A couple weeks ago my 03 had a rough idle on startup. This only happened two or three times. The rough idle would go away by itself w/in about 10 seconds and no issues after that while driving or at a stop idling. Few days later the SES light went off with a P0304 code (cylinder 4 misfire). At this point everything was working fine and the rough idle hadn't happened for a while. I was going to look at the spark plugs this weekend but the SES light went off by itself. My questions are:

1. Since the SES light is no lit anymore and I have not had any issues w/the car, should I take any action as far as spark plugs, etc.?

2. I was not aware that the SES turns itself off. I thought it always had to be reset manually once it came on. Does it going turning off mean the issue no longer exists?

Thanks

 

just an intermittent problem. i would go ahead and atleast take a look. it could start happening alittle more often until it acts up full time

 

if you haven't already changed your plugs then change them and change the front middle coil that's the P0304

 

Thanks for the input. I have never changed the spark plugs or the coils. Are the coils the same thing as the spark plug cables?

 

^^the spark plug is inside the coil when you remove the coil you will see the spark plug below

 

Any deals on Maxima.org for the spark plugs and coils? I'm not sure where to look.

 

I changed the plugs on Monday and today the SES light started blinking randomly and intermittently. For the most part the light stayed off but every now and then it would blink for 5 to 15 seconds. I took it to Advance and they read P0304 again. I don't know if the codes reset themselves on the car so I'm not sure if this is the stored code from the first time the light came on or if this is the new code. The SES light wasn't on when they checked. The car does run rough and feels like it wants to stall when I'm at a stop. Next step is to change the coil on cylinder 4?

 

That's what i would do. Have you ever changed the MAF sensor? Throttle body might need a good cleaning too. Just cleaned mine with the seafoam spray. It worked wonders for my idle.

 

I cleaned the MAF once a while back but have not changed it. I have no idea where the throttle body is. Is it relatively simple to get to/clean?

 

Since you are having misfire on cyl #4, swap the coil with the cylinder next to it and see if the code changes to the other cylinder. I'm thinking it probably will.

 

Good call, I'm going to try that and see. Thanks for the tip!

 

The MAF sensors on 5th gens are very sensitive!! Cleaning doesn't ever really help. They have to be replaced. If you look at other threads, others have said the same or had the same results as you. The throttle body is connected to the same hose that the maf is attached to. See link below. Also link to seafoam process. I replaced MAF and did this and my max runs like new and has a lot more power. So to be clear, you aren't getting the SES code anymore, correct?

http://www.moodym.com/maxima/tech/im...airbox-out.jpg

http://www.seafoamsales.com/how-to-u...oam-spray.html

 

Great idea!

 

I get it blinking every now and then but when I'm at a stop, the engine definitely feels like it wants to stall. I took it to Advance today and they read P0304 but again, I don't know if thats a stored code from the first time the light was going off and then went away by itself (I had it read then and it was also p0304) or the new code created when the light blinks now.

 

I would follow Dennis' advice before doing anything

 

Yea I'll swap the coils tomorrow. If it is the coil, can I get away with a replacement from Advance or is OEM the better bet. I was looking at this one.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...ignition+coil#

 

I have heard that the aftermarket ones work fine, but fail sooner than the oem.

 

Will the service engine light turn itself off if the issue that sets it off is fixed?

 

If the problem is fixed, the check engine light will go off after about 80 miles. You could disconnect a battery cable for about 5 minutes and this resets the light - sometimes.

 

Use the OBD2 scan tool to delete the codes

 

Thanks for the input guys. I swapped the coil that was giving the misfire (cylinder 4, P0304) with cylinder 2. I then drove straight to advance and had them scan again. Its now giving a P0300 code which means multiple misfires. Does this mean that the faulty coil 4 which is now in cylinder 2 created misfire there too, hence the multiple misfire? Or is the problem more widespread and I do have multiple misfires?

 

Did you clear the codes after swapping the coil? It could be residual code if you swapped without clearing codes.

 

I didn't clear the codes. That said, I was getting P0304 exclusively before swapping the coils. Now its P0300 and the technician said it was a pending code meaning there are other similar codes (I assume the pending would be P0304).

 

Clear codes and see what codes pop up after.

 

I couldn't get any auto store to reset the CEL so I just swapped out the coil that was giving the initial misfire code and car is running smooth. The CEL light turned itself off about 15 miles after changing the coil. I'm so damn glad the issue is gone. Also purchased a OBD II bluetooth adapter off ebay and will get the torque pro app to go with it. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

Well that's good to hear, but if you used one of the coils from an auto store you will have problems with it down the road...guaranteed. Just a heads up...

