Nissan Maxima Maintenance and Repair

kennyg5 · December 2003

Check the plastic housing over the distributor cap, as it may be cracked. I experienced a similar problem a few years ago, especially when the weather was humid. With a cracked housing, the humidity may seep in, making it hard to start the car. I am no mechanic and may well be the last person to give advice. I am simply trying to share with you my limited knowledge and experience about cars.

bsumm · December 2003

Good stuff, thanks for the advice...

dklanecky · December 2003

because the Nissan 3.0 liter engines went to direct ignition starting in 1995. It could however be a bad ignition coil as there is one on each spark plug.

Make sure you've got a spark between each coil and the spark plug when cranking the engine.

p100 · December 2003

The spark plug boots and the coils come together as one unit. Even if the coil itself is perfectly functional, the spark plug boot will definitely deteriorate because of high heat in the deep plug wells over the years in DOHC engines, and replacing the coils every 100K is a good preventive measure in any case. For example, Mazda recommends replacing spark plug wires for their DOHC engines (which use a single coil for ignition) every 60K miles. This is due to deterioration of spark plug boots which act as insulators.

sparty5 · December 2003

Hello all,

I just purchased a 2002 max SE (auto) with 29k miles. This is the first maxima I owned, so I am getting used to it. I wanted to know what the rpm's should be at when driving at 40, 60 and 80 mph. I think my rpm's are running to high at these speeds. My rpm's are running at 2k, 3k and 4k rpm's respectively. Do other 02 SE owners run at the same rpm's???

Thanks,
Sparty5

p100 · December 2003

Your RPM numbers are too high for Nissan Maxima, either auto or manual. For comparison, 5 speed 98 Maxima SE will do about 3200 RPM at 80 MPH in fifth gear. On the other hand, my 99 Mazda 626 ES V6 5 speed RPM are exactly as you described - 3K RPM at 60 MPH, and 4k RPM at 80 MPH in top gear. These high RPMs are normal for the 2.5 liter DOHC Mazda engine coupled to 5 speed manual transmission.

If your car is an automatic 4 speed vesion, it appears that you are running in 3 rd gear when your RPMs are 4K at 80 MPH. Make sure that your transmission overdrive gear is operational. (Or the speedometer is reading way too low).

lmp180psu · December 2003

I know that my friend's car is not a 00-03 Max, but he does have a 99 SE auto, and his RPM's at 80 is around 2700. There is definately something wrong with your car/transmission somewhere.

sparty5 · December 2003

Thanks for the feedback. I will have to take it to the dealership and have them check it out. I don't think it ever gets beyond 3rd gear, which is obviously bad for the engine, but also bad for fuel efficieny.

jimmy1958 · December 2003

I know this sounds a little silly, but a friend couldn't understand why he and his wife were getting such lousy mileage in their O2 and our identical auto was getting much better. He finally figured out he wasn't kicking the auto-trans selector to "D" - just down to "3". The position of drive - just a right click over from "3" - isn't perfectly intuitive. Just a thought.

ccermak · December 2003

I have a 2000 Max SE Automatic. Loaded with leather, Bose, roof, etc. Often times, not all the time, when I put the car in gear, or come to a stop so the rpms drop down to idle, I feel a slight buzz/vibration in the steering wheel and the gauge cluster light, the headlights, dome light all flicker really fast. You can see on the wall of my garage at night a shimmy/flicker in the light from the headlights that matches the flicker in the gauge cluster. As for the steering wheel, it's the same buzz that you feel when you first put it in gear and it buzzes and then smooths out, well mine doesn't smooth out until I hit the gas and accelerate. When I'm at cruising speed the lights are fine, buzz is gone, all is ok. Could this be a voltage or alternator problem? If so, how do I test for this? Does Autozone test batteries and alternators for free? Could it be something else like spark plugs? I have 59,400 miles on the car. 600 left on powertrain warranty. Any ideas is appreciated as I want to keep this car for 100K+ miles but this has really been bugging me lately and I'm eyeing up other rides with 4x4 or AWD since I live in cold snowy MN Twin Cities. Thanks.

dirkwork · December 2003

I'd take to Autozone and get it tested for Batt/Alt. Sounds like the alt is charging a LOT and at idle, its causing your lights to flicker. Also could be a bad battery / ground connection.

