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Car Forum / Nissan / Nissan Maxima / June 2004rough idle after spark plug change
Hi, everyone. I need your expert advice! I have a 97 gle with 68k. When I was replacing spark plug on cyl. 5 I lifted EVAP purge valve and bent the tubes for easy access. Well, after replacing all plugs, engine idles funny. I used NGK plugs from local Nissan dealer. Bending tubes can mess up EVAP stuff? Engine idles OK after cold start. Once I get out of driveway and stop at first stop sign, I get this very annoying occasional 'kick' which feels like a loud drum kick. It feels like the beginning of stalling. Moving my automatic gear to N seems to reduce it, though. If I keep the gear at D at stop, the kick sometimes repeats every 1-2 secs. I scan the code and got 0304 (knock sensor). There's no metallic sound so I assumed it's not a really knock, but, this 'kick' triggers the sensor. I am a newbie so I could be wrong. Well, I also noticed faint sound coming from somewhere close to the EVAP canister. It's not a hissing sound. I haven't heard the sound before, but, it's possible I'm just noticing it now. So, my question is that the tubes/valves/canister generate sound level which can be heard w/o any aid? If so, how it should sound? Have you figured out the problem? I had te same thing happen after getting a tune-up at Pep Boys and they used bosch plaitnum plugs and I am learning from this site those are cheap plugs. I took it back to Pep Boys the day after they did the tune-up and they saw nothing, 2 weeks later they did a diagnostic and there is something they say happening with the injectors but a code is not coming up and they aren't capable of checking each injector. Any help would be greatly appreciated. > Have you figured out the problem? I had te same thing happen after > getting a tune-up at Pep Boys and they used bosch plaitnum plugs and I am [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > but a code is not coming up and they aren't capable of checking each > injector. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Get someone to install the correct NGK plus and you're problem will be solved. Bosch platinums aren't "cheap" (except compared to NGK platinums..), they are just junk and don't work right in any car that I know of.  SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com > Have you figured out the problem? I had te same thing happen after getting > a tune-up at Pep Boys and they used bosch plaitnum plugs and I am learning [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > but a code is not coming up and they aren't capable of checking each > injector. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps these guys did something silly and TQ the plugs down way too much. I install mine myself and the TQ spec is 16-22 ft-lbs for the 95-99 Max, a lighter pressure than you would think is needed to secure the plugs into the head. Ask 'em how much they TQed the plugs to. If they don't know, then it was probably too much. CD Thanks for the advice, I'll ask them and if they don't know or if it's too far down, do I have them put it at 16-22ft? > Thanks for the advice, I'll ask them and if they don't know or if it's too > far down, do I have them put it at 16-22ft? Yup. remove (hopefully without problems) the plug and re-install at 16-22 ft-lbs of torque. CD >> Thanks for the advice, I'll ask them and if they don't know or if it's >> too [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > CD How is changing the torque going to change how it runs? the few thousands difference in depth are not going to change anything. They will be easier to change next time though. >>> Thanks for the advice, I'll ask them and if they don't know or if >>> it's too [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > thousands difference in depth are not going to change anything. They > will be easier to change next time though. You could be right, but then I have Platinum +2s running in my wifes 96 Altima. Torqued perfectly by me and they've been running fine for the past 20K miles. He may need to just dump the Bosch plugs and switch back to NGK Platinums (Torqued 16-22 ft=lbs!:))anyhow because the Maxima's ignition system is more sophisticated, and possibly more sensitive. CD > Perhaps these guys did something silly and TQ the plugs down way too > much. I install mine myself and the TQ spec is 16-22 ft-lbs for the > 95-99 Max, a lighter pressure than you would think is needed to secure > the plugs into the head. It's -imposible- for that to make any difference in the way a car runs, unless they broke them installing them. The problem IS the bosch plugs!!!!! SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com Hey Steve Do you think it matters if you put in NGK plats or the iridiums? Iridiums are more money but how much better could they be? > > Perhaps these guys did something silly and TQ the plugs down way too > > much. I install mine myself and the TQ spec is 16-22 ft-lbs for the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > It's -imposible- for that to make any difference in the way a car runs, > unless they broke them installing them. The problem IS the bosch plugs!!!!! Well, I bought some NGK plugs and my