service engine soon light

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DS2003MAXIMA
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Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 7:41 am
Car: 2003 Nissan Maxima SE

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this is on a 2003 MAX just cleaned throttle body and only disconnected what is necessary to do so...MAF and all intake plumbing so that I could get to the front of the throttle body...now after 5 days of normal driving the Service Engine Soon light is on...any ideas? :wtf2:


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loystock
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Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2003 9:12 pm
Car: 10 Honda Pilot
97 Infiniti Q45
03 Infiniti Q45
97 Infiniti I30
06 Infiniti M35 Sports
04 G35 & 99 I30-RIP
Location: San Jose, CA

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AFAIK, the 03 Maxima has a drive-by wire throttle body/valve. This assembly has sensitive actuator/sensors which can easily be damaged when not handled properly. Nissan does not recommend cleaning of this type of TB. Replacing the TB and re-programming of ECU will cost you at least $500. So I hope this is not the problem in your case.

The SES light may be due to Idle Speed Control problem (P050x - higher than normal Idle Speed) which may be attributed to failed TB.

Just to be sure, have a free scan from Autozone or the likes and get a print out of the trouble code. If you're lucky, you may just have a loose or leaking connections somewhere.

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MinisterofDOOM
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1961 Corvair Lakewood
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Yes, Loystock's right, the VQ35 uses an electronic throttlebody (no cable from throttle pedal) and disconnecting it is probably what caused the CEL.

You can manually recalibrate the throttle in your driveway, though, so it's not catastrophic. Refer to this post for the procedure: cleaned-throttle-body-now-service-engin ... l#p2077235

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loystock
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Posts: 2072
Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2003 9:12 pm
Car: 10 Honda Pilot
97 Infiniti Q45
03 Infiniti Q45
97 Infiniti I30
06 Infiniti M35 Sports
04 G35 & 99 I30-RIP
Location: San Jose, CA

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The 'Minister' is correct about the possibility of calibrating/relearning the Accelerator Pedal Released Position, TV Closed Position and IAVL (Idle Air Volume Learning). The first two are straightforward but the last one is where you can have a problem. If after several attempts (and you are sure you are following the procedure to the letter and you have no air/vacuum leak) and the Idle Speed is still higher than spec, the TB has to be replaced.

I'm talking from experience with my 03 Q45 as well as other NICO M45/Q45 owners who have had their TBs replaced after cleaning them (all failed the IAVL). In Jul07, I cleaned the TB w/o any problem. But in Jul09, the SES turned on after cleaning the TB and driving for a couple of days, with code P0507 (ISC Problem). I tried so many times to run the learning procedure after ensuring all air/vacuum lines, PCV lines and electrical connectors are Ok. All the time, it failed IAVL. I took it to Beshoff Infiniti-San Jose for diagnostics. They spent almost the whole day troubleshooting (Consult et al) plus reprogramming of the ECU multiple times.... all to no avail. Eventually, they decided to replace the TB. It's from the Service Advisor and senior techs where I learned that TB cleaning on drive-by-wire throttle valve is not recommended due to sensitive components attached to it (as well as anti-gunk coating on the throttle plate). Fortunately for me the car was still under warranty and with some persuasion, everything (diagnostics, parts, ECU reprogramming and labor) were covered under warranty repair. The guys there are familiar with me and have had some discussions with them before when I took the 06M35S for 60K Service.

Of course, the TB for the 03 Max is different from the 03Q but their operation is the same. So again, get an OBD II scan first to find out the trouble code and we can go from there.


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