Nissan Maxima Maintenance and Repair

jq3

My '97 Maxima SE has what I believe is a slight whine from the differential at 40-45 mph. The noise will start at 40mph and then tappers off. It is hardly noticeable at all with the radio on. Should I be concerned? But, aside from this annoyance it is almost too perfect to be true.

Thanks!

JQ3

p100

Does the whine occur only under the load (i.e. with gas pedal depressed while moving in gear) or only when coasting (foot off the accelerator)? I had a similar problem with my 95 Nissan truck. In this case the whine was really loud and objectionable and came from the rear differential. It only occurred at speeds around 45-55 MPH under load only. The differential was replaced under warranty, but I still have little whine at the same speed range, but this time only when coasting. It is my understanding that the noise is caused by backlash in the gears and is nothing to worry about. My replaced differential has performed flawlessly so far and I never had a problem with the original one, except of course, the noise.

I have seen the same phenomenon on a 95 Dodge Dakota rear differential. The whine only occurred when coasting at speeds between 40-50MPH.

tomax1

I've had a '93 Maxima GXE since new. It has been well maintained and relatively flawless.

Since the beginning, mind you, I was aware of a small "mechanical" noise as the brakes adjusted when I first drove off each day. Recently after 10 years, this adjusting sound has become much more frequent as I'm coasting slowly to a stop, backing up slowly and braking, or turning slowly and braking. The dealer thinks it is the ABS unit failing.

There has also been a "grinding" sound that has been happening before this and heard only when braking harder and turning but I believe the 2 are unrelated.

Any advice and recommendation would be appreciated.

vanbo57

Could be wheel bearings. I have a 2001 SE and have to have the wheel bearings or wheel bearing housing replaced now on left wheel (tomorrow) at 23,000 miles. Same sound that you describe, (grinding while turning / braking) and very rare for a car with low milage such as mine - but not so rare for one that is 10 years old. Could happen. Good luck.

tomax1

It sounds like you're right on the "grinding" sound. As a matter of fact, I had to repack front wheel bearings once already. It's probably due again.

BUT this, now frequent, "mechanical" adjusting sound is the real mystery. It definitely sounds like something is being mechanically calibrated. And I know they said in the beginning these models had self-adjusting brakes.

Trouble is the dealer says its nothing to worry about but once in a while I even feel the brake pedal giving a little!

OH, more info, for the last 6 or 8 months, before this sound became frequent, usually when driving in rain or snow or after a car wash, the ABS warning light comes on (just when you need them most, eh?). They've told me to count the flashing code light on a box under the rear package tray in the trunk when this happens, but all they can tell me is, "it's a sensor on the ABS system and don't worry."

Shouldn't Nissan have some kind of dealer bulletin on this issue?

Any ideas?

p100

What do you mean by repacking the bearings? Maximas have sealed permanently lubed bearings pressed into the hubs. You do not repack these bearings, you replace them when they go bad.
These types of bearings are used on virtually every front wheel drive vehicle today.

You periodically repack greasable front wheel bearings on most rear wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles. These bearings do not have seals as part of the bearing assembly, but separate seals that fit into a brake rotor.

tomax1

Replaced front bearings, it was a long time ago!

045095

My black max '04 factory paint has an orange peel appearance all around. Anyone else have the same problem?

I have already discussed the issue with the salesman who suggested a factory paint job with an orange peel appearance is better than a quality after-market paint job.

I'm taking it in for minor warranty work next week. Any suggestions on how to handle the poor quality paint issue?

p100

"A factory paint job with an orange peel appearance is better than a quality after-market paint job". Great statement. They might as well tell you that a brand new lemon car is better than a barely used high quality trouble free car.

However, in this case the guy is probably right. I cannot judge just how poor your paint job is, but if you push the issue, it is quite possible that the repaint job under warranty will be even worse and the car's resale value will suffer because people will be naturally suspicious of why the car was repainted.

Proper surface prparation is crucial for a good quality paint job. If they do not sand the original paint properly, you may get some paint peeling several years down the road, which will look worse than the original paint, believe me. I have seen this happen on some repainted vehicles.