husband and I are going to put them in this evening. So I will let you all know how it turns out. O.K., we put NGK spark plugs on and it runs the same. What should we do next? Thanks I don't know what year you have (I'm late to the thread). If you have a later Max with the separate coils for each plug, go back and pull each connector off of each coil and check that none of the contacts on the coil are bent. I know enough how to connect things and still managed to do it once on one of the coils my '93 SE. If one is bent, gently straighten it out. Also, look at each of the contacts for any kind of corrosion. Clean the contacts if you think you see anything on either the coil contacts or the connector contacts. Both of these are a stretch, but the bent contact is easy to miss if you don't look because you aren't expecting it. What else did the Poop Boys do besides plugs? > O.K., we put NGK spark plugs on and it runs the same. What should we do > next? > > Thanks > Hey Steve > > Do you think it matters if you put in NGK plats or the iridiums? Iridiums > are more money but how much better could they be? Can't say, given the plats look like new at 90K when they are pulled, I can't imagine these others lasting any better! SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com >>Hey Steve >> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Can't say, given the plats look like new at 90K when they are pulled, I > can't imagine these others lasting any better! I did a readup on DENSO and NGKs iridium website. ironically, iridiums only last half as long as plats. Apparently the technology of iridiums can only be fully exploited if the engine was designed for it in the 1st place. NGK plats are still best for longevity in the Maxima . .by design:) NGK Coppers are best for cheapeness. CD >>>Hey Steve >>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > can only be fully exploited if the engine was designed for it in the 1st > place. What is the advantage? SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com >>>>Hey Steve >>>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > What is the advantage? They are harder than platinum, so you can make a smaller tip that will last a reasonably long time. The smaller tip would make for better combustion and cleaner emissions. On cars designed for iridium, they can last around 120K miles, so its biggest advantage is durability . . .when a car is designed for it. CD >>>>>Hey Steve >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > last around 120K miles, so its biggest advantage is durability . . .when > a car is designed for it. Now I'm confused, you said they last half as long as plats but last 120K? SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com >>>>>>Hey Steve >>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Now I'm confused, you said they last half as long as plats but last 120K? If you put iridiums in the Maxima, which was designed for plats, the iridiums will only last half as long as the NGK plats that the Maxima was designed for. There's a Toyota, I believe, that comes OEM with iridiums. On that car the plugs can last up to 120K miles. In other words Toyota designed that engine with the iridiums in mind. Perhaps the way heat is extracted from the cylinder head is changed, threading on the plug is longer or shorter, etc. CD I have been following this and related threads for a while.... Finally cured my rough idle problem today... broke down and replaced all coils and the plugs with new NGK's. Problem gone... and so is about $400. Most expensive sparkplug change I ever did.... > >>>>>>Hey Steve > >>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > CD >> Now I'm confused, you said they last half as long as plats but last 120K? > If you put iridiums in the Maxima, which was designed for plats, the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > way heat is extracted from the cylinder head is changed, threading on > the plug is longer or shorter, etc. Thanx.. SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com > Have you figured out the problem? I had te same thing happen after getting > a tune-up at Pep Boys and they used bosch plaitnum plugs and I am learning [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > but a code is not coming up and they aren't capable of checking each > injector. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Iginition coil for cyl. 5 was bad. When I changed the plug 5, I initially didn't move the EVAP stuff which blocked the access to the plug. In doing so, I think I bent the coil pack. Anyway, I swapped the coil 5 with 1 and 3 and so on to make sure the coil 5 was bad. I was getting occasional missfire codes (608, etc) and the code showed up for the cyclinder where the original 5th coil was placed. So, I got a new coil about a week ago and installed it, the problem was gone. Meanwhile, I had code for knock sensor and front oxygen sensors. I cleaned the ground for the knock sensor and the code was gone. But, o2 sensors errors stayed. I wonder the misfiring caused the O2 sensors fouled up. Anyway, I replaced O2 sensors also and now the siginals from the O2 sensors are within 0.1-0.9v as in the spec. |
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