CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

Hi guys.. i've been around for a while with my 3rd gen but now my brother's got a 6th gen and I wanted to maybe get a few thougts from the experts on some things i've noticed. I also drove a 5.5gen 6spd last week, and both of them seem to have the same tendency that i consider slightly strange

On my 5spd 3Gen, when I lift off the gas and push the clutch, the rpm starts to fall instantly so by the time i upshift, the rpm is basically right there where i need it to be. On both the VQ35 6spds, when we lift off the gas and push the clutch, the rpm lingers exactly where it was for 1.5-2 seconds and then begins to drop.. so we have to use the clutch to reel-in the rpm which makes it harder to shift smoothly. Is this normal? Or should something be cleaned/adjusted//something? Is this just the way drive-by-wire works?

He does have a P1273 code (a/f meter detected lean-shift bank1) that perhaps could be causing weird stuff to be happening but the code-free 5.5gen did the exact same thing. Also i was wondering... this "a/f meter" is that the same as an oxygen sensor? The person at autozone said it was the MAF.... but i know there are not separate MAFs for bank1 and bank2. The dealer said they replaced all the 02 sensors already, b/c it was throwing a code, but it still has the SES on with the P1273 as the culprit.

Other than that the car looks good, is fast as hell, and should keep a smile on his face for years to come.

redmaxpa007

iTrader: (21)

wow.. no responses??

[TexMex]

Yeah, mine acts that the same when i shift..ive always wondered. Everyone says my car is a bi*** to drive..maybe its just how it is. Yes a/f sensor is the same as oxygen sensor. Maybe the dealer didn't clear out the code, didn't install it correctly, or it may be a damaged sensor prior to installation. Stuff happens.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

thanks for the reply dude. i went ahead and had him clear the code, just in case. the code was already on the first time i ever saw the car running (after he signed for the title and whatnot, he came and picked me and our other roomie up so one of us could drive his camry back to the apartment.. but the other guy drove the car first [going back TO the dealership] and then drove the camry back, so i didn't see the SES light until he let me drive the Max BACK to the apt), so perhaps they just forgot to clear it. I don't hear any exhaust leaks so i think the sensor is physically installed correctly.

yea maybe that is just how it is.. i dunno, i just personally like a cable-actuated throttle so i don't have to rely on electronics to do what my foot can do just fine

what's your clutch pedal like? short travel and fairly high tension? i'm thinking about adjusting his clutch pedal just a HAIR cuz there's about 3/4" of freeplay at the top. the car's got 100k on it so it's certainly not unreasonable to expect that the pedal might need to be adjusted if it's still on its original clutch, amirite?

DeusExMaxima

iTrader: (1)

My clutch does it too, where the rpms linger. I have 91,000 miles on original clutch. Sounds like urs is about to need replacing. When I do mine, I plan to get lightweight flywheel and heavier duty clutch.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

i don't think that's the clutch's fault. I always push it all the way to the floor to be on the safe side. all the cable-throttle cars i've driven (basically everything but the two vq35's) drop RPMs the second you release the throttle. My 3Gen's original clutch had hotspots and was darn near down to the rivets, but never had that lingering thing happen. it's just that the ECU or throttle or something are lagging a little bit in terms of cutting air/fuel so the engine can reduce speed when we're shifting gears. I'll see if it lags like that when free-revving in neutral.. not sure if it will or not. We'll see tomorrow. I'll take a video if I can.

I'm curious how you've adapted your shifting style to accomodate that and shift smoothly tho. Can you shift as smoothly in your 6th gen as you can in other fairly-new manual cars you've driven?

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

i did not give u permission to wander into this forum




jk
hope the guys can help u out.

redmaxpa007

iTrader: (21)

BAN him!!!

po8pimp

Make sure your gas cap is on correctly. When I first got my max I was getting some crazy codes for the O2 banks. the rpm thing might have something to do with the Camshaft Position sensor. Not saying change them out but I would pull them and see if they are drenched in oil. If they are then that could cause it. CPS are known to fail in these cars. I have allready replaced mine. I don't think it has anything to do with the clutch to be honest. If the clutch is engaging then when it's depressed it's not engaged so that in itself should eliminate the clutch from being a cause. clean your MAF, buy some good gas, make sure the cap is tight, and check your O2 sensors for that bank for corrosion on the connections. Hope these tips helped. GL

digitalbow

I don't have an answer for the MIL, but there are two possible explanations I can think of for the deceleration differences:

1 - Regarding the throttle body - though it is electronically controlled (lag is in the single-millisecond range, so this is not the cause), the mechanical function of it is a bit slow in closing. The motor is activated only for opening, and it closes rather slowly when the motor is not activated (when your foot is not on the accelerator)

2 - If your other Maxima has a lightweight flywheel, RPMs will drop noticably quicker than one with a heavier, OEM unit. The OEM unit will take longer to wind down due to inertia.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

ah. i'll check the CPS. There's just one, right? I have some MAF cleaner in my trunk so i'll give that a shot. Might as well make sure the TB is clean also while i'm at it. I'll check those connectors too. I'll have him get some dielectric grease too cuz it's probably about time to start corrosion-proofing stuff anyhow.

Nice sig btw

interesting... is there a way to make it shut faster, if none of the other things help? I actually had a fidanza on my 3Gen but took it off cuz i didn't like the increased launch effort/precision required in 1st gear, considering it's really just a commuter car with a mod or three.

po8pimp

There are actually two Camshaft Position sensors. If you are looking at the engine from the front of the car they are on the right side of the motor and near the cams of course. They both have green connectors.