I doubt its serious, but hey if a new car makes you happy....

ccermak · December 2003

Yep, will try Autozone this week. Doesn't seem like battery since it starts great even when we had several days of 0 to 10 degrees temps. Pops right off every time. Will check connections tonight to make extra sure they're tight and corrosion free. Hopefully it is something easy like that. I'd like to keep the Max rolling along relatively trouble free for 3 more years and put my better half in a Murano next year. Gotta pump those Nissan sales since I'm a stock owner!

carregal13 · December 2003

My car runs pretty rough from initial start until the car reaches a resting temp(approx. 2min of driving.) When I am not revving my car and letting it coast at a speed of 20-30mph, the car starts bucking, sputtering, whatever, like I am pressing and releasing the clutch too quick. This problem does not seem like a coil problem, but I don't know too much about cars. When my car reaches a normal temp(1/2 way between "c" and "h" the car runs like a champ. Any suggestions???

ccermak · December 2003

Sounds like the old "fuel-cut" issue. What year is your Maxima? Search this board and maxima.org 5th gen forum for "fuel-cut" and you'll find a lot. I believe this was for 2000 and 2001 Maximas. There is a TSB (technical service bulletin) about an ECM flash or something to fix it. That's engine control module, basically the computer.

plasticpro · December 2003

Currently, I have 03' Maxima SE that has vibrated (at highway speeds) ever since I first had the tires rotated at 6500 miles. Since then, I've had the tires balance countless times by different places with different balancing equipment. Nothing really seems to solve the vibration problem throughout the car. This problem occurred like a light switch the day I had the tires rotated. My brakes don't really shimmy when their applied. Thus, I don't think they are out of spec from over tightening. Nissan has tried to blame the Bridgestone tires however they cannot tell which one or ones are bad. They all roadforce test within spec. Thoughts?

p100 · December 2003

Defective tires, no doubt about that. These tires are the reason why I did not buy a new 03 SE, because I could feel vibration in the steering wheel at 60MPH when I test drove 2 new 03 SEs. Nissan had to replace thousands of these tires. Get a set of decent tires if you want to resolve the problem. The Nissan dealer will order the same replacement tires. You may want to press on Nissan to get you a set of different brand tires. If they give a you a runaround, I would ask for an explanation why did they switch to a different tire brand for the 04 Maxima.

Toyo tires may be a good choice. These came originally on my 98 Maxima SE and I never had any problems with them. They lasted almost 60K miles.

plasticpro · December 2003

Thanks for the input p100. Does Toyo make a 225/50 R17 tire? I can't seem to find one. The Bridgestone factory tires were an extremely poor choice, I also have a problem with them flatspoting all the time. I thought about the Pilot A/S, however I'm concerned about excessive road noise. I tend to cruise at 78 mph to work on some pretty smooth roads.

FYI.. I also spoke with a quality engineer at Nissan's plant in Symra, TN and the 04' Maxima owners are also complaining of some sort of vibration very similar to mine. I don't know if that is tire related or not, so be on the watchout.

p100 · December 2003

I checked into Toyo tires and could not find your size. I found P225-45-R17 and P225-55-R17 sizes, but not P225-50-R17. You could use the P225-45-R17 size without any adverse effects because the speedometer error would be negligible. The Pilot tires you mention are rather expensive (about $190 a piece) and they will not last very long. I had a set of Pilots on my 99 Mazda and they lasted only 30K miles and got very noisy toward the end. I would check into some other brands such as Dunlop.