I own a 98 Maxima and most of these cars came from the factory with the rear bumper painted a slightly different shade than the rest of the car. It is noticeable but I have not made any big deal out of it and did not pursue any remedy. The car has been the best car I have ever owned so far. So my advice to you is - if the orange peel paint is the only issue you have with this car, live with it.

p100

Just to confirm what I said about peeling paint possibility after repainting, go to Pontiac Boneville Problems forum and read message number 1066.

dml001

Anyone have this problem........say you are sitting in traffic or at a light with your foot on the brake. When you take your foot off the brake and just coast a little you feel like the car is shuddering a little!!

glb5

I own a 96 Maxima GXE Automatic with 73000 miles, it is a one owner car. For about the last 6 months occasionally after the car is warmed up and i come to a stop the idle will drop to about 500 rpm. I have cleaned the injectors, cleaned the throttle body butterfly and replaced the plugs, yes, with the correct platium ones, also changed the air filter and fuel filter. Does anyone know how to reset the idle, disconnecting the battery doesn't appear to reset it, unless of course one must idle it for some unknown time with all the assesories off or something like that. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

sglator

Interestingly, you guys both describes two problems I had recently (99 SE, 65K miles, bought new)

1. My idle was too low ~450RPM. Dealer reset had to reset it in engine computer.

2. The accompanying problem is described by dml001: shuddering at idle or very low speed coasting.
Dealer found all six ignition coils to be faulty and replaced them.

Remarkably, these problems surfaced not a long time after full 60K service.

dinu01

If you don't mind, how much does an ignition coil cost?

Thanx!

Dinu

p100

There are six ignition coils on a Maxima; for the 98 model, the cost of each coil is $ 86.36 from Nissan. $ 518.16 for a set of six. Compare that to a $ 15 single ignition coil for cars of the past.

q45man

"Compare that to a $ 15 single ignition coil for cars of the past"
Compare that to never having to replace plug wires, dist cap, rotors, etc........plus the coil on plugs are why most plugs last double compared to old system and the ability to receive weak AM signals etc. System probably adds 2-3-4 HP also.

Unfortunately price pressures recently [97-98-99-00] forced Nissan and Audi/Volks and others to use a low low bidder.
Then again some techs rip them off the plugs not being gentle as recommended......why it may happen soon after a 60k or 120k service.

My 8 coils [V8 Q45] have lasted 13 years and 249,000 miles as have 99% of the others

sglator

Frankly, I had it repaied under extended warranty so I don't know how much it cost.

p100: you mentioned $518 for parts. How much would labor cost? Just want to compare to what I paid for extended warranty.

dinu01

Seems like newer Maximas are expensive to maintain. Saw a 2004 SE yesterday at my Nissan dealer - the car is nice (except the front end with is cheapo plastic), but it's too big. Cars' sizes are getting out of proportion in NA. The new Camry is a bloated goat, the new Accord might not be much larger that the older one but it sure feels like it. The perfect car size would be the Mazda6 IMO.

Dinu

p100

Replacing the ignition coils is easy as they are readily accessible. Should not take a good tech more than 30 to 45 minutes to replace all six. So the labor charge should not be high on replacing those.

Personally I would take a car with a single ignition coil, regular plugs and ignition wires. Even if you have to replace them periodically, you will probably not spend more than $ 600 on the parts (which is the replacement cost of six ignition coils for the 98 Maxima) as long as you own the car. Also the 98 Se Maxima original platinum plugs are $ 13.50 a piece from Nissan and even sparkplugs.com wants about $ 11.50 a piece for them. With postage this is about $ 73 for six plugs. Compare that to $ 11 for six regular spark plugs. I can get six sets of those for $ 73 and if I replace them every 30K miles, I could have replacement plugs for up to 180K miles. With the platinums which need replacement every 60K miles, the cost of replacing three sets is about $ 220, or three times as much. So where is the advantage of high tech parts? 3 more HP from the engine?

skier777

I just got a used 2002 SE with the 6spd, and I was wondering if it is normal to feel the shifter move around a little in your hand? I notice it only in 1st and 2nd gear - it moves in relation to the gas pedel (move gas pedel = wiggle in the shifter).... it isn't popping out of gear, but it just feels like the whole gear box is loose - doesn't feel as solid as I thought it would. Anyone experience the same thing?

