DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

I agree.

The sensor is located on the passengerside lower corner of the radiator/a/c condenser core.

abperez94

it seems like its not that hard of a job, and it saw it for like 30 from autozone, after replacing it the ac should kick in right? Thanks in advance

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

It should unless there is a second problem.

To check the ambient temperature sensor, see page 125 in the link below.

You could run the self diagnostic on the a/c control system if you want. It starts on page 43 in the link below.

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/2002/HA.pdf

abperez94

Seems like the sensor itself is fine, or honestly who knows, but just realized the whole wire that connects the sensor is chewed through so i guess i will have to run to salvage yard see where the wire connects to, and hopefully just get the ***** wire with the connector. Do you think i could get one from a non automatic climate control max, or does it have to be the same exact car? The local junkyard seems to only have the non-leather cars

dcam0326

Hey, this is a question for anyone who's replaced their lower radiator support;

About how many hours of labor are involved in removing all of the front end components to get down to the actual support? Assume I'm not replacing the whole support but removing enough to get to a position where some flat iron could be welded over it.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

The non-auto climate control cars will not have that sensor at all.

What you will not be happy to hear is that the wire going to the temperature sensor does not have a connector on it other than the one at the sensor. The wire runs up in between the inner and outer fender and enters into the engine compartment though a hole behind the coolant overflow tank. You will have to cut and splice.

The same sensor was used on all years of the 5th gen and comparable Infiniti I30/35

You seem to relate the auto climate controls with leather seats. I don't think that is always true.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Where can I find this "***** wire" you speak of? Can I plug it into my wife to improve my love life?

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

ever since I saw the thread about the homie hitting the hog I thought about a interceptor type of bumper upgrade for my max! :Off-road:

Sent from my iPad using and abusin Maxima.Org

PlumD4wg

[QUOTE=nestorlugo;8963141]ever since I saw the thread about the homie hitting the hog I thought about a interceptor type of bumper upgrade for my max! :Off-road:

Hello, I am working on my dad's 2000 Maxima with 205,000 miles and has been the most reliable car I've ever heard of. The last few days, however, When I first start it it seems to idle fine but but when I slip it in gear and hit the gas, it seems to choke up and act like the catalytic converter is clogged. In drive, the RPM's drop almost completely and will not move. After 5 minutes of playing with this, it will normally perform much better, though with a noticeable power loss. I know there are several other issues which have similar symptoms like bad MAF, crankshaft/camshaft/O2/knock sensors, spark plugs/coils, possibly part of the fuel delivery system or relays, even dirty EGR, throttle body, or IACV.

I normally just browse, but have noticed others with similar questions so it would be great to make a definitive thread (unless I am just missing an existing one). I was hoping to find a set of tests so I can start eliminating possibilities or hopefully find the true issue. I ran diagnostic but there are no codes.

Any help would be great, please let me know if there are any questions. Thanks!

Todd1225

[QUOTE=PlumD4wg;8963476]When the MAF in my 2000 Maxima went bad, it would start up fine then immediately choke and go dead. If I started it up and then tried to keep it running with the throttle, it would buck, spit, sputter, and do everything it could to go dead...and it was successful no matter what I did with the gas (same in park or drive, didn't matter). Had to tow it to the shop.

Got my MAF off ebay for like $30.00....130.00 to put it on and I'm back in business.

Hope this helps!

PlumD4wg

[QUOTE=Todd1225;8963481]Thanks for the prompt reply. The strange part is this car will start and idle fine. It is only when I try to accelerate that the engine starts acting like it is suffocating, either from lack of fuel or possibly exhaust back pressure(which is why I noted the catalytic possibility). But after I go through the motions and struggle for about 5 minutes, will it then start approaching normal acceleration. There is still a slight loss of power, but no threat of stalling like when hitting gas in first 5 min. I've worked on cars for the last 10 years and never found this problem. But I've never worked on anything with 200k+ miles either.

PlumD4wg

[QUOTE=PlumD4wg;8963485]I should also note, When visiting my dads house a month ago and working on my older E46, I removed his MAF and cleaned it with CRC MAF Cleaner....probably the first time it was ever done.

briarmason

Hi everyone, Im new here. I have an 02 Maxima GLE and did a new rear valve cover gasket yesterday. Today the BRAKE and battery lights on the dash are both on and flickering. Took it to Oreillys to test the alternator and they said its not charging. Just from looking at the alternator pulley it doesn't seem to be slipping. I checked all the connections and can't find anything unplugged. I just can't wrap my head around the possibility that this is a coincidence right after doing the valve cover gasket yesterday. Just wanted to see if anyone here has any ideas, Ive been lurking for a while and you guys have been very helpful.

