# 99 Maxima Rough Engine (Ignition Coil Issue?)



## cesar71 (Dec 9, 2005)

I am the original owner of a 1999 Nissan Maxima SE (57K Miles). For the last several weeks I have been experiencing rough shaking of the car when the car is standing still in gear (700-1000 RPM). (If I put in Park then it goes away). I went to my mechanic and he said it is probably the faulty Ignition Coils but wait for the "Service Engine Soon" light before spending a lot of money on the coils. I said ok. 

A few days ago the light came on. Amazingly I was really happy, now I can identify and fix my problem. The mechanic did the diagnostics and said that the code was P0300 which is Multiple Cylinder Failure. He said that he was looking for the Primary Ignition Failure code to indicate that this was the Ignition Coil problem but this P0300 code could be several things. He is still hesitant to call it a coil problem but he still suspects it. The mechanic cleared the code and said for me to keep driving until I get a better error code. 


What do you guys think? Also, are the Mitsubishi coils better than Hanshin or did Hanshin fix their original design flaws by now?

thanks

Cesar


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## Jeff (Oct 17, 2002)

Mitsubishis are better but Hanshin fixed the problem too. The Hanshins from the late 90s were the culprit in coil pack problems...with 99s being the worst off. 
Supposedly what was found from someone on Maxima.org is the late-90s Hanshins weren't 'sealed' effectively and there is an accumulation of debris/corrosion that fouls the metal contacts within...which can be cleaned but not easily.

P0300:
-When was your last tuneup, i.e. spark plug change or fuel filter?
Spark plugs would be the first thing I'd check since they are the cheapest...if you are getting close to 60k on platinum plugs then you might as well take care of those first.
Fuel filters getting clogged could cause a small disruption in the fuel flow and give an erradic idle.
-You can check the ohm level of each coil pack to ensure they are still working.

The problem I have with jumping on the coil pack bandwagon is that you aren't having any issues under WOT or while accelerating. Usually with a coil pack you will have some hesitation at various RPMs.
I've been there...had that problem with my Cyl #6 Coil Pack. 


Lastly, I wanted to add you seem to have a really good mechanic. I say this because rather than replacing parts he wasn't sure about he advised to wait it out. There are a lot of times that your situation is a gold mine to less than honorable mechanics. If you didn't have a good mechanic then I'd suggest you do all the above yourself but you have that squared away.


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## cesar71 (Dec 9, 2005)

*Ignition Coils?*

Yes. The mechanic is very good. He does try to save me money. In fact, after seeing the inconclusive P0300 code, he suggested that we change the spark plugs since I am close to the 60K Mile service. That didn't help but it had to be done anyways. 

I changed the Fuel Filter at 30K so it is a good idea to change it now at 57K. Also, thanks for the info about Hanshin fixing their problem with the coils. I think the car is misfiring at higher RPM than 1000 but it is harder to tell. 

I have read on various sites that other people having exactly the same symptoms but they have the Primary Ignition Failure code and I don't. They changed the coils and the problem goes away. 

I have also read that checking the resistence on the coils with an Ohm Meter is inconclusive. At this point if I just knew that the coils were at fault, I would change them all. 

Thanks

Cesar


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## mrdick (Mar 25, 2004)

MrEous said:


> Mitsubishis are better but Hanshin fixed the problem too. The Hanshins from the late 90s were the culprit in coil pack problems...with 99s being the worst off.
> Supposedly what was found from someone on Maxima.org is the late-90s Hanshins weren't 'sealed' effectively and there is an accumulation of debris/corrosion that fouls the metal contacts within...which can be cleaned but not easily.
> 
> P0300:
> ...


 you said hesitation at certain rpms... in 3rd gear, once it hits 3k rpm, it drops down to about 2800 then goes back up like regular acceleration. is that the type of hesitation youre talking about? i have an automatic btw. i do have a cylinder 1 misfire, but coilpacks and sparkplug work fine. i have yet to check the injectors tho.


