hey guys, ive just had this problem, yesterday morning, my car started shaking when i started up the car and the cel started flashing not too long after that? i know the spark plugs hasnt been changed in about 5 years and the wires and distributor cap also, but could it be something else? where can i take the car to get it diagnosed without getting raped up the ***? thanks!

 

First, our cars dont have plug wires and distributors, they run off ignition coils controlled by the ECU. Second, how many miles are on the plugs? Plats are safely rated to 60K, but many people here and elsewhere i know have 100K+. Third, if I remember correctly, a flashing CEL is an engine misfire, so def. start with checking plugs, and if those are good, sounds like an ignition coil is bad.

 

autozone will read the code for free, but it sounds like a bad plug or coilpack. engine is missing and causing the "shaking" or hesitation feeling and the flashing cel means there is a big problem, like a complete non fire on a cylinder

 

Flashing CEL/SES typically means multiple cylinder misfire, which also usually means bad coil packs.

 

coils going or went.

 

most likely causes are:

Bad ignition coil(s)
Bad spark plug(s)
Failed fuel injector(s)

You can do the diagnosis on your own, it's very very easy.Start by pulling the code from your ECU. all you need is a flathead screwdriver and 45 seconds of your time. Instructions to do it can be found here:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=76800

Once you have the code and confirm that there is a misfire, you can look up the code in the link above and figure out which cylinder is misfiring. Standing in front of your car and looking into the engine bay, the cylinders are numbered like this:

1 3 5 (rear)

2 4 6 (front)

So, if you have a cylinder 4 misfire, for example, you should determine first if the cyl 4 coil is bad. If you need information on removing the coils, you can find detailed procedure in this spark plug removal thread on VQpower: http://www.vqpower.com/v2/readarticle.php?article_id=45
To check the cyl 4 coil, pull it out and shift it to cylinder 6. Put the cyl 6 coil into cylinder 4. Reset the ECU (again, follow the info in the sticky), and take the car for a drive. When the engine light comes back on, pull the code again and see if it has shifted to cylinder 6. If it has, then you've confirmed that that coil is the cause of your problem.

If the code stays at cylinder 4, then you should repeat the same procedure, but this time shift the cyl 4 spark plug to cyl 6. If the trouble code remains at cylinder 4, then the next step is to check and possibly replace that injector. But that procedure is a little more involved, so check the coils and plugs first and let us know what you find. If you determine that the injector needs to be replaced, we can help with that as well

 

well i changed the spark plugs and it stopped for a second, but then it kept on doing it again, so im guessing its the coil packs

 

is the car still driveable?

 

what codes are you pulling .... if you're not having the codes read, you'll end up replacing everything except the problem! (just my look on it ... take it or leave it, trying to save you $$$)

Autozone will read the codes for you and tell you the problem

 

these 2

0304
Knock Sensor

0604
Cylinder 5 Misfire

 

if i were you, I would take a look at cyl # 5. Probably needs a new coil pack.

 

yup what he said, coil closest to the drivers side on the rear bank I believe. (bank1)

 

Do exactly as he said. I had a similar issue when I first got my Max... swapped out the coils and it was still dead on the same cylinder. Turned out to be a faulty injector. Simpler than pulling the codes though is simply unplugging the coils one at a time while the engine is running. When you find a coil that doesn't make a difference in the way the engine is idling, you've found your dead cylinder. Swap the coil out from one of the known good ones and see if that cylinder that was misfiring before still is. If it's not, then you know it's a bad coil pack. If it is, then it's a bad fuel injector.

 

coach nailed it, see if the problem follows the coilpack

 

Give us an update on what happens.