1999 Infinity I30 Engine misses sometimes

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by bratfry

...I only had to replace one coil on a 66 Ford. Hope someone can benefit from my experiment and by the way, I think you can see that you don’t want to buy replacement coils from a bone yard.

I suppose the whole idea of putting electronics in the hottest possible position is the culprit. Ford66 has 1/20.000 things better... currentl models 0/20.000?

[emilydallas]

I have a 200 Max with 68k miles. I am on a 3rd set of coils. They are expensive but playing detective work is a real pain. Not to mention getting to the rear bank. Lots of hardware. Misfires also screw up 02 sensors and Cat converter... so a snowball effect..... misfires, bad 02 sensors, messes up Cat.. persistent check engine lights, poor performance/mileage.... constant advanced timing, rotten egg smell.
For chronic problems..... may have to start from scratch and replace all -fresh start... about $1,000 in parts alone.... but end up with an engine that runs better than new and better mileage. I went from 19mpg running crappy to 27 mpg.

Originally Posted by bratfry

Update: June 23 2005 Coil Replacements

I replaced all the coils one by one, one per week. The no 1 solved the missing problem and the engine light flicker on acceleration, mileage went up also, got over 26 on a short trip. Still had the low speed acceleration issue but not bad.

A week later No 2 replaced, it didn't do anything I could tell. Another week No 3, nothing different. No 4 replaced next and I hit a jackpot. Low speed acceleration great, shifting great, just like a new car, smooth. Those Geos and vans that were out accelerating me at the stop lights are in trouble now. Another couple weeks and No 5 and No 6 didn't show any improvements that I could tell.

But what a difference No 1 and No 4 did. It is unbelievable.

So, in conclusion, I guess the coils, at least on these Maximas, are maintenance items every x miles. Never would have believed it because in 50+ years of driving, I only had to replace one coil on a 66 Ford. Hope someone can benefit from my experiment and by the way, I think you can see that you don’t want to buy replacement coils from a bone yard.

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by emilydallas

...Max with 68k miles. ... 3rd set of coils...

Smtg fishy. Should play still next 100k with originals...

Coilpacks are packed with electronics: Electronics is been destroyed overvoltage, spikes, (bad gnd), heat. Check your voltage with a oscilloscope, generally alt, wirings, gnd.

[emilydallas]

I agree with everything you say.. This forum seems to know a lot more than the 'Certified Nissan Mechanics'. Key work is 'should last 100k'. There has to be some sort of spark leak or spike, without rhyme or reason. I have checked the grounds, wiring harness. It all points to a bad coil design. I am just glad to have discovered the source of the problem. Now, I treat the coils as 'normal maintenance' - $350 a pop consumable.

At 30k miles (under warranty), I had coils, catalytic converter and 2 oxygen sensors replaced. Second coil set was on me at 65k miles.

I have an unmodified 5 speed 2000 Max SE. I do not race or beat on it.

I guess it will be due for another in about 30k miles.... anyone aware of any better coils?

And a takeaway... If your Max starts to sputter and act corky, do not keep driving it, get it fixed. Repairs outside of warranty will get expensive in a hurry.

Originally Posted by Nahkapohjola

Smtg fishy. Should play still next 100k with originals...

Coilpacks are packed with electronics: Electronics is been destroyed overvoltage, spikes, (bad gnd), heat. Check your voltage with a oscilloscope, generally alt, wirings, gnd.

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by emilydallas

... anyone aware of any better coils?...

Theres a thumb rule for electronics: every 10F heat increase halves life expectancy. From this aspect, the coilpack location is the worst possible, inside valve covers without any cooling.

Now what could be done to cool these things. Extension cords? Peltiers? NoGood. Buy a temp gauge to measure their actual operating temp...

[bratfry]

Well here it is 2 years later and I am having coil problems again. What is it with the coils on this Nissan... RPMs down at idle, no acceleration and shifting funny (No check engine lights this time).

The last time I bought 6 coil packs and had 2 bad ones so I replaced all but saved the used 4. Back to the one a week thing again..

Replaced #1 last week and it improved the performance of the car greatly. This is the same cylinder as the last time.

I'm getting a little mad at Nissan...Car has 80K now, I don't remember what it was 2 years ago.

Will go thru the rest, one by one per week and see what happens....

[I301999]

Thank you for the very informative post. Sorry to hear that you are having the same problem again.

I have an 1999 Infiniti I30 and have a very similar problem. You mentioned that you purchase the coil pack for $50. Can you please let me know where you got them and what brand they are? The least expensive ones I have found so far is at Autozone for $60 and $75, and I believe they are manufactured by Wells.

Does anyone know if Wells is a good brand, or if one brand is better than another? What about the OEM stuff?

[bratfry]

I got my coils from Advantage Nissan 5101 auto center road, Bremerton Washington 98312 360-373-6300 www.advantagenissan.com

22448-31U06 54.26
22448-31U01 56.53 think this is the real coils

Remember I bought them on 5/26/05

Did it all thru the internet and the service was good. These were the same brand as the originals. There was some discussion about Nissan using two brands but I got the same ones I had before. As discussed earlier in this post, these things live in a nasty world and if there is any chance of going bad, they will....

I bought 6 and have a couple left to swap in and out to find the bad ones. I guess its time to buy some more. It seems like this a on going issue.

I think Wells is just a re-package place and probably gets them from the same place Nissan does, without the name, who knows. The Nissan brand doesn't mean its better, at least in my opinion.

But what do I know. Gary