Greetings,
Just recently replaced the plugs on my Y33 which fixed the "while driving" sputtering I was seeing when in low gear/high load. Car ran great for a few weeks. This morning, turn the car on, smooth as silk at 1k rpm. Put it into gear (650-750 rpm) and there is a significant sputter/miss. Drives around just fine. This literally only happens when idle and in gear (Drive or Reverse). My initial thought is a bad coil but is it possible a bad MAF could also cause these symptoms? As far as I can tell, the coils are original (the plugs certainly were) with 150k miles. My plan was to replace the lot to hopefully fix the problem and also as good maintenance.

Thanks
Sapo

I used to not be “into” scanning codes, but I’m hooked now lol. I just got 2 miniature phone obd2 scanners and been downloading apps. It comes super in handy and I’ve almost been able to track down and resolve every code. So in your case, maybe go to an auto parts and have them scan a code and come back with what you’ve got.

It sounds like a an issue I had on my maxima, missing was traced to a bad coil, and the only fix was a new OE Hitachi coil. $40 online. Versus the $1,100 the dealer wanted to replace all 6 (but they did steer me in the right direction that one of the cylinders would only accept a new Nissan or equivalent coil.) the rest did fine with $20 coils.

Unfortunately mine wasn't throwing a code. I have a cheap Bluetooth scanner from Amazon but no joy. I found the coils on eBay for $50/ea and decided to replace them all. So far so good! It hasn't sputtered since. I did test each of the old coils with a multimeter but they all tested good. I'm assuming it just didn't fail enough to be "bad". Thanks for the advice.

98_Q45 wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 10, 2021 7:54 pm

(but they did steer me in the right direction that one of the cylinders would only accept a new Nissan or equivalent coil.) the rest did fine with $20 coils.

98 Q45, what do mean by this? Are you saying that you only need one OEM coil among the eight, and then you can use cheap coils in the rest and the car will perform well?

Thanks.

First and foremost we need to figure out if this is a random misfire or a specific cylinder misfire (after all thats what it is) once we do. We either rule out plugs, injectors, compression, intake, coils and anything around or connected to the cylinder for a specific cylinder misfire. If this is a random misfire then things like, timing chain, cam or crank shaft sensor, maf sensor, basically any emissions controlled sensor. This is why codes are very useful because you waste less time finding the root of the problem... its hard to ever give clear answers because 1 symptom can relate to every repair solution out there. But hopefully your ecu will detect an issue and let you know.

My solution... if it's not sputtering while you're driving under load or up a hill when at more than 60% throttle and not throwing codes...... just use a injector cleaner. If it does sputter under load... use injector cleaner for 3 full tanks

It's been a few weeks now and aside from a very gentle vibration when idling in gear (which only I can sense), everything has been smooth. The coils seemed to be the root cause. As always, I really appreciate the feedback. Am I shortchanging myself but not having a more expensive scanner? The $20 Amazon special has got to have some significant drawbacks over a more professional unit. Given the number of old cars I have (all different brands) I'm more than happy to invest in something that will save me thousands in the long run.

Sapofeo wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 26, 2021 9:16 am

It's been a few weeks now and aside from a very gentle vibration when idling in gear (which only I can sense), everything has been smooth. The coils seemed to be the root cause. As always, I really appreciate the feedback. Am I shortchanging myself but not having a more expensive scanner? The $20 Amazon special has got to have some significant drawbacks over a more professional unit. Given the number of old cars I have (all different brands) I'm more than happy to invest in something that will save me thousands in the long run.

Glad you're running smooth. I think you did the right thing to attempt reuse of your factory installed coil pax with the judicious dielectric. But, your example would seem to indicate that even with spark tite boots, the original VH41 coils can get sketchy. Many here, including myself have simply solved the random misfire by replacing all 8 with OE coils, and not further dissecting the root cause to winding breakdown in the coil vs spark 'leakage'.

as for code readers vs. scanners I find both are useful. Sounds like you have a simple read codes and reset device?
The next step up is a "scanner" unit that can do real-time measurements of selected generic OBD-ii ECU parameters (things like ECT, possibly STFT and LTFT from ECU RAM and some form of O2 sensor voltage [different display formats]). A sub step up from this is a "nissan specific" OBD-ii measurand device. That means you might have a Ford and Mazda separate module, etc. for your other cars.
To do specific troubleshooting at the signal/voltage level, now you are getting into oscilloscopes--which are completely independent from vehicle make/model (there are generic but automotive oriented o-scopes).