I'm SO DESPERATE! My mechanic is STUMPED! HELP!

[BBMJG17]

Ok... so, apparently its not all that uncommon for 99's to have trouble starting once in a while. Christmas Eve... I was out all night and got home at 4AM Christmas morning, everything was fine! 2pm Christmas Day... car started and felt a little jumpy and then died out. I tried to start it again and had no luck. Kept trying for 4 days. The starter is only 9 months old, the battery = same. Fuel pump is working too. It cranks and cranks and cranks but no go. So i had it towed to my guy and he has had it for 6 days and he cant figure it out. He replaced the crank and cam sensor and nothin, still doin the same S#%&! He said that there is no spark and was spouting some crap about needing a new Engine Control Module. I broke down and called Nissan today and the service guy said that its possible that the Immobiliser kicked in cuz I tried to start it so much. I cannot find my spare key to see if that really is the problem but wouldnt the security light be flashing if that were the problem? The manual says how to "reset" the immobiliser system thing and I tried that a few times to no avail. no Check engine light either. WHAT a time for this to happen to me!!! Please shed some light!!! if not... what the HELL do i do to make some money off this piece!!!!!!!?

[Fezzik]

Yeah. It really does sound like your vehicle theft immobilizer kicked into lock mode. This happened on my 05 xterra and it does exact same thing. You will have to tow the car to Nissan and have them reprogram the keys to your car. Catcher is you will need all keys if you want them to work later. IF dont get all the keys and you find it later after your first key has been reprogrammed you will immobilize the car again and put it into lock mode.

EDIT: only way to fix this is with a consult along with a tag along that goes with the consult. So i'm 99.99 percent sure that you will have to go to a dealer to get this fixed. This is if you have the 99.5 gen maxima. The earlier year 99 didnt have the immobilizer but the later 99's did. So if you do have the later and the chip in the key then head to dealer.

[BBMJG17]

I went there and reset the key like it said in the manual and it didnt make a difference. Plus, the Security light was not flashing at all. I called Nissan again and they dont think its the immobiliser because I'm hearing the fuel pump and the immobiliser cuts the fuel pressure. oy! So then I mentioned the grounding wires and the Nissan guy said that could very well be it. its my last hope! I don't know what else might happen but I'm not so sure I'm going to be keeping this car any longer. I hope I can get it running so I can trade it in! its such a shame because i really love my car.

[loystock]

I encountered a similar problem with my son's 99 I30 (similar to 4th gen. Maxima). Engine is cranking, battery still has a lot of juice, fuel pressure normal, spark plug firing, fuel injector working, fuel leak back normal, air filter almost new, yet engine won't run. There is no CEL (Check Engine Light) nor DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code) and I was really stumped. So I cleaned, put dielectric grease and re-secured the engine ground leads and threads (on the intake manifold), cleaned the MAF sensor and connector, cleaned the battery poles and connectors. I let the car sit overnight then started the car in the morning - ran like a charm. Never have had starting problem since then, about 4 months ago. If the above actions still won't fix you problem, try wiggling the harness on the passenger side of the engine while somebody starts the car.

Good LuckRod

[Fezzik]

The immobilization is not done by fuel cutoff anymore its done by ignition cutoff. I had no displays of what was going on but when at nissan the consult II said the car was in lock down mode. and the keys had to be reprogrammed by a master tech. The normal guys didnt know how to do it with teh lock down. IF it is in lock down a matter of following the manual will not fix it. A few things could have caused this. The antenna for the chipped key could have come lose, the module could have gone bad. Wont know till you hook up a consult II up to it. Most mechanics will not have this, because it cost over 3 grand just for that single unit and a couple of grand for the add on

It even states it here in this press release in 98 about 99 maximashttp://www.nissannews.com/site...shtml

Quote: The popular Nissan Maxima continues in the 1999 model year as the flagship of the Nissan line with a number of refinements – 3-point rear center seat belt, updated interior trim, the addition of an Ignition Immobilizer for enhanced security and four new exterior colors – at a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $21,499 for the GXE. Including options, the average MSRP for the Nissan Maxima remained the same for MY99 versus MY98. Equipment adjusted MSRP decreased $73 (or .28 percent).