2000 Maxima rough idle and stalls only when cold.NO CODES?. Any ideas?

[chubbygoatboy]

I am working on a 2000 Maxima. It just started this when it got cold here. Plugs and coil packs were replaced about 2 years ago. There are no codes?? I cleaned the PCV valve and the throttlebody. You can keep it running if you keep it revved a little til it warms up some. Once it is warm, it runs fine. It also runs fine going down the road, it is strictly a cold idle problem. I have looked for a vacuum leak, nothing, all hoses still look fine. It has 150k on it. Also, when you start it cold, it idles just fine for exactly 30 seconds, then either stalls or starts running rough, then dies. It kind of surges a little during this cold idle thing, and also, you hear a brief , slight whistle noise on the rear of the engine while it is running bad. I tried spraying starting fluid around the intake, and found no response like you would expect with a vacuum leak. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!

[FixUrNissan]

After you get it warmed up and the vech can idle on it's own. Take it to a nissan dealer and have them do an Idle learn. If they offer an Injector service and throtleboday cleaning, i would do that also. Have them check the Alfa readings also. It should be around 100% .. The Idle is controled by the computer, there for, the only way to set base idle is with the nissan scan tool. After doing so, you should be fine. GL

[Nahkapohjola]

Throttle Pos Sensor TPS is used in engine ctrl - only when cold [open loop]. After warmup, O2 sensor is used instead ... O2 sensor in exhaust pipe gives actual measured feedback to ECU on how well gas burning was managed. This input is then used in injection ctrl [feedback = closed ctrl loop].

Your symptoms point mostly to TPS and/or connectors. I had similar problem without any error codes. However, start by measuring charge voltage. For reference check see page link below: pages one , 9, 14 ... TPS: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/6

[chubbygoatboy]

Thanks for the replies! I will start in those directions!!

[gopeddlerman13]

i will bet all of money that it is the idle are control vavle otherwise know as iac valve i had the exact some problem on my 2000 I30 wich is the same thing i know that is problem for shure when i was changing the vavle i also replaced the upper and lower intake gaskets the helped the problem to. make shure you get a new gasket for the the iac vavle to. dont listen to any body else this is you answer

[Sternzy]

By any chance did you narrow this down? I am having this same exact problem.

[mscmor]

I've got the same exact problem with my 2000 Max. I've got 176,000 miles. Throttle sensor, coil packs, air temp sensor and coolant sensor have been replaced.

I removed the idle air control valve (and took it apart) this past summer to have a look at it. Seemed fine. Coil resistances were right on. Slight carbon residue, but otherwise seemed ok. It was summer though.

I too was wondering if the original poster got to the bottom of the problem. I have no codes as well.

For me it's only a real problem below 20F. Here in western NY state we have about a month of that every winter.

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by mscmor

...I too was wondering if the original poster got to the bottom of the problem. I have no codes as well.

For me it's only a real problem below 20F. Here in western NY state we have about a month of that every winter.

"real problem below 20F" ... could mean mechanical lube problem. Did you and/or how lube the stepper motor 'screw threads' ?

Another (minarelli) IACV stepper motor started working only after cleanup and and soaking with gun oil spray lube (CRC). Now the idle has been perfect every day over a year... All other lube types had intermittent problems, even original ... wont hurt, make a try, and pls tell how it goes.

[Greg5150]

Ok, this may be a long shot but after a while the pintle caps on Nissan JECS injectors break apart. The purpose of pintle caps is "When the vehicle engine is shut down some of the intake valves will naturally be left open. This allows the heat inside the cylinder to rise past the intake valve to the injector area. There may still be some residue of fuel on the pintle tip of the injector, which protrudes from the end of the injector. The heat begins to bake this residue of fuel onto the injector pintle. This leads to a buildup over time that causes poor fuel spray,lean mixtures, poor driveability and high emissions.

Try cleaning the injectors and install them with new o-rings and pintle caps. This is what the pintle caps and o-rings look like: http://www.ecrater.com/p/9455573/nis...?keywords=jecs

[Y2KMAX]

This same problem has driven me nuts all winter long, here in Alberta Canada. Every previous post listed exactly what was happening on cold starts with my 2000 Maxima.
My local shop investigated all of the suggestions given by others, then finally settled on only one possible fix....replace the Upper Manifold Gasket set...part # FRELMS97002. Viola! Problem solved! And relatively inexpensive. Apparently, because the gasket set had failed, when cold, air was leaking into the manifold after the MAF and caused the ECM to register a lean burn situation. Once the engine reaches normal operating temperature, the manifold reseals, eliminating the problem.
Try it...it's better than blindly repacing expensive parts and solving nothing. Good luck!

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by Y2KMAX

This same problem has driven me nuts all winter long, here in Alberta Canada. Every previous post listed exactly what was happening on cold starts with my 2000 Maxima.
My local shop investigated all of the suggestions given by others, then finally settled on only one possible fix....replace the Upper Manifold Gasket set...part # FRELMS97002. Viola! Problem solved! And relatively inexpensive. Apparently, because the gasket set had failed, when cold, air was leaking into the manifold after the MAF and caused the ECM to register a lean burn situation. Once the engine reaches normal operating temperature, the manifold reseals, eliminating the problem.
Try it...it's better than blindly repacing expensive parts and solving nothing. Good luck!

When engine is cold, engine cant use the poor O2 sensor(s) located in the exhaust - alas, all O2 sensors work only warm... O2 will give feedback (after warmup) how effective the gas burning process was. Based on this feedback input(s), ECU the computer will start to adjust fuel injection on this warmed engine.

Before warmup, NO FEEDBACK. They've proudly named this imbecile condition as OPEN LOOP. The ECU is then 'controlling by guessing', and using preset OPEN LOOP -datatable. This table has no data for leaking gaskets, it assumes engine is mechanically sound. Thus a small air leak will cause idle misfire - ONLY COLD.

The seal may or may not reseal when warm; feedback from warmed engine's O2 sensor(s) will automatically cause compensation for any 'small air leaks'. One way to troubleshoot for leaks, is to spray water around sealing areas: a hit on real leak spot will momentarily block air leak and cause instant effect on firing... (In this job, the engine will eventually warm up and enter into Closed Loop. To keep it running in OPEN LOOP, disconnect O2 sensor connectors.)

Before an relatively pricey gasket job is done, and easy DIY check has to be done on the myriad brittled LEAKING hose ends, see linky http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507...-maxima/page-3
I've not heard before of broken maxima intake gaskets (of course, possible) - but every 10yr old has brittled (read: leaking) hose ends like this:


.

Note: OPEN LOOP -condition uses gas pedal info: Throttle Position Sensor TPS gives that info to the computer. After warmup, TPS is totally ignored, but the O2 used (engine has 'arrived' into the warm, Closed Loop -mode). ... TPS input is used always only byt A/T. (This means that cold misfire +plus A/T 'problems' point to bat TPS)

[Louie93SE]

How did you do a vacuum leak test? Visual isn't enough. Try spraying brake cleaner in hoses. If the engine chokes, you got it

[mikeorlo]

Chubby goat boy my 2000 nissan maxima had the symptoms as yours. Hard to figure out with no codes went to the junkyard bought a use mass air flow sensor for 50$ problem solved.
Give it a try