some other issues and a good diagnostic at his point would be recommended, just thought I would share my experience of allowing my oil level to become low and the P0300 code as you are having some of the very same issues that I had.

Hope some of this makes some sense to you and is helpful.

 

This does help a lot. Thank you for the reply. I am just worried the dealer will have crappy tech on it and false diagnose and this turn into a part changing party. I can try the cleaning again. I used auto-rx maybe 2 or 3 oil changes ago. so it may or may not be a sludge issue. I am sure it knocked some crap loose and may have cause my issue. Is it possible to use like an air hose or something from the top of oil lines to push sludge back down the passage and then follow with an oil change and maybe even an oil pan scrape. I suspect there is clogged due to when replacing both valve covers a while back there was way more oil sitting in the rear bank then the front. Makes sense that this is why the pcv located on the rear gets flooded and the pcv now acts as a straw. Im sure this is somehow related.

I had called the dealer sometime ago for a professional flush where they hook up to the engine to get this pumping thru and they told me they dont perform that service. I dont even know if its a good idea.

 

Car is at the dealer. I am really nervous about it. We shall see.

 

keep us posted !

 

Sure will. I feel like I betrayed my car. Like its crying out for me to touch it and not the tech. I had to warn the dealership of my mods such as vias block plate home depot catch can 270 amp alternator and intake spacers. I explained the car was fine after all those mods so they are less likely to point at that for my $100 fee.

 

Got a call from the stealership. They want to perform further testing. They say since I am slightly modified the readings come up diff then what they have to look for. They are leaning towards rear cat. They want to remove sections of exhaust to perform a back pressure test and some type of flow test. They said it would 80 bucks on top of the 100 I am already looking at. They also said when they pulled codes they got 0300 and not the 0011. I want to cry. Anyone got a cheap set of headers for me or even a good rear cat? This sounds convincing to me and I dont even want to pay the extra 80 towards this. It makes sense since I do remember a slight rotten egg smell. uhhhhhh.

 

They claim they need about 45 min to put the car back together. I call bs. I think they trouble shoot the exhaust already and was trying to get some cash from me. I think they realized that they were doing nothing more than troubleshooting so figured they would get the most possible from me.

 

Just picked up the car and the tech notes were a lil more than the service rep told me. I think they know for a fact its the cat and they wanted to come up with another way to get to charge me for something. The tech wrote found code 0300, checked coils and plugs and checked good. unable to pin point the cause of the problem with out further testing (flow test). customer has multiple aftermarket upgrades on engine. Removed o2 sensor engine seemed to run better, car may need catalytic converter, need to perform further testing to confirm.

Is it just me or removing the o2 and engine running better enough of a flag to say it is infact the cat. I called and it was indeed the front they removed to releive any excess back pressure that the cat may be causing. I think thats enough proof right there unless someone disagrees with me.

Time to look at headers. been a while since I looked at a good set to put on the car and a good o2 simulator.

If anyone has any objections or other things it may be please respond.

 

snap on scanner called the solis..

 

I dont know anyone with a solis and I dont have 4 grand to spend on one. Wanna lend me urs?

 

ok here is were my thoughts are at. Would it make sense to remove my o2 for now to not damage anything or even to leave it in for air fuel purposes and drill a hole before the front cat until I can get under it and replace it with headers? How loud would it be and is this even a good idea and if so where should the hole be for better results? If anyone has done or thought of this of course.

 

or should I look into something like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISSA...item2eb147a4c5

 

A plugged exhaust can be detected by doing old fashioned intake vacuum test. Get a gauge, few vacuum hoses, few tees and go to town. Find both ported and non-ported vacuum ports and hook up the gauge using a tee and extra hose. Route the tube and keep the gauge in side the car and monitor it. Before advent of OBD-II scanners and electronic gizmos, this is how old fashioned mechanics diagnosed difficult drive-ability problems on car with carburetor. Unfortunately, technicians at your dealership were born after carburetor went out of style :-)

I had probably already told you that giving it to dealer was not going to help you given that you had at least (if not more) as much knowledge on this car as they ever did.