For any Canadians out there (for comparison purposes), I paid $35,007 including all taxes and all fees, $30,835 before taxes. It only has 17,450km on it, and has an extended bumper to bumper waranty til Jan 2008 or 160,000km (the previous owner paid over $2000 for this), grey exterior and frost leather interior.

Also, the engine is sooooo smooth make sure you watch your tach so you don't hit the rev limiter (I've done it twice - once in 2nd gear, and once in 3ed gear). As a guide you can watch your speeds: 0-50 1st, 50-100 2nd, 100-140 3ed, 140-180 4th, then I chickened out and slowed down, so someone can fill me in on the upper end of this car...

Anyways, besided the wiggle in the shifter this car is awesome! I've been grinning like an idiot since I bought it...

Later

email4mark

I have an 03 Max ( just purchased in a panic when I saw the front end of the 04 Max) 6 speed with all the toys. I recently replaced the air filter with a K & N drop in with the thoughts of a cone later. The 04 has a dual exhaust that looks and sounds great. Any thoughts on making my single into a dual? I put a Greddy cat back on my last car (G20) but it gave a bumble bee drone that was very annoying.

monte4

Well email4Mark the dual exhaust on the 04 isnt a true dual system, it is single exhaust routed through 2 quad outlets.

monte4

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222939

dinu01

$35000 for a 2002 Maxima w/17Kms? I would pay $35K and get a 5spd V6 fully loaded Mazda6 w/0kms...

Dinu

PS: Of course you have to drive a Mazda to see why they're so great. Numbers don't do their cars justice.

skier777

I looked at the Mazda 6, but I didn't like the body style, interior center console (the way it is all integrated into one piece of plastic looks bad - and I don't like how the read out for the radio is 6 inches above the buttons), or the seats, or the godly air vents, or the red tach and speedometer - I might be overly picky though. Plus, even if I did want one the two Mazda dealerships in Saskatchewan didn't have any manuals in stock, or have any coming in.... I think saving over $10k off a new 04 Maxima ($38 for the car, $2 for the extended warranty) was a pretty good deal....

LATER

monte4

Dinu01 I think you are in the wrong forum, most Maxima guys want consider or cross shop the Mazda6. Plus Mazdas reliability in the pass with Millena's and 626's have been pretty bad.

dinu01

Mazdas reliability problems stemmed from the AT Ford tranny in the 626 in 94. If you actually check the Mazda6 forums you'll see that ppl are not complaining about much, except Mazda's idiotic option packages in the US - we have much better packages in Canada. And much of the talk revolves at whether they should get the lip or raised spoiler...

The Mazda Protege, Miata, MPV are rated very well by CR and C+D. The 6 has won Car of the Year in many European countries, but is is struggling with the herd mentality that prefers Camrys and Accords.

Don't get me wrong, I like Maximas - I actually drive one. A 1991 GXE that I like a lot. But for driving fun, my Protege drives circles around it.

While Nissans are known for powerful engines, Mazdas are becoming synonymous with "smiles per miles".

Cheers!
Dinu

plainjane

I'm amazed you like your Protege over the Maxima. I ditched my 95 Protege for a 98 Maxima. It was like going from roller skates to a jet.

sgrd0q

dinu01 - This is actually a MAXIMA PROBLEMS board

p100

I used to own a 1992 Protege LX with a DOHC 1.8 l engine and 5 speed manual . Now I own a 99 626 ES V6 and a 98 Maxima SE, both with a 5 speed manual. As you see, I buy the highest performance package combinations available in that vehicle lineup. I bought all of these vehicles new. Comparing either the Protege or the 626 to the Maxima is like comparing a Yugo to the Protege. Both Mazdas are uneconomical vehicles (26 MPG for Protege, 23 MPG for the 626 compared to 27 MPG for Maxima), while delivering less power, with a lot more engine noise. Both Mazdas require timing belt change at 60K miles (not required on Maxima because it has a timing chain). Both Mazdas had vibration problems in the front end, most likely caused by inferior quality CV joints (had all replaced on the 626 under warranty). It is not likely that I will buy another Mazda car.