Thanks for the info on the 04 Maxima vibration problems. As far as I am concerned, I am not buying anymore Maximas until I see that these people are serious about quality. There is no excuse for this. What have they accomplished by increasing the tire size to 18 inch diameter if the car has vibration problems? My 98 Maxima does not have these problems and P215-55 HR16 Toyo Proxess tires can be bought for about $ 90 a piece.

mrtrace · December 2003

Hello all. This is my first time posting in the town hall, but I am sure I will be posting alot more in the future as my mother just bought a used 02' maxima gle. So far everything has been okay, except for having to replace the front brakepads and resurfacing of the rotors and a new battery along with a reset of the computer. I guess thats enough for the 5 days she has only had it. But to get to the problem I've driven the car and tested it on all road surfaces and on bumpy roads there is a jittery bounce in the steering wheel and I dont know what it could be. I've never driven a max before and I didn't know if this is normal for this vehicle. In addition even on highways if you go over slight uneven pavement you can feel the steering wheel bounce, as if its a very light vehicle. However, when you are not driving and riding as a passenger the ride is very smooth and quiet, almost lexus-like. Any suggestions would be helpful, as we are trying to find out all the problems wrong with the car so we can get them rectified by the dealer before they start that "it wasn't like that when you bought it." Thank you.

mrtrace · December 2003

Also, I've checked the tires and they seem to be in fair condition with enough tread left, but maybe its just the ride of the stock turanzas. I am hoping not every max drives this way, as I find it to be a premium car, but the bouncy steering and choopy ride over somewhat rough surfaces not worthy of anything premium at all.

kennyg5 · December 2003

I also have the GLE. I agree the ride is gittery over rough pavements and speed bumps. I think you can blame the crummy stock tires and the inferior rear suspension. On regular and smooth roads, the GLE glides as if it is on rails. I have never experienced rattles, even over rough surfaces. My car is well put together.

mrtrace · December 2003

Thanks alot for all your feedback. I went out again late night to test the car and I've decided that it has to be the tires because there are times that they do feel choppy, maybe they've never been rotated at all (as I look over the service records I don't see anything mentioned), but they could definitely go for some balancing. However, when I was out last night the "service enging soon" light came on for the second time in 3 days. The first time I took it back to service and they said it was a bad battery so they changed it out and reset the computer. As I dont know a whole lot about cars, I do know that "because they battery was dead you wasn't getting all the power you could and thats why it was sluggish" was bulls**t. But I said why argue, even though I was thinking to myself doesn't the alternator run the car after once its started and the battery plays nothing to do at all. So today I started the car and disconnected the battery is there was a slight power loss, but the engine didn't conk out. Does anyone know what this could be. Thanks for all your responses.

honestbill2 · December 2003

I test drove a 2003 maxima 6 speed the other day. My question to anyone is... I noticed on slow shifts, with the clutch depressed and with my foot completely off of the accelerator , that the engine revs remained high, and slowly returned to idle rpm. It wasn`t an issue when running through the gears quickly. The dealer said that is relate to the "drive by wire" throttle control system as engineered into the vehicle. I didn`t like the feel and the delay in idle return.. has anyone experienced this or can provide an explanation. thanks...

p100 · December 2003

You should never disconnect the battery with the engine running on a modern car with an engine computer and electronic controls - not even for a test run. You risk damaging the elecrical system. It is possible that your old battery voltage dropped around 12V or slightly below when engine was shut off. I am not sure if the engine computer would pick up this "low voltage" and turn the engine light on, but if so, this would not affect the car performance because once the engine is running, the alternator charging voltage is about 13.5 to 14.5 volts. My See Doo jet ski diagnostic module always displays "low battery voltage" message when the jet ski is parked for some time, but this does not affect anything and the jet ski starts and runs just fine.

ccermak · December 2003

Take your 02 Max to Autozone (if you have them anywhere nearby), they'll read the code for you for free. Takes them like 3 minutes. If the ses light came on again that quick I'd take to Autozone so YOU know what the code is and don't have to just arbitrarily believe whatever the dealer tells you. Unless the dealer will show you the code on the handheld computer as they pull it. My guess is rear O2 sensor or bad gas cap. Those are the two most popular. Otherwise a bad coil or MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor. Just my .02 as I've been lurking on this board and other Max boards for 4 years now.

