Can you please advise me on my 2000 Nissan Maxima 3.0 V6? I changed all the spark plugs and all 6 coil packs ( I paid $70 for all 6 new coil packs on Ebay). On a cheap code scanner I still get codes P1320 (Ignition Signal) and P0300 (Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected). It won't idle without dying until after it warms up for about 5 minutes then it will run and idle but it still misfires and cuts out real bad just like before I replaced all the coil packs. I can smell fuel out the tail pipe. I hate being stranded at home all week. It used to only cut out when the engine was cold. For the last 6 months it would run real good than cut out and misfire for a while then go back to running good for a while. Now it cuts out and misfires all the time.

 

Cheapo coil packs usually don't work on VQs and that's not the correct way to deal with a potentially bad CP (unplug one at a time and whichever one results in no change, then you found the bad one).

Your issue sounds more severe than a missing cylinder. Can you go into more detail of what you mean by cutting out? A video (well audio) would be pretty nice, too.

 

Thanks for the advice Child_uv_KoRn. My phone will record audio but I don't know if I can get it into my computer to upload it somewhere.
Yes, I should have checked the forums first about cheap coil packs. I thought parts were parts. The new $75 alternator I bought on Amazon and installed works good. There should be a law against selling bad parts. I don't think the after market coils would make it cut out I think they just cause the P1320 error code and I could tolerate that if I can get the engine to stop misfiring so bad it cuts out,

By cutting out I mean the engine dies and or almost dies, the exhaust pops and rattles when I press the accelerator, and it has a big reduction in power and rpm's like maybe all the cylinders or more than one cylinder misfires at once.

Since the misfire is a lot worse when the engine is cold and has less misfire when the engine is hot after watching this youtube video
I wonder if it might be an intake manifold gasket leak since the intake manifold would expand with heat and leak less?
But is a vacuum leak consistent with the gas smell coming out of the tail pipe when the engine is running?

 

 

I changed all the spark plugs about 60 miles ago. It took me most of a day to get one of the spark plugs out because a piece of rubber would not let the socket engage the spark plug. I had to tape 1/2" cpcv pipe to a shop vac and unstick the pieces with a stiff wire to get then out with the shop vac..
I would have to drive about 100 miles to get to a cheap you pull it type junk yard with older vehicles. The junk yards around here crush every thing over 10 years old and charge 1/2 dealer cost for all parts.
I suppose I should do a compression check on it as soon as I get a compression gauge but I have had some really low compression on some other engines in the past but they never had a misfire like this.
If it has a vacuum leak would that make the needle on a vacuum gauge jump around?

 

I finally got the engine to quit cutting out. All I did was take out the mass air flow sensor and spray it with CRC mass air flow sensor cleaner and let it dry for at lease 30 minutes then put it back in.

My car still won't idle when cold but I think it is a vacuum leak since I have a P0171 bank 1 system too lean code.

I also have a P0505 idle air control system code so I am going to clean the idle air control valve

The $70 set of 6 new coil packs I bought on Ebay are still working fine above idle even though I still get a P1320 (Ignition Signal) error code.

My fuel trims at 75 mph are 15.

 

Just a couple of comments:

• Buying non-OEM coils was a mistake. Buy Hitachi coils at RockAuto, not expensive. Your P1320 will go away (and I do know what I am talking about here, had the same problem last year).
• Re. your P0505: You are assuming that cleaning will do the job?? That's a dangerous assumption; be aware that a bad IACV can fry your ECU. Read my note about ECU Failure Prevention (link in my signature, below) before attempting any repairs.

 

dang dude , nice write up on the ECU failures ! makes me worry but glad im 5.5 gen. dont think much of the write up applies.

 

@maxiiiboy, thank you very much for your well written and well though out guide "Preventing ECU Failures in 5th Generation Maximas
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6O...ew?usp=sharing
I saved it to my harddrive and will put it on a flash drive in case my HDD fails.

I had heard of the coolant leaking and shorting out the IACV and frying a chip in the ECU and did plan bypass coolant going through my IACV.
I didn't know about replacing the # 58 fuse which is 15 amp with a 5 amp fuse so will I make that modification too thank you @maxiiiboy

I had no idea that it had electronic engine mounts. I plan to unplug it but if water gets into the unplugged end that goes to the ECU could it short out and damage the ECU?

If my IACV goes out completely could I just rig a set screw to hold the throttle plate far enough open so that the engine would idle? I have a code scanner so I don't care if the check engine light stays on and we don't have emissions testing where I live.

 

5A fuse is not good - it will blow out shortly.
However, 7.5A fuse is OK - I have been using it for 3 or 4 years now.
I don't think that a "short by flooding" is a significant danger.
In either case, just tape the connector up.
I don't think that would work.
Just replace your IACV (here: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ac)+valve,6072), it's only $111.79.
You'll be then good for another 100K miles or so (and much more if you do the coolant bypass, as recommended).
Just remember to only buy the Hitachi part.