dinu01

So far my Protege has been outstanding, as expected in 62.000kms since July 2001. It's just that the PRO is WAY more fun to drive than my 91 GXE AND than a 99 Maxima SE 5spd I drove in March. The 99 SE felt choppy, worse than my PRO, and even though it had way more power, it still didn't do anything well besides 0-60 #s... I feel the suspension on the Protege, a cheapo car, is much much better than that found in pre 2004 Maximas.

The V6 Mazda6 I drove a few mths ago felt perfect to me in terms of refinement, built quality, and handling. The Maxi is just too big!

Dinu

maximalover03

I bought my 03 Maxima in August 2002 and currently have just under 14K miles on it. The plastic piece that runs from the front wheel well to the rear wheel well has considerable number of chips/dents in it. This is occurring on both sides of the car. Also, the rear passenger door paint has been chipped away and the body is rusting. I took it to the dealer and Nissan has agreed to a ONE TIME repair as a good will gesture. That will not fix the problem which my independent mechanic feels it is being caused by road debris coming from the front tires. Anyone else experiencing this problem? If so, what have you done to correct it? Have you gone to your dealer and have they offered any ideas or assistance? Thanks in advance.

Maximalover03

p100

Did you buy splash guards with your car? I install splash cars on every new car I buy (unless it already has them of course) and this way I avoid unnecessary paint damage from gravel and road debris.

I believe that most, if not all, manufacturers have been forced to switch to water base paint, which is not as chip resistant as the old oil based paints. However, this is no excuse. They have an option of using "gravel guard" , which is essentially layer of wax under the paint along lower body panel areas. GM has been using this for years - our 1980 Cadillac had it. The "gravel guard" prevents penetration of paint down to the metal, which then causes rust.

Another complaint of mine is - so what if the paint is not as durable? Why can't they apply more coats to make it thicker? Of course, I should not even ask that questionm - it costs more money.

pbvdq

I concur. The paint on my 03 Maxima is thiiiiiinnnnnn . Before the Max I had a Ford Contour which was the biggest piece of junk, BUT for the paint. It had such a thick coat of paint and a great clear coat finish, seemed like nothing could penetrate it. Only if that Contour were as reliable as its paint...

Anyway, love my Maxima, just wish it had better paint. Think if we complained enough NISSAN would repaint our cars? Yeah Right!

harleybc

I bought this car new and have had the finish wear off both front plastic arm rests. Has any one else experienced the same situation? Any idea what the replacement cost is?

blh7068

I have an 02 SE and 100% agree about the paint...especially my color-Majestic Blue. Other than the crappy paint-not much to complain about.

I'll toss this out again. Does anyone have an 02 or 03 that has the dimly lit SES light? Cant see it during the day but it is noticeable at night.

Someone posted awhile back the Nissan has issued a TSB just for this very problem...can anyone verify that?

p100

These armrests are sprayed with vinyl paint when made and I bet it is just the paint that wore off. The problem is that Nissan does not ofer any vinyl paint for any interior pieces. I had a similar situation with my 95 Nissan truck glovebox door, which got scuffed, and which I could have repainted for $ 5 if Nissan offered the vinyl paint to match. Instead I had to buy the whole glovebox door for $ 50.
You can bet that your armrests will cost you more than $ 50 a piece to replace.

pathstar1

That is normal - it's the engine mounts allowing the engine/transmission to move. The new fluid filled mounts work very well re reducing noise and smoothing out on/off power lurching.

giant56

I have a 03 Glacier Pearl SE. I noticed a chip at the front edge of the hood while washing it one day. I am definitely getting "stongard" for this vehicle.

