Hey guys,
Have a few questions that might help me with my problem. I ran the car prety low on gas and then filled it up. Once I filled it up about 10 minutes later the car started to idle real bad to the point where it dies. The car starts no problem but idles real ruff. When I step on the gas pedal even floored the RPMs do not go up. But if I pump the gas pedal I could get the RPMs to go up. But even at higher RPMs the car does not run smooth. Once I let off the gas the car goes to idle and then dies. Right now I am trying to figure out my next plan of attack. My first thought was bad fuel but the gas station is an Amoco which they have good gas. So the first thing I did was repace the fuel filter. It idled real good for about a minute and then started hesitating again. My next plan was to pull the fuel out of the tank, get different fuel and see what happens. Just wondering if you guys have any other ideas what it might be. Thanks for the help.

John

 

any codes.?
Sounds like the maf took a vacation.

 

yep yep
cmon dont you guys do self diag tests to check for codes first???

And if you don't know its surely in how to's

http://www.reklessracing.net/forums/...3?t-13524.html

 

The check engine light is not on so there should be no codes, right? I am borrowing a code checker tonight just to make sure there are not codes.

I was wondring about the maff going bad by reading other threads. I have to check the book on how to check to see if it is working. That is another thing I have to check tonight.

Thanks,
John

 

Here is an update and its still not good. So I borrow a code checker and there are not codes.
#1 So so far I replaced the fuel filter and still does the same thing.
#2 I removed all the fuel from the tank, bought 5 gal of new fuel from a different station and put it in. Now the car will not even start.
#3 Looked throught the book for trouble shooting tips and followed them. The fuel pump resistance is where it is suppose to be. The fuel pump gets a signal from the computer to prime for about a second. I tested this with a volt meter. The fuel relay gets the voltage it needs and I also swapped the relay with a nother one and still nothing. I checked the crank position sensor and the ohms are what they show in the book. I checked the CPS because I read in the book that if the computer does not see the engine spinning it will not activate the fuel pump. Its a safety thing.

The one thing I did notice is when I was checking the voltage to the pump I seen the voltage go to 12v when it was primimg the pump but after that the voltage was zero. So when I was cranking it the pump was not getting a signal to run. Is it possible that the computer that controls the fuel system went bad? Could it have something to do with the car alarm that is installed on these cars?

So do you guys have any suggestions? I am running out of options here. I did not have a chance to check the maf yet but I would think it would throw a code if it was not working.

Thanks for any help.

John

 

I know this sounds dumb, but check that your spark plugs are in tight.

What you are experiencing sounds just like a problem I had a couple of years ago. I thought is was the gas, but one of my plugs was apparently loose. I ended up shooting the plug out of the engine, trashing it.

Best of luck.

 

"The one thing I did notice is when I was checking the voltage to the pump I seen the voltage go to 12v when it was primimg the pump but after that the voltage was zero. So when I was cranking it the pump was not getting a signal to run. Is it possible that the computer that controls the fuel system went bad? Could it have something to do with the car alarm that is installed on these cars?"

were you able to check the voltage while you were cranking the engine?after the pump goes through the priming cycle it will lose voltage until the key is turned to the actual start posistion.(part of that saftey stuff)

another thing that come to mind is have you checked to make sure the intake boot is not torn and is on all the way.

 

Well I only had time to check to see if I was getting a spark last night. That is OK.

The intake boot is not torn and is on all the way.

Also about the voltage to the pump. It gets the 12 volt signal when it gets primed but then nothing even when the key goes back to the on position. So I think it has to be something with the computer. Unless its the MAF or the MAP sensor. I need to check those tonight if the weather does not get wierd.

Thanks,
John

 

Check fuel pressure on the fuel rail.
Check for spark.

Your missing one or the other.

Unplug the MAF and try to start the car. If it's bad, the ECU will see "no signal" from it and run a default fuel map. (the car will run)

 

maybe it was just bad gas

 

did u check ur batt terminal? might sound dumb but when i first got the max it would get power when i turned the key to on but when i tried to start it it would seem that the batt was dead(no power at all). i checked and checked and then found (by dumb luck) that the terminal was 1.loose 2. the posts and terminals were nasty. just sand the batt posts and the terminals and see if that works.

 

Well guys I am at a standstill here. I am not sure what else to check. I did everything you guys recomended and everything seems to be OK. I even removed all the fuel and put new fuel in. The last think I tried is to unplug the MAF. It seemed like it wanted to start but nothing. Its not the battery because it cranks fine and I have spark. The only thing I did not check was the MAP sensor because I could not find it. But I am not sure if that would stop a car from running. The one thing that has me puzzled is that the fuel pump gets a signal to prime the pump but after that is gets 0 volts when its cranking and also when the key is on ACC. Something is telling the computer not to run the pump. Just tought of one more thing to try. I will try to spray some carb cleaner around to see if I have a massive vacum leak some where. I did check the hoeses but maybe this will find something. If not I guess I will have to get this thing towed to the stealership so they can put it on their diagnostic machines.
Thanks guys,
John

 

Try checking all the fuel pump relays and fuses.

 

If you run the gas too low, it is possible to burn out the fuel pump itself. The sending unit will still get power, but the motor gets heated up and tho it MIGHT still work, will not have enough fuel pressure to keep up with the motor. We have had some here at work that will also seem to run fine with power too it, as soon as it has a load (actually pumping fuel) it did not have enough power to it. Its a spendy piece, but one that you need to look at. The sending unit and actual fuel pump can be separated also, so you wouldn't need the whole thing.
Where are you located? If you have a salvage yard by you, you could see if they have a used fuel pump and see if that is the issue. Or shoot me an email and i can see what i can find close to you to try.
jeffh@johnsauto.com

Jeff

 

That is what I did. I ran the fuel too low on a hot day. I did check the voltage to the pump again last night and I was getting voltage even when cranking it. I do not know why I thought I was not getting voltage before when cranking it. Maybe I did not have the volt meter on the connector good enough. Well tonight I was going to disconnect the fuel line after the fuel filter and then run a pure bat power to the pump to see if it pumps. But I think you are correct, it probably is the fuel pump. The one thing that is weird is that I checked the ohms on it and they were in spec. Ill keep you guys updated.

Thanks,
John

 

Well I hooked straight power to the fuel pump after taking the fuel line off after the fuel filter to see if it would pump any fuel. No fuel came out at all. So bought a new fuel pump and put it in. Car started and runs great now. I love having the fuel pump access from inside the car. It is much easier than dropping the tank. So here is the lesson: even if checking the ohms on a fuel pumps checks out good, run external power to the pump to see if it has enought power to pump the fuel. The machenical part of the pump failed and not the electric. The second lesson: don't run the tank too low!

I also fixed my rear braking light problem. For a while now when I hit the brakes, the left inner break light would not come on but the reversing light would light up. Well somehow I noticed that the ground pin came out of the connector to the left rear light assembly so those light were not grounded. Pushed the pin back in and fixed the connector so the pins would not come out. It works now.

It was a good weekend. I like to thank everybody that helped with this problem.

John

 

Good to hear your frustrating and trying times are over. Thanks for the info on what steps to skip in case I experience the same issues.

 

My 01 maxima will not IDLE I just bought it and put a new idle air control valve in it today. everyone told me that's what it was.. NOPE they are wrong. it ran ok for the first 10 minutes but was reving at 1500.. now the SOB just dies at every stop.. I don't know what to do.??