ßaller

iTrader: (6)

Oh dayam, I am in this situation too with my 95 GLE with over 200k miles on it. I can feel car jerking at hwy speeds, and if I cruise on city roads around 20-30mph with rpm around 1500 it would sometime jerk/choke and the rpm drops down to 100rpm, I would have to gas it some more to get it back up so it does not stall. It would do same problem when coming to a stop sign or light but it would stall offcourse, unless I want to put it in neutral and give it gas. WTF!? I am gonna try the most cheapest alternative before I try other stuff (Visiting mechanic for harder stuff to do).

I had TB cleaned, sprayed TB cleaner in IACV, fuel filter replaced, new spark plugs. I am gonna be swapping MAF/Entire intake unit off Joes car and put in mines, and do some other checks of rubber hoses in this thread and what not.

Wish me luck. BTW, I have not codes, except for 0505(No Codes).

- ßaller

ibcleeby

I agree with this ^^^^^.

I have a '95 GLE with 245K (!) and recently went through a similar situation. Only code showing was knock sensor.

What I found was that my idle air control valve was all gummed up, not allowing air to bypass the butterfly valve when needed and causing a stall.

I removed and completely disassembled the IACV and cleaned with TB/carb cleaner. I also cleaned the TB/butterfly valve while I was at it. Completely cured my problem.

TB cleaning links:
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/517 (part1)
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/518 (part2)

IACV cleaning/adjustment link:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=254238 (post#2)

ßaller

iTrader: (6)

Damn, I did the IACV also, and my rpm gauge is still hunting up and down, about to stall again. I am thinking maybe its the TPS, but no codes are showing.

I was in park, and the rpm went up and down all by itself, took it down the street same thing, came back to park, same thing. Well I guess that was not the problem.

At a stop light/sign, since the rpm is moving up/down, it can surge and make the car lurch forward too.

How hard to swap out the tps sensor?

- ßaller

clive

Clean the MAF connector. Costs nothing. SO MANY problems from that stupid connector.

spidey

I had the same problem i replaced the mass airflow sensor about a week ago and i havent stalled out since

19maxima95

iTrader: (1)

Same here... bad mass air

ßaller

iTrader: (6)

Yeah, I am pretty sure now its my MAF. I happened to work at the same place, and same shift as another org member. We also have 4th gens, although his is a 5spd and I am an auto, we swap our Air Intake with the MAF unit. He started stalling, and happend a few times on our way to work, and I was fine. I am starting to think that when I cleaned my cone k/n air filter I may have over oiled and not let it dry properly, therefore caking on the sensor over time. I have a remedy for this. Have TWO filters. One in the car, while the other one sits. This way when you take the one in the car to clean/re-oil, you have a clean and very dry one sitting at home ready to replace it, and vice-versa.


- ßaller

Cynthia Lammertsma

For everyone who ended up on this thread because of the title, the following: I struggled with this problem for more than six months. Had many discussions with my mechanic about the possible cause. I finally decided to order a used MAF at e-bay. Before taking it to the shop, I unplugged the MAF to see if there was any visible dirt in the connection (there wasn't). Then drove it around again before making an appointment for the replacement. The car NEVER stalled again! That was more than nine months ago.

colombian_papi

i had the same problem wit my 99....but I change the oil and the filter twice that month and also changed th egr valve and took out all hoses and clean them really good because they were really clogged...and my problem went away,....

justinius7

hello all!!! I have been watching this forum for quite some time, but am shy to post...

I am also having very simular issues (minus the stall issue).

1995 maxima, automatic.

it is my wifes car, so i rarely drive it, BUT... I am having the rough idle issue, and drives with a rough enine (as if it is mis-firing).

I ran the codes, came up with a knock sensor faulty code, so i replaced the knock sensor... no improvement, replaced plugs, and still no improvement... So i decided to take it to the shop, where they did an intake cleaning, fuel system cleaning... and with no improvement... so they suggested that i take it to a dealer as they did not have the proper testing equipment for diagnosis.

On the drive to the dealer, the car started running fine... the dealer looked at it, and found nothing wrong.

So i got the car back, and for several months NO ISSUES... then wifey was driving it, and the problem came back. exact same problem:

rough idle (as if a misfire)
rough acceleration (normal acceleration)
BUT - on a hard acceleration, 650 rpm to 3,800 rpm from stop... it runs like crap, suddenly at 3800 rpm all the way to redline, it runs like a powerhorse.

to add to the frustration, wifey is afraid to drive the car home, so i went to her work to pick it up... and it runs like it did new, with no issues, no CEL.

it currently has 135k on it, only issue it has ever had is the alternator.

