5th Generation Maxima (2000-2003)Learn more about the 5th Generation Maxima, including the VQ30DE-K and VQ35DE engines.
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My max is knocking and pinging like crazy. It's driving me nuts... what the he!! am i supposed to do??? Is this normal... i can't think so. I use good gas and it still happens. Should i take it to the dealer just to get told there is no problem. This sucks!!!! Help please.
read this . really the only think i have changed so far is, getting 93 fuel at AMOCO. The pinging is gone and i am not getting coughing any more at 4K. i will change the fuel filter next weekend...good luck
My max is knocking and pinging like crazy. It's driving me nuts... what the he!! am i supposed to do??? Is this normal... i can't think so. I use good gas and it still happens. Should i take it to the dealer just to get told there is no problem. This sucks!!!! Help please.
Bear in mind, dba1999us has a 2000 model... kcowden has a 2003 model... the 3.5L (2002+)'s are known to ping a lot for some odd reason?
mine doesn't and I've only read of 4 or 5 other people on here... I'm not saying this about them or you, but most people don't know what 'knock' and 'ping' even are or sound like. I'm sure you and they do, but a lot of people don't.
why do 'people' say it's so common on 3.5L? I've driven 3 and haven't heard it on any.
mine doesn't and I've only read of 4 or 5 other people on here... I'm not saying this about them or you, but most people don't know what 'knock' and 'ping' even are or sound like. I'm sure you and they do, but a lot of people don't.
why do 'people' say it's so common on 3.5L? I've driven 3 and haven't heard it on any.
hm OK... but I know at least 2 people now on the org who've had this (maximadave and now kcowden, might have seen some others in maximadave's knocking threads)
hm OK... but I know at least 2 people now on the org who've had this (maximadave and now kcowden, might have seen some others in maximadave's knocking threads)
just so this is clear... I'm NOT saying they don't know what knock is and I'm NOT saying their cars are not knocking...
I AM saying the problem is not as common as people are making it out to be...that's all. Like I said, i've driven 3 (mine, a friend's, and a rental) and none had it.
I've had pinging issues myself - but concluded it may have something to do with the place i regularly get 93 Chevron.
Back-back-back-etc fill-ups between the regular place and a Chevron several blocks away give out very different results.
The Max doesn't seem as responsive and has pinging issues if i go to the regular place. On the other Chevron, the max gets peppy after a while and no pinging at all.
My 2k3 Max has about 19k miles on it (bought in Aug. of 02) and I have had this problem since the 1k mark. I have taken in to three different dealers (one was an Infiniti dealer) and they all said it was normal. You are not alone with this. I have seen this posted on the Org. by other members as well, with simular results. If anyone has a solution that works please post it for all of us with this problem. (I have tried changing brands of gas, gas treatments and even octain boosters with no lasting results).
My max is knocking and pinging like crazy. It's driving me nuts... what the he!! am i supposed to do??? Is this normal... i can't think so. I use good gas and it still happens. Should i take it to the dealer just to get told there is no problem. This sucks!!!! Help please.
I hear ya...
My Max still pings...I even tried 94 octane...with no results.
I did notice that prior to my Injen...it didn't ping. I may try to put the stock intake back on and see if that does anything. It'd be great if that worked...but I have to give up my Injen...
I think the Injen intake causes pinging and denotation. Some how the car is unable to adjust to compensate for the optimum air/fuel ratio? I myself have one and notice the knocking/pinging a week after the installation...though not as severe as some had mentioned.
It's the coils, folks. Pure and simple. Coils do not like heat and vibration. And guess where they're mounted? You got it . . . right in the engine.
You can cover up the problem by running higher octane gasoline or fuel supplements like Chevron Techron Concentrate. But that's a band-aid approach. The problem is still there. And it won't go away until you replace the defective coil(s).
Good luck.
PS: If you think we've got problems, check this out:
It's the coils, folks. Pure and simple. Coils do not like heat and vibration. And guess where they're mounted? You got it . . . right in the engine.
You can cover up the problem by running higher octane gasoline or fuel supplements like Chevron Techron Concentrate. But that's a band-aid approach. The problem is still there. And it won't go away until you replace the defective coil(s).
Good luck.
