No acceleration

I have a 2001 Anniversary Edition Maxima SE and driving on the highway it has very little acceleration when the pedal is floored. While driving on a flat road if I need to pass a truck and I floor it the RPMs increase but there's no torque and very minimal acceleration. And that acceleration is slow and gradual but the engine is revved up like I'm racing another Maxima. Has anyone come across this problem?
Also I got a code for my catalytic converter the other day. I don't know cat/con to go bad or be a problem on these cars. Any tips besides replace it? Thanks!!

Pwr is plentiful, RPM rises, wheels wont spin: pwr is lost 'during' transmission.

Mileage? Manual -or- A/T?

Anytips for the ECU 'lottery codes', see link p14 below.

Most likely stemming from a transmission problem. Check the fluid color and give us year, how many miles, and if its an auto or manual.

It's an automatic transmission. Talking with some mechanically inclined frined and they seem to think it sounds like a transmission issue. Fluids are good and all systems were power flushed 1 year ago. I bought the car used almost 3 yrs ago and this has always been an issue. The transmission fluid color is good not dirty. The car has 115,000 miles on it too. It runs and drives great just no get up and go like I know a Max is supposed to have.

You did not check the link did ya?

IF - "this has always been an issue." - is true and oil is ok, then there are a couple of things to be checked, valve upgrade, etc before tranny swap. Try now: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/24

Nahkapohjola, I followed that link and it has some great info!! Thanks now I have a better idea of where to start. I will report what comes out of it.

:banghead: Well I took it to a Nissan dealership and they said it was my catalytic converter. I didn't think that was the problem and I knew that problem existed from the check engine code. They changed the cat converter and it didn't fix the problem. In fact 1 week later the check engine light came back on for the cat converter again!! The O2 sensors checked fine.

...changed the cat converter and it didn't fix the problem...

Whata surprise. Hopefully u didnt pay that expedition... I guess it [CAT] has to be some lucrative stealership warranty issue.

A/T has its own ctrl electronics & diagnostics program - has anybody checked that out? For the lottery errorcodes read http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/14 - start from checking charge voltage at ECU.

Find a tranny specialist and pay for inspection: with that knowledge ask quotations from three other shops. Then ask references which one might be able to fix it. Also check out how much a replacement tranny would cost.

Your Mass Air Flow meter is bad. this is normal for 2000-03 maximas. Nissan didn't want to issue a recall.. around 300 bucks to fix. I had the same problem, very dangerous on the highway.:smooch:

DING,DING,DING,DING!!!! Give that young man( drobster4045 (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/member.php?u=554082)) the prize!! Mass Airflow Sensor is what they are saying now!! I talked to other Nissan mechanics and they said that when it goes it will give you codes for Catalytic Converter and O2 sensors but the root cause is most often Mass Airflow Sensors. Nissan charges $400-500 for the part. Does anyone know where I can get one cheaper for 2001 Max 3.0?
And again thanks drobster4045 (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/member.php?u=554082) !!

MAF may be problematish ... but it cannot makedo this = what u stated in the beginning: "...the RPMs increase but...the engine is revved up like I'm racing..." ... that text means definitely tranny slipping. If tranny is ok -then- the text isnt.

MAF may also 'kill' the engine; unplugging MAF connector will enable driving in safe mode =2.2k rpm ceiling.

I have the same problem the transmission changes perfectly fine but after the car has been driven for about 40 mins the rpm will rev up and the vehicle will do only about 30 mph and shut down. took it to a mechanic and he simply hooked it up to a computer and found that 3 of the 4 O2 sensors were giving an error. So i had him replace the sensors w/ sensors form advanced auto parts. 3 wks later the vehicle does not shut down any more but it will still rev up and do max speed of about 30 mph. I know its not the tranny b/c the tranny does not do anything wrong(I can easilly tell if a tranny is slippn...). The transmission was rebuilt 40k miles ago.

