PUT-PUT-PUT sounds after washing engine and changining MAF

[lino]

I just swapped my MAF last night with another unit to see if that was the source of my bucking/jerking/hesitation problem. I took the car for a quick spin around the block and it seemed like it was slightly better, but it wasn't cured, the stymtoms were still present.

Today I washed the engine and when I took the car out for a drive, I heard a put put put sound. I'm not sure how else to describe it. It sounds like it's from somewhere close to to driver's side of the engine. The power cuts out, the previous problem I have been encountering, the hesitation/bucking/jerking is still there too. I step on the accelerator and it feels like the car is choked. I'm not sure if it's starved or flooded or if it's a connector that is making or losing the connection. This matter has been plaguing me for so long now. I was waiting to try another MAF, thinking that it could be the culprit, but now I'm not sure what the problem is.

Sometimes I try to take off when the light turns green and the car barely moves and I have to put my warning lights and let everyone pass me. The car will go like 10mph and accelerate very slowly and then eventually reach 30mph. I notice the problem is at it's worst when I'm taking off from a dead stop, slowin gdown to make a sharp turn and trying to accelerate, and trying to go up hills. Sometimes during a drive, the car's full power is restored and it takes off like a bat out of hell. I lose that power when I hit the brakes and come to a stop. I'm not sure if this has any relevance, but I still have a STOP LIGHT INOPERATIVE message on the cluster even though all lights are functional.

Please Help!

[goody90q45]

I haven't had the problems you're describing but it sounds like fuel delivery would be a good place to start and the easiest to rule out. Have you replaced your fuel pump and/or FPCU lately?

I'm asking these questions without taking the time to review your past posts but have you tried grounding out the fuel pump and driving around for a day (bad FPCU)?

Now that you've swapped in a known good MAF and ruled that out have you also checked the MAF female connector plug for tightness and crimped the pins as necessary?

What kind of codes is the ECU throwing after one of these fits? Good luck chasing the gremlins.

[maxnix]

I am wondering if you shorted out a coilpack?

Hopefully when it it fully dry it will be cured.

Washing engines is not a sport without risk.

Read the posts about OEM bulbs and melted sockets.

[lino]

I am wondering if you shorted out a coilpack?

Hopefully when it it fully dry it will be cured.

Washing engines is not a sport without risk.

I just came back from a another test drive and the out-put-put is gone. Whew!

Read the posts about OEM bulbs and melted sockets.

My bulbs are all oem. I'm going to buy new light bulb from the dealer on Monday and swap each bulb out one at a time and see if that does something. I'll take a good look at the sockets too.

Thank you

[lino]

I haven't had the problems you're describing but it sounds like fuel delivery would be a good place to start and the easiest to rule out. Have you replaced your fuel pump and/or FPCU lately?

I'm asking these questions without taking the time to review your past posts but have you tried grounding out the fuel pump and driving around for a day (bad FPCU)?

No, I haven't replaced the fuel pump or FPCU. They may very well be original. I don't remember seeing anything in the service records of thr previous owner. I'll double check.

How do you ground out the fuel pump?

Now that you've swapped in a known good MAF and ruled that out have you also checked the MAF female connector plug for tightness and crimped the pins as necessary?

I bought the MAF from ebay and was told the car had 78k on it. I can't be 100% certain that is "a known good MAF".

I have not crimped the pins. The connector on the MAF appears to be good. I'm not sure how I can know if it needs any adjustment.

What kind of codes is the ECU throwing after one of these fits? Good luck chasing the gremlins.

The ECU gives me code 55. That's the only code I ever got from this car. I just did the test last week. The time I took it to the dealer I got a knock sensor code, but when I did the test again it came back with only 55. That was over a year ago and the car had no issues. (I cleaned the MAF just before the test.)

[tt300z]

ITS THE KNOCK SENSORS AND POSSIBLE COIL PACK FOR THE MISFIRE AT IDLE...the maf was a waist of money..it works or not so put back old one and get money back.... doing the knock sensors will not solve the misfire at idle but it will give you all the power back... now when you do the knock DO THE SUB HARNESS TOOOO you will be sorry if you didn'tthe the knock sensors are alot but you CAN GET for only 68$ each on ebay new original nissan ..DO NOT BUY THE ONE'S IN THE BROWN BOX..the guy on ebay has am right now like 15 left for buy it now for 68$ with free shipping.....anyway hope this helps AND THE COILPACKS this is what you can do check each one with volt meter on ohm setting ( put positive on IB and negative on G....if you getting more then 1.5 its good anything under that like 1.4 or 1.3 maybe even lower its bad...go after the low one first if you have a money problem otherwise get all the once that are under 1.5)

HOPE THIS HELPS MAKE SURE TO GO AFTER KNOCK SENSORS OH AND IF YOU TOOK OUT A MAF SENSOR CODE THEN IT MUST BE BAD TOO BUT THE NO POWER ITS THE KNOCKS

[96Qowner]

I just swapped my MAF last night with another unit to see if that was the source of my bucking/jerking/hesitation problem. I took the car for a quick spin around the block and it seemed like it was slightly better, but it wasn't cured, the stymtoms were still present.

