It seems like the only time I post here is when something's wrong with our Max. Well, let's keep that streak going.

Anyway, this nice Sunday afternoon I went in to replace the starter on my wife's car. Once I got the proper socket extensions I needed (14mm and 17mm deep sockets, if anyone needs reference), everything went without a hitch. Well, almost... I had huge problems disconnecting the MAF and, like several other ORG'ers, snapped off the 3-pronged connector after removing the 4 telltale screws. I didn't realize it until after starting the car and seeing a CEL (P0100 for reference), which caused the car to idle weird and shut completely off when shifting into any gear. 1 win, 1 loss for me so far.

After seeing how much a new MAF costs and realizing that I'd be mortgaging my kids' Christmas by buying one, I saw that several people here had re-soldered that 3-pronged connector back to the MAF board. So I went to Lowe's and bought a GOOD soldering iron (my Walmart one was a piece of crap the day I bought it a year ago) and attempted to reconnect what I broke. Then I put it all back into the car, and there's no more stalling out of Park or Neutral. I can actually drive it somewhere. Success.

However, I have a new problem. The P0100 code is still there, and the car idles high (1000 rpm), runs rich (gray gas smoke from tailpipe) and surges, not to mention dieseling (cylinders still firing a cycle or two) once I turn the ignition to OFF. Failure.

Anyway, I'm having my wife drive my SUV to work until I figure out how to fix the problem. So I'm turning to you guys for help with the problem. Main issues: P0100, running rough and rich, dieseling, and I do suspect a vacuum leak though I can't pinpoint it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Use an unlit propane torch all around the places you were working to look for a vacuum leak. Rpm will change when you find the leak with the propane. Check the classified here there should be 1 for sale cheap.

 

your car idles high becuase you still didnt fix the maf. The maf has a sensor that reads and senses the air whuch has gone bad and which is the reason why it runs rich. So you will need a new maf and only oem nissan maf will work properly with the 4th gen maxima. Check are classifieds forum as people sell mafs on their or other websites as ebay or the junkyard. If you dont find one i have a new updated version of the maf at home as a spare which is oem nissan.

 

what ^ said. Commen sense here. And you wrote alot just to tell us what you already know needs to be done lol

 

Yeah, when it came down to it, I knew what the deal was. lol

Even though I'm proud of my soldering job, I'm just gonna take the L on that one and get a new MAF.

 

Well ****, at least you got it moving lol. Good for someone with empty pockets. especially since the 4th gen is so cheap, lots of high schoolers/college student buy the car. I've been there before

 

If you didn't have this problem before the starter replacement, well clearly it's still the MAF and your repair only fixed it a little bit as stated. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck....the problem and solution couldn't be more obvious...

 

Grab a used OEM MAF from the classifieds. Call it a day.

 

We bought this one nine years ago when my wife's old Dodge Intrepid left her stranded way too often. I must say I've learned a lot about auto repairs with the Max... and have developed a love-hate relationship with the way Nissan designed things back in the day. Knock sensor placement, EGR tube design conducive to clogging? Add tougher-than-necessary MAF plug removal to the list!

But for most of its life, it's been dead-on reliable for a grad student (me) and a teacher (her).

 

^
Did you meet your wife at school?

 

^ Yep, in undergrad.

 

Updates:

Ordered MAF sensor from RockAuto, $135ish shipped. Put it in, car worked good as new.

Then the battery sprung a leak and left my wife needing a jump twice yesterday. After the second time, I took the car to AutoZone and they replaced it under warranty (it was less than 2 years old).

This better be it for the next few years.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad the new MAF fixed the issue.

Since you have a 99, you're coilpacks will get you or you'll get immobilized next

Keep your fingers crossed nothing happens!

 

Now that you mention it, I do remember taking one of our cars in for coil packs some five or six years ago. And I'm pretty sure it was the Maxima.

I hope I'm right.