[mholmen]

I am having a couple problems with my 00 Maxima SE.

I have read and search through the threads and have not quite found what I am looking for. I have found things that sound similar, but I am not sure if they are my problem or not.

The biggest concern I have right now is that on this past saturday I took it out and had absolutely no power when I stepped on the gas. I could drive it, but there was no pickup at all. It felt like I was driving a car with 40-50hp. It would just slowly pick up speed. At this time I was driving on the highway, and was able to just barely get it up to highway speeds and that was with some help from a downward slope. When I hit a hill it would loose speed, then feel like it downshifted (its a manual not an auto) and would loose even more power.

I did have it in at a mechanic to replace my starter (was under mechanics warranty), and he looked at the problem and said he suspected that it was the fuel pump/filter (he quoted roughly $550). In reading these forums, I thought that it might be the MAF or the fuel pump myself, so I am looking for help figuring this out.

Also, if it is the fuel pump, is there an aftermarket (found a bosch at Advanced Auto for $105- they say its OEM) pump to use or is it best to go with the OEM ($227 from local nissan dealer)?

I have read the how-to on replacing the fuel-pump and foundit pretty straight forward, however my mechanic says to pull it out you have to drop the fuel tank as it will not clear? Any truth to that (2000 SE)

Thanks