The thread title says it all. I search the forums the best I could and I even tried replying to a thread with almost the exact problem I have. I haven't been able to solve my problem however so I thought I would start my own thread and see if that might help.


I have a 1995 Max GLE. It has 217000 on the odometer and still runs great, or did until this problem arose. I took it to MIDAS (possibly my first mistake) for a tuneup. Since then it has been stalling. It runs fine when cold. As soon as the engine reaches a normal operating temperature I start having problems. When I'm on the highway it fine. When I'm driving down city streets it fine. As soon as I have to stop (red lights) or slow down rapidly it will stall. Sometimes it will start right up again but it happens almost every time I stop ones it starts. The few times it doesnt stall completely it will idle rough and when I try to accelerate it bogs down. Occasionally when it stalls it wont start for 5-10 minutes.


I found this thread with someone having a similar problem: maxima stalling after 3-4 minutes...


I tried replacing the collant temp sensor but that didn't help. I didn't know how to check the ECU codes at that point so I didn't at that time. Since then I found out how. I checked the codes and got an 0304 (Knock Sensor). I cleared the ECU and checked again and it gave me 0505 (No Faults). I drove it for about 10 minutes and inittially it ran fine. As soon as the temp gage hit normal running temp it stalled (at the next light). I limped home and checked the codes again. I got 0304 again.

Now assuming the ECU is correct I can replace the Knock Sensor. What I am worried about is that the darn sensor is like $170. I can't afford to spend that much cash if its not the root cause of the problem.


What I need to know is, Could a faulty knock sensor be causing this trouble, and if so ... where online or locally (denver) can I find the part for under $170?

If you think the problem could be cause by something else (I understand I should replace the Knock Sensor anyway) what else could it be? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Anyone have any info on this?

 

I'm experiencing a similar problem in my 96 SE. It only dies when i take my foot off the gas decelerating and only occassionally. It also is a little more difficult to start after this happens. I am going to to replace the fuel filter cause it probably needs it anyway and it could be partially plugged starving for gas when the vaccuum drops off. Also I get poor gas mileage and the fuel filter is a possible cause of that too.

I haven't checked my codes but I'll do that also.

 

I'm gonna say it could be your coolant temp sensor.... check it out.

 

I already replaced the coolant temp sensor.

 

It could be your air idle control sensor which is on the air idle control assembly on the upper intake behind the throttle body. There are two sensors, try taking those off and cleaning them or take that whole assembly off and clean it with carbuarator cleaner. If that doesn't work there is a black plastic adjuster screw on your air idle control(on the top) turn that and that is a ghetto way to fix your idle,make sure you turn to he left with the adjuster screw. Good luck -change your fuel filter too!

 

I had this same problem w/ my 96 I-30. I replaced everything under the sun and nothing fixed it. The only remedy to the problem was to sell it, which I did.

 

Actually I am not having any problems with the idle. It idles beautifully until it warms up. Even then it idles fine until it stalls of course.


Dunno what to do. I havent replaced the knock sensor yet. That will have to wait a week. I'll just have to drive the wifes burb until then. If I was to toally remove the Knock Sensor ... would I get the same results? I assume I would if the problem with the KC was an open.

My question is .. why would a knock sensor work fine when the engine is cold .. yet fail or cause this problem when the engine is warm? It doesn't make sense to me.

 

What I would do is test your knock sensor first to see if it is bad because they run $170 and if it wasn't bad thats a lot of money to waste. Heres how to do it:

How to test knock sensor - The KS may be checked with an ohmmeter.

1) Raise the hood. View the engine from the driver's fender. Look into
the deep valley between the cylinder banks and below the intake manifold.
Identify the KS as a black item fastened to the block by a single vertical
bolt. A wire harness wrapped in black leads toward you, out of the valley.
That is the KS sub-harness.

2) Follow the KS sub-harness to it's nearest connector. This is connector F121.
It is located near the upper right-hand corner of the valve cover of the forward cylinder bank, as viewed from the front of the car.

3) Disconnect F121. You have to do a "press the latch and wiggle and
pull" to disconnect it. F121 has only two pins; if you see more than two
pins, you have the wrong connector. Use a digital ohmmeter capable of
measuring more than 10 Megohms. You want to measure the pins of F121, not
the sockets of the matching connector. Measure the resistance between a
good ground (such as the battery negative terminal) and pin #2 of connector
F121. On my car this is the highest of the two pins, the one closest to
the front of the car. The factory spec is 500 - 620 Kohms.