PS: If you think we've got problems, check this out:
From what I've experienced and seen so far the pingning seems to affect the people that have some sort of mods such as a cai or a cat back exh. I never heard my car ping until the day I put on my Powertech and a K&N filter in the stock airbox. My pinging is very mild usually just after the 1-2 shift and 2-3 under light throttle conditions. I think it has something to do with air/fuel ratio rather than spark. This is just my opinion. Has anyone installed an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and incresed the fuel pressure a bit? Remember the more air we move we need more fuel to burn it.
Has anyone with this tried resetting the ECU? Maybe the learned fuel trim table is off? Here's the things I find wierd about it:
The knock sensor should be pulling timing if there is knock, that'll rob power but take care of the knock.
If with intake and exhaust mods, I would think that the ECU would still be able to maintain stoich without doing anything to fuel delivery.
Anyways, someone above me here said it was coils and I remember seeing that before. Sice the knock sensor isn't able to get rid of it and fuel really shouldn't be an issue, it stand to reason that just one bad coil could cause this. If a coil or 2 are bad, pulling timing just isn't going to fix it. That would show up as lost power as well.
Best thing to do would be to data log the car with an OBDII tool capable of that. I have one for my laptop that works well. You can't get knock counts on OBDII but you would see the problem by looking at a graph of timing. You'll see timing stay flat or get yanked as RPMs go up.
You'll be able to see what's up with O2 and other variable.
Even after all that though, it's probably a bad coil(s)
It's the coils, folks. Pure and simple. Coils do not like heat and vibration. And guess where they're mounted? You got it . . . right in the engine.
You can cover up the problem by running higher octane gasoline or fuel supplements like Chevron Techron Concentrate. But that's a band-aid approach. The problem is still there. And it won't go away until you replace the defective coil(s).
Good luck.
PS: If you think we've got problems, check this out:
I didn't think it was the coils because most say that the '03 Max has revised coils...and that the coil problem is limited to the '00 & '01. Even though it kind of late for some VW & Audi owners...it's good to see that they did the recall. I wonder what it would take for Nissan to do a recall.
Btw, I did reset the ecu after I installed the Injen...it didn't start pinging right away...probably about 3 weeks or so after I put the Injen in...it started pinging. None of the "bandaids" have worked for me...and since most org member who have taken their Max in to the dealer to correct the pinging have been told that its normal...I guess I'll have to live with it for a while...
From what I've experienced and seen so far the pingning seems to affect the people that have some sort of mods such as a cai or a cat back exh. I never heard my car ping until the day I put on my Powertech and a K&N filter in the stock airbox. My pinging is very mild usually just after the 1-2 shift and 2-3 under light throttle conditions. I think it has something to do with air/fuel ratio rather than spark. This is just my opinion. Has anyone installed an adjustable fuel pressure regulator and incresed the fuel pressure a bit? Remember the more air we move we need more fuel to burn it.
Welcome to the club!! My car is going back to the dealer for the 5th time for the ping/knock. So far...."it's normal", "Can't duplicate at this time","Yeah, you have pinging, but Nissan doesn't have a solution". The last time I was in they replaced my MAF. Still didn't do anything. I have the Injen as well and as far as putting stock air back on....no difference.
So......good luck to you, and if you should be so lucky to find a solution please share.
Anyone try using a cooler thermostat? I am having trouble finding a aftermarket one so far. I would think this would help reduce pinging due to the lower temp in the combustion chamber. Anyone know of any vendors selling aftermarket thermostats? I would be willing to try a cooler one.
The 2K's are having a horrible time with pinging. Dave B sells ignition coils for around $40 each. The cheaper price is due to the item being sold through the sub-assembly (not end item). I was contemplating replacing all of them, however, there seems to be a lot of problems with the ignition coil on cylinder 3. Some have been reporting that these coils are easy DIY projects. So don't waste your time at the dealership. Also, if you want the technican to hear your engine pinging, fill up on regular and tell him there's premium in there.
By the way, my max always works perfectly when I am about 1 mile away from the dealership.
My lil brother also heard my car pinging yesterday! I had heard it before, but thought nothing of it....that it might be another car or someting, but yesterday he asked me why my car "ticks". I was like, u hear that too! And my car has 27K, has no mods and is a 2K2. Do i take it in? What do u guys think??
Has anyone with this tried resetting the ECU? Maybe the learned fuel trim table is off? Here's the things I find wierd about it:
The knock sensor should be pulling timing if there is knock, that'll rob power but take care of the knock.