Seeya

monte4 · December 2003

Bridgestone Turanzas and Potenzas are a crappy "expensive tire" many people have had balance issues with them. They tend to have lots of jitter at highway speeds and its very difficult to balance them and they have flat spots alot as well, it has nothing to do with the rear suspension. Go look at Maxima.org/tirerack.com and AcuraTL.com the new TL is having lots of problems with Turanzas as well. Those that complain about the beam you should not have purchased the Max or did some research first. The beam isnt that bad and has its benfits or the independent as well as short comings.

mrtrace · December 2003

I appreciate everyone's advice. I am going into Autozone today so they can read the code, and from what I've been hearing is that the tires are really crappy. So far the car only has about 20k miles on it so it will be sometime before she changes out tires, I imagine, so she'll deal with the ride until the time for new tires arises. The sad thing is the Maxima seems like a stable car with good road manners but the tires just dont make the car live up to its potential. Also as I checked the car yesterday I realize they didn't give her a manual upon purchase (I guess dealers are still getting over on some people) and I do not know how to work the memory seats. Can anyone give me some insight on this? Again, thank you for everyone's help, about the ride, ses problems and the "do not disconnect battery while engine is running" warning.

jnjjr · December 2003

I have been driving an '03 Maxima SE, 6 speed, for close to a year now. Since day one, I have felt uncomfortable with the brakes. So far, the master cylinder has been replaced, the rotors resurfaced, and the lines bled--all on different srervice visits. I have scheduled another service appointment for next week due to continuing unease--brake pedal low and soft. I have checked but have found no TSBs on the issue.

This is my second Maxima--I had a 95 SE, 5 speed that gave me 206,000 great miles. There are tims I wished I had kept it!

Any suggestions?

Thanks

ccermak · December 2003

Keep doing what you're doing, get things ironed out under warranty for FREE. Only other advice for brakes (applies to all having these probs) is to ante up and buy some good aftermarket (ie Brembo, Bendix, etc) rotors, pads, lines, etc. Spendy option but sometimes peace of mind and no more hassle is worth it. I'm at 60K on 2000 SE auto and still on original brakes, but I baby mine. When they go I'm going with the good stuff, screw the OEM.

larry4ny · December 2003

This is not a complaint--

Purchased brand new 2002 Maxima SE fully loaded.
** 3,500 miles engine light came on. Nissan repaired it.
** 8,000 / 10,000 / 15,000 /20,000 same thing and nissan repaired it.
Everytime it was a different sensor causing the issue.
23,000 miles the light came on the engine would not start.

Nissan repaired it.

I have filed lemon law expecting nissan to take respsonibilites. No such luck. They feel there is no issue and i do not fit the bill. My lawyer is fighting the case. At this point I just want to close the case and buy another car.

I feel as though I bought a lemon and Nissan does not want to take any respsonibilites of this issue. I would be happy to buy from Nissan if they would take the car back.

Infiniti Lexus BMW Mercedes they all take there cars back without questions....

oh yeah the light is on and now I smell gas....

Any ideas on how you would handle it?

hamu · December 2003

I have a 04 Nissan Maxima SE. In cold weather there seems to be a cold air leak from the engine compartment to the driver side near the pedals. I get warm air from the heating duct but also cold air coming down from beneath the molding to the space near the pedals. This problem goes away after about 30 to 40 min (I assume until the engine block gets hot). Does anyone else have this problem?

roar1 · December 2003

I don't care HOW many times you've had your tires
balanced, IF you have a shake or shimmy starting
at 60 mph, YOUR TIRES AIN'T BALANCED , especially
if it happens right AFTER you've had them balanced.

I had a '86 Max. and I currently have a "00 and
a '02 Max. ALL with ALLOY wheels and different
tire brands ( Nitto, Goodyear. Toyo ). All vehicles had vibration problems UNTIL they were
properly balanced.

It is my theory based on my experience that stamped steel wheels are easier to balence because
they have a lip on the inside and the outside to which you attach weights. Alot of the Nissan alloy
wheels do not have the OUTSIDE lip and therefore the stick on weights need to be used.

My contention is that most tire installers don't
know how in the H--L to PROPERLY balance Alloy Wheels. It's pot-luck, hit or miss.

I never had a problem until the tire industry
developed the high tech. tire balancing machine
that spins your tire at 30 mph and calculates
for 60 mph.

It's taken me years but I have found a guy to balance tires that is really good. My '02 , right
from the factory had a verrrry slight vib. at 65 mph. I took the car to this guy and VOILA, no
more vibration. End of story.

