# Engine Stalling after a start



## JayChicago (Jun 22, 2011)

Hi, 
I have a Maxima 2001 GXE that some troubles. The car will start but the engine will stop after a while unless I keep pressing the gas padel. I took it to the dealer yesterday. The dealer first said it is Mass Airflow sensor and asked me if I want to get it replaced for about $300, After replacing MAF they say there are more troubles, the idle air car valve and egine control module is bad also and it is going to cost me another $1400. I had replaced MAF already replaced one year back. 

I need your opinions if my car is being misdiagnose, if I am being misguided. I see if I buy those parts from store you I can buy for $600-700 

I also need on opion if this is really the problem then which shop I should go to, Should I go to a chain shop or what type of shop I should look for for example AAMO (transmission repair) 

I would appreciate anyfeedback 

Regards, 
Jay


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

It's impossible for any of us to say if the car is being misdiagnosed or not, as we are not there when the car is being worked on. Mass air sensors going bad on Maximas is certainly nothing new. There have been a few problems with the IACV-AAC valve leaking coolant onto the harness and causing the ECM to short out and fail. This may be what happened to yours; you'll need to ask the shop that's working on it. With years of working as a tech for both Nissan and independant shops, I can tell you this: shops are only as good as the technician working on your car. I've known excellant techs and terrible mechanics in both dealerships and independant shops. The key is once you find a good technician, stick with him! Get to know the person(s) who work on your car.


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## JayChicago (Jun 22, 2011)

Thanks smj999smj appreciate your feedback,

I agree that it is hard to tell if they misdiagnosed it but I wonder how can MAF, ECM and IACV-AAC can go wrong at once, I don't know much about cars but it's hard to believe there three expensive part died at the same time 

Now that you mention it, I had coolant flush couple of weeks back 

Do you think I need to take my car to some special shop, does it require special skills to put ECM and IACV-AAC 

I have already pumped $800 for exhaust, break, rotors, coolant flush etc this month in this car and can not afford dealer's bill


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

The IACV-AAC valve is located under the throttle opening. It's not a mechanically challenging part to replace, but it's a little difficult to get to. The issue is with the ECM replacement. The keys will need to be initialized to the ECM or it will not start and the idle air volume relearn procedure will need to be performed. Both of these procedures will require a Nissan Consult II or later scantool or capable generic scantool.


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## korchna (Aug 3, 2011)

I would be hard pressed to say that the car was being mis-diagnosed, but it would be safe to say that the occurrence of all of these problems happening at once with the only symptom being a stalling problem is unlikely. I would be inclined to have the car towed (if it cannot be driven) to another dealer or qualified repair facility for another diagnosis. If you do this, it would not be a good idea to state your suspicions concerning the previous diagnosis if you choose to disclose it at all, or to say something like 'I hope that it won't cost $2000 to repair (then how about $1900?)'.

I was a service manager in a small Nissan dealership in the mid-1980s, and it was about the easiest job that I've ever had. All of my customers were happy owners and any problems were generally minor, and the service department was not charged with providing 70% of the revenue required to support the dealership. In my position, I was able to control technician's estimates that were out of control, having had 20 some years under my belt as an auto mechanic, and being one of the first group of technicians to become ASE (NIASE at the time) certified. I would have told the technician 'Lets find what the actual problem is before I have to face the customer with an unrealistic estimate'. Right - it was a small dealership so I did not have a service write-up person (service salesperson) to do that task.

I am software developer in my current career, but I still have a hobby garage where I maintain my 6 vehicles that I use on a daily basis. I have a 1997 Maxima that had a similar problem, and I have gone through the pains of checking the ignition coils (there is a resistance test for them that can be found using the AutoZone web site (autozone.com), and they were good. There is also a test for the MAF sensor there, and it was ok. I removed the air bypass valve that controls the idle speed(an electrical connector and 2 phillips screws, the screws were rather hard to get at), and it was clogged. After having cleaned it up a little with some carburetor cleaner, the car idles as it should. If you can find a mechanic willing to try that, it took me about 30 minutes to do that from start to finish. The complete part itself(with the Power Steering and A/C air bypass valves included) is available from Auto Zone for about $160 reconditioned. It also needs to be noted that there is no built in check in the car's computer for this type of problem, so it won't return a trouble code when using the scantool. Your Maxima is a 2001, so I can't be sure if it's the same kind of problem.

I hope that this helps.


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## Hamster211 (Oct 1, 2018)

I own a 1997 Nissan Maxima GLE and my ecm is going bad as well. It happen after I drove 110 down the interstate. My suggestion would be (if you think its worth it) replace the ecm or get it repaired.


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