I took the car back the the same mechanic and he hooked it up to a computer and found that 2 of the sensors (the upper ones) are giving erros so I am having them replaced tommorow(they're under warranty). I'm having three of them replaced just to be safe. I noticed a major difference between the defective and non-defective sensors. The defective ones were black kind of burned out even though they've been on the car for less than a month. The good sensor (the lower one)has been on the car for the same ammount of time yet it is still shiny. I hope that my car did not cause the sensors to go bad but im replacing the spark plugs b/c the car has ~120k and they've never been replaced and there is a possibility that they could be causing the O2 seosors to burn out....????? But from what I've read here it may be the MAF sensor.


Isn't the computer suppose to know if its the MAF sensor? I might have to replace that if these sensor replacements dont solve the problem. But the sensor is going for 4-5 hundred.... :@(. Maybe I need to replace the 4th sensor?

Please Let me know what is the status of your situation e40street i appreciate any help.

...im replacing the spark plugs b/c the car has ~120k and they've never been replaced...

High time to do some real maintenance on your ship before it sinks...

Model?

MAF can be tested with multimeter and/or self diag and/or Nissan diag tool. Dont replace if no indication there...

One guess: A/T line pressure solenoid valve is controlled via TCU (=pressure varies). When u have the problem ON, disconnecting the pressure bypass resistor plug, would bypass any pressure related ctrl problem = tranny would get full pressure. If pressure is too low for any reason, slipping occurs.

Lots intermittent problems occur b/c of this: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/14

its a 2000 se maxima. i tried to do the plugs at 100k at the dealer but they said there was no need and charged me $300 for an oil change basically. what should i have done as maintenance at this point? do i have to change the spark plug wires on this car? ngk platinum spark plugs are correct? I have to oem airfilter i'll clean it and put it back in.....


as i said i highly doubt the tranny is slipping it does not feel as if anything is wonr w/ the tranny.

...as i said i highly doubt the tranny is slipping it does not feel as if anything is wonr w/ the tranny.

---> "but it will still rev up and do max speed of about 30 mph."

Maybe I am here missing smtg? To me that sounds like engine running, transmission slippin. Please add more.

Read NGK.com pages; 60k is plat plug swap interval. Stealership want revenue, not work.

Coilpacks are the real cause for bad spark. Six of them, typically start going after 100k. Easy DIY swap, just do it (search this site for 'coilpack' and see how it goes).

MAF is a known problem in that model, but as said, it can be tested.

Connectors need cleaning. Alternator brushes will go at 100k. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/23
Boots inspected. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/25
Tranny oil lasts 2-3 yrs 50k miles. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/24

Shocks have to be swapped at 60k. Otherwise u are sailing... brk distance gets longer, snow traction really worse, all wheel related things wear out...

Brk Pads checked. Brake maintenance; every 2 yrs fluid change etc ...: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/18

Those are not cosmetics but dangerous if omitted. If brk fluid is original, lots water is in. You may totally loose brakes due to water boil down a steep hill. Like the idea? Or ending into ditch b/c of bad shocks?

Also read your car maint table from FSM.

Never visit again the mentioned stealership.

thanks for the advice. I changed the cv joints(goodyear), brake pads(dealer) ,2 pulleys(accident caused),1 shock(was in an accident), many other parts due to an accident in which the left fender was hit. Had the radiator fan replaced by Tirekingdom - they ripped me off it was not needed and I specifically asked thim to save the part for me they didn't. Radiator replaced...There was a point where the oil was not changed on the car for ~ 8k miles so theres buildup in there.

I think I'll post a video on youtube so you can have a better idea of what I mean. When I get this current work done on it(o2 sensors spark plugs etc) I'll go about doing that prob in the next 2 weeks i'll have it up.

Maybe if i'm lucky changing the spark plugs would solve the problem.

I definately need motor mounts which I hear can only come new from the dealer. I looked up NGK.com and I see they mention how the spark plug and o2 sendor interact so maybe thats my problem.

... and o2 sendor interact so maybe thats my problem.

No real 'interaction' but O2 outgoing signal warps from bad burn process, ECU makes 'decisions' based on that feedback (=closed loop mode).

O2 is not used when cold, only after warmup.

Coilpacks contain hi voltage coil & fried electronics, they also can fail heat related.