Simply my opinion based on my experience.

p100 · December 2003

I too have found over the years that getting passenger car tires balanced properly in this country is very difficult. Here are some reasons why:

With the introduction of the spin balance computerized machines almost everybody takes it for granted that once all zeros appear on the readout, the tires must be balanced properly. This is not always so. First of all, tire balancing weights come in standard sizes. American industry uses passenger car balance weights in 1/4 ounce(7 gram) increments. Metric weights come in 5 gram increments which will give you better resolution. Most balancing machines are capable of balancing tires accurately up to 0.1 oz or 2.8 grams. This is far better accuracy than standard weights provide. However, because few people want to bother with weight clipping, balance machines are placed in round-off mode - either 1/4 once or 5 gram for metric weights. With 1/4 ounce weights, you can balance tires only fairly accurately for a passenger car. With 5 gram increment weights the results are better.

It would not be that bad if tire places would balance tires accurately using standard weights. The problem is that often the tires are balanced wrong - dead wrong, mostly due to mistakes made in mounting the wheel/tire on the machine, entering wrong parameters into the machine, or the machine being improperly calibrated. Improper dynamic balancing of a tire can be worse than no balancing at all. I have seen two people use the same machine within ten minutes balancing the same wheel/tire assembly and get completely different results - about 0.5 ounces difference on each side. And the machine zeroed out each time. Typically they use centering cones for centering the wheel/tire on the balancing machine. If they use the wrong size cone or tighten it improperly, the wheel will wobble on the balancer and the machine will be confused and the overall result will be terrible, even though the machine will show all zeros when the weights are placed on. There are special flange adapters available which hold the wheel on the balancer through the lug holes, just like the lugnuts would. This setup unfortunately requires expensive flange plate set and a right size centering cone on the inside. So there is still an opportunity for the balancing personnel to balance the wheels wrong, even if they use state of the art equipment.

You can do the following to make sure that your wheels are balanced correctly:

1. If possible, request that 5 gram increment standard metric weights be used and the machine calibrated to the nearest 5 gram round-of mode. You get better results that way.

2. Make sure that they enter the right wheel parameters into the machine - rim diameter and width. Wheel calipers are normally used to measure the width of the rim, but the width is also stamped on each alloy rim. The tire size does not matter when doing tire balancing because the weights go on the outside of the rim, not the tire. Ask when was the machine calibrated last and who does the calibration.

3. Make sure they use the right alloy wheel weights for your car so that they will not damage your rim or fly off later.

4. When they remove the wheel/tire from the machine after all zeros show up on the display, ask them to remount the wheel/tire and see if the machine shows zero imbalance. If it does, you can be resonably sure that the tire is balanced properly. Merely respinning the wheel will acomplish nothing - the wheel mount be removed and remounted on the balancer shaft and the results reproduced. Rechecking the wheel for balance is the simplest and most effective test.

5. It does not matter whether the alloy wheel requires rim weight or stick-on weights. Modern balancing machines have built in programs that can even place stick-on weights behind alloy rim spokes so they stay concealed. Better machines also have arms that automatically place stick-on weights on the rim. It is perhaps more difficult to balance wheels/tires which require stick-on weights becuase there is more room for error. However, the results will be satisfactory if proper equipment is used competently.

6. According to racing professionals, you need to balance the wheels/tires to the nearest 0.1 ounce (2.8 gram) accuracy with proper equipment to eliminate most vibration at high speeds. This kind of balancing is simply not normally done. Most places will use marginal 1/4 ounce weights. For normal driving up to 100 MPH, proper balancing with 5 gram metric wieghts will give pleasent practically vibration free ride (assuming good quality tire are used).

7. Trucks and SUVs with large heavy tires are not as sensitive to improper balancing as cars with low profile tires. However, improperly balancing truck or SUV tires can lead to frustrating vibration problems as well. My coworker recently went to a Dodge dealer with his Durango and had his wheels (tire size 31X10.5 R15) balanced wrong twice. Finally they told him he needed new ball joints at $ 900 to get rid of the vibration. He went to a place that used a new Hunter road force balancer and it turned out that his rear tires were 0.75 ounces out on both sides. This kind of unbalance would be felt on any vehicle, except maybe on a 2.5 ton Army truck. Rebalanicng of the tires cured the problem and the original balls joints never needed replacing.

