A few days ago, my son's max wouldn't start. He isn't mechanically inclined, but spent a lot of time trying to find answers through Google. He was told to clean the maf sensor, so he did. It tried to start, but wouldn't quite catch. He then searched Google some more, and changed a coil pack. Car started right up, but now when he pushes the gas pedal, absolutely nothing happens. It's also idling a bit higher than normal at startup, and then after a minute idles even higher. Please help!

We don't have a code reader at the moment, and can't get one for a while. The cel was already on for some other issues that it had when he got it. I can't remember them at the moment, but I think I posted about it before. If necessary, I can find out what exactly they were.

(p.s.- serious noobies here, so please explain it in "for dummies" style lol)

Thank you guys in advance!

 

Somehow you need to get the codes. Without them troubleshooting is dam near impossible.

 

Hunch and WAG! The accelerator pedal sends a signal to a receiver that connects to the throttle plate. The throttle plate is between the Maf and throttle bore. As the plate opens and closes it allows measured amounts of air to flow through the Maf, through the throttle bore, and on into the intake manifold. I'm not very familiar with the Max. system but I wonder if your son disconnected any wire leads when cleaning the Maf. If so one of them may control the movement of the throttle plate. If that plate is not moving when you depress the accelerator then your engine will just continue to idle, and maybe not so well as you explain. Still important to get those codes after your son's work, not before. My dad always said, "Well son to get to the root of the problem what is the last thing you touched before your latest problem?" I still ask myself that question today and most often my problem was caused by the last thing I touched.

 

I had the same problem with my 2009 Maxima I had and it was the PCM (power control module). That may be the issue. I got my pcm off eBay for about $100 and had my mechanic put it in an everything worked. It’s like a square looking piece not that big. From dealerships and stuff it’s a rlly expensive piece but if you can find it off eBay or something they work fine too. You should look into that. Also it could be a faulty alternator.

 

how many miles are on it and what year is it? Is there any kind of warranty left on the vehicle? If there is I wouldn't have bothered trying to fix it, I would have just had it towed to the dealership.

 

Thanks for the replies! We've been dealing with a tropical storm and aren't able to do anything wirh the car. As soon as we can, I'll try to get the codes.

It's a 2002 with less than 150k. Probably around 125k.

The little bit we have looked up seems to refer us to doing a relearn procedure. Although, it appears that most people struggle with doing this. We may try that once we can get out there again.

​​​Does that sound like something we should do? Any tips on getting it to work? If we can't, is there something we can purchase that will help reprogram or relearn things easily? Since I eventually will get a code reader, I'd like to go ahead and plan to buy whatever other device we may need lol

 

You posted in a Gen 8 forum (2016+). Maybe the admin can transfer your inquiry.

 

Crap. I could have sworn I pressed 5th gen. So sorry! Can this be moved, or should I post again in the correct forum?

 

I went ahead and reposted in the correct forum. My apologies for ending up here

 

Let us know the outcome since we saw the original posts.

 

I will. I'm currently trying to find information about getting whatever I'll need to run diagnostics, and do relearn procedures. I'm currently on the path of Consult ii, and a vag com cable. I just need to know if
1) This is the best course of action for the money spent
2) Will I need anything besides these things and a laptop?
3) Will this help with everything I'll ever need for the max, like troubleshooting, relearn procedures, or key reprogramming in the future if needed?
4) Where to find trusted sites for purchasing, and will it potentially be here within a couple of days lol (Not sure if buying this type of thing from Amazon Prime is recommended 🤷‍♀️)

 

Small update. Here are the codes we've gotten

 

Hey, Mr. Admin........................................??

 

Dude, please look before you post. 2nd time this week. It's getting old.