Also... the fuel economy of the car has gone DOWN!!! went from 22-24 city (wifey never drives freeway) and now its down to 17-19 for past few months.

are the two issues possibly connected. its winter time now, so the climate control is always on ECON, where as summer when its on AUTO, her MPG was even better.

suggestions?

iflossdaily

These symptoms sound like bad ignition coil symptoms. Not sure if bad ignition coils can lead to that crappy gas mileage

9t5max

iTrader: (2)

I just changed my rear O2 and KS and now my car is having thae same probs with hestitation minus the stall as described above. I was just going to do some of the basic things like change plugs and filters but I am not sure now. Is there a shortl ist with a proven method that would fix this other than just throwing parts at it?

cashoit

SPray some MAF cleaner on the MAF. Clean TB. Sounds like an air issue to me. Autozone sells MAF sensors now

rizzindriver89

Sounds a lot like what my Maxima was doing. It pretty much ran like dookie whenever it got warm. So I went and did all the cheap stuff first: clean TPS, MAF, IAT sensors. Ran fuel system cleaner, even seafoamed the damn thing. Nothing changed.

It didnt throw codes and when it finally did, after a month or so, it told me that the speed sensor and IAT sensor were messing up. We all know that reading is garbage and shouldnt affect the car to the point were its bucking like a texas rodeo.

I ordered a new(well used) MAF and IAT that were attached to the same airbox and lo nd behold, my car has been running like a champ for the last 6 to 8 weeks.

The maf sensor was probably the big one, with the IAT just joining in on messing up my car.

Switch both and you should find some help. Cleaner just doesn't cut it.

PM me if u need a MAF, since I bought one too many.

cashoit

PPL say the IAT isnt important. Well i say its a sensor so it has to be important. It tells the comp the temp of the incoming air. Colder air is more dense air and so has a greater density and hence a greater volume than warm air. Now, this difference is minimal so thats why ppl may say its not important. But if the air temp comin in is 110 deg and the sensor says the air temp is -20 deg. Well u can see there is a problem there.

My point: Keep your sensors up to date no matter what anyone says

gustav

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I just got my '97 5 speed back on the road after 5 mos. There is an hesitation/bucking right around 2,500 rpm. I can "power through" the bucking by giving it a little more throttle, but it when the rpm needle passes the 2,500 mark, it does bucks again. Other than this it runs great. It has thrown a P1336 code, which is the crankshaft position sensor (POS). The code comes back on every time I drive it (after clearing). I checked the harness and sub-harness electricals, all ok. I could affect the severity of the bucking by loosening and retightening the sensor (which by the way is located on bell housing). My question is, before I spend $100 on a new CPS, does this sound like it is the actual sensor? The only other item the FSM says it could be is the flywheel. And I did just get through taking the crank pulley off (so I had to use the screwdriver in the flywheel trick to loosen the crank pully bolt) as part of a larger repair. Any thoughts/experience?

beansrmajikle

My problems are running pretty close to everyone else's, but the second I start the car it dies. This is an engine I just swapped and heard it run just fine before I put it in. The only thing that didn't get swapped is the intake system and one crank sensor. One thing I have noticed is I can't get the CEL light to come on. It doesn't even illuminate when I first turn the key to the on position. Before anybody says it, I have checked the bulb and it's good as well as the connections. I'm stumped, and can't afford to throw hundreds of dollars at sensors when I just spent thousands on this project.

monty280

I'm having sorta the same issues on my 99 maxima. It acts like it's going stall (but never does) whenever i'm sitting at a stop light or going in reverse. As soon as I give it some gas it's goes away. Funny thing is at night when it's a lot cooler I don't have the problem at all. Fuel filter is less than a year old, changed pcv, oil and filter change, cleaned the MAF, and new spark plugs. Any ideas? Thanks in Advance.

shadetreemech77

My wife had her codes read and got one for the knock sensor, a cylinder 5 misfire, and another code for charcoal canister having problems. It idles ok, but on acceleration it stumbles on up the revs. I also got a code for the EGR valve.

I followed her home today and noticed a puff of black smoke as she accelerated. (I thought I smelled it burning rich.) I just recently cleaned the MAF with the appropriate cleaner. I also noticed the starter isn't turnig nearly as quickly as it used to.

I'm thinking replace the knock sensor ($135!!!!) double check the plugs, maybe replace injectors, maybe replace the MAF. But first thing I'm going to patch in an extra ground cable to engine. My Villager (it has a similar Nissan engine) had difficulties starting and after replacing the starter and finding no change I patched in an extra ground that solved the problem. So here's to hoping i have a bad ground in there somehwhere. Otherwise I'll be out some money.

rdw72777

Knock sensors have been purchased on eBay for like $20, and i haven't heard any complaints (search threads for knock Sensors). Its not an easy place to get to to replace it yourself so might as well replace the KS harness while you are in there.

