'94 J30 stalling and is driving me crazy

[tsa2ba]

Hi, Got my first infinti this year, a stalling problem has occured. The car starts and idles for about 10 minutes then stalls. If I'm stopped at a red light it stalls sometimes. When driving at about 50mph, and then continuing to press the accelerator, the car feels as if it's struggling;yet at times, it speeds up rapidly..I had the fuel injection cleaned out and the fuel filter changed; but , the car still stalls.. I got desperate and had the dealer do a diagnostic. He said he was getting negative numbers from the computer instead of the regular positive numbers.. He then suggested I pay him $500. to go into my crank case( and this is without even knowing what the problem is ).. I got so frustrated, I wanted to go and buy a new engine , just to rid myself of the problem with this one.. Then a friend told me the problem could be the transmission because the transmission pushes the engine.. I'm so confused right now that I want to get a rebuilt transmission..But what if the problem is in the engine??By the way, the car re-starts readily after it stalls.. Does anyone out there have any suggestions besides getting rid of the car..If not, I have a 1994 infiniti J30 for sale.. just over 100k miles...anyone interested???

[Q45tech]

Negative numbers on power balance test? Find a good shop that specializes in 1990-1995 300zx same motor transmission or just another Infiniti dealer.

Most should be able to give you a complete report after 3-4 hours of testing..........could be worn out VVT sprockets, just plan dirty inside [pull a valve cover and look], injectors...........stalling indicates something wrong could be a dozen things............impossible to diagnose over inet without lots of data.

[PalmerWMD]

tsa:

Dont panic, like Dennis said, could be quite a few things.Most of them are not all that expensive either.Try another dealer ,cuz the one who worked on your car, didn't exactly have the "A" crew on duty.Also NY has quite a few import specilaists.

Or if you really get desperate there is a Master Mechanic in NJ somewheere that members here have used before.Keith somethingOne of them will chime in and give his contact info, if you still need it by then.

Fred...

[Q451990]

I'd start with the electrical connections on the various sensors under the hood. The MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor comes to mind (that's the one right next to the air filter box.) Run the car at idle, and then wiggle the connections - if the idle speed changes at all, you've found a problem. Try cleaning the connections, tightening the female ends on the connector (i use a dental pick for this) and then greasing everything with di-electric grease.

FYI, use the red search button in the top right corner of your screen to run a search on the "power balance" test. Several of us have written about how it works, and what's being tested. Don't see how you can get negative numbers on that test.

Heath

[Q45tech]

You can get negative numbers if the cyclinder is totally dead.

[tsa2ba]

Thanks for the ideas guys...I decided to go to Pep Boys today for an engine diagnostic and to have the air intake system checked.. I got a call from the mechanic there saying " Come and get your car . We can't help you." I asked about the sensors... they're okay..I asked about the vacuums and hoses...they're okay...He then said that I have a major electrical problem and probably need a specialist...I'm really thinking about changing the entire engine;but, now I figure that may not even solve anything..Let me know what you think Qtech..Here is the situation... '94 infiniti j30 problems:1)Cars starts easily but stalls after it warms up. Then restarts just as easy.2)Car either stalls when stopped( like at a red light) or when pressing the brakes to slow down..Then restarts easily.I don't even need to pump gas ( tap the gas pedal ) in order to restart it..3)Car does not stall when under load..If I'm accelerating the car may attempt to stall, but does not actually stall..Instead you get a jerking and the car feels like it's struggling..I would usual just release the pressure off the accelerator for a few seconds then press it again to resume accelerating..4)When the car stalls, the oil light and the battery light and the check-engine light come on..What I think is strange is the heat and fan stay on after the car stalls.. This is when the key is still in the #3 position on the ignition..I figured the fan should automatically go off as well..However, the heat does not work in the #2 position of the ignition unless the engine is running..I tried to explain the situation as clear as I can Qtech.. I hope you have a bit more advice..Could the problem be a relay??.I'm just afraid that if I go to the Dealer, I'll be leaving there with a hole in my pocket worth $2000 and a serious case of depression..I want to thank the other guys for their responses before as well.. I appreciate it

[DAEDALUS]

I know it can be frustrating, but believe me, thowing parts (or engines) at the problem is usually not the best solution (there are a few exceptions). The info you've been given seems a little spotty. Did they check the fuel pressure? Did they check compression? Did they check for spark on every plug? Even high-tech cars operate on basic principles.

[Q45tech]

" Dealer, I'll be leaving there with a hole in my pocket worth $2000 and a serious case of depression"

When you go to a dealer for diagnosis you can limit it to that and decline the repairs.......?

Or are you afraid of finding out that your failure to see them every 90 days [for an oil change] has let things pile up.

Or your failure to pay an expert [to give it a once over] before you bought the car is punishing you.

It is amazing how many people use multiple shade trees and spend more money than it would have cost going to dealers in the first place.

[PalmerWMD]

yes,

dennis is right sometimes it's best to bite the bullet.On some things pep boys is just a waste of money..

Fred...

[VimyJ]

Tsa, does the car stall when it's out of gear (neutral, park)? These engines are very reliable so there has to be a simple, though not necessarily cheap, explanation for your problem.