What would cause a bad burn process? Cat conv/ECU/Coil/MAF sensor? I had these sensors on the car for less than a month and their burned out. I know chances are the replacements will get burned out & i want to avoid that.

Also when I replaced the O2 sensors the car drove perfectly..... for ~ 3 weeks so thats another reason to believe its not the tranny.

Does this make sense to you? - after i replaced the 3 bad O2 sensors the vehicle never stalled again.

Come to think of it probably over a year ago the dealer told me I had to replace a coil (or 2). I backed out of doing it because they're crooked and have made me replaced parts unecessarily in the past. I remember they wanted ~$600.

What would cause a bad burn process? Cat conv/ECU/Coil/MAF sensor? I had these sensors on the car for less than a month and their burned out. I know chances are the replacements will get burned out & i want to avoid that.

Also when I replaced the O2 sensors the car drove perfectly..... for ~ 3 weeks so thats another reason to believe its not the tranny.

Does this make sense to you? - after i replaced the 3 bad O2 sensors the vehicle never stalled again.

Come to think of it probably over a year ago the dealer told me I had to replace a coil (or 2). I backed out of doing it because they're crooked and have made me replaced parts unecessarily in the past. I remember they wanted ~$600.

Plugs, coilpacks directly work on igniting the fuel vapor. The crooks diagnosis is possibly right, price is not: go shopping and DIY swap. Also the mileage points there.

What doesnt point there, is that your power loss is almost total: you need five simultaneously failing coilpacks. On the other hand, one MAF can kill engine.

When problem is ON, unplug MAF wire, see if there is any change. Should be if its the culprit. (practice taking it out beforehand)

But. You cant continue with free miles - there isnt such. Go get another MAf fron JY.

update: the mechanic thats working on the car says after he replaced the o2 sensors and hooked the car up to a computer he gets and error on the speed sensor and thats likely what is causing the no-acceleration issue. i never heard of a speed sensor but I'll look it up.

...a speed sensor but I'll look it up.

FSM EL-104 SPEEDOMETER:

"The combination meter provides a voltage signal to the vehicle speed sensor for the speedometer.
The voltage is supplied
- from combination meter terminal 15 for the speedometer
- to terminal 1 of the vehicle speed sensor (with TCS).
- to terminal 19 of ABS actuator and electric unit (without TCS).
The speedometer converts the voltage into the vehicle speed displayed.

DIY tests:
See EL-114: Voltage 0.5V, resistance 250Ω

(The sender unit in 3gen is known to pop out, will cause problems...)

i uploaded the video on youtube. i changed the plugs and 02 sensors and as i expected the problem persists. I took it to the dealer and they said its the throttle body most likely. I looked up the cars history at the dealer and coil#1 was replaced. The last interaction i had w the dealer in 07 was they reccomended a fuel induction/induction clean... which was quoted at ~$700. I went to a near by jap nissan parts place and they told me it was likely the cat converter. I was gonna let the dealer check it but every1 that works at the dealer are newbies b/c evr1 was fired...... so i'll just let som1 from the jap parts place check it. cat conv and thrtle body at the dealer is ~ $750 each haha. I'll have it looked at on monday. The videos are here
no acceleration : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMJQY9UQfLI

normal acceleration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0kJQdXjKg

...they reccomended a fuel induction/induction clean... which was quoted at ~$700. ....cat conv and thrtle body at the dealer is ~ $750 each haha.

Dont let em laugh...:(

To me thats tranny totally disconnected -or- in SAFE-MODE.

Oil pressure ctrl, band or clutches slipping? Slipping is normally on always, but pressure is controlled by TCU computer, and that depends on signals it receives. If a sensor fails, then tranny drops into SAFE-MODE and behaves just like that. Many issues may trip that feature ON.

Have u run the tranny self diagnostics? I bet NO. On some models You can do it yourself, just read the FSM. Or go to dealer, sit by as the tranny diag is run. Pay only for diag, total price has to be known beforehand.

The problem here is that when u go to shop, all is ok. And u get only charged...:( well, thats not the shops fault but cars...