A new MAF is a wickedly over-priced thing from what I've heard on these boards. First try cleaning it, its the easiest "maintenance" ever. If you need a replacement, try buying a used one of the classifieds on this site or pull one at a junkyard if you're feeling adventurous.

Not sure your skill level, but I'm 100% sure you can clean/replace a MAF if needed. The KS is a little harder but still doable with very little auto knowledge. The KS will require some small (or maneuverable) hands and patience though.

But please, don't spend $135 on a KS and even more on a new MAF...its just crazy.

Leo_Koneval

iTrader: (4)

Hey guys not sure if you saw my thread but I have had a hair-pulling stalling/sputtering problem like you guys and I checked just about everything also. But my MAF turned out to be the culprit in the end, I don't know if my checking method will work for all of you but the first thing I did was unplug the MAF sensor then start the car and my RPM stabilized at cold and warm idle but it is kind of shaky since by unplugging the MAF sensor I sent the car into limp mode but since the car is stable with it removed I assumed that if I was wrong the car would still stall while in limp mode and with the MAF disconnected.

The second thing I did was shake the MAF with everything all buttoned up, I have a ram air intake and so all I did was grab it by the cone and gently move it up and down and almost immediately my car stalled. And when I did this I didn't bend the intake up to a 90 degree angle or anything I poked the MAF to vibrate it and the car stalled.

cashoit

Misfire sounds like bad coil and could be bad injector. Plume of some sometime means bad head gasket. Remove and inspect cylinder 5 coil and test it per fsm.

KS is 20 bucks from ebay, and easy to do per org method from how-tos.

EGR might be solved with a bottle of Chevron Technomn IF nothing electrical is wrong. Hell, even if it is electrical/sensor related, i got so much faith in the Techron, it still prolly clean up EGR issues hehe.

U dont have to replace starter gorund. Jus find the orginal ground point, clean and sand it down, then reapply ground. If u dont feel like lookin or cant ground it then yea add an xtra ground wire. IIRC the starters are ground thru its body casing so yeah u may have to add a gorund.

good luck and let us know

rdw72777

I've never met someone so loyal to a product.

shadetreemech77

OMG I didn't even think to look on ebay for a knock sensor! Wow I'm watching one for $22.00 right now. Absolutely insane the markup on these things. Auto Zone must import them individually from a shark in Japan! Thank you for saving me a bunch of dinero!

imported_Maxima_Mike

iTrader: (2)

Wow. I guess this problem is more common than I thought. I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with my sister's car for several months now. It's basically just like what everyone else in this thread describes except with starting trouble starting as well (possibly unrelated). Before I looked at it, the mechanics she took it to replaced the fuel filter and an alternator. Since then I've replaced the ECTS, cleaned the throttle body, MAF and IACV. I thought cleaning the intake parts made a little difference, but my sister says the car drives the same. No codes were thrown for either the mechanics or myself. This thread gives me a few ideas of more things to look for as well as some fears of it being something really expensive.

dtortor1

iTrader: (1)

I used these forums a ton back in the day but all has been quite in my Maxima world. Maybe thats cause its been parked for two years from the stalling issues. I did live in Missouri which required inspections and since it died at every red light I never bothered. Now I live in Alabama. No worries! Except it drove like crap.

On my first test run, I started hearing a hissing on acceleration. I jacked it up and found an exhaust leak. I patched it enough to get to the exhaust shop. Could this have been the problem all along? maybe now it was just so bad it was really affecting things? Mechanic recommended also replacing catalytic converter. $250 later and I stalled at a red light shortly thereafter. At least the car would drive at all again.

So I came back to my trusty maxima.org forums. I saw all the great stickies and had always heard from folks to check the IACV. Sunday I was bored so I decided to get some throttle body cleaner and go at it. I took the IACV completely off, and undid the throttle body somewhat so I could clean most of the gunk without undoing all of the hoses on the bottom.. Since it was Sunday, I had no new gaskets so those stayed the same.

Boy was I excited at all the crap in the Idle ACV... cleaned it up like new. Got it all back together and it ran pretty decent. Til I test drove it for a while. Eventually it was still dying occasionally. Not at every red light anymore at least.

I adjusted my idle to 900 rpms in park and its at about 600 in neutral or drive. There is a bit of hesitation somewhere between first and second gears but the main issue is stopping at a light and it dropping to 200 or 300 rpms. Since cleaning, it will drop and not always die.

Took it to autozone today and got:
P1441 and exhause code they told me I'd need the dealer for more info
P0325 knock sensor
P0130 Bank 1 sensor 1 o2
P0732 something about the 2nd gear ratio

I've plugged these in and read all I can understand about them. I'm hoping the tranny code has been caused by either the slightly low tranny fluid or one of the hiccups from the stalling and exhaust issues. Before I had the leak fixed it would not even find the gear sometimes.