 

hey just to be perfectly cleeearrr. 10,000%.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...=1374533&jsn=1
the hitachies on rock auto are 10000% compatible with the oem standards of these picky little *****es?
because coils from the dealer are crazy expensive.


i'm getting a p1320 now but don't want to ruin this thread with more of my filthy questions.

 

Once antifreeze gets in the IACV it MUST be replaced . I did a bypass with the IACV working fine. But it gets in the IACV and can destroy it,slowly.

Mine burned out my ecu 300 miles later. Keep in mind did not have a IACV code,when i did the bypass. it even melted the IACV plug so bad it was welded to the plug.

 

You're still getting a P1320 code even using the OE Hitachi coils??
Interesting.... from what I've seen swapping in all 6 new Hitachi coils clears that code 99.9% of the time.

 

no no no. i just had a p1320. the nissan is garaged for now til i can work on it.
i want to be sure these coils don't trigger a code before i buy all 6.

but looks like they are the key. will order them for now.

wish there was a way to figure out which coil is triggering the code.

 

Grab a set from the junk yard. Coils rarely fail (especially if they were already replaced early on lol). And when they do...that's what junk yard stashes are for. I've never had one go bad

Hitachis won't throw a code, b/c oem.

 

I am just going to live with the false P1320 code since I am not getting a misfire code rather than replace all 6 coils on a 19 year old car with 180,000 miles. I have read that the P1320 code could also be from a bad condenser but most likely it is just because the ECU is not reading cheap the coils correctly.

 

Take a gander at the condenser. It's as easy to pull as your oil dipstick.

 

I just swapped mine out on Saturday, got it at the dealer. Ignition condenser fixed my car's p1320 code and stumbling idle

 

so to check the condenser you just ohm it out and see if it's the 0.43 or whatever it says on the thing?
if not then it's trash right?

 

To tell you the truth, I didn't even test mine. I followed , tested the wiring harness to make sure all were getting 12v (mine were 11.7, battery was reading 11.7), unplugged each coil and noticed no change in idle. Through process of elimination, I guessed it was the condenser and that fixed it right up. Took the car and put about 100 spirited miles on it after the swap, never a hiccup.

 

alright.

so i went to the dealership and bought one of those condesers for 14bux.
put it in everything was good. but then it warmed up and started to miss and throw the code.

it's not the condenser oh well... Guess see if i can find which coil is missing exactly.
last time it was one of the rears.
it would work only when i pressed the top down with my finger. replaced it with a duralast maybe 7 years ago.

 

Bummer. I was lucky that fixed my issue, but I was planning on replacing a coilpack or two. In one of the related engine code videos on youtube, a guy tests a coil pack using a testlight. He ground the test light to the battery, started the motor, and stuck the tip of the test light near the opening of the coil pack. The cp should be strong enough to send an arc about an inch or two away from the opening. If you need to stick the test light lead into the cp to see/hear the arc, you found your bad cp.

 

maybe an interesting tip for future people.

turnes out my henshin, probably oem, #5 is done
but only threw the p0305 code when i was unplugging them to see which one was dead.
it's retarded how long it takes the ecu to actually throw the dead coil code while the damn thing is missing.
maybe the p1320 is hold up something is not right prepare for something to fail.

figured out it was 5, read the code after just in case. p0305. oh gee, thanks....

 

Did you ever do a cylinder power test? Can do it with NDS2 (PC $60 + $15 VAG-COM cable) or Car Gauge Pro ($6 + ELM327 adapter $15)

 

VAG-COM huh? I only hear about those in the VW/Audi scene. You have a German car?

 

Nope, a Maxima. The VAG-COM chip does K line communication which Nissan uses up to '08 at least, and later in some jurisdictions where CAN wasn't mandatory

 

I still haven't replaced the IACV on my 2000 Maxima but its still running with a nickel taped over the IACV plunger to keep the throttle valve open far enough to keep the engine idling. The IACV keeps buzzing but I just ignore it. I will try cleaning the carbon off the IACV before I spend the money to replace it. I do need to bypass the coolant lines around the IAVC following maxiiboy's directions "Preventing ECU Failures in 5th Generation Maximas https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6O...ew?usp=sharing

 

Advice:
1. Use a 3/8" or 5/16" rubber hose from installing or removing spark plugs from down in the tubes!
2. An Ole school Timing light will help you find the missing cylinder!
3. Connect it to the battery and connect the inductive pick up around the coil pack connector pigtail!
4. It will pick up the signal and watch the light for any skipped flashes!
5. Once you locate the problem cylinder(s) swap the coil pack with a good cylinder coil pack and see if the problem transfers.
6. If it transfers it's that coil pack! If it doesn't move, swap the plugs next!
7. If it moves you found a bad plug! If it doesn't you have either a faulty injector, low compression, or an intake air leak!