Thanks,
Briar

abperez94

So yesterday i changed my oil with valvoline synth blend high mileage and a Fran filter, now today when i start the car i hear some sort of rattling noise from the engine bay? What could this be? The car was totally fine before the oil change... For extra info it has 170k miles

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

If you work on cars long enough, you will become a believer in coincidences.

From doing the valve cover gaskets, you shouldn't have done anything with/to the alternator. It's always possible that you could have accidentally done something, like drop something that damages the wires.

If you can't find any wire damage, then you will have to become a believer in coincidences whether you want to or not.

There is one fuse for you to check. It is in the fuse block under the hood by the battery. It is a 10 amp fuse and the cover is labeled ALT.S.

MaxiMac02

I have a 2002 Maxima and the SEL lights are on. I got the P1610 NAT Failure, but my car starts and the Security light doesn't stay on when the key is turned or while starting. It would start and then leaving the store it wouldn't. Tried 2-3 times to start and it finally turned over.

Then the SEL light came on. I checked the codes and got:

P1610 NATS Failure - two times
P0328 Knock Sensor
P0340 Camshaft Position Sensor - I was able to do a quick swap out of the CPS at Autozone.

I know the Knock Sensor isn't as important, but what about the NATS Failure? I believe I have the original key since I've started the car over 5 times and never had the key replaced.

Any suggestions? Thanks

smlarsen777

Does anyone know if the wheel wells on an 02 are the same size as the wheel wells on an 04

wrenchtosser

Hello veterans, just bought a new (to me) 2000 Maxima with the four speed automatic. I absolutely love this thing. It is flawless with one exception (thus the reason that I am here). The transmission shifts great under normal driving. There is absolutely no slipping. it can squak the tires and makes no strange noises. The issue is at full throttle. It goes from gear to gear very lazily (for lack of a better word). The fast, crisp shift of normal driving is replaced with a slow, soft, long shift. I changed the filter/fluid (Amsoil) - no difference. Anyone have any thoughts on troubleshooting this?
Thanks in advance.

wrenchtosser

Oh yes, I did try searching, and looked through the first few pages of results and while there were lots of posts, most of them were about severe problems.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

WOT shifting behavior you describe is normal with the 4 speed auto.

If you want crisper shifts, look into the drop resistor mod, but get ready for full pressure shifting all the time

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

wrenchtosser

Thank you! No wonder the manual is so much faster. You would think that this would be hard on the tranny eventually. . .

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

It is.

I don't recommend the drop resister mod, but it will give you sharper shifts all the time.

The fastest Maxima in the 1/4 is actually an automatic.

Zaya073

So I was looking up online about these springs and I'm TOTAL newb stuff like this. Are all H&R springs the same? I'm kinda scared if I buy one and it might not fit in to my Maxima 02...so I just be sure that's all.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Buy ones that fit a 2000-2003. The 5th and 5.5 gen are the same in that regard.

stickybones

iTrader: (1)

Are there any pictures of SE's with stock 17's with different size wheel spacers around? Im having trouble finding any. I dont like the stock look in the rear. I figured the easiest and cheapest way to resolve this is wheel spacers. It seems like a 20 or 25mm in the rear would do great.
This? http://www.stillen.com/product/wheel...sw-114735.html

Im just looking for a sportier look while maintaining a stock appearance.

maxiiiboy

I do - have had similar experience. In my case, it was happening when my MAF was going bad (but I didn't know it). Also, is this happening even when you disable the OVERDRIVE mode? Experiment - the overdrive makes quite a bit of difference.

skwidstyle

i have searched both the web & this forum & don't see that any are in production or even available anymore. are there any ?

maryannr

ok here is my question. have an 03 maxima se. recently came up with code P0051. according to the diagram posted here in the 02 sensor discussion. i should need bank 1 sensor 1. but if i google P0051, it comes up bank 2 sensor 1. so which is it???? i know the car has 4 sensors, 2 of which i think are the same. i am taking a wild guess that a Bosch 13968 Oxygen Sensor is what i would need. but do i need 2 of them? another words, for bank 1 sensor 1 And bank 2 sensor 1?? that's the second question. so confused...... was so much easier with my ol vw, only 2 sensors, so it was one or the other. jeez. THANKS

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

Evidently that diagram has an error in it. The diagram is not a Nissan document, it was created by an .org member. The Nissan service manual says P0051 is bank 2, so I would go with that.

