I recently bought a 2003 Maxima (A33 model) with the VQ30DE engine. It has done 96,000km (60,000 miles). I have a few questions.
- The owner's manual calls for spark plug replacement at 90,000km. Well, my Maxima has done 96,000km so I pulled out one spark plug to check its condition. The gap is still the same as a new one (1.1mm) and the platinum tips on the centre and group electrodes are still there. Is there any point in replacing the plugs?
- The gas pedal is a little stiff, which makes it difficult to smoothly open the throttle when I want to take off slowly. I thought perhaps the throttle body needed cleaning, but when I operate the butterfly valve by hand it's as smooth as silk. I tried pulling the throttle cable from the driver's side of the firewall and it's a wee bit stiff, so does that mean the problem is with the cable itself?
- My dashboard has a really annoying creak/rattle from around the driver's side air vent. The rest of the car is so quiet and refined that this rattle really gets on my nerves. I thought I would pull out the plastic trim around the air vent and see if I could fix the rattle, but I can't figure out how to remove the trim from the dash. Here is a link to a photo of the air vent:
Thanks in advance for any helpful advice.