1992 Nissan Maxima SE from North America - Comments

The exhaust pipe was rusted in places so had to be replaced within 6 months of getting the car. The engine was making a LOT of noise.

Brake pads were worn through, handbrake no longer works. The brake pads and brakes were replaced. Because of the cost, the left rear brake pad/brake was untouched. Basically, this is what is left that makes the parking brake still work- to the extent that the car will move if the parking brake is down, but it won't roll if you're parked. So it works half-way.

Essentially, when you press the accelerator, the car won't move any faster and in fact, starts slowing down instead. Its only when you press the gas ALL the way that the car jumps into speed. As well, when you're a stop light, the engine flutters pretty badly. This happened a week ago. Later on in the week, I had to stop driving it completely because the car was so irrational and so slow and jerky.

This latest problem is undiagnosed. I am so hoping someone will have been through it and will be able to make a suggestion. The mechanics have no clue what it is. I've had an engine diagnostic run and nothing was wrong. The air flow meter was found to be broken so we replaced it for $330 CDN. But that hasn't helped. The car is still jerking and not moving and shuddering. The "earth" of the car was also checked. It was fixed too. But to no avail. Help!

I love my Maxima. I adore it. Its comfortable, its big, it's a car that really feels like its taking care of you. I'm quite petite physically, so being in the Maxima with its roominess and sturdiness makes me feel 100 times more confident on the road, esp. in Canadian winters, than I ever felt in my Corolla. That car was written off after a collision. I bought my car for $4900 CDN too! Which is a steal. Definitely any and all future cars of mine will be Nissans.

I just wish this problem would resolve itself because its frustrating having to keep sinking money into it.

Check the cam position sensor.

Hey I had the same problem with my car. I was just driving and the car started jerking and would not pick up any speed. Try looking at the distribution cap. Sometimes the screw falls out and the car will not respond.

I just bought my maxima for $500 and it had the same problem plus it wouldn't pass (HC) part of the state inspection so I drop $800 into it ($300 for rear brakes) and the rest for a total tune up, oil change, and engine flush and now it runs great. What I found out was the the previous owner had let someone do a tune up and they put the wrong plugs in it... now I'm not saying that you have the wrong plug (should have Platinum Twin plugs at the least) but you may just need a good tune up...

What I did about the same kind of problem was to use better fuel. My wife usually tries to save money by using ship gas, but the car was jerking, losing power and some times the engine would die while stopping or taking off, so I replaced the fuel filter put a gas additive to the tank and asked my wife to buy gas only of a good brand, and now is working just fine.Also, check the fuel pump, it could not be working properly.

My Maxima has a similar problem. I ended up replacing a fuel injector, $500.00. After this I started to put mid to super gas in it and has been good for the most part since.

I had similar problem with my 92 SE. Resolved it by using fuel additives from S.T.P.

Go on www.maxima.org and start doing some homework. That type of problem can any of the following:

-air intake sensor (aka Mass Air Flow sensor)

-oxygen sensor (aka O2 sensor)

-Cam Position sensor

-Throttle position sensor (on some cars, generally speaking)

I'm betting that it isn't a fuel injector, unless it is running rough all the time. I'm also betting that the most likely culprit is the cam position sensor.

But don't take my word for it... look for the answer yourself on resources like www.maxima.org. And if you can't find it there, buy a shop manual and start reading. That's the same thing any mechanic would do (reading the diagnostic steps listed in the manual)... the difference being, if you do it yourself, it won't cost you $80 an hour.

My Maxima had exactly the same problem. First I changed the fuel pump, nothing happened, the problem remained. But then I changed the O2 sensors, and everything was fine! The car ran smoothly thereafter.