Ignition coils on a 2000 Max

[PGrated]

Hi everyone!!

My dad has a 2000 Maxima. The other day he was out driving it and the engine light came on. When he brought it to the dealer to find out the error code, they told him it was one of the ignition coils, and it needed to be replaced. BUT, they could not figure out which one of the six needed to be replaced. The car was not misfiring or anything, so it was hard to tell which one it was. They also told him that since one of them is bad, he should consider replacing all six, since the others may also be going.

My question is, is there any way to find out which one is bad?? I was told by another mechanic that I know that maybe he should wait until the engine starts misfiring in that cylinder with the bad coil so you know which one needs to be replaced.

Also, should all six be replaced??

How difficult is it to get to them to replace them ourselves. I figured I could replace them for him if its an easy thing to do...just buy them from one of the OEM parts suppliers here and replace them. If someone can point me in the right direction on how to do this, it would be appreciated.

Is this a common problem with these cars??

thanks again for the helppgrated

[maxhopper]

There is a TSB out regarding the 2k Max coils. Check this thread (you can search for other threads on this topic also) zerothread?id=139155If you do not have the updated coils, I would recommend replacing all six.

You can check individual coils with an ohm meter, or wait until you develope a misfire.

Replacement is definitely a DIYer. The coils are each held in by 2 small screws. You may want to have a magnet handy when removing the screws to keep from losing them. Unplug the electrical connector, remove the screws, and the coil will pull off the plug. Installation is reverse.

[PGrated]

Thank you for the info. Interestingly enough, a couple of years ago, the same thing happened to his car, but with misfiring. They were able to find the coil and replace it. BUT, even at that point, the dealer did not mention the TSB regarding the coils. So, my dad had to pay for the part and labor for replacement.

Anyway, I'm going to order 6 new coils for him and replace them for him.

thanks again!!

pgrated.

[maxhopper]

BUT, even at that point, the dealer did not mention the TSB regarding the coils. So, my dad had to pay for the part and labor for replacement.

That's pretty bad documentation on the technician's part to not mention the TSB in his repair notes on the previous coil replacement. However, a TSB is not the same as a recall; the coverage of the repair under warranty only applies while that particular component is still under warranty.

When looking to order replacement coils, be sure to check out one of NICO's dealer sponsors (such as http://www.nissanparts.org/ ).

[audtatious]

If you don't want to test the individual codes with a meter, then I would just let it go until you get one of the 6 codes that tells you what coil it is or additional codes to assist in tracking down the culprit(s).

[PGrated]

Just yesterday, my dad was driving the car and the engine started to misfire in one of the cylinders. Like you said, I'm sure we can now tell which cylinder.

We ordered 6 new coils to do all six...We are going to replace them ourselves.

My question now is after they are replaced, will the computer reset itself or do we have to have the dealer reset it for us??? Is there a way to reset it ourselves??

Thanks again!!

pgrated

[maxhopper]

You can try resetting it by disconnecting the negative battery cable for a while, then reconnecting. If that doesnt' work, after a predetermined amount of starts (50?); if the cause of the code is no longer present, the light will go out.