Last Monday I noticed my automatic 89 Maxima SE starting to run rough intermittently and hearing a pinging noise also. I was running 89 octane gas. I switched over to 93 octane gas to see if the pinging stop. It stopped some but it came back. On Wednesday, It started normal, got down the street, ran a little rough for a couple of seconds and the engine quit. It never started again. I had it towed back home. BTW, the oil level is normal. The mileage is over 209K. The timing belt has over 28K on it. At first, I thought it was the fuel pump or a clogged filter. I do hear the fuel pump run when I turn the key attempting to start it. I was thinking, If the fuel pump or fuel filter is faulty, the engine should turn over, right? The engine doesn't turn over like its seized even though the oil level is normal. The battery is six months old and the starter is good. What else is left, timing belt failure, seized bearing on the crankshaft, ignition failure, ECU, .... Any comments?

 

Well I can't help in particular, but you can safetly rule out the timing belt since it would still crank, which you said yours wouldn't. I would start checking first for spark then fuel. Check the fuses and battery as well.

 

AHAH! Not trying to hijack the thread, but I can't post a new one yet and this is almost exactly the symptoms of the 89 I am trying to fix for a friend. I'm a pretty good mechanic (previously had an '87 200SX SEV6 and maintain my '90 300ZXTT), but this one has me in a corner.

Plenty of juice in the battery and starter spins engine fast. So far I have checked for spark (good hot fire), made sure the distributor is turning and a quick check shows it is at #1 on the cap at TDC. Checked for ECU codes (all clear). The engine is flooding (fuel dripping from spark plugs). I do not think this is simply injector leakage as it started all at once vs getting a little worse over time. Car ran great once day, started running rough the next, died, and hasn't started since. Ideas?

Actually, I see that maxrailfan1's seems to be locked up... that doesn't sound good at all. If the oil pump fails you could have plenty of oil in the pan and the crank bearings would be toast. No oil pressure, no lube wedge.... seize. Could also be a valve against a piston. I have seen timing belts shed a length of teeth but not break. Lets things slip around which is just as bad. If you only have 28K on the belt, the belt shouldn't be a prob. One question... was the tensioner replaced when the new belt went on? I had to do a timing belt on my 300TT because the belt idlers were not replaced at 120K. Bearings went out and started howling. The tensioner is identical to the one on a single cam V6 (did a belt on my 200SX, too). If the tensioner went, it would take out that timing belt, no matter how new.

Thing about these V6 Nissans is they generally don't quit running unless the timing belt goes or somebody runs them out of coolant. I took my 200SX over 250Kmiles then gave it to a buddy who put another 100K on it before the timing belt went (told him he needed to change it). He is having it rebuilt. The engine shop found hone marks still in the cyls and no measurable wear in the cyls or on the crank. My Z is over 150K and still has new oil pressure. If you keep the oil changed, keep a good belt on them and change the waterpump and tensioner pullies while you are in there they are practically indestructible.

 

take the timing belt cover off.........ill bet your timing belt tensioner broke, or got loose, so the belt slipped a few teeth.......

 

Yeah, but wouldn't it still crank? He said it doesn't at all.

 

if the engine isnt even spinning at all when you turn the key, check the starter and the wires going to it. Could be a simple problem but probably not.

~Alex

 

you soudn like you snapped a timing belt and now you need a motor.

 

It would still crank, try again.

 

"you soudn like you snapped a timing belt and now you need a motor."

Not sure exactly who you are talking to.

If you are referring to my problem, it might have jumped time slightly, but i really don't think so. It's definitely not a broken belt or chain because the distributor turns and it has fire at approximatey if not dead on TDC for #1.

As for the original poster's problem:

"The engine doesn't turn over like its seized even though the oil level is normal. The battery is six months old and the starter is good. "

It's kind of hard to decipher exactly what he means, but it seems to me he is saying the engne seems seized even though the oil level is normal and the battery and starter are new. That is definitely a jammed up valve(s) and/or the oil pump died.

 

enty of juice in the battery and starter spins engine fast.


thats what i went by i remember when my belted snapped my engine spun real fast. i didnt really read the rest of it.

 

he quoted you......think hes talkn to you

 

Hello. I am a complete foreigner to cars. I hope to change that with the knowledge in this forum. Is the motor a separate component or is the car engine?

 

the term motor is normally referring to the cars engine when used on this forum

 

thank you.

 

if the car doenst crank at all.... check your battery, if that is bad, your alternator may be bad also..... if the battery is good, hit the starter with a wrench and try to start it again... if you hear a "click" when you turn the key, your battery is probably not strong enough to turn the motor...... or your motor is frozen up...

 

Vans, when I saw you had posted in this thread, I had to read it. And then I was shocked that it wasn't actually your thread!

Vans, you are a backhanded testament to the VE. Even you haven't broken it yet.

Maxrailfan, I would definately look at the relays and fuses

 

I had a problem similar to that once but it was a loose wire near the distributor that was the problem. The cover that was protecting the wires was somehow knocking it loose. I just removed the cover and havent had any problems since.

 

i have a 93 , can you tell me where the ecu is mounted?

 

 

i have a few ECU's.. VE and VG motors for sale

 

thank you for the picture.
but i a missing a reference point.

also i do not need one ,i need to check the codes.

thanks

 

codes on a 3rd gen?

 

so it does not diagnose itself??

 

not in the way that a newer car does

 

in what way does it have?

thanks

 

Sounds like a timing problem, with the pinging and knocking before it quit. I think your engine also is an interference engine which could cause the engine not to turn over. Remove the starter and see if it cranks (can take to parts store for test). Was there any black or white smoke from the exhaust before it quit? Could be hydrolock from gas or coolant. Pull plugs to check this. If so the seal let loose on the injector or the head gasket is not gasketing.

 

it can pick up a sensor malfunction or failure (I forget which) but not the other.
A misfire or running problem sets no code

 

thank you ,

the picture has no reference point.
so ,is the ecu in the kick panels of the driver side or passenger side>>

 

center console stack

 

thanks....

 

your welcome

 

its got a blown head gasket or a cracked block..... there is oil in the antifreeze......but it still purrs like a kitten

 

Hmm, all of these dead/dying Maxima's are starting to scare me , my car needs a new oil pan and it recentley has started developing a squeek while turning....