My Max is slow!

I have a 1996 Maxima(125,000miles) and I don't know what the deal is with it, I know I can't get too much from an auto, but I was blew off the road by my brother in laws 1993 Max also an automatic. What can be some causes of this? I have slow acceleration and lack a whole lot of power. I was looking into mods, but I wanna trouble shoot and make sure nothing is seriously wrong with my car. I'm gonna start out by getting the tranny flushed, changing the spark plugs and fuel filter. Also cleaning the throttle body. Also what type oil are you guys using I've been using 10w40.

yeh...check ur air filter too.....and use mobil 1.....i use it....and it scares me to think how smooth the engine revs....!!!!:D

Does your brother-in-law have any mods? That could be why he blew you away. When's the last time you had a complete tune up? You could also add an intake and exaust to get more power.

The mod bug bites hard. Beware! :alien2:

No he doesn't have any mods. Not to the engine anyways. I am getting all my stuff together. So I can change my spark plugs , my fuel filter, and I,m gonna see if I can get a JWT pop charger from a performance shop in my area. Where do you guys get your exhaust from and do you chang muffler and all or can you stick with the stock muff?:rolleyes:

Originally posted by blakkrob
I have a 1996 Maxima(125,000miles) and I don't know what the deal is with it, I know I can't get too much from an auto, but I was blew off the road by my brother in laws 1993 Max also an automatic. What can be some causes of this? I have slow acceleration and lack a whole lot of power. I was looking into mods, but I wanna trouble shoot and make sure nothing is seriously wrong with my car. I'm gonna start out by getting the tranny flushed, changing the spark plugs and fuel filter. Also cleaning the throttle body. Also what type oil are you guys using I've been using 10w40.

Blakkrob, why are you using 10/w40, does you owners manual call for it?l

I was under the impression that since I am down here in Ga and the temperature can get up there that I could run my motor oil a lil thicker than usual, but I'm gonna change my oil this weekend and replace it wit. Is it bad that I am using 10W40 what viscosity is normally used 10W30 or 5W30

Which oil should I use?

I would use 10/30 in Georgia. 5/30 is for Alaska, Michigan, or some other frozen wasteland!

Know what you can try. Maybe your fuel injectors are dirty. Try putting some fuel injecter cleaners in your gas tank and fill it up. That what i did couple of times to restore my power.

I live in ishpeming, not to far from marquette, it is cold in the winter but not so cold you gotta use 5w30, really.. 10w works fine!

Perform a compression test.

Where can I go to get a compression check? And how much will it cost me?

You can do it yourself. You'll need a screw-in type compression gauge. Step 1. Make sure that the proper amount and viscosity of oil is in the crankcase and the battery is fully charged.
2. Warm up the engine to normal operating temp then shut it off.
3. Disable the ignition system so the engine does not start.
4. Label and disconnect all of the spark plug wires from the plugs/coils.
5. Clean the cylinder head area around the spark plug ports and then remove the spark plugs.
6. Set the throttle plate to the fully open (wide-open) position. You can block the accelerator linkage open for this, or you can have an assistant depress the accelerator pedal.
7.Install compression gauge into the No. 1 spark plug hole until the fitting is snug.
8.According to the tool manufacturer's instructions, connect a remote starting switch to the starting circuit.
9. With the ignition in the OFF position use the remote starting switch to crank the engine through at least five compression strokes ( approx 5 seconds of cranking) and record the highest reading on the gauge.
10. Repeat for each cylinder.
11. Compare the readings from each of the cylinders to each other. The indicated compression pressures are considered within spec if the lowest reading cylinder is within 75 percent of the pressure recorded for the highest reading cylinder.
12. If a cylinder exhibits an unusually low compression reading pour a tablespoon of clean engine oil into the cylinder through the spark plug hole and repeat the compression test. If the compression rises after adding oil, it means that the cylinder's piston rings and/or cylinder bore are damaged or worn. If compression in any of two adjacent cylinders is low, there is leakage past the head gasket. Oil and coolant in the combustion chamber combined with blue or white smoke from the tail pipe are symptoms of this problem. Also there may be evidence of water droplets on the engine dipstick and/or oil droplets in the cooling system if a head gasket is blown.