nickyo

Dear readers
I have a Nissan 2002 GLE which I loved dearly, but lately things are happening that I can't understand. My car was broken into last month and my two headlight were stolen despite the factory alarm system. The car was fixed by my insurance company. Again two night ago, they came again and removed the two headlight just three weeks apart. I'm beginning to have a second thought about maxima. Why are they after the headlight? What can be done to secure the light from theft? Am I the only with this problem? Please I desperately need an advice from someone. Please help out!

sglator

Do you live in NorthEast (NY, NJ, etc)?
There is an epidemy of HID headlights thefts on Maximas and Acura TLs in our region.

ccermak

Yep, very well known problem with stolen Xenons. The Max has a design flaw in which they're much to easy to steal. Nissan issues a TSB for this but all it does is add some cheezy clips to help keep them in. Basically if they want them they can get them, clips or not. Many people like you are just putting regular headlights back in instead of the Xenons because they're tired of the problem. Sucks. Try www.maxima.org for more info. Search on headlights.

sgrd0q

Yes - switch to the regular headlights (2000-2001 model year) - they are adequate.

ocuihs

For example, in the 2002 Maxima, popped headlight covers don't trigger the car alarm. Nissan has been working with police to combat the problem. The company has added a headlight alarm to newer 2004 models.

The company's willing to consider other complaints on a case-by-case basis. Anyone wanting to prevent a headlight theft can also purchase the anti-theft kit for ~$75 (a special retrofit headlight alarm), plus labor, from a Nissan dealership.

For more information, call Nissan's customer service line at (800)-NISSAN1

realmax

The problem with the auto trans in the 2000 se is well documented here. I have been to the dealer with tsb 39a in hand and they still say there is nothing wrong. My question is has anyone taken this issue to a tranny shop to be fixed and if so what was the result. If i cant get this fixed, i ditch the car!!!!

dklanecky

If your dealer says you don't have a problem (and the car is still in the power train warranty, whats the issue)?

My 2000 SE has 133,xxx miles on it and has had no tranny issues. What "well documented" problems are you referring to?

starrynyte

I have seen several postings on here about problems with the service engine light. I have a 99 Maxima with about 88k miles. The engine light has been coming on for about 3 months. It's been checked out 4 times. The first time the car had a tune-up,engine service,fuel system cleaning and etc. But the light cam back on 30 min. after I got on the road. 2nd trip to the shop they said it was ghost in the computer. The light stayed off about 2 weeks this time. 3rd trip: There is an ignition coil going bad causing the light to come on, but they can't tell which one right now. I have to wait until the car is missing badly so they can pin point the bad coil. So the light came back on about 3 weeks later, and has been on about 3 weeks now. I'm waiting for it to start missing on a regular basis so that I can get this coil taken care of. I feel like I'm getting a run around. Does this make any sense to anyone else or do I have a big problem that no one has caught yet?

p100

If they suspect that one of the coils may be going bad, why don't they check the primary and secondary circuits with an ohmmeter to see if they meet the spec? This is what is normally done with an ignition coil. Also, there is a test for insulation breakdown if you have a megger.

rt1217

I am having some of the same problems with my 99 Maxima The service department has identified both the Nox sensor and O2 sensor in the last 2 trips and replaced these.. The light came back on again within 2-3 days each time. I checked with a friendly private mechanic who said that Nissan has had wiring circuit problems with the Maxima but these are difficult to pinpoint and consequently hard to diagnose on the engine computer. This may be the ghosts you are getting. He said Nissan has sent out TSB's to dealers.

msbehavn

I have a 1996 Maxima GLE that i purchased w/125,000 miles on it. Ever since i've had it i've noticed that when the car is cold it shifts noticibly hard from first to second gear. I figured maybe it was because the trans. fluid just needed to be changed, so i did that myself but i am still experiencing the same problem. I've heard of having the transmission "flushed". Would that be something i should try, i hate to have it all flushed right after i've put new fluid in. I'm also getting a trouble code on an O2 sensor. Are these things hard to change? Thanks for your help!