You only need to replace the one sensor, not two. Each sensor has its own code.

When looking up O2 sensors, what Nissan calls sensor 1 is the upstream sensor, Bank 2 is the front (by the radiator).

As far as the Bosch #, I don't know. 13968 is an upstream sensor, but whether it is bank 1 or bank 2, I don't know. The only difference between the 2 sensors is the wire length.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

Yep, never really was as accurate as we'd like.

http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1988_1992.html

Dangan

Hi guys!

So, I got a Max SE 02 last October with known issues.
Cylinder misfire to begin with.....Did a rebuild, following the advice of a mechanic that ended up stealing me $2500 for it since the issue remained....
and some burning oil ( 1 liter every month...0_o!)
Paid the car $2000 with 130K on it, so not that bad a deal, imho.

With the same mechanic ( i know, i'm dumb...) Did a full tune up and spark plugs,

To my new mechanic I had him clean the cylinders with a chemical treatment and change for hi-quality synthetic oil and oil filter hoping it may improve the engine.
Based on the many threads here it seems it's a conception flaw in most of the VQ35DE, unfortunately....
So my next step will be again change the spark plugs for a better quality set and the ignition coils too but it's beyond my budget for now...

Another issue came up after the rebuild, the awful clanking/rattling sound at cold start, but it only last for 2/3 seconds and vanishes.
From the threads here ( again so helpful to a noob ) i realized it is the well known time chain tensioner pads that are dead or the oil pump that activates them that doesn't do it's job properly....

All the threads I read are quite old so my first question to the community is:
- does anyone has recently found a way to fix that rattling sound...?
my mechanic is reticent to undergo the full engine out , time chain well opening stuff since it will cost me an arm and maybe can 't be simply fixed (i love my mechanic, so fair^^)
He told me it can be the upper tensioners ( easy access and fix if its the pads that are worn out) but it may be the lower one and that would need to get the engine out to figure out, same if it's an hydrolic problem and that cost lots in labor...

Second question :
-back in the old threads some sol;utions has been suggested to fix the misfire issue but it was still not 100% it will fix it for good. so now in 2014 does anyone knows how to get rifd of that misfire problem in the VQ35DE...?

So far I'm a bit sad that most of the major issues occurred AFTER that joke of a mechanic did the rebuild....I'm almost wondering if I shouldn't look for a used engine that wouldn't have the chronic issues of mine....If I have to spend thousands for nothing, better use them on a new engine, right?


Enough of my ranting, the good part now^^
So far and under the clever suggestions made here I started to mod the beast....
First came the air intake, if there was a misfire, maybe more dense air could help the combustion a little, so I got a K&N filter for the factory box.
I noted a small hp improvement but mostly after 4000rpm and up and a smoother acceleration at lower rpm even when stomping on the pedal (before I could feel more"choke" gap in the engine as it reved up to it's power band of 5000rpm)was I right...?

I intend to go for a CAI, but my choices are limited now since not so many parts are available for ye ol' 5th gen....
Injen of course still does it but it's still quite expensive for just a metal pipe and a filter.....Any DIY idea is most welcomed !!
(like pvc tubing for the pipe and a good filter like Weapon-R and Injen does)
or even a used Injen if not too old.

Next improvement was NWP spacers, again following some advices here. Not installed yet but I hope a better power at low revs and a colder/denser air intake( plz tell me if I got it wrong...0_o).

Now is my quest for advices.....what could be the next step to help get a smoother more powerful acceleration at low rpm...?
I'm a bit lost with all the suggestions here...( headers, CAI vs SAI, y-pipe and cat back, ecu or a chip....so many choices and not so much money... daaaah)

If my basic understanding of how an engine works is flawed , please feel free to instruct me, some of you are quite versed in mechanics apparently and I'm not even sure my deductions will lead to fixing or attenuating the misfire issue or the timing chain rattling....
Last diag gave me the P0302 code for cylinder 2.....did a memory wipe while engine was running and it didn't came back, it's been a week now, so I'm praying it will stay like that forever but you never know....

I love that engine so much i'd so sad to have to trash the car for engine failure or ceisure......even getting another used engine doesn't assure me it won't have the same issues that so many VQ35DE have....

