po8pimp

So as some of you have read I was having an oil burning issue and recently decided to test out a different oil from 5w30 to 10w30 to see if it helps and 0W40 if that doesn't work. Anyways had a couple days off so I decided to paint the rotors and calipers, lube the suspension, change the pads, and rotate the tires. I did this in my Garage over a two day period and decided to test out the pads and everything so I took her out of the diveway and down the road. I got about a mile and a half and the car stalled. All electronics still on, no power steering and no motor. Allmost as if I was in Neutral with the key turned to ACC position. I noticed the transmission light, SES light, 5th gear light, every other cluster light on. So I pulled over shut the car off left the hazards on and shut the radio and every accessory I didn't need on, off. Tried to restart the car wouldn't click or anything like the ignition was completely disconnected. Shut it off and tried again. Nothing. Also noticed that once I tried to restart the car the CEL and SES light were NOT on this time. So I opened the hood and disconnected the battery for about 30 seconds. Got back in and it started up with no problem. Almost as if nothing happened. Going on 3 days now with no problems. I did some research on the forums and found guys with earlier models having problems with fuel injectors and spark plugs and MAF sensors and just about everything it seems causing the same issue. I guess what I am asking is could leaving the car in an area where there is high fumes like I did for two days cause the O2 sensor to read real rich eventually stalling my engine? This is all I could think of being this is the first time I have had a stalling issue. I had this happen in my 1990 civic lx but that was a distributor problem and it never restarted even after disconnecting the battery. Could I have a bad connection with the coilpack?

Machinist

No start condition may have been a loose battery terminal, which you corrected when you reconnected the battery

VigilanteMax

iTrader: (4)

except his diagnostic lights were on

Shoey1

still dosn't explain why it stalled. the car runs on the alternators 14.5 volts (give or take a few 10th of a volt) after its running. the battery is just for startup only. the alternator runs the car after that.

could have been a computer glitch. not very common but it does happen.

po8pimp

so you guys don't think the paint fumes had anything to do with it?

I VIK I

iTrader: (1)

Lol i think the paint fumes probally did more damage to you then the car. I dont think it should happen agian. have u driven around since then?

po8pimp

trust me when I say you don't know how correct you are. I didn't open the garage door because I am not allowed to work on cars where I live. Took a couple days to get back to normal. Knock on wood it hasn't happened again.

po8pimp

So the wood I knocked on must have been rotted out because it happened again. The messed up thing is it happened at the exact same spot under the same situation. Instead of the car moving this time it was stopped at the light probably 5 to 10 feet from where I was last time. I didn't realize that the car had shut off until the light turned green and I tried to press the gas. This time I was able to shut off and restart the car though. No CEL, no SES light. I decided to just go where I was headed anyway. I drove about 20 miles and parked the car at home. With the car running I opened the hood and wiggled every wire and cable and all the coil packs and got no response. Nothing happened. Car ran fine. I disassembled the intake and noticed the filter was a bit dirty so I cleaned it and let it sit to dry. Took the MAF out and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol. I will be buying MAF cleaner and a new filter tomorrow. With the Filter off I ran the car and placed my hand over the intake hole and the car shut off. No shudder from the engine, just shut off. I did it twice to see if it was just a coinsidence. Shut off again. I hope the combination of the MAF being dirty and the dirty filter were the cause. I don't think my car is happy with me. Any suggestions for what I should check out are welcome. I am open to just about anything that makes sense. I could be overlooking something important.

po8pimp

bump...

still no ideas... damn I don't want this to happen on the highway, gotta figure it out or this will be the last straw and force me into a honda or acura. Can't have that happen, please help....

Lovemycar

Dam thats crazy the first post you stated it wouldn't even click when you tried to restart but the dash was on this time you were able to restart and it's not throwing a code? you may need to have it towed to the dealer when it's in that state or wait to see if ses light comes on

po8pimp

So I didn't realize this but while my car was in my garage waiting for paint to dry I checked fluids and added Lucas to my gas. I used about 10oz to a half a tank. I didn't know how much I was putting in because I had the bigger bottle vice the small bottle. I did a search and couldn't find anything saying too much at one time was harmful but the bottle says 3oz to every 10 gal of gas. I put over 3 times the amount. Maybe I messed up by doing this? I am thinking about going and filling the tank up with some Chevron premium gas vice the stuff I get now. Try and dillute the gas a bit more. Reading online I keep finding injector problems as a possible cause and that would make sense if one of my injectors was bad because I am also burning oil. Bad injectors can cause both issues. I guess it's time to pull out the service manual and check injectors. Fun. Suggestions are still welcome. TIA

Lovemycar

But you siad it wouldn't even turn over click or nothing

po8pimp

yea after it happened the first time. The second time it happened it turned over on the first try. Last night I did some tech manual reading and found it might be the IACV intake air controll valve. I will be taking it in to nissan and having them check everything to tell me nothing is wrong.

po8pimp

I haven't yet taken the car in to nissan but I did clean the MAF and change the airfilter. I also wrote Lucas about my situation happening right after adding too much fuel system treatment, and they wrote back saying that I should add more gas to dillute the fuel and that should correct the problem. So Maybe, just maybe that could have been a big part of the cause. I did notice when cleaning the MAF that it was pretty dirty, along with the filter. I really hope this fixed it, if not dealership is my next stop.