Maybe tranny rpm sensor intermittently disconnects, or its connector is bad, vibration causes it to play... You can go and measure or ask shop to do that specific resistance measurement. Also all tranny solenoids have a resistance value: ask/demand what are those, what are yours...

Long shot: I'd goto JY, find tranny rpm sensor, ask shop to swap it, 10 minutes. Total should be under 100$.

Although this tranny isnt the same, THE issues are very similar, read: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/15 ... Read also p.14 ...

Pressure: I'd try tst disconnecting pressure bypass resistor when the problem is on. Find it and be ready when problems surface.

What it surely is NOT: TB, CAT... dont let em milk you.

it was the speed sensor (rev sensor) which is located behind the drivers wheel/shock. $170 dealer part. The engine light is on b/c of the O2 sensors so I'll have a mechanic that will hook it up at the dealer and see if the O2 sensors voltage readings are correct. when he hooked up his reader to the car it said the ecu must be reprogrammed because of the change of O2 sensors (I added the O2 sensors a month ago aftermarket). The car accelerates correcly now though.

get acceleration code and try it
At = r*α
Ac = r*ω² = r*(αt)²
Equating these 2 gives
t = 1/√α = 1/√.25 = 2 sec

Hello, this may be caused by a bad MAF, or emissions control equipment (EGR, etc.).This is a fairly common topic. Search through the Maxima forum for bad MAF, EGR, rough idle, and related topics (don't forget to search archived threads, too). You should find a lot of info. Have you checked the plugs, wires, and distributor? When was the last time they were changed?
The stutter on throttle and random wavering makes me thing it's probably a bad distributor or plugs. If so, you get off easy. Usually best to start simple and work up.

it was the speed sensor (rev sensor) which is located behind the drivers wheel/shock. $170 dealer part. The engine light is on b/c of the O2 sensors so I'll have a mechanic that will hook it up at the dealer and see if the O2 sensors voltage readings are correct. when he hooked up his reader to the car it said the ecu must be reprogrammed because of the change of O2 sensors (I added the O2 sensors a month ago aftermarket). The car accelerates correcly now though.

As I said, it was locked in SAFE-MODE b/c of computer getting no relevant signals.

Reprogramming is bs, but a stealerships hilarious way to charge unawares... FYI: Computer regenerates its data tables itself - after they have been cleared, say pwr supply off for 30min or more.

im thinking the O2 sensors could be bad cause their not specific to the car. when i went to try to get a refun from auto parts store the manager said that the parts are tested thoughrly to meet specifications and the parts are BOSCH (spelled wrong) so........ I dont know maybe i have to get OEM. Cause two of the previous new BOSCH sensors were burned out in like 3 weeks and i'm guessing thats whats happening now to these sensors.


You were right about the SAFE MODE theory thanks. I was getting too many theories so i stopped listening to em.

im thinking the O2 sensors could be bad cause their not specific to the car. when i went to try to get a refun from auto parts store the manager said that the parts are tested thoughrly to meet specifications and the parts are BOSCH (spelled wrong) so........ I dont know maybe i have to get OEM. Cause two of the previous new BOSCH sensors were burned out in like 3 weeks and i'm guessing thats whats happening now to these sensors.


You were right about the SAFE MODE theory thanks. I was getting too many theories so i stopped listening to em.

Hey its not theory but txt in the maintenance manual, just read:) ... as said, I have had that condition once via emergency braking - also indicated in the tranny manual section.

What 'burned out' actually means?

Sensor manufacturers do stamp their products for all carmakers. Nissan has its own demands which may be even less strict (!) than on some generic product brands. To get production running, carmakers will use any product :( to keep mfg lines going.

Top brand marketing names have invested into product line name, and want to back em up. Generally I wont buy Nissan products but generic top brands. This Saga of "original" parts is carefully cultivated to milk me & yalll ppl.

i replaced 2 of the 3 new bosch sensors. the 2 were on the car for less than a month but when i took them out the bronze ends were blackened as if they were fried electrically. the third one which was located further down on the pipe was still in new condition.