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More drama with the ’01 Maxima (5th Gen, 3.0L VQ30DE, 195,000 miles). The dreaded P0505 IAVC code and idle issues.
The other night, I tried starting the car and the car would not start. I would classify it as a “crank, start, and immediately die” condition. I took the car to a local shop to learn that no codes were thrown. They cleaned the MAF sensor, adjusted the idle, and it temporarily solved the problem.
After driving it a few days, the problem came back. On top of not idling, while holding my foot on the accelerator to keep the car going, I heard a light “pop” under the dash and smelled a burning electrical smell (it went away… have not seen any new ill effects).
The local shop advised me to take it to the dealer. The dealer informed me that the IACV was bad, which probably meant the ECU is bad, too (but there is no way to know the ECU is bad until they put a new IACV on it). The tech said this is a very common problem and that he’s never seen an instance where only replacing the IACV completely solved the problem (meaning it left the ECU intact), but has heard of this happening. Does anyone have any experience with this repair and can offer advice on a course of action?
IACV replacement – $500, ECU replacement/program – $900
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Well here’s the latest…. The root cause was not the IACV, as discovered, even though it was bad. After replacing both the IACV and ECU, they both fried again, the root problem being a bad motor mount (electric mount… Had no idea these existed). All these have to be replaced. Thankfully, the dealer is going to help me out with the cost and asked that I pay the cost of the mount, but he is going to eat the cost of the labor to put the mount on and the replacement IACV and ECU (the second time… I wouldn’t pay for this anyway). This will bump the cost up some, but not much. He’s also going to perform the other services on the house.
The takeaway here is if you have a ’00-’01 maxima with an idle problem, get ready to write a check. This is an absolutely awful setup.
Holy crap. I’ve never heard of that either. Not the electric engine mounts, but the mounts causing all of that stuff to go bad.
Please, keep us updated on their progress and good luck.
Here is Nissan/Infiniti thread on the subject. What I have gathered from doing research are the IACV and the engine mounts are controlled by the same driver in the ECU… meaning a short in any of those components, or wiring connecting these components, will likely take out at LEAST the ECU (the weakest link in the circuit), and sometimes all 3 components (which is what happened in my case). According to the dealer after talking with them further, revealed an engine mount wire was damaged (pinched), likely when I had the starter replaced about a year ago. After the wiring was compromised enough to expose the wiring (by temperature, dry rot, perfect conditions, etc.), it shorted, taking out the driver in the computer, which took out the IACV and the engine mount. Once a short exists in any component, it will continue to fry the other components, new or otherwise, until the source of the short is discovered and repaired/replaced.
My hopes are this information helps someone because this is a VERY costly repair… I’m lucky to be spending less than $2,000 at this point. If you have a Maxima of this vintage, the SECOND you have an idle problem, get it to the dealer ASAP. You give yourself a chance to save upwards of $1200 in repairs finding this problem quickly.
It is also worth noting you HAVE to take your car to the dealer here… no independent shop (or DYI… unless you are lucky enough to have the Nissan scan tool) will have the capabilities to fully test and replace these components. Replacing the ECU means an idle air relearn on the ECU… and not to mention reprogramming your keys.
http://forums.nicoclub.com/01-i30-stalls-turn-off-when-on-idle-t381947.html
Has anyone had this repair done? Does it have a high success rate, or is it wise to condemn the car and sell it while it still has some value? Can anyone provide some insight there?
ECUs used to be designed so that every input could be grounded or connected to battery positive and every output device could short and still ECU was fine. If ECU can be damaged this easy and will do so much damage it almost feels like it’s done on purpose…
But keep us posted.
[quote=”valde” post=89689]ECUs used to be designed so that every input could be grounded or connected to battery positive and every output device could short and still ECU was fine. If ECU can be damaged this easy and will do so much damage it almost feels like it’s done on purpose…
But keep us posted.[/quote]
Yea, I have no idea why they designed the ECU to be so vulnerable with this issue. I’m not an engineer, but common sense suggests protecting the engine computer would be a top priority in designing an automotive electrical system. Perhaps the engineers felt these components were well-protected enough (since none are considered “consumable” or wear items) that the circuit would not fail… I honestly don’t know. Perhaps it was just a design oversight… either way, this is just a very horrible design here…
Wow, I have never seen this issue before. I love the Maximas and am on my second one but after hearing that I’m actually kind of mad of the set up. As much as I love Nissan they can be idiots on a few things. Keep us posted. My cousin is having issues with his 01 Maxima too.