 

I hear you. I recall doing this in my altima before. lol you are right about the age of the mechanics. I have a haynes guide for the max should it show in there what im looking for as far as a stable or fluctuating vacum guage. Also with the block plate and oil catch and intake spacers on the car will the reading be equivilant to what I am supposed to be reading. the dealer said that they couldnt do some test cuz of the mods to the air system and it not being able to display the correct stock values they are looking for.

 

To diagnose a plugged catalytic converter, you can check intake vacuum or exhaust backpressure. To check intake vacuum, connect a vacuum gauge to a vacuum port on the intake manifold. Start the engine and note the vacuum reading at idle. Then increase engine speed to about 2,500 rpm and hold steady. Normal vacuum at idle for most engines should be 18 to 22 inches Hg. When the engine speed is increased there should be a momentary drop in vacuum before it returns to within a couple of inches of the idle reading. If the vacuum reading is lower than normal and/or continues to drop as the engine runs, it probably indicates a buildup of backpressure in the exhaust. Remember, though, that intake vacuum can also be affected by retarded ignition timing and valve timing. What's more, some engines are much more sensitive to small changes in intake vacuum than others, so checking backpressure rather than intake vacuum may give you a better indication of what's going on.

(from: http://www.aa1car.com/library/converter.htm )

 

Thank you so much. Very good article. How safe is it to drive with the o2 removed or is it ok to drill a hole before the cat to buy me some time? If so how large and where should this hole be? Doesnt make sense that they wanted to charge for a back pressure exhasut test when they told me they had the rear primary o2 removed. At that point its just plugging it in to the o2 spot and testing. Shaddy. Compression shoulda been checked also.

 

I know search search and I did but didnt find all the answers. Also I got some smart people tuned in here. Is stillen headers still known to cause little to less power for the car? They are pricey as hell and have huge claims for the car. i found this http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-03...Q5fAccessories
Dont know if these are real or if there is more than one generation and I should be looking for a specific one.

On to obx headers, I read about having to relocate o2 sensor bungs or grind down some areas of the car to get them to fit. my question is wich gen should I go with and how the hell can u tell what gen without it saying?
How about these? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-03...item5addfa5a64

What should I lean towards?

Cattman said he doesnt have any and at over 800 its a lil pricey for me right now. I may consider buying a rear mani cat from advance for 250 and wait to afford catts.

 

For the intake vacuum test, you do not need to drill any holes. Use a T-fitting as I had suggested earlier.

You can drive the car with secondary O2 sensor removed but you will need something to measure the pressure using that hole. It will be extremely hot and you would need find a pipe which can withstand that heat. You might get P0420/P0430 code without secondary O2 sensors but that will not affect running of the engine. DONT take out the primary O2 sensor!

 

Thank you for the advice. I was thinking of maybe like releiving the back pressure for now before the cat. Like making a hole right right right before the cat. I know it may be loud but I wanna buy some time.

 

ttt

 

What brand of plugs did you used to replace your older plugs on 03 Maxima as I am ready to replace mine eventhough only have 65K miles on the car.

 

I have not done further testing or repair. It is very cold and it is snowing now. Not to sure whats gonna happen to the car. I need to figure something out. Will keep you guys posted.

 

Reasons I've seen 0300's caused on 5.5 gens=

Primary o2 sensors

Coil packs

Vacuum leaks

Maf's

Low compression on the front 3 cylinders from the pre-cat being wiped out & taking out the rings.

Don't underestimate a vacuum or unmetered air leak on these things either, they will throw a 0300 fast, a bad enough oil leak can be the source of it as well, pinch the pvc line on the manifold and see if the idle gets better.


Start with the compression test.

If you can recreate the misfire at idle then pull each coilpack 1 by 1 & see which one makes it go away, this is a bit tricky but if you really tune in you can tell when it is still there with a good one unplugged. Chances are if the car stutters bad especially around 40mph with moderate acceleration it's a coilpack. Like I said though, start with the compression test as it lets you take a good luck at all the plugs, but don't whine about the intake manifold having to come off, it's tit once the brackets are unbolted.

