can a 215/45R17 be used to replace a 225/65-17 tire

The problem is the ignition coils. The CEL suggested that but you chose to ignore both the CEL and the dealers diagnosis. Some of the 99 year Maxima's are prone to premature ignition coil failure. Replace the coils and that should take care of your problems.

Nirav

I second this recommendation.

You have several options:

1. Buy a OBD scanner for 100 bucks - so you don't have to keep paying the dealer to pull the codes - it looks like you've decided to go down this route. Not sure if I'd trust a 22 dollar reader off Ebay - but hopefully I'll be surprised.
2. Take the car to Autozone (if you are not in CA) and they may be able to read the codes for you.
3. Fix the underlying problems that trigger the CEL.
4. Sell the Maxima and buy another car.
5. People come to these forums looking for ways to solve their car problems - not to post cinderalla stories about how their car has been perfect. You are going to find mostly questions asking for help.

Enjoy.

Nirav

What year? What size Rims?

You'll have better luck posting this in the alt.autos.nissan forums, rather than this Maxima-specific forum.

Cheers. Nirav

It could also be a stuck parking brake cable.

Can someone tell me how they like the 6 speed in the 02-03 Maximas. Does it shift smoothly? Is it an aerobic exercise to use the clutch? How dependable is the tranny? Would you buy a manual again from Nissan?

High tire prices come with the 17" rim territory. You have a nice car, don't put shoddy shoes on it. Go with some quality tires - I wouldn't expect to pay less than 150/tire and maybe even close to 200 if you want some Michelin Pilots.

Should not the dealer or competent independent mechanic be able to test this and confirm the diagnosis?

Your suggestion sounds like you know what you are talking about, but sometimes dealers and unscrupulous independent mechanics diagnose by guess and replacement.

One more time: It is the ignition coils. Go to the dealer and let them fix your car.

Nirav

How would you fix a stuck parking cable?

You might try this first, just to see if it works. It's free and takes very little time.

Don't worry, Nirav is obviously quite confident about his diagnoses and you should therefore not think twice about spending your hard-earned money in replacing all the coils. His directive to have the dealer do the job is also spot-on as this is a very delicate operation that should only be attempted by an official Nissan-certified master mechanic.

. . . NOT ! ! !

njmodi wrote:

Replace it.

Dave

you have to pull the engine up - lift it out several inches to get at it .. my harmonic balancer was wabbling before i bought the car and i had to pay for that and the belts by the time i bought the car .. at least 3 hours by a pro mechanic .

yeah the guy's right about filtrati>> Nissan makes pretty good cars ... (although you're going to have trouble

I didn't do the diagnosis, the car ECU did that and the dealer confirmed it:

1. The CEL is lit and indicates an ignition failure
2. The dealer confirms the symptoms as being ignition coil failure
3. He has a 99 year Maxima - this model year is known for premature coil failure

The original post was asking for confirmation of the diagnosis and that is what was provided.

As you imply, replacing the coils is straightforward and if he wants to take it on, good for him. He'll be able to replace all 6 coils for the price the dealer will charge to replace one.

Why do I recommend the dealer over his mechanic? his mechanic sent him home after pulling the ignition failure code - without diagnosing either bad coils or the root cause. This mechanic doesn't deserve his business.

feynman - if you knew all the answers, maybe you should have helped him by providing something more useful than a sarcastic reply.

Cheers. Nirav

Just seems it would be better to just pay the $5 at Nissan and get the real thing.

I agree why do something dumb. Nissan OEM filter..$5 Now thats smart.