I just had my car serviced for something that sounds similar to what you are describing. On my way home from work one night last week (~70 mph), the car lost power briefly (the word that really comes to mind is lurch) and then was seeming ok. The second time the car 'lurched' (same night), the 'service engine soon' light came on, and stayed on. Took the car to a dealer the next day, where they reproduced the 'lurch' upon test driving. Said they thought it was an electrical problem, and highly recommended that I not continue to drive the car (!) until the problem was diagnosed. After 3 days of diagnostics (!!), it turns out that the oxygen and cam angle sensors had to be replaced. Thank goodness my car is still under warrantee (~14,000 miles).
I just had my car serviced for something that sounds similar to what you are describing. On my way home from work one night last week (~70 mph), the car lost power briefly (the word that really comes to mind is lurch) and then was seeming ok. The second time the car 'lurched' (same night), the 'service engine soon' light came on, and stayed on. Took the car to a dealer the next day, where they reproduced the 'lurch' upon test driving. Said they thought it was an electrical problem, and highly recommended that I not continue to drive the car (!) until the problem was diagnosed. After 3 days of diagnostics (!!), it turns out that the oxygen and cam angle sensors had to be replaced. Thank goodness my car is still under warrantee (~14,000 miles).
Warranty is wonderful, I only hope if I am going to have problems, I have them while the warranty still exhists.
Actually, my service engine light never comes on. Just the SLIP light. It has to be malfunctioning traction control sensor but the dealer can't duplicate it and he says it is leaving no code. The anti-lock braking system also seems to acting up. When approaching a stop at low speeds on dry pavement you can feel the brake pedal pulsing rather hard like the ABS is engaging.
I have a 2002 3.5 SE. My check engine light came on today for no apparent reason. I could not rev the car past 2,500 rpm. When I got home, I checked this post and went into the diag mode and got the error code.
It looks like it is 1102, though it was not easy to be sure of the first number. It definitely has those four digits though.
With the engine light on, the engine started a bit rough, but ran. When I cleared the light, the engine will now start but stalls within a few seconds.
I had an issue like this a while back, though not as bad. The car would not rev past 2500. The light was not on and the car drove fine after about 15 minutes. When I took it to the dealer, it turned out to be something very minor and I read on this forum that it was the engine computer blocking revs over 2500
So today, when this happened, I assumed the same (something minor with anoverreacting computer). Now my car will not run at all.
Any suggestions? It's Saturday night, I have no car and will probably have to tow it to the dealer on Monday!
ALso - where do I go to find out what my error code means??
Your car is running in "SAFE" or LIMP mode. It won't allow you to rev past 2500 to protect the engine.
Code 1102 is a bad Mass Air Flow sensor. This is a common problem with 2002's, most times happening when the owner has installed an aftermarket intake, or filter. You can try and reset the code, by using the same process you used to get the code. Just hold down the gas for 10 seconds after you enter the diagnostic mode. Then you 'might' be able to get into linp mode and drive it to the dealer.
It should covered under warranty, unless you've done something odd to the intake.
Pretty sure there is a TSB out... They did replace the original MAF with a different unit on 2003 3.5s. If you search here or on maxima.org you'll find the part number posted someplace. That way you can tell if they replaced the unit with the better version.
Im gonna go a lil off topic for a moment since I am one of those "Monkeys"
Yep ill agree that many times the light is on cause the ECU had a brain fart and that there is no problem there. My dealership will, at the customers request just clear the code for free and send them on their way. If the like doesnt come back on thats cool, if it does and for the same code we will diagnose it. What we dont do however is just clear the code and send the customer off to see if it comes back with out the customers premmsion. You see we would get bitched at more for shipping it after clearing a code and it reappears, then we would if we spend 3 hours trying to diag a problem that is not there. Here is the major difference though.. If we spend 3 hours trying to diag a problem that is not there, we do not charge the customer one cent, and we give them a free wash and vac for wasting there time.
I guess the dealers that you guys go to are dicks IMO. If I were you I wouldnt pay a cent if they dont find a problem and make them wash and vac my car.
Patrick. am glad to hear from youl.I have been looking for a nissan tech to answer a question for me. 97 nissan pickup 2.4L. check engine light flashes while driving, they are all long flashes, no short flashes. checked ecu and all I got was a misfire code. Can you help? extech
No offense meant, PatScott. I don't believe that all Nissan technicians are monkeys. Since you take the time to post on a Nissan enthusiast forum, you probably take your job and your craft very seriously. That being said, I'm sure you'll agree if you've worked as a dealer technician for any length of time that the ratio of dain-bramaged dunderheads to meticulous, qualified master craftsmen is skewed just slightly toward the former at most Nissan dealers.
Wash and vacuum? Free? What the heck is that? My wife's Infiniti dealer does that sort of thing while providing croissants on a white linen napkin, but sadly her car has been so rock-solid reliable that she's only seen the inside of her dealership once. I, on the other hand, have become practically intimate with my Nissan dealer, and while I've been fortunate in that each time I've taken the care in for repairs the work has been done well and generally on time, each time I've gotten the car back I did a double-take to make sure the pewter Altima they gave me was in fact my car. Just about everything that could move, be adjusted, changed or modified was moved, adjusted, changed or modified. And the car was invariably dirtier and greasier than when I brought it in.
Nonetheless, I'll say this: If I've got the choice of getting my car monkeyed and returned waxed and vacuumed or repaired well and handed back to me grungy and with all the station presets changed to rap music, well, sign me up for the second one. Maybe I should just bring the car to you, PatScott. You sound like a good guy.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone.
What pat did't say. Is when a tech spends three hours trying to diag a problem, he most likely does not get paid for it. (Unless he works at a darned good dealership.) You got to remember this. Every ecu has 30 to 50 inputs. that signals going into the ecu. and at least that many outputs, anyone of those will give you a problem.
tks extech
Linear Mode
