1992 Nissan Maxima SE runs and idles rough, stalls at lights

[sanford7575]

Please Help!!!My 1992 Nissan Maxima SE with 132,000 miles now stalls at stop lights or in stop and go traffic.It also runs rough at low speeds or while idling in traffic, and stumbles badly upon acceleration.There is also a loud sputtering noise while accelerating at low speeds.

I’ve been trying to track down this problem for a while, but this is the first time that the car has actually stalled out while I was driving it.I’ve replaced the cam position sensor, idle air control, spark plugs, O2 sensor, ignition coils, fuel pump, fuel filter, and PCV Valve.I have also tested the EGR Valve and the MAF sensor and they both are working normally.I’m not sure if this problem is ignition or fuel related, but it’s driving me absolutely nuts.

If any has any suggestions, please send them my way.

Thanks in advance for your help

[Steve92]

Have the same exact problem with the same year, make and model and pretty much checked all the same things, cept iv had a fuel injector/line flush. Sometimes it happens, other times it runs perfect, i turn on the deforst to avoid the stalling/rough ideling but warmer weather is comming soon ugg.

Only thing iv found here that could casue it and that i havent had checked is the knock sensor(if this year even has one)

[jwf2930]

check the fuel injectors

[PapaTom]

Crack in the distributor cap? Timing belt jumped a notch? Only way to check that is to open the front cover, set it at TDC and check the alignment marks on the cam sprockets

[MinisterofDOOM]

No distributor or timing belt on the SE's VE30DE.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

Check engine compression

[jwf2930]

check tps, if you have a voltmeter then recalibrate it

[raptormom]

I have the same identical problem! Has anybody found the solution?
Modified by raptormom at 11:33 AM 5/12/2009

[fiveliterbeater]

Crack in the distributor cap? Timing belt jumped a notch? Only way to check that is to open the front cover, set it at TDC and check the alignment marks on the cam sprockets

these motors (VE30DE) don't have distributor caps; they have individual coils per cylinder. plus there is no belt, only timing chain.

[fiveliterbeater]

Please Help!!!My 1992 Nissan Maxima SE with 132,000 miles now stalls at stop lights or in stop and go traffic.It also runs rough at low speeds or while idling in traffic, and stumbles badly upon acceleration.There is also a loud sputtering noise while accelerating at low speeds.

hey i know its a long shot but try replacing your ECU. its hard to believe, but these things can go out over time. try getting a used one; i did the same thing to mine when i owned one and it solved alot of problems.

[fiveliterbeater]

Have the same exact problem with the same year, make and model and pretty much checked all the same things, cept iv had a fuel injector/line flush. Sometimes it happens, other times it runs perfect, i turn on the deforst to avoid the stalling/rough ideling but warmer weather is comming soon ugg.

Only thing iv found here that could casue it and that i havent had checked is the knock sensor(if this year even has one)

if you have the VE motor, yes, you do have a knock sensor and it's located in the middle of your engine. will not cause the above symtoms though. when the knock sensor goes out, it just pulls timing from the motor and dumps xtra fuel making your car run sluggish and you MPG will go way down. will not affect driveability or make your "check engine" light go off.

[95maxse3000]

my max did this when the MAF was getting ready to go and it did'nt show up on the scan. it also could be caused by low fuel pressure i would have that tested. and i would change the fuel filter it could be plugging up

[gumbyp10]

check your throttle and idle body. or it may be a vacuum problem

[MaxDragon]

I know you said you checked the MAF, but the symptoms scream MAF to me.

[jetroy240]

Any codes? check ur fuel pressure, see if it's bleeding down fast when u crimp inlet & outlet of fuel rail fuel hoses, possible injector leaking. Check MAF ground, u should get at least 0.001 volt at least three decimals, if it's high, usually 2 decimals(say 0.02volt) solder a ground wire to it bolted to the engine to correct the rough idle. For hesitation problem, check ur TPS, many causes of hesitation, check injector connectors probably corroded, check CTS (coolant temp sensor) probably corroded. Another cause of rough idle is there's an updated version of air filter housing top cover specifically to fix rough idle at times, it might be applicable to ur vehicle.

[Chris92SE]

To the OP: it sounds like you have replaced a lot of common problems on your VE. Specifically, cleaning the IACV and throttle body and replacing the coil packs.

If there are no codes, I would start leaning towards one or more injectors.

What kind of plugs did you buy as replacements? Please say NGK. A lot of other plugs, specifically Bosch and Splitfire have given the coil packs trouble, according to a Nissan Tech I talked with.

At one point a couple of years ago, my car ran rough and the fans were acting crazy. I don't drive it very much, so it had been sitting in the garage for a while.

I cleaned the IACV and TB, replacing the gaskets for both. I also had a code for the coolant temp sensor and replaced that. I did them all at the same time, so I think they were not related.

It doesn't really sound like this is your problem, but I thought I would throw it out there.

