Shaking, shaking everywhere...
05-18-2015, 04:09 AM
#1
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Location: Melbourne
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Shaking, shaking everywhere...
Hey guys. I drive a 2001 Nissan Cefiro (called a Maxima here in Australia, but it is the same as a Cefiro, not the Maxima's I see a lot of Americans talking about) which I am having a little trouble with.
A few weeks back, I revved it to about 5000 (trying to overtake someone, but it wasn't changing gear for some reason), and ever since it has been shaking uncontrollably, and has been a bit more gutless than usual. It isn't accelerating as quick as usual, and needs to be revved more than usual to get up hills that it didn't struggle with at all before that fateful overtake.
The next day, I dropped something off at a mates place, and asked him what he though. We popped the bonnet and he unplugged and re plugged in the air intake sensor (I think. I am not a car guy) and the first few trips after that things were back to normal. Then it started shaking again, and even though I did the air intake sensor thing again, eventually that became somewhat ineffective.
One thing however I have noticed is that when I park on a hill, facing up hill, the car starts normally and isn't shaky for the first few minutes.
It shakes a lot when the revs are low. For example when reversing, it shakes horribly, or when crushing at about 60kph. However when at a halt the shaking drops considerably and is barely noticeable. When it is in park, it doesn't shake at all.
So is there anything I can check or do to change this? The fact I am needing to rev it more means I am using a fair bit more fuel, and it is already expensive to run, with fuel prices the way they are here. I am currently between jobs, so I can't afford to take it to a mechanic until I find some stable work and have a bit of money saved.
In short:
-Revved it to about 5000, ever since then it has been shaking.
-Along with the shaking, it has become a bit more gutless.
-Only shakes when in Reverse or Drive. Doesn't shake in park.
-Shakes a lot more when revving low (like when reversing into a driveway or a parking spot.
-Is normal for a few minutes after starting after being parked on a hill, facing up hill.
Anything I can look for/do to fix?
Cheers!
A few weeks back, I revved it to about 5000 (trying to overtake someone, but it wasn't changing gear for some reason), and ever since it has been shaking uncontrollably, and has been a bit more gutless than usual. It isn't accelerating as quick as usual, and needs to be revved more than usual to get up hills that it didn't struggle with at all before that fateful overtake.
The next day, I dropped something off at a mates place, and asked him what he though. We popped the bonnet and he unplugged and re plugged in the air intake sensor (I think. I am not a car guy) and the first few trips after that things were back to normal. Then it started shaking again, and even though I did the air intake sensor thing again, eventually that became somewhat ineffective.
One thing however I have noticed is that when I park on a hill, facing up hill, the car starts normally and isn't shaky for the first few minutes.
It shakes a lot when the revs are low. For example when reversing, it shakes horribly, or when crushing at about 60kph. However when at a halt the shaking drops considerably and is barely noticeable. When it is in park, it doesn't shake at all.
So is there anything I can check or do to change this? The fact I am needing to rev it more means I am using a fair bit more fuel, and it is already expensive to run, with fuel prices the way they are here. I am currently between jobs, so I can't afford to take it to a mechanic until I find some stable work and have a bit of money saved.
In short:
-Revved it to about 5000, ever since then it has been shaking.
-Along with the shaking, it has become a bit more gutless.
-Only shakes when in Reverse or Drive. Doesn't shake in park.
-Shakes a lot more when revving low (like when reversing into a driveway or a parking spot.
-Is normal for a few minutes after starting after being parked on a hill, facing up hill.
Anything I can look for/do to fix?
Cheers!
05-18-2015, 01:39 PM
#2
I can't imagine what would make a difference when the car is parked on a hill.
What my thoughts about the shaking is that the engine is not firing on all 6 cylinders. You did not mention that your check engine/SES light was on. Is that so? Maybe you should get an OBD code scanner hooked up anyway and get the codes read (if any).
If the engine had a bad ignition coil on one of the cylinders, that should cause the check engine light to be on. But a fuel injector problem usually will not cause the check engine light to come on.
To check for a cylinder that is not firing, unplug the connector to either the ignition coil or the fuel injector (whichever is easier) for each cylinder, one at a time while the engine is running. If the idle becomes worse, then that cylinder does not have a problem. If you unplug the wire for a cylinder and the idle does not change, then you have located a non-firing cylinder.
This will not tell you if the problem is the ignition coil or the fuel injector. You can swap the ignition coil with another cylinder and see if the problem goes with the ignition coil or stays on the same cylinder. If the problem stays on the same cylinder, then you most likely have a fuel injector problem.
What my thoughts about the shaking is that the engine is not firing on all 6 cylinders. You did not mention that your check engine/SES light was on. Is that so? Maybe you should get an OBD code scanner hooked up anyway and get the codes read (if any).
If the engine had a bad ignition coil on one of the cylinders, that should cause the check engine light to be on. But a fuel injector problem usually will not cause the check engine light to come on.
To check for a cylinder that is not firing, unplug the connector to either the ignition coil or the fuel injector (whichever is easier) for each cylinder, one at a time while the engine is running. If the idle becomes worse, then that cylinder does not have a problem. If you unplug the wire for a cylinder and the idle does not change, then you have located a non-firing cylinder.
This will not tell you if the problem is the ignition coil or the fuel injector. You can swap the ignition coil with another cylinder and see if the problem goes with the ignition coil or stays on the same cylinder. If the problem stays on the same cylinder, then you most likely have a fuel injector problem.
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