Need to win the lottery and buy a brand new Inf G37 X that i would tune to the bone

I will have other questions later but more on the look side of it, cause all those pics of your rides made me want to pimp mine a little bit
nothing too ricey, but more black to the blackness would be nice ( Anzo black halo head/tail lights, smoked side-markers and some nicer black rims)


thanks in advance for your help!
And again feel free to correct any misconception I would have stated in the post, I'm still learning and enjoy doing so ^^

fyrefyterq2

Hey guys,


I'm new here and have a question for you. I recently bought a 03 maxima with 100k for a commuter car and its been awesome so far. However, the driver side power lock button and passenger side window button do not work. I did a little research and found out about a reset button in the door, so I took the control assembly off and hit the button as instructed but it didn't work. I have also checked the fuses and they are all good. Not really sure of what else to do. I did buy another control assembly off eBay but the company sent me an 02 saying it would match, but it did not. Should I try and buy another control assembly or check the wires to make sure their getting juice? Is their something I am missing? Any help is greatly appreciated, thx.

abperez94

my car seems to be making a weird rattling like noise from the front right area. i am not totally sure if its brakes issues or something else.. it doesn't seem to make it while i press on the brakes just does it while it is cruising at lower speeds 40<... i will post a link to youtube with a video i recorded of the car while it makes the noise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EPk...ature=youtu.be

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

That reset button is for a very specific situation and does nothing any other time. It is for when the window closes and than drops back down an inch or two.

You are correct about that switch you bought. Each year of the 5th gen Maxima uses a different switch. It is possible for the driver's door master switch to be the cause of both problems, but it is also possible that you need both switches. These switches have a microprocessor in them and are easily damaged when someone changes the step/entry lights in the door panel and shorts the contacts together.

The master window switch in the driver's door has a 80+ percent chance of being the problem. If you want to replace that switch and try it that way, go ahead.

Otherwise I need more info to try to diagnose it.

Door lock:
Does the door lock from outside with the key?
Does the door lock with the remote?
Do all the doors lock with the key?
Do all the doors lock with the remote?
When you push the lock button on the window switch, do you hear anything?
If the door is locked and you press the button on the window switch, does the door unlock?

Window:
It does work from the driver's side, correct?
If the above is true, then it should also work from the remote, correct?

Dangan

Bump..?

toronto78

Hey there.

New to the forum, driving a 2001 SE Anniversay Edition. Bought it from my brother about 6 years ago, he had picked it up almost new.
It's been an amazing car, love it. Trouble is that for a couple of years I haven't been able to open the right rear door. It hadn't been an issue, but with kids and dogs... I NEED to get it open.

I seached and found a way to get most of the panel off the inside of the door. Trouble is that since I can't get the door open, I can't get the panel actally off which seriously limits the access to the workings of the door itself. I can push and pull all sorts of stuff around. I can move the rod which moves the toggle for the passenger to lock (and unlock) the door normally. But none of this actually unlocks the door.
So I'm asking if there's something that I'm not getting from the diagrams? Is there a 'button' in there that I need to push? Do I need to cut the panel to access something important?
I feel I'm pretty handy. I just changed the starter. This doesn't feel like it should be this difficult. I talked very briefly to a service guy at a Nissan dealership was told that it would be a minimum two hour charge for them to even see if they could fix it. Which is why I decided to try.

Any help would be much appreciated. I'd hate to have to sell just because we can't use half of the back seat.

Cheers from Toronto.

IanHen

I have a 3.5 VQ and have been having intermittent issues every summer since I purchased the SUV.

Once or twice per summer after 30 - 45 mins hot soak the car would lose power and run rough.
I took it in to Nissan while it was doing this under warranty and they said couldn't find an issue, no codes.

After several years of this repeating I brought a code reader and found "pending code, P0011 P0021" Cleared and waited for re-occurrence.
Then when this re-occurred the SES came on and had P0021.
Replaced both Cam sensors.
Problem seemed like it was gone for 2 years, then came back two days running.
Seems worse, occurred warm and on cold start up.

I have had this problem now for 10 years, and it basically is still only in summer. very intermittent, once or twice per summer.

Subscribed to thread. Will up date after next attempt to fix this.
( Ran dyno Oil for maybe 5 yrs, last 5 yrs on full Synthetic.)

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

As I read this, I am of the opinion that you don't have a Maxima, you have a Pathfinder. If you had a Maxima, the camshaft and crankshaft sensors were the subject of a recall on the 2002 and 2003 models. It covered the passenger car style vehicles in the Nissan and Infiniti lines. The Pathfinder was not included.

How long ago did you replace the camshaft sensors?