[tsa2ba]

Yeaaah VimyJ, The car stalls in park and in neutral if there is no load applied...I went to the Dealer last week and he doesn't know what the problem is...However he is willing to charge me $400 just to look around in my crank case..He even suggested I get rid of the car..I made an appointment for April 8th to have him play around with the crank case;but, I think I'll just cancel that and junk the car...I have a sour taste for infiniti cars right now...I'll just chalk everything up to experience and move on..

[PalmerWMD]

tsa aren't you over reacting a bit?Stalling problems happen w/ all sorts of cars.The J30 is one of the most reliable cars ever made (in general).

Just find a good place to do the diagnostics for you.Its certainly not worth giving up the car what for might turn out to be a minor problem yet.

Fred..

[VimyJ]

Tsa, as Fred said, the J30 is extremely reliable. Your engine, the VG30DE, is found in the normally aspirated 300XZ and the Nissan Pathfinder so a Nissan dealer mightbe a cheaper alternative than the Infiniti one. Additionally, there are 300zx sites such as http://www.z32.org/index.shtml and http://www.twinturbo.net where you can post questions or look over service proceedure writeups. There is also a yahoo board dedicated to Infiniti vehicles.

You have an unusual problem. In fact, I haven't read of a similar one after going through thousands of posts about these vehicles. Take heart and have a little patience. You own a great car. Don't throw your baby out with the bathwater just yet.

The dealer's suggestion of getting rid of the car is typical. Who, exactly, is he trying to do a favour? You or him? The dealer certainly wants to move cars.

[AZhitman]

HOLD IT!!!First of all guys, I'm sorry, but we have a frustrated owner here who just wants some assistance. There's no sense scolding this guy for maintenance habits that may not be his, or for not having the car thoroughly checked prior to purchase. I'm sure it didn't stall on the test drive, for crying out loud. Let's help out the best we can.

I agree 100% with Vimy here. Settle down and take this ONE step at a time. Let's go through all of the easy things first, THEN talk about running a diagnostic at ANOTHER dealership (perhaps a Nissan dealer). Try what Heath said first. Then check fuel pressure, fuel pump readings, compression on each cyl, and for spark. THEN come back and describe tests and readings. No sense ditching a great car over what might be a minor electrical glitch.

[sabrecraze]

I was having the same problem after putitng a cone air filter on my j30. The problem was the mass air flow sensor. I however didnt get it replaced, since its a 300 dollar item i just put the regular air box back on. You might was to check you air filter to make sure it is ok

[Q45tech]

Negative power balance readings mean the cylinder is dead and when you shut off the fuel to that cylinder [during the power balance test] there is less resistance to compressing without the fuel [since the cylinder didn't contribute any positive power in the first place].

I would think up to 4 hours of diagnosis is fair [$400 in NYC] if they did all the compression/leakdown test and checked every sensor in detail!

[Eswift]

i have seen J30's with inadequate or dying batteries with your EXACT symptoms....not that its your case, but worth a thought.

[TechGizmo]

Dude you sound very frustrated, but that is the wrong approach to address the problem. Take the car to a DEALER who specializes in this engine, stop guessing what is wrong, this car is a complex Electromechanical device that needs a consult hooked up to test. The shops you're going to don't know what they are doing.

I have a 93 J30 and I love my car, ask any J30 owner on this forum.Cheers

[2030R]

Had the same problem About 6 months ago.Nobody including this forum gave any help. The problem was a bad Mass Air Flow Meter All test were ok.Replaced air meter Car has run 6KM. One other piece of advise leave the connector alone you will only make more problems. Good Luck Check out http://www.car-part.com for your parts.

[maxnix]

Had the same problem About 6 months ago.Nobody including this forum gave any help.

Not surprinsing as you have never posted before, judging by your post count.

It's difficlut enough to help inarticulate posters, let alone non-posters.

[2030R]

I have posted before but had to reregister.Lost the old ID & Password . Post ask for help with J30 Stalling 10 min. after starting the same problem tsa2ba has and received no usefull advise maybe that's why I lost the ID. Seems like alot of bull floating around this forum most of the time.

[maxnix]

Snort! Snort!

Yeah, we can always do with less BS. Might I suggest the alt.autos.infiniti newgroup? Lots of hardcore information there! We'll be waiting for your nformative reports back to us. :rolleyes __________________Brian1995 Q45 & Q45t & 2000 Q45

Discover the power of the button!

[Mayhem_J30]

I have posted before but had to reregister.Lost the old ID & Password . Post ask for help with J30 Stalling 10 min. after starting the same problem tsa2ba has and received no usefull advise maybe that's why I lost the ID. Seems like alot of bull floating around this forum most of the time.

:rolleyes Anyway...

Has each injector been checked? Does it idle rough? TPS maybe? Both easy checks that can be done at home with a Voltmeter.

[mdarg]

I have a 93 j30t- nothing but heartaches, my biggest problem is idle also- but sounds like the M.A.F. should be checked- now if I only knew how to...

[VimyJ]

The VG30DE in the J30 is renouned for its reliability. There is a huge amount of info on this site. Perform a search (red button that says "Search") to get you up to speed (pun intended) regarding major systems and common problems. You will also learn what information you could provide to members when asking questions so that they might have a better idea of how to answer your questions to assist you in your trouble shooting. As you educate yourself about your car, you will also come across other sites that might be helpful.

Like I said, the VG30DE is practically bullet proof and is also found in the 300zx na aka Z32. Help yourself to the piles of info to be found on NICO.