97 Maxima GXE - Stalls under low speeds

All:

RE: My friend's 97 Maxima GXE, 72k miles

While pulling into a driveway, or reversing slowly and then taking your foot of the accelerator to tap the brakes, the car will intermittently stall. Sometimes it is hard to get started again, i.e. will start, but stall immediately. It doesn't happen at speeds over

30mph - and seems to only happen when the accelerator is released i.e. either to coast or to brake.

Here are some data points.

1) I cleaned the throttle-body (it wasn't very dirty when I checked it

- I but I cleaned it anyway).

2) I Replaced PCV valve

3) I Checked air-filter (was clean)

4) I Checked basic operation of IACV - I had the car idling (at about 650-700 RPM - auto tranny) - set fan to high with A/C on - the idle dipped and then climbed back up to about 750 and held steady. Switched off A/C - idle dropped to 650 and stayed steady. (Repeated this several times - could not get the car to stall).

5) He had a 60k service done at a dealer - new plugs, new fuel filter... may have done radiator/tranny fluid changes - but I don't think that is relevant for what is going on here.

6) He ran a bottle of techron through the fuel system.

After I had checked/replaced the obvious, the car ran without stalling for two weeks - so I thought the PCV valve was the culprit - since the one I removed was really gunked up... but then last night he called me up and said the car had stalled twice this past weekend.

So what else could it be? He did say that his wife let the tank run really low right before this started happening (before I initially looked at it) - so potentially he sucked junk into his fuel lines/fuel filter - so I was going to put a new fuel filter in for him - but I really don't think it is the fuel filter - since don't fuel starving problems manifest themselves at higher speeds under load?

I am leaning towards a clogged/sticking valve/vacuum leak or something of that nature... but not sure where to start looking.

What do you all think?

Thanks in advance,

Nirav

Reply to
Nirav J. Modi
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I don't know "for sure"... since it is not my car and it didn't happen at all while I was driving it (trying to diagnose/reproduce the problem).. but from what my friend tells me, it always seems to happen while he is slowing down (braking) or coasting... thats at least what I am inferring from his descriptions to me... unfortunately he is not very auto-literate - so its hard to get any more technical information from him.

Thanks for everyones input so far! Nirav

PS: Nisstech - what time was the show again? you know, the "Watch again next week, when we give you the answer to this weeks puzzler!" :)

Reply to
Nirav J. Modi

Reply to
95 MAX 145k

My buddy - who's car is exhibiting this behavior - is especially getting ancy :)...I told him - the powers that be aren't ready to disclose the solution to me so he just has to be patient.

Nisstech -> are we going to hear the verdict anytime soon?

Cheers Nirav

Reply to
Nirav J. Modi

Don't hold your breath... it may not happen.

CW

Reply to
CWu

Alright here's the follow-up..

1) Changed the fuel filter 2) Checked the IACV valve for proper operation

Still kept stalling - so my friend finally dropped it off at the dealer - who surprise surprise, couldn't make it stall (after apparently driving it around for a week).. so my friend picked it back up and we're back to square one...still stalls

Anyone else have any ideas on this? I just saw something on the alt.autos.nissan newsgroup where a Sentra was behaving in a similar fashion and someone suggested the MAF sensor... any thoughts on that?

Nisstech you gonna reveal your ideas or are you gonna play games with us? Any insight would be appreciated - its getting a little dangerous on the highway, i.e. suddenly the power steering shuts down - car gets hard to control. etc. etc.

Nirav

96 Max GLE, 95k
Reply to
Nirav J. Modi

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