 

As in they are likely to fail sooner rather than later?

 

i've had aftermarket coils throw strange codes for no apparent reason, even though car ran fine. Other times, it misfired without setting a code, very erratic behavior.

 

Yes...and in some case fail VERY much sooner than later.

 

I'll keep that in mind. I was in a bit of a bind as I needed the coil soon so I got it at Advance for half the price of than at the Dealership. I knew ebay had OEM coils for cheaper, cheaper than Advance even but could not wait for shipping.

 

Do the coils all go at once or what? Today engine was feeling rough on startup. Few minutes later SES light came on. Its P0303. I won't be able to replace this one myself since its in the back. What a drag!

 

Yes, ignition coil packs have a mind of their own and can go at anytime, especially as the car ages. You can get one, or multiple. If you changed your plugs then you should be able to change out the coil. Granted you have to take off your intake manifold to do it, but it isn't a huge deal. If you have the money and don't want to keep taking your intake manifold off and on you can replace all the rear ignition coils at once and be done with it. This will probably run you around $300 to $400 for the ignition coils depending on where you get them.

Actually, I just took a look on Tri-Cities Nissan web site (they have the best prices I've seen anywhere at dealers) and the rear ignition coils are $79 a piece which is a great price.

http://www.nissanpartsasap.com/?siteid=216643

BTW...I noticed someone said for you to clean your throttle body. Don't do this...the 02/03 drive by wire systems are VERY finicky and don't like the throttle body being messed with.

 

I took the car to a shop to get the spark plugs changed. They charged $190 for labor and I gave them the Nissan OEM spark plugs to put in. I see this tutorial on changing plugs and coils: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/207643...-maxima/page-5
At initial glance it looks more complicated then I want to get into but I'll give it a closer look.
Also, I see some coils for pretty cheap on ebay. Anyone have thoughts/experiences using ebay coils? Heres one that says is OEM: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignition-Coi...c781a6&vxp=mtr

 

Resist the temptation of the price on Ebay coils...it is really hit and miss. There are older versions of ignition coils (non gray dot) which will end up biting you in the end. You really need to only use OEM obtained from a dealer or reputable vendor. I know the Ebay and Autozone sound tempting because of the price, but they will end up causing headaches and more money in the end.

If I were in your shoes I would honestly bite the bullet and replace all three rear coils with OEM at one time so you only have to take off the intake manifold once. It really isn't as bad as you might think it is....just take your time and keep track of everything. Personally, I've never removed a 2k2/2k3 intake manifold, but I have removed and reinstalled my 2k intake manifold plenty of times. The first time it took approximately 30 minutes to remove and from what I understand the 2k2/2k3 has less "other stuff" to deal with in the process.

 

Thanks for the info. I am definitely going to replace all three coils and based on your recommendation, will get nissan oem coils. I'll search around for the best price. I'll look and see if I can/want to do it myself this evening.

 

[QUOTE=foodmanry;8653463]Resist the temptation of the price on Ebay coils...it is really hit and miss. There are older versions of ignition coils (non gray dot) which will end up biting you in the end.[QUOTE]

I read somewhere about the older coils, red dots, gray dots. So which dots should I be looking for as far as the newer coils?

 

[quote=shobuddy;8653473][QUOTE=foodmanry;8653463]Resist the temptation of the price on Ebay coils...it is really hit and miss. There are older versions of ignition coils (non gray dot) which will end up biting you in the end.Gray dot coils. Any ignition coil you buy from a dealer will be gray dot. Again, resist the temptation to buy these other than a Nissan dealer.

 

[quote=foodmanry;8653655][quote=shobuddy;8653473]Thanks, will look for the gray dots
And yes, I plan to buy from a local dealer.

 

[quote=shobuddy;8653669][quote=foodmanry;8653655]You are welcome. If you can wait about a week you may consider buying from Tri-Cities Nissan. They ship out pretty quick and considering rear ignition coils are $30 cheaper on that site versus my local dealer I can imagine you'd see the same savings.

 

To clarify, the rear and front coils are the same part, right? I just called two local dealerships. One wants $135.05 and the other wants $142.75 a piece. The tri-city offer is definitely a great deal.

Was driving this evening and the SES light went off by itself. I'm sure the coils are on their last leg anyway.