 

I saw that info on the FAQ I think. I have a multimeter I can use to check this. I was curious about one thing. I am measuring the pins on the connector that is connected to the KS and not the part where it connects to the rest of the wiring harness correct?

The knock sensor itself has a connector .. this doesn't refer to that but the next connector down the cable from that. Unplug it from the harness and measure the KS there? I am assuming this is to enable me to test the KS without having to remove it?

 

has this been a problem before you took it to midas to get a tune up? maybe thats the reason why you wanted a tune up? if your max didnt act like that before you went to midas, go back and complain like hell. since your car wants to die out or dies out when you come to a stop i would guess you have a vaccum leak, i could be wrong. also if you just got a tune up i couldnt be your gas filter, because that should have been changed.

 

There was no problem at all before the tune up. I didn't own the car actually when it was taken in for the tune up. The owner who took it there did take it back and they are not atributing this to the tune up. They wanted to charge him more money to diag the trouble and then more to fix it. Which ... is why he decided to sell it to me. So now its my problem.

The car is beautifull. Its a 95 GLE (Dark Blue - Black Leather) and he sold it to me for $1500 to avoid having to bother with the repairs.

As far as the vacuum leak goes ... I have to ask the same question I have been asking. Why would it only stall after the engine warms?

 

---UPDATE---

Ok. I went and bought the Knock Sensor today. ($160) I installed it and cleared my ECU. I read 0505 (No Faults). I drive it for about 10 minutes and no stalling. I start thinking hell yeah and decide to head home.

I get a block away from home and it starts to sputter. SO I go around the block a few times and sure enough it starts to sputter at stop signs. I pull into my driveway and slowly pull up to my spot. About 10 feet before I get there ... it dies.

SO ... Replaced ECTS and the KS and its still stalling. This time I check my ECU and find it still reads 0505 (No Faults).

What could it be? Please! Please! Please! What could it be?

 

Think going with nissan spark plugs would help?

 

A frirned of mine had a simmilar problem but on his 3rd gen now im not sure that this might be the case but u might want to give it a try the problem that he had was one of the connectors comming into the ecu was grounding and he was experiansing simmilar problems , he took it to so many mechanics no one could of feguared it out so he took a look at the one of the connecting wire harneses to the ecu he replaced it now he gets no porblems , my sugestions i have a extra ecu connector at home u can have it just pay for shipping but like i said this is a possible problem there is not acuatial way to diagnose it
ps dont mind the spelling

 

I would try anything. Although I have to ask ... why.

Why would that fix this problem? Why would the engine stall only when warm if the problem was the sparg plugs?

 

Well spark plugs should not be the case if ti was ud have a misfire and since you dont thats not the case worse come to worse get a multimiter and measure the resistence of ur coil paks, but its defenatly not the case here

 

I didn't think spark plugs would do it either. But If someone could explain why I guess I would try it.

Any other ideas? Someone sugguested the MAF sensor. Where is that and how can I test it? I'll check FAQs for into. If someone has that info I would appreciate it.

 

If the maf sensor would be bad you would have bad idle , thats from my knogladge um wat u can try and do is get a hold of the factory repair manual they tell u the resistence and voltage for the maf

 

Thanks for that info. I don't think its the MAF then because the car idles beautifully. Even when it reached opperating temp it still idles well until it stalls.

 

I had the exact same problem, I tried everything to fix it nothing worked. I replaced the fuel filter last night and havent had a problem since. Try replacing it, it was a 10 dollar fix!

 

Really? I'll try that right now.

 

How did you come to the $10 figure. I just priced the fuel pump at Checker. I know they are high for most parts but their price was $160

If you know where I can get one for $10 .. PLEASE .. let me know.

Oh .. you said filter. I read Pump ... lol. My Bad

 

Did that work for you?? Or was it a no go?

 

when the car starts up when its cold, the rpms are higher than usual, so it is sucking in more air. when the engine is warm the rpms at idle are lower, i think that is the difference. this may be your problem.

 

I didn't get a chance today. I went off to replace the fuel pump and found it to be $160. As soon as I picked up my jaw ... I went back home and reread the thread. I then decided to call it a day since I have to work nights and hadn't slept yet.

I'll let you know tomorrow. Gonna put my fuel pump back in .. and replace the filter and see how that goes.

