service engine soon light goes from being ON to Flashy?

[arssa2020]

hello allI have I130 regular, it has 148k miles, i have had it for 2 years with no issue last year the service engine light went on and it never went off, i ignored it..the car sometimes would start shaking especially when its cold and i move from Parking to drive, but it would stop when i start driving

i took it for mechanic for regular tune-up. he checked the Service engine light and he said i need to change- engine coils: 3 front ($90 each, just parts), 3 back ($75 each, just parts)- Noc sensor: $200+ (just part)

(i dont know much about car mechanics :-( )

he yet to give me a full quote.. i told him i will think about it

however after i came back (he changed the belt and the spar plugs) the car started shaking more noticeably (coincidence???) and now the service engine light starts flashing? this is scaring me, does it mean the car gonna die?

how long can i drive the car like this? should i fix and sell or just sell it as is?how about the parts prices, are they reasonable?

i just dont want my car to die in the middle of the freewaythx

[MinisterofDOOM]

Have the car scanned for error codes (most auto parts chains will do it for free). Let us know what codes show up. We can help you figure out what they mean, and whether the work the mechanic has suggested is necessary.

Welcome to the forums!

[arssa2020]

thx for ur quick reply, i think he said ignition coils, and the code was P1320do i need to change all of them?

does the flashy light mean "stop ur car now you moron"?

how much labor would fixing the coils take? i did the emission test to my car last year and can hold off fixing the NOC sensor for now

thx

[MinisterofDOOM]

P1320 is for the ignition signal.Flashing check engine light usually indicates a misfire, which corresponds perfectly with that code.

Were there any other codes? Usually there are individual misfire codes for ignition issues that indicate specific cylinders.

Coils don't require a huge amount of labor. The real cost comes from replacing 6 at once. They're not particularly hard to get to on the Maxima. I think the intake manifold has to be removed for the rear bank, though. You may not need to replace all 6 at once.

The O2 sensor might just be a side-effect of the misfire issue. I'd resolve the misfire first and see if the O2 sensor code comes back with the car running properly.

[arssa2020]

he said that it was in cylinder 4, the quote for replacing all 6 coils is $652 (parts, labor), this is in seattle wa.. is this reasonable?you are right about just fixing this issue 1st (so i can drive the car around safely) and i might fix the Noc sensor later on

thx

[arssa2020]

also i dont understand why i need to replace all of them? cant he just replace the one that is not working (sorry this maybe a stupid qn) ?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Sorry to take so long getting back.

You're right: there's no reason you should have to replace all 6 at once if all 6 are not bad. That's why individual misfire codes would come in very handy: they would show which specific coils are bad.

If you can't get individual codes to show up, your mechanic can still probably narrow it down to individual bad plugs by good old fashioned process of elimination. If you remove (or just disconnect power to) a plug or coil and your rough idle doesn't change much, that coil is probably bad. If the idle gets significantly worse, that coil is probably good.

[arssa2020]

also i dont understand why i need to replace all of them? cant he just replace the one that is not working (sorry this maybe a stupid qn) ?

[arssa2020]

thx... my car didnt start today... radio was still working, and my battery was replaced last year.... u think it might be related? did my car just RIP on me?

[MinisterofDOOM]

What happened when you tried to start the car? Did it turn over, or did you get nothing at all?

[arssa2020]

thx... my car didnt start today... radio was still working, and my battery was replaced last year.... u think it might be related? did my car just RIP on me?

[arssa2020]

i started for like 5 seconds then died, i have radio so assume battery is good.. it was low on gas (yellow light) so i added like 1/2 galon... still it doesnt start.... the enginer will try to start then fails