Well, it finally happened to me where I received the P0505 and idling high and then drop at some points. Did some research and 99.9% all pointed to IACV which also burnt out the ECU as I noticed a burnt wire smell inside the vehicle about 5 minutes after the idling went crazy. I have a 2K1 AE auto, has been pretty good to me for the most part and just recently passed (barely snuck by) emissions as I used to keep getting P0440's. But now the dreaded IACV and ECU trouble is in my presence. I don't really want to throw thoousands of dollars at it as I was hoping to have this Max last about another year or two without any more big trouble. Seems like that will not be the case now. Just wondering if anyone has had recent experience with this and about what price range they've seen? parts and labor? Seems like it's a dealer only job to reprogram ecu for keys as well. Headaches!

Thanks in advance,

 

I just dealt with this problem and still kinda am. Best thing to do is find a ECM on car-part.com. You can find them from $80+. Then get a IACV from Dave B (do a search you'll find him easily). Finally install the IACV and ECM yourself and see if you can get your car towed there. Usually somebody knows someone who is a tow-truck driver.

 

I remember a thread about repairing the ECU yourself. The IACV causes an integrated circuit to burn up and the poster found a source for the chip. Makes the job fairly inexpensive. I'll try to find the thread.

Was surfing the web and I was on a site for a place that repairs your ECU for about $130.

 

Ah yeah forgot about that. I have the links and the guys # if you want them. On cell phone now, but can get them on here tomorrow if nobody beats me to it.

 

I did some searching and found this thread. I have 'highlighted' some posts that I think are 'must reads'. You should read the whole thing though.

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...d-seconds.html

post # 5 explains what the chip does.
post # 27 has an ECU picture with a fried chip.
post # 29 has photos of the repair process.
post # 38 has photos of fuses being added to the ECU.
post # 70 states ecu repaired for $70 by autoecu.com
post # 78 states 2 places were the chip were bought.
post # 86 is another ECU repair place that charges $160.
post # 93 guy has a 2000 Infinity I30T & his ECU is slightly different.
post # 98 another guy with a 2000 Maxima has same ECU as infinity.

 

I been also keeping an eye on this problem and noticed that it mostly happends to the 01 models for some reason

 

Thanks to all - very helpful info- I will try to look around to find a low price on the ECU. I spoke to Dave B the other day too and mentioned to him my troubles and he explained a new ECU and IACV would definitely be needed to cure the problem. I guess this can be caused by coolant leaking into the IACV but how would that happen? Does that mean the TB needs to be replaced also?

 

Hey Bluemax,

from what I read it was an issue Nissan knows about and never did anything about it. The IACV goes bad and then sends a signal frying the chip on the ECM. What you should do is make sure your ECM is fried by taking it out and inspecting it. Then you can go spend the $ on one. I called this guy before I found a local one on car-part.com.

http://www.avproecm.com/

He's already gotten a couple of Maxima ECMs so he knows whats up and turn around time is pretty quick. Good luck and update so we can try to help.

 

im going through same thing with 01 had ecm rebuilt,new iacv,tps idles perfect at 700,trottle will go to 1800 rpm and start surging up and down people have said unplug motor mounts,how many mount have plugs,im going to have to take my ecm back out and check it

 

Thanks ae01maxine! If I send my ecm to be rebuilt at avproecm, do you know off hand if the ecm will need to be reprogrammed for the keys? or will just the idle relearn process need to be done at the dealership? I'm thinking if I do send my ecm for repair and order a new IACV and have my mechanic install IACV and my rebuilt ecm, perhaps the vehicle should start up at least allowing me to drive it to the dealership to possibly just perform the idle relearn. Is there usually any other parts that need to be replaced along with IACV and ecm at the same time? I've seen people mention they had replaced iacv, ecm and tps.

Thanks and will keep you posted.

 

Hey Blue,

If you get your ECM repaired via the link it will be plug/play so your keys will still work. Also, if you have a FSM (factory service manual) it will show you how to do the idle relearn manually.

 

Thanks - good to know!

 

not.

 

So, recently bought this high mileage 2000 Nissan Maxima (180k) but it seems to be in great shape. First thing I noticed was the humming/buzzing when changing gears or after care was stopped. After searching through maxima.org I found out about the motor mounts and disconnected those. No more buzzing. It also had several CEC codes activated regarding 02 sensors so I ran a can of Sea Foam through the gas tank and drove the car "spiritedly" for a few days. No more 02 codes. But now I do have the P0505 and P1130 codes which seems to indicate an IACV problem. But I don't have any of the idle problems/symptoms that others have mentioned. This car starts, idles, and drives like a champ when cold, warm, whenever. Should I go ahead and try to clean the IACV and/or TB? I found this tutorial over at nicoclub.
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/cle...rol-valve.html
Are these steps ok to follow? Any other recommendations?

 

The 0505 is a ghost code and if you arent experiencing any problems I would be careful. You can clean the IACV or get a new one but so many people seem to get more troubles after doing the TB and IACV cleaning....

 

I wouldn't exactly call the P0505 a ghost code bro. Right off the bat you'll notice the car idling at 1100RPM with no drop to 750RPM. And while in DRIVE or in gear, with your foot off the accelerator the idle can go as low as 500RPM (lower even) and can result in a stall condition.

The fix can be expensive at the dealer - more than what the car's actually worth. So try to fix as much as you can by yourself.

 

Hmm good info in this thread. I am fighting this 0505 code also.

I haven't heard about people having more issues after cleaning though??? That was going to be my first attempt at repair, dealer in Canada wants $400 + tax for the IACV.

And ghost code?? My SES is lit up for it, reads clear as can be, what's ghost about that? Also, my idle is perfect and the car runs great.

 

Tuner, check the other post. The 0505 starts as a 'Pending' DTC and the idle gets messed once it becomes a 'Current' or 'Active' DTC. New eBay IACV will run you about $150 shipped - go that route.

 

I see what you mean about the ghost code comment then, but it's not a ghost code. A true ghost code will not throw a SES at all, regardless. The 4th gen Knock Sensor is a perfect example.

In either case, I have an ACTIVE SES for the P0505, and have for quite some time with no idle issues.

 

I also had the same problem, same car 01 maxima 20th anniversary. You have to do the work yourself, its the only cheap way. First, i bought a IAC valve for 200 something from new jersey autoparts (cheapest found). Then i bought a 01 maxima ECM from ebay for 125 and got it programmed for 50 from a friend at nissan. Note: The ECM you need has to come from a 01 model maxima. If you get a 00 model ECM the car will run in safe mode because the 01 maximas don't have a EGR valve. Happened to me i bought a 00 i30 ecm for 60, but sold it for 100 on ebay.

 

Have a 2001 i30 and,not only did the IACV fry the ECU but so did the electric mounts. Bought a busted "3T" ECM from another i30 w/o TCS, soldered a new part on the board and had it programmed at the stealership. I'm not a mechanic by any means and I was able to follow all of the awesome posts in the "ecu fried in seconds" thread and I fixed it for about $300 total (replacing IACV, used ECM plus part and soldering). Dealership wanted over $2000! Do it yourself bro, it's actually kind of fun to save $1700 haha.

 

Christopher, and others:

We currently have the p0420 and p0505 on our 2001 maxima and am currently researching.

We also had a coil replaced because the car was surging. The new coil fixed the surging but we were advised to replace the others shortly. The car runs fine now but the two above codes reappeared about 50 miles after resetting all codes.

So I was wondering how the do it yourself repairs have held up for others?

Thanks!