8. One can purchase a small computerized dynamic balancer for about $ 1900 (Coates model 700 balancer). This machine is capable of balancing wheels to 0.1 ounce accuracy and has several wheel balancing modes. I have been sorely tempted to get my own balancer several times.

9. Ideally you need you passenger cars rebalanced about every 5K miles for vibration free ride. This is expecially true when using high performance V or Z rated tires which rear out rather quickly.

10. If a tire is defective, the best balancing technique in the world will not cure the problem. I believe that Nissan had serious problems with Bridgestone Potenza RE 92 tires on 02 and 03 Maximas. Typically factories will use the right equipment and properly trained personnel to balance the wheels on new cars.

I hope the above information will be helpfull.

jbrother · December 2003

wow, thanks p100! that was a great load of info! i too have had a lot of balancing problems on my 96 nissan 240sx. practically from new purchase, have had a shimmy at around 60 mph especially when the car is cold in the morning. had one sears shop in kansas city, when i was traveling, balance the tires perfectly evidentally, because the car drove perfectly! then got new tires and the problems all over again. even went to a shop in town that is reputed to be the best with alignment and balancing issues, they first balance the wheel on the computer, then spin them on the car until balanced. but still had problems and they said it was the tires (new dunlop sp sport a2) so had 2 of them replaced partly under dunlop warranty, and still same shimmy problems. the alignment shop claimed they had many problems with dunlop tires and that was the problem. anyway, still have the shimmy but have learned to accept it and it doesn't really bother anymore. also, had several alignments done at the same shop inc a rear camber kit, etc, to no avail...

roar1 · December 2003

Excellent dissertation on tire balancing ! You hit
the nail on the head in item # 5 when you said
that a good balance job can be obtained IF the equiptment is used competently.

BTW, enjoy your Max's and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all !

jonjazzblue · January 2004

I have a 1995 SE Automatic with 145K miles. It had 68K miles when I bought it in '99 and has provided near flawless service since.

Last week I noticed that the tachometer showed 2500 rpm at highway speeds (75+ mph) and the shift was in D and the OD was on. It ran at the higher-than-normal revs for over 100 miles and later dropped to the normal 1800 rpm. Problem has not recurred.

Question: Is it time to flush and change Transmission fluid? What is the recommended frequency? I have not done an ATF changeover in the last 5 years.

Would appreciate any feedback / similar experience.

jim7689 · January 2004

I just purchased a new 04 Maxima 3.5 SL, Love the
car but I also seem to have a cold air draft down low on the drivers side. I had an 01 Maxima GLE that never had the problem.

The car seems to take forever to warm up inside.

My heated seats just went out today. I haven't the fuses yet, but it worked for a few days and then nothing.

In the three years I owned the 01 GLE I never once had a maint. problem, now all of a sudden my 04 has two. I wonder if it has something to do with the car being made in the USA. I sure hope not.

Any input, let me know your input.

hmmttj · January 2004

I own a 2000 maxima, My check engine light came on a few weeks ago, so I went to a trusted friend who works for advance auto parts. He hooked up a computer to it it read #2 cylinder misfiring. He proceeded to clear the check engine light for me and advised on a new coil pack for that cylinder. I went to the dealer and picked one up and replaced it, and it still had the problem. I am at my wits end with it and is driving me nuts, will someone please help.

alcan · January 2004

How long since it's had spark plugs?

bodble2 · January 2004

I would hope it's always had spark plugs!