For others in this thread, the VE has 1) no distributor (coil on plug) and no timing belt (3 timing chains).

[fiveliterbeater]

To the OP: it sounds like you have replaced a lot of common problems on your VE. Specifically, cleaning the IACV and throttle body and replacing the coil packs.

If there are no codes, I would start leaning towards one or more injectors.

What kind of plugs did you buy as replacements? Please say NGK. A lot of other plugs, specifically Bosch and Splitfire have given the coil packs trouble, according to a Nissan Tech I talked with.

At one point a couple of years ago, my car ran rough and the fans were acting crazy. I don't drive it very much, so it had been sitting in the garage for a while.

I cleaned the IACV and TB, replacing the gaskets for both. I also had a code for the coolant temp sensor and replaced that. I did them all at the same time, so I think they were not related.

It doesn't really sound like this is your problem, but I thought I would throw it out there.

For others in this thread, the VE has 1) no distributor (coil on plug) and no timing belt (3 timing chains).

hey Chris, are you from the maxima.org website? if so i remember you from along time ago from when i used to make posts of my 94SE. i had the same screen name now as i did then.is Aaron92SE still on the board too or did he disappear as well?

[twill1988]

I also have the same issue with my car its a 95 nissan maxima. At first I replaced the coolant temperature sensor. The issue was still occuring. I then took it in to the nissan car dealership thinking since they were certified nissan mechanics they could figure it out. They came back to me and said it was the idle speed sensor, fixed it, still did the same thing. Took it back they came back and said it was my idle valve, fixed it... $600 bucks later STILL DOING THE SAME THING!! took it back.. now they are saying its my torque converter in my transmission.... wow not even worth it! but at this point i am not sure If i believe them. it seems like they are trying to milk me of my money now. I have not seen any reviews on the issue being the transmission for this problem on this car... WHAT SHOULD I DO... HELP!

[loystock]

Welcome to NICO.

Symptoms may be the same but root cause may be different. Why did you replace the Coolant Temp Sensor? Did you have any trouble code?? Have you checked the intake and exhaust for leaks? When was the last time you replaced the Fuel Filter (engine compartment, driver side, by the firewall near the brake booster)? Check fuel pump pressure - 34 PSI with engine running; 43 PSI with engine OFF (Ignition ON for @ 5 seconds).Clean the entire air intake - check and replace air filter if dirty; clean the MAF sensor CRC MAF sensor cleaner) and the Throttle Body (do not spray carb cleaner directly into the TB...use a rag for cleaning).

[Jahkeem]

I also had similar problems w/ my '93 Maxima. I replaced the speed sensor like the mechanic said b/c according to him that was the problem. Same problem. I ended up changing the MAF sensor (by getting a hint from another thread online) and problem solved. I say get a new MAF sensor.

[ilameer628]

I currently have the same problem. However, I have not done as much to fix the problem as many of you have. Here's what I've done. I replaced all 6 plugs (NGK of course), replaced to bad injectors, checked fuel pressure (fuel pump and filter are good), checked the TPS and MAS, and performed consult diagnostics on the system.

However, I have one more symptom that I thought might make it easier to track down the cause of this, my car stalls at very random times. By random I mean, stop and go traffic, accelerating from a stop, and even at cruising speed. But all that only happens ONLY WHEN THE CAR WARMS UP.

I was thinking about replacing the O2 sensor and see if there is any improvement; if not, I was going to get a used ECU.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

[dgosh]

Bought a 1992 maxima se with the engine torn half way apart for tensioners. Guy gave up. I finished the tensioners and chains. Got a machine shop in Angola indiana to do service directive on vtc's. Long story short got it all back together and wouldn't idle kept stalling. Fixed couple of things and problem solved. 1. fabricated gasket ( material $2 at napa ) and resealed intake gasket 2. put rtv on inspection cover on intake manifold 3. pulled pcv valve and cleaned with solvent .Follow hose on rear of intake that runs to passenger side of engine bay to valve 4. replaced some vacuum hoses that were hard or cracked on ends Any one of four could be the solution but not a big job to do all 4. GOOD LUCK TO ALL VE30DE OWNERS

[racerrgurl]

I'm having the same problems with my Maxima. The codes I got where 55 and 12 which are the EGR Valve and Oxygen sensor. My question is how many oxygen sensors are on this engine. 1 up and 1 down and are they identical because Nissan Eparts lists 2 with identical part numbers. Can I use a MAF cleaner on this vehicle??

[racerrgurl]

can somebody please direct me to where I can translate the vin on this year? I don't want to keep having a problem getting the wrong parts.....thanks NAPA
Thank you

[maxhopper]

Welcome to NICO.

You can decode your VIN here. http://nissanvindecoder.com/vincheck
If you have a SE model you have a VE30DE.
If you don't have a SE model you have a VG30E.

I believe you only have 1 O2 sensor regardless of engine.

Yes you can use MAF cleaner.