NiZMo1o1

iTrader: (45)

Could be cause its DBW related ?

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

do you mean that in the sense that something needs to be done/fixed, or "that's just how DBW is"?

Apollos2

iTrader: (16)

So is the 1273 code cleared then?

The MAF is installed in the intake tube and there are 4 other sensors on the car for air fuel exhuast.

Two AF (air fuel) sensors in the manifolds before that catalytic converters and two 02 sensors installed in the manifold after the catalytic converters. They are similar but NOT the same. Sometime people will call them by different names, it's almost better to describe the sensor by it's position in the manifold. (upstream/pre-cat or downstream/post cat)

P1273 says the car is running lean but if it's not modded I find that strange so it could just be a bad part.

I just had to replace my bank2 AF sensor ($115) Bosch part with a shelf life of 100k. My car has 88k now. My car was idling rough and even taking off you could just tell something was wrong, once we replaced the AF sensor it hasn't happened since.
Not sure how you can tell if the dealer replaced "All of the sensors" or not but if they did it should be under some sort of warranty to get them replaced again if you still have that code.
Bank1 is closest to the fire wall
Bank2 is near the radiator

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

for the time being. he opened this morning so i'll see what the deal is when he gets home from work. the dealer was supposed to have provided receipts for the sensors.. i'll ask him if they did or were still going to.

DeusExMaxima

iTrader: (1)

I beleive it is the ECU as well that holds the rpms. It can probably be reprgrammed out. I think a lighter flywheel actually may help that. I get very smooth shifts in the Maxima. I dont know that I have consciously changed my shift style to accomodate the maxima.

[TexMex]

Yep, mine is the same. Definetly was a workout the first day or so getting used to the clutch pedal..I heard somewhere that its a self adjusting clutch and needs no adjustment?? Haven't bothered to look into that really so don't take my word for it. Anyone know?

Driving other manual cars is still wayy different also, but you have to also take in consideration that a 6 speed is geared differently than the more common 5 gear m/t.

Has anyone put on a lightened flywheel and noted a difference on the 6th gen?

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

yea it's a workout alright. i just personally hate having freeplay in the clutch pedal, cuz it sort of obscures the catch-point of the clutch. I never sat in a brand-new 6spd 6Gen cuz all they had on the lot was a/t's when i went a few years ago to check out the 6Gens... so i'm not sure how much freeplay they had right off the bat.

also the code DID come back today while he was driving it. didn't get a chance to work on anything on it today cuz i was working on a different car. I'll see about doing a few things next chance i get...... the guy at autozone is INSISTENT on just dumping in some Lucas Fuel System Cleaner but i'm not so sure he isn't just saying that to get his promo-commission. Thoughts on the potential of fuel system cleaner alone fixing the code?

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

i looked around today.... by "right side" do you mean when facing the car? ie on the same side that the intake piping is on? with a green connector for the rear bank and a black w/ green connector for the front bank?

Augustus Maximus

iTrader: (6)

Three months ago I stepped out of a 97 max and into the 02 version...the first thing I noticed was that there is a certain latency to the gas pedal, but like anything else you get used to it. I'm shifting as smooth now as I was with my old one. The 4th gen has better handling too.

silver5andahalf

i know im bringing up a "dead" thread but i was looking around to see if the clutch can be adjusted. i just picked up my 02 6MT and the clutch engages almost all the way out, i mean i let go of it slowly and it does not engage until almost the end, is this the way its supposed to be? on my wife's car, which we've had for over a year, the clutch engages like half way, but on the max it feels like i will let go completely before it catches.

the clutch has nothing to do with 5MT vs 6MT or the gearing. The clutch is the connection between the engine and the tranny, whereas the gearing is just the ratio of input RPMs to the output RPMs. i had a '94 5-speed Max SE for about 3 years, and now i've been driving my wife's (a MS MX-5) which is a 6MT too and now the Max and all three are so different. Hard to compare the two Max's since i dont drive the '94 since 2006 (totaled), but now that i can drive the MSM and the max (both 6MT) on the same day i can tell you the gearing on both cars is way different, and so is the clutch.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

well yea, you can adjust the threaded rod on the clutch master cylinder where it interfaces with the pedal under the dash, if you want to adjust the 'working height' of the pedal, where it engages, etc. if you prefer a slightly higher or lower clutch pedal, you can adjust the rod and also the switches (which act as bound stoppers) to modify the height of the pedal, which i've done on my civic due to the pedals being waay too close relative to the steering wheel/shifter.


and i agree, gearing has nothing to do with the way the clutch behaves.. the 6mt is attached to a much more powerful engine than the 5mt is, so it makes sense that the heavier clutch is probably to handle the increased tq output of the vq35. my brother's car will be getting a new clutch this fall, and a lightweight flywheel, so we'll see how that affects the behavior of the car.

georgelv1999

iTrader: (1)

I'm just going to say your bro is lucky to have a 6 speed. I would love to have a 6 speed maxima, but the Auto isn't too bad. Just miss having that control.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

yeah. tho if he gets a better job he might sell it in favor of a 350z... we'll just have to see. it'll just be hard to sell it without people trying to lowball him on it, cuz it seems like nothing holds its value anymore. but at least we'll get to see how it behaves with a new clutch and a fidanza. the way he drives, and moreso the way he launches, is pretty conducive to a fidanza anyways.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

o and i finally replaced the rear upstream 02 sensor on sunday and the CEL is gone