4score · January 2004

I just bought a used 04 Maxima three days ago and it seems as though I am not the only one experiencing problems with the climate control. I have only driven the car once - about 25 miles home from the dealership. When we arrived home I was stopped in the driveway to set the garage door opener. The vents by our feet started to blow out cold air even though the temperature was set to 80 degrees. My wife says the problem has repeated itself when she is stopped at a light. Does anyone have any insights? Since the car is brand new to us it definitely could be user error but it seems like a very strange phenomenon.

bdlfe · January 2004

Did anyone get a notice for the new recall? I haven't received anything.
This is recall 03V455000, for the crank position sensors to be replaced and notifications should have been sent 12/03 since the recall was first issued 11/04/03. 630,000 units may be affected. How many model years is that?? Damn it, how did I get a German car in disguise.

stroz1 · January 2004

I have a problem with my nissan maxima, and can't find anyone that can fix it. When you are driving along it will sputter, like it's not getting fuel or something like that, it will do it once or maybe several times then runs fine, changed fuel filter,pump,computer,ECCS, still the same problem, one shop changed all the grounds. Same shop wants me to rent a wire from nissan, which the nissan shop knows nothing about, it's $400 for 3 days or $1200 to buy it. Anyone have any ideas.

htn123 · January 2004

hmmttj,
I also have 2K Max with same problem. Mine had #4 misfired. I found out by went to AutoZone and they diagnosted for free. The code is P1320.
Found out there is a TSB for it. NTB01-059.
http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB01-059.pdf
Went to a Nissan dealer and ask to get it fixed. They said they had to replace all 6 ignigtion coils !!!!!. I said just replace the #4.
During the meantime I called Nissan 1-800-NISSAN1 and told them that they have a TSB out which means NISSAN HAS A PROBLEM with it. They need to fix this for me. They said they will open a file and will contact the dealer.
Well, the dealer called me and said mine was done and I had to paid $380 for replace #4. I had to get my car so I paid for it. Took it and the problem got fixed. Nissan has not called the dealer yet!!!!.

What I suggest is you call 800-NISSAN1 and complaint with them about that and insist on getting them pay it for you.
DON'T BRING IT TO THE DEALER FIRST. That was my mistake. Get Nissan to agree to pay for it first then take it to the dealer.
Enough people complaint about it, Nissan will do a recall.
Good luck

ucsftor · January 2004

I bought this car in august and I love it. However I have been plagued with rattles. The first one is more subtle and comes from the back of the car. The dealer told me there was a service bulletin about it. I have a second more pronounced rattle that comes from underneath the sunroof. They will remove the lining and try to find the problem. I am the type to keep my car for a long time but I am a bit afraid that quality issues with this model will be a problem. Anyone with the same problem?

walter3rd · January 2004

Just had my 00 Max in for an oil change and the dealership told me i need the starter replaced for $340. This really pisses me off because if I wanted maintenance problems like this, I would have bought a Chevy. I just had it in 5k miles ago for its 60k service, and at about 50k miles, i had to replace all the ignition coils.

I love my Max, but I really only expected to have to do routine maintenance, up to at least 100k miles.

Anyone else have a starter problem?

minimus · January 2004

I wonder if someone can provide some information regarding clutch repairs.

I have a '96 Max SE with around 150K on it. Had the clutch replaced at 103K. Now I'm told that the slave cylinder has gone bad and that it has worn out the clutch so that I need both (around $1,100 at dealer, $700 at local garage) - ouch!

I am trying to understand the relationship between the slave cylinder and the clutch - how do they touch or otherwise interact that would cause a bad slave cylinder to ruin the clutch. Basically I want to hear some logic (or see a picture) that will ease my fears of being ripped off, or, hopefully, tell me that I am being ripped off and should just fix the slave cylinder.

Thanks in advance for any info!

hmmttj · January 2004

htn123,
Thanks for the info, Ill try that and let you know how it went.

hmmttj

alcan · January 2004

The clutch master cylinder supplies pressurized fluid to the slave cylinder when the clutch pedal is depressed. The slave cylinder then operates the release (throwout) bearing which releases the clutch, disconnecting the engine from the transaxle. If the slave cylinder is defective it can prevent the clutch from fully applying, allowing clutch slippage which will wear the clutch prematurely.

Check here, scroll down to "diaphragm clutch":
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch2.htm

soundzone · January 2004

I have a 2003 Maxima GLE which I bought used with 15,000 miles. I love the car but have one problem. There is a small popping noise when I go over bumps. The problem has never gotten any worse or better. The CV joints and boots seem to be ok. Could this be a shock absorber problem? It doesn't seem to effect anything, just annoying as the car is super quiet.

John

Nissan Maxima Maintenance and Repair

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