If with intake and exhaust mods, I would think that the ECU would still be able to maintain stoich without doing anything to fuel delivery.
Anyways, someone above me here said it was coils and I remember seeing that before. Sice the knock sensor isn't able to get rid of it and fuel really shouldn't be an issue, it stand to reason that just one bad coil could cause this. If a coil or 2 are bad, pulling timing just isn't going to fix it. That would show up as lost power as well.
Best thing to do would be to data log the car with an OBDII tool capable of that. I have one for my laptop that works well. You can't get knock counts on OBDII but you would see the problem by looking at a graph of timing. You'll see timing stay flat or get yanked as RPMs go up.
You'll be able to see what's up with O2 and other variable.
Even after all that though, it's probably a bad coil(s)
How would you reset the ECU? I had the ECU replaced about a month and half ago and have noticed pinging since then. When I use higher octane the problem goes away but if I go to regular, it starts pinging again. Before replacing the ECU, I had no pinging even w/regular 87 octane. If I can get away w/no pinging on 87 octane, that would be good.
I have an 02 GLE and have had this mild pinging at 15-20% throttle at usually the 1700-2200 rpm range ever since I have owned the car. Anymore throttle applied or higher rpm's and it usually dissapears. I have done the pcv oil catch can and it appeared to help a very slight amount and even though it didn't fix it I still like this mod as the oil loss here is quite a bit and I like that the oil is not getting into the IM.
I have had this light spark knock/ping since I was completely stock and now I have a modded airbox, headers and a modded catback and the same exact pinging is still present. I installed and tuned a VAFCII for power and fuel mileage reasons at the 40%+ throttle settings. I have tried adding small amounts of fuel at the low throttle settings, <39% at these rpm's, but even +2-3 across this rpm range doesn't stop the pinging and adding this fuel really makes the car feel lazy as an unwanted side effect.
After speaking with some friends who happen to be 20+yr Nissan Specialists, this is not coil pack, maf or as far as they can tell poorly rated 93 octane fuel related.
It is mostly due to our 15deg+ btdc base timing our cars have and at these light loads in this rpm range the ECU is sometimes adding 20+ additional degrees of timing to add power and increase efficiency. The only real way to get rid of this would be to run a cooler plug or have your base timing cut back a few degrees.
I myself am just getting used to it and accepting that this small amount of spark knock is not going to hurt the engine and also that the engine is running right to the limit of efficiency with respect to A/F ratios and maximum advanced timing. It does still however baffle me that the knock sensor doesn't somehow hear this "clearly audible" knock and effectively pull timing to quell it??
I have a 2k3 SE with about 83k miles (I know - very high). I have no mods in my car and have been getting a knocking sound for about 25k miles between 1800-2100 rpms. The dealer has looked at it many times and can't identify or replicate the sound. They keep telling me to bring the car in when it's doing it so the shop manager can listen to it. I work far from the dealer and can't seem to replicate when I'm in the area. Usually, it's when the temp outside is over 75 and I've been driving for a while.
I have a 2k3 SE with about 83k miles (I know - very high). I have no mods in my car and have been getting a knocking sound for about 25k miles between 1800-2100 rpms. The dealer has looked at it many times and can't identify or replicate the sound. They keep telling me to bring the car in when it's doing it so the shop manager can listen to it. I work far from the dealer and can't seem to replicate when I'm in the area. Usually, it's when the temp outside is over 75 and I've been driving for a while.
Any suggestions?
does it only occur on acceleration? does it do it more prominently in one section of the rpms over another? do you use premium fuel?
I got my car a month ago with 68k miles on it. It was pinging when I got it but I do use 93 octane, don't know about the previous owner. Anyway to lower it the sound? It is only when I'm accelerating.
For what its worth I'll tell you my experience with ping.
My 95 max always had a slight ping, especially after long trips, under light acceleration up slight inclines.
From day one, my 2000 I30 had a much louder ping, under the same conditions. After changing to the updated MAF, installing a Berk intake, new coils, and changing to Mobil gas, the ping is 100% gone!!!
