max95se

of a 95 maxima.

0103 - engine coolant temp. sensor
0304 - knock sensor circuit
0908 - engine coolant temp. sensor function


.. my coolant temp looks ok. It's almost halfway
during normal temp. which i think is right.
could this also cause the knock sensor mil light to go off?
weird. is there a connection between the knock sensor and
the temp. sensors? thanks.

-jason

Daniel B. Martin

The following information is based on the '99 Maxima factory service manual. I believe it also applies to your '95.
Diagnostic Trouble Code 0103 indicates a bad Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor, or a defect in the connector or wiring.

DTC 0908 reads the same way, and also says the ECTS always said "cold engine" and this prevented the Engine Control Module (the computer) from going into closed loop mode. This could indicate a bad sensor or a stuck-open thermostat. Does your heater deliver lots of hot air within three minutes of a cold start? If not, you may have a bad 'stat.

I don't know of any direct connection between the ECTS codes and the Knock Sensor code. I suggest you tackle the ECTS problem first. Fixing that might also fix the KS problem.

Daniel B. Martin

You may want to test your Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. This is easy enough, requiring only an ohmmeter.

On the 4th Generation Maxima engine the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor is located in the water outlet tube close to the engine end of the upper radiator hose. There are two sensors in that area. The one nearest the hose is for the dashboard temperature gauge. The ECTS, the one you're interested in, is right next to the the gauge sending unit. There is a good picture of these sensors in the Haynes manual on page 3-7.

With the engine cold, disconnect the ECTS and measure its resistance.
Reconnect the ECTS, start the engine, run it until fully warmed up. Stop
the engine, and repeat the resistance measurement. The "warm" reading
should be a much lower value than the "cold" reading.

The Chilton Maxima shop manual gives these specs:
Engine coolant temperature 68F, ECTS resistance 2.1 - 2.9 Kohms
Engine coolant temperature 194F, ECTS resistance 0.24 - 0.26 Kohms
(Roughly a factor of ten difference.)

dch95

Jason,
On my 95 the ECTS was bad a made the car hard to start and it frequently stalled on me. BTW, the temperature gauge gets it,s reading/signal from a different sensor so coolant temp has nothing to do with ECTS failure/codes. It,s job is to take coolant readings and tell computer therefor adjusting fuel mixtures.

gabuchu

I think the ect is a common problem on a lot of cars just like the o2 sensor. When I was fooling around and disconnected my front o2, I also got the code for the knock sensor. Maybe if you fix the ect code first, the other code will go away also.

max95se

it's really weird since as soon as I start the car..
the 2 fan in the front starts running even when the engine is still cold. well, i ordered the ects sensor already so
hopefully the problem will go away. thank you very much for all the help!!!! thanks!!!

-jason

Daniel B. Martin

It's a good idea to test the sensor before spending the money on a replacement. Testing is easy and you already have instructions. Don't just throw money at a problem hoping it will go away.

viktornguyen

Does anyone have Haynes manual. I'd like to see page 3-7. If u can post pics that would be great... thx.

Has anyone tried this themselves???

PimpinPaKi96

Hello, Im new here as u can see

im having the same problem with the code: P0125 (0908)- Insufficient Engine Coolant Temperature for Closed Loop Fuel Control, and also knock sensor problems are showing up too.

The biggest prboblem i have seen with this is that my car is eating A LOT of gas really fast and that is really bad. I still am not sure if i should change the ECT sensor or what. So can somone pls help me here?

2da mizzax

iTrader: (4)

make sure you have coolant in the radiator (the resevoir level wont tell you if there is air in the line). if you are sure all air has been purged, change the coolant temp sensor. i hear it is $27 or so from autozone. get a new knock sensor from ebay. $64 shipped. both are very simple to change.

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...9&postcount=30

or a nissan part for $21 shipped.

PimpinPaKi96

hmm okay ill try that out, thx for the help man