 

Replaced the fuel filter. Stalled once. I drove it immediately to the gas station and put in a bottle of injector cleaner (STP) and I filled the tank. I drove it for another 10 minutes and it stalled again. Its doing it alot less now but its still doing it.


Help.

---UPDATE---


I kept driving. Stalled a few times. Now I'm getting 0503. Front O2 Sensor (Right Side).

Would a bad O2 Sensor cause it to stall? Any why the hell am I gett different Codes now?

 

Yes the O2 sensor is the problem! When i got my 95 dark green gle, the first thing that happened to it was the o2 sensor. I was stalling out at lights and had to crank it back up in Nuetral and keep it revved. As soon as i had the o2 sensor replaced, I had no more problems with it.
Good Luck,
SupaFly

 

OK ... I'll try that next.

I'll report the results tomorrow.

 

Replaced both front O2 Sensors. No change.

 

could be TONS of things... engine coolant temperature sensor, mass airflow sensor, crankshaft position sensors, spark plugs, it could be your battery... i had the same problem months ago... turned out to be the fuel injectors... but i doubt thats your problem. also, two of my O2 sensors werent responding...

 

i am willing to bet that there is nothing wrong with any sensors in your car.. i have two words for you COIL PACKS.. i would bet money that you have at least one, or more, bad coil packs in your car.. probably only one though.. i have the same thing happen with mine, only did it when it was warm, never when it first started.. if you put it in gear, held the brake, it feels like a series of bumps or thuds. wasnt bad at first but kept gettin worse.. when id take off from a light it would studder bad, stalled a couple times, but i figured out what it was within a few days.. the reason it only does it when the motor warms up, is cause the packs warm up.. it wont throw off any codes, becuase the cylnder still fires, but misfires, or archs, so the computer does not detect the problem.. each cylinder has its own pack, the front 3 and the back 3 are different, so theres two different kinds, and no easy way of knowing what one is bad.. if you brought the car to nissan, they would change all 6, and hit you with a $600 bill.. the ones they replace them with are a different design, becuase there is a known problem with the coil packs going bad on our cars. each one cost about $100, and you cannot return any.. so you can do a few things... buy one new one, either a front or back, and keep changing one at a time to see it theres any difference. lets say you buy one new front one, swap it out with a front, start it let it warm up, see it theres a difference, no difference, swap it with the next one.. try all 3 fronts.. no difference, then its a back one.. then you gotta play the game all over again.. or you can do what i did.. just bought all 6 from a junked car for 100, changed all front 3, wasnt a difference, then changed all back 3.. and that did it.. the bad one on mine was the back drivers side one. (hardest one to get to of course).. funny thing.. mine went bad the day i got it back from a tune up too..

 

doubt its knock sensor causing that, and knock sensors go for about $95 on ebay.

 

Mine doesnt stall when its cold. Only when its warm. Are there any diagnostic methods to determine a bad coil without having to replace them?


Well thanks but that doesn't matter now anyway. The first thing I did was replace the ECTS and then the Knock Sensor. I still have the problem.

 

check your tranny fluid level too, and any loose or broken electrical connectors by your maf.

 

Sorry to hear about all your troubles. The ignition coils may be the problem. They can cause a rough idle. They are about $60 a piece.

I'd try some other things before changing them. Clean the crank sensors, Clean the throttle body, and check the spark plugs.

The crank sensors prevent the car from stalling.

For the time being, try putting your car in neutral whenever at a stop and keep the rpm's up if needed by stepping on the gas a bit.

Good luck. I've got some similar problems, but not as extreme as yours.

 

Still troubleshooting. I'm about another $50 part from sending it to the scrapyard.

 

Still have not resolved this problem. Found a few new posts with people having similar problems and all sorts of recomendations getting tossed around.


I haven't tried replacing any coil packs yet. If the problem is or could be the coils, woulnd't I get a CEL?

 

How odd it feels to quote myself ... but reading this made me wonder:

Would a bad coil pack cause the gas smell everytime I get out of my car? I read someone elses post about this and wondered if it might be the same thing with my trouble. When I turn the engine off and get out of the car I get a reall strong smell of gas (I assume from the exhaust).

 

i had a P0505 code myself (no fault), however, the Haynes book shows AICV (air idle control valve) fault. my idle is up and from 500-2000. i took it out and cleaned it, but it looked baked so i ordered the parts from Peak Nissan on Fri. will let you know if that solves any probs. i to had fuel smell and similar symptoms.