hi guys i have a 2003 Maxima 6 speed and ever since i got it it gets soooo slow when it warms up, when its cold it goes great but prob like 15-20 minutes into driving it it almost falls on its face at lower rpm's. has anyone had this problem on here? i need to fix this cuz its starting to get annoying and i dont want to just start throwing parts at it. also there is no cel and no stored codes

 

sim the knock sensor with a 500K ohm resistor (or 470K if that's all you can find) and see if it's solved.

 

yeah thats the only thing i could find on it but nobody ever said if it solved it. where can i find a resistor?

 

Radioshack Or order online.

It will solve it if the KS is dead. Alternatively, you could just go to the junkyard and take the KS with harness and relocate it (needs to be grounded through the bolt). If it fixes it, then you're done as long as you don't run 87 octane.

 

so with this resistor do i just put it in each end of the plug and zip tie the harness out of the way?

 

I folded the leads up so it would fit tighter and wrapped tape around it to make sure it stays in. So, yep

I reset the ECU for funsies, but it should immediately make a difference.

 

the only one i found was a 470 ohm resistor. is that the same? did you put in the knock sensor sub harness or right in the main harness

 

If it's 470K...

It has to go in the main harness. The subharness only has one wire.

 

the 470 i put in did nothing. do you have any pictures of what it is supposed to look like. or a link from ebay on what one to get?

 

You keep saying 470. There's a big difference between 470 ohms and 470 Kilohms. Which do you have?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/QTY-1-OHMITE-500K-OHM-500000-102-1-RESISTOR-THICK-FILM-L3-/231618008724?hash=item35ed825694
would this work??

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2pcs-Vishay-...gAAOxyCepSb5Ab


OR WOULD IT BE LIKE THIS?

I JUST TONT WANT TO WAIT FOR THE SHIPPING FROM TAIWAN

 

Yes, that would work.

 

If it doesn't solve it, then I don't know what to try. No codes is pretty odd.

 

ok i ordered it, not to wait for it to come

 

Many 5th gen maximas suffer from this...and iv been reading of the KS being defective and the resistor fix for years. 1 of my 5th gen runs like a beast all around...my 6 speed suffers from this as well.

I just want some clarification, if i replace the KS with an oem it should fix the issue as well right (if KS is the real problem)

My KS may be one of the real reasons why my auto is truly "automagic" (lol) as its significantly faster than my 6 speed. Been ironing out issues with the 6sp since i got it.

 

I always wondered if it was just me, or if something was really wrong with my car. I have the same problem too. And it's only really the lower rpms. I thought maybe it was the fact that the tranny is only a 4 speed, but maybe there really is something wrong. If this really is related to an actual problem, will it show up on a scanner?

 

yeah my wifes auto feels faster and smoother than my 6 speed. its been driving me crazy! and from what i understand is the knock sensor is picking up a knock in the engine from the crazy pinging from using cheap gas. so i dont think a new knock sensor will fix it. its working properly. well i ordered it today so i will let everyone if it worked when i get it. if not its back to the drawing board

 

mine has no codes showing up. that's why this is the most frustrating, mine is also at low rpm's when warm.

 

Hmmm. Interesting. I've had my car for almost two years now, and ever since the day I got it, I've only used 92 octane gas. And I don't hear and knock or pinging. My car runs great and smoothly, but there's definitely a noticeable loss of power at low rpms.

 

i dont know if that is what is happening, but thats the only thing i could think of from what i been reading, same with my car, it runs awesome smooth and really fast when cold at low rpm's but when it gets hot its a huge noticeable power difference. I work at a nissan dealer and have asked the techs in the shop and they have never heard anything about it. its more frustrating because i dont know anything about it and it just dont make sence

 

Exactly. It's especially frustrating when I accelerate really hard and go crazy fast, and then maybe a few minutes later I try accelerating and it's like "what happened."

 

KS replacement was the best and most noticeable mod for my 95 VQ.

 

Might want to consider gutting your pre-cats. I'm having a similar issue and That's going to be what I do after replacing everything else.

 

I had the KS code on my 03 and while my car was at the dealer for some repair work they told me its not worth replacing because it won't hurt the car and I would still pass inspection. Doesn't trigger CEL. I don't notice any performance loss. Car is still very fast.

 

That's the funny thing, if it gradually gets worse, then you don't really notice and before long you've lost 75 hp and are getting crappy mileage.

 

so i got that resistor and installed it in the ks plug still feels crappy, maybe a little better but still not right i need to drive it a few more days to tell but i dont think it did much

 

update, i installed the resistor, it did nothing. i pulled it out plugged the knock sensor back in and it seemed like it was good to go. after talking to a tech at my work he suggested to use premium fuel and run a couple tanks. about a quarter tank in it felt better for the rest of the tank. next fill up i used regular and it was back to falling on its face but not as bad. also im not sure but maybe the resistor was no good because it was throwing a ks code.

 

The resistor was not working and it's a good thing it didn't. You may have had a lot of detonation using 87 octane.

Why would you be running 87 in car CLEARLY specced for 91 (and actually 93 may be needed when hot)? It actually means something compared to recommended oil.

The ECU has been pulling massive amounts of timing. Do you think nissan is trying to scam you with the oil companies? LOL It's possible that the KS is half-bad and is too sensitive. It's not hot, so I doubt it can be pinging much. Simming it still the easiest and will never matter as long as you premium. You can replace the KS without removing the IMs, but it's not worth the trouble. Pulling the IMs is easy.

That is a bone-headed thing to do, though. You won't save money using cheaper gas. You'll just get ****ty performance and worse fuel economy, typically. Usually, it doesn't result in this bad of symptoms when not summer, but some like to detonate easily (or KS is dying).

 

LOL yeah i should have looked that up first. i wasnt aware that you have to use premium fuel. i have had the im off a couple times so i know thats easy to do. possibaly i should change the knock sensor just cuz.