Here I am, 4 weeks later, and here’s the latest…. The car is not fixed. The computer will not take the idle relearn and keeps frying. The dealer told me it’s likely something fried in the main wiring harness and aside from either pulling it out and tearing into it or just replacing the whole harness, there isn’t much that can be done. The car is nowhere near worth the money to fix it, so I’m facing getting rid of the car that has some serious electrical problems.
My question is this… I’ve never been in or seen a situation where a dealer says “look, we can’t fix your car.” Considering the high dollar parts and extensive amount of labor involved, what should I expect when I go to pay my bill? Is it fair to just walk away? What can I expect in terms of fees or a bill? Does anyone have insight?
I think they should work harder. I’ve had cars like this at the dealer myself. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do a real diagnosis instead of throwing parts at it based on the pattern failures of the past. There is obviously something else going on here. Thing is, they’ve already given you a break from their past screw up. In short, they are underwater on it and don’t want to invent in it anymore. I can understand but that does nothing for you. You’ve done everything and been a good sport about all this BS. It’s really up to you if you want to give up at this point. I suppose your only other option is to find a good shop with a tech that knows enough about electrical to figure out what the real issue is. Otherwise, you can sell it. No matter what you decide, keep us posted.
Back in 1990 Chrysler and Mitsubishi got together and started producing cars at a plant in Normal, Illinois. These cars contained a little surprise. After a few years the ECU would fail. There were two capacitors on the board and these capacitors leaked electrolyte. Well, eventually owners figured out how to repair the ECU themselves by replacing the capacitors before the caps failed.
Anyway, this resulted in a ton of cars that needed a replacement ECU. A new one was $900 – $1200 depending on dealer markup. Most people went with remans that sold for about $250. Anyway, that is my suggestion.
I really don’t like saying stuff like this considering I’m a Nissan guy. But you should honestly sell the car. Once you have problems like this with a Nissan they will not go away. That’s what I would recommend, but it’s up too you.
[quote=”NissanMaxx” post=91172]I really don’t like saying stuff like this considering I’m a Nissan guy. But you should honestly sell the car. Once you have problems like this with a Nissan they will not go away. That’s what I would recommend, but it’s up too you.[/quote]
I did end up selling the car. Like you said, by the time I paid the money to get the car running right again, it may not be the last electrical problem the car has and the car just wasn’t worth it to me. In my mind, I attribute most of the blame to the design team that designed the circuit… It’s just a horrible horrible design.
I did end up getting what I wanted to out of it, so that’s a win.
Thank so much for everyone’s input and help. It’s awesome there’s a place like this to find valuable information to help make decisions.
Well, I did a fair amount of shopping… I am partial to Honda/Acura because they’ve had a fantastic record with people I’ve known (I used to own one… my family has owned 4… all were absolutely fantastic automobiles)… BUT… I wanted to go the certified Used route and Honda/Acura was just too expensive.
I actually ended up settling on a 2012 Ford Fusion. I have been impressed with what Ford is doing and I drove the Fusion and was VERY impressed. I also qualified for a great APR and warrantee deal. The drivetrain is a Mazda setup and, in my opinion, Mazda is one of the most underrated manufacturers out there, so I have faith it will be a solid car.
[quote=”rileyd87″ post=91402]Well, I did a fair amount of shopping… I am partial to Honda/Acura because they’ve had a fantastic record with people I’ve known (I used to own one… my family has owned 4… all were absolutely fantastic automobiles)… BUT… I wanted to go the certified Used route and Honda/Acura was just too expensive.
I actually ended up settling on a 2012 Ford Fusion. I have been impressed with what Ford is doing and I drove the Fusion and was VERY impressed. I also qualified for a great APR and warrantee deal. The drivetrain is a Mazda setup and, in my opinion, Mazda is one of the most underrated manufacturers out there, so I have faith it will be a solid car.[/quote]
Fantastic. Best of luck with the car. 🙂
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