I'm not sure if it's starved or flooded or if it's a connector that is making or losing the connection. This matter has been plaguing me for so long now. I was waiting to try another MAF, thinking that it could be the culprit, but now I'm not sure what the problem is.

Sometimes I try to take off when the light turns green and the car barely moves and I have to put my warning lights and let everyone pass me. The car will go like 10mph and accelerate very slowly and then eventually reach 30mph. I notice the problem is at it's worst when I'm taking off from a dead stop, slowing down to make a sharp turn and trying to accelerate, and trying to go up hills. Sometimes during a drive, the car's full power is restored and it takes off like a bat out of hell. I lose that power when I hit the brakes and come to a stop.

Please Help!

I'm betting you have a connector issue. I'd spend some time fiddling with the harness side of the connector, since that wasn't replaced with your MAF swap. The pins and body are available from Joe.

You can sure chase other stuff, but you had that code 55, after all. In my years of reading NICO, I have never run across a poster claiming to have solved a problem by replacing a coil pack. I've read numerous posts about dealers replacing them for LOTS of money, but the posters then came here to find a solution to the problem.

If not the MAF, then it sure sounds like some other connector, since you get those sudden times when it recovers briefly. I believe the TPS connector can become erratic, too. Does it buck and jerk, too, or just lose power?

[maxnix]

Good point on the TPS. Q45tech has noted failure on that or the CAS due to coroision. With water on the engine.......not a good scenario.

[lino]

I'm betting you have a connector issue. I'd spend some time fiddling with the harness side of the connector, since that wasn't replaced with your MAF swap. The pins and body are available from Joe.

I'm going to inspect the MAF harness connector closely and see if there's something I didn't notice before.

If not the MAF, then it sure sounds like some other connector, since you get those sudden times when it recovers briefly. I believe the TPS connector can become erratic, too.

My TPS connector does not have a clip or something to secure it in place well. When I attempted to test it last week (I think I did it wrong), I noticed that it pulled right off. The only thing holding it in place, was the rubber seal on the inside. Also, when I plugged it back I heard a continuous clicking sound from it and had to wiggle it to get the sound to stop.

Does it buck and jerk, too, or just lose power?

Buck and Jerk - yesloss of power -yes

[goody90q45]

The only thing holding it in place, was the rubber seal on the inside. Also, when I plugged it back I heard a continuous clicking sound from it and had to wiggle it to get the sound to stop.

YOu may have hit on something although I'm not sure why your ECU wouldn't have thrown a code for the loose connection.

I've got the same problem on my Q where the heat and age have made the TPS connector brittle and it's lost tits ability to lock. I put a plastic cable tie around the connection from end to end and pulled it tight to ensure the connector would not come loose. Give it a try and see if it clears up your problems.

[wrenched_1]

My TPS connector does not have a clip or something to secure it in place well. When I attempted to test it last week (I think I did it wrong), I noticed that it pulled right off. The only thing holding it in place, was the rubber seal on the inside. Also, when I plugged it back I heard a continuous clicking sound from it and had to wiggle it to get the sound to stop.

that clicking sound you heard was your IAC (idle air control valve) trying to adjust itself because of the variable signal your TPS was sending it. hopefully you now have the info to fix your problem. If fixing your connection problem doesnt help personally i would look at changing your IAC.

[lino]

Many of you know by now that I'm no mechanic or tech and only at the very beginnings as a do-it-yourselfer. I never worked with a multimeter until a couple months back when I purchased one and tried a few tests, following the instructions from q45.org.

First, I want to mention that I made a mistake in describing the sound I was hearing. It turns out that it's a buzzing sound, not a clicking. I was going by memory from last week and thought it was a clicking sound. Sorry guys.

I tested my TPS this evening and here are the results. I did test A and B. The red cross shows where the +pos was and the -neg was on the plenum. I hope I did this right.