I VIK I

iTrader: (1)

I use lucas in both my vehicles and overusing lucas doesn't cause what your stating. it even says it on the bottle. Now, buy the smaller bottle which is like 4-5 bucks and use that as a guide and use a bottle per tank. Thanks how I do it. ur maf might have been the issue, try using a diffrent gas station or type of gas also. and try running the tank low until you lucas it. I always use up most of the tank (less then 1/4 remains when I go get gas)

Domestic Violence

its not any additive, oil or fume. your problem is electrical, most likely MAF-related

madmik

iTrader: (1)

Check the TSBs. Some earlier 6th gens had occasonal starting issues covered under warranty(http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/TSB-publications).

Clean you battery connections and check you battery voltage when stopped (12V+) and while idling(13.5V+). The engine heat and vibrations are real tough on a battery.

Get a grounding kit.

The ECU has a fail safe mode. Even with many sensors disconnected (including air flow sensor), the car still start but runs rough (I tried it).
Some cams or timing sensor failure could prevent the car from starting.

Intermitent problems are hard to diagnose. Get a cheap code reader. When the engine refuse to start, read the code(s), then unplug the battery to reset.

po8pimp

See, all this is good information but to address a couple of your points. I checked the battery when idle and while running and got 12.6 idle and 13.8 while running. I have a grounding kit allready installed. As far as the MAF sensor, if it is not installed the car will not run. The car has to read air flow to allow compensation for fuel. When I installed my intake I forgot to plug in my MAF sensor and the car wouldn't start. I wondered what the hell I could have done just putting in the intake that would have caused it not to start and well found it disconnected. That's why when the car shut off the MAF was one of my first thoughts. I actually thought maybe the paint fumes might have had something to do with it reading rich and what not too. Either way the MAF was real dirty so I cleaned it up and replaced my filter. I will check that TSB though and see if that helps.

po8pimp

Not paying $720 for a year's subscription to view the TSB. Will check another site for the TSB.

po8pimp

so it happened again, except this time I have a SES light. Pulled code P0345. I will be working on it tomorrow morning.

po8pimp

so I went today and did everything in the service manual to clear the P0345 code which was pretty easy. I couldn't find really anything wrong so I went to Nissan and bought a new Cam Position Sensor for Bank 2. Before I installed it I checked all the resistance values and noticed there was a bit of a difference between the new and the old one, so I just replaced and cleared the codes. Then I went for a drive and did everything I could to break the damn car into two and well so far nothing. I really hope this was the problem. I talked with the service tech prior to leaving and he said they go bad sometimes due to oil getting inside them. He said the oil ends up shorting them out. From checking the old one I didn't see any short indications but I put the new one in anyway. Piece of mind knowing that was replaced and could have been the problem is good enough for me. Part number 23731-AL61A. Cost was $102.66 out the door. They had the part in stock which means that it must be a frequently replaced part. I had to special order a couple things for this car so far and to my surprise this one was there. If you experience the same thing I did with the car shutting off for no reason do the obvious checks and then I recommend checking these sensors if you can't figure it out. They are a PITA getting off. You have to push the green clip in and pull hard to get it to come off. Sounds easy but took me saying screw it I don't care if it breaks to get it off.

madmik

iTrader: (1)

Good job. Good write up.

TSB NTB04063
IF YOU CONFIRM: A MIL ON with DTC P0340 (CMP Sensor Bank 1) and/or P0345 (CMP Sensor Bank 2), and/or The engine is hard to start when warm, but starts OK when the engine is cold. ACTIONS: · If you only have DTC P0340, replace only Bank 1 CMP (Camshaft Position) Sensor. · If you only have DTC P0345, replace only Bank 2 CMP (Camshaft Position) sensor. · If you have both codes, replace both sensors. · For a "hard to start warm" incident, replace both sensors, even if you have no codes. See this bulletin for further detail.

po8pimp

this is pretty much spot on except for the climate thing. I live in hawaii temp is pretty much the same all day and night. maybe 10 degree difference at the most but 80 is about the right temp for winter time.

bored

just wondering where this sensor is located? i think it sounds like my car may have this problem. i did not get any cel etc... my car recently started having starting issues and then one day it went into limp mode, stuck in 5th gear so i pulled battery, reconnect and it drove home fine. i figured its cam sensor so i picked one up, but for the life of me cannot figure out where it is? anyone have a snapshot or a microfiche?
thanks in advanced...

lubricity

Well mine is doing the exact same thing. Fails the exact same spot on the road. But the second time it lit up VDC off light and check engine soon.

po8pimp

Mine is fixed now with the Camshaft Position Sensor replacement.