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## Jeff (Oct 17, 2002)

cesar71 said:


> I have read on various sites that other people having exactly the same symptoms but they have the Primary Ignition Failure code and I don't. They changed the coils and the problem goes away.
> 
> I have also read that checking the resistence on the coils with an Ohm Meter is inconclusive. At this point if I just knew that the coils were at fault, I would change them all.
> 
> ...


Quick check to see if you have an ignition coil problem. Leave the car running, while it is going through its usual weird idling problem. Pull each coil pack, one by one, until you find the one that doesn't affect the idle.
If you truly have a coil pack problem then you will have one coil pack that doesn't affect the already stumbling idle when you remove it.

I apologize I don't just say, go ahead and replace all the coil packs...I would just hate to have you spend ~$360 to fix a problem that _might_ not go away.


mrdick said:


> you said hesitation at certain rpms... in 3rd gear, once it hits 3k rpm, it drops down to about 2800 then goes back up like regular acceleration. is that the type of hesitation youre talking about? i have an automatic btw. i do have a cylinder 1 misfire, but coilpacks and sparkplug work fine. i have yet to check the injectors tho.


The hesitation is at various rpms. Sometimes it will be 3000rpms...sometimes 4500rpms.
-If you have a stethoscope, listen to each injector to see if all are 'pulsing' regularly.
-You know for sure it isn't a problem with a coil pack? And you've also replaced all spark plugs, correct? Only reason I ask about the coil pack is because when you have a check engine light that says "Cyl 1 misfire" then it's usually centralized to that one coil.




Lastly, check the rubber gasket that is seated between the upper and lower intake manifold. After I installed my headers I over-torqued one of the intake manifold bolts too much and it caused the rubber gasket to be pulled in on Cyl #6...ended up with a Cyl #6 misfire.


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## cesar71 (Dec 9, 2005)

*Coil Cost*

Where can I get the coils for $360?

thanks

Cesar


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## kbohip (Dec 14, 2005)

I know Autozone carries them for around $60-70 each, at least this was how much they were for the 92-94 SE's.

EDIT: I just checked Autozone and they have them for your Maxima for $64.99 each. What I did when I had coil problems on my '92 SE was to just buy 2 coils and switch them around until I found the bad coil. It saved me a bunch of money and fixed the problem.


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## Jeff (Oct 17, 2002)

Yeah...$60-70 each.

$67.83 & $70.67 here


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## wilsonbh (Feb 4, 2008)

I guess I'm getting old but can't remember how to do this. I replaced an ignition coil on my 1999 Nissan Maxima about 4 years ago. The codes thrown were P1320 and the reader showed a miss fire in one of the cylinders. I replaced just that coil and life was good, until just the other day when the same scenario developed. Now, same code but missing on Cyl #4. Here is what I can't remember very well. We have FRONT and REAR coils, is that right? Is #4 in the front middle? 

Any adivce is appreciated. 

Bill
[email protected]


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## wilsonbh (Feb 4, 2008)

OK, found what I needed on YouTUBE. Someone uploaded a video of what they did to replace a front ignition coil. There are front and rear coils and the front needed a cover plate removed first. Once that was removed, the rest was a no-brainer. Wish someone here would have responded. Cylinders 1 3 5 in the back and 2 4 6 in the front. My code reader identified #4 as the misfire. Pulled the ignition coil in cylinder #4, replaced with a Dynoblast Ignition coil and now the car purrs again. 

The people that advocate replacing all these coils at once are just plain dumb. Very expensive thing to do and very wasteful. I'm averaging replacement of these about 1 every 3 to 4 years. I plan to swing by the auto salvage and look for some in a wrecked Maxima, pull them and keep them on the side in wait for the next failure. 

I would not have been able to do this or diagnose this without my AcuRite OBDII Code Reader. I highly recommend these devices to anyone with a car newer than 1998. They pay for themselves very quickly.

Bill


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