When I slide the TPS connector in and out, I was cleary able to hear a buzzing sound coming from somewhere behind the middle of the engine, by the firewall, but much lower. I tried desperately to pinpoint the location, but I wasn't able to. This sound is only heard if the key is in the ignition in the ON position (Engine not running). I wasn't able to make the buzzing sound stop, except for a few seconds when I pulled the connector partially out, but eventually, the sound continued.

I also checked the fuel injectors and knock sensors, since the multimeter was handy.

[elwesso]

Ok so thats telling us we have a good ground at the TPS and a good base voltage...

Now you need to test for voltage on the TCU or somewhere closer to the ECU to make sure the ECU is seeing a proper voltage!

I still dont think the TPS has anything to do with this.

[elwesso]

[lino]

Here are my results:


Modified by lino at 8:35 PM 3/14/2007

[goody90q45]

I'm going to inspect the MAF harness connector closely and see if there's something I didn't notice before.

My TPS connector does not have a clip or something to secure it in place well. When I attempted to test it last week (I think I did it wrong), I noticed that it pulled right off. The only thing holding it in place, was the rubber seal on the inside. Also, when I plugged it back I heard a continuous clicking sound from it and had to wiggle it to get the sound to stop.

I took a pic of the TPS connector repair I've had to do on my old and brittle Q. It's got the same problem as yours- the connector is brittle and the locking clip has broken off. In the pic, the white piece is a plastic cable tie pulled tight. There's grooves in the black plastic piece on each end of the connector so its firmly in place and won't come loose unless you cut it. Cheap repair- about 10 cents.

I don't recall hearing whether you've check the MAF, and now TPS, connector pins. The female pins need to be crimped almost closed so they fit very tight over the male pins. And of course they've got to be cleaned of any corrosion first. Not having a good connection at either one of these places, or at the CAS and sub-CAS too, could be causing the problems you're having.

My guess all along is that some of the well-intended jiggling of the MAF or TPS connectors may have opened up the females pins enough so they're not making good contact. Just my hunch.

[elwesso]

The fact hes only getting 2.45 volts concerns me.

LINO (I know you have a real name), do the following test and report your results...

[lino]

Here are the results:

[elwesso]

ok so your TPS is a little low.. That might be causing an issue but it may not.. IM very iffy about messing with the TPS, does it look like its ever been messed with? In other words, there should be a small while mark of paint that marks where the TPS was from the factory to determine if its been messed with.

When you did the ohm test, everything in the car was off (doors closed)...?

The results seem to indicate that you need to adjust your TPS a TINY bit, I have no idea if being ~.10 volts and 200 ohms off is a big deal as far as the ECU is concerned... Certainly is a bit off, but the accuracy of what we are measuring has a lot of varibles and a lot of room for error, so its a possibly that 200 ohms and .10 volts isnt a big deal...

[lino]

I took a pic of the TPS connector repair I've had to do on my old and brittle Q. It's got the same problem as yours- the connector is brittle and the locking clip has broken off. In the pic, the white piece is a plastic cable tie pulled tight. There's grooves in the black plastic piece on each end of the connector so its firmly in place and won't come loose unless you cut it. Cheap repair- about 10 cents.

Mine isn't that bad. It is still intact and the plastic is not brittle. It just doesn't "click" to hold in place so to speak. Thanks for taking the time to take the pic. I can see why you needed to do the repair.

I don't recall hearing whether you've check the MAF, and now TPS, connector pins. The female pins need to be crimped almost closed so they fit very tight over the male pins. And of course they've got to be cleaned of any corrosion first. Not having a good connection at either one of these places, or at the CAS and sub-CAS too, could be causing the problems you're having.

My guess all along is that some of the well-intended jiggling of the MAF or TPS connectors may have opened up the females pins enough so they're not making good contact. Just my hunch.

I took some pics, but they're not very clear. The pins look clean and so does the connector for the TPS. I did clean them with electrical contact spray cleaner. There is no sign of corrsion. The only thing I don't like is the pins on the MAF. They look kind of thin and the contact strips look a little worn. That's what I think, then again, I'm not sure how they're supposed to look like. What I can say is that they are not thick shiny pins like the TPS for example.

MAF



TPS

[96Qowner]

Heck, at least order a new MAF connector from Joe:

****Connector Part Numbers****

38751-123 Pins (you need 3) $1.54 ea38751-112 Connector Shell $17.08Total: $21.70

The invoice shows Location/List as BC1A

1-888-216-5328

[elwesso]

continue this thread here:

zerothread/235260