lubricity

Mine was on bank 1, fixed also

Maxy04SE

Sorry for dredging up an old thread, but I have a question for this fix. Two days ago mine had the same issues, would barely start up, when it did it had the SES light on, and went into 5th gear limp mode.Sometimes it would stall when rolling to a stop. After a good chunk of time wondering if the transmisison was shot, our mechanic actually drove with his diagnostic computer to the parking lot where the maxima was stranded and got the code P0340. After a trip to the parts store I had a new Camshaft sensor. Get in it this morning to drive, SAME THING!!!!!!!! Could it be something else causing the same one to short or should I have just replaced both?

po8pimp

honestly it might be both but could be that you also installed a bad one. There is a way to test these to see if they are good. Let me see what I can dig up. I will also check that code to see what else it could be.

Maxy04SE

After the first one was installed with no luck, the mechanic said take it to the dealer, so $120 then $340 later i have 2 new cam sensors, sofar so good knock on wood.

jetsfanez

May have to take to dealer.

bris04max

Some background- 2004 Maxima SE (135,000 miles), 5 speed auto has had the check engine light on once in a while, but noticed no issues other than the light being on. Used Mobile 1 since I got the car at about 20,000 miles.

About 6 months ago while on the highway, passing someone at about 75-80 and had this huge "thud" and the car indicated it was in 5th, and would not shift out of it.

Got a scan tool and got P0345 code. Replaced the cam sensor nearest the radiator with an ebay part. Ran fine for 5 months. Then it started to go to fail safe once a week, then once a day.

Got a cam sensor from Autozone. Would not run at all with this sensor. Put the ebay sensor back in and it ran, but went to fail safe. I assumed the first sensor from Autozone was bad, so I had them swap it for me. When I got the new one, same issue. Car would not run with the sensor in it. Would maybe start and run for about 5 seconds, but not idle.

So I bought another sensor from Napa thinking the ones at Autozone are not so great. Please note my Nissan dealer did not have one and really was essentially no help, so I will likely avoid them if possible. The same issue. Car runs for about 5 seconds and dies. Put the ebay sensor in and worked great for about a 10 mile trip.

Next time I drove the car (about 20 minutes after my 10 mile trip) the car will run fine if I reset the P0345 code until I come to a stop sign/light. As soon as I get about 10-20 feet, the "thud" comes back, and the car goes to fail safe mode and locks into 5th gear, which I believe is actually 4th.

I have sense realized that the ebay, Autozone, and Napa sensors are about 0.020-0.030" longer than the stock sensor. Also the stock sensor still allows the car to run, but it does the same thing as the ebay sensor does when coming off the line.

I am wondering if with 135,000 I should be replacing the timing chain and gears... basically do these wear out and cause slop to occur when I get on the throttle off the line? Yes big pain in the a--, but cheaper than a new car. Thoughts?

I have seen a few posts that the o-rings at the timing chain side go bad, but honestly I have a hard time understanding how these could cause the cam to become "sloppy" enough to cause an issue with the sensor on the other side of the head. Maybe I am wrong. If I need to replace the chain and gears, these will be replaced. Any thoughts on this would be great!

I am at a loss what I need to do to drive the car again. Any help would be great! The sooner the better so I can put this to bed. Thanks for your time and any thoughts and help you can give me.

po8pimp

Here I don't often do this, but here is a part of the service manual. http://www.mediafire.com/?f64bvs3b0386g4b Start on page 281. Please report back what your findings are.

bris04max

Thanks... I will check back shortly! Thanks for the quick reply!

bris04max

OK... here is what I have already done. Sorry I did not realize what the link was before I downloaded it.

This weekend, I had gone through items 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 of the check list. All are fine and show no issues.

Since I was searching for possible problems, I have also removed the ground that connects to the battery and then to the tranny and frame. That was 80 percent disconnected at the frame due to the wires splitting, from what I assume is from age and vibration over time. I also removed the smaller wire that connects from the tranny bracket to the frame and made a much beefer one that goes from the tranny bracket to the frame. I hoped this would be better than stock, and I am sure it is much better than it was before I started.

Additionally at item 2 of the check list, I thought this was pretty poor and tried to copy the idea of the "grounding kit" for this side of engine and tried to improve the ground here as well. However, since the engine ran fine for the first 135,000 I am not sold on the idea of the ground kit.

I would love to have a scope to check to see if I have a "flutter" during take-off to see if I am right about the timing chain and gears.

I have not looked at the cam itself, but assume that changing the oil regularly and not having build up elsewhere that it is not an issue. I will check this later and let you know.

Again, I thank you for your time. Additional thoughts would be welcomed.

bris04max

Any thoughts on my issue??? Is is possible that at 135,000 miles the secondary timing chain and or main timing chain are sloppy and messing with the sensors?

bris04max

Is it possible that a cam has slipped and is off a tooth?

po8pimp

No, there is no direction in the installation procedure that tells you to turn the cam by hand, so I would say no on this one.