Not sure which of the changes did it, but haven't heard ping for 3 years now, and performance (low and high end) is improved.
wow.. ur complaining its knocking and pinging, and the only thing you've done is change what octane gas you get? ur block is probably getting OWNED... and with that.. u should've checked the plugs and what not. but by now, the point of spark might be on the pistons and not the plugs anymore.. u probably melted some crap and its igniting from there
you guys just need to put some speed in your MAchine! I have a 2k3 SE with almost 94k on the odo (it goes in for 90k maintenence thursday; i know im late) but I've rarely put anything less than 92octane from reputable branded gas (usually Shell V-power or Sunoco 93 oct, rest of the time a mix between BP, Mobil, or occasionally Marathon) and my commutes are long distances early in the mornings so I've averaged 80+ and will occassionally do a jaunt at triple digits. It really cleans the engine out I've never had engine knocking of any sort, however i HAVE had some slightly loud lifters, prolly from the oil thinning. I got really paranoid after the oilburning thread and keep a quart of Mobil1 5w-30 in my trunk for when it's hot out and i notice it.
..actually, i should not codone speeding of any sort, being there's way too many tickets on my license, but the max is incredibly stable and composed even when it gets to the limiter, just keep in mind everything happens faster and you need a heck of alot more room to make adjustments.
After speaking with some friends who happen to be 20+yr Nissan Specialists, this is not coil pack, maf or as far as they can tell poorly rated 93 octane fuel related.
It is mostly due to our 15deg+ btdc base timing our cars have and at these light loads in this rpm range the ECU is sometimes adding 20+ additional degrees of timing to add power and increase efficiency. The only real way to get rid of this would be to run a cooler plug or have your base timing cut back a few degrees.
I myself am just getting used to it and accepting that this small amount of spark knock is not going to hurt the engine and also that the engine is running right to the limit of efficiency with respect to A/F ratios and maximum advanced timing. It does still however baffle me that the knock sensor doesn't somehow hear this "clearly audible" knock and effectively pull timing to quell it??
What specific type of cooler plugs should we be using?
What specific type of cooler plugs should we be using?
Stock heat range is "5" so one step cooler is "6"
For instance LFR6AIX-11 is the one step cooler Laser Iridium
or PLFR6A-11 is the one step cooler Laser Platinum.
While doing this will almost certainly get rid of the pinging, its side effect will also most likely be a small ~2-3 hp decrease and a potential reduction of fuel mileage also 2-3 mpg.
Again these aren't scientific results but more of a educated guess, your results may vary.
I have an 02 GLE and have had this mild pinging at 15-20% throttle at usually the 1700-2200 rpm range ever since I have owned the car. Anymore throttle applied or higher rpm's and it usually dissapears. I have done the pcv oil catch can and it appeared to help a very slight amount and even though it didn't fix it I still like this mod as the oil loss here is quite a bit and I like that the oil is not getting into the IM.
I have had this light spark knock/ping since I was completely stock and now I have a modded airbox, headers and a modded catback and the same exact pinging is still present. I installed and tuned a VAFCII for power and fuel mileage reasons at the 40%+ throttle settings. I have tried adding small amounts of fuel at the low throttle settings, <39% at these rpm's, but even +2-3 across this rpm range doesn't stop the pinging and adding this fuel really makes the car feel lazy as an unwanted side effect.
After speaking with some friends who happen to be 20+yr Nissan Specialists, this is not coil pack, maf or as far as they can tell poorly rated 93 octane fuel related.
It is mostly due to our 15deg+ btdc base timing our cars have and at these light loads in this rpm range the ECU is sometimes adding 20+ additional degrees of timing to add power and increase efficiency. The only real way to get rid of this would be to run a cooler plug or have your base timing cut back a few degrees.
I myself am just getting used to it and accepting that this small amount of spark knock is not going to hurt the engine and also that the engine is running right to the limit of efficiency with respect to A/F ratios and maximum advanced timing. It does still however baffle me that the knock sensor doesn't somehow hear this "clearly audible" knock and effectively pull timing to quell it??
exactly the same situation... 1700-2200 rpm, light throttle, a little uphill, engine HOT...
i will try cooler spark plugs first.
I have had my 02 SE since new and with 46k on the odo, it runs like a champ. Similar to SerjVQ, I have never used anything less than 93 octane (typically, Shell V-power, Mobil Super, Sunoco Ultra and Hess premium).
yah Stop Beating Your Car! Simple
I've never had engine knocking of any sort, however i HAVE had some slightly loud lifters, prolly from the oil thinning. I got really paranoid after the oilburning thread and keep a quart of Mobil1 5w-30 in my trunk for when it's hot out and i notice it.
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