Engine jerking/excessive vibrating

Lvoldemart on 16/07/2014 - 13:47

I have a Nissan Maxima 2001 V6 3.0 sedan. About a couple of years ago the engine started jerking intermittently. I did take it to the auto mechanic for a repair but was told the engineer was not jerking when they tried to troubleshoot and I should come back again when the problem started to happen more often.

So the problem has worsened since, to the point engine jerks most of the time. And it’s weird – I have found that it only runs smoothly when the fuel gauge is at certain levels e.g. about half and 1/5. And the range in which it can run OK is very narrow. Let’s say if I start the car at a “right” fuel level and the car goes smoothly for 5Km then stop – start the car again, the jerking problem would come back until it reaches the next right fuel level.
What I have also found is that the vibration would increase with the more acceleration however once the gas pedal is pushed down further to beyond a certain level (not sure about the RPM), the vibration would be suddenly reduced quite significantly - but obviously I cannot keep on accelerating. The other end of the problem is when the shift is in D or R and not accelerating at all, the car would literally jerking so violently it is almost undriveable.

I have replaced the air filter and fuel pump. After the recent replacement of the latter the problem seems to be even worsened – now occasionally I can’t even start the car on one go! This doesn’t happen a lot but I am getting really worried.

By the way there is no decent auto mechanics (not that I know of anyway) within the walking distance of where I live now so I have been reluctant to take it to a workshop (and there is $$). I would be really grateful if someone can offer some tips on this situation so that (hopefully) I can fix it by myself quickly.

Automotive

Comments

  • endotherm on 16/07/2014 - 15:20
    +3

    Sounds like perhaps a fuel starvation problem, if it is all related to the fuel tank level, fuel pump and under acceleration where the fuel sloshes back in the tank. Perhaps the pickup in the tank is clogged with contaminants and can only suck up the fuel under certain conditions and fuel loads? I'd take out the sender/pickup and clean them and make sure it isn't clogged. Same for the rest of the fuel line and check/replace any inline fuel filter, and clean the carburetor if you have one, etc.

  • kiamsup on 16/07/2014 - 15:38
    +2

    Also try changing the fuel filter. Not expensive if you know how to do it.

  • roguescholar on 16/07/2014 - 16:40
    +1

    Don't own a Nissan, but you could try these if your car has the same things.
    Do the above, then clean the Idle Air Control Valve (IACV), the Air Flow Meter (AFM) or MAF (Mass Air Flow sensor), and also the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve.
    Hopefully that helps you.

  • Paul Atreides on 16/07/2014 - 17:22

    coilpacks/spark plugs would be my 2c

  • Paul Atreides on 16/07/2014 - 17:23

    or there might be a hole somewhere in your intake

  • Schezwon on 16/07/2014 - 17:28

    Have you tested the battery and the alternator, my mate's Maxima had that issue, battery was not charging properly and that caused it to under rev and vibrate a lot.

  • Charity on 16/07/2014 - 18:04
    +2

    you should probably find a Maxima forum!

    On a bargain-hunting forum you are going to get every diagnosis possible from the correct one to something related to your number plates!

    • endotherm on 16/07/2014 - 21:02

      Yes, don't forget to check your number plates. :)

  • therooftop on 16/07/2014 - 18:05
    +5

    I just came here because of the dirty title.

    • YTW on 16/07/2014 - 19:01
      +2

      lol…glad I'm not the only one! And it was such a boring topic after all…

    • Baysew on 16/07/2014 - 20:59
      +1

      Re read the first paragraph carefully

  • This Guy on 16/07/2014 - 19:38
    -1

    Have you tried dropping lit matches down the fuel tank then claiming it was stolen? A mate did this when he was having car problems now he gets free meals, free accommodation and finds he doesn’t need to drive anymore. And the loss of feeling in his right hand means that if a neighbour gives him trouble he can deal with it without any problems (as long as you don't consider a numb, crushed, stabbed and melted right hand a problem).

    Take your mechanic for a drive with you driving. Once they have seen and acknowledged the problem, let them drive and try to replicate it. If they throw around big words and want to charge you more than $500, take it elsewhere and see if the competition thinks it is the same problem.

  • uniqualz on 17/07/2014 - 11:41

    My Ford Escape 2001 V6 had all those problems. With no mech experience, I fixed it all myself, cos I'm tight, in about 3 hrs for about $300 in new parts. Buy all parts off Ebay USA (or your local auto stores - Repco, Supercheap etc). I replaced the 6 ignition coils and spark plugs, plus the upper & lower intake manifold gaskets, the IAC valve, the MAF sensor, and the PCV valve. Now it runs like a new car. If you can't spend that much, just spend 3 bucks on a generic tin of Carby Cleaner from Repco, and spray all your contacts (NOT your MAF sensor!) and carboned-up gunky stuff - pull out the IAC valve etc and spray them heaps to dissolve all carbon build-ups. See if that helps smooth it out a bit. Cheap & quick to do.

  • morpheu on 17/07/2014 - 11:57

    i would have said fuel pump or MAF sensor but the fuel gauge description got me stumped, given it's an older car i would borrow an engine ECU swap it over and see if that helps

  • Speckled Jim on 17/07/2014 - 22:39

    Engine and/or transmission mounts.

  • BringAPlate on 17/07/2014 - 22:52

    Chances are its a simple fuel filter. You may have filled up with some less than desirable fuel at one stage (or previous owner) and got some rubbish in it.

    It's pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things so you won't be out of pocket thousands in the event it wasn't the problem.

  • Azn310 on 18/07/2014 - 01:01

    Mate, you need a trusty mechanic to analyze it for you. All we can do in the forum is guessing. You may be wasting money if you follow these opinions, or you may get lucky.

    First off, do you use E10?

    Cheapest check, get a spray bottle, fill with clean water, turn car on and leave it running. Spray around the air intake and its hoses going into engine, take care not to spray on electronics. This is to check for vacuum leaks, if there is a leak, engine sucks more air in than needed, ECU doesn't understand and can't adjust fuel air ratio, engine jerk. So when you spray, if at some point, engine sounds smooth again, that's a leak there (because water fills the gap).

    If that doesn't do it, next cheap fix is to clean MAF sensor. They are usually located after air filter box. Use only 'MAF sensor cleaner' sprays (they are about $15 a bottle, last a life time) and wait for them to dry and assemble.

    If that doesn't solve it. When was the last time you change spark plugs? Fuel filter? Clean or change fuel injectors? If you haven't done any of this, best to do it now.

    Regarding D and R jerk, it's either your engine and transmission mount or your transmission is going out. If I were you I'd find out if anyone has attempted to service tranny at all before, maybe previous owner. Then, check condition and level of tranmission fluid. It should be reddish (not dark brown) and doesn't smell like burnt toast. Level should be checked when engine is hot hot and running, do a deep research before you check. If in doubt, it's best you take it to a tranny specialist for them to analyze.

  • Euphemistic on 18/07/2014 - 11:36

    Are you getting any fault codes? Check with one of those ecu plug in thingies, or take it to a workshop and get them to do some diagnostics. If it is a single code should give you something to fix, if not then you will only be handed a can of worms.

    We had a RAV4 that had just had some head work done and when we got it back the engine started missing. It got worse, and the first couple of times we took it back they couldn't fix it, but did manage to charge us $200 to try to. The ECU system was giving erratic error messages. Eventually the car just stopped and it got towed back to the dealer and they found it was a faulty earth lead, something that was not put back correctly when they reinstalled the heads.

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