http://forums.maxima.org Learn more and share information about the 1st and 2nd Generation Maximas. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:37:05 GMT vBulletin 20 http://forums.maxima.org/images/misc/rss.jpg http://forums.maxima.org http://forums.maxima.org/1st-2nd-generation-maxima-1981-1984-1985-1988/603119-1987-max-runs-rough-only-when-gear.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:32:08 GMT This is puzzling me but one of you may have a quick answer based on the clues. 1. Car was running ok but then sat for a while (months), timing... This is puzzling me but one of you may have a quick answer based on the clues.

1. Car was running ok but then sat for a while (months), timing belt had recently been changed.
2. Sold the car but had to do some misc. repairs - bad brake caliper, etc.
3. Got the stuff done I knew about, car idles and revs just fine sitting in park. Now for some reason as soon as it's put in gear, it starts running rough on acceleration, almost like it's misfiring.
4. If driving the car it's ok at low rpm's but 'misses' and has little power when trying to accelerate.

My suspects (not necessarily in this order):

Throttle Position Sensor
O2 Sensor
MAF
Distributor cap/wires
Injectors

I believe I have a spare TPS and MAF around here somewhere, and they aren't that hard to change but I've already done a MAF when it turned out not to be the problem. Hoping to hone down this list a bit or focus on something else you think may be more likely. O2 sensor can be a bear to change but not bad, I'd have to buy one though.

Any thoughts? Either on what it might be and/or the easiest way to rule things out.

The girl who bought this car is a good friend of the family and she's been waiting for weeks....

Oh yeah, the radio is dead too, but the fuse in the fuse box isn't blown. Is there another one behind the radio? Seems I remember that there was an in-line one somewhere. (This is the AM/FM/Cassette/Equalizer-booster model). The power antenna got trashed so it's disconnected. Didn't think that would cause the radio not to power on at all. ]]> countzero http://forums.maxima.org/1st-2nd-generation-maxima-1981-1984-1985-1988/603119-1987-max-runs-rough-only-when-gear.html http://forums.maxima.org/1st-2nd-generation-maxima-1981-1984-1985-1988/603095-86-max-error-code-21-a.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:46:01 GMT I gave this car to my brother and now it's stuck in my driveway and won't start. I've been looking over the wiring diagram in the chiltons manual I have, and I'm not quite sure I'm understanding the power transistor/coil circuit.

As things stand, the plugs aren't firing. At least, I put a spark tester on one and it isn't lighting up.. (Occasionally the car will start and run for a bit and the tester lights up at that point.) Also tried grabbing a coil/transistor from the yard, but it doesn't change the situation. (These don't fail that often, do they?)

I'm trying to understand the wiring for the transistor, but I'm not sure I'm grasping it. The diagram shows one leg connected to ground, one going to pin 5 of the computer, and another going to the coil/pin 3 of the computer. Does the transistor control the ground side of the circuit for the coil?

One more bit.. When I went to pull the error codes from the computer, something happened that seems odd. Normally, the two leds are flashing in tandem (one flash, two flashes, etc) but between modes two and three (I believe that's where I saw it) there was a single green blink. I don't recall having run across this in my '88. Is that normal?

Any ideas? I'd really like to get this thing going and get my brother off my back about the car. :confused: ]]> madgun68 http://forums.maxima.org/1st-2nd-generation-maxima-1981-1984-1985-1988/603095-86-max-error-code-21-a.html