Pull the primary o2's and shake them, both times I saw it cause an 0300 it rattled yet the ecu threw no code

 

Thank you I wish it was nice out not the blizzard we got going on. Manifold is ****. The rear bracket is off due to nwp spacers installed . I am not worried about the manifold coming off at all. Its just tooooo cold. And it seems as I have a lot to look into. I have decided I am going to try to start off with obx headers. I figured it is highly likely this is the root cause of my issue and something I would like to do anyway and most likely something I will have to do down the road anyway with our really well designed pre cats. Once I get headers in there I will see what happens and worst case if the rings are shot I will replace the engine with a low millage from like an 08 max i pad. I am planning on doing a compression test while there. Hope I can find my gauge. I hate these dumb coils too. Nissan said they checked all coils and plugs and said they were good but I dont trust them to be half as smart as the experts on the org.

 

OK guys. So I disconnected my oil catch did an oil change and re grounded the grounds sitting over bank 2 (front head). When I did my oil change while the oil filter and drain plug was disconnected I detached the hose that flows air between both valve covers and used my air compressor to apply air and this dropped out some more oil and some gunky shi*. I am getting stressed out here.

The only ground location that they speak of in the fsm is on the front portion of the timing cover correct? There isnt any other ground location hiding under the intake?

I take it that my oil was the major contributor to my codes poping up. What would make the oil come out the consistancy of water? I just changed it today at 3000 miles and have had to add oil almost at every gas fill up. Please explain. Also look at my pictures. I think there is some serious issue as to why my oil is showing up like a milky buildup on my oil cap and in my oil catch. The oil catch looks like it only catches water. When I first installed it for a while it was actually thick *** oil it would catch and lately its only been the consistancy of water and very clear with a light brown color.

Take a look at where my thumb is at the oil catch. That is 3 miles worth of spirited driving. Thats a lot of liquid being pulled up for 3 miles. No clue why im sucking up this amount.

Please someone chime in. I still suspect the rear cat to be gone and will be replacing that or installing headers shortly then decide if the engine is shot. Any idea why the oil is like that and any other suggestions? The car has ran wayyyyyy better after all this was done. It only hesitated at high rpm once in about 20 miles. It usually does it 24 7 and also the idle has smoothed out some but not all. I feel like this is a tease for a short while. I am already considering picking up another vq from like an 08 to drop it in. I would rather not tho.

 

Other thing. I havent reset the fuel trims yet but plan on it. The thing I noticed is that after this work the bank one fuel trim appears to have been more stable. It still shows a number above ten for its long term but the short term at idle has been showing enough of a negative number to drop the total bellow 10. I believe this is good and what im looking for as stated by someone earlier in this thread. If I am right about calculating the total fuel trim then Bank 1 and 2 closely follow eachother at this point. The car runs a million times better and I would say that the max can now beat my 93 altima but its still not all it used to be. The low end is deff there but the high end above 3k rpm is not what it used to be when I first got the car. looking for any suggestions. I also need to find my vacum guage and see whats going by advise of a member here. I will surely keep this thread allive but please keep me wanting to come back by posting suggestions or even pitty post.

 

I am new to the forum and I have a 2002 Maxima SE with 80,000 miles. The car is great but I have had a recurring problem with it for several years which no mechanic has been able to figure out. Twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter, the car won't start. I get a jump start and the car is fine for another 6 months. I take the car to a mechanic and the mechanic checks out the car and says everything is fine, including electrically and the battery is fine as well. I took it to several mechanics and no one can find the problem. Now, we are in the dead of winter and the car didn't start twice in the past month. This time, I think it might be the battery as there was some corrosion on the positive charge side of the battery. So I replaced the battery a few days ago. If anyone has experienced a similiar issue and knows what the problem might be, please let me know. I would like to keep the car a few more years.

Thanks!

 

There is a special section for your type. Please hop off my sexy thread
Welcome but seriously there is a section. Good luck.

 

OK guys. I took a trip with the pain in the butt car. I managed to peak at 30.2mpg and after my 400 mile trip I am at 25.5 mpg. So odd that its doing that well. It was mostly highway but a bunch of city too. This is from our crappy on board mpg meter being reset before i left and driving highway mostly 80mph but as low as 60 and high as 90. So odd cuz usually I dont see more than 22 on similar trips. Also my top end still suffers in performance and also still stutters at high rpm. Almost looks like I have parkinsins.