here are my symptoms:

engine idles fine, smooth. transmission shifts decently for having 196k...

in the last week, its been jerky upon acceleration ..... only sometimes?

first time it happened i was accelerating onto the highway, somewhere between 2nd-3rd gear, 35mph -ish

real jerky like someone is giving alot of gas then letting off quickly, over and over

then i finally get up around 45mph and it smooths out and is fine.

then it doesn't happen again until the next day, and now it doesn't like to idle.

sitting in the driveway for about 3 min, suddenly died as if someone turned off the ignition, didn't stumble or anything.

i can't figure out if its the transmission or ecu or something?

please help, i don't know how much worse it might get.

thanks guys!

 

bad gas, bad ground, failing fuel pump, clogged cat, clogged fuel filter.

 

two more symptoms:

bad gas mileage (All the sudden)

gas smell from outside of car (no puddles, no smell thru the vents)

 

leaking fuel line under hood

 

how can i find it? there's no puddles and i don't see any spilling.
would that cause the seizures?

 

you check it by pullling the plenum, which as long as you're in there you replace the lines anyways

 

The way i found out my fuel line was leaking is i was looking closely at every like and i seen couple of cracks and the end of it, also i was feeling if its soft or its dried up rubber. Then i was assuming it was the one but wasnt sure. Leave you car for the night and when u get up in the morning start it up and pop the hood and look for a wet spot or go by the smell thats how i seen it. When its cold it expands and you would see a leak most likely at a cold engine rather then a hot engine. Also check under ur left backtire for a fule line which also might cause this. my fuel smell was from that i couldn't ever figure it out until i was in PA at Harry's u pull it getting couple of items and i went to feel up gas and it was quite lil neghborhood so no one was at the gas station and when i filled up full i heard some weird noise like PPPPPSSSSSSHHHH so i ducetd and i seen that the fuel line was spraying gas at my back tire hard me standing there for 30 seconds i have lost around 1-2 liters of gas and i was driving like this for 4-6 months. SO yea

 

now we all can read all this ish..(kinda )

 

is there a more effective way to test the pump?

i still can't find any puddles or leaks anywhere, and now the car has began shaking and idleing roughly.

it likes going at higher rpm's but doesn't like idleing or coming to a stop.

how much should a replacement pump cost? advance auto parts wants $300 for a new one, is that fair?

is it too risky to try a used one?

 

is there a more effective way to test the pump?

i still can't find any puddles or leaks anywhere, and now the car has began shaking and idleing roughly.

it likes going at higher rpm's but doesn't like idleing or coming to a stop.

how much should a replacement pump cost? advance auto parts wants $300 for a new one, is that fair?

is it too risky to try a used one?

 

If i had to guess... i would say your injectors just got PWNED biotch!

 

that was my other concern.

is there a way to test injectors?

 

I have almost the exact same problem with my 99 Maxima....the car feels like it's stuttering pretty crazy, especially at idle or with a little bit of gas. Unfortunately, I don't have any answers either!

Could it be a knock sensor issue? (Coder reader spit out the code for knock sensor for me)...Not sure if your service engine light is on.

 

no, mine's not.

 

neither was mine when my injectors were leaking, i would have a shop look at it... but its your money.

 

turns out 3 of the 4 major problems was caused by one of the cylinders not firing.

took out two plugs, cleaned, tightened, removed the connectors on the injectors and cleaned them as well.

now i got a smooth idle and the power is good, gas mileage is back to normal.
but it occasionally cuts out and dies for no reason....
fires right back up and goes. 1-2 times daily. usually on steep hills....

 

what did u use to clean the connections and how did u clean them? i have a feeling mine are dirty.

 

wire brush. same that i use on the battery terminals.

replaced the fuel filter tonight. didn't change much.

now i'm realizing that when she seizes and stumbles, i can shift into idle and rev, and it won't go above 2000-2200 rpm.

that tells me MAF, anyone agree?

 

yes. That rpm limit definitly says maf or a bad maf connection. It might be working loose for a second then reconnecting. Or just might be bad.

~Alex

 

Ok Im having a similar problem. My car misfired a couple of months ago but then went away the next day. Now it started again and it wont stop stuttering. I pulled the plugs to the fuel injectors and noticed green corrosion like it would be on the battery terminal. I used a precision screwdriver to scrape away the green on both the injectors and the plugs but the misfire wont go away. Is there any kind of solution I can soak the connectors in (Ive heard coke before) or should I check the maf next.

 

sounds more like a bad injector to me

 

After going to the jyard and buying a fuel rail with 6 injectors it ended up being a vaccum line on the firewall. Check all your vaccums and hoses.