Tonight I got all excited to read about MAF sensors and how they are so many peoples problems. I left the library to go outside and unplug it and when I wiggle it the car died. I unplugged it and started up but the idle is still inconsistend, varying from 800-1100 rpms. So I'm worried this may not be it.

I have the new fuel filter on the way but thats just a precaution cause it set so long- I shoudl be so lucky that its that simple...

My question... where do I start? I bought the gaskets for the IACV and TB and I thought I would clean the um... ECB? valve? (sorry, can't go back to that page right now...)

From what I read, O2 or knock sensors are probably not causing the stalling.

How should I proceed?

Dom

dtortor1

iTrader: (1)

oh, no visible smoke. and a slight burning odor I can't trace after driving a while.

Dom

dtortor1

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to have to post in this thread; maybe everyone is done with it? I'm trying to hit 15 so I can make a subject but I'll take any advice I can get for what to try next.

shadetreemech77

My car isn't making any sense. I opened up the idle valve all the way this morning, and now the problem is gone. Maybe I need to open the thing up and clean it out? I had wanted to lower the idle to save a bit of gas but now, I don't know what to think. It didn't want to stay running while it was cold until I opened up the valve all the way.

I'm hoping i just had some bad gas. I just refilled it so here's to hoping

sgtsteve007

iTrader: (1)

my car idels fine but when i put it into drive, 1st 2nd gear and reverse the battery light comes on, the car drives maybe 20 feet and dies. the car wont start up after it dies with out a jump it will idle fine but once in gear it stalls....anyone know what i can do... i have changed the fuel filter, and cleaned out the throtal body any other suggestions?

shadetreemech77

I can't figure it out. It idles worse than ever after having cleaned everything I could think of. there's some sort of idle controller that is stuck in the low idle position and I don't know enough about it to fix it. I wish i could figure the thing out.

Dondon321

Sometime when i start up my max, it will start up fine, but other times it will just go to 1k rpms, then go right down to stall. and if that happens, i just give it gas right before it stalls to get the rpms up then it will be started. but another problems is at a stop light or when the car is in nuetral it will go down to about 400-500 rpms and feel a little rough. people told me it was the fuel filter that needed to be replaced? And the cars acceleration is not fluid. The RPMS will jerk.

Any Takers?

Thanks.

wxm

iTrader: (2)

Check to make sure all air hoses are properly connected and crack free, especially those you have touched.

cashoit

Lotta ppl have this issue. Its an air issue. Clean TB and MAF. Clean IACV if u feelin ambitious enough too. REad the how-tos to figure out how to do this. U dont need to remove the TB, jus get a stick and rag and clean inside as best u can.

Throw some Chevron Techron in the fuel tank, let it work its magic.

Checks for vaccum leaks too.

cashoit

might be bad inhibitor. Your issue dont sound too bad. jus a faulty sensor in the tranny. Try to read the FSM to get some AT ideas. PM me if u need the FSM

cashoit

Naw man lol

I did some research and hrd nothin but good things so i had to try. First time made me a true believer, was seeing like 30mpg hwy with a 5psd !! Car ran super smooth. Still running super smooth. I throw a bottle in every oil change. It does exactly what the back of the bottle says. Now thats proper advertisement. Even got my fam and friends hooked on it now too. My boy says he put it in two wks ago, and still got half a tank left, city miles.

If u never used the stuff its the best u can buy. Especially if u use cheap gas, throw some Techron in there, let it clean that gumbo out

dtortor1

iTrader: (1)

I completed the IACV and TB cleaning last week. I did not do the MAF sensor at the time. I still had the problem dying at idle.

This week I bought two bottles of Techron cause it was buy one get one at Autozone. I'm on the second bottle. I think it helped the idle a bit but I still died a bit.

Finally had no rain Sunday and cleaned the MAF and changed the fuel filter.

Hasn't died in two days so I'm crossing my fingers... I bought some more Techron for my truck.

cashoit

Ahhhh yes the magic of the Chevron lol

jus a dirty MAF most likely.U prolly good now.

Im on my third max, and one thing i have learned is that these cars have a lot of sensors. These sensors are not for show, they actually do something! the most important of them is the MAF. A dirty MAF will give u so many car issues it'll make u pull out yur hair.

To all u newbies out there a word of advice....Keep you MAF clean

dtortor1

iTrader: (1)

When I cleaned it I took off four screws, the stickie for dummies didn't have any pics of the actual cleaning of the MAF.

Once I took them off, I was afraid I'd broken something connection wise. i just went ahead and sprayed in there and any other hole I could find.

Was I supposed to take those screws off?

I can't believe all the problems from some dirt on a little tiny wire hidden in my air intake! Crazy...

Dondon321

thanks im gonna try this and keep you guys posted.