Transmission? Electrical? Engine? Can't figure it out.

[soundmike]

I was referred by Audtatious to this forum in the hopes of figuring out what could be wrong with my 2002 Maxima.

I posted this same issue on Maxima.org http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=411251

And again here:http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?p=4320809

To date i've tried using different gas from different stations, tried making sure it wasn't the transmission overheating and tried running on specific gears when the problem happens. New suggestions were to check the battery cables and check the wiring. (Which i'll try this weekend).

My car had 20 odd miles when i got it and now has 67k on it. Been in a rear-ender but no mechanical damage.

New Cliffs:- Recently the car, even when held in 1st gear, would jerk back and forth like it's trying to grab the gear (slip?)- While cruising, i lose all power for a short period (no lights, A/C turns off, etc). Then resumes- Though i wasn't able to try a transmission cooler, i doubt this is the problem as the 2 times it happened recently i just pulled out of the garage after it was being parked all day.

Old Cliffs:- Car jerks, shift's in and out/up and down- Completely loses power, takes several tries to restart- From a complete stop, engine dies when accelerating- No error codes, car is healthily maintained, Nissan reps can't find anything wrong- Has caused 5 near fatal crashes, might give up Max if can't be fixed

Please, can anyone help?

Thank you.- Mike

[audtatious]

Hi Mike!!! Wuzzup buddy.

Glad you posted this here. I wanted to get Scotts (and anyone else's) opinion on the problem.

BTW, when did you have the transmission serviced? Did they replace the filter? Have you had any injectors replaced at all?

[NISTECH]

You have a power problem. The jerking of the trans is likely related to rapid make and break contacts of the electrical problem your having. The electrical power loss is your priority repair.

Now I would like to comment whoos is an ***!Extended warrenty does not pay diagnostic time. So unless the customer would like to pay 100 to 200 bucks labor to the shop for us to drive a car around for a couple hours we would be happy to do so. Otherwise we take a 5 to 10min drive ,check for codes then park it. If it were a customer pay ticket we would give it a better inspection and do a couple hmm I wonder tests. Spending likely at least 1 hour on it before calling it quits. Some undereducated idiots piss me off sometimes.Rant over.

I am on the same page as someone in that thread. Check that connection at the battery real closely. I have had numorus incedents with your symptoms leading to a bad connection there. But if that definitly checks out ok, head to the main fuse mentioned and check the large luged wires in that box.

As far as accidents the car has been in is it only a single rear end collision? What was the extent of the damage?

But again this is not a sensor or trans problem.

[audtatious]

Thanks Scott.

Could this be a connection issue with the ECU if the battery and main breaker/fuse box connections all turn out OK?

[NISTECH]

No because he states the a/c and lights are dead, he says its like a dead battery when he trys to start it [ I take that as everything is off, no dash lights or otherwise] Then miraculasly it all comes back on and starts right up. When he checks the small lead off the positive battery terminal I am refferring to he should also check the cleanliness of both the negative and positive battery cable ends and the security of the terminals to the battery posts.

[NISTECH]

Also does this car have any sort of aftermarket alarm or ignition kill?

[audtatious]

Yep, got-cha!

[soundmike]

Wow, thank you for the responses guys!

My transmission was last serviced at the 60k mile mark (new fluid), nothing other than that. But the problem first started when i had a little under 50k on the car. I'm currently at 67k.

There are no aftermarket alarms or kill switches, though i do have aftermarket audio (e.g. Alpine, wired directly to the battery).

The car does lose complete power for a second then comes back again. When it does stall it takes several tries to get it to turn over (some cases, it doesn't crank and in about 2 ocassions it cranked but never started (as if i was out of gas).

I checked the battery clamps and as far as i could see on the wires, everything seems okay. I even took the clamps off and cleaned it with Baking soda + water. It wasn't dirty to begin with though and the contacts all looked good.

All fuses also seem to be in proper order.

Since it happens randomly though, i won't know if this fixes anything just yet.

[audtatious]

Mike, did you check the wire connections in the main fuse box under the hood or simply the fuses themselves?

[soundmike]

Mike, did you check the wire connections in the main fuse box under the hood or simply the fuses themselves?

I checked what i could see last night, i can recheck later though while there's still some light. Any ideas on what i should look out for? (other than loose connections and/or corroded contacts that is)

[audtatious]

To the right of the battery is the main fuse box. Removing the cover won't do. You will need to pull the box out to see the actual wiring directly underneath.

[NISTECH]

The main fuse in the box ,or at one end of the box there will be a wire with an eyelet lug on the end of it held down with a nut or bolt. You want to check the security of that. But also as I mentioned the wires plugged into the positive battery cable should be checked as well if you did not unplug them and inspect them already.